YOU ARE NOT AS SWEET AS MY SUGAR COOKIES - RECIPE

½ cup butter, softened
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar

Juice of 1 lemon, remove seeds
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

1¼ cups all purpose flour
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
Coconut to roll dough in.

✪ Preheat oven to 350˚F (175˚C)
✪ Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt: set aside.
✪ In a medium mixing bowl; cream together the butter and sugars.
✪ Mix in lemon juice, egg, and vanilla.
✪ Add dry ingredients. Wrap dough in plastic and put in the refrigerator until easy to handle.
✪ Roll dough into a 1-inch ball and then roll in coconut. Place ball on a lined cookie sheet and flatten with your fingers.
✪ Bake for 12-15 minutes, until slightly golden. Let cool on wire cooling racks.




Photo by Jason Hervey, Prop styling Eden Bluestein

Nothing brings me more joy then Halloween! The costumes the candy and of course the Halloween inspired recipes!

Here is another fun recipe to do with the kiddies. You can add shoe string licorice to hang the critters or also make some on a candy stick. I tweaked a recipe in my cookbook The Happy Baker-A Dater's Guide To Emotional Baking. I used my Speed Dating Quickies recipe (an old school one my mom used to make) and I added less oatmeal and more coconut and of course eyes and legs.

CHOCOLATE QUICKIE CRITTERS

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup milk (I used 1%)

1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups quick cooking oats
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 cups coconut (do not use finely shredded, more course coconut will give a better texture for the critters)

Pretzel sticks for critter legs
White chocolate chips for eyes
Wilton Black glitter gel icing tube for eyes

In a medium heavy bottom saucepan combine the butter, sugars and milk. Over medium heat bring to a boil; stirring often.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla

Add the chocolate chips; stir until melted. Stir in the coconut and oats.

On a lined cookie sheet break 3 pretzels in half place them in a critter leg type pattern. Spoon a tbsp. of the mixture on the pretzels. Place two white chocolate chips in as eyes and use a small amount of the black glitter gel for eyes. Let set in the fridge. Store in the fridge in an air-tight container.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

I am a sucker for a fresh baked cookie and what's more fabulous than adding some ice cream to it?!

I can still remember when my brother and I were younger and if we were sick my mom would bring us ice cream sandwiches. For some reason they would make us feel better. To this day if my stomach is upset or I am seriously hungover from some crazy night of Toronto partying I will crave ice cream ...

If I could replace all meals with this and still be healthy I would!



RECIPE:

This is a cookie recipe from my cookbook The Happy Baker-A Dater's Guide To Emotional Baking. It pretty much has a little bit of everything and is great to bake when your emotional and don't know why all you know is you have to bake something NOW! I added vanilla bean ice cream in between cookies to make a sandwich you can also use frozen yogurt...get crafty people!

ERIN'S GO-TO COOKIE:

½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup butter, softened

½ cup smooth peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg

¾ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup rolled oats
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup coconut

Preheat oven to 375 F (175*C)

In a large bowl, combine sugar and butter, beat until light and fluffy. Add peanut butter, vanilla, and egg ; mix well. Blend in flour, oatmeal, baking soda, and salt. Stir in chocolate chips and coconut.
Drop by tablespoon on a lined cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Flatten with fingers.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown. Let cool completely. Remove ice cream from freezer and let soften slightly. Add a generous scoop between two cookies and gently press cookies to form a sandwich. Wrap in plastic wrap or a sandwich baggie and store in the freezer until ready to eat!

Woo hoo we cut the first melon and it was delicious! Super sweet and juicy! It could have been a little sweeter so we are going to keep the others on the vine a tad longer.



I let my BF aka “Babe” cut the first melon he was super proud of my melons so it only seemed fair. This is his "I'm so cool hanging on to this melon" face.



I then took it back to my home in Toronto and got busy in the kitchen.



So far I have made a Watermelon Sangria (which I need to tweak recipe will be included in next newsletter NEWSLETTER) as well as a Watermelon Arugula salad with Peppercorn Goat Cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.



That was pretty darn yummy next time no red onions it was spicy enough without it!

Also don’t forgot about the new fabulous Watermelon Contest. To enter the contest simply visit my FACEBOOK. page and post your favourite watermelon recipe and photo. One winner will be picked at random and will receive these lovely one of a kind cocktail wands from Marie Bohm



Designer of BOHM@HOME as well as a Happy Baker swag. The winner’s watermelon recipe will be included in my next newsletter and of course featured at my watermelon crawl! Thanks for being a part of my melon journey. Ill post new recipes and photos soon!

My watermelons are growing like there is no tomorrow. Here is a look at the measurements of the melon with the fastest growing spurt as told by “One Arm”.

July 27/2011 ~ 11"
July 28/2011 ~ 12 1/2"
July 29, 4:45 pm ~ 14"
July 30th 12:00pm ~ 15" (with help from Babe aka my BF)
July 31st 5:00pm ~ 16 1/2"
Aug 1st 3:45 pm ~ 18"
Aug 2nd 4:24pm ~ 19 1/2"
Aug 3rd 12:23 pm ~ 20" (slower growth due to lack of sun)
Yours till melons ripen, “One Arm”



"…… This just in, at 4:32 pm (July 28th) eastern standard time Erin’s melons are 12 1/2" in circumference. That is a gain of 1 1/2" from yesterday. da da dot dot......"
“One Arm”



"Hello from the garden of "One Arm" I have recently updated my measuring string to a "measuring tape" with hopes to get more accurate measurements of Erin’s Melons.

I am now measuring 3 melons:
(Original melon) now called Erin’s First - 4:15 Aug 9th 22"
(2nd melon) Erin’s Blemish - 4:15 Aug 9th 26" (Aug 4th measurement 20")
(3rd melon) Erin’s West End - 4:15 Aug 9th 24" (Aug 8th measurement 22 1/2")"

(I don’t know how he measured all melons in one minute with one arm … that is one talented gardener).

Can't wait for the harvesting and final measurements of Erin’s Melons see ya when I see ya "One Arm"



I just had a look at my melons this past week-end and it look like my original melon has stopped growing and now is changing colour and becoming a little more green. The one melon that is now in 1st place is the one called Erin’s Blemish. It has a little scar on one side but I think it adds a lot of character.



Now to celebrate my first attempt at growing watermelons and having a watermelon crawl I have a fabulous contest for y’all. Marie Bohm designer of BOHM@HOME has designed and created some lovely handmade glass cocktail & shaker wands.



Perfect for stirring the Watermelon White Sangria I plan on making! To enter the contest simply visit my FACEBOOK page and post your favourite watermelon recipe and photo. One winner will be picked at random and will receive these lovely one of a kind cocktail wands as well as some Happy Baker swag (you must be 21 yrs. old and above to enter). The winner’s watermelon recipe will be included in my next newsletter and of course featured at my watermelon crawl!

50% cupcake ... 50% muffin ... 100% Enjoyable. May I introduce you to the CUPPIN. They are too sweet to be considered a muffin and without the icing they are not really a cupcake but they are seriously yummy and a perfect dessert for summer. I LOVE fresh peaches what better way to eat them! This is a great moist vanilla cuppin!

Summer Lovin’ Peach Crumble Cuppins

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cake & pastry flour
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp. salt

3 eggs, large
1 tsp. almond extract
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk, I used 1%

2 cups peaches, peeled and sliced into small chunks

Crumble Topping:

1 cup ground almonds
1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
½ cup flour




Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees line 2 cupcake tins (makes 24 cupcakes). In a large mixing bowl combine the flours, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda; whisk or sift together.

Add eggs, almond extract, milk and oil. Mix together with a hand mixer until smooth about a couple of minutes.

Stir in the peaches.

For the crumble topping: In a medium sized mixing bowl stir together the ground almonds and brown sugar. Using a fork add the flour and butter until the mixture is crumbly and not gooey.

Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full of the cupcake batter and then sprinkle a generous tbsp. of the crumb topping on top. Bake for 22-24 mintues until the edges are golden brown. Let cool and enjoy! Store in an air-tight container in a cool dry place.

Happy Summer Baking Everyone!!

This recipe was inspired by the unfortunate shenanigans of Arnold Schwarzenegger. In times like these one can only say zip it up buttercup. Actually I could have said a lot worse but I wanted to keep it clean! Somebody has to! Enjoy this yummy vanilla butter cupcake with a hint of lemon and a lovely buttercream icing to top it off!

INGREDIENTS 1 cup butter, softened (I used unsalted)
2 cups granulated sugar

3 eggs (I used large)
2 tsp. clear vanilla
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
zest from 1 lemon
½ cup greek yogurt (I used President’s Choice greek yogurt)



2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cake flour
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. baking soda

1 cup milk (I used 1%)



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cupcake tins (makes 22-24 cupcakes)
Mix together the butter and sugar until light & fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time mixing in between. Add the vanilla, lemon juice and zest; mix. Add the yogurt and mix until combined. Set aside.



In a separate bowl whisk or sift together the flour, cake flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add the dry mixture and milk to the butter mixture. Alternating between the dry mixture and milk; stir well.
Fill the cupcake tins about 2/3 full. Bake in the preheated oven for 22-24 minutes until lightly golden brown and when a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out with only a couple crumbs attached. Let cool on cooling racks



BUTTER CREAM ICING

1 cup butter, softened
5 tbsp. light cream
1 tsp. clear vanilla
5 cups app. icing sugar (confectioners sugar)

In a medium sized bowl using you hand mixer; mix together the butter and vanilla. Add a tbsp of the cream; mix. Add a cup of the icing sugar; mix. Continue alternating the consistency should be light and creamy.
Ice & decorate cupcakes … Enjoy!

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups to 2 3/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
cocoa for dusting

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and egg; mix until just combined.

In a separate bowl add the dry ingredients. Sift or whisk together. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Stirring and combing after each addition. You want to create a stiff dough that does not crumble apart.

Roll dough into a 1-inch ball. Flatten with your fingers on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with cocoa.

Bake for about 10-12 minutes until cookies are a light golden brown. Let cool on a cookie sheet.

IRISH CREAM FILLING

1/4 butter, softened
2 tbsp. Irish Cream liqueur
1 cup of icing sugar

Combine the butter and 1 tbsp. of the Irish cream and 1/2 cup of icing sugar. Add the remaining Irish Cream; stir. Gradually add the remaining icing sugar. The consistency should be creamy and thick.

Using a knife or icing bag add about 1 tbsp. of the Irish cream mixture to the inside of one cooled cookie place another cookie on top to make a fabulous sandwich!

Store in a cool dry place in an air-tight container for a couple of days.

Hi everyone, It's been a while since my last blog post and let me tell you it was not planned. I went back home for the holidays. Before I knew it I was renovating my old bedroom (it was time for the rainbow & palm tree wallpaper to go), I was eating my weight in chocolates, drinking way too much Christmas Cheer and on occasion replacing my Vitamin D pill with Melatonin by mistake (note to self a ziplock baggie does not work as a pill case).
Needless to say I dropped the ball on sending out my New Years Newsletter (sorry gang) but I did have a fabulous time spending many days & nights with family and had one of the best New Year's i've had in a few years! I am so ready for 2011 and can't wait to make The Happy Baker brand bigger & better.
This year did not disappoint in the gift department. Although I told everyone I really didn't need anything (unless it's a yacht in the French Riviera with Keanu Reeves) I still was spoiled rotten. Some of my favourite gifts include, of course, baking items and fabulous props for the kitchen!


These cute little egg cups were a gift from Santa and in my stocking. They are from one of my favourite kitchen stores Kulpepper's on the square in Goderich, Ontario. Not only do they have my favourite Planet Bean Jumping Bean espresso but they have a whole mish mash of kitchen gadgets from sassy aprons to fruit zesters to my cookbook!


These super cute accessories were given to me by my sister in law from one of our fav stores HomeSense. We both have a bit of unhealthy obsession with the store. You just never know what you may find there! She sure knows me well I can't wait to use the props for upcoming Valentine's Day promo ... and if you didn't know yet my web series The Happy Baker will be launching on the Food Network Canada February 14th so I will get some serious use out of them:)

I just love these fruit pieces. My mother gave me these lovely gifts from another one of my favourite small town stores The Gift Cupboard in Blyth Ontario. The owner Janice sure knows her stuff and I always find something to buy when I am in her store. They will both be a great addition to The Happy Baker kitchen.

A very Happy New Year to everyone. I wish you all nothing but the best for 2011. I just know this year has a lot in store for us. My batteries are recharged and I am ready for action!

Ok so I'm a sucker for new baking products especially anything from President's Choice. Rarely am I ever let down by their products and as a rule they are cheaper than comparable products. As I was perusing the grocery store back home I noticed the huge display of the new PC Mini Melts. They have fudge, peanut butter and butterscotch (yes I bought all 3).

I thought I would start off with the peanut butter ones and decided to make something from my newest obsession FUDGE.

I love fudge there is such a science behind it. You really have to pay attention and get to know your fudge for it to turn out. Although I do use a candy thermometer I may try it without a thermometer one day and create it like my grandma would ... testing the fudge for the soft ball stage and such. Fudge is old school and I love that I can just imagine my Grandma making it back in the day while she had a pie cooling in the window sill.

My review of the peanut butter melt is this: DO not open the bag before you need to add them to your recipe you will eat them and not just one or two but a handful! I quite enjoyed them in the fudge although the chocolate did melt away from the cups even though I added them when my fudge was at room temperature. But the little creamy pockets of peanut butter in the fudge are extremely enjoyable. Next time I make the fudge I will reserve a third of the package to sprinkle on the top so I don't lose the chocolaty taste. That being said I do wish they had a more chocolaty taste. The chocolate is too subtle for my liking in general. I also added pecan pieces because that is what I had lying around although next time I will use chopped peanuts.

Now this product is Canadian and available and Loblaws, Zehrs etc ... on behalf of all Canadians I would like to apologize to my American friends. If you come over the border to shop I suggest you stock up like I do with Mint Mojito gum by Orbit mmmmmmm when I'm in the U.S.



PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE RECIPE
Like I said I love fudge it makes a great gift for this time of year as well!

4 cups light brown sugar
1 1/3 cups milk
1 cup peanut butter (not low fat)
1 tsp. Vanilla
3/4 cup chopped nuts (peanuts, pecans)
1 bag (minus the handful you have eaten) of PC Peanut Butter Mini Melts
Method

In a heavy bottom saucepan combine the sugar and milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Clip a candy thermometer on to the side.
DO not touch, stir or even look at your fudge the wrong way. Fudge is about as sensitive as I am. Do what a good man should when you are PMS-ing ... leave you alone or stand a good distance away from ya at all times!
When your fudge reaches 240 degrees on the candy thermometer gently remove it from the burner. Gently place the peanut butter and vanilla on top.
Once the fudge comes to room temperature 110 degrees you can stir in the peanut butter and vanilla. Using a hand mixer beat the fudge until it thickens up and it will lose it's gleam a little. DO not scrap the crystals of the side (if you have any) this will make your fudge grainy and not smooth.
Stir in 2/3 of the mini melts and the nuts. Press into a 9-inch greased tin, smooth down top. You can place a piece of plastic wrap on top and smooth the fudge down with your hands. Sprinkle the remaining mini melts on top and gently press into the fudge.
Let set in the fridge and then cut into 1-inch squares. Can be stored in the fridge for one week.

Howdy everyone, I am loving my book media tour in the U.S. I love to travel and I love to chit chat to everyone about my book! So far my journey has taken me to Washington D.C. for the National Press Club's annual book fair and then off to Philly for a segment on NBC's the 10! Show and then off to NYC for a segment on the nationally syndicated show Better TV with host Audra Lowe.

I'm enjoying every minute of it (except the airport part) but it does beat driving across the country in my book mobile like I did for my Canadian Tour!
This morning I'm going to chat with Lou from the Mr. Fix It Radio Show in Chicago and then off for some Chicago promo on WGN next Tuesday.
Anywho Ill keep y'all posted of this crazy ride I am on and of course I love to take lots of pics!

Hey Y'all I thought I would share The Happy Baker cookbook now & then. The original was submitted for the Public School Fall fair (circa 1986) ... well my stick figure drawings have not improved LOL

You Can't Be A Witch Without A Broom!!

Recipe:

1/4 cup butter
2 cups peanut butter chips or 1 300g bag
2 cups of dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips

5 Shredded Wheat biscuits, crumbled
App. 15 pretzel rods, broken in half
Halloween jimmies

In a large saucepan over medium heat melt the butter, peanut butter chips and chocolate chips. Stirring often. Remove from heat and stir in the crumbled Shredded Wheat.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Break the pretzel rods in half. Spoon a tablespoonful of the mixture on top of one end of the pretzel rod. About 1-inch up the rod. Shape the mixture in the shape of a witches broom. Sprinkle with Halloween Jimmies. Let set in a cool area or in your fridge. Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place.

Happy Halloween!!

I've teamed up with The Suburban Princess for a giveaway of my book to help celebrate the launch of my book in the US
You can find out all the details here SUBURBAN PRINCESS BLOG. The winner be picked Friday October 15th don't delay enter today!!
Happy Baking!