Pinching Pennies

Posted on by theexileskitchen by Amanda Ellison Anglin

You know it’s there. That box of cereal that no one finished. What do you do with it now that it’s gone stale? Throw it out? That’s wasteful, and in this depressed economy, we need to pinch pennies any way we can.

So, I decided to make cookies. I’m not sure what to call them. Cereal Cookies sounds kind of bland, and these cookies are definitely full of flavor. Chewy and crunchy, they are great for dunking in a cup of coffee or hot tea.

Here’s what to do:

Preheat I’ve to 350° and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a big mixing bowl, cream together one stick of softened butter, a half cup of brown sugar, and a half cup of white sugar.

Next, add in an egg and a splash of vanilla, with a dash of cinnamon. Mix all really well.

Then stir in 2 1/2 cups of cereal. I had Special K with Almonds and Great Grains. Also, add in at the same time as the cereal a cup of self-rising flour. Incorporate everything well.

(I used a cookie scoop, but if you don’t have one, drop cookie dough onto parchment in heaping teaspoons.)

Space them about two inches apart, as these buttery cookies spread. Smoosh the cookie dough down slightly, with the bottom of a small juice glass dipped in water. Then bake them for 15 minutes.

This recipe makes two dozen, three inch cookies. I still don’t know what to call these. So, how about October Cookies?

Blessings from the Exile’s Kitchen.

Continue reading Pinching Pennies

Spiced Shortbread

Posted on by theexileskitchen by Amanda Ellison Anglin

It’s the last Sunday in August and you know what that means; pumpkin spice everything is around the corner. I refuse to call these pumpkin spice shortbread, but the taste is similar.

Here’s what you need and what to do:

Turn oven to 325° and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Mix the following spices together in a small dish and set aside.

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon cloves

In a stand mixer (or a big bowl and using a hand mixer), cream together softened butter and confectioner’s sugar.

1 1/4 cups softened butter

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

Add the all-purpose flour in thirds, slowly, so as not to make a mess and incorporate it for a smooth texture. With the last 1/3 of the flour, add 2/3 of the spice mixture.

2 1/4 all-purpose flour

2/3 of the spice mixture, reserve the rest for the last step.

Make cookie balls, about the size of a ping pong ball and place on cookie sheet, leaving space so edges don’t touch. Taking a small glass, gently smush the cookie ball, making a pretty indention. Bake for 12/15 minutes, till cookies are lightly brown. Cool slightly. In the same dish of reserved spices add a couple of tablespoons confectioner’s sugar. Toss warm cookies in the spiced sugar and cool on wire racks. Makes about 30 cookies. Serve with your favorite beverage. I have a creamered up cup of coffee, but as muggy as it is, iced tea would be great. Please, no hot cocoa. This is the South and we won’t cool down for several more weeks. Pumpkin spice, my eye!

I was excited the other week, when I spied this volunteer vine growing in Herman’s flower patch. It looked like a pumpkin vine of some kind, but it’s made these little tiny melon fruits. A mouse melon, a cucamelon, a sour cucumber. I don’t know. Kind of disappointed it’s not a little pumpkin. It’s feeding the wildlife around here, because the fruit I saw last week are gone. The tortoises and the rabbits may be dining together.

Blessings from Herman’s flower patch and the Exile’s Kitchen.

Chocolate Crunch Bars

Posted on by theexileskitchen by Amanda Ellison Anglin

Light, crispy and chocolaty these bars are easy to make. They are kind of like a traditional marshmallow crispy rice treat, but not as chewy or dense. No soy, natural peanut butter, allergen free chocolate chips, put this recipe in the good for you category.

Ingredients:

1 10 ounce package Nestlé Toll House chocolate chips

2 tablespoons Smucker’s Natural peanut butter

1 tablespoon coconut oil

4 cups rice cereal

1 cup mini marshmallows

What to do:

In a large microwavable bowl, melt first three ingredients till just melted. Stir smooth and fold in the rice cereal and marshmallows. Pour mixture onto a large parchment lined cookie sheet and chill in the frig for an hour. When the chocolate has set up cut into bars. Store in an air tight container in the frig. Makes about 2 dozen.

I’m enjoying my chocolate crunch bars with a mug of lemon, ginger tea. Like my mug? It’s locally made: Beacham Hill Pottery from Magnolia, Mississippi.

Blessings from the Exile’s Kitchen.

Eggless Cookies

Posted on by theexileskitchen by Amanda Ellison Anglin

I ran out of eggs and didn’t want to drive to town, so I tried an egg substitute. Using up last years sprinkles (you know, a few of this kind, a few of that kind-oh they don’t go bad, do they?), I made these eggless cake mix cookies.

Roll dough in miscellaneous sprinkles

Ingredients:

1 box vanilla or white cake mix

2 egg substitutes (for each egg needed, do this:1 tablespoon water, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons oil)

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

A bowl of miscellaneous sprinkles

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350°. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix up the egg substitute, set aside. In a big mixer bowl dump in cake mix. Then add the next 5 ingredients and stir together. With a scoop, drop mounds of cookie dough into the bowl of sprinkles, one at a time, coating each cookie. Place a few inches apart on cookie sheet, as these cookies will spread. Bake until the tops crack open and the bottoms are slightly browned. Twelve minutes or so. Cool on wire racks. These cookies are very crisp and are great for dunking, if you are so inclined. Makes about 2 dozen.

Great for dunking: won’t disappear into your hot beverage

Blessings from the Exile’s Kitchen.

August Cookie of the Month: Cranberry Pecan Shortbread

Posted on by theexileskitchen by Amanda Ellison Anglin

This recipe incorporates two of my favorites: dried cranberries and pecans. Shortbread has a minimal amount of ingredients. Easy. Great with hot or cold tea, afternoon coffee.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup of Land-O-Lakes butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

2 1/4 all-purpose flour

4 oz chopped dried cranberries

1/2 cup chopped pecans

A couple tablespoons of granulated sugar and powdered sugar in separate bowls

What to do:

Cream butter and powdered sugar till fluffy. A 1/4 cup at a time, add the flour; Mixer on low, so not to flour up your kitchen. Then add in the dried cranberries and pecans. This dough is stiff.

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Divide the shortbread into thirds, form  two logs, wrapped in parchment paper and label it. Placed in the freezer, it will be ready for gatherings this fall.

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Roll the last part of the shortbread into 1 inch balls and place an inch apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet. With a little glass dipped in granulated sugar, flatten the shortbread.

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Bake in a preheated 325° degree oven for about 15 minutes, depending on your oven. Don’t over brown these cookies. Shortbread is light in color.

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Cool the shortbread slightly on the cookie sheet, then roll in the extra powdered sugar. Next, cool completely on a wired wrack.

These shortbread cookies are light and buttery. I can’t wait for afternoon coffee.

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Shortbread Blessings from the Exile’s Kitchen.

June Cookie of the Month

Posted on by theexileskitchen by Amanda Ellison Anglin

File this one under super easy coffee dunker. And cheap? My yes! Made with flour tortillas, you can make many, many for pennies.

Cut four,  8 inch flour tortillas into six triangles each and place them in a single layer, on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Lightly spritz tortillas with vegetable spray. Dust with cinnamon sugar snd bake till crisp in 350° oven. While they baked, I cut up a handful of Hershey Kisses into small chunks.. I had them on hand, but you could use regular chocolate morsels and skip the chopping. After the cinnamon tortillas have baked, sprinkle the chocolate on top of the hot triangles. The chocolate will melt slightly. I took a butter knife and smeared the kisses chunks around a little.

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This vase is my favorite, bought at a Virginia Beach farmer’s market years ago. The flowers I grew myself. Autumn Beauty sunflowers, mixed zinnias, and brilliant white cosmos. The cosmos is the front runner this year and the Viceroy of butterflies adore it, too,

 

So good with a cup of afternoon coffee.

 

 

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This week, I’ve also made two kinds of pickles: Bread and Butter and Spicy Dill. The slide show is of the first batch Bread and Butter. They remind me of my daddy’s sister, Aunt Louise. She was a fantastic cook and had a pantry full of homemade goodness, including Bread and Butter pickles. On a visit to her home in Homer, Louisiana way back in the late 80’s, Aunt Louise gifted me with a jar. They were so good! I guess I make pickles because, yes they’re tasty, but they connect me to fond memories of Aunt Louise.

Garden Blessings from the Exile’s Kitchen.