~chasing my tail and yummy muffins~

Hello friends, how was your week? Aren’t these pretty, they were a gift from my Mamma. So bright and springy and of course they are in my favorite vintage milk carrier! You can read more about that here.

Ever felt like you were “chasing your tail”? Yup, I hear you! That was the kind of week it was for me, throw a couple extra things into the schedule and it was crazy town around here I tell ya! I am so happy I have today to play catch up, AND the sun is coming in and out from the clouds. It always makes me sooooo happy to see the sun!

This week also involved some real hands-on parenting here in the RGV home. Raising kids can be pretty hard at times. I know we set the bar pretty high round here when it comes to our family values and parenting, and sometimes that creates dilemmas. Do you ever feel like you are swimming upstream against all the influences out there?

I had to dig my heels in this week over one such relatively small issue that conflicted with how we have chosen to raise our kids. It was tough. But you know what :  I.am.a.good.Mom. We need to tell ourselves that more often. We “earn our stripes”! If you are in the trenches of parenting right now, stay with it. Stand by your family values. It counts, it really does.

Oh, and I also went on diet this week. It’s my first real diet ever, and it’s tough! But that’s another whole post!!

So with the “d” word still in mind let’s move right on to the yummy muffins shall we? No, I did not eat any of them, but in the interests of not starving my family along with myself I made an extra effort to do a little baking this week.

These Banana Oatmeal Choc-Chip muffins are great if you have bananas that are beginning to look overripe and no one wants to eat them anymore. Did you know that if you can’t bake with bananas right away you can throw them in the freezer? They will look disgusting as the skins go all black, but the banana inside is perfect for baking with. When you are ready to bake let them thaw, split the skin and squeeze out the banana and mush it up a little more, it will already be squishy. Just remember you threw the bananas in the freezer, don’t be like me and discover a dozen bananas staring at you when you open up the freezer one day….

Here you go then, the muffin recipe just in time for the weekend! This recipe comes originally from the Company’s Coming muffin cookbook. We added the choc chips ‘cos in this house we seem to throw choc chips into most baked goods! Thank goodness for Costco’s jumbo bag!

raggygirlvintage Banana Oatmeal Choc Chip Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/4 cup cooking oil

1/4 cup milk

1 cup mashed bananas (3)

optional: choc chips, raisins

1. In a large bowl stir first 6 ingredients together. Make a well in the centre.

2. In a small bowl beat eggs until frothy. Mix in cooking oil, milk and bananas. Pour into well. Throw in choc chips/raisins if you like.

3. Stir just to moisten. Batter will be lumpy.

4. Find some cute muffin cases and fill 3/4 full. Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 mins or until done. Makes 12-18.

Aren't these the cutest gingham cupcake cases! I am such a sucker for pretty cases, I have these in pink and aqua too! I found them instore but if you're looking for pretty cases check out etsy.

These muffins are good with a slathering of butter or a slice of cheese! They will stick to the cases when warm, let them cool. If you can’t wait go right ahead, they are good warm! {You can bake them directly in the muffin pans, I just don’t like the cleaning involved with that!}

Let me know if they make it onto your weekend breakfast menu

Have a lovely weekend,

Tracey

For more raggygirlvintage recipes check out my pinterest board here.

~raggygirlvintage top choc chip cookie recipes part I~

Hi peeps,

Looking for a sugar fix? You’ve come to the right place! If you missed my post yesterday on the 4 “secret” ingredients in our choc chip cookies you can read it HERE.

So let’s dive right in shall we! 

First up the cookie recipe with the surprise ingredient : instant vanilla pudding mix. I like the recipe posted by Jamielyn  over at Iheartnaptime, So hop on over and you can view the original post, and check out Jamielyn’s awesome blog while you are there! 

What I really like about this recipe is it is super quick to whip up. And the cookies are de-lish!

Recipe # 1 

~Yummy vanilla pudding choc-chip cookies~

• 1 cup salted butter (softened)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3.4 oz package vanilla instant pudding mix
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups milk chocolate chips

Cream together butter and sugar. Add pudding mix and vanilla. Beat in one egg at a time. In a separate bowl, mix together, flour, salt and baking soda. Combine dry ingredients with wet ingredients. Stir in the chocolate chips until combined. Preheat oven to 350F. Spoon cookie dough onto baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

~

Next up, giant choc chip cookies. I posted about these here. This recipe comes from My Baking Addiction, and was developed based on the cookies sold at Levain Bakery , which I have never had but if they are anything like these they must be amazing.

Warning: these are a meal replacement cookie! 

You can view Jamie’s post and the original recipe here. These are great packaged up as a gift. If they last that long.

Recipe # 2

~Bestest Giant Choc Chip Cookies EVAH~

2 sticks butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 1/2 cups good quality semisweet (or milk choc) chocolate chips or chunks

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream together butter and sugars until well blended and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mix in vanilla and beat until well incorporated.

2. Add flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and mix until just combined. Gently fold in chocolate chips.

3. Form large chunks on sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake in preheated oven 15-20 minutes until very lightly browned, taking care not to overbake.

Now it was really, REALLY hard to narrow down our third choice, it was a toss up between a recipe that includes corn starch which gives them an amazing texture, or our spicy oatmeal choc chip cookies. 

So in the interests of choc chip cookie connoisseurs out there I am going to post both recipes in a later post and let you decide.
{plus I figured that at least throwing in some oats somewhere may just redeem my choc chip cookie posts. Maybe.}

Happy baking, let me know if you try any of these!!

linking up to Creative Things Thursday 

Tracey

you still have time to enter my Ikea goodies giveaway HERE

~4 “secret” ingredients to the best choc chip cookies~

Okay peeps, let’s talk choc-chip cookies. I have made a ton of choc chip cookies in my baking career, including many recipes that claim to be the best ever. {By the way, when I say my baking career, I am referring to motherhood. Ha, ha!}

But here’s something you may not know about me : I am an avid baker and read recipes like I read blogs. I know I’m not the only one!

Believe me there are a lot of recipes out there claiming to be the best ever choc chip cookies, but of course as a family we have narrowed down our favorites! Our very best choc chip cookie recipes.

And in all this testing of choc chip cookies recipes I have come to this conclusion : there are 4 “secret” ingredients essential to a really good choc chip cookie. It’s not really all that profound but I like to read what works for you guys, so thought I’d share what works for me.

So, next post I’ll share some of our family favorite recipes for choc chip cookies, but first, let me spill the beans on my “secret” ingredients!

~secret ingredient # 1~

Butter

 Okay, not so secret, but I only ever bake my choc chip cookies with butter. It really makes a difference to the taste. And I always use salted butter, just cut back on any added salt.

{By the way do you know why we add salt to baking at all? It is a flavor enhancer, it brings out the flavor in our food, especially baked goods, Anyways, we’re getting sidetracked here.}

~secret ingredient # 2~

Soft brown sugar 

 Some recipes call for a mixture of brown sugar and regular sugar, but I always include some brown sugar, the soft kind. Plus I use organic sugar if any regular sugar is called for, you can buy it in the big bag at Costco (US) and it is unbleached and all, which makes us feel better about eating sugar at all, right?? Riiiight?

Anyway, it’s the soft brown sugar that really gives the cookies a great texture. I should probably add here that my family prefer a soft/chewy choc chip cookie, rather than the crispy kind.

~secret ingredient #3~

Instant vanilla pudding mix

Yup, you read that right! Kinda on the sweet side, but good! {I always make my gingerbread dough with a recipe that includes a pudding mix, and it makes a huge difference to the taste.} Just trust me here peeps and try it! 

Now, I used to buy my all natural vanilla pudding mix at Trader Joes, but they discontinued it, so for now it’s the artificial version. But that’s okay ‘cos we’re using organic sugar, remember

~secret ingredient #4~

Milk chocolate chips

I know, I know, they are pricey. I do have a big bag of the semi-sweet ones for when I’m whipping up a big lunch bag batch, but when you can use the milk chocolate chips, they make a HUGE difference and will knock your cookie ratings right out the park. 

Ghiradelli milk chocolate chips are my favorite, when they are on sale I pick up a bunch. They’re also good right out the bag when you just need a handful of chocolate. Oh - did I just say that out loud??!!

So there you have it, my 4 “secret” ingredients! Come back next post for Part I of the line up of raggygirlvintage family favorite choc-chip cookie recipes {wow, that was a mouthful!}

So do you have any “secret” ingredients we should all know about?

Happy baking!
Tracey

Have you entered my GIVEAWAY here??

~run, run Mr Gingerbreadman~

every year i say this is the last time i am making gingerbreadmen

and then my kids beg and plead, and plead and beg

.....and i give in

just to maintain that image of the good mamma baking gingerbreadmen in her cutie-patootie apron with a big smile and perfect hair

(not!)

you know what, i love to bake

but just for the record

i-do-not-like-gingerbreadmen

oh no, just look at this dough

hard to roll, all crumbly

(OK, i confess it was in the fridge 4 days instead of 4 hours, but hey, it's kinda busy round here you know!)

i huff and puff and roll and scrunch it back together and think not very christmasy thoughts

so there you have it, my very last batch of gingerbreadmen EVER

no, please don't send me your flopproof recipe and tips

i am done, finito, gingerbreadman-outed

.....well, at least until next year !!

Tracey

meringue-a-phobia

that's right ladies, i had meringue-a-phobia!

my nanna used to make the most delicate little meringues sandwiched together with whipped cream

it looked far to fiddly for me...

then one day a few years ago I came across this recipe (on allrecipes.com)

"Drama Queen's Pavlova"

it was time to confront my fear

and let me tell you, I've been whipping up pavlovas ever since!!

it's the easiest thing to make, it always looks fab and everyone is awestruck when you serve it

it was Mr Keeper's birthday this past week and the dessert request was....(drumroll please)

Drama Queen's Pavlova!!!

so here it is:

6 egg whites

pinch salt

2 cups superfine sugar (also called castor or berry sugar)

1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

*Separate the eggs and whip the whites up till frothy, with the pinch of salt

(you won't use the yolks, put them in the fridge and make french toast)

*Sprinkle in the sugar one tablespoon at a time (seriously, do not dump it all in at once)

*whip till stiff peaks form

*stir in vanilla and vinegar

*now the fun part : line the biggest pan you have with parchment paper and dump the whole lot out

(I use my large airbake cookie sheet)

*spread it gently with the back of a metal spoon to your desired shape - I kinda make the sides more raised

-don't go right to the very edge as it does expand when cooking

*preheat oven to 450 degrees F (yes seriously!) - pop meringue in oven and turn temp down immmediately to 300 degrees

*bake 40-50 mins till top is crisp and pale straw color - turn off the heat and leave in the oven until oven has completely cooled, or overnight

*now the other fun part : whip up 2 cups cream with some sugar and vanilla, dump in your meringue and top with fresh fruit, you're supposed to do this fancy-smancy but I just spread the cream on and pile on the fruit

(don't do this till you're ready to serve it)

*if you want to be really decadent serve with chocolate drizzling sauce....

VOILA!! you have pavlova and can join the Drama Queen club

i'd love to hear from you if you overcome your meringue-a-phobia and make this spectacular summer dessert!

linking up here

happy days,

Tracey