Homemade Mint Oreos

A couple weeks ago I was watching The Colbert Report, and Stephen Colbert had Michael Pollan as his guest. I’ve always been a fan from afar, wanting to read his books but never taking the time to do so, so I was glad to have the chance to see Pollan “in person.” (Plus it was fun to watch him interact with the hilarious absurdity of Stephen Colbert.) One thing Pollan said stuck with me: “The most important thing about your diet is not a nutrient but an activity: cooking… As long as a human being is cooking for you, and not a corporation, you’re fine.”

The basic idea here is that most Americans won’t take the time to make French fries or ice cream at home– or there’s no possible way to make things like Cheetos from scratch– so cooking more means we’ll automatically eat less junk food. But even if you’re like me and love the challenge of making homemade versions of things like oreos, it’s so much better to be making them than buying them. Fewer pseudo foods and harmful chemicals and more control over ingredients and portion sizes can only be a good thing.

So with that in mind, here’s a recipe for homemade mint oreos. They’re not too difficult but do require some time and effort. If we all had to pull out the cookie sheets every time we wanted an oreo, we’d be a lot better off.

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Cookies

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt

Frosting

• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/8 tsp peppermint extract, or to taste
• 2 Tbs. milk or heavy cream
• green food coloring
• 1 oz. dark chocolate (optional)

Make cookies: Cream together butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix well. Add flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt, and mix on low speed until just combined. Divide dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the freezer for 30 minutes or the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350° F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out dough onto a lightly floured surface until very thin– about 1/8 inch. Cut out using a round cookie cutter; I used one 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Carefully transfer cookies to the baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes or until crispy but not burnt. Let cool on a wire rack.

Prepare frosting: Beat the butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating well on medium speed. Add milk or cream and beat until fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in peppermint extract to taste (start with 1/8 tsp. and add more if it’s not minty enough) and add green food coloring. Using a fine grater, grate the chocolate bar over the frosting and stir to combine. (This will give it lovely little flecks of chocolate.)

Assemble oreos by sandwiching two cookies around a smidgen of frosting.

Makes approximately four dozen cookies, although the amount will vary based on the size cookie cutter used.

Source: Cookies from My Kitchen Addiction. Mint chip frosting a Lingonberry Jam original, using a basic buttercream recipe from Wilton. 

Sea Salt and Black Pepper Crackers

When I was little, my sisters and I would spend all summer playing outside. We’d roam through the woods, splash in the creek, and frolic in our tree fort. So much play to get in each day meant we couldn’t possibly come inside for lunch.

One of my funniest memories has to be when this dutiful big sister decided to pack the most desirable of kid lunches for her younger sibs: lunchables. But our (very wise) mother didn’t let us buy them too often, so I improvised. I filled three plastic containers with little squares of cheese, sliced summer sausage, crackers, and a handful of m&m’s. And then I labeled each one with a riff on our names: Kristable, Brynnable, and Erinable.

Yeah, weirdo alert.

I smiled at this memory last week while making homemade crackers. As I pulled the crispy little squares from the oven, I had a sudden desire to eat cheese and sausage and go running to a swing set. With sea salt and cracked black pepper, these crackers are a bit more sophisticated than the ones of my childhood, but that doesn’t mean I have to be. :)

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• 2 cups flour
• 1 Tbs. sugar
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tbs. cold, unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup milk

Note: This dough also comes together quickly in a food processor if you don’t want to mix by hand.

Preheat oven to 450° F. In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, and a small dash of salt and pepper. Grate the butter into the bowl using a small cheese grater. Gradually stir in milk. When dough comes together, knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth, about 5-6 minutes. Let dough rest for 15 mins before rolling.

Roll out half of the dough very thinly (1/16 inch if possible) onto an inverted nonstick cookie sheet. Score lightly with a fork and cut into squares using a pastry or pizza cutter. Sprinkle with sea salt and more black pepper. Bake for about 10 minutes or until brown, removing the outer crackers if they start to brown too quickly. Let cool on the pan for a couple minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with second half of dough.

Makes approximately 100 crackers.

Source: Slightly adapted from Lemons and Anchovies.

Nutrition facts (per 10 crackers): 125 calories, 2.9 g fat, 21.2 g carbs, 0.7 g fiber, 3.3 g protein.

Garlic, Dill, and Chive Cream Cheese

I’m a weekend morning person. Monday through Friday, I’ll pull the covers over my head and pretend to be asleep while Gabe dutifully heads off to the gym, but come Saturday, I’m ready to wake up. There’s something so magical about getting up slowly– not at the request of an alarm clock– and padding into the kitchen to make a cup of coffee, knowing that I can stay in my pajamas all morning if I like. Quiet weekend mornings are totally my jam.

Last Saturday, in preparation for Gabe’s parents’ arrival from Los Angeles, we decided it was our duty to scope out the local bagel scene. So we woke up early, threw on some clothes, and headed outside. The pale morning sun hesitantly reached toward our backs as we walked hand-in-hand down a hushed Lyndale Avenue.

We ended up at Common Roots Cafe and sat down to a breakfast of iced lattes and fresh bagels. I topped my bagel with a tantalizing spread of garlic, dill, and chive cream cheese. The raw garlic zinged my tongue, energizing me as much as the sunlight now flooding the cafe. Gabe and I soaked up the simple food and quiet company, and waited for the rest of the world to wake and join us.

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• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 1 tsp. fresh, chopped dill
• 1 Tbs. fresh, minced chives
• salt and pepper, to taste

Place the cream cheese in a small bowl and soften in the microwave by heating it on half power for 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and stir until smooth. Add the garlic, dill, and chives and stir until well combined. Add salt and pepper, if desired.

Source: Inspired by Common Roots Cafe.

Beef and Noodle Stir-fry

One of my favorite classic fables is that of the Town Mouse and Country Mouse. I grew up a bit of a country mouse, and I love the stillness and open skies of the countryside. There’s nothing quite like waking up before the rest of the world, slapping on a pair of tennis shoes, and going for a solitary walk through the morning mists.

But there are certain drawbacks to living in the country. Like getting stuck behind tractors as you drive to school, or not being able to order chinese food delivered to your front door. And now I definitely consider myself to be more of a city mouse. I love the energy and diversity that comes with city living. I enjoy walking everywhere, knowing there are thousands of experiences right at my fingertips.

I love being able to order chinese food for delivery.

Of course, when I find a good stir-fry recipe that’s easy to whip up at home, the town mouse/country mouse divide seems to fade away. At least when it comes to takeout. :)

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• 3 Tbs. sesame oil, divided
• 5 Tbs. soy sauce, divided
• splash of hot sauce
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 8-10 oz. beef sirloin
• 8 oz. fresh pasta (or 6 oz. dry)
• 1 Tbs. cornstarch
• 1 Tbs. grapeseed or other neutral oil
• 3 ounces shitake mushrooms, sliced
• 8 oz. fresh spinach
• 2 Tbs. chopped fresh chives or 1 Tbs. chopped green onion
• 2 tsp. sesame seeds

In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 Tbs. sesame oil, 4 Tbs. soy sauce, a splash of hot sauce, and the crushed garlic. Slice the steak and add it to the bowl, tossing until well-coated. Cover the bowl and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours.

Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain, rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process, and return to pan. Toss pasta with 1 Tbs. sesame oil and 1 Tbs. soy sauce.

Stir together cornstarch and 2 tsp. water in a small bowl until dissolved. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add beef and sauté for about three minutes, or until it starts to brown. Remove the beef from the frying pan and set aside. In the same pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook until golden, about four minutes. Add the spinach and sauté until it just starts to wilt, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in cornstarch mixture, cooked beef, and noodles. Sauté everything together until hot and well-coated with sauce, about three minutes.

Garnish with chives and sesame seeds, and serve hot.

Serves 4.

Source: Slightly adapted from Clementine Cuisine.

Nutrition facts (per serving): 355 calories, 20.2 g fat, 20.6 g carbs, 2.0 g fiber, 24.0 g protein.

Old-Fashioned Potato Salad

Alrighty, friends, here’s the final answer for my first composite recipe challenge!

The grand prize (of all bragging rights) goes to Erin for correctly guessing that I was making potato salad. She actually made her guess within minutes of the homemade mayo post. Either she’s a super genius, or I need to get more creative. Or both. :)

So yes, I’m channeling warm weather with a old picnic standby, which was much-needed this week as the snow continued to fall. Nothing lifts my spirits more than sunny egg yolks and bright, tangy dill. Now please excuse me while I go search for spring.

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• 3 lbs. red potatoes
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill or 1 Tbs. dried dill
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup diced red or white onion
• 2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped
• salt and pepper

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Add 1 Tbs. salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until slightly tender when pierced with a knife. Drain potatoes and place the colander over the empty pot off the heat. Cover with a clean dish towel and let the potatoes steam for another 20 minutes, until they are tender but still hold their shape.

Whisk together mayo, milk, mustard, dill, 1 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. pepper. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut into bite-size pieces. Toss with celery, onion, and egg. Pour the dressing over the potato mixture and gently stir until well-combined. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for several hours to let the flavors mingle. Serve cold.

Makes 8 servings.

Source: Slightly adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home by Ina Garten.

Nutrition facts (per serving): 215 calories, 21.5 g fat, 1.7 g carbs, 0.3 g fiber, 2.3 g protein.

Baked Hard-Cooked Eggs

Composite recipe part two! Earlier this week I made mayonnaise from scratch. The final recipe guesses included tuna salad, potato salad, egg salad, and deviled eggs. This recipe may or may not rule out some of those guesses. Discuss.

I learned this technique a few months ago and think it’s pretty cool. Baking eggs in the oven may take a bit longer, but it’s also easier to do a huge batch, requires no supervision, and results in a nice, creamy yolk. Plunging the eggs in ice water after baking also makes the shell slip off with ease. (Resulting in fewer choice words in this household.)

You may get some little brown spots where the egg releases moisture while baking, but those disappear in the ice bath. Sometimes a spot will form where the egg touched the metal pan, but you can remove it with a knife or just shrug and ignore it. Perhaps using a silicone muffin tin would alleviate this problem, but that’s something for another day. In my opinion, the ease of this method, the resulting texture, and the fool-proof avoidance of gray-green yolks all outweigh a little brown spot or two.

So now we have homemade mayo and hard-cooked eggs. Thoughts on the final recipe?

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• large eggs, raw
• ice water

Preheat oven to 325° F. Place eggs in a muffin tin and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully transfer to a bowl of ice water. Leave in ice water for 15 minutes, or until cool. Peel immediately and/or refrigerate for later use.

Source: The Burlap Bag.

Homemade Mayonnaise

Just for fun, I’m starting a new little feature called “composite recipes” on the blog. What’s a composite recipe? It’s what happens when you make a dish using recipe components that are also homemade. Like if I made s’mores using homemade graham crackers and homemade marshmallows. Or tortellini using homemade ricotta and homemade pasta dough. Since I really love the challenge of making as much as possible from scratch, this seems like a perfect recurring feature.

All this homemade stuff tickles me pink, but what about you? Well… what if I started posting the recipe components one at a time and then invited you to guess what the final product would be? Your guesses would surely keep me entertained, especially if I start with something as universal as, say, homemade mayonnaise. So many possibilities.

So here we go. Part one of this recipe is homemade mayo. Easy peasy. (And no, the final recipe is not a salami sandwich.) What do you think it could be?

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• 1 egg yolk, room temperature
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 cup grapeseed or extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbs. white wine vinegar or lemon juice
• salt and pepper, to taste

In medium bowl, whisk together yolk and mustard. Slowly begin to add the oil, just drops at first, until the mixture thickens. Add the rest of the oil in a light but steady stream, whisking constantly.* Whisk in vinegar, then salt and pepper to taste.

Refrigerate in a tightly covered container for up to 1 week. Makes about 1 cup.

Source: ”How to Cook Everything“ by Mark Bittman.

Nutrition facts (per Tbs.): 125 calories, 13.8 g fat, 0.2 g carbs, 0 g fiber, 0.2 g protein.

*You can also do this in a blender or food processor. I found that a stand mixer doesn’t work as well, though, since the whisk attachment has a hard time getting to the bottom of the bowl for the initial mixing.