How you doin’? It’s back-to-school time, and these cookies will improve any student’s attitude in just one bite. Our best-selling confections at Choclatique were truffles that incorporated both chocolate and peanut butter. But we weren’t the first ones to discover the magic in this combination. H. B. Reese, a former dairy farmer from Hershey, Pennsylvania, created the original Peanut Butter Cup in 1928. A peanut butter cup is a wonderful confection filled with peanut butter and enrobed in chocolate.
 
This yummy peanut butter cookie recipe is baked in a small muffin tin with a mini-peanut butter cup pressed into a hot, just out-of-the-oven cookie before it has time to cool and set. This is a peanut butter cookie fancier’s dream. 
 
Prep Time:  25 minutes
Baked Time:  10 minutes
Cool time:  3 minutes
Yield: 12 to 15 cookies
 
Ingredients:
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons whole milk
12 to 15 mini-peanut butter cups (I prefer the original Reese’s)
 
Directions:
1.    Preheat an oven to 375⁰ F.
2.    Sift together the flour, salt and baking soda and set aside.
3.    Cream together the butter, sugar, peanut butter, and brown sugar until very fluffy.
4.    Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and milk.
5.    Add the flour mixture; mix well. Shape into 12 to 15 balls and place each into an ungreased mini muffin pan.
6.    Bake for about 8 minutes until they just turn light brown.
7.    Remove from the oven and immediately press a peanut butter cup into the hot center of each cookie.
8.    Cool the muffin pan on a rack for about 30 minutes. 
9.    Carefully remove each cookie from the pan.

ChefSecret: There is only one way I know to make a great thing even better. Smear a little grape jelly on top of the baked cookie and then push in the peanut butter cup.

Quip of the Day: “A million kids want to clean up the earth—a million parents would be grateful if they started with their room.”
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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. We have added a new search feature to make it easier to navigate through our blogs. 
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Desserts #Cookies #PeanutButter #PeanutButterCups #Reeses #BackToSchoolTreats #NationalPeanutBoard #NPB #PeanutFarmers #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                        ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

How you doin’? This melt-in-your-mouth chocolate cookie is topped with mint chocolate “frosting.” It's delicious and it's easy! It is the perfect after dinner mint treat to complement any meal and any season.
 
But what you may ask, was the origin of this cookie recipe?  It all started with the Girl Scouts nearly 100 years ago. Their cookies have been evolving ever since Girl Scout Cookies got their start. Back then, there was no such thing as the Thin Mint, Samoa or Tagalong.
 
According to the organization’s history, the Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, Okla., baked and sold the first-ever batch of Girl Scout Cookies in their high school cafeteria in 1917. A July 1922 American Girl magazine feature provided a simple sugar cookie recipe, suggesting that they be sold door-to-door for 25 to 30 cents per dozen (my, how times have changed!).
    Girl Scouts selling cookies in 1928.
 
But not every Girl Scout was doing the baking herself. “Grandma used to bake the cookies,” former Girl Scout Selma Rutledge says, “I was never the kitchen cooker, I stayed outside and sold them. Selling cookies taught me how to meet people and how to present myself. It gave me the courage to stand up and speak up.”
 
She used to wrap five or six of Granny’s oatmeal cookies in a small paper bag, with a little ribbon around it. That was the start. But when did the Thin Mint emerge? Although Rutledge sold homemade cookies, the Girl Scouts began standardizing their cookies in 1936, when the organization licensed its first baker.
 
1939 brought the first iteration of the Thin Mint, then called “Cooky-Mints.”
By 1948 there were 29 different licensed bakers making a Girl Scout Mint Cookie. The minted cookie has had a myriad of names over the years… Mints changed to Chocolate Mint to Thin Mint to Cookie Mint to Chocolate Mint to Thin Mints to Thin Mint and finally, back to the plural Thin Mints.
 
Here is my recipe for what is close in flavor to the original. This version, Chocolate Mint Cookies, is a littler thicker and chewier cookie than the Girl Scout version, but the chocolaty-mint flavor is spot on!
 
Prep time:  10 minutes
Refrigerate time:  1 hour
Bake time:  10 to 12 minutes
Cool time:  20 minutes
Yield:  About 30 cookies
 
Ingredients
3/4 cup unsalted butter (1-1/2 sticks)
1-1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon mint extract
2 -1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
36 chocolate thin mint wafer candies (like Andes Mints)
 
Directions

1. In a large pan over low heat, cook the butter, sugar and water until the butter is melted.
2. Add chocolate chips and stir until partially melted. Remove from heat and continue to stir until chocolate is completely melted.
3. Pour into a large bowl and let stand 10 minutes to cool slightly.
4. At high speed, beat in the eggs, one at a time into chocolate mixture.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.
6. Reduce the speed to low and add the dry ingredients, beating until well blended.
7. Chill the dough about 1 hour.
8. Preheat an oven to 350⁰F.
9. Scoop and roll the dough into balls (about 2 heaping tablespoons—1-1/2 ounces or a #30 scoop) and place them on ungreased cookie sheets about 2 inches apart.
10. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes.
11. While the cookies are baking unwrap the chocolate mints and divide each in half.
12. When cookies are still hot and fresh right out of the oven, put 1/2 mint on top of each cookie and press in gently.
13. Let the mints sit for up to 5 minutes until melted, then spread the melted mint on top of the cookies.
14. Let the cookies cool to allow the chocolate mints to cool and set-up.

ChefSecret: Do not skip the step to refrigerate the dough. This allows the flour to properly hydrate so that it doesn’t over spread when baking, ensuring the perfect cookie size and texture.

Quip of the Day: “I suggested building beds above each other to save space, but the idea was debunked.”

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Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. We have added a new search feature to make it easier to navigate through our blogs. 
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Baking #Snack #Dessert #Cookies #GirlScoutCookies #ThinMints #AndesMints #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup 

                                               ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

How you doin’? One of the things we’ve heard over the last year is that for the first time in nearly 3 generations moms and dads are taking the time to teach their children to cook. So, occasionally, we like to combine a cooking with a craft project that creates a tasty teachable moment. This is one of those recipes.

I remember when Pop Tarts first appeared on the grocer’s shelf in 1964… I couldn’t wait to try them—what a disappointment! I expected a morning pastry that tasted as good as the picture on the box. We think you will find this is not only a great tasting treat, but a fun project for mom, dad and kiddos (of any age).
The fun part is everyone can make their tarts, their way, with different fillings and toppings with a single recipe of dough.

You can buy special fillings and toppings or you can use the ingredients in your own pantry. What a wonderful way to clean out the fridge with those almost empty jars of nut butters, jams and jellies. So, pull together all your sweet odds and ends for this project… anything goes!

This Kids-Made Pop-Tart recipe includes all the flavors of the original that were promised but never delivered. The other bonus is that you can actually understand the label—none of those questionable ingredients you can’t pronounce or better living through chemistry. These are oven-tarts, not toaster pastries. They are not tarts to put in your pantry, but they store well in your freezer.

Prep time:  20 minutes
Bake time:  25 minutes
Chill time: 1 hour
Yield: Approximately 10-12 pastries
 
Ingredients
For the pastry
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup cold water
 
For the original cinnamon-flavored filling
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
 
For icing or glaze
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla or almond extract
Few drops food coloring as desired
 
Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 375⁰F.
2. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.

To make the pastry

1. Dry whisk the flour, granulated sugar, and salt together into a bowl.
2. Cut in the chilled butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles small peas.
3. Add the vanilla extract.
4. Mix in cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together and forms a ball.
5. Divide dough into 2 pieces and wrap each with plastic wrap; chill until firm, at least 1 hour.

To make the filling

1. Beat the softened butter, brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl.  Or you can use any filling of your choice. Set aside.
2. Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to 1/2-inch thickness.
3. Cut the dough into rectangles with a knife.
4. Drop 1 tablespoon of filling onto half of the rectangles.
5. Cover with remaining rectangles. Press edges with a fork to seal. Poke a few holes in the top of each pastry with a fork to let steam escape during baking. Neatness counts!
   
6. Arrange the pastries on the lined baking sheets.
7. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.
   
8. Cool pastries on a wire rack, about 15 minutes.

To make the icing

1. Combine the icing ingredients in a small bowl. Add a little more milk a teaspoon at a time if you want a thinner consistency.
2. Spread or drizzle the icing over the pastries. Add sprinkles, nuts, coconut, mini chocolate chips, dried fruit… whatever makes you happy!

 
ChefSecret:  When adding the water to pastry dough, be sure to go slow and add it just one tablespoon at a time. If it holds together before you use it all, stop. You don’t want the dough to be too wet.

Quip of the Day: “I believe my soul mate is out there, in some corner of the earth...
unfortunately, the earth is round.”
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Do you have a question or comment?  Do you want to send a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers?  Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. We added a new search feature to make it easier to navigate through our blogs. 
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Baking #Snack #Dessert #PopTarts #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                           ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021

How you doin’? My first memorable encounter with “art” was in Mrs. Wilson’s kindergarten class. Yes, I can really remember that far back…can you? Mrs. Wilson sent home a recipe to all the mothers of the class on how to make colorful finger paints out of cornstarch. That was at a time when mothers were required to take part in their children’s educations. A little sarcasm here.
 
I remember, with pride, the excitement I felt when I arrived at school with my three jars of pastel-ish finger paints. Mrs. Wilson provided the unfinished porous finger paint paper. She also provided a large roll out of paper so that we could all contribute to making a shared diorama-style painting. And then, of course, each and every one of us kids were our own semi-washable canvases! As I recall, it was more fun that a barrel of monkeys. Those were wonderful carefree days.
 
If you are still confined to your own home school rooms and are looking for a little diversion, whip up some finger paints and create a cleanable area to allow your kid to let out their inner artist.

I provide this recipe so that my nieces and nephews in London can share in a little washable fun. And to their mums and dads, these are great picture moments—get the iPhone ready. So, go at it, Mabel Rita, George, Monty and Teddy. To their parents… just a little light soap takes it off the walls and out of the clothes.
 
Prep time:  5 minutes
Cook time:  10 minutes
Clean-up time:  Anyone’s guess
Yield:  36-ounces
 
Ingredients
4 cups water
1 cup cornstarch
6 tablespoons granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon salt

3 packages icing color gels
3 paint stackable containers (found in discount dollar or craft stores—a 3 jars for $2)
1 package finger paint paper
 
Directions

1. In a medium-sized saucepan add the water, cornstarch, sugar and salt, and whisk until combined.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until your mixture thickens.
3. Turn off your stove and remove from the heat.
4. Separate the mixture into your containers, one container for each color you would like to make.
5. Using a toothpick add a small measure of the icing color gel. Use a spoon to stir until the color is fully mixed in. Start slow… you can always more color.
6. Let stand until cool before using or closing lid to store.

ChefSecret:  The finger paints are great for an Easter crafts session. Don’t worry… these finger paints are completely digestible, so if you see a little “blue poo” in a couple of days it’s nothing to get excited about.
 
Kid’s COVID-19 Quip of the Day:  “A little girls asks her mother what she’s doing. Her mother says, I’m making a sign for the front door. The little asks, What does the sign say. Mom replies, Welcome! The little girl replies, “No, no mommy, it should say, Stay Away—We shoot Porch Pirates!”
 
                                       The Many Uses of Use Cornstarch
 
Cornstarch is a great ingredient that everyone should have in the house. I use it most often for thickening the sauce of an Asian stir-fry. I also use it to thicken other sauces, soups, stews, custards and more. There are 1001 uses for this pantry staple in the kitchen and beyond.
 
A lot of people don’t really know what cornstarch is. Not to be confused with corn flour (which is made from whole kernels), cornstarch is made from the endosperm found at the center of the corn kernel. The starches inside the endosperm are removed, rinsed, dried, and milled into a fine powder. This leaves us with cornstarch—a white, chalky powder. It's made up of a long chain of starch molecules that will unravel and swell when heated in the presence of moisture. This swelling, or gelatinization, is what causes thickening.
 
If you run out of cornstarch, what else can you use and still thicken your sauce and such?
 
You can substitute cornstarch with:

• All-Purpose Flour… it works, but only has about half the thickening power of cornstarch, so for every tablespoon of cornstarch required, you'll need to use two tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Note: this can sometimes produce a grainy texture if you don’t cook the flour long enough.
• Rice Flour… it has the same thickening power of all-purpose flour and half the thickening power of cornstarch, so you're going to want to measure accordingly.
• Arrowroot Powder… has the same thickening power as cornstarch. But one caveat about arrowroot—it is more expensive and doesn't hold up well to a reheat.
• Potato Starch… has strong short term thickening power, but it doesn't last long after cooking.
• Tapioca Starch… it’s extracted from cassava, a root vegetable found throughout South America. It doesn't have quite the thickening power of cornstarch. For every tablespoon of cornstarch required, you'll need to use about two tablespoons tapioca starch.

I hate to have an ingredient on hand that I can only use in one or two recipes. What else can I do with cornstarch, you ask?
 
Cornstarch goes well beyond the kitchen and dining room table: 

• Okay, this one goes without saying. To thicken sauces and other liquids, mix a bit of cornstarch with cold broth or water in a small bowl to create what's called a "slurry." Then whisk the slurry into the liquid you want to thicken as it simmers.
• Cornstarch is key in vegan baking, or anytime you don't have an egg on hand. Mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of warm water and you’ll have a great egg substitute in cookies, cakes or breads.
• Cornstarch makes fluffier omelets. Just add a pinch of cornstarch to an egg, beat and cook the omelet in the normal fashion.
• Cornstarch Makes crispier waffles, too. Just add a teaspoon to a boxed waffle mix or to your scratch recipe to get crispy waffle crusts.
• If right in the middle of baking that special birthday cake you run out of cake flour, do not fear—cornstarch is here! Mix a tablespoon of cornstarch with each cup of all-purpose flour. Add 1/4-teaspoon baking powder to create this cake flour substitute when you're in a bind.
• Cornstarch is the best ingredient to gel a pie filling. As the fruit cooks in the pie crust, it releases juices. Without a little cornstarch, pies turn into a soupy mess. To avoid clumps, mix cornstarch with sugar before adding it to the filling.
• Use cornstarch as a dredge instead of flour or breadcrumbs to create crustiness. This gives you a nice gluten-free crispy coating on your meats and veggies just like that of your favorite Asian take-out.
• For making a perfect fondant decoration for that very important cake, simply lightly dust the counter and the rolling pin with a little cornstarch. Cornstarch is flavorless and colorless and won't alter your fondant.
• If you are home schooling and your blackboard is a mess, spread a scoop of corn starch on the slate background to clean it up a bit.
• Do you have a stubborn shoelace that’s knotted? Cornstarch to the rescue! It will reduce friction between the fibers on a knotted rope or shoelace, allowing you to untie even the tightest knot. Simply sprinkle a bit on the knot and rub it in.
• Cornstarch is also a miracle cleaner and can remove grease splatters and spots from walls. It happens from time to time, so now it’s easy to remove pesky grease splatters from the walls or kitchen backsplash by sprinkling a bit of cornstarch on a soft cloth and rubbing away the yellowy grease spot.
• Are the napkin rings tarnishing leaving that unsightly yellow pale? Bring back both the sparkle and shine to your rings (and silverware) without buying polish. Make a paste of cornstarch and water and use a damp cloth to apply it to the silver. Once the paste dries, rub it with a soft cloth. Buff away the cornstarch and the dullness will be gone without the use pesky chemicals.
• Like cornstarch for finger paints, a measure of cornstarch, water, food coloring and glitter makes kiddie Nickelodeon-style "slime" that be stored in a plastic bag or an airtight container for later use. Now you can keep the little ones entertained using a few pantry staples.

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Do you have a question or comment?  Do you want to send a favorite recipe or pictures with our readers?  Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com.  All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. We added a new search feature to make it easier to navigate through our blogs. 
-------------------------------------------
To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

#Other #Kids #FingerPaints #CornStarch #Wilton #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup

                                          ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021