Magic in the Middle Cookies

Magic in the Middle Cookies (from King Arthur Flour Blogspot)

Chocolate Dough

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup granulated sugar (plus extra for dredging)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk

Peanut butter filling

3/4 cup peanut butter, crunchy or smooth, your choice

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. To make the dough: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In another medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the sugars, butter, and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the egg, beating to combine, then stir in the dry ingredients, blending well.

2. To make the filling: In a small bowl, stir together the peanut butter and confectioners sugar until smooth. With floured hands or a teaspoon scoop, roll the filling into 26 one-inch balls.

3. To shape the cookies: Scoop 1 tablespoon of the dough (a lump about the size of a walnut), make an indentation in the center with your finger and place one of the peanut butter balls into the indentation. (I thought it was easiest to just separate the dough into 26 pieces like the filling so I didn't run out or have lots of leftovers.)Bring the cookie dough up and over the filling, pressing the edges together cover the center; roll the cookie in the palms of your hand to smooth it out. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

4. Roll each rounded cookie in granulated sugar, and place on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies. Use the bottom of a drinking glassto flatten each cookie to about 1/2-inch thick.

5. Bake the cookies for 7 to 9 minutes, or until they're set and you can smell chocolate. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack.

Dipping sauces for fondue

BBQ Sauce:
1 1/2 cup ketchup
3 Tbsp white vinegar
3 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
salt & pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in sauce pan and cook for 5 minutes, making sure sugar is dissolved


Seafood Sauce:
1/4 cup ketchub
1 to 2 heaping tsp horseradish


Sour Cream Mustard Sauce:
1/2 pint sour cream
1/2 cup mayonaise
1/4 cup prepared mustard
1 Tbsp finely chopped onion
Dash of Tabasco sauce

Mix all ingredients together and chill...



Horseradish Cream Sauce for beef fondue:
1 cup sour cream
3 Tbsp prepared horseradish
2 tsp lemon juice
2 scallions, finely chopped
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt & pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and chill for at least 1 hour.


Herb Butter Dipping Sauce:
1 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp fines herbes blend*
Dash Tobasco sauce

*Fines Herbes consists of equal parts chopped tarragon, chervil, chives, and parsley.


Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp Creole mustard or other hot whole-grain mustard
Pinch salt
Pinch cayenne

In small bowl, combine all ingredients; stir well, and chill.


Rouille
1 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cayenne

Mix and chill.

Fondue Bourguignonne

I confess, I have no idea whether "Bourguignonne" is spelled right...

Ingredients:
3 pounds boneless beef sirloin or tenderloin
Canola or vegetable oil
Butter

Trim fat from meat and cut into bite-size pieces. Refrigerate until ready to cook.
Fill fondue pot with 50:50 mixture of cooking oil and butter. Heat slowly on stove until butter bubbles and the mixture is golden in color. Carefully transfer pot from the stove to the fondue stand, and maintain medium-high temperature.

Coq Au Vin broth recipe for fondue

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 vegetable flavor bouillon cube (Knorr)
1/2 cup red grape juice
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 green onions, minced

Place all ingredients in a large sauce pan and stir over medium-high heat until mixture comes to a boil. Transfer to fondue pan.

This fondue broth is good for cooking bite-size cubes of beef, pork, or chicken, and vegetables such as new potatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, and squash.

Broth recipe for fondue

Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup fennel, chopped
3 cloves garlic (peeled, pressed)
5 cups chicken broth
1 cup white grape juice or ginger ale
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp dried thyme
1/16 tsp powdered saffron

Place olive oil, onion, fennel, garlic in a large sauce pan and stir over medium-high heat until onions are opaque. Add chicken broth and remaining ingredients, then bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes. Transfer to fondue pan.

This broth is recommended for cooking seafood...

Suggestions for fondue cooking:
New potatoes (red or white)
Broccoli
Mushrooms
Zucchini
Beef, chicken, or pork, 1-inch cubes (keep refrigerated until 20 min before cooking)
Seafood (halibut, scallops, shrimp)

"Flaming Turtle" Chocolate Fondue (Melting Pot recipe)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup milk chocolate
1/4 cup caramel syrup
2 Tbsp pecans, chopped
2 Tbsp rum, 151-proof for flambe (omit this if you opt for non-flaming turtle...)

For dipping:
Fruit, cut (strawberries, bananas, pineapple, raspberries, blackberries, etc)
Marshmallows
Cake, cubed (pound cake, cheesecake)

Soften milk chocolate in the microwave. Heat the milk in the fondue pot. Once the milk is hot, add the softened chocolate. Stir until consistency is smooth. Pour caramel into a pool in the middle of the chocolate. When it's time to serve, pour the rum over the top of the chocolate. Leave a small amount in the spoon to ignite with a lighter. Use flaming spoon to ignite the rum on the chocolate. Add the chopped pecans to the chocolate. Allow the flame to burn out.

Dipping Sauce for Fish and Chips

I don't really like tartar sauce so I was happy when I found this recipe. We made fishsticks for lunch today for the kids and served them with this sauce and Jacob loved it. I've never been able to get him to eat fishsticks before. Now I know the secret. :)

1/4 cup lowfat mayonnaise
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons finely chopped dill pickle
1 teaspoon pickle juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice