the best pretzels you'll ever have?

 

In the mood for some warm, buttery, soft, salty, delicious pretzels?   I'd say yes if I were you. . .I've made these three times since I first found the recipe.  I cannot get enough of them!

Makes 8 pretzels

Ingredients:

Dough:
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp instant quick rise yeast
• 1 cup warm water ( I did 110 degrees F)
Topping:
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 tbsp baking soda
• vegetable oil for greasing the sheet pan
• coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients for dough in a mixer, and mix with the paddle attachment until mostly combined. Change to the dough hook and knead on medium low for 5 minutes. The dough should feel soft and smooth, not sticky to the touch.
2. Lightly dust the dough with flour, then place in a ziploc bag and let the dough rise for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, and lightly grease a baking sheet with vegetable oil, or use parchment paper if you don't feel like cleaning a pan
4. Take the dough from the bag and place onto a lightly oiled countertop. Cut the dough into 8 pieces with a butter knife.
5. Combine warm water and baking soda and cook in the microwave for 1 minute. FYI it's not going to dissolve completely, and that's okay.
6. Roll the eight pieces of dough into a long rope, and shape in a pretzel
7. Dip each pretzel into the soda/water mixture and place onto the greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt, then let them rest for 10 minutes.
8. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes until the pretzels are golden brown. Brush the pretzels with the melted butter while they are hot out of the oven.  You might need to add more salt. :)

no bake oatmeal cookies

I added extra canned milk on accident.  So they are pretty ugly, and super soft. I thought the recipe said 1/2 can, when it says 1/2 cup.  Oops! We'll have to resort to eating them with forks! 

• 2 c sugar
• 1/2c canned milk
• 1/2c margerine
• 1/2c cocoa
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1c small marshmallows
• 3c oatmeal
• 1/2 c coconut
• 1/2 c nuts (optional)

Bring first 5 ingredients to a boil in a large sauce pan over medium heat.  Turn down to medium low, and add vanilla and marshmallows, stir until completely melted.    In a separate bowl prepare oatmeal, coconut, and nuts.  Pour marshmallow mixture into oatmeal mixture. Stir.  Spoon onto waxed paper, and allow to sit 1 hour.

Texas Sheet Cake

This recipe is one I got from a good friend. It was her grandma's recipe, and it is so very yummy!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup sour milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp baking soda.
• 1 stick butter
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 Tbs cocoa
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, vanilla, sour milk, eggs, and baking soda. Set aside.

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat melt butter, water, oil, cocoa, and salt. Add to the flour mixture and blend. Pour into a greased cookie sheet/sheet cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

For the Frosting:
Ingredients:

• 1 cube butter
• 3 Tbs cocoa
• 5 Tbs milk
• 3 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Directions: Melt butter and  cocoa over medium heat in the pan you used for the cake, or a small pan. Add the milk and powdered sugar.
*Frost cake while still hot*

Almond Danish Swirls

Ingredients

• 6oz cream cheese, softened 
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 (8-ounce) cans refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
• 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoon water

Glaze

• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 4 teaspoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

   In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, almond extract, and sugar until fluffy. Separate 1 can of dough and assemble into 4 rectangles.  Firmly press the perforations to seal.  Press or roll each piece of dough to form a 7 by 4-inch rectangle, and spread each with about 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese filling to within 1/4-inch of the edges.  Starting at the short end, roll each rectangle tightly into a cylinder.  Repeat with the other can of dough and remaining filling. Store in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove logs from the refrigerator and cut each roll into 4 slices.  Place 1/2 apart on non greased baking sheets.  In a small bowl, combine the egg white with 1 teaspoon water. Brush over the swirls. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until light brown.

While the swirls are baking, combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl.  Cool the swirls for 3 minutes on wire racks placed over a sheet of waxed paper.  Drizzle the icing over the warm swirls.

And don't forget to lick them spatulas!  (because it tastes good.)

Homemade Twix

These are even better than the real Twix!


For shortbread:
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar

To make the shortbread layer preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 9x13 pan with parchment paper. In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Stir with fork and set aside. In an electric mixer beat butter and sugar on medium until blended about 1-2 minutes. Add dry ingredients. Put in prepared pan, and press evenly. Bake 15-18 minutes or until golden. Cool completely

For caramel:
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
4 tbsp. light corn syrup
2 (14oz) cans sweetened condensed milk

For caramel combine butter, sugar, corn syrup, and condensed milk in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until butter is melted. Increase heat to medium high and brig to a boil. Simmer on reduced heat and stir constantly until about 248 degrees Fahrenheit. Or a firm ball. It will be a soft caramel layer. Poor over shortbread, smooth and cool.


For ganache topping:
1 12oz package (or 2 cups) dark chocolate chips
1 cup whipped cream or half and half

Put both ingredients in small sauce pan over low heat and stir constantly until chocolate is melted. Poor over caramel and if desired sprinkle with salt. Let cool completely before serving.

Nutella Cookies

They.  Are.  Delectable. 

Recipe:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup Nutella

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium sized bowl mix flour, sugar, and egg well.  It will look like crumbly dough.

 Add Nutella and mix until condensed. -I may not have stirred my batch well enough, because I got little white chunks in them. If those bother you, I'm sure you can use a fork to mix it better-

 Roll dough into balls, and place each 1 inch apart on a cookie sheet protected with parchment or a silicone baking mat.

 Bake them for for 5 - 7 minutes.  Use the back of a fork to squish the center of the cookie. And let cool for 10 minutes.

lemon bars

lick them bowls!  (no spatulas were licked in the making of these lemon bars.)

Reicipe:

Crust

• 1 cup soft margarine
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 cups flour
• dash of salt

Combine margarine, powdered sugar, flour, and salt.  Mix well.  Press into a 9"x13"x2" pan, push up sides a little

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Filling

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 4 beaten eggs
• 6 Tablespoons lemon juice

Combine sugar and flour, and pour into beaten eggs.  Add lemon juice.  Mix well and pour into slightly cooled crust. 

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Cool slightly and sprinkle powdered sugar on top.

meet us, the bloggas of 'dis blog

Heeeello!

Welcome lick them spatulas.  This be us. Our names is Britta and Hannah.  We are pretty hysterical people.  No lie.  We adore laughing, especially at ourselves.

And if you are wondering, we do know proper grammar.  We promise. . . .Seriously. 

Modelin', that's how we do it. 

I am being brutally killed. With a shoe. An oxford, if it means anything to you.  

Photobombing is our all time favorite thing, other than cooking.  

Enjoy our blog!