World Peace Cookie

 World Peace Cookie

Everyone raves about this favorite cookie of France.  I know you will too!

Ingredients

• 1 ¹/₄ cups  all-purpose flour
• ¹/₃ cup unsweetened cocoa powder)
• ¹/₂ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 stick plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• ²/₃ cup packed light brown sugar
• ¹/₄ cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips (no pieces larger than 1/3 inch), note Use fine quality chocolate like Ghiradelli

Directions

1,  Bake for 12 min. in325 degree oven - cookies might not look done

2.     Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.

3.     Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.

4.     Turn off the mixer. Pour in the dry ingredients, drape a kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect yourself and your kitchen from flying flour and pulse the mixer at low speed about 5 times, a second or two each time. Take a peek — if there is still a lot of flour on the surface of the dough, pulse a couple of times more; if not, remove the towel. Continuing at low speed, mix for about 30 seconds more, just until the flour disappears into the dough — for the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don't be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.

5.     Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If you've frozen the dough, you needn't defrost it before baking — let it warm just enough so that you can slice the log into rounds and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.)

6.     Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 °F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

7.     Using a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you're cutting them — don't be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them.

8.     Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes — they won't look done, nor will they be firm, but that's just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.

5.     Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

6.     Using a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you're cutting them — don't be concerned, just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them.

7.     Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes — they won't look done, nor will they be firm, but that's just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.

 

Tropical Quacamole

 

INGREDIENTS - 3 avocados - 1 tsp salt - 1/2 tsp black pepper - 3 tbsp lime juice - 2 tbsp chopped cilantro - 3 tbsp chopped red onion - 3/4 cup diced mango - 1/2 cup diced pineapple INSTRUCTIONS - In a medium bowl, add the scooped avocado pulp, salt, pepper, lime juice, cilantro, and red onion. Using a fork or mashing tool, mash the ingredients together until it forms a chunky paste. - Add in the prepared mango and pineapple and stir to combine. Serve immediately.

Spring Pea Salad with Cruncy Nut Topping

 As seen on You Tube    Wyse Guide Blog

Ingredients

For the crunchy nut topping

• ▢1 tbsp unsalted butter
• ▢½ cup Marcona almonds chopped
• ▢¼ cup sunflower seeds
• ▢2 tbsp sesame seeds
• ▢1 tbsp honey
• ▢¼ tsp kosher salt
• ▢¼ tsp black pepper

For the dressing

• ▢½ cup mayonnaise
• ▢3 tbsp buttermilk
• ▢1 ½ tsp Dijon mustard
• ▢2 tbsp fresh dill minced
• ▢2 tbsp fresh parsley minced
• ▢1 tbsp minced shallot
• ▢2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢2 tbsp lemon juice
• ▢¼ tsp kosher salt
• ▢¼ tsp black pepper

For the salad

• ▢1-2 large heads romaine lettuce washed and dried
• ▢1 ½ cups frozen and thawed peas
• ▢4 large hardboiled eggs sliced
• ▢4 oz feta cheese

Instructions 

For the crunchy nut topping

• Melt the butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
• Add the almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, honey, salt, and pepper. Stir the mixture together and cook, turning the heat down as needed to ensure the mixture doesn't burn. Cook until the mixture clumps together and the skillet looks dry, 4-6 minutes.
• Pour the mixture onto parchment paper and let cool.

For the dressing

• In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, buttermilk, Dijon mustard, dill, parsley, shallot, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Whisk to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

For the salad

• Tear the lettuce into bite-size pieces and toss with the preferred amount of the dressing. Add the peas over the greens, sprinkle with the prepared eggs, and add more dressing as needed. Top with crumbled feta and the prepared nut mixture. Serve immediately.

Notes

• When choosing nuts for the crunchy nut topping, note whether they are roasted and salted. If you purchase salted nuts, leave out the added salt in the topping recipe. Once the nuts are toasted and removed from the heat, taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
• Once the dressing has been mixed together, taste it for flavoring! Use a bit of the lettuce to sample the dressing, checking for salt and acidity levels.
• Rather than adding the salad dressing at the very end, add it in layers. After the lettuce has been added, drizzle with some of the dressing. Toss the lettuce to make sure it is coated. Then add more salad dressing at the end to balance everything ou

Pizza Bites

 Pizza Bites

Ingredients

For the pizza dough  (Or you can buy pizza dough)

• ▢1 cup warm water (100°F to 110°F)
• ▢2 tsp white granulated sugar
• ▢1 tsp kosher salt
• ▢2 tbsp olive oil
• ▢2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢2 ¼ tsp (1 pkg) instant yeast

For the filling

• ▢1 cup ricotta cheese shredded
• ▢8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese shredded
• ▢½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ▢1 tsp Italian seasoning
• ▢½ tsp garlic powder
• ▢¼ tsp kosher salt
• optional pepperoni sausage mushroom etc.

For the melted butter

• ▢4 tbsp unsalted butter melted
• ▢½ tsp Italian seasoning
• ▢½ tsp garlic powder

Instructions 

• In a large bowl, combine the water, sugar, and salt. Stir to dissolve the sugar and salt. Add the olive oil, flour, and yeast. Using a fork or a dough whisk, combine the mixture into a shaggy dough. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until it is smooth, 6-8 minutes. Once the dough is smooth, form into a ball. Oil the bowl with 2 tsp of olive oil. Roll the dough in the oil and place it in the bowl. Cover and set in a warm place for 1 hour.
• Once the dough has risen, punch down and release the air bubbles. Butter or grease a 9×13 baking dish and set aside.
• In a medium bowl combine the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt. Stir to combine, ensuring all the cheeses are evenly mixed. Set the mixture aside.
• Using a scale or by eye, divide the dough into 24 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball. Flatten each ball into a 4-inch circle and add 2 tbsp of the cheese filling. Wrap the dough around the filling and pinch the seam tightly. Roll into a ball and place in the prepared baking dish. When all the pizza bites are formed, cover them and allow them to rise for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• While the dough is rising, melt the butter. Add the remaining Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Once the dough has risen, brush it with the prepared butter mixture.
• Place the brushed pizza bites in the preheated oven. Bake until the bites have a golden brown crust, 30-35 minutes. Once baked, remove the pizza bites from the oven. Allow the bites to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

• When preparing the water to add to the pizza dough, make sure that the temperature is between 100°F and 110°F. If yeast is added to water that is too hot, it can inhibit the yeast and potentially lead to a failed dough.
• Make sure to reserve about the last ½ cup of flour to be added after the first mixing. Dough is a unique substance in that the time of year, humidity, and other room conditions can all affect how a dough performs. Reserving some of the dough ensures that too much dough is not added all at once.
• To know when the dough is ready to be worked with after it has risen, simply place a finger into the dough. The dough is ready if the imprint remains and does not spring back.
• To get the most precisely-sized dough balls, use a food scale. Simply weigh the entire dough, then divide it by 24 to get the approximate size of each dough ball. Before filling the pizza bites, it may be best to weigh out each dough ball in case some dough needs to be removed and added to others at the end.