Homemade Vanilla Wafers

Nilla Wafers are one of those snacks that I love but my husband does not so we don't have them that often. It's probably better that way since they are a little pricey and not very good for you. I found this recipe online and thought it was a good time to try them out. They are the easiest cookie I have ever made but the author's directions left something to be desired. Because I followed the directions - my first batch were these tiny buttons of cookies but that didn't prevent them from disappearing before the next batch was out of the oven. I did find that pinching off about a 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of dough, rolling it in a ball and then flattening it, made much better cookies. They actually crisped up. I got nice golden edges but the interiors were still softer than Nilla Wafers so you may want to bake them a little longer. I made sure to use real butter and my own homemade vanilla. My vanilla wasn't as strong as store-bought vanilla because it hasn't been "brewing" long enough but it still had good flavor. This cookie is a great base for flavors and I can't wait to try my homemade orange extract in it. I did use whole white wheat flour and you couldn't tell they were whole wheat. They were so tender and tasty. All 40+ cookies were gone by morning, which made me very sad because I wanted some with lunch. The guys could not get enough of these cookies. Homemade Vanilla Wafer 1 stick butter 1/2 cup sugar 1 egg 1 tablespoon vanilla 1 1/4 cup whole white wheat flour 1 tsp baking powder Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add in egg and vanilla. Mix in baking powder before adding the flour. Pinch the dough off into 1/2 - 1 teaspoon balls, roll firm and then press flat onto baking sheet. Twenty-four cookies will fit on a typical baking sheet - they do not spread so you can set the cookies about 1/2 -1 inch apart. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom. Slightly overbake for a more 'Nilla Wafer like texture or eat when still tender. *I bake all my cookies on silpats. I highly recommend purchasing a couple. They last for years and eliminate the need for greasing a pan or using parchment.

Little Caesars Crazy bread at home

I had so much fun this weekend with recipes that I will still be baking and prepping into this week. I had so many great ideas come across my computer that I just couldn't wait. I made homemade chocolate chips. They are tasty but still have some things I need to work out so I'll be sharing that later this week after I try them again to see if I can get them to come out just a little nicer. I made a huge batch of multi-grain bread. I think my flour wasn't the best because it has an odd taste but the bread is nice and light. I'll probably share that recipe tomorrow since the issue is with my flour not the recipe. But the most favorite recipe I made this weekend was a toss up between homemade nilla wafers and the crazy bread. Both were so easy I can't image buying them (okay I'll still buy the crazy bread because it is just that good). I'm not sure this is a 100% perfect replica but the taste was amazing and I couldn't keep my guys out of it. I did make the bread only to discover that we didn't have any cheese - last I knew there was parmesan and feta but they were absent from the fridge when I went about baking so I ended up with cheese less bread but no one minded. We took some to my Dad's and he had parmesan. We added it to the top, only to find it didn't really add anything to the bread. I didn't make any menu notes - not really sure what we ate all weekend since it was a clean out the left-overs sort of weekend. Little Caesars Crazy Bread One recipe pizza dough - I used the flatbread recipe with whole wheat pastry flour 1 stick butter 2 teaspoons garlic powder 1 teaspoon kosher salt (can use 2 teaspoons of garlic salt for all the seasonings). Parmesan cheese Make pizza dough/flatbread on 9x 13 baking sheets as directed all the way through baking. Melt butter and add garlic powder and salt. Brush butter on baked pizza dough. Sprinkle with parmesan. Cut the bread in half the long way and then into 1- 1 1/2 inch strips. Enjoy!