Category Archives: pastries

April 30, 2018 · 6:34 pm

Air Fryer Bagels

I love bagels but not the kind in grocery stores. Our time living in New Jersey spoiled me for fresh, NY style bagels. I’m not returning to the northeast anytime soon, so I’m making my own. I won’t heat my Florida kitchen using the oven, either, so here’s my take on air fryer bagels using a recipe I found in the Weight Watchers’ Facebook group.

RECIPE

Ingredients:

1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
coarse salt for coating

Directions:

Combine flour and yogurt and mix well. Allow dough to rest 30 minutes and then knead 4-5 times.
Bring 1 quart water to boil in a large saucepan.
Separate dough into 4 spheres. Shape bagels by punching the middle of each sphere and spinning the dough until desired shape.
Drop each bagel into the boiling water, turning after 2 minutes.
After boiling bagels for a total of 4 minutes, remove to drain on paper towels.
Sprinkle tops with coarse salt.
Place bagels in air fryer and set for 390° for 7 minutes.
Remove and enjoy with your favorite cream cheese or jam!

Do these bagels taste as good as NY bagels? Not even close. However, they’re good enough, and these bagels are only 2 SmartPoints® on the Weight Watchers® program!

1 Comment

Filed under Bagels, breakfast, Healthful Eating, kitchen equipment, pastries

February 3, 2016 · 1:41 pm

Long before the Internet or social media, an urban legend circulated about a woman charged $250 when she asked Neiman Marcus Cafe for its cookie recipe. Her revenge was to circulate the recipe worldwide. Neiman Marcu s is innocent of gouging anyone for a recipe and now prints it online for all to enjoy, but this urban legend persists. You’ll find it in Facebook posts and emails. In fact, I saw it again today on Facebook.

Stop the rumors! Share this post with your friends.

The cookie recipe is a good one, although I reserve baking these cookies for the holidays. Too rich with calories for me! The first time I baked these, I took them to a covered dish Christmas party at our church. They disappeared quickly, and I had numerous requests for my secret recipe.

Here it is typed from my tattered Xerox copy I got in my Atlanta office in 1991. A tin of these cookies makes a terrific gift.

Ingredients:

2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
4 cups flour
5 cups oatmeal (blended to a fine powder)
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
24 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 8 oz.-Hershey chocolate bar, grated
3 cups chopped pecans (or walnuts)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°.
Cream butter and both sugars.
Add eggs and vanilla.
Mix in flour, blended oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Fold in chocolate chips, Hershey bar, and nuts.
Roll into balls (approximately 3/4″ diameter) and arrange two inches apart on a cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes.

Yield: 100+ cookies

Note: This recipe is neither hasty nor healthful, but it sure is tasty!

2 Comments

Filed under Cookies, desserts, Healthful Eating, pastries

Tagged as Neiman Marcus cookies, Recipes

June 28, 2015 · 3:38 am

NOT-SO-NAUGHTY DONUTS

We enjoy donuts (or doughnuts, if we’re being formal), but they aren’t on our healthy eating plan. All things in moderation, though, right? So occasionally I make us a batch of not-so-naughty donuts. They’re healthier than the donut shop’s because they are baked, not deep-fried. And yet they’re very tasty. Try them and see for yourself. (You may use a boxed cake mix if you want, but this recipe isn’t difficult.) Donuts freeze well. If you aren’t serving all twelve at once, cool extra donuts completely (don’t glaze). Seal in a plastic bag and freeze. Thaw and prepare glaze before serving.

RECIPE

Not-so-naughty Donuts
Yields 12
Tools: Mixing bowl and nonstick donut baking pans (I recommend American Pans brand, or Norpro).

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup granulated sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. Kosher salt

¾ cup milk

2 eggs, beaten

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 Tbsp. coconut oil

1 cup cinnamon (or your choice) chips + ¼ cup milk for glaze

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Lightly coat baking pan donut molds with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix together dry ingredients.

Stir in milk, eggs, vanilla, and oil. Beat until well blended.

Fill each donut mold ¾ full with the batter.

Bake in preheated oven approximately 10 minutes or until batter tests clean with an inserted toothpick.

While donuts bake, make glaze by combining chips and milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 1-minute increments, stirring to form the glaze.*

Remove donuts from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes in pan.

Move donuts from the pans to a cooling rack.

Dip donuts in the glaze and serve.

*If glaze is too tight, add additional milk to thin.