Irish Soda Bread

In celebration of St. Patty's Day, here is a yummy festive recipe for you from my mother's recipe box.

-4 C. flour, sifted
-1/4 C. sugar
-1 tsp. salt
-1 tsp. baking powder
-2 Tbls. caraway seeds
-1/4 C butter
-2 C. raisins
-1 1/3 C. buttermilk
-1 egg
-1 tsp. baking soda
-1 beaten egg yolk

1. Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Mix.
2. Add caraway seeds and cut in butter. Mix until contents are "grainy".
3. Add raisins.
4. In another bowl, combine buttermilk, egg, and baking soda. Stir into the dry mix.
5. Turn dough out onto floured board or counter and knead until smooth. Shape into a round ball.
6. Grease a 2 qt. casserole dish (bonus points if it has a lid). Score the top of the ball with a cross and brush the beaten egg yolk across the top.
7. Bake for 1 hour at 375 degrees.
8. Cool bread for 10 minutes in pot or pan, and then cool on rack.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever

With a title like that, you've got to try them, right?

I must credit the great chefs over at Ghirardelli from whom I got this recipe.

My only suggestion for all you non-Ghirardelli folks out there is to substitute Crisco for half of the butter if you want a crispier-bottomed cookie. It keeps the cookies from spreading too far out as well. Don’t melt the Crisco though.

-2 ¼ C flour
-1 tsp. baking soda
-1/2 tsp. salt
-2 sticks salted butter
-1 C white sugar
-1 C packed dark brown sugar
-2 tsp. vanilla extract
-2 large eggs
-1 bag Ghiradhelli chocolate chips (semi-sweet)

1. Mix the flour, soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
2. In a large bowl, almost-melt (about half melted, the rest really squishy) the butter.
3. Add the sugars to the butter and stir well. Mash out all the brown sugar clumps, if any remain. To this, add the vanilla and eggs.
4. Stir it all up, and then add the dry ingredients bit by bit until all are incorporated. Or, if you’re an impatient baker like me, add all the dry at once and make a mess and curse like a sailor when you stir and flour goes everywhere. Then curse a little more, and do the hokey pokey.
5. Add the chocolate chips, eat some dough, and then bake on a light cookie sheet 9-11 minutes at 375 degrees farenheit. Keep a close eye on them; if you like them underdone, pull the cookies out when the edges just turn golden. Let cool on the sheet for fifteen minutes before putting on a plate or rack to cool completely.

Enjoy! The recipe makes 2-3 dozen big fat cookies, if you can keep yourself from eating the cookie dough. Which is also really good, I should add.

Ridiculously Easy Beer Bread

Some beer breads are bitter and gross. This one is delicious, slightly sweet, and SO easy!

-3 1/2 C self rising flour
-1/3 C sugar
-1 egg
-12 oz. beer room temperature or close

1. Mix the flour, sugar, beer, and egg.
2. Add 2 1/2 C cheddar cheese, shredded. (optional)
3. Bake for 1 hour at 350.

It's as easy as that!

Great Great Grandmother's County Roscommon Shortbread Cookies (by way of Bangalore)

This recipe will yield the most buttery shortbread cookies you've ever tasted. They're perfection with a glass of cold milk--whole of course!

***

-1 C salted butter, softened and just slightly melting (20 seconds in the microwave?)
-1 C granulated white sugar
-1 - 2 Tbls melted ghee ***
-2 C all purpose unbleached flour
-approx. 1 tsp salt

1. Mix butter and sugar until well blended. Add the melted ghee and blend in.
2. Add flour and salt, mixing well.
3. Flour your countertop or board--don't use Silpat unless you flour it too--and roll half an inch thick. Cut out with cookie cutters and place on ungreased baking sheet, 2-3" apart. Don't use a dark cookie sheet or your bottoms will be burned--light, silvery aluminum works best.
4. Lightly poke tops of cookies with the tines of a fork.
5. Bake at 350 for 18 minutes or until cookies *just* start to turn golden at edges.
6. Cool completely before storing.

***Don't skimp on the secret ingredient--buy it online if you don't have an Indian grocery near your house. Ghee is an Indian food. It's clarified butter, i.e. 100% milkfat but don't let that scare you away. A little bit gives a lot of taste and it's even reputed to have health benefits in moderation.