Author Archives for geekycooker

About geekycooker

Hi, I'm geekycooker but also known as Bev Davis. I have long been Interested in cooking. I started cooking as a teenager and really haven't stopped since. I'm originally from the South but with many stops along the way now live in Michigan. I am a history major and still have a love for history, so you may find bits of historical information about food in my posts. And remember to always cook with love. Thanks for taking a look at my blog.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Chocolate Crinkles are a favorite Christmas Cookie in this family.  I start getting requests for these cookies right after Thanksgiving.  A teen in the family who has a birthday in December requests them for a birthday gift.  They are that good.  These cookies taste like a brownie, chewy, moist and fudgy.  As the cookies bake they will “crack”  to give them a crinkled look.  This recipe is from Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book, 1963 edition.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 squares unsweetened chocolate (4 ounces), melted
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-2 cups confectioners sugar, or more if needed

Mix oil, chocolate, and granulated sugar.  Blend in one egg at a time until well mixed.  Add vanilla.  Measure flour by dipping method.  Add baking powder and salt to the flour and add this into oil mixture. This will be a soft dough.  Chill the dough several hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 350°F.  Drop teaspoonfuls of dough into confectioners sugar.  Roll generously in sugar; shape into balls.  Place 2″ apart on greased baking sheet or on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes; or until almost no imprint remains when touched lightly in center.  Cool on baking sheet for 1 to 2 minutes before removing to a wire rack.  Makes approximately 6 dozen cookies.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Cherry Blinks

This is one of my favorite Christmas Cookies.  It is an old fashioned cookie that won the Junior Division of the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest in 1950.  The recipe is taken from Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book 1976 Edition.  My Cookie Cook Book was handed down to me from a favorite Aunt.  I always include these cookies on Christmas cookie trays for friends and family members.  I use the cut-up dates and candied cherries for the cookies that I make.  You will want to double the recipe and make two separate batches at a time.  One batch of cookies is just not enough.  These cookies bake up soft and chewy with a little crunch from the Wheaties crumbs.

Cherry Blinks

1 3/4 cups Wheaties cereal, crushed
1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4  teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins or cut-up dates
1/2 cup chopped nuts
candied or maraschino cherries

Heat oven to 375°.  Mix shortening, sugar, and egg.  Stir in milk and vanilla.  Measure flour by dipping method or by sifting.  Blend the dry ingredients together and stir into the shortening mixture.  Mix in dates and nuts.  Drop dough by teaspoonfuls  into crushed cereal.  Roll gently so balls of dough are completely coated.  Place cookies about 2″ apart on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.  Top each cookie with half of a cherry.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until no imprint remains when touched lightly.  Remove cookies from cookie sheet and place on a wire rack.  Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Cherry Blinks

 

Smoked Boston Butt on a Gas Grill

This is for my Dad who was a true Southern Gentleman and Cook and who just happened to make the best Pulled Pork ever. He didn’t have one of the fancy smokers of today or even a gas or charcoal grill but some sort of a homemade smoker/grill contraption. So, Pulled Pork has long been a family favorite.

Smoked Boston Butt On A Gas Grill

Ingredients

One 3-4 Pound Boneless Boston Butt Pork Roast

Rub
1/4 cup Paprika
1/4 cup Light Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
1 tablespoon Coarse Grind Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Chili powder
1 teaspoon Cayenne
1 teaspoon Cumin

3-4 cups wood chips (hickory, oak, apple, or other fruit wood) soaked in water for at least 30 minutes)

In a small bowl combine all of the rub ingredients. Coat the roast evenly with the rub. Allow the roast to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling.

Prepare the grill for Indirect grilling over low heat (210°F to 240°F). Light one side of your gas grill. Place the wood chips on the lit side of the grill. Some recommend placing directly on the lava rocks or element. I simply put the pan of wood chips on the grate above the fire.

Place the roast fat side up on a rack over a pan to catch the drippings. Once the grill is smoking, place the roast in its pan on the Cool side of the grill. Close the top of the grill. Try to maintain a temperature of around 225°F.

Replenish the wood chips if needed.

Cook the roast until an instant read thermometer registers 195°F. Depending upon how successful you are in maintaining the optimum temperature, cooking time can take from 3-5 hours.

Once the roast is cooked, remove from grill and tent loosely with tin foil and allow to rest for 30 minutes to an hour. Use two forks to pull the pork.

Serve on a bun with your favorite barbecue sauce. The pork goes well with a Hickory Brown Sugar barbecue sauce.  

IMG_0057

IMG_2254

SaveSave

1 … 13 14
Powered by WordPress.com.
%d bloggers like this: