Baking for my Boys

Russ and I were pretty excited to have no plans for today, so we could just relax and hang out. I decided to do some baking too. The other day I bought a waffle maker, so I decided to try it this morning. Later in the afternoon I decided to make special treat for my constant kitchen companion, Cash.

Growing up my Dad would frequently make waffles for us on Saturday mornings. It was one of his specialties. He always made thin waffles and not the thicker Belgium style waffles. So, when I went to purchase a waffle maker I wanted one that was for thin waffles. Out of all the waffle makers there only one was for thin waffles, so I took it. I had planned on getting Dad's recipe and making his waffles, but I forgot to ask him for it so I looked for another recipe. I found an older CL recipe for Chocolate Chip Waffles. I had all the ingredients on hand, so I decided to go for it.

The recipe is fairly simple although I did end up using three different mixing bowls to make it. (In hindsight I realized if I had planned better I could have reused one bowl and only made a mess of two.) You mix the wet ingredients together in one bowl - egg yolk, milk, vanilla, and melted butter. In another bowl you mix the dry ingredients together - flour, salt, and baking powder. You then mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Then you mix with a mixer the egg white and sugar until stiff peaks form. This is gently folded into the batter. Lastly you fold the chocolate chips in and the batter is done. They cook on the waffle maker according to the manufacturer's directions. We served ours with a little butter and syrup.

Russ and I both really enjoyed the waffles. They were sweet and tasty and you definitely would not know they were lighter. Russ said that they reminded him of Eggo waffles. While for some this may be a little insulting, knowing Russ this is a big compliment! We both enjoyed them and Russ rates them a 9. Next time I make waffles I hope to try out Dad's recipe for Russ.

Just recently I found two different sizes of dog treat cookie cutters. So, this afternoon I decided to try something I have never done before and make homemade dog treats. Cash is my loyal companion in the kitchen when I cook and bake and I have yet to make anything for him. I looked online to find a recipe and there are tons of different ones out there. I narrowed it down to the treats flavored with peanut butter since I know Cash loves it. I found a fairly simple recipe for Peanut Butter Dog Treats.

To make the treats you mix the wet ingredients together in one bowl - water, oil, eggs, peanut butter, and vanilla. Then you mix the dry ingredients together in another bowl - flour (I used whole wheat), cornmeal, and oats. You then mix the two together and roll it out on a floured surface and cut the cookies out. The cookies bake at 400F for 20 minutes and then you turn the oven off and leave them in there for about 2 hours until they are hard. When I went to roll mine out the dough was way too sticky, so I added more flour (about 1 cup more). Next time I'll increase the flour in the dry ingredients. I also found it very important to roll it out on a well floured surface. I felt like it needed more flour than I typically use when rolling out cookies.

Cash sampled two treats last night and they received two paws up! The recipe yielded about 40 cookies which will last for a little while in an airtight container, but Cash wanted to share some. He will be passing some of the treats to his cousin, Hugo, tomorrow. (Edited to add: Wagg and Bernie's Moms stopped by on Sunday, so each were sent home with some treats for their pup!)

On a totally non-food related note a big congratulations to Julie, Brian, and big sister Emily on the birth of Drew!

Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits
adapted from Bullwinkle.com

1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
3 tablespoons peanut butter (I used creamy)
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour (the original recipe called for 2 cups, but it needed at least 1 cup more, I used whole wheat)
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup oats

Blend wet ingredients together. Whisk dry ingredients together and mix into wet mixture to form a ball of dough. Roll out (on a floured surface) and shape. Put onto a non-stick cookie try or lightly greased one. Cook 20 minutes at 400F. Turn off oven and allow the biscuits to cool in the oven until crisp and hard. Store in an airtight container.