Scranton Seahorse Inn

Peanut Butter Cookies – Gluten Free

Gluten Free CookiesI TRY to keep our cookie jar full and I have a few go to recipes that I use to make sure our guests with cookie cravings in the middle of the night have somewhere to go.   When I know I have a gluten free guest checking in to the Scranton Seahorse Inn my peanut butter cookie recipe the one I use.   It is so ridiculously simple but so nutty and delicious.   They are so satisfying at midnight with a cup of coffee or tea too.

This recipe makes 24 cookies.  It’s 1 of everything so it’s quite easy to double, triple or quadruple.   Do what you gotta do!

 

Ingredients

  • 1 cup good quality creamy peanut butter.  
  • 1 cup granulated sugar 
  • 1 large egg beaten
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • Seasalt (optional)
  1. Preheat oven to 350* and grease cookie sheets or line with parchment or silpat.
  2. Beat together peanut butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth.
  3. Add beaten egg and baking soda to peanut butter mixture and beat until well combined.
  4. Roll 1 teaspoon of dough into a ball and place on cookie sheet.
  5. Place dough balls one inch apart on cookie sheet.   Do the thing we all do with a fork to our peanut butter cookies.
  6. Sprinkle each with a little seasalt.
  7. Bake until puffed and a golden pale, about 10 minutes.
  8. Cool cookies on baking sheet about 2 minutes and then transfer with spatula to rack to cool.
  9. May be kept in air tight container at room temperature for 5 days.  If you have a wall safe – store them there.
  10. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

 

Cappuccino Biscotti w/ Hazelnuts & Chocolate Chips Recipe

Biscotti are easy to make and delicious with a cup of tea, coffee or milk any time of the day.   Our cookie jar in the coffee lounge is always filled with cookies or biscotti and this recipe gets a lot of requests.

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup (100 grams) peeled hazelnuts
  • 2 cups (260 grams) all-purposeflour
  • 1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/4 cup espresso or strong coffee, cooled
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

cappucino-and-hazelnut-biscottiPreheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in center of oven. Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes. 

In a small bowl whisk together the espresso or coffee, milk, egg and vanilla extract.  

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer) beat the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices until combined. Gradually add the espresso mixture and beat until a dough forms, adding the chopped nuts and chocolate chips about halfway through. With floured hands divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface roll each half of dough into a log about 12 inches long and 1.5″ inches wide. Transfer the logs to a parchment paper lined baking sheet, spacing about 3 inches apart. Bake for about 35 minutes or until firm to the touch (logs will spread during baking). Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.  On a cutting board cut the logs crosswise on the diagonal into 1/2 inch  slices. Arrange the slices on the baking sheet, and bake for 5 minutes or until they are pale golden.    I personally like my biscotti a little softer than is the tradion.  If you like yours real crunchy you can cook the sliced biscotti on each side for 5 minutes.  Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. 

Optional:  Die hard chocolate lovers can melt good bitter sweet chocolate over the logs as they are cooling and before slicing.

Makes about 36 biscotti.

 

Molasses Sugar Cookies

molasses cookiesWe try to keep the cookie jar in the coffee bar stocked.   There’s a lot of midnight cookie monsters out there so this is a difficult task at times!   We had a group of guests from Germany recently that begged me for my molasses cookie recipe.   I wish I could say it was mine!  This was passed on to me from my friend Liza who in turn got it from Jillifer’s Emporium, Great Barrington, MA.   Enjoy!

 

 

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound butter
  • 1/2 tablespoon salt
  • 3 cups brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup dark molasses
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 6 1/2 cups unsifted flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground cloves
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
  1. Cream butter, molasses, water, salt and brown sugar together.
  2. Beat in eggs
  3. Sift dry ingredients together and then add to creamed mixture.
  4. Mix well
  5. Refigerate for 24 hours.
  6. Roll into balls (1″ diameter), then roll in granulated sugar

Bake for 15 – 18 minutes at 350 degrees – adjust time for convection ovens.

Yields approximately 3 1/2 dozen