Deep Fried Tagalongs Recipes

TAGALONGS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, followed by the vanilla and milk. The dough should come together into a soft ball but it will be crumbly.
• Take a tablespoon full of dough and flatten it into a disc about 1/4-inch thick. I found it was easiest doing this in the palm of my hand. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough. Cookies will not spread too much, so you can squeeze them in more than you would for chocolate chip cookies.
• Bake cookies for 9 minutes, until bottoms and the edges are lightly browned and cookies are set.
• Immediately after removing cookies from the oven, use your thumb or a small spoon to make a depression in the center of each cookie. (I am still debating as to whether this is a necessary step.).
• Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• In a small bowl, whisk together peanut butter, confectioners' sugar, salt and vanilla. When the mixture has come together, heat it in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds at a time, then stir. Heat until it is very, very soft. Let cool slightly and spoon a generous dome of the filling into each cookie's "thumbprint". Alternately you could use a piping bag but I did not find this necessary.
• Chill cookies with filling for 20-30 minutes, or until the peanut butter is firm.
• Melt the chocolate and butter in a small double boiler until melted.
• Dip chilled cookies into chocolate with a fork, allowing theexcess to drip off, and place on a sheet of parchment paper to let the cookies set.

DELICIOUS DEEP FRIED PICKLES

Steps:

• Combine bread crumbs, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper in a bowl; set aside. Whisk egg and milk together in a separate bowl. Dip dill pickle spears into the egg mixture, then into the bread crumb mixture until well-coated. Dip the pickles in the egg and bread crumb mixtures a second time so each spear is double coated. Arrange pickles in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer until the breading is set, about 30 minutes.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Fry the pickles in the preheated oil until light golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

CRISPY TAHONG (DEEP-FRIED MUSSELS)

Steps:

• Using a butter knife, pry mussels from shells. Discard shells. Wash mussel meat and drain well.
• In a bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, salt, garlic powder, and pepper.
• Dredge mussels in the flour mixture to fully coat.
• In a pan over medium heat, heat about 2-inch deep of oil to 350 F.
• Add mussels, shaking off excess flour, and deep-fry for about 5 to 7 minutes or until mussels are cooked through and are golden and crisp.
• Remove from heat and drain in a colander set over a bowl. Serve hot with spicy vinegar dip.

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

Steps:

• 1 Make the Cookies: Beat the butter and powdered sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 4 minutes. Add the vanilla and almond extracts, and beat until combined. 2 Sift together the flour and salt in a separate bowl. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating on low speed until combined. 3 Shape the dough into a disk; wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes. 4 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Unwrap the chilled dough disk, and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to a 1⁄4-inch thickness. Cut the dough using a floured 2-inch round cutter, rerolling scraps once. Place the cookies 1 inch apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. 5 Bake until the edges just begin to turn golden, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool the cookies on the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks, and let cool completely, about 20 minutes. 6 Meanwhile, Make the Peanut Butter Filling: Beat the peanut butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt on medium speed until well combined. 7 Mound about 1 teaspoon of the filling on top of each cooled cookie. Using a knife and starting in the middle of the mound, spread the filling down to the edge of the cookie. Repeat as you go around the cookie until the filling covers the entire top. The filling should look slightly domed in the center of the cookie. (There will be about 1⁄4 cup filling leftover.) 8 Make the Chocolate Coating: Pour water to a depth of 1 inch into the bottom of a double boiler over medium; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer; place the chocolate in the top of the double boiler, and stir until melted. Add the vegetable oil, and stir until you have a glossy chocolate sauce. Remove from the heat. 9 Using 2 forks, dip each cookie into the coating until the cookie is completely coated on both sides, flipping over, if necessary. Lift the cookie out of the chocolate with 1 fork, using the other to scrape any excess chocolate off the bottom back into the pan. Place on aluminum foil- or parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining cookies and Chocolate Coating. 10 Chill the cookies until firm, about 15 minutes. Store leftovers (if you have any!) in an airtight container in the refrigerator to help them keep their shape.