Friends Food Family

Peanut Butter Cookies Rolled in Chocolate Oreo Cookie Crumbs

A few weeks ago, while I was pinning on Pinterest, I kept coming across cookies rolled in oreo cookie crumbs. Most of the cookies were Snickerdoodles and as much as I like Snickerdoodles, rolling them in oreo cookie crumbs wasn't doing it for me.

I kept thinking...well, I do like Oreos...what about a peanut butter cookie rolled in oreo cookie crumbs? I went to my pantry and sitting (all by itself) in the back corner was a box of Oreo Cookie Crumbs. Ah, here was a cookie worth eating. I made my favorite peanut butter cookies from my Peanut Butter Blossom recipe. I like this recipe because the cookies have a wonderful nutty flavor and they aren't too sweet. 

Instead of rolling them in sugar, I rolled them in the Oreo Cookie crumbs. If you can't find the crumbs, use a sleeve of oreo cookies and grind them into crumbs using a food processor. The crumbs will be sweeter but that is ok, these cookies aren't overly sweet. 

The house smelled amazing as they cooked, there is nothing better than the smell of sweet peanut butter! As they came out of the oven I couldn't wait to taste them. When they were warm they tasted like a peanut butter pillow with a hint of chocolate. As they cooled they reminded me of a soft peanut butter oreo, but not as sweet. 

I shared these cookies with both friends and family over the next week. Sometimes, I'm not sure how good these cookies are. The response was amazing, everyone was gobbling them up and the part that I found surprising was that people loved the flavor...not too sweet.

It was fun taking a favorite cookie and giving it a twist. If you'd like, you can make the peanut butter blossoms and roll them in oreo cookies (rather than sugar) and finish them with a Hershey Kiss. I'm sure that would be delicious, too! 

Ingredients for Peanut Butter Cookies Rolled in Chocolate Oreo Cookie Crumbs

1 cup of peanut butter 

1 cup of brown sugar

1 cup of white sugar

1 cup of butter, softened

2 eggs

1/4 cup of milk

2 teaspoons of vanilla

3 1/2 cups of flour

2 teaspoons of baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup of finely chopped dark chocolate (or milk chocolate if you prefer)

2 cups of oreo cookie crumbs

 

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Cream together peanut butter, brown and white sugars and butter.

2. Blend in the eggs, vanilla and milk. The consistency will get very loose and smooth.

3. Add the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix until thoroughly blended.

4. Stir in the finely chopped chocolate. If the dough is sticky, refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

5. Roll to the size of well rounded tablespoon and then roll in the oreo cookie crumbs.

6. Bake for 8-10 minutes. The cookies will be puffy and slightly dry. 

7. Remove from oven and cool on a cookie rack. The cookies will flatten as they cool.

Pigs in the Mud Peanut Butter Fudge Cake - Piggy Cake

Last week I saw a picture on my Google+ account of a cake with pigs. It was adorable. Sadly, the only thing I know about the cake is a link which came from tumblr called Pigs in Mud Cake. I decided to post it on my Facebook account expecting the same amount of comments that I normally receive...between 4-6.

After a large response to the picture, people were looking for the recipe. So, last night my daughter, Danielle, and I decided to make the cake. I went to the local craft store to look for fondant. You need this to make the pigs for the cake. It is similar marizpan, and edible. I was able to find Duff's Fondant, the cake creator from Ace of Cakes. He has a line of fondant which happens to come in pink. Since I couldn't open the container of fondant in the store, I decided to buy some white fondant, too. I stopped by the ribbon section and bought a flowery designed ribbon to tie around my cake. 

Next stop was the grocery store. I didn't want to make a cake from scratch (I can't believe that came out of my mouth!) so I grabbed a box of Devil's Food Cake, a few packages of Kit Kat bars and some heavy cream. I now had everything I needed.

We made the cake according to directions and placed the batter in two 8" cake pans. While the cake was baking, we made the ganache and put it aside to cool to room temperature and then started mixing the frosting. We decided on a peanut butter frosting because of the dark chocolate ganache. We make this cake called the Reese's Peanut Butter Cake. It has dark chocolate cake, peanut butter frosting and then we put chocolate ganache all over the cake. It is a huge hit, wherever we take it. Oh, and there are no calories...

After the cake and ganache were cooled, we started by frosting the cake with the peanut butter frosting. We kept the center and top frosting thinner than the sides. I needed the kit kat bars to stick and I didn't want the cake to be any higher than it needed to be. There isn't much length to a Kit Kat bar.

We opened the Kit Kat's and broke each package into 2 bars. We did find there were some height issues so I took a bag of Hershey's Mini Kisses and put a row of them at the bottom of the cake. We then placed the Kit Kats above the mini kisses which made the fence for the pigs the right height.

We let the cake rest and started making our pigs. The pink fondant was very bright so we added white fondant to the pink. It softened the color quite a bit and we decided to have brighter pink pigs rather than flesh colored. In hindsight, we probably should have mixed the pink fondant into the white. It would have given the white a perfect rosy color.

NOTE: Please look at the pigs on the cake for ideas. We also found a video on making fondant pigs at Candy Ribbon Sweets. Take a look, it will give you some ideas.

Once your pigs are made, pour the chocolate ganache on the top of the cake. It should be thick enough to swirl and the consistency of mud. Place your pigs. Our pigs were probably bigger than the original photo but I do like that they fill the pig pen.

Tie a ribbon around the cake and you are done!

I hope you enjoy the cake as much as we have. We are looking forward to making the "Pigs in the Mud" Cake again. Our biggest problem...we didn't want to cut it because it looked too (pig) pretty!

Ingredients for the Pigs in the Mud Cake:
1 box of your favorite cake mix - we used Devil's Food Cake
1 package of Hershey's Mini Kisses
6 Kit Kat Bars, broken into two sticks each
ribbon for decoration

Peanut Butter Frosting
1-1/2 cups of softened butter
1-1/2 cups of chunky peanut butter
2 teaspoons of vanilla
3-4 cups of confectioner's sugar

Chocolate Ganache
1 cup of heavy cream
2-1/2 cups of bittersweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon of butter

Pigs
1 - 8 ounce container of pink buttercream fondant
1 - 8 ounce container of white buttercream fondant

Preparation:

1. Starting with your favorite cake mix, make according to manufacturer's directions. Bake in 2 - 8" round cake pans.

2. While cake is baking, start the chocolate ganache. In a medium sauce pan, over medium heat, add the heavy cream and heat until there is a slight simmer around the edges. Do not allow it to boil.

3. Remove from heat and add the chocolate chips. Allow to sit for a minute or two and then begin to mix the melted chocolate with the cream. Once the ganache is completely incorporated, add the butter. Put aside and allow the mixture to cool completely.

4. Start the peanut butter frosting : In a mixing bowl (using a beater), beat the butter and peanut butter together until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat. Start by adding one cup of confectioner's sugar at a time. Beat until blended. After the 3rd cup taste the frosting. Adjust the confectioner's sugar to your taste. We like a less sweet frosting so the peanut butter flavor will come through. We put in about 1/2 to 3/4 cup more.

5. Soften fondant according to directions. Our fondant was very pink so we mixed half white and half pink to softened the color. Making it again, I would probably use more white and add pink to it for a lighter pink. Using a knife and toothpicks, create pigs. For tails - we wrapped a thin piece of fondant around a skewer and let it set for a minute or two, then removed it. Create your pigs (look at the two pictures for ideas...be creative!). See the link above for a video of making fondant pigs.

Assembly: (please read storyline for more in depth directions)

1. Place one layer of cake on a plate or platter and frost top and sides with peanut butter frosting. Add second layer and frost the top and sides.

2. Place a row of Hershey Mini Kisses around the base of the cake.

3. Line the Kit Kat bars around the cake in sets of two. It takes 11-12 (sets of 2 kit kats) to surround the cake.

4. Pour chocolate ganache on the top of the cake and swirl.

5. Add pigs and tie with a ribbon a choice.

6. Stand back and smile, your "Pigs in the Mud" Cake is complete!

Written by Tricia White

Oatmeal Cookie Brittle with Craisins and Almonds or Coconut and Chocolate Chips

(Oatmeal Cookie Brittle with Craisins, Almonds and Cinnamon)

In my last post, Chocolate Chip Cookie Brittle, I spoke about finding a number of different cookie brittle which I made for this year's Super Bowl Party. At the time, I was looking for a fun dessert that people could enjoy while watching the game; dessert finger food.

For me, the best brittle was this Oatmeal Cookie Brittle. I found the recipe on Cookie Madness. What I loved was that there was no flour in the recipe. So, for all those who are looking for a gluten free cookie recipe, this is a great treat. When I made it the first time, it called for coconut and I decided to put mini chocolate chips with the coconut as I love the flavor of oats, coconut and chocolate. The finished cookie brittle tasted like a granola bar, but a bit sweeter. The butter and brown sugar made for a caramel, melt in your mouth taste that most granola bars are missing. It was sweet and crunchy and addictive. I will warn you, breaking off a few little pieces will cause you to succumb to a big piece. I've seen it happen. And, of all the cookie brittle I made for the party, the oatmeal cookie brittle went the fastest. It's definitely not as heavy as the others.

I was lucky, on the Friday night before the Super Bowl, we had friends over who sampled all the brittle. When I got ready to make the second batch for Sunday, I decided to change the recipe a bit. Instead of coconut and chocolate chips, I would substitute craisins, almonds and a little bit of cinnamon. What a hit! It wasn't as sweet and had a nuttier taste between the oats and the almonds. I actually would like to try a trail mix style with mini chips, almonds, walnuts and craisins. Sound good?

So brainstorm with me...think of a few different combinations:

1. Mini peanut butter cups (chopped) and peanuts

2. Walnuts, almonds, pecans and peanuts (I bet I could substitute maple syrup for corn syrup)

3. White chocolate with coconut and macadamia nuts

4. Health bar bits and almond slices

5. Coconut and craisins with orange rind

6. Dried apples, raisins, walnuts and cinnamon

The list could go on and on. This is a great base recipe for oatmeal cookie brittle, just use your imagination for the endless possibilities.

Make a batch and tell me about your oatmeal cookie brittle creation!

Ingredients for Oatmeal Brittle:

1/2 cup of butter, melted
1 tablespoon of light corn syrup
1/2 cup of light brown sugar, packed
1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
1 3/4 cups of oatmeal

Chocolate Chips with Coconut
1/3 cup of sweetened flake coconut
1/2 cup of mini semi sweet chocolate chips
or

Craisins with Almonds
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/3 cup of craisins
1/2 cup of slivered almonds

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 13×18 inch cookie sheet with foil.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, corn syrup, sugar, salt, vanilla and baking powder.Make sure all ingredients are incorporated. It make take a minute or two to get the butter to mix with the brown sugar.
3. Add the oats and mix thoroughly.
4. Choose the flavors and add the ingredients from the chocolate chip and coconut or craisin and almonds.
5. Spread the mixture, as thinly as possible, on the cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until the edges are browned.
7. Cool on a rack. Lift the foil from the pan and break into pieces.

Written by Tricia White

(Oatmeal Cookie Brittle with Mini Chocolate Chips and Coconut)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brittle with Heath Bar Toffee Bits

At the beginning of Super Bowl Weekend, I decided I was going to bring some easy and fun desserts to my friend Maria's house for the Super Bowl. I'm not sure what triggered the search for cookie bark or brittle, but I found myself looking for all sorts of recipes from brownie brittle to oatmeal brittle and even chocolate cookie brittle. By the time I was done, I had a list of different recipes.

I started with Nestle's Chocolate Chip Cookie Brittle since most bloggers were using this recipe. I decided to make it as directed and see how it tasted. The first batch was delicious. The brittle was crispy, with tones of caramel, chocolate and nuts. Being a chocolate chip cookie fiend, these definitely made my list of (really) good chocolate chip cookies. I served them to some friends that Friday night during game night...yes, we had a game night, our very first and we had a ball! They got devoured to rave reviews ending in, "Please take these away from me, I think I've eaten the entire tray!" OK, very addicting.

On Sunday, I decided to change up the recipe a bit, I wanted to use mini-chips, rather than regular chips since these cookies were thin and instead of nuts, I would use Heath Bar Toffee Bits. This recipe tasted even better than the first batch with a stronger chocolate caramel flavor. What's nice about this recipe is the ability to adapt the flavor through mix-ins. If you like raisins and nuts, I'm sure they would be delicious, the same with white chocolate and macadamia nuts. Take out the chocolate and heath bar bits and use your favorite chips, nuts or candy. Think of pairing different combinations.

Off to the Super Bowl Party we went, carrying a big tray of cookie brittle. The next few posts will highlight the other brittle we made: Oatmeal Brittle, Brownie Brittle and Saltine Toffee. The reviews to date were that everyone really liked the brittle...and for a few reasons:

1. It's fun and different. People don't normally make cookie brittle so a favorite chocolate chip cookie gets to be crispy and crunchy.

2. No matter how big or small the piece, people can break the brittle and enjoy the amount of dessert they want. My girlfriend, Di, and I were breaking and sharing pieces all night. " Here, try another piece!"

Valentine's Day is next week, what a great treat to send to school, into the office or to your favorite valentine. Easy to make and easy to enjoy. Put Chocolate Chip Cookie Brittle on your list of "Things to Make" this weekend. You won't be disappointed.

Ingredients for Chocolate Chip Cookie Brittle with Heath Bar Bits
(Adapted from Nestle's Very Best Baking)
1 cup of butter or margarine, softened
1 cup of white sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
2 cups of flour
1 cup of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup of Heath Bar Toffee Bits

Preparation:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet (approx. 12 x 18) with aluminum foil.

1. Cream butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended and creamy.
(I do this by hand, but you can use a mixer.)
2. Add salt and flour and mix until incorporated.
3. Mix in mini chocolate chips and toffee bits.
4. Break up pieces of dough and sprinkle on the cookie sheet.
5. Press dough to form a layer across the bottom of the pan.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Allow to cool, lift the cookie out of the pan, using the foil.
8. Peel back the foil and break the cookie into pieces.

Enjoy!

Written by Tricia White

Ricotta Chocolate Chip Cake

The holidays were full of such wonderful desserts. From cookies to cakes and pies, I don't think I went through the month of December without tasting something homemade...and most days it was for breakfast.

In my Pumpkin Crunch Cake post, which we made for Thanksgiving, I mentioned a chef named Dennis Littley. He is such an inspiration, not only as a chef but as a social media expert in Google+. He has a blog called A Culinary Journey with Chef Dennis which has amazing recipes as well as stories about food. Around Thanksgiving, he had posted a recipe for Ricotta Chocolate Chip Cake. It looked mouth-watering and the recipe seemed pretty easy.

The first time I made the cake was for our annual Christmas gathering. I love trying new recipes because I have 20+ people to use as taste testers. From the first slice to the last, people enjoyed the delicious flavor of this ricotta cake. It was crunchy, yet had a smooth sweet texture. I added Grand Marnier and orange rind to my cake which complemented the chocolate and ricotta. For me, this cake was a great success.

On to Christmas...

Since the Ricotta Chocolate Chip Cake was such a success, I decided to make it for our Christmas Eve dessert. With the craziness of the day, I didn't have any mascarpone cheese and had taken out a package of cream cheese, knowing I could substitute the two. Jeff made a last minute run to the market and picked up the mascarpone cheese I needed. I mixed together the ingredients and got the cake into the oven before the guests arrived. I was so excited to have people try the ricotta cake again. Then, it dawned on me...it's a ricotta cake and I didn't put any ricotta in it. I grabbed the cream cheese and mascarpone and completely forgot about the ricotta. Hmmm...I think I have a cheese cake. There was nothing I could do, so I finished the cake and we served it for dessert. The center was a bit heavy (probably an understatement) and 1/2 the cake sat on the plate until I threw it out about a week later. OK, I need to put that recipe to rest for a while.

On to my After Christmas Holiday Party...

This year, we were going to Tammi's house for our office party. Tammi is not only my co-worker but my social media partner in crime. She writes a great dog blog called Gracies Bark. I volunteered to make the Ricotta Chocolate Chip Cake and I was dreading it. We were picking up the ingredients when I came across coffee-flavored mascarpone cheese. My eyes lit up! This would be perfect for the cake. I couldn't wait to get home to try this out...coffee, ricotta, chocolate and orange...that sounded pretty good. Paying attention this time, I got the ricotta and coffee-flavored mascarpone into the cake.

The first cut went to my boss's husband, Mike, who really enjoyed the cake. We proceeded to cut the cake into large and small pieces and had people guessing what was in it. They loved the orange flavor as well as the subtle chocolate tone. Everyone agreed, it melted in your mouth. It was nice leaving the last piece with Tammi, so no leftovers...SUCCESS!

This Ricotta Chocolate Chip Cake is back on my favorite's list and for good reason...if I can arrive or make a dessert and end up with an empty plate at the end of the evening, it's worth blogging about.

Ingredients for Ricotta Chocolate Chip Cake

Cake

2-1/3 cups of flour
1/2 cup of sugar
1-1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 egg
1 tablespoon of milk
1 tablespoon of Grand Marnier or orange flavored liquor
8 oz of very cold butter sliced thinly

Filling

8 ounces of ricotta
8 ounces of mascarpone (We used coffee flavored mascarpone)
1 large egg
3/4 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons of freshly grated orange rind
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preparation

1. In a food processor, place all of the cake ingredients into the bowl (except for the butter) and pulse for 30 seconds.
2. Cut the butter into thin slices and add it to the mixture. Using short, quick pulses, mix until chunky (about 8-10 quick pulses). The mixture will be blended but chunky.
3. Press half of the mixture gently into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan that has been greased with butter and dusted with flour. Do note mash down the mixture.
4. Mix the ricotta, mascarpone, egg, sugar and orange rind together using a fork.
5. Add the mini chocolate chips and stir to blend.
6. Spread the mixture evenly on top of the crust.
7. Crumble the remainder of the crust over the filling, covering the filling completely *
8. Bake in a preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes at 350°
9. Remove from oven when the top is golden and slightly firm.
10. Cool on wire rack and serve at room temperature.

Slice and share...no fighting!

Written by Tricia White

It's 2013 and I'm still searching for the BEST Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Happy 2013! And as you can read, I am still in search of the BEST chocolate chip cookie. I'm just a plain dessert person at heart. You can serve up any of the fanciest desserts around and it will never pique my interest quicker than a chocolate chip cookie. Kind of like the dog in UP!...squirrel.

We were getting ready to make dinner for our New Year's Eve gathering when I needed a dessert. I'll admit, I was lazy, I knew Jeff would want a "fruit" dessert, like a pie or tart. I didn't want to make the dough...etc, etc. So, I made the executive decision to make, my favorite, chocolate chip cookies.

I couldn't make the ones we make all the time, Andria's Chocolate Chip Cookies. They are excellent but I needed to be a bit more creative. That was when I went into my Pinterest account and began the search. I found this new recipe on "The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies" board. Pictures speak louder than words and I went with "the best ever chocolate chip cookies" by Dishing the Divine.

I checked out the recipe and figured this would be so easy, melt butter, mix with sugar, eggs and vanilla, add dry ingredients, and chop some bittersweet chocolate. In 5 minutes, I had the chocolate chip cookie dough together and ready to measure.

The dough needed 30 minutes in the freezer which was perfect as I was finishing the last of the Lobster (lob-stah for you New Englanders) Cakes. At that point, my son, Brian, came in slightly frantic, "I need to bring a dessert to that New Year's Eve Party tonight", and it was 6 PM. Never fear, I doubled the recipe, plenty of cookies to be had. 

Once they were partially frozen, I placed them on cookie sheets and into a 400 dgree oven for 7 minutes, then 350 degrees for 7-9 minutes. They came out beautiful, golden brown and crackly. I had 10 for my guests and two dozen went out the door with Brian. After dinner we enjoyed coffee and chocolate chip cookies with coffee and vanilla ice cream, PERFECT. These cookies had a great crunch with a caramel chewiness. The bittersweet chocolate is such a great balance for a sweet cookie. I will say, these were probably one of the BEST chocolate chip cookies I have made in a while. Reports from Brian's party ended with, "and there were none left." I will add these to my "Giant Cookies" list, too, because no one can ever have enough giant cookies.

I look forward to this next year, delving into the next culinary adventure. My prediction is that you will see us incorporate even more of our garden produce into our recipes and trying to once again simplify the process and of, course, search for more chocolate chip cookie recipes.

Do you have a BEST Chocolate Chip Cookie? We'd love to hear about it! 

Ingredients for the BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies (slightly altered)

2 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt 
3/4 cup of butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup of packed brown sugar
1/2 cup of white sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 - 2 cups of chopped bittersweet chocolate (I used Ghiradelli Bittersweet Chips and chopped them)

Preparation

1. Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together in a medium bowl and set aside.
2. Mix the sugars and butter just until thoroughly mixed. Add the egg, yolk and vanilla and stir until creamy.
3. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until blended. Stir in the chocolate.
4. Drop the dough 1/4 cup at a time on a wax paper lined cookie sheet and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400.

5. Place approximately 6 cookies per cookie sheet as they will spread.
6. Bake for 7-8 minutes. Without opening the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350.
7. Bake an additional 7-9 minutes or until the edges look golden brown.
8. Let rest on pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Written by Tricia White

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 6 - Traditional Family Favorites

I was commenting in my last post that as I enter year 4 of writing the Friends Food Family blog, finding 12 new cookie recipes for the holiday can be a challenge. My parents called the other day to request some cookies for a few of their holiday gatherings. I went into a panic mode because I didn't have any of the traditional cookie favorites, everything I had baked was from a new recipe. 

As much as I love new cookies and new tasting experiences, I still fall back on my family favorites as we have been baking them for over 30 years. So on the 6th day of our 12 Cookies of Christmas, I'm going to share our family favorites.

To begin:

1. Nannie's Oatmeal Cookies - The BEST oatmeal cookie you will ever taste. Brown sugar based with oatmeal, wheaties, raisins and chocolate chips. When we were young, my grandmother had us mix the butter and brown sugar with our hands. Amazing what will keep kids busy...and baking.

2. Danielle's Special Thumbprint Cookies - A white sugar shortbread with mini semi-sweet chips. We add a Hershey's Kiss and push it down while it is melting. Everyone goes CRAZY over these!

3. Seven Layer Bars - Who doesn't love a homemade dessert that tastes like a candy bar. Extremely sweet, but who cares, you can't beat the taste of chocolate, butterscotch, coconut and nuts!

4. Andria's Chocolate Chip Cookies - These are a staple at our hose, whether it's the holiday or just a party. These cookies are a true baking for success. I've never left a party with any left on the plate.

5. Jelly Thumbprints - A brown sugar based shortbread cookie recipe that I received in 8th grade. This is the only jelly thumbprint recipe I use. Raspberry and Strawberry jam are our favorites.

6. Cranberry Almond Biscotti - We always make a batch of these when we make jelly thumbprint cookies. The thumbprints call for two egg yolks, the biscotti calls for two egg white. Perfect cookie combination with no waste.

If you are anything like me and love to try new cookies and treats, but not sure you want to bring them to a big gathering, skip all the hassles and make one of these cookies. I have been making them for years and these are the cookies I have stayed with through the holidays for two main reasons:

1. They are easy to make - no special ingredients. Mix, Bake, Clean, Done!

2. They are the cookies people eat - For years I made all different fancy holiday cookies. What tended to happen was they looked pretty but were normally the last cookies left on the plate. We know that at the end of the party, those cookies end up in the trash. With these cookies, they are gone usually before any of the other desserts.

Keep these recipes close to your heart because you know the old saying, "A way to a person's heart is through their stomach!" 

GIVE THEM COOKIES, and they'll love you forever!

Happy Holidays from our family to yours!

Written by Tricia White

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 5 - Double Peanut Butter Paisley Brownies

We are a little behind, but we have Day 5 of our 12 Cookies of Christmas. Sometimes it's hard coming up with another recipe around the holidays. We make quite a few cookies and get caught up making traditional and family favorites along with our newest recipes.

I brought out my ingredient basket that holds all the flavored chips. You will find everything from Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and mini chocolate chips to butterscotch chips, chocolate mint chips and Reese's Peanut Butter Chips. I always make the chocolate peanut butter chip cookies from the back of the bag. Surprisingly, I thought I highlighted the recipe, but looking back in the archives, I guess I didn't. They had a great recipe for Double Peanut Butter Paisley Brownies and I figured I'd give it a try. I love peanut butter, why not a peanut butter brownie!

The best part of the recipe for me was the swirling in of Hershey's Chocolate Syrup. That is my all time favorite staple for

1. Coffee

2. Chocolate Shakes

3. Topping for Ice Cream

4. Dips for Fruit (chocolate covered bananas!)

5. Drizzle for mixed drinks

Oh, the list could go on and on! 

But, to swirl it into a peanut butter brownie recipe...HEAVEN! We are talking Reese's Peanut Butter Cups...in brownie form. I had the recipe mixed and in the oven in less than 10 minutes. There are a few things I would note. As a suggestion on the original website, if you get the syrup on the sides of the pan, it will burn. When you are adding the chocolate syrup, keep it within a 1/2 inch of the sides of the pan. Also, the cook time was a bit longer than I thought. We cooked our Double Peanut Butter Brownies for about 50 minutes. Time will vary according to your oven, but at 35 minutes, ours wasn't done.

The best time to eat any of these deliciously gooey bars is when they are warm. The peanut butter chips were still soft, the chocolate syrup was gooey and the overall flavor melted in your mouth. Jeff's comment, "It takes just like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup." I think he'll be adding that to his nightly bowl of vanilla ice cream...and don't forget the Hershey's chocolate syrup.

It started with ME and ended very MERRY.

Ingredients for Reese's Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies:

1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, softened
1/4 cup of creamy or chunky peanut butter
1 cup of packed light brown sugar
1 cup of white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1-2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) of REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips

1/2 cup of HERSHEY'S Chocolate Syrup

Preparation:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

2. Beat butter and peanut butter in large bowl. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar;
beat well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in vanilla.

3. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt; mix into peanut butter mixture, blending well.

4. Stir in peanut butter chips. Spread half of batter in prepared pan; spoon syrup over top,
keep within 1/2 inch of the sides, when it touches the sides, it can burn.
Carefully top with remaining batter; swirl with metal spatula or knife for marbled effect.

5. Bake 35 to 40 minutes (we went 45-50, but start with the lesser time) or until lightly browned.

6. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into squares. Makes 24 to 36 brownies.

Written by Tricia White

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 3 - Pecan Sandies

Welcome to Day 3 of our 12 Cookies of Christmas. Today's cookies are Pecan Sandies. I love Pecan Sandies, probably because they are buttery little cookies, loaded with nuts and sprinkled with a bit of confectioner's sugar. They melt in your mouth and are the most amazing treat with a cup of tea. The other reason why I (especially) like them is because they came from one of my newest cookbook's Bouchon Bakery from Chef Thomas Keller. Jeff and I are a big fan of his ad hoc at home cookbook and when I saw he had a pastry/dessert cookbook coming out I pre-ordered it. What I find interesting about his cookbooks is that there is a story, a cooking lesson and a recipe. You truly learn to cook with him.

When I came across his Pecan Sandies for My Mom, it struck a cord with me. Keller's tells about his mother's struggles to raise 6 children and her baking Pecan Sandies. It was about realizing what our parents do for us that molds us into who we are today.

" So much of who I am today is tied to who my mom was, the choices she made, the way she worked, and how she lived her life. What success I have today, I owe to her." Thomas Keller

Our passions, many times, evolve from our past. My passion for baking and cooking came from that of my grandmother and my mother. They weren't chefs or master cooks, but they evoked a passion in me to continue doing what they did for us. Jeff and I both try to make sure there is a meal served when our kids are home and whenever I have the opportunity to make desserts from scratch I do. There is nothing better than something as simple as a homemade cookie.

So, during the holidays, think back to tradition, to those times when cooking and baking was part of the family structure. Bake some Pecan Sandies for My Mom and sit down to enjoy the simple pleasures.

Ingredients for Pecan Sandies for My Mom:
1 3/4 cups + 1 1/2 teaspoons of flour
3/4 cup of coarsely chopped pecans
4 ounces of unsalted butter, at room temperature - (we used salted butter)
3/4 cup + 1 3/4 teaspoons of confectioner's sugar

Additional confectioner's sugar for dusting

Preparation:
1. Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F (convection) or 350°F (standard).
Line two sheet pans with Silpats or parchment paper.
2. Toss the flour and pecans together in a medium bowl.
3. Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on medium-low speed until smooth.
4. Add the 3/4 cup plus 1 3/4 teaspoons of confectioner's sugar and mix for about 2 minutes, until fluffy.
Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
5. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds, until just combined.
Scrape the bottom of the bowl to incorporate any dry ingredients that have settled there.
(NOTE: I found the dough a bit dry but worked it into two large balls before I begin rolling individual balls.)
6. Divide the dough into 1 1/2-tablespoon portions, roll into balls, and arrange on the sheet pans, leaving about 1 1/2 inches between them.
Press the cookies into 2-inch disks.
7. Bake until pale golden brown, 13 to 15 minutes if using a convection oven, 20 to 23 minutes if using a standard oven, reversing the positions of the pans halfway through.
(NOTE: Sandies baked in a convection oven will not spread as much as those baked in a standard oven and will have a more even color.)
8. Set the pans on a cooling rack and cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Using a metal spatula, transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely.
If desired, dust with confectioner's sugar.
The cookies can be stored in a covered container for up to 3 days.

Written by Tricia White

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 2 - Crunchers

I figured we could start Day 2 with a really easy recipe called Crunchers. I say easy because you blend a few ingredients together, add saltine crackers and before you know it, you have this crunchy, gooey, chocolaty, peanut butter delight.

I found this recipe on Pinterest. I had read an article that this recipe was one of the top pinned recipes one week (or maybe I dreamed it!). I looked it up and pinned it on my "I want to make that!" board. The recipe is similar to the toffee bar recipes which blend brown sugar and butter, some saltines and melted semi-sweet chocolate. I figured this might taste a bit like a candy bar (by the time I was through) and I was right...the caramel crunch reminded me of nougat and the dark glaze mixture of chocolate, peanut butter and butterscotch chips was that wonderful candy bar coating.

There are two things I would suggested - 

1. Make the bars on the day you will be serving them, I found they cut and actually looked better. They are good for about a week.

2. Keep them refrigerated if you like the crunch, if you like them chewy, they can stay at room temperature.

I would love to know how you like these bars. People have absolutely loved them and this was the second time I made these bars over the past few weeks. It's a nice twist on traditional saltine toffee bars.

Recipe for Crunchers from Little B. Cooks

Ingredients:
1 box of saltine crackers
1 cup of butter
2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
1 cup of packed brown sugar
1/4 cup of white sugar
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter
1/2 cup of butterscotch morsels
3/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Preparation:
1. Line a 9x13 baking dish with aluminum foil, leaving extra hanging over both ends, and spray with cooking spray. 
2. Line the bottom of the dish with saltine crackers.
3. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, then stir in the graham cracker crumbs, both sugars and milk. Bring to a boil, then continue to boil for 5 minutes stirring constantly.
4. Remove from heat and spread half of the butter mixture over the saltines.
5. Place another layer of saltines evenly over the butter mixture, then spread the rest of the butter mixture over the saltines, and top with another layer of saltines.
6. In a small saucepan combine the peanut butter, chocolate & butterscotch morsels.
Melt over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. When completely melted spread evenly saltines.
7. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
8. Remove from pan using the foil overhang, then cut into bars.

Makes about 24-30 bars

Written by Tricia White

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 1 - Speculoos Buttons

I love this time of year! Houses are decorated, people are shopping and our house always smells wonderful. We are normally baking cookies every weekend as well as finding a few spare moments during the week to bake at least a batch or two. Since this blog began in 2009, we have featured The 12 Cookies of Christmas. (Click on the link and scroll to the bottom of the article, the list with links is available.)

The 12 Cookies of Christmas 2009

The 12 Cookies of Christmas 2010

The 12 Cookies of Christmas 2011

This tradition began because I used to bake anywhere from 5000-7000 cookies every holiday season. We would deliver cookies to neighbors as well as local businesses we interacted with during the year. There were years when we would create many different holiday cookies to watch them later be tossed into the trash at the end of a function. I learned to figure out "what cookies got eaten and what cookies got left behind." Instead of making "pretty holiday cookies" I made tradition, comfort cookies...chocolate chip cookie, oatmeal, white chocolate macadamia nut, thumbprint cookies...people loved them and they ate them.

Every year we try 12 new cookies. I love the aspect of experimentation, but there are certain family favorites which I make every year because people LOVE them. I will highlight them during the month of December on our Friends Food Family Facebook Fan Page, Pinterest and Google+ pages.

So,

a few week's ago, Bon Appetit featured some beautiful holiday cookies by Dorie Greenspan. She is one of my favorite chefs and I felt that this would be a great place to start The 12 Cookies of Christmas 2012. These cookies remind me of a shortbread cookie with holiday spices. When I bake cookies like this, I love showcasing them with coffee, tea or hot chocolate. The spices warm your palette and complement the beverage. These are delicious for dipping with a mild (cinnamon, ginger, cloves) flavor and perfect sweetness, with the decorative sugars and dab of glaze. If you would like to make these cookies ahead, you can freeze the batter then slice and bake them the day you want to use them.

We have started our journey of The 12 Cookies of Christmas 2012. If you have a favorite cookie you would like to share with us, please contact us and we can highlight it as one of our 12 cookies.

Speculoos Buttons by Dorie Greenspan, featured in Bon Appetit, December 2012

Ingredients
2 cups of flour
1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon of ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, (freshly grated is even better)
1/8 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup of light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of molasses, preferably light
1 large egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 large egg white

Sanding or other decorative sugar

Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Sprinkles, colored sanding sugar, or dragées (optional)

Preparation
1. Whisk first 6 ingredients, (flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt) in a medium bowl; set aside.
2. Using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat butter in a medium bowl until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Add both sugars and molasses; continue to beat until mixture is smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.
3. Beat in egg and vanilla; mix for 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low; add dry ingredients and mix to blend well.
4. Scrape dough from bowl and divide into thirds. Using your palms, roll each piece of dough into an 8-inch log. Wrap logs tightly in plastic or parchment paper and freeze for at least 3 hours.
(For neater edges, remove logs from freezer after 1 hour and roll on counter.)
5. Preheat to 375°. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
6. Whisk egg white in a small bowl to loosen; lightly brush all over 1 log. Sprinkle with (or roll in) sanding sugar. Using a long, slender knife, slice off a sliver of dough from each end of log to make ends flat.
7. Cut log into 1/4 inch-thick rounds. Transfer to 1 baking sheet, spacing 1/2 inch apart.
8. Bake cookies until tops are golden brown and centers are almost firm, 8-10 minutes.
Transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool.

Glaze
1. Mix powdered sugar and 7 teaspoons cold water in a large mixing bowl (glaze will be very thick).
2. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoons glaze onto each button.
3. Decorate with sprinkles, colored sugar, or dragées, if desired.
Let stand on rack at room temperature for at least 30 minutes for glaze to set.

Written by Tricia White

The Incredible Pumpkin Crunch Cake

Every year, we have our traditional array of desserts at Thanksgiving. An assortment of pies ranging from apple to pumpkin, a cranberry apple bread pudding and a large bowl of Chocolate Oreo Cookie Trifle. Every year, I try and bring a new twist to one of our menu items. This year, we needed a new dessert and I think I have found it...Pumpkin Crunch Cake!

A few months ago, I started following Chef Dennis Littley on Google+. As some of you know, I teach social media marketing and many times tend to engage with people within the marketing industry. I am always leary about pushing out recipes to social media marketers, which is kind of weird, they do eat! I had a few food blogger within my Google+ circles but I will say, interaction was at a minimum. Chef Dennis invited me to a few of his Chef Hangouts, where you can interact with chefs during an on-line cooking demonstration. The timing to a few of them was difficult, but one day he invited me to a hang-out to discuss Google+. I figured that would be great...food and social media. I have been using Google+ since it started in July 2011 and thought I knew most aspects of the platform. 

Taking the class with Chef Dennis was amazing. He came at Google+ in the direction of a foodie vs a social media marketer. It was a wonderful class learning things that could enhance my food blog vs my social media knowledge. Since the class, I have had a great time connecting with food bloggers and chefs. 

Recently, Chef Dennis started posting about his Pumpkin Crunch Cake. With Kate (Jeff's daughter) being the Queen of Birthday Cakes, I sent her the recipe and said we need to make this cake. As life got in the way, I wasn't able to make the cake until the night before Thanksgiving. Of course, I was supposed to have 4 cake pans for this 4 layer cake and I had 4 cake pans, just not all the same size. I decided I would make (2) two layer cakes. It worked out perfectly since we were having a small group for Thanksgiving and my daughter, Danielle, had a Pre-Thanksgiving party to attend. I thought this would be perfect as I could get reviews from Danielle's party.

The cake was interesting to make as your create a crunch layer on the bottom of each pan that becomes a caramel crust to the cake. Put that between cream cheese frosting and you will think you died and went to heaven. The best part of making this cake was the reaction of those that ate it. I must share:

Comments from Danielle: (I can't do justice to these comments, but they were funny)

"Oh my God, Danielle, that cake your mom made is amazing" and "This is good cake!"

Comments from our house:

"This is amazing" , "I don't even like pumpkin cake and I'll have another slice!", "Better than Carrot Cake" and lastly, I cut a piece for my mother and she said, "Oh, please cut that piece in half, I won't eat all of that." Two minutes later, she said, "I'll take that other piece."

Me: I could have sat eating small slices and devoured the entire cake because I would have said I was only eating slivers!

This cake is sweet, but it is balanced perfectly with the frosting being more creamy (less sugar). The cake is a cross between a carrot style cake and a coffee cake, the sweetness of a crunchy topping and the moistness of a vegetable based cake.

As we begin to round out our holiday season, I will be making this for our annual Christmas Party as well as our Christmas Eve dinner. The first party is so I can introduce more of my friends to this incredible Pumpkin Crunch Cake, the second is a request. My Thanksgiving guests liked the cake so much, they put in a request for Christmas Eve.

Is there a reason why you shouldn't make this cake? 

Ingredients for Pumpkin Crunch Cake:

Crunch Topping
3 cups of walnuts, finely chopped
3 cups of vanilla wafers (about 75 cookies)
3 cups of brown sugar
1-1/2 cups of butter, melted

Pumpkin Crunch Cake
1-1/4 cups of white sugar
10 tablespoons of softened butter
1-16 oz can solid pack pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
2-1/2 cups of flour
1/2 cup of Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon of pure vanilla
1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice
2-1/4 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
4 large eggs

Cream Cheese Frosting
16 oz of cream cheese, softened
8 oz of mascarpone (or cream cheese)*
1/2 cup of butter, softened
2 cups of confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon of pure vanilla

Preparation:

Crunch Topping
1. In a food processor, pulse cookies to a fine crumb, then Pulse
walnuts to a fine chop. Add the brown sugar and mix well. Add in the
melted butter and blend together.
2. Divide mixture into 4 coated cake pans (one very full cup per pan),
pressing into bottom and spreading it evenly into the cake pans.
Reserve about 2 cups of the mixture which will be baked to use on the
sides of the cake.
3. Set pans aside.


Pumpkin Cake
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In your mixer, beat sugar and butter for about 5 minutes until
light and fluffy, scrapping down the bowl frequently .
3. Add in pumpkin and all the rest of the ingredients, except the eggs.
Mix just until blended.
4. Add in the eggs, one at a time just until blended.
5. Divide batter equally into your 4 prepared cake pans, make it as
even as possible in the pan.
6. Place remaining crunch mixture in another cake pan or pie dish and
allow to bake for the same amount of time as the cakes.It will melt together
and look like a brittle.
7. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center
comes out clean.
If you use 2 racks to bake on in the oven, at the halfway mark rotate the pans .
8. Allow pans to cool about 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire
racks and allow to completely cool.
9. Break up the extra crunch mix to very small bits to use as a
final decoration for the cake.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Whip the cream cheese, mascarpone, and butter till very smooth and creamy,
about 2-3 minutes.
2. Slowly add in the confectioner's sugar while mixer is on low.
3. Add in vanilla and mix well. Set aside.

Assemble your Pumpkin Crunch Cake

1. After your cake is completely cooled, begin frosting the layers
and putting the cake together.
2. Place cake side down with the crunch topping faceup.
3. Frost layers first and then sides.
4. Place crunch topping mixture on top and sides.

Note:
If your cake sticks too the bottom of the pan, place it on a burner of
your stove for about 15 seconds, the heat will help release the cake from the pan.
This process works for all cakes. Just be careful and judge how hot and evenly
your stove top heats the pan. After heating place a plate on top of the pan,
and invert quickly. Tap the pan with the heal of a knife to help release the cake.

Written by Tricia White

Creamy Chocolate Lace Cheesecake

 

When you think of Thanksgiving desserts, I bet you think of Apple, Pumpkin and Pecan Pie. What would this holiday be like without one, two or all of them. I love pie, but, a slice of apple pie does it for me and the rest of the pie could sit until Christmas. Whenever we cook a big meal...Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter...I love to finish with something chocolate. Usually, we make a big bowl of Chocolate Oreo Cookie Trifle, otherwise known as GOO. 

About 15+ years ago, I came across a recipe for a chocolate cheesecake called Creamy Chocolate Lace Cheesecake. I started making it for dessert at Easter and it was a hit. A great chocolate crust with a creamy, smooth chocolate filling and slightly sour topping. The blend of flavors was amazing. I put the recipe on my big index cards and haven't made this cheesecake in over 10 years. Jeff's daughter, Kate (our queen of birthday cakes), came across the recipe after she had a request for a rich chocolately, birthday cake. It was always delicious and people loved it. We needed to make this recipe.

Kate made the Creamy Chocolate Lace Cheesecake and it came out perfect, just as I remembered. She brought it to work and it was a big success, so much so, that she has to make it again next week. As far as I am concerned that is a perfect cheesecake.

So, take care of the chocoholics at your next gathering with this creamy chocolatey cheesecake. It could go faster than your favorite apple pie!

Recipe for Creamy Chocolate Lace Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Chocolate Cookie Crust
1-1/2 cups of chocolate wafer crumbs
1/2 cups of finely chopped almonds
1/4 cups of butter, melted

Cheesecake Filling
2 8oz packages of cream cheese, softened
2/3 cups of sugar
3 eggs
1- 12 ounce bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled
1 cups of whipping cream
2 tablespoons of butter, melted
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Sour Cream Topping
1 cup of sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 teaspoon of sugar

Lace
1/2 ounce of unsweetened chocolate, melted

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat oven to 325*F. Butter a 9inch springform pan.

2. In large bowl combine all crust ingredients; mix well. Press the mixture into the bottom and partially up the side of the springform pan.

3. Using a large mixer, combine the cream cheese and 2/3 cups of sugar. Beat at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Lower the speed and add the eggs, one at a time, beating just until blended.

4. Add the melted chocolate chips; beat well. Add all remaining filling ingredients, whipping cream, vanilla and melted butter, beat until smooth. Pour into crust lined pan.

5. Bake at 325*F for 55 to 65 minutes or until edges are set; center of cheesecake will be soft but an inserted toothpick should come out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Carefully remove sides of pan.

6. Allow to cool for at least 2 hours. You want the cheesecake completely cooled before you add the sour cream topping.

7. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, 1-1/2 teaspoons of vanilla and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Stir until smooth spread over cooled cheesecake.

8. Drizzle with melted unsweetened chocolate in a lace design pattern. Refrigerate atleast 4 hours or over night. Store in refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Written by Tricia White

Old Fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies

I LOVE Pinterest.

Why? You ask...

Because I get great ideas from holiday decorating, home decor, fashion, art and FOOD! The next two cookie recipes I will be covering came from my "I want to make that" board. I love finding recipes, with great pictures, to help me in my quest for another recipe to add to the Friends Food Family blog.

Old Fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookies immediately caught my attention when I saw the post. I remember growing up and eating these cookies all the time. Sadly, they weren't homemade, but I loved the crunchy oatmeal cookie with a sweet icing. So, as one of our A Year of Cookies, I made a batch for Stephen and he loved them...as did my daughter, Danielle, and numerous clients who become my testers whenever we make new cookie recipes.

A little side note: Because I have been making cookies for many years, there is nothing better than the expression on someone's face when you offer them a homemade cookie. Then the smile on their face when they bite into it. You want to make someone smile? Bring them some homemade cookies.

The recipe had some unique techniques (say that three times fast) as you partially process the oatmeal to get small bits of oatmeal flavor. The combination of brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg make for that caramel spice flavor. The icing pulls it all together. Jeff thought the cookie was sweet with the icing and questioned whether this cookie would taste better without it. If you like a good old fashioned oatmeal cookie, you could stop at the frosting. If you enjoy that little bit of sweetness, add the frosting. Either way, you can satisfy a number of tastes with one recipe.

Think about old fashioned iced oatmeal cookies for Christmas and the holidays. They are wonderful with a cup of tea, coffee, hot chocolate or big glass of ice cold milk. Kick it up a notch with chopped raisins or craisins (process like the oatmeal) and some orange rind in the icing or keep it traditional...the way I always remembered it.

Old Fashioned Iced Oatmeal Cookie Recipe (Adapted from The Novice Chef, thank you!)

Ingredients:

2 cups of old fashioned oats
2 cups of flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) of butter, melted
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup (packed) of light brown sugar
2 large eggs

Icing:
2 cups of confectioner's (powdered) sugar
5 tablespoons milk

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F and butter two cookie sheets. Set aside.

In a food processor, pulse oats quickly until partially ground - you want "bits of oatmeal" not oatmeal flour. Mix in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the melted butter, sugar and brown sugar together. Add eggs, and mix well. Add the dry oat mixture, stirring until thoroughly combined.

Drop dough by (heaping) rounded tablespoons onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating halfway through, until slightly golden brown. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before moving to a rack to cool completely.

Once cookies are cooled, whisk together the confectioner's sugar and milk until smooth. Frost each cookie and allow the glaze to harden completely before storing.

Makes about 36-40 cookies.

Written by Tricia White

Andes Creme de Menthe Cookies - Think Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies

As I was wandering through the aisles of Hannaford's Supermarket, doing my weekly grocery shopping, I ran into a display of baking chips and no, I didn't knock anything over. There in the display were bags of Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips. I love Andes chocolate mints and thought there must be a great recipe out there for these baking chips. I wanted to make some cookies since my son Michael was coming home from Philadelphia and requested some cookies to take back with him. One thing about my kids, no one is fussy about which cookies they get, they just want homemade cookies. Plus, I could add this recipe to A Year of Cookies.

When I got home, I started on the back of the creme de menthe chip package figuring if there was a good recipe I would use that. Low and behold, a great recipe on the back, Andes Creme de Menthe Cookies. Look no further, it's time to make the cookies.

The recipe came together quickly and remember, put the Creme de Menthe pieces in before the flour. I used a small cookie scoop and had the cookie dough on the trays and in the oven within minutes. They smelled sweet (and minty) coming out of the oven. I had a tough time waiting for them to cool slightly so I could have a taste. I knew using the dark brown sugar would make them crispy as well as chewy...and they were, chocolaty, minty, OH...so good. If you closed your eyes and ate one, you would think it was a Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookie.

As I packed Michael's "goodie" bag to head back to Philadelphia, I included Jordan Marsh's Blueberry Muffins, Peanut Butter Blossoms and Andes Creme de Menthe Cookies, I told him how the mint cookies tasted like Girl Scout Cookies. When he saw the cookies, he couldn't remember what they were because he was expecting a chocolate cookie that looked like a Girl Scout Thin Mint. He said he opened the bag and tasted them and realized what they were. He was with some friends, offered them a few and then hid the rest. "Those were amazing and I didn't want to share them all!"

I guess I've taught my children well, share with your friends and then HOARD the rest :)

Make some Andes Creme de Menthe Cookies, put a smile on someone's face and then hide a few so you can enjoy them later!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of salted butter - softened
3/4 cup of dark brown sugar
1/2 cup of white sugar
2 teaspoon of vanilla
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
2-2/3 cups of all-purpose flour
1 package (10 oz.) Andes® Crème de Menthe Baking Chips or 2 packages 4.67 oz Andes Crème de Menthe, chopped.

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Cream butter and sugars together, then add baking soda, baking powder, vanilla and eggs blend until well incorporated.

Stir in Andes Baking Chips and then add the flour. Chill approximately one hour in the refrigerator.

Measure out approximately 1 oz. of dough. Form a ball and slightly flatten. We used a small cookie scoop (about 1 teaspoon full).

Bake at 350° F for approximately 6-8 minutes. Cookies will be slightly golden and firm.

Cool on wire racks.

This recipe makes 48 cookies

Coconut Shortbread Cookies with Chocolate Macadamia Nut Kisses

Did you know that Hershey's makes Milk Chocolate Macadamia Nut Kisses? I didn't either until I was coming back from my vacation in Hawaii. There they were...calling my name. I knew that there was a dessert to be enjoyed from this amazing little treat. I love macadamia nuts and this combination is delicious. When I showed my friend, Sharon, the bag of Hershey Kisses and my desire to bake some cookies with them, she said, "what about coconut?"

So, the entire plane ride home (6 hours then 5 hours) I kept thinking about a coconut cookie or something that would complement these macadamia nut kisses. I thought about a recipe I use for thumbprints called Danielle B's Goodies - Special Thumbprints. I thought this might be the best recipe to start with. I could add a bit of coconut without changing the texture or the overall taste of the cookie.

Last night my daughter, Danielle, was home as was Stephen, (my "A Year of Cookies" child) so they unwrapped the macadamia nut kisses while I grabbed the food processor and a bag of coconut. I knew I didn't want the coconut sticking out on the cookie and I also didn't want it to be a fine powder. A few quick pulses and it was perfect. I added the coconut to the basic shortbread dough and proceeded to make the new coconut shortbread cookies. 

They smelled delicious coming from the oven. The cookie was sweet with a hint of coconut crunch. The chocolate kiss was loaded with a macadamia nut...PERFECT...chocolate, coconut and macadamia nuts, that island feel! And for my White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie fans, you will like these, too!

At the bottom is a picture of the Milk Chocolate Macadamia Nut Kisses (blue bag!) along with a link to a site where you can purchase them if they are not available locally.

Enjoy and GO NUTS! GO COCONUTS!

Basic Dough:

1 cup of white sugar

2 cups of butter

2 teaspoons of vanilla

2 eggs

4 1/2 cups of flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup of sweetened coconut, place in a food processor and chop into small pieces.

2 bags of Hershey's Chocolate Kisses with Macadamia Nuts

Preparation:

Blend sugar and butter with a mixer until smooth, add the eggs and vanilla and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in flour and baking soda by hand until it forms a smooth dough. Add coconut and stir until incorporated.

Roll into balls (a rounded tablespoon) and indent with your thumb. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until dry and slightly golden on the bottom. The minute they come out of the oven, press a Hershey Kiss into the top of each cookie. I go back and push the slightly melted kiss into the cookie, that way I know it is secure.

Place on a cookie rack to cool and to allow the chocolate to set again. This recipe makes about 60 cookies and of course, we freeze a number of them to share with friends and family.

To purchase Hershey Milk Chocolate Macadamia Nut Kisses, try ABC Stores.

Jingle Jumble Cookies - Ginger Spice Snaps with Raisins

This blog is going to be brief as it is Sunday night and truthfully, I am wiped out. Part of the reason...we are going away on vacation. Work is busy and our fiscal year ends September 30th. I need to get things done before we leave for Hawaii. Yes, 8 amazing days in Honolulu and Kauai. I promise to give some food updates!

Over the next year, you will hear me speak about making cookies for my youngest son's lunch as both he (and I) graduates from high school this year, it is bittersweet. So far, I have been baking at least once a week. I freeze cookies and it becomes easy to take homemade cookies to school every day. Plus, my staff as well as friends, family and acquaintances get to try both new and family favorites.

This week I made a batch of Jingle Jumble Cookies. I found the recipe in the Cookie Bible, a cookbook I was given for Christmas last year. I was craving a spice cookie the other day as I was waking to 50 degree weather and a cup of Pumpkin Spice Coffee. Molasses or spice cookies always remind me of Christmas and the holidays. This cookie gives you the best of a molasses cookie with raisins crossed with a ginger snap. It's a different combination but absolutely delicious.

Whenever I am highlighting a new cookie, I love to share it with as many people as possible. You can always tell how good a cookie is when people go back for seconds and thirds. The night I made them, Stephen, had two warm cookies and finished with two cooled ones. The Jingle Jumbles seemed to have enormous success, most reactions were similar to Stephen's..."oh, these are delicious, and yes, I'll have another one."

If you would like to join my little challenge of homemade cookies in your loved ones lunch, check out the tab called "A Year of Cookies". Everybody deserves a little bit of love with lunch!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of butter, softened

1 cups of brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup of molasses

1 egg

2-1/2 cups of flour

2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of ginger

1/2 teaspoon of cloves

1-1/4 cup of raisins

Additional sugar for rolling - we used Demara sugar

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a medium sized bowl, mix dry ingredients of flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. Put aside.

3. In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until blended, by hand or mixer.

4. Add the molasses and egg to the mixture and continue to incorporate.

5. Once blended, add the dry ingredients, mix together.

6. Add raisins.

7. Roll into 1-1/2 inch balls and dip in Demara sugar. If you don't have Demara, white sugar is fine.

8. Place on cookie sheet. (We get 15 cookies per sheet)

9. Bake for 8-10 minutes until set.

10. Cool on racks.

Enjoy one, two, three...

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut and Heath Bar Bits

Last week I had a bittersweet moment, sadly unrelated to chocolate. My youngest son, Stephen, entered his final year of high school. As I stood in the house, making him pose for his first day of school picture, I realized, this is my last year of high school. I will go through the final process of helping him apply and visit colleges for the Fall of 2013.

Stephen loves homemade cookies. I had some Andria's Chocolate Chip Cookies in the freezer and he has been enjoying them in his lunch every day. When my daughter, Danielle, came home for a visit, she left with the last of the frozen cookies. I told Stephen I would make more and made a deal with him. Since he was the last one at home, I would try and make homemade cookies every week or two so he could have a year of homemade cookies in his lunch.

The next batch of cookies he requested was Nannie's Oatmeal Cookies. One important ingredient in the cookies is Wheaties. I had run out of Wheaties and decided to look for a new oatmeal cookie. I wanted something that had chocolate chips and cinnamon in it. It probably sounds odd, but traditional oatmeal cookies have cinnamon and non-traditional oatmeal cookies have chocolate chips, two great flavors together.

So, off to my Best Chocolate Chip Cookie board on Pinterest. Every time I see an interesting or delicious looking chocolate chip cookie, I pin it to my board. By clicking on the picture, it takes me to the recipe page of the cookie. I found this cookie on Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice called Chocolate Chip Toffee Oatmeal Cookies. They looked good, had cinnamon and chocolate chips in the ingredients, had some coconut, too...I think I'll try these.

A quick and easy recipe, which means, I had these mixed, baking in the oven and dishes washed in 45 minutes. I love any type of drop and bake cookie. They smelled wonderful, nothing better than the smell of homemade cookies in the oven, and baked beautifully. The cookies were sweet, crunchy and chewy. I wouldn't say I'm a coconut fan, but when it is baked in cookies, you forget how good it tastes, especially with oatmeal. As they were cooling on the rack, Stephen came through the kitchen. He had his first one, then his second, third and ended with a fourth cookie. I think he liked them. I brought a few into work and they seemed to like them, too...taking one, two and three at a time.

Over the next year, I will be posting Stephen's cookie favorites as well as new cookie recipes which I will make for his lunch. I have to remember that Stephen isn't an only child, so some cookie packages will be sent to his brothers and sister in Philadelphia, PA as well as Columbia, MO and South Boston, MA. They get a little disappointed when we don't share our cookies!

If you have any favorite cookie recipes you would like to share, please send them to [email protected] and we will highlight your cookie recipe on Friends Food Family.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut and Heath Bar Bits

Ingredients:

1 cup of butter, softened

2 cups of light brown sugar, slightly packed

2 eggs

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1-3/4 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

3 cups of oatmeal

1-10 ounce package of Ghiradelli Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

1 cup of Heath Bar Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits

1 cup of sweetened flaked coconut

 

Preparation:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, blend the butter and brown sugar together until smooth (by hand or mixer).

3. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until well incorporated.

4. Add the dry ingredients of flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Mix until blended.

5. Add the oatmeal, chocolate bits, coconut and toffee bits. Mix until all ingredients are covered evenly with the batter. The Batter may be a little stiff.

6. Drop by the teaspoon onto cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until slightly golden and the centers are no longer wet.

7. Remove from oven, allow to rest for 5 minutes and cool on cookie racks.

Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy!

Chocolate-Coffee Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream and Chocolate Ganache

Chocolate-Coffee Cupcakes with Cinnamon Creme and Chocolate Ganache, it's a long title for a fairly easy cupcake. I say, fairly easy as I had planned numerous things for this chocolate cupcake. On Tuesday morning, my friend Diane Dias (owner of Our Good Dog Spot) and her daughter, Emily, stopped by to have me photograph some pictures of a veggie burger Emily was submitting to a contest. I wanted to have some muffins for breakfast and went to see what I had for quick packaged mixes. 

NOTE: Do not be shocked...I do use pre-packaged mixes sometimes! :)

The other morning, Chef Dennis Littley (what a great chef - follow him on Facebook or Google+) posted "Who doesn't love chocolate cake for breakfast!!" and those seven little words haven't left my brain. I grabbed a box of chocolate devil's food cake and thought...chocolate cake, chocolate muffins, we are having chocolate cake for breakfast!

So this is what I did for the chocolate-coffee cupcakes:

1 box of Chocolate Devil's Food cake mix

French Vanilla Coffee (cooled)

1 cup of miniature chocolate chips

Make cake according to package instructions. Substitute the coffee where you would normally add the water and stir in the chocolate chips after you have thoroughly mixed the cake. This made 18 cupcakes when filled 3/4 of the way in the cupcake tin. Bake according to directions.

This made an amazing batch of chocolate-coffee cupcakes. They were warm, light and fluffy and you could taste a hint of coffee. After enjoying 6 of the muffins, I still had 12 left. My family likes cake, but it doesn't get eaten as quickly as you would think. For the rest of the day my mind was buzzing. I originally wanted to add cinnamon to the cupcakes but decided not to at the last minute. I kept thinking Mexican Hot Chocolate which is coffee, chocolate and cinnamon. How about a cinnamon cream frosting or filling and a chocolate frosting finish.

The next part of my plan, the cinnamon cream filling:

1/2 cup of softened butter

1-1/3 cups of confectioner's sugar (+ a few tablespoons)

2-3 tablespoons of half and half cream

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

With a hand mixer (or full mixer), whip the butter until smooth, add 2/3 cup of confectioner's sugar, mix until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons of half and half, the vanilla and cinnamon, mixing again until smooth. Add the remaining 2/3 cup of confectioner's sugar, mix until smooth. Taste the frosting. It should be sweet with a smooth, soft consistency. If you like your frosting sweeter, add more sugar. If the frosting is a little stiff, add more cream.

Cut a circle in the top of the cupcake, about an inch in from the rim. Cut at an angle so the piece will have a cone shape to it when it is removed. Fill the hole with a slightly full tablespoon of frosting. Push the cake top back into the cupcake. It will sit slightly higher than the cupcake. (See bottom cupcake.)

Now for the chocolate frosting. I had filled the cupcake with cinnamon cream and now I needed something for the top. My new favorite frosting is bittersweet chocolate ganache. It complements a sweet cake and frosting without overpowering the two.

To make the chocolate ganache:

1/2 cup of half and half cream

1 1/4 cups of bittersweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon of butter

In a small sauce pan over a medium flame, heat the half and half until small bubbles form around the edges. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips. Once they are melted and the ganche is smooth, stir in 1 tablespoon of butter. When the mixture is cool, frost the cupcakes.

I did have some extra cinnamon cream and chocolate ganche left over, so my son, Stephen and I were enjoying a few little spoonfuls of cinnamon cream dipped in chocolate. DELICIOUS!

The following day I brought some of the cupcakes to work with me. As I was sitting in the conference room of the Tri-Town Chamber of Commerce, the director, Kara, came downstairs and said, "Oh, my GOD!" And I said, "Is everything OK?", and she said, "Those cupcakes were amazing!" Those types of complements put a big smile on my face. Nothing better than making something that people truly enjoy.

It's so rewarding being in the kitchen and creating different types of food. Have some fun with everyday kitchen ingredients because you never know what you might create!

Blackberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

Last year we decided to plant a few blackberry bushes next to our slightly seasoned (3 years old) raspberry bushes. They took off, growing and branching out all last summer. This year, Jeff pruned them before the season and they went CRAZY! the blackberry bushes doubled. We kept laughing at all the blossoms saying, we are going to have a ton of blackberries. Well, maybe not a ton but we have had numerous 6-8 cup pickings and we have found some delicious recipes to use them with. 

This morning, as Jeff was making our favorite Classic Buttermilk Pancakes with Blueberries, I was looking for a recipe for blackberries. I was also watching Jeff steal some of my blackberries for the pancakes. I had one of each and I think the pancakes with blackberries were better. (YUM!) 

I found this Blackberry Breakfast Bars on Oregon-Berries.com. It looked easy and had some of my favorite ingredients: brown sugar, oatmeal and cinnamon. I started by cooking the blackberries with sugar, water, lemon juice and cinnamon. While that was cooking I was able to make the crust - flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon and baking soda. I melted the butter, mixed it into the dry ingredients and had the crust in the oven before the blackberry filling was cooked. 

They smelled amazing coming out of the oven. I couldn't wait to get a knife into them and have a taste. After walking the dog, the blackberry bars had cooled and we cut a few squares. They were crunchy and chewy and the sourness of the blackberries was balanced with the sweet crust and topping. It is definitely one of those recipes that makes you cut a sliver to taste, and then another sliver...and then one more sliver because they are soooo good!

They may be a breakfast bar, but they are also a great snack. Blackberries are good for you, as is oatmeal. It makes breakfast better than a muffin or a slice of toast. Also, think different flavors - you can substitute blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, apples, peaches, and or pears for the blackberries. You can also mix a few together. I'll let you decide. No matter how you make them, you'll love them.

Blackberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bars - Adapted from Oregon-Berries.com

Filling:

4 cups fresh blackberries
4 tablespoons of sugar
4 tablespoons of water
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of cinnamon

For filling - In a medium saucepan combine berries, sugar, water, lemon juice, and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncover, for about 8 minutes or till slightly thickened. Remove from heat.

Oatmeal Bar Base and Topping:
2 cups of rolled oats
1-1/3 cups of brown sugar, slightly packed
2 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1 cup of butter, melted

For crust - In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, oats, brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and baking soda. Stir in melted butter, mix until thoroughly combined. Set aside 2 cups of the oat mixture for top. Press remaining oat mixture into an ungreased 13x9x2-inch pan. Bake in a 350° oven for 15-20 minutes or until slightly golden.

Carefully spread filling on top of baked crust. Sprinkle with reserved oat mixture. Lightly press oat mixture into filling. Bake in the 350° oven for 15-20 minutes more or until topping is set and golden.
Cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares. Makes 36 bars.

The Urban Legend of the $250 Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

This is a story that every woman will appreciate. 

I am a multi-tasker, Jeff would say I have attention deficit disorder. I start mini projects all through the day. I may not completely finish them in one given time frame, but by the end of the day, I have completed everything I started. 

So, I started last Saturday afternoon checking the statistics of this blog, Friends Food Family. It was the end of 4th of July weekend and there had been quite a bit of activity with fans searching for cook-out and dessert recipes. One of my busiest blog posts is the Chocolate Oreo Cookie Trifle. As I was looking at the search page (for where my article shows up), I noticed a chocolate chip cookie trifle. I clicked on the link and landed on a blog article of a woman who made a chocolate chip cookie trifle with vanilla pudding along with blueberries and raspberries. She had made these delicious looking chocolate chip cookies and I figured I would get the recipe. She said it was her favorite Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, but when I clicked on the link, it took me to the Neiman Marcus website...no cookie recipe.

I googled "Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe" and a number of recipes came up, along with "these are the $250 Chocolate Chip Cookies". I started laughing. Do you remember the story that traveled around the internet? It was about a woman who asked for the chocolate chip cookie recipe from a major department store. They tell her it is two fifty, she thinks it's $2.50 and the store charges her credit card $250.00. She gets mad, can't get her money back and vows she will share the recipe with everyone. If you would like, you can read the e-mail, The Cookie that cost a Bundle.

For some reason, I always thought it was Mrs. Field's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. So, I had to look up the real story. It takes on all different versions and people involved but Mrs. Field's does end up being one of the people connected with the $250.00 recipe scam.

Well, I had made these cookies years ago when I got the e-mail and thought I would make them again. I adapted it slightly from the original using light brown and dark brown sugars, Symphony Bars with Almonds and Toffee Bits and a few less nuts.

These cookies were delicious. They were chewy with a slight crunch, they had that oatmeal nutty flavor and the bittersweet and milk chocolate gave it that wonderful chocolaty richness.

After I was done making the cookies, packaging them up and cleaning the kitchen, Jeff asked how I happen to find the recipe. I told him the story of how I was looking up some statistics to the blog...yada, yada, yada...and he said, I bet you don't even know what the numbers were. Ah, he thinks I became distracted, "6200 this month", I rattled off without missing a beat. Well, I'll admit, it probably wasn't the exact number, but it was close. (wink, wink)

The exact number was 6340. Who says I can't multi-task! Get distracted and make a batch.

Adapted from Cooks.com, Neiman-Marcus $250 Cookie Recipe.

Neiman-Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cups of butter
2 cups of granulated sugar
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of dark brown sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons of vanilla
4 cups of flour
5 cups of oatmeal
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
2 teaspoons of baking powder
2 teaspoons of baking soda
24 ounces of bittersweet chocolate chips (4 cups)
2 (4 ounce) Symphony Bars (we used the toffee bits and almonds type), grated
2 cups of chopped pecans

Preparation:

1. Measure oatmeal and process in blender to a fine powder.
2. Cream butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla.
3. Mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
4. Add the bittersweet chocolate chips, grated chocolate and nuts.
5. Spoon tablespoon sized balls onto cookie sheet. You can also use an ice cream scoop for larger cookies. Make sure you flatten them slightly.
6. Bake for 6-8 minutes at 375°F.

Makes 9 dozen cookies.

Blueberries and Cream - Blueberry Ice Cream

July is National Blueberry Month. Local farm stands and grocery stores are starting to stock freshly picked blueberries as the season has begun. We have a farm near us, C.N. Smith Farm, where we normally pick our blueberries. Next weekend, we will head over to grab a few batches for this season's blueberry recipes.

Over the holiday, we had a few guests come over for lunch and dinner. We decided to make some ice cream and Lemon Vodka Sorbet and Blueberries and Cream Ice Cream were on our list. We thought it could be the amazing pairing of two cold treats.

One of the best kitchen gadgets we purchased, in the past few years, is an ice cream maker. When our friends, Sharon and Bryan arrived, Brian thought the ice cream machine was the neatest thing. He had never seen the process of making ice cream. Because our machine is open at the top, you can taste the ice cream while it is setting. This is always fun when there are guests around...everyone gets a spoon and a taste.

The initial part of making the blueberries and cream ice cream, making the puree, was easy. I would suggest making it the night before as it takes about an hour, with cooling time, and the mixture can refrigerated overnight. Adding the cream and lemon juice and the mixing in the ice cream machine means another 30 minutes. If you can give the ice cream 2-3 hours to set in the freezer (after mixing) you will be ready to go. 

After cleaning up dinner, we sat down to finish the evening with our blueberries and cream ice cream. I was laughing as I was trying to decide on how to tell you what our friends thought. So, here it is...

Comments and Reviews: (From the first batch!)

"Amazing!", "Probably the best ice cream you've ever made!", "Better than real blueberries!", "Will you make more?"

We hope this inspires you to try making a batch of ice cream. Not only is it easy, the process is entertaining and the results are delicious! Or should I say Blueberri-lious!

This recipe was adapted from the Williams-Sonoma Ice Cream Cookbook.

Ingredients:

2 cups of fresh blueberries or frozen blueberries

3/4 cup of water

1 cup of white sugar

1 cup of heavy cream

1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

Preparation:

1. Place the blueberries, water and sugar in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Once it has come to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 1 minute.

2. Remove from heat and allow the flavor to blend together, about 30 minutes.

3. Transfer the mixture to a food processor, blend until smooth, about 1 minute.

4. Strain the mixture through a sieve into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 3-24 hours.

5. When ready to make the ice cream, add the cream and lemon juice to the chilled blueberry puree. Mix to combine.

6. Pour the mixture into the ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. 

7. Transfer the ice cream to a freezer safe container and cover tightly. Freeze until firm.

Scoop and enjoy!

Homemade Fresh Strawberry Sorbet

Over the past few weeks we have been on an ice cream making spree. It started with Double Chocolate Ice Cream and progressed to Strawberry Sorbet, Pineapple and Fresh Ginger Sorbet and Blueberries and Cream Ice Cream. Last night (4th of July), we finished the evening mixing Lemon Wild Tea Vodka Sorbet, which was amazing and we created a new Lemon Mar-tea-ni...get it?

Please bear with us as we are going to post some quick and easy ice cream and sorbet recipes which are created with fresh ingredients and an electric ice cream maker. Let's start with the recipes. We have two wonderful ice cream cookbooks which we have been using as guides for our icy creations. The first is Ice Cream by Shona Crawford Poole. This has easy recipes for both sorbets and ice creams. We love the creative combinations of ingredients which are used to enhance the fruit flavors. For example - Pineapple and Fresh Ginger Sorbet - cool pineapple with a ginger bite and the Lemon Vodka Sorbet which we "kicked up a notch" using Wildberry Tea Vodka. The second book is Williams-Sonoma Ice Cream. This book had the Double Chocolate Ice Cream and Blueberries and Cream Ice Cream recipes. If you are going to start making homemade ice cream, consider investing in a few good cookbooks. They give you great ideas for ice cream and sorbet combinations. 

The Fresh Strawberry Sorbet recipe was adapted from the Ice Cream Cookbook by Shona Crawford Poole.

Ingredients:

1 pound of fresh strawberries

Freshly squeezed juice of one orange, we also added the rind of half the orange

1 cup of white sugar

Preparation:

1. Hull the strawberries and puree them with a hand blender or food processor.

2. Strain the mixer through a sieve.

3. Add the orange juice, rind and sugar to the strained mix. Place the mixture in the refrigerator allowing the flavors to develop for about an hour or two.

4. Place the strawberry mixture in the ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer's instructions. 

5. Put in a container and place in the freezer to allow the mixture to firm completely.

This strawberry sorbet was amazing. It is very light and refreshing. It tastes like cool fresh strawberries. One night after the sorbet was made, my son, Stephen, was looking for the freshly chopped strawberries to make a strawberry shortcake. When he couldn't find the mixture, he grabbed the shortbread, added the sorbet and topped it with fresh whipped cream. He thought it tasted better than the real strawberry shortcake.

Our family is fortunate, they get to try so many different combinations of food. Someday we may find that strawberry shortcake actually tastes better with strawberry sorbet. 

I Scream, You Scream - Double Chocolate Ice Cream

We can not procrastinate any longer.

We have made three different types of ice cream over the past few weeks and we have been slacking on the blogging. So, we wanted to get this recipes out before the weekend comes so that you can enjoy the hot temperatures with a cool treat!

Last weekend, we went strawberry picking at C.N. Smith Farms in Bridgewater. We came home with dreams of strawberry grandeur; strawberry ice cream, strawberry and rhubarb crumble as well as our favorite Visitandine with Strawberries - Better than Strawberry Shortcake. As much as I like strawberries, if we are making ice cream, we have two ice cream machines, why not make a second batch. Strawberry may be Jeff's favorite but chocolate ice cream is mine!

We have two great ice cream cookbooks, my favorite is the William-Sonoma Ice Cream Cookbook. It has traditional recipes which are great for base flavors like vanilla, chocolate, coffee and strawberry. The reason we are highlighting the chocolate ice cream over the strawberry was because the strawberry ice cream didn't turn out that great. The double chocolate ice cream was made with cream, milk, sugar, egg yolks and cocoa, very similar to a pudding or custard. The strawberry recipe (which was a recipe I found on the internet) had four basic ingredients; cream, sugar, strawberries and vanilla. When we placed the strawberry mixture in the ice cream machine it became light and fluffy, similar to frozen whipped cream. The chocolate was deliciously rich and creamy, the strawberry was light and airy, and the flavor was lacking. We should have stuck with the original recipe from the William-Sonoma book. As much as the strawberry ice cream wasn't anything we wanted to blog about...there were no complaints about either dessert as they magically disappeared at the end of two days.

Since summer officially kicked off today, I Scream, You Scream - Double Chocolate Ice Cream. It takes a bit of work, but worth it in the end!

Adapted from William-Sonoma Ice Cream Cookbook - Double Chocolate Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups of whole milk

1-1/2 cups of heavy cream

4 large egg yolks

1/2 cup of sugar

A pinch of salt

2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup of bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 teaspoons of vanilla

Preparation:

1. In a heavy sauce pan, combine the milk and 1 cup of the heavy cream. Cook over medium heat until bubble form around the edges of the pan, about 5 minutes.

2. In another small bowl, combine the 1/2 cup of heavy cream with the cocoa, sugar, salt and egg yolks. Whisk until smooth and the sugar begins to dissolve.

3. Remove pan from the heat and gradually whisk 1/2 cup of the milk mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Whisk constantly until smooth. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the saucepan, whisking while pouring until completely blended. 

4. Over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and keeping a low simmer on the custard, cook until the mixture thickens and coats the spoon and leaves a trail when the spoon is run through. 

5. Remove from saucepan and place in a heatproof bowl, add the chocolate chips and stir until smooth. Strain the mixture though a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Stir in the vanilla.

6. Place the bowl in a larger bowl, partially filled with ice and water. Stir occasionally until cool. Cover with plastic wrap (pushed against the surface of the custard) and refrigerate for 3-24 hours.

7. Pour chocolate custard into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

8. Transfer into a container, cover and freeze until firm (about 3 hours).

9. Scoop and enjoy!

Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Swirl Fudge Cookies

I laugh about my choice of peanut butter in foods. Most times they occur with a dessert but it always seems to be enhanced with some form of chocolate. From Peanut Butter Blossoms and Chocolate Peanut Butterscotch Crispies to Giant Peanut Butter Cookies with Dark and Milk Chocolate Chips, peanut butter always seems to be in my chocolate. As I was searching the Friends Food Family blog, I did find a Grilled Peanut Butter Sandwich, so I do have something that isn't a dessert. This is hardly something to brag about. 

I can't take credit for finding these amazing chocolate chunk peanut butter swirl fudge cookies. Jeff's daughter, Kate, found the recipe on a Pinterest board from CD Kitchen. I wasn't paying attention to the recipe when Kate was asking me about freezing the peanut butter. I had to pick up the directions and read them. I had not heard of freezing peanut butter and swirling it into a batter. Neat concept!

Once Kate mixed the batter, she added the frozen peanut butter and swirled. The batter was delicious...chunky chocolate with peanut butter mixed in. After they were baked it was twice as incredible. Imagine eating hot gooey, fudgy cookies with warm melted peanut butter mixed in...say after me...TO DIE FOR!

We made these cookies a few weeks ago and I am making a double batch tomorrow for three good reasons -

1. They are the BEST chocolate and peanut butter cookies I have ever eaten.

2. It's Memorial Day Weekend and we are having a cook-out. I'm thinking of making some chocolate chunk peanut butter swirl fudge cookie ice cream sandwiches. (That was a mouthful.) Any suggestions for an ice cream flavor? I was thinking Browned Butter Ice Cream.

3. Lastly, my two sons are home for a week before they had back to Missouri and Philadelphia. They both love Peanut Butter Blossoms and I bet I can convince them that these are better...and I can pack a few bags for their travels.

Have a happy and safe holiday weekend. Enjoy the people you are with and serve them the BEST Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Swirl Fudge Cookies (they will ever eat)!

Ingredients:

1 cup of chunky style peanut butter
1 cup of butter. softened
1 cup of granulated sugar
3/4 cup of light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup of flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
2 cups of bittersweet chocolate chunks (we use Ghiradelli 60% Cacao bittersweet)
1 cup of cocoa powder

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the peanut butter in teaspoonful dollops on a small cookie sheet lined with alumnium foil. Place in freezer for 30 minutes, until firm.

In a stand or electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until well combined. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until well combined.

Place flour, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Add to wet ingredients along with cocoa powder, and chocolate chunks, slowly mixing until just combined.

Drop dollops of frozen peanut butter into dough and turn mixer on for just a few turns of the mixer to get swirls of peanut butter through the dough.

Scoop dough by the tablespoonful onto prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart from each other. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through.

Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

 

Lemon Cake with a Creamy Lemon Buttercream Frosting

Everybody loves cake...and our Lemon Cake with the Creamy Lemon Frosting was definitely the dessert everyone enjoyed.

Since January, we have been baking cakes on a regular basis. Jeff's daughter, Kate, has become the "Cake Queen" as she has been making birthday cakes for some of her co-workers. What started as a fun gesture has turned into a "mini" cake business. People will now request flavors for their birthday. We have made our Peanut Butter Cup Cake - chocolate cake, peanut butter frosting and bittersweet chocolate ganache, our Almond Joy Cake with coconut frosting, Visitandine with Strawberries and Sarabeth's Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

When Jeff's birthday arrived at the end of April, we weren't sure what we would make. I am a chocoholic, so a jar of bittersweet chocolate ganache would have suited me fine. Jeff loves fruit. Yes, healthy...but not as much fun as chocolate, unless you dip the fruit in it. I had a yellow boxed cake mix and limited time so this is what I did.

Recipe for Lemon Cake -

1 box of yellow cake mix

Prepare according to directions, but add

2 tablespoons of lemon juice to the water to equal the directed amount

Rind of one lemon

...to mix and bake according to instructions.

Once I had the cake made, I was trying to figure out how I would frost it. I didn't want to add a glaze because I felt like we would have a coffee cake VS a birthday cake. I looked at a few different recipes and came up with this

Creamy Lemon Buttercream Frosting - which I dubbed Lemonade Frosting.

1 cup of butter, at room temperature

3-4 cups of confectioner's sugar

Rind of 2 lemons

Juice of 2 lemons - should yield about 1/2 cup.

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

A pinch of salt

In a mixing bowl, cream butter with beaters, on medium high, until smooth and creamy 1-2 minutes. Add 1 cup of confectioner's sugar. Beat until well blended, add the vanilla, pinch of salt, and 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Beat again until blended. Add another cup of confectioner's sugar and beat until creamy 1-2 minutes. Add lemon rind and another cup of confectioner's sugar. Add lemon juice by the tablespoon to get to the smooth spreadable consistency you like. Taste the frosting and adjust to your taste. We like our lemon frosting a bit buttery VS sugary. We use about 3 1/2 cups of confectioner's sugar. When it tastes like lemonade...you are there!

Frost cooled cake.

We served Jeff's birthday cake with fresh strawberries...

1 pint of sliced strawberries with 1 tablespoon of sugar - Mix together.

Place in refrigerator for about one hour. Spoon over cake slices.

This truly became the new "favorite" cake at our house. The cake had a hint of lemon and the frosting was extra lemony which gave it a perfect balance. Sweet and sour, yet melt in your mouth. The photo you see was taken on the cake plate. This was a tiny corner of the cake which was left on the plate a day later. Feeling bad, I snapped the picture and ate the last piece. DEE-licious!

 

Friends Food Family | Quick and Easy Recipes | Delicious Lemon Desserts

Shortbread Brownies - The Best Brownies Ever

Delicious...ABSOLUTELY delicious. That's basically it - buttery, crunchy, fudgy. Need I say more?

We made these brownies at Easter. Even though we had a cheesecake and carrot cake on the dessert menu, I needed to have some finger desserts, especially since there was no chocolate involved in the other two desserts. Plus, Easter is the holiday of chocolate. Hail to the chocolate bunny!

I was getting some last minute items at the supermarket when I came across Better Homes and Garden's Best Loved Reader Recipes. I flipped through the magazine and saw some quick desserts, onto the conveyor belt and into the bag it went. When I got home, I realized these recipes spanned from 1930 to today, which I thought was quite interesting. The Shortbread Brownies were the 2005 winner of the Best Brownies Ever category sent in by Rachel Strange from Huntsville, AL.

Well, it did combine two of my favorites 1. A shortbread crust that looked like a chocolate chip cookie and 2. Fudgy brownie. I have had chocolate chip brownies before where they incorporated chocolate chip cookie dough with the brownie mix. They are good, but shortbread can be crunchy which equals better.

This recipe was easy to put together as it works in two parts, create the shortbread, then add the brownie mix. I know I always talk about recipes being easy, but I believe most recipes can be mixed, baked and cleaned up in about the same time it takes you to open and prepare a boxed mix. Which would you rather have? Homemade or box mix.

Everyone loved the brownies. As I mentioned they were fudgy with bits of buttery crunch. The texture and flavor were amazing almost to the point of addicting. You have one bite, then you want more. Add a glass of cold milk, it's like heaven. (Listen to the chocolate angels sing!)

Try making a batch of these shortbread brownies. It would be a great time to try them out on family and friends because I think they are going to become a staple for this year's summer functions.

Ingredients:

Shortbread Crust
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1/4 cup of packed brown sugar
1/2 cup of butter
1/4 cup of mini-semisweet chocolate pieces
Fudge Brownies
1-1/3 cups of white sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
3 eggs
1/3 cup of butter, melted
1 tablespoon of vanilla
1/2 cup of mini-semisweet chocolate pieces

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Line a 9x9x2-inch baking pan with foil; set aside.

2. To make the shortbread crust, place the 1 cup of flour and the ¼ cup of brown sugar into a medium bowl. Cut in the 1/2 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the 1/4 cup of chocolate pieces. Press into prepared pan. Bake for 8 minutes.

3. To make the brownie mixture: Place the 1-1/3 cups of granulated sugar, 3/4 cup of flour, the cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Mix to incorporate.

4. Add the eggs, melted butter, and vanilla; beat by hand until smooth. Stir in the 1/2 cup chocolate pieces. Spread brownie mixture over shortbread crust in pan.

5. Bake an additional 35-40 minutes, the top will be dry and slightly cracked. Cool the brownies in the pan on a wire rack. Lift brownies out of pan by lifting up on foil. Cut into bars.

Makes 24 bars of mouth watering delight!

 

Sarabeth's Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

We were laughing this morning about how Easter was last weekend, yet it seems like we celebrated it weeks ago. We are still eating ham, and ham related dishes along with the last of the desserts which include biscotti, brownies and carrot cake.

When my kids were little, one of our favorite desserts at Easter was carrot cake. That was one of my signature desserts. But somewhere between the move to Easton, MA 9 years ago, then a second move and a basement flooding, I lost a few of my community cookbooks. You know, those great cookbooks put together through non-profit organizations that always include an old family favorite.

Between the carrot cake and the spinach squares (another one of our favorites), I've never really looked to find another recipe. 

Last year, Jeff and I bought Sarabeth's Bakery - From My Hands to Yours. It truly has become one of our staple cookbooks, especially where dessert is my favorite dish. I found a great carrot cake recipe, but she didn't frost hers. I definitely wanted something with frosting and I knew I could whip something together once the cake was made. It had all the ingredients from my old recipe...carrots, pineapple, walnuts, raisins and cinnamon. The rest of the ingredients were simple and I had the cake mixed and in the oven in about 10 minutes. The toughest part was shredding the carrots, which the food processor did quite well.

As the cake baked, I pulled together some ingredients which I knew would produce a tasty frosting. I used a stick of butter to one package of cream cheese, some vanilla, powdered sugar and milk...it was the perfect mixture as well as the perfect amount to frost a two layer cake. I made the cake a day ahead and frosted it once the layers were cooled.

We served two favorite desserts, my mother's famous cheesecake with strawberries and the carrot cake...along with some homemade biscotti and some fudgy shortbread brownies (the next blog article). You always need finger food desserts, no matter how many rich desserts you serve. ;) The carrot cake was moist and flavorful with hints of cinnamon and toasted walnuts. The frosting was perfect and the responses were a riot. We had 18 people for dinner on Easter and most tried the carrot cake. They would come up to me after and say, "Ya know, that was really good carrot cake"...as if it were a secret. Even Jeff, who only tasted a bite on Easter, reminded me a few days later of how good the carrot cake was.

I'm glad I re-discovered carrot cake. It's been too long to go without this gooey, moist, sweet and ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS cake. Thank you Sarabeth, you truly make the BEST carrot cake.

Ingredients:

Carrot Cake:

1 cup of all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

½ teaspoon of kosher salt

1 cup of superfine sugar (we couldn’t find it so we used regular white sugar and put it through a food processor for 2 minutes)

2/3 cup of vegetable oil

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1½ cups of shredded carrots

1 (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple, well drained (½ cup)

½ cup of walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

½ cup of seedless raisins

Frosting:

½ cup of butter, at room temperature

1 (8-oz.) package of cream cheese, at room temperature

1 teaspoon of vanilla

A pinch of salt

2 cups of confectioner’s sugar (plus or minus for your desired sweetness)

2 tablespoons of milk

½ cup of walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

 

Preparation:

1. Preheat to 350°F. Butter and flour the inside of 2 8 inch cake pans and tap out the excess flour.

2. Mix the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a medium bowl.

3. Combine the sugar, oil, and eggs in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until the mixture has thickened slightly and is light in color and texture, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low.

4. In thirds, add the flour mixture and mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, just until the batter is smooth. Add the carrots, pineapple, walnuts, and raisins and mix until combined.

5. Pour into the prepared pans and smooth the top with a spatula.

6. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert and un-mold the cakes onto the rack and let cool completely.

7. Using the mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese together, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and salt.

8. Add one cup of confectioner’s sugar, as it thickens, add milk to bring it to a spreading consistency.

9. Add the second cup, repeating like the first cup. Taste to see if the mix is sweet enough. I used about 2-1/4 cups of confectioner’s sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk. If the consistency is a little dry, add more milk by the teaspoon.

10. When the taste is to your liking. Place the first layer cake on a plate, frost the top. Place second layer on top, frosting the top and sides. Decorate with toasted walnuts.

Serves 8-10

 

Chocolate-Stout Brownies with a Bittersweet Chocolate Glaze

Last Friday night, I invited some friends to a Pinterest Party. There is nothing better than delicious food, some great girlfriends and teaching them how to "pin" their favorite pictures, ideas and websites. It started when a few people had asked me for invitations into Pinterest, then came the comments on Facebook. How do I use this? How do I pin pictures? How do I sign in? Will you have a party?

In my real life, I teach social media marketing. Whenever there are new networks setting trends, I'm usually fully engaged. I try and learn as much as I can, knowing that in a very short period of time, I will be teaching people how to use the network. If you would like, you can follow me on Pinterest.

I was looking for a brownie recipe and came across a chocolate-stout brownie recipe from Bon Appetit. The combination of beer and chocolate piqued my interest so I was going to try these chocolaty treats. The picture reminded me of a Texas sheet cake. I was heading to the liquor store so grabbing a can of Guinness Stout would be easy. 

The brownies were easy to make, but watch the stout while you are reducing it on the stove. As mine started to boil, it bubbled over (ugh! what a mess). Once I got it under control, it reduced fairly quickly. As I read the reviews on the Bon Appetit website, people suggested that the cooking times were incorrect. I have a convection oven and mine took about 45 minutes. In a conventional oven, I might go closer to an hour. I started checking at 35 minutes but they do take longer than suggested.

The brownies came out perfect. We used bittersweet chocolate which gave the brownies a very dense and rich taste, not overly sweet. Everyone enjoyed them saying they loved the wonderful chocolate flavor that wasn't overpowering. I did make an observation though, they tasted better the second day. If you have the opportunity to make them a day ahead, I would make that suggestion. I found they were still dense, but less sticky. The next day, everyone kept eating little slivers of the brownies, trying not to admit they wanted a big piece. The chocolate-stout brownies disappeared with ice cream as well as large glasses of milk.

Who says beer and chocolate aren't a good combination.

Ingredients:

1 cup of stout beer (we used Guinness - * UPDATE * Recently we used a Spiced Sweet Stout called Mexican Radio from Bluejacket in DC - AMAZING! Don't be afraid to try different types of stout.)

12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup of butter

1-1/2 cups of sugar

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla

3/4 cup of flour

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

Glaze

4 ounces of bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (or bits)

2 tablespoons of butter

1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt

1/4 cup of reduced stout

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 9x9x2" metal baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving a 2" overhang.

2. Bring stout to a boil in a medium sauce- pan, watch to make sure it doesn't boil over; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 12 minutes.

3. Let cool. Reserve 1/4 cup of stout for glaze.

4. Stir 12 oz. chocolate and 1 cup butter in a medium metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth.

5. Whisk sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in chocolate mixture, then 1/4 cup stout from pan.

6. Fold in flour and 1 1/4 tsp. salt. Pour batter into prepared pan.

7. Bake brownies until surface begins to crack and a tester inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 35-40 minutes. (We cooked ours a bit longer more like 50-60)

8. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool for at least 20 minutes.

Glaze:

1. Stir remaining 4 oz. chocolate in a medium metal bowl set over a sauce-pan of simmering water until melted and smooth.

2. Add reserved 1/4 cup reduced stout, remaining 2 Tbsp. butter, and 1/4 tsp. salt; whisk until well blended.

3. Pour warm glaze over brownies. Let stand at room temperature until glaze is set, about 40 minutes.

 

It's National Peanut Butter Day! Try these great peanut butter recipes.

 

I love peanut butter. But I'm a picky peanut butter lover because I LOVE Skippy. I don't care whether it is smooth, crunchy or natural as long as it says Skippy, I'm all set.

When I read it was National Peanut Butter Day, I decided to showcase some of the peanut butter recipes from the past. Most are desserts but my ultimate favorite is a grilled peanut butter sandwich. Better than spreading peanut butter on toast, I'll eat a grilled peanut butter sandwich over any grilled cheese.

Check it out! Grilled Peanut Butter Sandwich.

And to wash down the grilled peanut butter sandwich you might need - 

• Giant Peanut Butter Cookies with Dark and Milk Chocolate Chips
• Muddy Buddies
• Chocolate Peanut Butterscotch Crispies
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Coconut Bars
• T.White's Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
• Peanut Butter Blossoms

I was laughing as I was copying the links for the recipes. I don't think there is one recipe that is made with only peanut butter as the primary focused ingredient...outside of the sandwich. Every recipe has chocolate in it...almost like the old commercial for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

I do know this...I need some new recipes for peanut butter. Enjoy this classic - "You got peanut butter in my chocolate! You got chocolate in my peanut butter!"

 

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 12 - Oatmeal Walnut Biscotti

I'm laughing as I finish this recipe. I have finally completed the 12 Cookies of Christmas. I had promised they would be completed before Christmas and then before the New Year. It is Friday the 13th and what better day to finish. There is a long holiday weekend upon us and a great time to bake some cookies. I have decided that next year it will be the 6 Cookies of Christmas because with my life that's all I'm capable of...I think.

For those who have missed my 12 cookie reicpes, I'm going to list them all so that you can have the completed list.

Day 1 - Aunty Anita's Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies

Day 2 - Jen's Shortbread Cookies 

Day 3 - Glitter Ball Cookies

Day 4 - Brownie Almond Biscotti

Day 5 - Lemon Drop Cookies

Day 6 - Thumbprint Cookies with Chocolate Kiss

Day 7 - White Chocolate Cherry Macadamia Nut Cookies

Day 8 - Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

Day 9 - Orange Chocolate Cookies - Jeff's Favorite - Huge Party Favorite

Day 10 - Dipped Gingersnaps

Day 11 - Florentines

Day 12 - Oatmeal Walnut Biscotti 

To finish this list, I will tell you a little bit about the Oatmeal Walnut Biscotti recipe. I found the recipe in Maria Robbin's Biscotti and Other Low Fat Cookies. I have had this book for a long time and periodically make Maria's biscotti. I like them because they combine a great group of ingredients and the biscotti is always delicious.

When you look at the ingredients used in this recipe - brown sugar, toasted oatmeal, maple sugar, raisins and walnuts - you will understand why I like the biscotti. The combination when baked was delightful. I am a big maple syrup fan and when it was combined with the oatmeal and brown sugar it was sweet and crunchy, and the nuts and raisins gave it a chewy, nuttiness. If you dip them in coffee or tea, you have an amazing breakfast treat or afternoon snack.

These probably weren't the greatest to make as one of the 12 Cookies of Christmas but it is one I want to remember because it's simple yet delicious and it's a recipe you can make all the time.

I want to thank my Quincy friends, Stephanie Coose and Kim Palmer along with my social media divas, Jen Vondenbrink, Jen Osojnicki, Dotty Wyman, Diane Dias and Susan Finn. You shared some amazing stories and recipes and for that I am truly grateful. You helped to create the 12 Cookies of Christmas 2011.

Ingredients:

1 cup of rolled oats (not instant)

1-1/2 cups of flour

3/4 cup of light brown sugar

1 teaspoon of baking power

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/4 teaspoon of salt

2 large eggs

1/4 cup of pure maple syrup

2 teaspoons of pure vanilla

2/3 cup of raisins

1/2 cup of walnuts, finely chopped

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Place oatmeal on a cookie sheet and toast for 12-15 minutes, stirring occassionally until they are lightly golden and fragrant. (The house will smell amazing!)

2. Take 1/2 cup of the oats and grind to a powder in the food processor. (oat flour)

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, oats, oat flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

2. Add the eggs, maple syrup and vanilla and mix until blended.

3. Add the raisins and walnuts and combine into the mix.

4. Using two cookies sheets, make a strip of dough that is (approximately) 3 inches wide by 14 inches long, about 1-1/2 inches thick.

5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until slightly golden and firm when touched.

6. Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes on a baking rack.

7. Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees.

8. Cutting on the diagonal with a serrated knife, cut bars into 1 inch biscotti.

9. Place biscotti on cookie sheets lying on their side.

10 Bake for 10-15 minutes to slightly toast the biscotti. Flip the cookies once through the baking process. (Turn from one side to the other.)

Allow to cool on cookie sheet.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 11 - Florentines

I guess this falls into the category of better late than never. After having a slightly stressful holiday season...can you say 6 kids, 1 live-in in-law, a few holiday parties, decorating, shopping, working...Oh, I'm exhausted thinking about it.

I wanted to re-vamp my website and all concentration went in one direction and it wasn't towards completing my cookie list. I feel better having accomplished one MAJOR thing that has been weighing me down for a while, it now opens opportunity for growth...and blogging. The next two posts are coming out back to back and the 12th Cookie of Christmas will give you the final list of all 12 cookies for 2011.

These florentines were from the cookie swap and were a second set of cookies from my girlfriend, Jen Vondenbrink. She made the amazing shortbread cookies from Day 2 - Jen's Shortbread Cookies. Jen is the owner of Life Simplified and she is an incredible baker (and cook). She told me, "This recipe is a home version of a favorite recipe from a bakery I ran back in the late 80's. Customers couldn't help but drool when these came out of the oven.  They can be served as is or half dipped in chocolate.  Even better they can be formed around a cone or dowel and then either dipped in chocolate or filled.  Yummm!" 

The florentine cookies were delicate, nutty and sweet. They had a lightness that melted in your mouth. My mother-in-law, Althea, dubbed them as her favorites from the party. She was intrigued with their appearance as well as their taste, sweet but not filling. A perfect dessert cookie that complements any hot beverage.If you are looking to WOW your friends and family at the next gathering, try these cookies. You'll come home with an empty plate.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons of butter

1/4 cup of packed brown sugar

1/4 cup of light corn syrup

1/3 cup of flour

1/2 cup of chopped nuts

1 teaspoon of vanilla

 

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350.  

1. Melt butter, brown sugar and corn syrup.  Boil about 3 minutes mixing constantly.  

2. Take off the heat.  Add flour, nuts and vanilla.

3. Drop by small spoonfuls onto a parchment lined baking sheet leaving plenty of room between cookies (6-8 per tray).  

4. Bake until bubbly and brown about 5-7 minutes.

5. Let sit until firm enough to take off the sheet.  

Cool on rack.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 10 - Dipped Gingersnaps

It's been a long holiday season, with family commitments greater than anticipated, and I never seem to get the 12 Cookies of Christmas out before the 25th. I should rename them and just call them the Cookies during December.

My normal assortment of cookies was lacking this year because every time I had a spare moment I would make one specific kind of cookie. When giving out platters, if there isn't an assortment, you tend to use more of one or two kinds. This leaves that situation of no assortment and constantly running out of one or two varieties of cookies. At this point I am down to having two batches of cookies left, Nannie's Oatmeal Cookies and Angie's Ricotta Cookies.

This recipe is from my friend, Diane Dias. Diane owns a company called Our Good Dog Spot, the premiere online shopping destination for your classic, glamorous, preppy or trendy pup. Her daughter, Emily, and my son, Brian, have been friends since junior high school and are freshman at the University of Missouri. It's nice to have a familiar face at college when you are a 3-hour plane trip from home. When I was visiting Diane recently, she shared a favorite cookie recipe of Emily's called Dipped Gingersnaps. I was so excited about the recipe, I went home that night and made a batch. (See that gorgeous photo above!)

I was excited as well as disappointed when I made them. Excited because these cookies were delicious...chewy, yet crunchy and the spices were perfect. They are dipped in white chocolate but it tastes more like a rich vanilla icing which was perfect for me. My disappointment...I like them better than my favorite Ruby Warner's Ginger Snaps.

So, in my rush to get another batch done before the holidays, I half read the directions and ended up putting 4 teaspoons of baking powder verses baking soda in the recipe...what a disaster! They came out like chunky doughy balls...not good. My fault though, I rushing to get them finished before the holiday, but as soon as I am done posting this article, I'm heading back into the kitchen to make a batch. I need to be prepared for New Years!

Dipped Gingersnaps

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups of vegetable oil

2 cups of white sugar

2 eggs

1/4 cup of molasses

5 cups of flour

4 teaspoons of baking soda

1 tablespoon of ground ginger

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of salt

Additional sugar for rolling (I use demerara sugar)

12 ounces of white chocolate chips (or vanilla flavored chips)

1/4 cups of shortening

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Combine sugar and oil in a large bowl. Mix well. (I used my mixer)

2. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg.

3. Stir in molasses.

4. Combine flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.

5. Gradually add dry ingredients to creamed mixture and mix well.

6. Shape into 3/4 to 1 inch balls, roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

7. Bake for 8 minutes or until the cookie springs back when touched. (It will be crackled, too)

8. Melt chips and shortening in a double boiler over low heat. Dip cookies half way, shake off excess and place on lined wax paper until hardened.

Makes between 8-10 dozen.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 9 - Orange Chocolate Cookies

 

Before you start reading this article about my girlfriend Stephanie's Orange Chocolate Cookies, PRINT THIS RECIPE. This is (hands down) my FAVORITE cookie this year. Stephanie and I went to middle school together at Quincy Point Junior High School in Quincy, MA. It's funny that 25+ years later, we end up living in the same community and her husband coached by son's basketball team. 

To start, I love oranges, whether juice, rind or jelly. I also love bittersweet chocolate, so when you combine these two ingredients, it's an amazing flavor and taste. Add a shortbread base and you finish with the most delicious, thumbprint style cookie. 

I wanted to tell you a bit about what transpired during and after the cookie swap.

1. Jeff declared them his new favorite cookie. 

2. The girls thought Stephanie's cookies were amazing.

3. I decided to make a set of cookies (see below) and realized the recipe is versatile. I didn't have orange marmalade so I substituted raspberry jam and dipped the cookies in both bittersweet chocolate as well as white chocolate. BIG HIT!

4. After bringing these cookies to 3 parties, I have had 5 request for the recipe. People were excited to make these cookies for the holidays

The shortbread is buttery with a hint of orange. The marmalade brings sweetness and the bittersweet chocolate brings balance. Over the past year, I have been using bittersweet chocolate instead of semi-sweet chocolate in many of my cookie recipes. I find that cookies are sweet and the bittersweet chocolate complements the cookie.

I am so glad...

1. I had a cookie swap this year because it has given me some great new cookie recipes.

2. That Stephanie was able to come and share these buttery orange chocolate cookie with the girls as well as my foodie following.

Thanks, Stephanie, truly appreciated!

Ingredients:

1 cup of butter, softened

1 cup of granulated white sugar

1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons of finely grated orange peel

2 cups of flour

1/4 cup of marmalade

6 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, chopped

1 tablespoon of shortening

Preparation:

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.

Add the sugar and beat until combined, scraping the bowl occasionally.

Beat in egg and orange peel. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Using 1-1/2 inch round cookie cutter, cut into rounds. Press your thumb into the center and fill with 1/4 teaspoon of marmalade.

Bake on parchment lined baking sheets in a 375 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. In a small sauce pan, melt chocolate and shortening over low heat. 

Dip half of each cookie in chocolate mixture. Place cookies on rack to set. 

Makes about 48 cookies.

Note: I used raspberry jam rather than marmalade and made the white chocolate dip by substituting white chocolate for bittersweet chocolate.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas - Day 8 - Chocolate Coconut Macaroons

 

These cookies were made after the cookie swap so none of the girls got to taste them. I made them after having a conversation with my mom about Aunty Anita's Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies. My mom was reminding me of a chocolate coconut meringue cookie which my grandmother used to make. She didn't have the recipe so I searched the internet and was able to find these Chocolate Coconut Macaroon which seemed pretty close. I found this recipe on the Joy of Baking site.

These macaroons were extremely easy to make and within 30 minutes they were mixed, cooked and cooling on the racks. The cookies are slightly dense, very sweet and extra fudgy. My kind of chocolate cookie. I brought them to work and they were thoroughly enjoyed by co-workers as well as clients. As I am writing this article, I am wishing I had a few.

A quick and easy macaroon recipe that will satisfy any chocolate craving. Whip up a batch, and hide a few because they will disappear. 

Ingredients:

4 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, chopped

3 large egg whites

1/4 cup of cocoa powder 

3/4 cup of white sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of vanilla

2-1/2 cups of sweetened coconut (shredded or flaked)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

In a stainless steel bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg whites, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract. Stir in the coconut and melted chocolate, making sure the coconut is well coated. Cover and refrigerate for about one hour, or until firm.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place small mounds (heaping tablespoons) of the batter on the parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing several inches apart.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until the macaroons are shiny. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes and then place on a wire rack to cool.

Yields 20 - 24 macaroons.