Oatmeal Cookies with Semisweet Chocolate Chips and Tiny Peanut Butter Cups

Oatmeal Cookies with Semisweet Chocolate Chips and Tiny Peanut Butter Cups

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3.4 cup packed golden brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups rolled oats, uncooked
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 8.5 ounce package Reese's mini peanut butter cups

Heat the oven to 350°F.  Use ungreased cookies or line with parchment paper.

Place butter in large mixing bowl; beat butter with electric hand mixer until creamy.  Add granulated sugar; beat to combine.  Repeat with brown sugar.  Add vanilla and eggs; beat until smooth and creamy.  Add flour, baking soda, salt and oats; mix on medium low just until combined.  Fold in chocolate chips and peanut butter cups.  Scoop dough onto cookie sheets; bake on center rack just until edges are golden, 7 to 10 minutes, depending on size.

By 2 teaspoons, 60 to 72 cookies
By 2 tablespoons, 24 to 30 cookies

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Peanut Butter Blossoms

No, this is not a healthy version.  This is a treat I baked to take to a Halloween party.  I used a basic peanut butter cookie recipe.  Typically, unwrapped Hershey's Kisses are used to garnish the cookies but I found mini Reese's Peanut Butter cups and had to use them for something!  Also, many Peanut Butter Blossom cookie recipes call for the dough to be rolled in granulated sugar before baking but I feel my favorite peanut butter cookie is plenty sweet already and it is unnecessary so I skipped it.


Basic Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup smooth or chunky peanut butter
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda

Heat the oven to 350°F.  Use ungreased cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Combine sugars, peanut butter and butter in a large bowl.  Cream together with electric hand mixer on medium high until smooth and creamy.  Add eggs and vanilla and beat until until well combined.  Add flour and baking soda, mix on medium low speed just until combined.

Scoop dough by tablespoofuls onto cookie sheet; bake on center rack 10 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges.


Makes 60 cookies.



Peanut Butter Blossom variation: I used 2 1/2 cups flour in the dough, but honestly, I think 3 cups total would have made a taller cookie instead of a flat cookie to better hold the candy.  Anyway, make and bake the cookie dough as directed above, adding an extra 1 cup of flour.  Add an unwrapped Hershey's Kiss or mini Reese's Peanut Butter cup and press gently into each cookie immediately after removing the cookie sheet from the oven.  Also, I found that putting the candies in the freezer while the cookies are baking helps minimize the melting when applied to cookies.

Sausage Breakfast Tacos

Sausage Breakfast Tacos

This is probably not the healthiest meal, but it was for a weekend breakfast.  And it does contain some kind of veggie/fruit so it is acceptable in my book!  The husband added hot sauce to his burritos even though it has a bit of a kick from a jalapeno.

1 8 ounce package fresh breakfast sausage
1 onion, peeled, chopped
1 jalapeno, minced, or to taste
2 bell peppers, stems and seeds removed, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
salt, black pepper, to taste
6 eggs, beaten in a bowl
12 6" corn tortillas or 8 8" flour tortillas (to make burritos)
shredded cheese of your choice

Heat a large frying pan over high heat.  Add sausage; cook.  Break sausage into small chunks with wooden spoon or spatula.  When sausage is browned, add onion and peppers; cook until softened.  Add tomato and salt and pepper; heat through.  Add eggs; cook and stir until eggs are set.  Warm tortillas either in the microwave or on a hot griddle/skillet.  The mixture can be used to make tacos with the corn tortillas or burritos with flour tortillas.  Cheese is optional.


Makes 12 breakfast tacos or 8 small burritos.

One Bowl Chocolate Cake

One Bowl Chocolate Cake

Yes, it says that only one bowl will be used to create this chocolate cake, but I assure you, it is far from few dishes as many measuring cups are used!  I love this recipe because it comes together quickly, you can mix it easily with a whisk and is very versatile.  It can be easily made into a sheet cake, Bundt, layer and cupcakes.  I've made them in every shape, and it comes out moist, rich and fluffy every time.  I would have to say that the results is very similar to a boxed cake mix, in terms of fluffiness and moistness.

2 cups granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup natural cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk (typically whole should be used in baking but I've used other varieties, even nonfat with good results)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water (I warm mine up in a glass measuring cup in the microwave)

Heat the oven to 350°F.  To make cakes like the ones pictured above, grease 2 9" round cake pans and line bottom with parchment paper rounds and greased, or grease and flour (or use a baking spray with flour) a 10" fluted Bundt pan; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl; sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Make sure everything is mix; make a well in the center of dry ingredients.  In a 4-cup measuring cup, measure milk and oil.  Add eggs and vanilla; whisk together to combine.  (I use electric hand mixer.)  Pour milk mixture into center of the well and whisk 4 minutes or use electric mixer on medium; beat 2 minutes.  Stir in boiling water gently.  Batter will be very thin.  Pour batter into prepared Bundt pan or divide between 2 round cake pans.

Baking time:
1 9x13" glass baking dish: 35 to 45 minutes (use 1/2 batch frosting)
1 10" fluted Bundt pan: 45 to 60 minutes (use ganache or dust with powdered sugar)
2 9" round cake pans: 20 to 25 minutes (use full batch frosting)
24 cup-muffin tins: 16 to 18 minutes, filled 2/3 (1/2 batch frosting to spread, full batch to pipe)

Check for doneness when cakes have puffed and tester inserted in center comes out clean.  Unmold cakes and let cool completely on wire racks before frosting.


Chocolate Frosting
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup natural cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 to 1/3 cup milk

Place butter in medium mixing bowl; beat with electric mixer on medium speed.  Add sugar and cocoa powder; beat to combine.  Add vanilla; mix until smooth.  Add milk by tablespoons until it reaches spreading consistency.


Chocolate Ganache:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks
3/4 cup milk or heavy cream

Combine chocolate and milk in a glass bowl; heat in microwave on high 2 to 2 1/2 minutes or until the milk is hot.  Let stand 4 minutes; whisk until smooth.  Let cool until room temperature; whisking every few minutes.  Drizzle over cake; let cool to set.

Cheeseburger Mac

Cheeseburger Mac!

Clearly, this is not meant to be a healthy meal.  I was feeling like I needed something cheesy and greasy, and this came to mind with the ingredients I had on hand.

Macaroni and Cheese:
1 16 ounce box elbow macaroni (other small pasta shells may be used)
salt
3 tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese blend
dash Creole seasoning (I used Tony Chachere;s), to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat.  Add elbows; stir and cook until cooked but still firm, according to package directions.  Drain macaroni well.  Add butter; stir to melt over medium low heat.  Add milk and cheese.  Cook while stirring until cheese is melted and macaroni is coated in cheese mixture.  Add Creole seasoning to taste.

Beef Mixture:
1 pound ground beef
1 yellow onion, peeled, chopped
1 jalapeno, minced, without seeds for milder flavor
2 poblano chiles, stems and seeds removed, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
splash soy sauce, probably about 1 tablespoon
splash rice wine, probably about 1 tablespoon
salt, black pepper

Heat a large frying pan or wok over high heat.  Add beef; cook and stirring until meat is browned.  Drain fat.  Add meat back to pan with chopped onions, jalapeno and poblano chiles.  Cook and stir until vegetables are softened.  Add tomatoes.  Add soy sauce, rice wine and salt and pepper to taste.  Cook until tomatoes are a little softened.  You can serve the beef mixture over or beside the macaroni and cheese; or combine if you wish.


Makes 6 to 8 servings

Dark Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Dark Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Today we are celebrating a friend's girlfriend's birthday.  Since I do not know here very well, I figured that a gift of a bottle of wine and a batch of home baked cookies is a fitting gift.  I've met her a couple times, she likes sweets and does enjoy a drink, so this should be perfect.

2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 12 ounce bag dark chocolate chip morsels (can use milk or semisweet if preferred)

Heat the oven to 350°F.  I use cookie sheets lined with parchment paper but you can use ungreased cookie sheets if you prefer.

Sift together flour, baking soda and salt; stir in oats in a medium bowl.  Set aside.

Cream butter in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer until smooth.  Add granulated sugar; mix until combined.  Repeat with brown sugar, eggs one at a time and vanilla.  Add dry ingredient mixture; mix just until combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Scoop dough onto cookie sheets.  Bake in preheated oven 8 to 11 minutes or until edges are light golden brown.  Remove cookies to cooling rack to cool completely.


Makes 30 to 34 large cookies or 60 to 72 small cookies.

Fancy Rice Crispy Squares

Fancy Rice Crispy Squares!

I made these to share with the my husband and his friends during a guys' afternoon in of card games and comedy on TV.  It was a last minute kind of thing, so I used what I had on hand.  The measurements are approximate as I was cleaning out the cabinet.

1/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 of a 10 ounce bag of mini marshmallows
2 large spoonfuls of dark chocolate peanut butter
5 cups high fiber cereal (one with flakes and nuggets)
3 cups puffed rice cereal
Lindt chocolate bar, chopped into chunks (I used a dark chocolate coconut bar)
A few handfuls of Pretzel M&Ms

I used a 10x15" baking sheet but in reality a 13x9" baking dish would be better suited for this, as my bars came out very thin.  I lined the pan with foil and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray to make clean up easy.

Place butter and marshmallows in a large pot over medium heat.  Melt and stir butter and marshmallows together until mixture is smooth.  Stir in chocolate peanut butter.

Add cereals to marshmallow mixture; stir until cereal is coated in marshmallow mixture.  Turn mixture out onto prepared pan; press mixture to even layer on pan.  Sprinkle with chocolate chunks and M&M's; press gently into cereal mixture before it sets.  Let stand until completely cooled.  I pull the entire treat off the pan with foil and cut into bars on cutting board with a sharp knife.  Makes 24 small or 12 large bars.