Andes Mint Chocolate Bark

OMG. Chocolate. Add Mint. Eat. AND SWOON.

Even Bimmer Man who doesn't really like chocolate eats this. DELISH.

 Gather your ingredients.

Start a double boiler. Melt the white chocolate. Add a 1/2 tsp of mint extract. Drizzle into a parchment lined baking sheet and spread to however much you want with a spatula.

Refrigerate for about 15 minutes. Just enough the let the chocolate set.

Start a new double boiler. Melt the chocolate chocolate (you know, the BROWN chocolate). Drizzle onto the white chocolate. Spread with a spatula and grab the Andes mint pieces. Sprinkle onto the still-warm chocolate and press them into the chocolate (this is so they don't fall off when you go to eat it). Then again, put into the fridge for another 20 minutes. Once set either use a knife to break apart OR just slam it against the counter a few times to break it into chunks. Whatever works.

Hello Dolly Bars

I think that bars are a Midwestern thing. Most people 'round these parts know how to make a good bar.

I sort of do. I am unable to replicate my grandmother's Hello Dolly bars and I have no idea how she made them taste so good. And she also passed away a few years ago and I regret never asking her how she made them. I'm hoping that my mom has some secret stash of recipes somewhere...

P.S. You don't need to coat the pan in cooking spray or anything like that. These bars come out great with the amount of butter already in the "crust" part... I found out the hard way.

Hello Dolly Bars

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 9 cookie sheets)
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup butterscotch morsels
• 2/3 cup flaked sweetened coconut
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• 1 (15-ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper; cut off excess parchment paper around top edge of pan.
3. Place crumbs in a medium bowl. Drizzle with butter and 1 tablespoon water; toss with a fork until moist. Gently pat mixture into an even layer in pan (do not press firmly). Sprinkle chips and morsels over crumb mixture. Top evenly with coconut and pecans. Drizzle milk evenly over top. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly around edges. Cool completely on wire rack.

Note: They can create a sticky mess in the pan, so it's crucial to line it with parchment paper. Because the milk needs to seep into the graham cracker crumbs, don't pack the crumbs too tightly in the bottom of the pan.

Julianna Grimes, Ann Taylor Pittman, Cooking Light
DECEMBER 2007

Grilled Peaches

Anything and everything seems to be grilled this week so be prepared.

For grilled peaches - prepare your grill before you light it (either spray Pam on COLD grill grates OR use veggie oil on tinfoil to coat HOT grill grates). Grill over medium-high heat for about 7 - 8 minutes. The peaches should have sear marks and should be soft, but not mushy. I served with Caramel Macchiato Ice Cream (but I think I would have served with Dulce de Leche ice cream instead).

Delish!

Mixed Berry Muffins

Mixed Berry Muffins from Oprah

Servings: Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/3 cups fresh berries , such as blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, huckleberries or sliced strawberries, or a combination.

Directions

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Lightly butter twelve 2 1/2-inch muffin cups or place paper muffin cups in the muffin tin.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt to combine and make a well in the center. In another medium bowl, whisk the milk, oil and eggs. Mix well and pour into the well. Stir just until blended. Fold in the berries. Spoon equal amounts of the batter into the muffin cups, filling them about three-fourths full.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove the muffins and serve warm or cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate Chip Cookies. Wait, I lied.

Ok, so I ran out of chocolate chip cookies and used white chocolate chips, chocolate chips and Toffee chips. Now I feel better about lying to you because there are SOME chocolate chips in these.

I have this bad habit about forgetting that I have a laptop and it can be moved from the office. So instead I just write down the ingredients and go from there. Recipe? Pshaw! Just give me the ingredients, please! As Tim would say, "Make it work!"

The BEAST comes out for occasions. And lately my baking habit has been a bit regular so the BEAST has it's own spot at the dining room table until I have time to spring clean the cabinets.

Oh, yum. Please. Don't tell anyone that sometimes I just bake cookies for the dough. I'm a cookie dough addict. Actually, I think there were times that I did just make dough. Where's that embarrassed smiley face when you need it?

Last fall for some weird reason I bought the baking bars of Crisco and never used them. I don't know what I was thinking. At all. But honestly, I had never made cookies with Crisco before and let me tell you - THEY STAYED SOFT.

Like, seriously soft. More so than than even store bought cookies. Can you believe it? I also accidentally left them out on the counter for a bit longer than I normally do. But that's ok. THEY WERE SOFT TWO DAYS LATER.

So I'm sharing my recipe. Because it's not my recipe and I had NO IDEA WHAT TO MAKE WITH CRISCO. And no, Crisco is not paying me for this (Hey, Crisco - send me some samples...) but I just had to share because I'm a huge fan of soft cookies.

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 3/4 stick Crisco® Baking Sticks Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening
• OR 3/4 cup Crisco® Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening
• 1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 3/4 cups Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 (6 oz.) package semi-sweet chocolate chips (1 cup)
• 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans (optional)

PREPARATION DIRECTIONS:

1. HEAT oven to 375ºF.
2. COMBINE shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Beat in egg. Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Mix into shortening mixture until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
3. DROP by rounded measuring tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet.
4. BAKE 8 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies, or 11 to 13 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet on a cooling rack. Remove cookies to rack to cool completely.

Berry Crisp. Sort of.

When the little 3 cup mixer isn't enough, I've got to bring out the big boy.

YUM. I didn't take a picture of the final crisp. We were off and running to a BMW Club picnic event thingy. There were only a few bites left, unfortunately it was hot out and this was still warm from the oven so I don't think people wanted something hot. But it was really good.

I followed Pioneer Woman's Raspberry Crisp recipe but I didn't have any cornstarch so I used 4 teaspoons of tapioca instead. I also should've started the oven at 400 degrees but I didn't. With the temp low, it took FOREVER to get the topping crisp, so I turned up the oven about half way through.

Ingredients

• 2-½ cups Raspberries
• 1 Tablespoon (Heaping) Corn Starch
• ⅔ cups Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 cup All-purpose Flour
• ¼ cups Sugar
• ¼ cups Brown Sugar
• ⅓ cups Oats
• ¼ cups Pecans, Chopped
• Dash Of Salt
• ¾ sticks Butter, Cut Into Small Pieces
• Whipped Cream Or Vanilla Ice Cream, For Serving

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, combine (rinsed) raspberries, corn starch, 2/3 cups sugar, and vanilla. Stir and set aside.
In a separate bowl (or food processor) combine flour, 1/4 cup sugar, brown sugar, oats, pecans, dash of salt, and butter pieces. Cut together with a pastry cutter (or pulse in food processor) until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Add berry mixture to a small baking dish or pie pan. Sprinkle topping mixture all over the top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until topping is golden brown.
Allow to sit for ten minutes before serving. Scoop out with a spoon and top with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Brownies + S'Mores = YUM

Yum. Summer in one bite. Nope, actually camping all in one bite. S'mores in a brownie. YUM.

Butter and Chocolate.

Butter and chocolate on my wall. My pretty teal wall. Oops. Look at that chocolate.

Marshmallows.

YUM!!!

Le sigh. Just put all that onto my thighs, please.

Mmm... the crunchy goodness of the cracker right in the middle.

So Good Brownies

Prep: 10 min., Cook: 1 1/2 min., Bake: 40 min., Cool: 1 hr. This is our adaptation of a recipe many of our foodies use from Baker's Chocolate.

Yield: Makes 16 servings

Ingredients

• 4  (1-oz.) unsweetened chocolate baking squares
• 3/4  cup  butter
• 1 1/2  cups  granulated sugar
• 1/2  cup  firmly packed brown sugar
• 3  large eggs
• 1  cup  all-purpose flour
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch pan with aluminum foil, allowing 2 to 3 inches to extend over sides; lightly grease foil.

2. Microwave chocolate squares and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring at 30-second intervals. Whisk in granulated and brown sugars. Add eggs, 1 at a time, whisking just until blended after each addition. Whisk in flour, vanilla, and salt.

3. Pour mixture into prepared pan.

4. Bake at 350° for 40 to 44 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely on a wire rack (about 1 hour). Lift brownies from pan, using foil sides as handles. Gently remove foil, and cut brownies into 16 squares.

Test Kitchen Secret: Fast Stir-ins
Prepare the brownie batter as directed through Step 2. Add a few ingredients, tweak the baking times, and get ready to experience brownies unlike any we've discovered.
Caramel-Macchiato Brownies: Coffee fiends: Go with 1 Tbsp. espresso powder. Be advised—these are sticky! Avoid them if you wear braces.
Stir 1 cup miniature marshmallows, 1/2 cup caramel bits*, and 1 1/2 tsp. to 1 Tbsp. instant espresso into batter. Increase bake time to 44 to 46 minutes.
*12 caramels, quartered, may be substituted.
Note: Be sure to insert wooden pick into brownie, not marshmallow, when testing for doneness. (Marshmallows will rise to the top when baking.) We tested with Kraft Caramel Bits.
White Chocolate-Blueberry Brownies: A taste of chocolate-covered blueberries gave our Food staff this idea.
Stir 1 (3.5-oz.) package dried blueberries and 1 (4-oz.) white chocolate bar, coarsely chopped into batter. Increase bake time to 44 to 46 minutes.
Note: We tested with Sunsweet Dried Blueberries and Ghirardelli White Chocolate Baking Bar.
Toasted Coconut-Cashew Brownies: This spicy, nutty brownie got our top rating.
Spread 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut into a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 8 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring every 2 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Stir toasted coconut; 1/2 cup cashews, chopped; and 2 Tbsp. finely chopped crystallized ginger into batter. Increase bake time to 44 to 46 minutes.
Test Kitchen Secret: Easy Topping Upgrades
For indulgent and family-friendly double-decker brownies, prepare So Good Brownies as directed through Step 3. Add a topping layer and adjust the baking times slightly.
Peanut Butter Streusel Brownies: Stir together 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 2 Tbsp. light brown sugar, 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar, 1/3 cup chunky peanut butter, 2 Tbsp. melted butter, and 1/8 tsp. salt until blended and crumbly. Sprinkle peanut butter mixture over batter. Increase bake time to 50 to 54 minutes.
Candy-and-Pretzel Brownies: Sprinkle 1 cup pretzel sticks, broken into pieces, and 2 (3.7-oz.) king-size chocolate-coated caramel-peanut nougat bars, coarsely chopped, over batter. Increase bake time to 52 to 54 minutes.
Note: Be sure to insert wooden pick into brownies, not candy bar pieces, when testing for doneness. We tested with Snickers King Size candy bars.
Spicy Pecan Brownies: Whisk together 1 Tbsp. ancho chile powder, 2 Tbsp. maple syrup, 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1/8 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. freshly cracked pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans. Sprinkle pecan mixture over batter. Increase bake time to 42 to 46 minutes, shielding with aluminum foil during last 15 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning, if necessary.

Southern Living, AUGUST 2009

Alton Brown's "The Chewy" Chocolate Chip Cookie

From Blog Stuff - Food

I love chocolate chip cookie dough. It's my favorite snack in the entire world. I think, well, besides ice cream, but these would be good with ice cream too!

My only issue: I'm awful at timing cookies so I always end up over baking them. Oh, yeah, and I also used old baking soda so they came out super flat. Oh, well! They taste great!

The Chewy

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Serves:

2 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 2 1/4 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Hardware:

• Ice cream scooper (#20 disher, to be exact)
• Parchment paper
• Baking sheets
• Mixer

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Pour the melted butter in the mixer's work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. 

Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

This is the good stuff. Trust me. If you have a cake, please frost it with this.

Yum. Yum. Yum. I could seriously eat this frosting on its own, it's that good! Check out my bad frosting though, I have no technique. I just dumped it all on top and then went around with a butter knife.

Has anyone taken a cake decorating class? Is it worth it? How many cakes do you end up making?

Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

• 1/4  cup  light brown sugar
• 10  tablespoon  butter, divided
• 1/3  cup  heavy whipping cream
• 8  ounces  cream cheese, softened
• 1/2  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• Dash of salt
• 1 3/4  cups  powdered sugar

Preparation

1. Melt brown sugar and 4 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil over medium heat; remove from heat. Whisk in cream; blend well. Transfer to a heat-resistant bowl. Cool at room temperature, stirring occasionally.

2. Place remaining 6 tablespoons butter and cream cheese in a large bowl; beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth. Beat in vanilla and salt. With mixer running, slowly pour in cooled brown sugar mixture; beat until smooth. Add powdered sugar gradually, beating well after each addition until completely smooth. Chill slightly for a firmer texture, stirring occasionally.

Kathryn Conrad, MyRecipes, OCTOBER 2005

Caramel Cake

What the heck? I can't figure out this new Blogger photo thingy - I don't have enough patience anymore!

In any case, in honor of reading The Help for book club I made a caramel cake. Honestly, the cake was sort of dry but the frosting was AWESOME. It was super easy to make (I'm not the best person for frosting a cake either) but I'd rather eat the Duncan Hines Yellow Cake mix cake. So I am doing a single post for each so that way you don't have to read the cake recipe for the frosting too.


Caramel Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Prep: 45 minutes, Chill: 4 hours or overnight, Bake: 35 to 40 minutes.

Yield: Makes 1 (9-inch) 2-layer cake

Ingredients

• 3 1/2  cups  sifted cake flour
• 2  teaspoons  baking powder
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1 3/4  cups  granulated sugar
• 1 3/4  cups  light brown sugar, divided
• 1 1/4  cups  butter, softened and divided
• 6  eggs
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 1  cup  milk
• 1/2  cup  evaporated milk

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans; line with lightly greased parchment or wax paper.

2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl; set aside. Place 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, 1/4 cup light brown sugar, and 1 cup butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed 5 minutes or until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture and 1 cup milk alternately to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating at low speed after each addition. Pour into prepared pans; sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire rack. Place 1 layer on a cake plate.

3. Combine 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, evaporated milk, and 1/4 cup butter in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Cook (without stirring) until a candy thermometer registers 238°. Transfer to a heat-resistant bowl, and beat 3 minutes or until thickened and easy to spread. Quickly spread filling over cake layer on plate. Cover loosely with plastic wrap; chill 15 minutes or until set.

4. Spread a thin layer of Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting over filling. Top with second layer. Frost cake. Chill 20 minutes or until frosting sets, then cover and chill 4 hours or overnight. Let stand 10 minutes at room temperature before serving. Garnish, if desired.

Kathryn Conrad, MyRecipes, OCTOBER 2005

Poop Cookies

AKA Oceanspray Craisin's Black Forest Cookies
But yes, they look like poop. With bits of red blood, oops, I mean Craisins sprinkled throughout. I decided to toss in some white chocolate chips too. Kinda look like the dog just ate a blanket and pooped it out, right?

So if you'd like to try yourself some poop cookies, go right ahead.

Oceanspray Craisin Black Forest Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1 11.5-ounce package milk chocolate morsels, divided
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 6-ounce package Ocean Spray® Craisins® Cherry Flavor
Sweetened Dried Cranberries
1 cup pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Pour 3/4 cup morsels into an uncovered large microwave-safe bowl. Set remaining morsels aside. Microwave morsels for 2 minutes on high. Stir until chocolate is smooth.

Stir in brown sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla. Add flour and baking powder, mixing until thoroughly combined. Stir in remaining morsels, cherry flavor dried cranberries and pecans.

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes or until cookies are puffed and set to the touch. For a firmer cookie bake for 14 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

Oh the Escapades of living in a house... with crappy electrical fuses...

The fuse blew, once and I totally forgot to turn the oven back on so that means that the oven was cooling down for like 10 minutes. Oops.

Anyway, these turned out really well despite the fuse incident. They're fairly fudgey, good amount of swirl (if you're a good swirler) and dense. Pretty good combo for brownies, right? I'd totally make these again.

In fact, I'm bringing them to my hair stylist for a thank you for my appointment this afternoon. It's hard when you don't work in a large office to bake anything so I try and bring everything I bake to a variety of people. I gotta share the love!

Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies


Prep: 20 min.; Bake: 45 min.; Cool: 1 hr.
Cost per serving: 37¢


Swirl:
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Brownies:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil, leaving a 1-inch overhang on 2 sides. Mist foil with cooking spray.

2. Make swirl: Using a mixer on medium speed, beat cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add egg; beat until smooth. Beat in sugar, flour and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.

3. Make brownies: In a double boiler, melt butter with chocolate, stirring often. Remove from heat; stir in sugar, vanilla and salt. Transfer to a bowl; cool slightly.

4. Using a mixer on medium-low speed, beat eggs into chocolate mixture 1 at a time. Sprinkle flour over mixture and gently stir in.

5. Spread 1/2 of brownie batter in prepared pan. Carefully spread swirl mixture over brownie batter. Spoon remaining brownie batter on top. Use tip of a knife to gently swirl through both batters to form a marble pattern.

6. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour. Remove brownies from pan to cutting board using foil to lift them out. Peel off foil and cut into squares.

Yield: 16 (serving size: 1 brownie)

CALORIES 217 ; FAT 14g (sat 9g); CHOLESTEROL 67mg; CARBOHYDRATE 22g; SODIUM 55mg; PROTEIN 3g; FIBER 1g

All You, MAY 2009

FAIL: Blondies

The batter looks right....
But 30 minutes later... they were so gooey in the middle, that you'd have to eat it with a spoon.

I did follow the recipe, but I think I learned my lesson! Read reviews BEFORE you start!

As you can tell, we did kinda chip away at it during a BBQ this past weekend. The batter tasted amazing, so honestly - I kinda want an ice cream maker so I could make a Blondie ice cream. Now that sounds great!

NOTE: Generally I don't post my baking failures but because I'm not a very good baker anyway.

You know in the Springtime, chocolate doesn't sound as good as fresh fruit. Last night I walked to the grocery store (Um, yeah, I really am that eco-friendly) and was studying all the fresh fruit. Lo and behold, there were way too many people in the fruit section of Kroger.

If you can't tell, I'm a little claustrophobic in spaces with too many people. I do not do well in crowds. So I used frozen raspberries. But not a problem, they still turned out great! This is definitely a recipe to make if you have berries in your yard - I'd do this again with blueberries, blackberries or even strawberries!
Yum... The batter smelled SO good. I can't even tell you how much it smelled like Spring. It's one of those things that fruit does to me. It makes me feel like warm weather is approaching. And it's a great feeling!

Raspberry-Cream Cheese Muffins

Yield

2 dozen (serving size: 1 muffin)

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup (5 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
• 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at high speed until well blended. Add sugar; beat until fluffy. Add vanilla, egg whites, and egg; beat well.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and buttermilk to cream cheese mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Gently fold in raspberries and walnuts.

Place 24 foil cup liners in muffin cups. Spoon batter evenly into liners. Bake at 350° 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pans; cool on a wire rack.

Cooking Light, JUNE 2003

And by the way - Check out Joelen's Blog and her Tasty Tools blogging events because this recipe has been entered into the Stand Mixer one!

Peanut Butter Cookies

If you know me at all, then you know I put LOTS and LOTS of peanut butter in Kongs. In fact THE MONSTER even has his own blog. And for once, the humans in the house got a peanut butter treat. Can you believe it?
The hardest part of making them is the amount of time it takes to roll them up into balls.
And then make the design with a fork. I've never made peanut butter cookies, so I was hoping they weren't too, um, well, flat. If you know what I mean.
In the end one lesson was learned. Use two cookie sheets next time, don't crowd them all on one. And make at least two batches - one for the doggie daycare people and one for work too. And save at least 4 to keep at home.
Yum... These are fabulous and I definitely recommend them for all those that aren't allergic to peanut butter.

Peanut Butter Cookies
From the KitchenAid Mixer Instruction Booklet (yes, the recipes are really worth trying!)

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

Place peanut butter and butter in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and flat beater to mixer. Turn to speed 6 and beat about 1 minute, or until mixture is smooth. Stop and scrape bowl. Add sugars, egg, and vanilla. Turn to speed 4 and beat about 1 minute. Stop and scrape bowl.

Turn to stir speed. Gradually add all remaining ingredients to sugar mixture and mix about 30 seconds. Turn to speed 2 and mix about 30 seconds.

Roll dough into 1 inch ball. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Press flat with fork in a criss-cross pattern to 1/4 inch thickness.

Bake at 375 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from baking sheets immediately and cool on wire racks.

Did You Know That It's National Pie Day?

And I want to learn how to make cupcakes that don't look like poo.

In any case, today is National Pie Day and I think it's time to bake tonight. One question - what kind should I make?

Ummm.... Hmmm... (Picture McTatty throwing her arms up in the air, squishing her face into an I-don't-know expression and wondering what's for sale at the grocery store)

The L.A. Times has a very short article - but I'll see what they have in store in the fresh produce. And then possible bake a pie.

Or two. If I can find a good pie crust recipe, which hopefully will fit in my 3 cup food processor.

McTatty

Oatmeal Toffee Cookies

Two crawling babies. The MONSTER got these for Christmas, which will be demonstrated at a later point in this post.

Gather together all of your ingredients. Sometimes I measure them out. Today, yes, I had time! Wow! But then I realized that I didn't have any eggs and I had to go to the store. It happens.

Brown sugar. Why oh why do you always go straight to my thighs?

Salt & baking soda. I almost used baking powder, which it probably would've turned out fine anyway, but still. The baking soda...

Vanilla AND OLD FASHIONED OATS. I don't know why I bought this big container. Whatever. I'll just have to make them again!

Butter? Where?

Aha! It hides...

And toffee bits. Why not?

Pour flour in a bowl.

And oats.

And salt & baking SODA.

Then accidentally take a picture of your abdomen. Whoops.

And realize that you used the wrong bowl. Again.

Switch the dry ingredients into a different bowl.

Cream the butter and the sugar. On your counter that also doubles as the recycling drop off.

And I didn't cream it very well. But whatever. I'm on vacation. Add the egg and vanilla.

Mix together more.

And leave it lumpy. Why not?

Stir in the toffee bits.

Three quarters of a cup.

Totally off topic, but I enjoy this vanilla.

Scoop out onto a prepared baking sheet 1 tablespoon at a time.

The NOT correct way to fill a baking sheet.

The correct way to fill a cookie sheet.

See? Mostly nicely spaced.

And NOT nicely spaced. It happens. That means that someone just gets one REALLY BIG cookie.

What Bimmer Man does every time I start baking. And the MONSTER tries to work out too.

Even the crawling babies like cookies.

Mmmmm... cookies...

CRAWLING BABY DEMONSTRATION

By MONSTER

Sniff the head.

Bite the butt.

Observe.

Oatmeal Toffee Cookies Recipe

Ingredients

3.4 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3/4 cup)
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/3 cup almond toffee bits
Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add vanilla and egg; beat well. Add flour mixture; beat just until combined. Stir in toffee bits.

3. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on 2 baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 11 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on pans 1 minute. Remove cookies from pans; cool completely on wire racks.
Nutritional Information

Calories:
90 (34% from fat)
Fat:
3.4g (sat 1.6g,mono 0.6g,poly 0.1g)
Protein:
1.2g
Carbohydrate:
13.6g
Fiber:
0.4g
Cholesterol:
15mg
Iron:
0.5mg
Sodium:
88mg
Calcium:
9mg
Kathy Farrell-Kingsley, Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2008

Enjoy!

PSH