M&M Cookies

The usual M&M cookie recipes I've made in the past produce thin, greasy cookies. I was looking for a thicker and softer recipe to make for Santa's cookies this year. I was pleasantly surprised when I found this recipe (random Google search, FTW) and the cookies didn't look thin. Or greasy. They turned out great and even kept well over night. Okay, over several nights. :) We will definitely be baking these Monday for Santa since I am working Tuesday. This will be an exciting year since our son is really starting to understand a little more about Christmas.

M&M Cookies

Adapted from: All Recipes

Yields: 2 dozen cookies

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup shortening

1 egg

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup M&M's, plus more for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the sugars, shortening, egg, and vanilla until smooth. In a medium mixing bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt. Move mixer to slowest speed and add flour mixture in small increments. Blend well. Add M&M's to mixing bowl and mix on low speed.

Roll dough and place on cookie sheet lined with silicone baking mat. Slightly flatten with hand and press a few M&M's to the tops of cookies. Bake in preheated oven for 9-11 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes and transfer to cookie rack.

Caramel Corn

Caramel corn is something I have never really took a liking to, but with most things I hated as a child, I absolutely love as an adult. I still don't like candy corn (seen in mixture above) but my husband does so I thought I would incorporate that into the mixture.

In lieu of Halloween and Thanksgiving that are both just around the corner, I decided to do a "theme week" here on my blog. About time, right? I just past my one-year blogging anniversary and it's about time to get organized. I need to try recipes in advance and then post them according to the appropriate holiday. The only part about that I don't like? What do I actually make for the holiday when my family is expecting something amazing? I figured that I would just repeat the successful recipes since they don't get to see or taste the first version; those are for me, my husband and our friends. ;)

Caramel Corn

Adapted from: Annie's Eats, originally Christie's Corner

1 cup unpopped popcorn kernels

2 sticks butter

1/2 cup light corn syrup

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla extract

Pop the popcorn as desired (I use my no-fail Cuisinart popcorn maker from Williams-Sonoma). Place popcorn in two very large bowls with enough room to toss them later without the popcorn overflowing.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Meanwhile, to make the caramel: melt butter in 2 quart sauce pan on medium heat. Once melted, add in the syrup, brown sugar and salt. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a slight boil, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium and allow the mixture to boil undisturbed for 5 minutes. I had to keep an eye on the mixture as it would boil to the top of the sauce pan and I would have to lift the corner off the stove to let it cool back down.

After 5 minutes, remove mixture from heat and add the baking soda and vanilla. Mix well. Mixture will be bubbly and frothy, which is exactly what you want. Pour the caramel evenly between the two bowls of popcorn and toss with salad tongs until evenly coated. Lightly grease a few cookie sheets and lay the popcorn on them as evenly as possible. I used the suggested parchment paper (different than wax paper) so use that for an alternative.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes. Watch out for falling popcorn on your feet because it will be so hot it might burn you (trust me, I would know now). Test a piece of popcorn at 40 minutes and it should be crunchy and not soft or mushy. Place the baking sheets on wire cooling racks and allow to cool completely before breaking apart. Store them in an airtight container or plastic treat bags. They will not stay fresh more than a few hours in the open air.

Classic Rice Krispie Treats

Happy 4th of July weekend!! I went out of town enjoying some beaches, booze and good friends! I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday. Here is a little goodie to get the weekend started off just right (possibly for next year)! I wanted to make some kind of treat for my coworkers since this past week was my last one in the office. Since it was right before the holiday I decided to make something festive! I made a batch of classic Rise Krispie treats and dyed some red and others blue! It has been a while since I had made these treats and I forgot how sticky and uncontrollable they really are. Below are some insights to make this a positive experience (aka not decorating your hair with marshmallow goodness).

The recipe I got was magnificent. Everyone commented that they were the best treats they had ever had. I guess it helps that nobody usually takes the effort to make these on a consistent basis. At any rate, I tried using parchment paper and that stuck to these like crazy. The best advice I have is to just put the treats (once cooked and mixed thoroughly) from the pan straight into a glass baking dish, greased, and press them into it to form one giant treat. The best way to press is to grease your hands with cooking spray and go to town. ;) Cut them later once they cool and you will have less of a mess.

Classic Rice Krispie Treats

Adapted from: Rice Krispies website

3 tbsp butter or margarine

1 pkg regular marshmallows (10 oz, 40 marshmallows)

6 cups rice krispie treats

In a large saucepan* melt butter and add marshmallows on low-medium heat. Continue to stir until completely melted. Once melted, add food coloring (if desired) and mix well. Add in rice krispies and stir to coat evenly. Pour mixture into a greased glass baking dish and press firmly to take shape. Allow to cool for at least an hour and cut with greased cookie cutter or knife. Best if eaten same day of preparation but they can be stored in an airtight container for a few days as well.

*I highly recommend using a saucepan instead of a skillet or otherwise. The marshmallows take a LOT less time to melt and mix better in a saucepan.

Oreo Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

Got Brownies?

I have always held a special place in my heart for hating brownies. Considering I have only had the kind that comes from a box, this is now no surprise to me. I don't even like chocolate that much. Well my nephew is staying with us this week and although I would like to see him shed a few pounds (the poor kids at school make fun of his weight), I just had to try these out! I think I had more fun making the cream cheese part than I did the brownies. The brownies came out so soft and not crunchy on the edges like my usual brownies (remember .. from the box). I think I crushed the Oreo cookies a little too much so next time I will break them gently. Also, next time I might bake it a little longer and use a bigger pan for thinner brownies.

The cream cheese didn't exactly harden like I had hoped. Don't worry though, it's still amazingly delicious! I even let my nephew swirl the cream cheese in with a fork. As you can see, he really enjoyed that part. I might even use the base of the brownie mixture for home made brownies since that part was just gooey goodness! And that coming from someone who doesn't like chocolate that much is really saying something!

Oreo Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies

Adapted from: Annie's Eats, originally Sugar Plum

8 tbsp unsalted butter

¾ cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp salt
2 large eggs
¼ cup milk
1½ cups chopped Oreo cookies
6 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup powdered sugar
1½ tsp vanilla extract
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x9 (or bigger, for thinner brownies) pan with aluminum foil and lightly spray with canola oil. In a small saucepan on medium heat, melt butter and sugar together until well blended. Once melted, turn up the heat to boil for 1 minute and set aside to cool.
 
In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, cocoa powder and salt until well blended. Mix in 2 eggs well and then whisk in milk. Finally, add the chopped Oreo's and fold into batter. Pour batter into pan lined with foil.
 
For the cream cheese topping, mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla extract on medium speed in an electric mixer until well blended. Drop the cream cheese mixture onto the brownie mix in the pan in dollops/chunks. Take a fork or knife and swirl until level and mixed (almost like marble).
 
Bake at 350 degrees for 22-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Tip: If you place the pan in the refrigerator for 1 hour after cooling the pan, it makes it very easy to slice.

Chewy Granola Bars

Whenever I walk past the granola and breakfast bar section at the grocery, my heart skips a beat. Okay, well not really, but I absolutely love granola bars. They are perfect for Sunday baseball games (my husband plays) and if I don't feel like cutting up an apple for a snack during work. Although they are seemingly a simple snack, I have always been to intimidated to try to make them. The one thing that scared me were the oats in them. I have heard that there is a big difference between instant and traditional so I had to search far and wide for a recipe I liked.

Instead of chocolate, I used our favorite candy: Reeses Pieces! This was a wonderful substitution and was not too overbearing. You can still taste the juiciness of the raisins and sweetness of the almonds in every bite as well. This is one recipe I will be saving and making over and over .. and not just because I bought the oats in bulk. The only change I think I will make is less honey and more rice krispies instead of oats. I liked the crunch of the cereal but there wasn't much of it. Also, the bars were REALLY sweet .. like I need a dentist sweet. I also wanted to give a big thanks to my friend Angie who let me use her oven to make these since we are tiling our kitchen (slowly) and all of our appliances are in the family room.

Chewy Granola Bars

Adapted from: Big City Cooking, originally Adventures in my Freezer

3.5 cups traditional oats
1 cup rice krispies
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup melted butter
1 mashed banana
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup candy pieces (we chose Reeses Pieces)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup slivered almonds
 
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix all ingredients except last three (candy, raisins and nuts) in large mixing bowl until well blended. Add in candy, raisins and nuts and mix well. Press the granola into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 325 degrees for 18-22 minutes, until golden-brown. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and slice into bars. Once completely cooled, remove from pan. For ease of convenience, I wrapped mine individually (two for my hubby) with saran wrap and kept in an airtight container.

Peppermint Bark

I never liked candy canes as a kid and I have never grown out of it. I really only made this because I know my family loves chocolate, loves peppermint, and put me in charge of desserts for Christmas this year. Oh boy will they be surprised when I show up with this! No one in my family has ever made this before. My husband also doesn't like peppermint so I couldn't find a taste-tester although I did try a piece as I am the chef and it is my job. Definitely didn't outgrow the dislike for peppermint .. although the bark itself turned out well.

I got the idea from the Holman's blog and it looked so good I wanted to make some myself since I had a ton of leftover chocolate bags. I just went and bought some $1 candy canes and voila! Peppermint bark! It was really quick too! Only took me maybe 30 minutes to make and I didnt even have to turn on the oven.

One thing I wish I would have done was press the candy cane pieces down into the white chocolate after sprinkling them on it. When I broke the bark later, a lot of the pieces broke off the top. I thought about it but they seemed to sink into it fine. Oh well. Lesson learned.

Peppermint Bark

1 12 oz bag white chocolate
1 12 oz bag milk chocolate
6 candy canes
parchment paper

Place parchment paper into a jelly roll pan (deep dish 8x13 pan) with about 3-5 inches on each end for handles. Folding it in the creases helps for later. Melt milk chocolate in double boiler or in microwave on defrost setting (in 30 second increments). Pour into pan lined with parchment paper and smooth around pan evenly. I used a large spatula but the smaller the better. Wherever the chocolate goes, the chocolate stays and hardens. Even on the sides.

Then, place the pan in the fridge for 20 minutes to harden. Meanwhile, crush 6 candy canes in ziplock bag with mallet or pulse in food processor. There will be some dust.

Melt the white chocolate and spread over top of the hardened milk chocolate layer. While white chocolate is still melted, sprinkle the chopped bits of peppermint onto the top of it and lightly press into the chocolate. Place back in fridge for another 15-20 minutes to allow to harden and pull bark in one piece out of pan and peel off of parchent paper to break into desired sized pieces.

Gourmet Pretzel Rods

Making these pretzel rods has been an experience. I read several recipes online from several general websites and took the tips I could find to make my own recipe. I was mostly looking for a way to melt the white chocolate chips I had to make it smooth without a double boiler (as I don't have one). Well, I eventually found the best method on The Holman's Blog and when I put it on defrost, it worked perfectly. I will never forget my first, chunky batch. For time and sanity reasons I won't go there.

I already had a great carmel recipe from making my homemade carmel apples so I figured they would be perfect to put underneath the chocolate. I just didn't realize it would be such a long process. It is really worth it in the end though.

If you aren't one for carmel, then you can simply omit that section of the direction, but let me just say this: they taste like a twix bar but better. Yes, it's true. They are so delicious!!

Gourmet Pretzel Rods

1 bag pretzel rods
1 12 oz bag white chocolate
1 14 oz bag Caramels
2-3 tbsp milk
optional: holiday sprinkles

For caramel:

Melt milk and caramels in small, microwave-safe dish. Microwave in 30-second intervals sitrring in between until caramel is of a liquid and manageable consistency. Dip pretzel rods completely in caramel leaving a small section of the end uncovered (about 2-3 inches). If the dish doesnt allow this, you may us a spoon and spoon it on while twirling the pretzel.

Allow rod to drip excess caramel off for 10-15 seconds, flip rod completely upside-down (vertically) to even out for another 5-10 seconds. Then, place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet and refrigerate or freeze until hardened (1-2 hours).

Note: Do not use parchment paper! The caramel will stick to it and you will have completely ruined pretzel rods .. that is, unless you like to eat paper.

For Chocolate:

Melt chocolate in microwave-safe dish on the defrost setting in 30-second intervals stirring in between until it is a liquid and manageable consistency. Dip the caramel-covered pretzel rods into the chocolate, spooning over if needed, and allow to drip from the tip for 10-15 seconds. Flip vertically and allow the chocolate to settle a bit and place back onto cookie sheet. If desired, sprinkle the tips over the sink. Allow these to cool in the fridge or freezer and enjoy!

Homemade Caramel Apples

I tried this caramel at-home recipe. I used the caramel candies against my better judgement only because I couldn't justify purchasing a candy thermometer to use once a year. Silly.

Tip #1: Rinse the apples after sticking them with the skewers under hot running water and dry thoroughly. The website didn't mention anything about that but I read on almost all other websites that it helps to get rid of the waxy film.

Tip #2: Use big plates for toppings. It gets pretty messy!

Tip #3: It says to let the caramel drip off the apples and then hold them upright to even it out. DO THIS FOR A LONG TIME! I did it for ohhh say 5 seconds each way and I ran out of caramel and the caramel on the first few apples I did ended up falling off anyways on the parchment paper. But they still look and taste delicious!!

Homemade Caramel Apples:

700 g. (24 oz.) caramels, unwrapped
4 tbsp. whole milk
10-12 medium-sized apples
sticks inserted in tops

1. Melt caramels and milk in double boiler or in microwave safe bowl in 30 second increments (stirring in between) until melted and smooth.

2. Dip apples in caramel at an angle and roll to get a nice, smooth coating.

3. Hold apples upside down until the caramel stops dripping. Flip upside down and hold until caramel is evenly coated.

4. Roll apple in desired toppings.

5. Place on wax paper and place in fridge to harden caramel.