A Couple of Burritos or is it Cookie Dough?

 Cookie dough for sure! Yes, I am still baking Christmas cookies. The thing is that I bought a cookie making kit and then The hubs bought a whole bunch of cookie making supplies (i.e. semisweet chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, peanut butter chips, coconut, etc.) I am still working my way through everything.  My thought at this point is, to stop baking cookies. By that I mean, I am going to make the dough,  shape it into cookies, and then freeze it to bake next year. This way we can have fresh cookies on-demand as we forge through the rest of winter.

Where did I get such a great idea?  A cozy mystery!  In The Diva Runs Out of Thyme, the main character Sophie keeps frozen chocolate cookie dough on hand so she can throw a sheet of cookies into the oven whenever there is a cookie emergency.  Genius idea. 

Speaking of cozy mysteries, I just finished listening to Booked for Death by Victoria Gilbert. You can read my review below 

Booked for Death by Victoria Gilbert
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm ready to book a vacation for me and the Hubs to Chapters! If you are a lover of mystery books, you really need to add this to your TBR pile. Charlotte is the new owner of a Bed & Breakfast she has inherited from her aunt. In a break from many murder mysteries, the murder doesn't take place in the first chapter. In this story you the reader get a chance to meet the characters and then someone dies, which allows you the fun of guessing who is going to get the ax and why.

In addition to the murder, there is a subplot about Charlotte's aunt and her potentially shady past that we get to delve into as the past and present connect.
Great news for those of you that don't need or want a romance in your cozy mystery. This book doesn't have a romance subplot. The reveal of the killer and their motivation takes place with all the suspects in a room together which fits very well with a mystery taking place at a book-themed B&B.

I enjoyed the setting, a book-themed B & B in coastal North Carolina, Charlotte is a retired teacher who is able to take all the patience she has developed from those years of teaching and put it to use managing the guests at her B& B and now solving a mystery. I look forward to seeing what other mysteries will take place in this series.

This book would make a really nice gift for anyone who likes to read mysteries. I listened to the audiobook which I borrowed from my local library. The reader for the book is Suzie Althens whose work I enjoy.


View all my reviews

Avoid E. Coli! Eat More Cookies!

There is a recall on cauliflower!  Oldest sons favorite vegetable is not safe?  Ack! More cookies are needed!

When I was very small I remember having a chocolate crinkle cookie and breaking a tooth.  I think what really happened was that I had a crinkle cookie and I had a loose baby tooth, memories can be misleading. In any case, this all happened decades ago and yet, I have harbored a grudge toward  chocolate crinkle cookies.

Until now! These are a great cookie to make. You can make the balls and then refrigerate or freeze them until you are ready to bake. When ready to bake just roll in powder sugar and bake in the oven.  If you want to shortcut the heck out of the cookie making, start with this cake mix. Then you only need to add one stick of butter and an egg. Or use this recipe from all recipes to make the cookies from scratch.

This weekend I got a chance to see Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse with the boys. Pro Tip: if you go to the earliest showing at an AMC theater, the cost is just over $5 per ticket. This movie was fantastic, an engaging story, fun one-liners, and visually stunning.  It is an incredible looking movie. The movie has lots of action and chase scenes, but I did not get motion sick, so that was an added bonus.  Really, go see the movie at the theater it's wonderful.  The rating is PG so you can take younger kids and the bad guys shouldn't be too scary.

How many cookies is too many cookies? Let's find out!

More Adventures in Cookie Baking- Day 10! My freezer is getting very full. Youngest Daughter says what are you going to do with all these cookies?  I say for the 44th time, I'm going to give them away. This time she answers "Ok."  Apparently she wasn't listening the many other times I said I was making cookies to give away for Christmas.

Onward.

As my life has been quite busy with work, and picking up and dropping off kids and attending Holiday events; I decided if I wanted to continue baking, I needed to  chill some balls.  to that end, I rolled these lemon cookies and then let them chill in the fridge overnight before glazing and baking them.

Katie C. recommended this recipe from Martha Stewart.  She likes to make these cookies into Christmas Wreathes.  I took a cue from Katie and decided to put some festive sprinkles on mine.

Let's say you are sitting around wrapping presents and would like to indulge, I recommend these cookies with a nice prosecco. How delightful! You could even, take it to the next level by adding some fresh raspberries to your plate or to your glass.  Lemon- raspberry is such a lovely flavor combination.

And while I'm here just 4 days left to enroll in the ACA ! Get Covered!

It's Finally Here! The Day We've Been Waiting for All Year!

Happy #NationalCookieDay!  It's Adventures in Cookie Baking Day 8!

Today's cookie isn't really a cookie, although you do bake it, so it's almost a cookie.  Cookie adjacent we can call it.  What is it?  A cookie bar that loads of people enjoy!

7 Layer Magic Cookie Bars!

Here is an up close picture of the 7-layer bars cooling.  You can't see it here, but several family members have already helped themselves to a piece.  A very gooey piece of the bars because the recipe hadn't cooled off and set yet.

If you like these you can make them as directed or swap out ingredients as you wish.

7 Layer Magic Cookie Bars (See cookies is in the title; ergo, these are a perfect fit for #NationalCookieDay)

Step 1: Preheat Oven to 350



2 1/2 cups of crushed graham crackers. (I couldn't find crushed graham crackers at the store and got tired of looking so I bought graham crackers and used a cheese grater to crush them.  It worked.

1 1/2 sticks melted butter

Mix above 2 ingredients and then press evenly in a 9x13 inch pan.

Pour 1 can of sweetened condensed milk over the cracker mix evenly-don't try to smooth out, just pour it over and leave it.

Next layer each of these in order:

1 1/2 cups of butterscotch morsels

1 1/2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups of coconut flakes

1 cup of  walnuts

Place in a 350 degree oven for 23 minutes and then try to let cool completely before sampling.

You could swap the butterscotch for white chocolate chips  or peanut butter chips--you could add dried cherries or cranberries. You could use pecans or hazelnuts.  It's a very flexible recipe.

Happy #NationalCookieDay!

xoxo

Do you have FOTO? Fear of the Oven? Here's a cookie recipe for you!

After my Oatmeal Scotchies debacle, I needed a few days to recover and a couple more trips to the grocery store, and now I'm ready for another butterscotch morsel-centric cookie recipe. 

Not much is simpler than a 3-ingredient recipe and only using a microwave.  Note: you can melt the butterscotch chips on the stove if you don't use a microwave. Of course if you don't use a microwave, you probably don't eat processed items chock-full  of  sugar.

Butterscotch Haystacks

You can find many variations of this recipe on Google, Pinterest, etc.  This is what I did:

1/2 a bag of La Choy Chow Mein Noodles.
1 bag of Butterscotch Morsels
2/3 ish a cup of dry roasted peanuts.

Put the noodles and the peanuts in a bowl.  Put the Butterscotch Morsels in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave the morsels for about 90 seconds, until they are melted.  Pour over the noodles and peanuts. Mix until all is covered; then put bunches of the mix onto a tray. My tip is to use some plastic gloves to mix everything and  to put the little bunches of mix --i.e. haystacks onto a tray or cookie sheet. Next chill in the fridge or freezer.  Once the haystacks are solid you can store in Tupperware or in a plastic bag in the freezer etc.

You can put the haystacks on waxed or parchment paper and let it cool on your counter tops as well--whatever works for you.

I think Butterscotch Haystacks date back to the 1970s, so it's a nostalgic treat!

Happy Day 7 of Adventures in Cookie Baking (making)!

xoxo

A Twist on Brownies, Tastes Great, Looks Very Homemade!

Hello!  Well here I am, Adventures in Cookie Baking day number ah, 6. The other day a random dessert thought popped into my head.  What if I melted dark chocolate orange slices on top of brownies.  How good would that be?

Today my mission was to find out how good that would be.

This is the chocolate I melted and put on top of the finished brownies. I used a brownie mix to make the brownies. I don't think I've ever made brownies from scratch.

Turns out I don't currently own any square baking dishes. I should really buy at least one 8x8 pan.  Or maybe someone could get me one for Christmas.

After I baked the brownies, Tom and I ran up to the High School for the annual A Christmas Carol dinner and show. Before the show the actors in character serve the diners dinner and then the Madrigals and Jazz Band perform and then the final show of the year takes place.  Youngest child did a great job in her part as a scoundrel.

When we arrived home much later, BMO had helped himself to some of the brownies. Frankly, I was surprised at how small a piece he took.

I cut up half of the brownies and left them plain for BMO and the Man.  The rest I frosted with dark chocolate orange.  Once the top had hardened, I attempted to cut the brownies.  It didn't go well.  But, they do taste delicious!

This afternoon I need to run out and get more butter and the adventure shall continue!

xoxo

Ever Have a Day When You Just Need a Cookie?

The odds are pretty good that you have the 3 key ingredients for this cookie.  There are loads and loads of variations on this cookie recipe, but in a pinch, you can make a couple dozen tasty gluten-free cookies with just one egg, one cup of sugar and one cup of peanut butter (crunchy or creamy-you pick)

 Today I took a tip from Summar E. and added one teaspoon of baking powder to my dough and this made my cookies look like very traditional peanut butter cookies.  If you skip the baking powder, the cookies will only spread just a little.  Either way, they hit the spot when you need a cookie and you need it now.

Here is my official recipe:

Preheat oven to 350:

1 cup of Natural creamy peanut butter
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp of baking powder
1 egg

Mix in a bowl, roll or plop about 1 tbsp of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  Us a fork to make a criss-cross on top.  Bake the cookies for 10-12 mins. 

If you want the cookies to last more than 15 minutes, I suggest putting a dozen or so into the freezer, preferably in a Country Crock container that has KALE written across the top to throw children, significant others and roommates off the scent of your cookie stash.

Happy Day 5 of Adventures in Cookie Baking!
xoxo

Taking the Guesswork Out of Cookie Baking

Welcome to day four of my adventures in cookie baking!  Today I started with a mix and whipped up a batch of delicious thumbprint cookies.  This is a mix and a recipe I've used before so I was 99.5% certain these cookies would turn out *chefs kiss* perfect.

On to the cookies,

I used the my favorite cookie sheet, which was purchased by the Man, so I'll give him credit for finding a quality cookie sheet at a good price. I don't know what he paid for it, but he loves to shop for a good deal.

The mix I used was the Absolutely Almond Pound Cake Mix from Tastefully Simple I got my box from my good friend Becky McNeill.

All you need is the mix, 1 stick of butter, an egg, a wee bit of water and the jam of your choice. I had a jar of the Tastefully Simple's Rhubarb Strawberry Fruit Spread so I used that, but in the past I have used apricot jam and the best of all jams: Currant Jelly.

You mix the ingredients and then bake for 10 minutes after which you remove the cookies from the over, make the thumbprints, add your jelly of choice and cook for another 4-6 minutes.  What sets these cookies apart is the almond flavor in the mix. 

Here is my finished product.  I ate a couple and the kids had a couple and now the rest are in my garage freezer--safe from easy consumption and ready to be added to holiday cookie trays.

What cookies will I make next?  Stay tuned!
xoxo

They Claim to Be the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe, Let's Find Out!

Welcome to my adventures in cookie making day three. Today I tackle, with the help of Ms. Anna, everyone's favorite cookie, the chocolate chip cookie.  I found a recipe that calls itself "Best Chocolate Chip Cookies" and I had to try it. What did I have to lose right?

We followed the recipe exactly, and I think the one instruction that sets this recipe apart from other chocolate chip cookie recipes I have used is this:

"Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt."

After making the first dozen, Anna lost interest and left me to my own devices. Out of the goodness of my heart, I proceeded to make two dozen more walnut free cookies.  By the time I had finished with the last of the plain cookies, Bryce had eaten the first dozen.

The last two dozen cookies are the best of the batch because those cookies have delicious walnuts in them. Walnuts, as you may know are not cheap but add a richness and crunch the the basic chocolate chip cookie.  Nuts are also good for you; therefore, adding nuts makes the cookie more of a health food than a treat.

This recipe did deliver excellent results.  The cookies are a little crispy on the edges and soft and gooey on the inside, but not too gooey.

Tomorrow's recipe is going to be super easy for me because it starts with a mix! We won't even need the Kitchen Aid.

xoxo

Adventures in Cookie Making Day 2

I really like Oatmeal Scotchies. Or should I really say I think I remember really liking Oatmeal Scotchies.  I know that they must have orange zest to be great and so you can be sure I zested an orange instead of using vanilla extract for this recipe. Below is the original Toll House recipe for Oatmeal Scotchies.  Now I followed this recipe with precision, however my cookies cooked in much less time than instructed and spread flatter than a pancake.  Should I have used more flour and less oats?  Was it the baking soda?  I went online to see what other bakers had to say.

According to the reviews, for this very recipe on the cookie morsel website, I am not alone, super flat scotchies abound. It's not me; it's this recipe.  I also found a blog done by a wise woman who on her first time out the gate with this recipe reduced the oats by 1/2 a cup. Her resulting cookies look thicker than mine. 

When my first dozen came out so flat and brown, I put the remainder of the dough in the fridge and then made the rest with chilled dough.  Alas, that didn't matter. Sigh. Can't win them all I guess.  I have seen there are recipes for Oatmeal Scotchie Bars, maybe next time I'll try that --or better yet if I want a butterscotch treat- I should try a no bake option and make butterscotch haystacks. 

Tomorrow with assistance from Anna I'll be tackling a recipe called "Best Chocolate Chip Cookies" 

Happy Tuesday xoxo! 

It's Christmas...Cookie Time!

Recently, I got it in my head that this year I'd like to make many different kinds of Christmas Cookies.  Thanksgiving has passed and the time is here. Plus there were a couple of really good sales on butter, and I have a bunch of butter on hand.  Is there a better way to use excess butter beside cookie making?  I think not.

For my first batch of cookies I got out my cookie press and made these spritz cookies. The recipe is very short and simple. I used almond extract instead of vanilla because that is the flavor I expect in my spritz cookies. 

As I was sampling my work, I pondering a key question. What beer or wine would pair best with these bites of goodness? 

Here is what Food & Wine has to say: 

 Simple Cookies: Prosecco
I don’t mean “simple” in a bad way here; these cookies just don’t have a lot going on: sugar cookies, spritz cookies, shortbread cookies, basically anything light in color and straightforward in taste. There are no mix-ins, no fillings, and no complex flavors from caramelization or browning. Not surprisingly, these cookies pair well with simple, light, even sparkling beverages. 

Now on to beer, the internet says spritz cookies and a nice pilsner pair well. If you would like to actually put beer in cookies, here is a round up of some beer cookie recipes.

Happy Baking!  Next up I'll share my attempts to make oatmeal scotchies.  

xoxo!