February 19: Crispy Mint Cookies

Crispy Mint Cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups (9 oz) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (4 oz) unsalted butter
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons beaten egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup crispy rice cereal, such as Rice Krispies
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats (not instant)
36 chocolate mint candies, such as Andes

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and place a rack in the center. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick foil.
2. Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium-size bowl; set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Beat in the oil and both sugars until well mixed. Beat in the egg and vanilla. By hand or using the lowest speed of the mixer, add the flour mixture and stir until it's absorbed. Stir in the cereal and oats.
4. Scoop up teaspoonfuls of dough, shape into balls, and wrap each ball of dough around a mint, covering it as best you can without using too much dough. In the end you should get about 36 cookies. Arrange about 2 1/2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake one sheet at a time for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned all over. Let cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Addition of sugars and oil

Addition of egg and vanilla

Addition of flour mixure

Addition of rice krispies and oats

Thoughts: When I added the oil in, I was positive something was wrong because the color didn't look right, however, it was early so it could've been my eyes. I broke the Andes Candies in half because it was too difficult trying to wrap the dough around the whole thing. It was challenging enough to wrap it around half. I baked them for exactly 10 minutes which seemed to be perfect. In the future I would use more rice krispies because they weren't very crispy. They were good though.

This Week's Concoctions Ending 2/18

I made nothing other than the "Weekly Cookie" this week...

This Week's Concoctions Ending 2/11

Here is the highlight of an item that I made this week other than the "Weekly Cookie"

Ground turkey penne tomato casserole

February 11: One-Bowl Peppermint Patties

One-Bowl Peppermint Patties

Ingredients:
12 tablespoons (6 oz) unsalted butter
1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs plus 2 tablespoons of lightly beaten egg
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (4.5 oz) all-purpose flour
12 small peppermint patties

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and place a rack in the center. Line an 8-inch metal pan with nonstick foil, or line it with regular foil and spray the foil with flour-added baking spray.
2. In a large, microwave-safe mixing bowl, microwave the butter on high for 30 seconds, or until melted. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth, then whisk in the sugar and vanilla. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time. When the eggs are well mixed, whisk in the baking powder, salt, and flour. Reserve about 1 cup of batter. Spread the remaining batter in the prepared pan.
3. Arrange the peppermint patties about 1/2 inch apart in a single layer over the batter. Spread the reserved batter over the patties. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center. It should come out with moist crumbs, as opposed to batter. Let cool completely in the pan, then chill until cold. Grasp the foil, lift from the pan, set on a cutting board, and cut into 16 squares.

Addition of cocoa powder

Addition of sugar and vanilla

Addition of egg

Addition of flour, baking powder and salt

Reserve batter

Thoughts: I think next time I would reserve a little more batter because it was a little hard spreading it out on the top. I only used 9 whole peppermint patties and 1 broken up to fill in the gaps. Granted they were a little larger than normal ones.  In the end, they were exploding a little bit! I chose not to chill them and served them slightly warm. I thought it came out great that way!

February 7: Fabulous Four-Ingredient Bars

Fabulous Four-Ingredient Bars

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons (4 oz) unsalted butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 (10 oz) package marshmallows
6 cups crispy rice cereal, such as Rice Krispies

1. Line a 9 by 13-inch pan with nonstick foil.
2. In a large, microwave-safe mixing bowl, microwave the butter on high for 30 to 60 seconds, or until melted. Add the chocolate chips to the melted butter and stir well. Microwave on high, stirring at 30-second intervals, until the mixture is melted and smooth. Add the marshmallows. Microwave on high for 30 seconds and stir until the marshmallows are completely melted. Stir in the cereal. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and spread evenly, pressing down slightly. Let cool and set. Lift from the pan, set on a cutting board, and cut into 36 squares.

Thoughts: Another no bake recipe except this came out much better in consistency and taste. These are basically chocolate Rice Krispy treats. The only differences are they are not as hard (easier to cut) and they are sweeter than normal plain Rice Krispy treats. I recommend this recipe to anyone who is bad at baking.

This Week's Concoctions Ending 2/4

Here is the highlight of an item that I made this week other than the "Weekly Cookie"

These are Ecstasy Bars. It was my co-worker's birthday and in recent years, she picks out her own recipe. She loves oats and chocolate and this recipe satisfies both. The whole thing gets covered in chocolate bars and it melts over the whole thing.

This Week's Concoctions Ending 1/28

Here is the highlight of an item that I made this week other than the "Weekly Cookie"

It was "snack/finger" food week at work because of the Superbowl. These are Buffalo Chicken Balls. It's made with ground chicken, celery, hot sauce, egg and bread crumbs.

January 30: Toasted Oat Breakfast Bars

Toasted Oat Breakfast Bars

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons (4 oz) unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder
4 cups toasted oat cereal
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup lightly salted or unsalted roasted peanuts

1. Line a 8-inch square pan with nonstick foil, or line it with regular foil and spray the foil with flour-added baking spray.
2. In a large, nonstick saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the salt and marshmallows and stir until the marshmallows are melted. Stir in the peanut butter and milk powder. Remove from the heat and stir in the cereal, cranberries, and peanuts. Place the mixture in the prepared pan and press down. Let cool completely in the pan, then lift from the pan, set on a cutting board, and score into 16 bars, using a large knife.

Addition of salt and marshmallows

Addition of milk powder

Addition of peanut butter

Addition of toasted oats (Cheerios), dried cranberries and peanuts

Thoughts: Another very easy recipe. There were no problems making it, however, when the bars were cooled, it was extremely difficult to cut them into easy pieces. It was very crumbly and didn't stay together very well. I thought they were very bland with a hint of sweetness from the marshmallows. Since I'm writing about this a week after, I can say when I brought them to work, they weren't a big hit. I think only 2 pieces were eaten in a week. Fail I guess?!

January 22: Kentucky Blondies

Kentucky Blondies

Ingredients:
2 cups (9 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (8 oz) unsalted butter
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Kentucky bourbon or apple juice, plus more for brushing on top
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cups pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and place a rack in the center. Line a 9x13 inch metal pan with nonstick foil, or line it with regular foil and spray the foil with flour-added baking spray.
2. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium-size bowl; set aside.
3. In a large, microwave-safe mixing bowl, microwave the butter on high for 1 minute, or until it is completely melted and very hot. With a mixing spoon, beat together the melted butter and brown sugar. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes, and then gently beat or whisk in the eggs, vanilla, and bourbon. Stir the flour mixture into the batter. Let the batter cool if it is still warm, and then stir in the chocolate chips and pecans.
4. Spread the batter in the pan and bake for about 35 minutes, or until golden and the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan. Let cool in the pan for 1 hour or until completely cool. If desired, brush the top with extra bourbon. Grasp the foil, transfer to a cutting board, and cut into 32 squares. For a cleaner cut, chill for about 2 hours before cutting.

Addition of brown sugar

Addition of apple juice, vanilla and eggs

Addition of dry ingredients

Addition of pecans and chocolate chips

Before...

And after.

Thoughts: Blondies are always easy to make. Very straightforward. I used apple juice instead of bourbon and I did skip brushing additional juice on top. They came out well and were very tasty. The only issue I had with them is that they were a little hard and definitely became even stiffer the more days that went by. The only thing that was lacking for me was the nutty flavor (like usual).