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.

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.

September 6: Payroll Bars

Payroll Bars

Ingredients:

Crust
6 tablespoons (3 oz) unsalted butter
1 (18.25 oz) box yellow cake mix
1 large egg

Filling
3 cups miniature marshmallows
4 tablespoons (2 oz) unsalted butter
2 cups peanut butter chips
2/3 cup light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups salted peanuts
2 cups crispy rice cereal, such as Rice Krispies

1. Preheat the oven to 350 and place a rack in the center. Line a 9x13 metal pan with nonstick foil, or line it with regular foil and spray the foil with flour-added baking spray.
2. Make the crust: In a small microwave-safe bowl, microwave the butter on high for 30 seconds, or until melted. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, mix the cake mix, melted butter, and egg at medium speed to make a dough. Press the dough into the prepared pan and bake for 12-18 minutes.
3. Make the filling: Sprinkle the marshmallows evenly over the baked dough and return the pan to the oven for 5 minutes to melt the marshmallows. In a large (3 qt) saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and add the peanut butter chips and corn syrup. Stir until melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla, peanuts, and cereal. Drop blobs of the cereal mixture over the marshmallows, spreading gently to cover. Let cool completely, then chill until very cold so the bars will be easier to slice. Grasp the foil, lift from the pan, set on a cutting board, and use a chef's knife trim the edges. Cut the bars into squares.

Crust Ingredients

Filling Ingredients

Addition of peanut butter chips and light corn syrup

Addition of vanilla

Addition of peanuts

Addition of rice krispies

Thoughts: It was another straightforward recipe. I used a cake mix that was 15.25 oz and 1 bag of peanut butter chips that equaled 1 2/3 cups instead of 2. I baked the crust for 13 minutes. We both thought it was just ok.