Monster Cookies

Wowie! This is my new favorite cookie recipe. Be warned: it makes a TON. Don't use your kitchen aid mixer to mix it up, find a bigger bowl. I learned the hard way. But they are so worth it!

2 cubes soft butter or marg.
3 1/8 cups creamy peanut butter
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 T. corn syrup
1 1/2 t. vanilla
4 t. baking soda
6 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup plain m&m's
9 cups rolled or quick oats
***this is correct--no flour***

Cream butter with pb. Add in order, blending after each addition: brown sugar, white sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, soda, eggs, choc. chips, m&m's, oats.

Use a big tablespoon to scoop the dough. Flatten cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet, leave room for spreading. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Let cool a minute or two, carefully remove to a wire rack for cooling.

They are chewy and soft, and oh so good! Would be great for a potluck, bake sale, or for freezing to bake later. Enjoy!

Buttercup Squares

Here is a recipe I have been making often because of the heat. It is fast, easy, and does not use the oven. :)

Buttercup Squares
3/4 c. butter, melted
3 c. crushed graham crackers (about 1 1/2 pkgs.)
2 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 1/2 c. peanut butter
1 1/2 c. chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients, except the chocolate chips. Pat into a 9x13 pan. Melt the chocolate chips and spread over mixture. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm. Cut into squares.

Enjoy!

Almost Perfect Pastry

I know I've shared this recipe on my blog awhile ago but thought I'd share it again here because it really is the Perfect Pie Crust!

Almost Perfect Pastry

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt (or more if desired)
3/4 cups vegetable oil
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp of milk

Combine flour and salt. Add oil and milk and mix with a fork. Add a little more flour if too moist (I rarely have to). Divide into two balls. Roll between two 12 inch squares of waxed paper placed on a dampened counter so it won't slip. Roll to desired size and peel off the top paper and fit dough in pan. Finish pie with filling and top with second crust.

To bake crust for one crust pie preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake for 50 minutes in a 9 inch pie plate.

Seriously, it's so easy and tasty that you'll never even think about buying a pie crust again!

Caramel-Chocolate Oat Squares

This is a recipe I've had for years, it comes from Quick Cooking Magazine. I pulled it out and made these to bring along on a recent camping trip. To me, they are the perfect cookie. And you make them in the microwave, so they are great for summer!

3/4 c. butter or marg.
1 1/4 c. flour
1 1/4 quick cooking oats (all I had was old fashioned oats and they worked fine)
3/4 cups brown sugar (I think I skimped a little on the sugar)
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
24 caramels
1/4 c. milk
1 c. choc. chips
1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

In a microwave safe bowl heat butter for about 30 seconds til softened. Combine flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, and salt, stir in butter til combined. Set 1/3 of the mixture aside for topping. Press remaining mixture into a 8 in square microwavable dish (dough will be sticky, you may need to lick you fingers). Cook in microwave for 2-3 minutes til crust is raised and set. In another microwave safe dish melt caramels with milk stirring every 30 seconds, til smooth. Sprinkle chips and nuts over crust and pour caramel mixture over all. Sprinkle reserved oat topping and press down lightly (I just do teaspoon size globs and press down slightly). Microwave again for 3-4 minutes, rotating every minute til the caramel is bubbly. Cool before cutting.

Note: You may have to adjust the time in the microwave. Mine were a little on the "gooey" side, but I put them in the fridge for a while before cutting and they held together nicely and were oh, so yummy. You could probably bake them instead, if you wanted to, maybe 325 for 15-20 minutes?

Blackberry Crumb Bars

"A perfect marriage of tart fruit and tender cake, capped with a slightly crunchy topping."

I don't eat much sugar these days, so I am always looking for "sweet" recipes to adapt. I got this from a magazine, but I changed it so much I will call it my own. You can read more about Stevia here.

Topping, mix together and refrigerate:

6 TBS melted butter

1 cup flour (half whole wheat and half white)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

Cake:

3/4 cup flour (half whole wheat and half white)

1 TBS wheat germ

1 TBS flax meal

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. Stevia or Stevita powder

1/4 tsp. salt

Enough black berries (frozen okay) to cover top

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 cup butter, softened

Mix filling and spread into a 9x9 greased baking dish. Top with berries and crumb topping. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Cut into squares.

I'm thinking that some of the butter could be reduced with yogurt or apple sauce. What do you think?

Sweet Dessert Panini

Another super healthy and delicious recipe from Paula Deen

Ingredients

1 cup Hazlenut spread (Nutella)
8 slices white bread
2 bananas, sliced lengthwise
16 marshmallows, cut in half
butter, softened
powdered sugar, for dusting
whipped cream, for garnish
chocolate sauce, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the grill to medium-low.

Heat hazelnut spread, so that it lightly coats the back of a spoon. (You can skip this step). Spread all slices of bread with a thin layer of hazelnut spread. Apply banana slices to 4 pieces of bread and marshmallows to the remaining 4 pieces. Take 1 slice of bread with banana, and 1 with marshmallows and press them together, making a sandwich. Repeat. Apply a light layer of butter to each side of the sandwiches.

Place each sandwich on the pre-heated grill for 2 minutes per side. Once cooked, cut each sandwich in half on the diagonal. Put sandwiches on individual plates, dust with powdered sugar, top with whipped cream and drizzle with chocolate sauce.

Raisin Oatmeal Cookie

I've been on kind of a kick lately with healthy eating and have been trying to find some good options for sweets for my family that contain fewer calories, and less sugar than the usual. I heard about a website from a friend called hungrygirl.com, in which they take a typical restaurant type foods and re-make them to a low-cal version.

This afternoon I tried the Raisin Oatmeal Cookie and I think they are pretty good. They have a nice cookie texture and are plenty sweet enough for me. The true test will be if my kids think they are just as tasty.

Note: I did make a few modifications to the recipe. I used craisins instead of raisins (just what I had on hand). I doubled the recipe to get 12 cookies (it actually ended up making 14). I used 1 packet of stevia sweetener in place of the splenda. And I used real butter, and 1 egg, instead of the butter substitute and egg beaters. This probably does up the calories a bit, but still, better than some alternatives.

Check out the website for tons of great recipe makeovers!

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars

I am posting this recipe from Lindsay again because I make it ALL the time. My kids love it and so do I with a cup of tea and just a small dollop of ice cream on the side ;). -- Alysun

So for I have made these twice in one week. My kids and husband love them, they couldn't tell they were "healthy". According to my standards, they are pretty healthy....for a cookie.

1/2 c. butter, softened
1/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 c. peanut butter
1/2 t. vanilla
1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. whole-wheat flour
1/4 c. wheat germ (I do about 1/8 c. wheat germ and 1/8 c. flax seed)
1 c. rolled oats
1/2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1 package (6 oz.) semi-sweet choc chips ( 1/2 a bag)

Preheat oven to 350. Beat butter with sugars til smooth. Add egg, pb, and vanilla until well blended. Add flours, wheat germ, oats, soda and salt. Beat into butter mixture. Add choc chips. Spread dough evenly into a buttered 8-inch baking pan. Bake until light golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. Cut into squares.

Trust me...they are yummy!!!

(This came from the October 2006 issue of Sunset)

Almond Roca Brittle

From my mom-in-law, Judi. 

This is a Christmas staple for my husband's family and I finally got the recipe and made it myself. It takes a lot of hard stirring, but it SO worth the work.

Melt together:

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 T. corn syrup

3 T. water

Stir together until bubbly, thick, light carmel colored and 300 degrees (with a candy thermometer). Immediately spread in a 13" sheet pan (I lined my pan with a Silpat and it worked really well). Top with melted chocolate, about 1/2 cup, and sprinkle wet chocolate with 1 cup finally chopped almonds. Break into snack sized pieces and then try to restrain yourself from eating all of it in one sitting.

Marshmallow Cookies

Now, before you make assumptions based on the name of these cookies...let me tell you, I am not a huge marshmallow fan, but these cookies are to die for. They remind me of those cookies a place in the mall used to make...The Cookie Connection, was it? Anyhow, they take a little work, but are well worth the yummy, chocolate, melt-in-your-mouth, sugary, sweetness.

1/2 C. shortening
1 C. sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 C. flour
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/2 C. cocoa
1 t. vanilla
1 t. butter flavoring (I didn't have this so I used twice the amount of vanilla)
21 large marshmallows cut in 1/2.

Beat shortening at medium speed until fluffy. Add sugar, beat well. Add eggs, one at a time. Combine flour, baking soda and salt and add to shortening mixture. Mix well. Stir in vanilla and butter flavoring. Dough will be stiff and very sticky. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Shape into small 1 inch balls (I just plopped small teaspoons full of dough since it was too sticky to roll into balls and they turned out fine). Bake on greased cookie sheet (or silpat) for 7 minutes at 350. Pull out of the oven and place 1/2 marshmallow on top of each cookie, press down a little. Return to the oven for 2 more minutes. Cool on wire rack and spread with warm frosting.

Frosting:

1/2 C. chocolate chips
1/4 C. milk
2 T. butter
2 C. powdered sugar
Combine first 3 ingredients in a saucepan and cook over low heat stirring constantly until melted. Add powdered sugar and beat til smooth. Spread over cookies.

Prepare yourself for a sugar high.

Pumpkin Milk Shake

I really love Pumpkin Milk Shakes this time of year. In my area, Arctic Circle and Burgerville serve them and they are delicious. It's been a long time, but I think I like Burgerville's better, but it is $4.50 and who can afford that?

I attempted my own homemade version last night and it was really good. Even my hubby enjoyed it, saying it was a good substitute for th pumpkin pie that he's been requesting. I decided to share it with you, to save you $4.50 and my version is lower in fat/calories as well.

Put in blender equal parts pumpkin and vanilla ice cream (double churned) with a splash of lowfat milk, a pinch of salt, a little sugar (depending on your proportions), and generous spices, either pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon and nutmeg (I did 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/8 tsp. nutmeg). Blend until the right consistency, adding milk as necessary. Enjoy.

Ode to Zucchini

It's that time again ladies. What to do with all that zucchini? Gosh - I don't even have a garden this year and it's still coming out my ears. I LOVE this squash (can I say that?). In the past weeks I've eaten zucchini sandwiches, feta and zucchini fritters and of course zucchini bread. My recipe for Zucchini Bread comes from "More with Less" by Dorris Janzen Longacre. This recipe book is really a good investment if you don't already have it.

Zucchini Bread

Preheat to 350.

Combine:
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil (I used half vegi oil, half applesauce)
2 C raw, peeled and grated zucchini
1 tablespoon vanilla

Sift:
3 C flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons cinnamon (I used 2)

Add to zucchini mixture and stir until blended
Pour into two loaf pans and bake for 1 hour.

Grandma's Best Brownies

Here is a recipe from my MIL for a rich, fudge like brownie. Definitely not low fat. In fact if you are doing Weight Watchers, just looking at one of these brownies is 5 points. You can mix everything in the sauce pan for easy clean up.

14 TBS butter divided
4oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1.5 Cups granulated sugar
2 1/4 tsp vanilla, divided
2 large eggs
1 cup flour
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional

2 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3-4 TBS milk

Grease 8" square baking pan
In a large heavy saucepan over low heat, melt 8 TBS butter and the chocolate, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in granulated sugar, 2 tsp vanilla and eggs. Blend in flour and walnuts.

Spread in pan and bake until brownies just start to pull from sides of pan 18-20 minutes
To prepare frosting: In medium bowl with electric mixer, beat remaining butter and vanilla until creamy. Gradually add confectioner's sugar and cocoa, alternating with milk, beating well after each addition until frosting is smooth and fluffy.
Frost brownies when cool, and then gobble them up in one sitting....or share with some friends.

Homemade Black Berry Ice Cream

1 1/4 cup cream

1 1/4 cup whole milk

1 cup sugar, divided

6 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups fresh blackberries

Warm cream, whole milk and 1/4 cup sugar on the stove until steaming, but not simmering. Whisk egg yolks and 1/4 cup sugar on a separate bowl. Temper the egg yolks by whisking in 1 cup of the cream mixture into the eggs, then add all the eggs to the cream in the pan. Whisk until the mixture is almost to a simmer, about 180 degrees. Strain through a fine mesh strainer (optional) and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Wash the blackberries and then heat on the stove with 1/2 cup sugar until the berries release their juices about 5 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and discard pulp. You should have about 1 cup of berry juice. Add to the custard mixture with vanilla and a pinch of salt.

Follow the directions on your ice cream maker. For harder ice cream, America's Test Kitchen suggests freezing for 3 more hours, but who can wait that long? This is really delicious and I used 2 cups cream and 1/2 cup 2% milk because I didn't have whole milk. It worked and was eaten up without complaint. :)

Mocha Mousse Pie

This is the pie that Doc, my husband makes and it is gone in no time. (He is the baker in the family). I don't care for it since I don't like the taste of coffee. But if you like mocha, you will like this pie.

Plan ahead…needs to chill

1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, melted and slightly cooled

2 cups whipping cream

2 tablespoons instant coffee granules

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 chocolate crumb or graham cracker crust (9 inches)

Chocolate shavings (on top), optional

In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips; set aside to cool. In
a mixing bowl, beat cream, coffee granules, sugar and vanilla on low until
coffee and sugar are dissolved. Beat on high just until stiff peaks form. Set aside
1-1/2 cups to topping. Gradually fold remaining cream mixture into a cooled
chocolate until well blended. Pour into pie crust. Spread with reserved cream
mixture. Refrigerate for 3 hours. Garnish with chocolate shavings if desired.
Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Chocloate Chunk Espresso Cookies

Looking for the best chocolate chip cookie ever? Look no further! I found this recipe on a friend of a friend's blog. They are a delicious, rich and chewy cookies. You don't even need to be a coffee lover (like me) to enjoy them. The instant coffee just helps to enhance the chocolatey-ness :)

3/4 cup butter
2 T. instant coffee granules
2 cups plus 2 T. flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1 package choc chips or chunks
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

Combine butter and coffee granules in a small saucepan and cook over med-low heat til butter melts and granules dissolve, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cool at room temp (don't let butter re-solidify).

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Combine butter mixture, sugars, egg and egg yolk, and beat at med speed until blended. Gradually add flour mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

Drop by heaping tablespoonful 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 325 for 12ish minutes (my oven takes about 10 min). Cool slightly then remove to wire racks to cool completely. Or enjoy one warm with a tall glass of milk....mmmmm.

Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

I recently ended up with more blueberries than I knew what to do with and a potluck to go to. I went on a quest to find a delicious, portable dessert that was somewhat not hugely fattening. I found this recipe on the Kraft web site. They were a little melty, but I don't think I cooked them quite long enough. The ones I kept in the fridge turned out perfect even though they weren't quite firm at room temperature. As for the not hugely fattening part, that didn't work out so good. At 190 calories and 11g of fat per serving (5 points), they are certainly not good for you. However, if you use Nefchatel cheese instead, you save 10 calories and 3g of fat. Grandad ate 4 of them--he's trying to gain weight--and my sister commanded me to post the recipe. Meanwhile, I still have more blueberries than I know what to do with. Any suggestions? (I already have plenty in the freezer).

Ingredients

6 Tbsp. butter, melted

2 cups HONEY MAID Graham Cracker Crumbs

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 jar (10 oz.) blueberry jam or preserves*

1 cup blueberries

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Mix butter and graham crumbs in 13x9-inch baking pan. Press firmly onto bottom of pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.

BEAT cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer on medium until creamy. Add sugar, eggs and vanilla; beat until well blended. Set aside. Stir jam in jar until softened; spread evenly onto crust. Sprinkle with blueberries; top evenly with the cream cheese mixture.

BAKE 30 min. or until slightly puffed. Cool completely in pan. Cut into 24 bars to serve. Store any leftover bars in tightly covered container in refrigerator up to 3 days.

* I made my own spread instead of buying jam. I cooked 2 cups of blueberries and 1/2 cup sugar over medium-high heat until they were nice and juicy (mash them up a little with a potato masher if you like). Then I mixed about a tablespoon of cornstarch in about 2 tablespoons of cold water. I added it to the bubbling blueberries until it was nice and thick, then spread it on the crust. I completed this step right after making the crust and kept it in the fridge until the topping was ready.

Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag

My 5 year old and I were playing around on YouTube when we found this recipe for making ice cream in a bag. We tried it out and it was super easy and super fun and super tasty.

My son loved being able to do most of it by himself and it even turned into a good lesson on measuring and light chemistry.

Here's the video we watched.



Ingredients:
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup milk or half & half
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons rock salt
1 pint-size Ziploc plastic bag
1 gallon-size Ziploc plastic bag
Ice cubes

Instructions:

Put milk, vanilla, and sugar into the small bag, and seal it.
Fill the large bag half full of ice, and add the rock salt. .
Place the small bag inside the large one and seal the large bag.
Shake until mixture is ice cream, about 5 minutes.
Wipe off top of small bag, then open carefully and enjoy!

My variation:
I think I'm allergic to milk (it's been disagreeing with my tummy lately) so I made one bag using a can of coconut milk and omitting the vanilla. It was delicious! I think next time I'll try adding a little bit of cocoa powder or hot chocolate mix to the coconut milk. Yum!

If anyone tries this with soy milk or something different I'd love to know how it turns out.

Banana Spice Birthday Cake

I found this recipe randomly while searching the internet for a banana cake for my son's first birthday. It turned out really well. It has banana slices and custard between the layers. Enjoy!

click here for the recipe

Chewy Granola Bars

I came across this granola bar recipe from Jr. High Home Ec. class, and started making these instead of buying granola bars. I haven't done the math but I imagine these are so much better nutritionally than store bought granola bars (they sure TASTE better) and cheaper, too. They don't last long around my house, but if I'm lucky I can put away 6 or 8 in baggies to pack in lunches. Here is the basic recipe:

4 cups rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar (I use a little less)
1/4 cup honey
1 cup melted marg. or butter
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. vanilla

Mix oats and sugar. Add melted marg. and other ingredients. Press into ungreased pan about 1/2 inch deep (8x8). Bake at 300 for about 20 minutes til lightly golden brown. Cool a bit, then cut into squares or bars.

I almost always throw in a couple small handfulls of choc. chips, and my kids really go nuts when I put in some mini m&m's. I'm thinking of trying dried fruit and nuts for more of a breakfast/snack bar. Enjoy!