Here’s cookie recipe number 5

Cookie Dough Sandwiches Recipe

Overview

Prep Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes

Yield: 15 cookie sandwiches

 

Ingredients

Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup milk

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

Make the cookies:

Toss the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl until combined. Set aside.

Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl as needed. Switch the mixer to medium speed and beat in the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

Turn the mixer off and pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Turn the mixer on low and slowly beat until a dough is formed. Once mixed, beat in the mini chocolate chips. The dough will be very thick. Cover the dough tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill for at least 30-45 minutes.

Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes so it is not rock hard. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.

Roll 1.5 Tablespoons of dough into a ball and drop onto prepared baking sheet. Repeat with 8 more dough balls so there are 9 cookies for each batch.

Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides. The cookies will look very soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting:

While the cookies are cooling, make the frosting. Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Switch the mixer to medium speed and add the brown sugar. Beat until combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. On low speed, add the vanilla, flour, and salt. Beat until everything is mixed; the dough will be thick and heavy. Add the milk and beat on low for 30 seconds to fairly mix it in. Then switch to high and beat for at least 2 minutes until combined and very creamy. Gently fold in chocolate chips.

Sandwich dollops of cookie dough frosting between two cooled cookies, creating sandwiches.

You can store this in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

This recipe and pictures from Bed, Bathand Beyond

Who out there doesn’t LOVE chocolate? Here’s recipe number four

Chewy Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Overview

·                                 Prep Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

·                                 Cook Time: 12 minutes

·                                 Total Time: 2 hours

·                                 Yield: 16 cookies

 

Ingredients

·       2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

·       1 teaspoon baking soda

·       1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

·       1/2 teaspoon salt

·       3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

·       3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

·       1/2 cup granulated sugar

·       1 large egg + 1 egg yolk

·       2 teaspoons vanilla extract

·       1 and 1/2 cups Mint Chocolate Baking Pieces

Instructions

Toss the flour, baking soda, cornstarch and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a medium size bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until no brown sugar lumps remain.

Whisk in the egg, then the egg yolk. Finally, whisk in the vanilla.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will be very soft, yet slightly crumbly.

Fold in the mint chocolate baking pieces. Cover the dough tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.

Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes so it is not rock hard.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

Roll the dough into balls, about 3 Tablespoons of dough each. The dough will be crumbly, but the warmth of your hands will allow the balls to stay intact.

Place 8 balls of dough onto each cookie sheet.

Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes. The cookies will look very soft and under baked.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

You may store these up to one week in an airtight container at room temperature.

This recipe and pictures from Bed, Bathand Beyond

Here’s yummy recipe number three

Caramel Surprise Snickerdoodles Recipe

 

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Overview

·                                 Prep Time: 1 hour

·                                 Cook Time: 15 minutes

·                                 Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

·                                 Yield: 24-28 cookies

Ingredients

Cookies

·       2 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

·       2 teaspoons cream of tartar

·       1 teaspoon baking soda

·       1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·       1/2 teaspoon salt

·       1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

·       1 cup granulated sugar

·       1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

·       1 large egg, at room temperature

·       2 teaspoons vanilla extract

·       12-14 soft wrapped caramel candies

Topping

·       1/4 cup granulated sugar

·       1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Toss the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a medium-size bowl, whisk the melted butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar together until smooth. Whisk in the egg, then the vanilla until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will be slightly crumbly. Cover the dough tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill for at least 30-45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

Cookies

Unwrap and cut each caramel candy into 4 pieces.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll the dough into balls, 1.5 Tablespoons each. You'll have about 24 balls, give or take. The dough will be crumbly, but the warmth of your hands will allow the balls to stay intact.

Break each dough ball in half. Make a thumbprint into the bottom of one half and press two pieces of caramel inside.

Cover the caramel pieces with the other half and mold it around the caramels, making sure they are completely wrapped inside.

Roll the caramel-stuffed dough ball in your hands to make sure the ball is completely smooth.

Topping

For the topping, mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.

Roll each stuffed dough ball into the mixture to coat evenly.

Place 8 balls of dough onto each cookie sheet.

Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. The cookies will look very soft and under baked.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

This recipe and pictures from Bed, Bathand Beyond

Okay you little bakers – here is recipe number two

This sounds delicious!

Butter Pecan

Chill dough for 3 hours and up to 3 days

Yield 2 and ½ dozen

Ingredients:

·    

     1 and 1/2 cups (195g) 

·    1 cup (230g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

·    1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar

·    1 cup (200g) light brown sugar (or dark brown)

·    2 large eggs, room temperature preferred

·    2 teaspoons vanilla extract

·    2 and 1/2 cups (312g) all-purpose flour

·    1 teaspoon cornstarch

·    1 teaspoon baking soda

·    1/2 teaspoon salt

 

OPTIONAL

·    

     1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar, for rolling sea salt, for     sprinkling

 

Directions:

In a 300F degree oven, toast the chopped pecans on a large parchment paper or silicone mat-lined baking sheet for 15 minutes. Stir twice during this time. Turn oven off and set pecans aside.

In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat on medium high speed until fluffy and light in color. Beat in eggs and vanilla on high speed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt together until combined. On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined. The cookie dough will be quite thick. Add the toasted chopped pecans, mix on low for about 5-10 seconds until evenly disbursed. Cover dough tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory for this cookie dough.

Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes-- if the cookie dough chilled longer than 3 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. This makes the cookie dough easier to scoop and roll. Preheat oven to 350F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

Once chilled, the dough will be slightly crumbly, but will come together if you work the dough with your hands as you roll into individual balls. Scoop and roll balls of dough, about 1 Tablespoon of dough each, into balls. You may roll the cookie dough balls into the 1/3 cup of granulated sugar listed under the "optional" ingredients. It's optional because I merely did this for looks-- the sugar gives them a pretty sparkle. Or you can bake the cookies without the sugar rolling and sprinkle with a little sea salt when they come out of the oven. If you love salty/sweet, do the sea salt.

Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, until slightly golden brown around the edges. My oven has hot spots and yours may too- so, be sure to rotate the pan once during bake time. The baked cookies will look extremely soft in the centers when you remove them from the oven. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. If the cookies are too puffy, try gently pressing down on them with the back of a spoon. They will slightly deflate as you let them cool. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. Baked cookies freeze well - up to three months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well - up to three months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw.

This recipe and photo from Sally’s Baking Addiction

Time for Cookies

Holiday time is the time of year to indulge in things we limit the rest of the year.  Many of us participate on cookie exchanges or simply want to get the holiday sprit by taking something to the neighbors.  Or if you’re on a budget, these make nice gifts.  Who doesn’t appreciate something homemade?  So for the next twelve days I’ll be posting cookie recipes.  Maybe you’ll find something interesting to try.

This doesn’t mean I won’t post other things too.  I will if I have the time.

First up is:

Biscoff Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

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Overview

·                                 Prep Time: 5 minutes

·                                 Cook Time: 22 minutes

·                                 Total Time: 1 hour

·                                 Yield: 16 cookies

Ingredients

·       3/4 cup all-purpose flour

·       1/2 teaspoon baking soda

·       1/2 teaspoon baking powder

·       1/4 teaspoon salt

·       1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted (salted or unsalted)

·       3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed

·       1 large egg, at room temperature

·       1/2 cup Biscoff® Spread (this is available at Walmart)

·       2 teaspoons vanilla extract

·       2 cups quick oats*

·       Note: Do not use old-fashioned whole oats in this cookie recipe. You need quick oats, which are more finely ground (and smaller) whole oats.

 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.

Toss the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a medium-size bowl, whisk the melted butter and brown sugar together until smooth. Whisk in the egg, then the Biscoff® until combined. Finally, whisk in the vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will be very soft and slick from the melted butter. Fold in the oats.

Roll the dough into balls, about 2 Tablespoons of dough each. Place 8 balls of dough onto each cookie sheet. 

Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes. The cookies will look very soft and under baked. Remove from the oven and lightly press down on each cookie to slightly flatten, since the cookies will not spread all the way in the oven. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. 

This recipe and pictures are from Bed, Bath and Beyond

OMG! What day is it?

clipart

I swear I live a life of turmoil.  Probably a lot of it is my own making because I get too many irons in the fire all the time.  “When will I ever learn?” is a question I continue to ask myself, more so at this time of year than usual.

I always feel so overloaded with projects and “to do’s.”  To top that off, my laptop got hit with a hack and a virus.  That’s just what I needed.  I’m so thankful I take the time to back up all my files to an external drive.  If you don’t currently do this, you should start immediately.  Don’t turn your computer off before backing up everything for the day.  My laptop was working fine on Saturday with no sign there was any problem.  Sunday morning it wouldn’t let me log on.  This kind of situation just shows you bad shit happens in a flash.

courtesy of justhourglasses.com

It took me two days to get the tech out here to get the virus off the laptop.  He’s very busy with everyone wanting their computers fixed yesterday.  So he was here until 7 PM tonight.  Thank goodness he didn’t have to wipe the whole hard drive again.

Meanwhile, I had my desktop to fall back on, which he told me not to get on until he works on it because it could lock me out at any time.  I decided to brave it because I had two calendars to work on and finish that I have to mail.  So I plugged my external drive in and booted the computer up and got to work from the calendar files saved on the external drive.  I’m happy to say that everything was fine and I was able to accomplish some of the job.  I don’t know how I lucked out on that one.  When you’re stressed and short on time, everything that can go wrong usually does.  Are the sharks circling yet?

from classroom clipart

See this post from two years ago.  This sums it all up nicely because things haven’t really changed since then.

http://sunni-survivinglife.blogspot.com/2012/12/up-to-your-ass-in-alligators.html

Uh-oh, the Daredevil’s at Work

Koki - my daredevil

Yesterday, Koki was teaching Raven all her tricky moves.  She started out by jumping on top of the shower stall while I was in there.  She walks on the edge all the time.  He stood on the floor, alert with wide eyes, wondering how she did that.

Koki on the shower stall

Koki on the linen cabinet

Next, it was jumping on top of the linen closet in the bathroom.  This is no easy feat either and I’ve only had two cats that have ever been able to get up there.  Raven got in the bathtub and watched her as he stretched with his paws on the side of the cabinet.  He cocked his head and I could see the wheels turning.

Raven trying to figure it out

She was looking down and I’m sure she was saying, “na…na…na…na…na.”

She jumped down and they chased through the house and soon ended up on the banister upstairs.  Oh no!  That’s how she fell and broke two teeth as a kitten, thinking she could land on her feet two floors down.  I hope he’s smarter than to jump from there, but I’ve noticed he tries to jump further all the time.  He can already jump about six feet horizontally, but hasn’t figured out how to do it vertically yet.  He’s smart, so I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.

Koki on the banister upstairs

So she has him walking the banister too now and weaving in and out of the stiles.  It makes me cringe.