Category: Desserts

“Stressed spelled backwards is desserts. Coincidence? I think not!” ~ Author Unknown

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After a great weekend with friends, football and food I pondered the busy weeks ahead of me, there is so much going on and well, I admit – I feel a little overwhelmed. I know it’s just my OCDness that kicks and makes me feel this way, so I am going to make a very concerted effort to not stress about all the details and just enjoy every minute of this busy time in my life! And I am going to start enjoying this time by making cookies!!!!

Chocolate Mint Dream Cookies

(adapted from Nestlé)

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Dark Chocolate & Mint Morsels (I could not find these so I chopped up a cup of Andes Candies and added 2/3 cup milk chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 325º and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream butter and sugars in stand mixer until well combined.

Add eggs and vanilla, beat well.

In another bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.

Slowly add dry ingredients into mixer.

When well combined, stir in chocolate/mint pieces.

Scoop well rounded tablespoons of cookie mixture onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 11-13 minutes or until cookies are set.

Cool on sheet for a few minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

And so the cookie kick continues…….

abp

“When life gives you lemons, add sweet tea!” ~ unknown

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I’ve decided that I really like making cookies.

Strike #1,343,987 against my goal of losing a few pounds.

Oh well, I’ll worry about that tomorrow.

Because of this new cookie obsession, I have a feeling I will be trying out several recipes this holiday season. This week was no exception.

Lemon Crinkle Cookies (adapted from LDS Magazine)

  • ½ cups butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 whole egg
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 2 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoons salt
  • ¼ teaspoons baking powder
  • ⅛ teaspoons baking soda
  • 1½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350º and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cream together sugar and butter until fluffy.

Next whip in vanilla, egg, lemon juice/zest.

In another bowl, combine dry ingredients through flour and slowly add to cream mixture. Thoroughly combine.

Put powered sugar on a plate, roll batter into heaping teaspoon balls and roll in powdered sugar.

Place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 9-11 minutes until barely brown and they have a matte look to them. Cool on sheet for a bit, then transfer to a baking rack to finish cooling completely.

This was a very simple recipe that makes delicious cookies! They would make great gifts this holiday season! The problem with this is keeping myself and the DH from eating them before I can get them wrapped up! 🙂

abp

“Luck is what you have left over after you give 100 percent.” ~ Langston Coleman

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Well, the stitches came out (ouch, ouch, ouch) and although it’s not perfect, I’m feeling much better – I have about 80% use of my right hand. I’m actually going to attempt to go back to work today. I have really enjoyed being off – just wish I could have been a little more productive although I can’t remember the last time I got to just take it easy – a girl could get use to that! 🙂

Besides making Chili from a pack (we had our first really cold night of the fall this week and I had to have chili to commemorate it) I have not made anything to eat and well – I’m itchin’ to get back in the kitchen!

I found just the recipe to pull me back in.

Nutella and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

(recipe adapted from Of Pots and Pens)

With all the talk of Halloween and candy – I am craving the sweet stuff!

You will need:

  • 1 cup butter (unsalted), softened
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup Nutella
  • 1/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350°.

First cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl until fluffy.

Then add in peanut butter, Nutella, egg and vanilla and mix until well blended.

(had to put this pic in just because it looks so yum! – could eat with a spoon!)

In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients until well combined.

Slowly add in dry mixture to the creamy mixture.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Place tablespoon sized scoops of cookie dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.

(I smooshed them down a little bit after this)

Cool on sheet, then transfer to rack to finish cooling.

There you go – that wasn’t too hard for this not back to 100% girl.

Glad to be back to cooking/blogging – it might be a slow go for a while but I hope to be good as new very soon!

Happy Halloween!!!!

abp

“The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.” ~ Lucille Ball

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It’s definitely starting to feel like fall around here, so like everyone else I feel like doing something pumpkiny.  I have found several recipes that look interesting but I’m a sucker for blondies/brownies so when I happened upon Pumpkin Butterscotch Blondies on the blog The Baker Chick I knew that was the one!

Oh and by the way – today is my birthday, so if I want to eat the whole pan. I can. 🙂

Tonight a group of my friends and family are going to Hokkaido Japanese Steak and Sushi Bar and I cannot wait!!!! I looooove me some fried rice!!! This will be the first time I have been since the original was destroyed in the April 27, 2011 tornado – so happy to have them back!!

Alrighty then, on to the blondies.

Pumpkin Butterscotch Blondies

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
  • 1 package (12 ounces) butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350°

Spray the bottom and sides of a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray.

Mix the first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.

Next cream butter and sugar on medium high speed with an electric mixer.

Then beat in egg and vanilla.

Beat in pumpkin puree.

Reduce speed to low and mix in the dry ingredients until combined.

Fold in butterscotch chips.

Spread evenly into prepared baking dish.

Cook for 30-45 minutes or until sides start to pull away and an inserted toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs.

Cool completely and cut into squares.

I then served it warm with whipped cream, chocolate chips and pecans.

ahhhh……the flavors of fall – you just can’t beat ’em!!

As you can see, I like a little crunch so next time I would add pecans when baking. When trying a new recipe for the first time that I am pretty sure I would like nuts in, I usually wait because pecans are pretty pricey and I want to make sure I like the recipe before I add them.  But that is just me – they are pretty awesome without nuts too!

I hope you have had a chance to sample several goodies this fall season! If you have not – this would be a great one to try!

abp

“Once in a young lifetime one should be allowed to have as much sweetness as one can possibly want and hold.” ~ Judith Olney

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After a nice low key weekend, I have had a pretty productive no make up Monday. Bills paid, more thank you notes written, calls made, laundry done, bathroom cleaned, dishwasher emptied (I had a broken glass – boo) AND a trip to the gym.

Which I just have to tell you – the girl beside me today on the elliptical machine had on full makeup (I don’t mean I’ve been at work make-up but pageant make up), her hair rolled and curled and down around her shoulders and wait for it – chandelier earrings.

Yep.

Hmmmm.

Ok.

So, since I have a few minutes to spare before time to start dinner I decided to make  a dessert.

Chocolate Toffee Cookie Bars

That just sounds good, doesn’t’ it??

What you will need –

  • 1 2/3 cups flour
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup toffee bits

Preheat oven to 350° and spray a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and brown sugar on medium speed until fluffy.

Then add egg and vanilla, mix well.

Slowly add in flour mixture and beat on a low speed until thoroughly combined.

Fold in chocolate chips and toffee bits.

Spread batter into baking dish and press dough evenly into pan with a sheet of parchment paper.

Bake for 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Mmm, Mmm good!

These remind me a lot of blondies, actully – they are more like a cookie cake from the Great American Cookie Co. – you just need fudge icing!!!

I think next time I may add nuts.

I served these warm with whipped cream 🙂

Chocolate Toffee Cookie Bars

I posted this less than two days after I made them – the pan full is already gone!

Enjoy!

abp

“Man cannot live by bread alone; he must have peanut butter.” ~ James A. Garfield

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Very busy day at work on Wednesday, followed by a great start to my Wednesday night Bible Study. Not to mention the great meal served beforehand! I’m totally going to get used to this not cooking on Wednesday deal!

If you do not know – I work late on Wednesdays and Thursdays so I never cook on Thursday (usually a date night with the mom) and I only cook on Wednesday if it’s a casserole I made ahead of time or a crockpot meal. Now I will not have to worry about Wednesdays for the next 15 or so weeks! I’m especially grateful because my friend, the great and wonderful cook – Ashley H. is back at the helm so the food will be awesome!!!

I know you’re thinking – but wait – I thought you liked to cook.

I do!!! Just not when I’m pooped. And I’m pooped on Wednesdays and Thursdays!

I had another very busy day at work Thursday – dinner with the mom.

And Friday night was an awesome date night with the DH at Kozy’s. Kind of funny though – they were hoppin’ that night and ran out of grits – so my shrimp ‘n grits turned out to be shrimp ‘n potatoes. Hey – a carb’s a carb in my book!

So my hiatus from the kitchen is over for the week.

Time for Creamy Peanut Butter Tart.

This recipe comes from the blog Mel’s Kitchen Cafe – she has awesome recipes!

The only change I made was that she made her own graham cracker crust and I bought one at the store. I think its wonderful to make it completely homemade but it can get to the point that it will not be made at all because there are just too many steps.

So, I cheated a tiny bit.

Creamy Peanut Butter Tart

  • 1 graham cracker pie crust
  • 3 ounces of milk or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used morsels because that’s what I had on hand)
  • 1 ½ cups heavy cream, divided
  • ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

Place chocolate in a small bowl. Heat ½ cup of heavy cream in sauce pan over medium heat until simmering and pour over chocolate. Let sit for 3-5 minutes and then whisk it until well combined.

Spread chocolate mixture over crust and chill in refrigerator for about 20 minutes.

Next, with a handheld mixer combine cream cheese, peanut butter and sweetened condensed milk. Blend until sooth. Now add the remaining 1 cup heavy cream and beat mixture for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy.

Spread peanut butter mixture evenly over chocolate layer and smooth out to edges.

Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

Serve chilled with a dollop of whip cream and mini chocolate chips.  This is yum-o! A great dessert to serve after a big meal because it’s not too sweet or too heavy!

You really just can’t go wrong with peanut butter and chocolate!

pb

I hope everyone has a great start to a new week!

Coming later this week:

Super Moist Pork Tenderloin with Pan Sauce

and

Chicken Parmesan Casserole and Parmesan Knots

abp

“Between the optimist and the pessimist, the difference is droll. The optimist sees the doughnut; the pessimist the hole!” – Oscar Wilde

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The day has finally arrived! After over a year since it was destroyed by the April 27th, 2011 tornados – Krispy Kreme has reopened!!! YAY!!!!

And I was lucky enough to have a sweet hubby who stood in line for an hour this morning and brought me some to work.

Well, a lot of it had to do with the fact that my adorable stepson is the biggest KK fan ever! And this past weekend that’s all he could talk about. So, this morning at 6:45 a.m. the two of them headed out to brave the crowds!!

(people had even camped out the night before!)

Oh Oh! You know it was worth it, though! HOT NOW donuts are the best. I mean the best. They evaporate on contact with your mouth! That’s why you can eat 6 of them and not blink an eye but that means they also evaporate off you butt too, right???? Well, at least, that’s how I’m going to think about it.

Do you know there is an app for you phone that tells you when they are “HOT NOW”?

There is. I’ve got it. 🙂

(click on pic for more info)

In honor of this special occasion, I will be making a Krispy Kreme donut bread pudding next week.

(I’m going to let those lines die down a bit first.)

How sinfully good do you think that will be?? Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!

Weeeelllll, not too much else going on today.  I think after dinner (which consists of Taco Soup pulled from the freezer) I might try and whip up that Creamy Peanut Butter Tart.

Until then.

abp

“Life is better than death, I believe, if only because it is less boring and because it has fresh peaches in it” – Thomas Walker

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Seriously y’all – I gotta start this diet.  I’ve been eating waaaaay too much of the food I have been cooking! I need to just cook it, taste it and give it away!!!!

Until I lose this 7 lbs that is  – then I’ll start eating again and the whole process will start over!! 🙂

Monday night after the enchilada casserole, we had homemade peach crisp with chilled maple cream sauce. Oh honey, we were all in a food coma – sprawled out in the den like a bunch of beached whales!

It was then and there that I announced – “Peanut Gallery – you either get dinner or dessert! Not both anymore!” and they readily agreed. So some nights will be dessert nights! That could be a really good thing!

Let me tell you about this peach crisp.  Mmm Mmm good!!! I’ll show you a picture later to prove it!

Peach Crisp with Chilled Maple Cream Sauce (adapted from the great Pioneer Woman)

  • 5 whole To 6 Whole Fresh Peaches (best When Not Overly Ripe Or Soft)
  • 1 cup Flour
  • 1/2 cup Sugar
  • 1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed
  • 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 stick Butter (1/2 Cup)
  • 1/2 whole Lemon
  • 7 Tablespoons Real Maple Syrup, Divided
  • 1-1/2 cup Whipping Cream
  • 3 Tablespoons Light Corn Syrup

I would start with the cream sauce so it can be chilling in the fridge.

Put the cream, maple syrup and corn syrup in a small sauce pan and stir over moderate heat until thickened and reduced by about one-third, approximately 15 minutes. Refrigerate until it has chilled and thickened even more.

Onto the peach crisp:

Place peeled peaches in a bowl (let me tell you – I do not like the job of peeling peaches). Add in the zest and juice from the half lemon and stir in 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. Mix well.

Pour peaches into a small pan (I used a deep pie plate).

In another bowl combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

Then work the cut up butter into the flour mixture with a fork until evenly mixed. (I let my butter get a little too soft and I ended up mixing it with my hands)

Crumble mixture on top of the peaches.

Cover tightly with foil. Bake covered for 15 minutes at 350°. Remove foil and bake for additional 20-30 minutes until browned and crisp. I took her advice and turned the broil on for a few minutes before I took it out.

Serve warm with the chilled maple cream sauce drizzled on top.

Well, I decided to drizzle the cream sauce on top of the ice cream I plopped on it – you know – just to cool it off. 😉

So, I told you earlier that I had a picture proving how good it was……

Here’s your proof:

There were only 4 of us.

That’s immediately after a very large dinner.

You see why I’m talking diet?

Enjoy!

abp

“A human being isn’t an orchid, he must draw something from the soil he grows in.” – Sara Jeannette Duncan

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Today is a good, no great day!!! For two reasons – 1) It’s Friday!! 2) It’s the first day that I feel back to normal. Wednesday I was starting to wonder if that would ever be the case!

So after work, I headed to the store to get to the couple of items I needed to make Salted Nut Bars or as I have renamed them – Friday Paydays . And when I walked in, there were the most gorgeous orchids I had ever seen!! (at Winn Dixie – I know) Considering I am still in mourning because the orchid I had been nurturing for the past several months had faded away a few weeks ago – there was no question that one of those beauties were coming home with me!! Of course, the one I wanted was the one on the top and my short self looked like a spaz try to reach it with out knocking over all the others. Oh well, nothing new about that.

Here she is!!!!

Okie Doke – on to the Friday Paydays. I call them that because it’s Friday, many people get paid on Friday and they taste a whole lot like the Payday candy bar.

They are also addicting. I’m typing with sticky fingers because I can’t stop eating them long enough to finish this post!

These are quite simple to make. 5 ingredients and no baking!

(I found this recipe on the blog Bake or Break.)

  • 3 cups salted peanuts (no skins), divided
  • 2 & 1/2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cups peanut butter chips
  • 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 cups miniature marshmallows
  • kosher salt or sea salt, optional

Start by layering half the peanuts in the bottom of a 7″x11″ baking dish.

Over low heat, melt butter and peanut chips, stir til smooth.

Now, mix in the sweetened condensed milk.

Once this is combined – stir in marshmallows until melted and smooth.

Pour mixture over peanuts.

Sprinkle the remaining peanuts on top.

If you prefer more saltly with your sweet and salty snack – add a little sea salt or kosher salt.

Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Cut into bars.

Weeelllll, I did this and they taste absolutely fabulous but they didn’t set up perfectly.  You can cut them into bars and eat them but if you stored them cut they would kind of want to stick to each other because they are fairly soft/sticky.

This by no means is to deter you from making these, I just hate that I couldn’t really box them up pretty and give as a gift. Seems to be better served from the baking dish.

Regardless – they are yum yum good!!!

They finished off our dinner perfectly. BTW – we had spaghetti with this new pasta sauce I found at publix that had whole roasted garlic cloves in it – AWESOME! (I doctored it up a little of course ;))

Take a look.

Now off for a walk and then in the bed to watch the first of the three Bourne movies so I’m ready to go see the new Bourne Legacy movie at the theater this weekend!

’til later

abp

“I’m a fast-talking, sharp-shooting, tough girl. I like to think that I’m really tough on the outside, with a caramel-sweet center.” – Reese Witherspoon

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Yay for No Make-Up Mondays!!! With things being as busy as they have been for the past 3 months I haven’t had a NMM in awhile! I’m going to take advantage of it!

Not to mention my head still feels like a 30 lb. bowling ball. The Dayquil has not done it’s trick yet this morning. I hate being puny. (you know – puny is a funny sounding word, especially if you say it over and over)

Ok, I finished up some paper work and laundry so its off to the kitchen to attempt the Carmelitas!  I’m hoping chocolate will make me feel better. 🙂

Here we go!

Carmelitas Courtesy of Lulu the Baker

  • 32 caramel squares, unwrapped
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 3/4 cup butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

First, unwrap caramels and combine with the cream in saucepan over low heat.  Stir until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside. I poured mine into a pourable measuring cup. Preheat oven to 350°.

In a separate bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, and baking soda.

Pat half of the oatmeal mixture into the bottom of an 8×8″ pan.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Now sprinkle on the chocolate chips and pour caramel sauce on top of that.

Crumble the remaining oat mixture on top and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.

Cool completely before cutting. I actually served mine more like a cobbler – warming each slice back up and serving with ice cream. Fabulous, to say the least. MayMay said it was the best thing she had ever eaten. 🙂 I love my peanut gallery.

Click pic to see the up close awesomness!!!!!!

This is a must make!!!!

Until we meet again!

abp