oatmeal creme cookies

For the cookies:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon honey
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

For the marshmallow frosting:

2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together the butter, brown sugar, and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, honey and vanilla and beat until incorporated.

3. In a separate medium sized bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and mix just until incorporated. Stir in oats until evenly distributed. Transfer dough to a large mixing bowl (this is so you can use stand mixer bowl for the frosting) and chill in refrigerator for 15 minutes.

4. Remove dough from refrigerator and drop by tablespoons onto baking sheet (or even a bit smaller for smaller cookies). Bake for 8 to 10 minutes just until the edges start to brown. Cookies will seem moist in the middle but they will set up. Cool on baking sheet until set and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

5. To make the frosting, in a double boiler, add egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar and heat over simmering water. Whisking frequently, heat until egg whites become very frothy and sugar is dissolved (approximately 160 degrees). Carefully add egg mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed for several minutes until egg mixture will hold stiff peaks and is light in texture. Carefully fold in vanilla until incorporated.

6. Add frosting to a cooled cookie and then top with another cookie. Store in an airtight container.

Junior Mint Brownies

I have dessert as my assignment for my dinner group this week and I couldn't think of a single thing I wanted to make. When I was at the store I bought a box of Junior Mints because they sounded really good and thought that there must be a recipe somewhere that included them...here is one of them I found! Sooooo good!

5 1/2 ounces *Junior Mints
1 1/2 cups butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
5 eggs
2 cups flour
1 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9" x 13" baking pan.

In a large bowl, stir together melted butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, one at a time, and whisk until well blended.

Sift in cocoa powder and stir to combine. Add flour, baking powder and salt and blend well.

Spread half of the batter in the prepared pan. Arrange Junior Mints in a single layer over batter. Carefully spread the remaining batter on top, covering the Junior Mints. Use a knife or spatula to smooth the top of the batter.

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares.

* use mini York Peppermint Patties instead of Junior Mints. Part of the white mint will remain unmelted, so your brownies will have a nice white stripe in the centre when you slice them into squares.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

MMMM! It's October and you HAVE to celebrate the season with Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies! This recipe is easy and yummy and I found the secret to making BIG cookies. If you want to bake big cookies, only put 6 cookies on the sheet to bake (and for regular size cookies, you should only put 9). I don't know why, but it works.

Amy's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin
1/2 cup oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups white flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions
1 Mix sugar, pumpkin, oil and egg.
2 Add vanilla.
3 Mix dry ingredients and then add to pumpkin mixture. I usually cheat and just add directly to pumpkin mixture.
4 Add chocolate chips and mix.
5 Spoon onto pans, cook at 375 for 10-12 minutes. Makes 30 cookies.

Nutrition Facts Serving Size 1 cookies 25g Recipe makes 30 cookies) Calories 119 Calories from Fat 50 (42%) Amount Per Serving %DV Total Fat 5.6g 8% Saturated Fat 1.6g 8% Monounsaturated Fat 2.2g Polyunsaturated Fat 1.5g Trans Fat 0.0g Cholesterol 7mg 2% Sodium 108mg 4% Potassium 45mg 1% Total Carbohydrate 17.0g 5% Dietary Fiber 0.6g 2% Sugars 9.8g Protein 1.3g 2% how is this calculated?

Caramel Apple Bars

I just found this recipe and haven't made them yet, but they sounded really good and I didn't want to lose the recipe! So if you make them before I do, let me know if they are good or not!

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1 3/4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 1/2 cups coarsely chopped peeled tart apples (3 medium)
3 tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 bag (14 ounces) caramels



1. Heat oven to 400ºF. Mix brown sugar, butter and shortening in large bowl. Stir in 1 3/4 cups flour, the oats, salt and baking soda. Reserve 2 cups oat mixture; press remaining oat mixture in ungreased rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches.
2. Toss apples and 3 tablespoons flour; spread over mixture in pan. Heat caramels over low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted; pour evenly over apples. Sprinkle with reserved oat mixture; press lightly.
3. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender. For 36 bars, cut into 6 rows by 6 rows while warm. Store covered in refrigerator.

Chocolate Waffles

Brandon made these for breakfast today--they are really chocolatey and really good! They kind of taste like those chocolate muffins you get from Costco (probably could be eaten as a dessert). Top with some whipped cream and some strawberries, yum!

This recipe came from Alton Brown, so all the measurements are by weight--so keep your scale handy!

7 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 1 1/2 cups
1 3/4 ounces sugar, approximately 3 tablespoons
1.5 ounces cocoa powder, approximately 1/2 cup
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 whole eggs, beaten
2 ounces unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
16 ounces buttermilk, room temperature
4 ounces chocolate chips, approximately 3/4 cup
Vegetable spray, for waffle iron

Directions:

Preheat waffle iron.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. In another bowl beat together the eggs and melted butter and vanilla, and then add the buttermilk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir in the chocolate chips just until combined. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Ladle the recommended amount of waffle batter onto the center of the iron. Close the iron top and cook until the waffle is crispy on both sides and is easily removed from iron. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.

Dark Chocolate Mousse

I made this for dessert at our dinner group this month--modeled after that chocolate mousse shooter dessert at Applebees. I think it turned out pretty good, but it's very rich!

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1/3 cup boiling water
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup cocoa
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pint cold whipping cream

Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in small bowl; let sit 2 minutes to soften. Add boiling water and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved, set aside and let sit until slightly warm or room temperature.

Meanwhile, in large bowl stir together cocoa and sugar. Add whipping cream and vanilla and beat on medium heat until thickened and stiff peaks--scraping sides and bottom of bowl occasionally throughout. Pour gelatin mixture into cream and beat until well blended. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

For serving:
Take 1 oreo cookie and scrape the filling out (not with your teeth, ha) and crumble it into the bottom of a small cup or bowl. Add a spoonful of the mousse and a dollup of whipped cream.

Makes 10-12 servings, depending on how big your spoonful is

S'more S'mores Please!

S'Mores Cupcakes
Adapted from MarthaStewart.com
Makes 24 cupcakes

1 "Family Size" box Fudge Brownies
20 graham crackers
1 stick unsalted butter,melted
1/2 cup sugar
1 bag unsweetened mini chocolate chips
2 cans Marshmallow creme
2 Hershey Bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place 24 cupcake liners in muffin tins. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions for "cake like" brownies (3 eggs instead of 2). Set aside batter.Combine graham crackers and sugar in a food processor or blender and pulse until the crackers are crushed into small, even crumbs. Add melted butter and pulse again until mixture is crumbly but becomes firm when pressed.Drop 1 Tablespoon of graham cracker mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup and use a small glass to press them down until evenly spread and firm. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of chocolate chips on top of graham crust in each cupcake. Place cupcake pans in the oven for about 5 minutes to firm graham crusts and begin melting the chocolate.Remove pans from oven and fill each muffin cup with brownie batter until 3/4 of the way full. Sprinkle each cupcake with another teaspoon of chocolate chips and a Tablespoon of graham mixture. Place tins in the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center cupcake comes out clean.Place muffin tins on a rack until the cupcakes are cooled. Meanwhile, fill a pastry bag or quart-sized zipper bag with marshmallow fluff. When cupcakes have cooled, pipe a small amount of frosting on top of each cake. Do not overfrost, as the fluff will ooze as it settles onto the cakes.Turn oven to broil setting and place muffin tins, one at a time, under broiler approximately 1 inch from the flame. Watch the cakes closely to make sure they puff and brown but do not burn. This may only take a few seconds! Shift tin as needed to make sure the marshmallow browns evenly. Repeat with the second tin. If desired, once cupcakes are completely cooled, top each with a piece of Hershey's chocolate.Serve with lots of napkins....or a hose.

Okay Kristen, I'm not TRYING to turn this blog into a diabetic's worst nightmare! These decadent little beasties are for a once a year special occasion--my daughter's 9th birthday. She's having a camping party in our backyard and serving s'mores at the party. But you can't stick a candle in a s'more--so I scoured the Internet for this recipe. They turned out every bit as yummy as they look, but I had lots of leftover graham cracker crumbs so maybe the recipe meant 20 SQUARES, not full crackers...

Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips

So I am following up on my promise--here is the appetizer I'm going to make for my dinner party. This is so yummy and perfect for summer! I am omitting the white sugar it asks for because it is plenty sweet after using the brown sugar, fruit preserves, and then the chips being sugary as well. (You could even omit the brown sugar, but leave the preserves, it gives it great taste!) Also, you can use any fruit you want--last time I made this I used nectarines instead of raspberries, and I've used blueberries in it before and it's yummy too.

2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
8 ounces raspberries
1 pound strawberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor
10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray
*1-2 cups cinnamon sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray. (I like use a pastry brush and put butter on both sides instead of the cooking spray, cut into wedges with a pizza cutter and then put them in a zip top bag with the cinnamon/sugar mix and shake. Then I spread them out on the baking sheet).
4. Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.

*You can buy this at the store, but it's ridiculously expensive, and it's very easy to make at home. For every 1/4 cup sugar I use 1 Tablespoon cinnamon... so for 1 cup sugar = 4 Tablespoons, 2 cups = 8 tablespoons, etc.

St. Patrick's Day Key Lime Pie

Now I know this is not a reduced fat/calorie recipe, but I figured since it was a holiday it would be ok!

I got this recipe from a cookbook I have called "The Great American Cookbook" featuring recipes from all over the U.S. such as: southern fried chicken, oysters rockefeller, boston beans, mississippi mud pie, and my feature for today, key lime pie!

The other day when I was at the store I saw what I thought was Key Limes (they come in a bag of green netting) which was what inspired me to make this dessert today.....but when I went back I found they were not Key Limes, but organic limes instead. So I just used the ones I found, and it tastes great anyways!

Crumb Crust:
6 oz. graham crackers or gingersnap cookies
2 tbsp. super fine sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
6 tbsp. butter, melted

Filling:
1 3/4 cups canned sweetened condensed milk (about a can and a half)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
finely grated rind of 3 limes
4 large egg yolks

freshly whipped cream to serve

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate.

For crumb crust: put the graham crackers, sugar, and cinnamon into a food processor and process until fine crumbs form-do not overprocess to a powder. Add the melted butter and process again until moistened.

Tip the crumb mixture into the pie plate and press over the bottom and up the sides. Place the pie plate on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat the condensed milk, lime juice, lime rind, and egg yolks together until well blended.

Remove crumb crust from the oven, pour in the filling, and spread to the edges. Return to the oven for and additional 15 minutes or until the filling is set around the edges but still wobbly in the center. Let cool completely on a cooling rack, then cover and let chill for at least 2 hours. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.