White Chocolate Cinnamon Toast Crunchers

These cookies, which I've had my eye on for quite a while, were good but I would defintely make a couple of changes:

1) Decrease the amount of white chocolate chips from 1 bag (approximately 2 cups) to 1 cup. White chocolate chips are incredibly sweet and, while I normally have quite the sweet tooth, these were too much for me.

2) Add the Cinnamon Toast Crunch whole, rather than cruching it up slightly. When I added my crushed cereal to my stand mixer, the cereal got crushed up even more so that the cereal was barely noticible in the cookie.

3) Increase the Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal by about a half a cup.I think the cookies could benefit from a little more Cinnamon Toast Crunch flavor.

Photo Courtesy of Picky Palate

White Chocolate Cinnamon Toast Crunchers
(Source: Picky Palate)

2 sticks softened butter
1 Cup packed brown sugar
3/4 Cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon real vanilla extract
2 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1 Cup Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal, slightly crushed up
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bag white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a stand or electric mixer beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in the eggs and vanilla until well combined. In a large bowl combine the flour, Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal, baking powder and salt. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with the white chips until just combined. With a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough and place onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 9-12 minutes or until edges just start to turn golden brown.

2. Let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet then transfer to a cooling rack to finish cooling. Enjoy with a tall glass of milk!

3 dozen cookies

(Not Really) Lofthouse Cookies

You've heard of Lofthouse Cookies before, right?

Those incredible addictive cookies that are white as snow, soft, almost as crumbly as polvorones, and have a lot of flavor from whatever blend of extracts are used?

Yeah, those.

I tried to recreate them this weekend for a bridal shower I was hosting. I did a lot of internet research before starting. I can't tell you the reasoning behind which recipe I finally chose, other than that it boasted that they tasted "exactly like Lofthouse Cookies."

Well, it wasn't entirely true.

They were not as puffy as Lofthouse Cookies. They were also not as soft, and the edges were almost crunchy and I defintiely didn't overbake them (You know how I am with cookies). You could taste the oil in the cookie, so much so that I had to add extra vanilla to try to balance out the flavor.

So, as of right now, the hunt is still on. Next time I will either be trying the version found on Cookie Maddness or Cooking with Carrie.

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Sugar Cookies
(Source: bon appécookie)

Cookies:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cream of tarter
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups all purpose flour

Frosting:
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 (1/2 stick) unsalted butter softened
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp half and half (or whole milk)
5 drops food coloring

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

2. Cream together the butter, oil, and sugars. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well. In a separate bowl sift together the remaining dry ingredients. Combine with the wet ingredients and mix until fully incorporated.

3. Refrigerate dough or roll into evenly-sized balls and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Leave on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

4. To make the frosting, beat together all ingredients well, adding milk and food coloring last for desired thickness and color. Frost cooled cookies generously and add decorations as desired.

Cinnamon Ice Cream

This ice cream is good. Really good. The the clean and light cinnamon flavor made my taste buds dance. I will definitely make this recipe again and again and again and again. And, despite the recent arrival of autumn, I will definitely be trying even more ice cream recipes in the near future.

Cinnamon Ice Cream
(Source: The Perfect Scoop)

1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
Ten 3-inch cinnamon sticks, broken up
2 cups heavy cream, divided
5 egg yolks

1. Warm the milk, sugar, salt, cinnamon sticks and 1 cup of the heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Once warm, cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.

2. Rewarm the cinnamon-infused milk mixture. Remove the cinnamon sticks with a slotted spoon and discard them. Pour the remaining 1 cup heavy cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top.

3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

4. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula (should reach 170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer). Pour the custard through the strainer and into the cream. Stir until cool over an ice bath.

5. Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, preferably overnight, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Cookie Dough Brownies

If you're a raw cookie dough lover like me, you have to make these brownies. I'm serious. As in, tonight, make these brownies. You won't regret it.

Imagine taking a great chocolatey brownie with chocolate chips and topping it with raw chocolate chip cookie dough. Yeah. they're simply amazing.

And don't worry - the cookie dough topping has no raw eggs in it, so it's completely safe to eat! It's basically like a cookie dough frosting that I could literally eat with a spoon. And I just may have.

For the brownies, I used my signature brownie recipe. The recipe has yet to fail me.

For the frosting, I used the recipe found on Lovin' From the Oven, which is as follows:

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
4 1/2 tbsp milk
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

1. Combine the butter, sugars, milk and flour until well combined. Stir in the mini chocolate chips.
2. Spread the cookie dough on the cooled brownies.

3. Chill the brownies until the cookie dough is firm. Cut into bars and serve.

Nick's Peanut Butter Dream Bars

We had a going away party for my coworker Jeff today. He brought ice cream in for all of us, so I (of course) had to bake something. He is as big a peanut butter fan as I am, so I knew this recipe was perfect. The original calls for M&Ms, but I naturally had to use Reese's Pieces to pack in a little more peanut butter.

Nick's Peanut Butter Dream Bars

(Source: Land O Lakes)

2 cups uncooked quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup Butter, melted
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup crunchy or creamy peanut butter
1 cup candy-coated chocolate pieces (I used Reece's Pieces)

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt in large bowl; stir until well mixed. Stir in melted butter until moistened.

2. Reserve 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture; press remaining mixture into greased 13x9-inch baking pan. Bake 12 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, combine sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter in small bowl; stir until well mixed. Carefully spread over hot, partially baked crust within 1/4 inch from edge.

4. Combine reserved crumb mixture and candy-coated pieces in small bowl; sprinkle over sweetened condensed milk mixture, pressing down lightly. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.

Banana Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

I got an itch to try making my own ice cream after watching the "Going Bananas" episode of Good Eats. I love eating ice cream in the summer. In fact, our freezer usually has at least one kind of ice cream treat in it at all times during the summer.

The recipe called for 6 bananas, but I used only 4. The ice cream was good – the banana flavor was prominent without being to overpowering. And the chocolate chips added a nice crunch and additional flavor.

Banana Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
(Adapted from Alton Brown at Food Network)

6 (approximately 2 1/4 pounds) ripe bananas (I used 4)
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 - 1 cup chocolate chips

1. Place bananas in freezer and freeze overnight.

2. Remove bananas from freezer and allow to thaw for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

3. Peel bananas and place in bowl of food processor along with the lemon juice. Process for 10 to 15 seconds. Add corn syrup and vanilla bean seeds and turn processor on. Slowly pour in the heavy cream. Process until smooth.

4. Chill mixture in refrigerator until it reaches 40 degrees.

5. Transfer mixture to an ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer's instructions.
6. Place mixture in an airtight container and freeze for 3 to 6 hours before serving.

Breakfast "Blobs"

This on-the-go breakfast may sound weird, but it tastes great. Crunchy cereal packed with a peanut butter punch is a delicious and easy snack.

Breakfast "Blobs"
(Source: Nutritionist Alana Unger, R.D.)

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
3 cups flake cereal, crushed (I used Special K)
2 Tbsp honey

1. Mix peanut butter, nonfat dry milk, crushed cereal, and honey.

2. Form into "blobs" (should make 10 blobs).

3.Wrap each blob in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Oatmeal Brownie Bars

My coworker Alison is not big into cake, so I had to come up with something else to make for her birthday. I settled on this recipe because she like oatmeal, and oatmeal + brownie = delicious. I served these with scoops of vanilla bean ice cream, and the only thing that could have made these bars better would have been if they we were eating them right out of the oven. The crunchy oatmeal paired perfectly with the brownie layer for a fantastic (and easy!) birthday treat.

Oatmeal Brownie Bars
Source: Land O'Lakes

Oatmeal Layer:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking oats
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup cold Butter, cut into chunks

Brownie Layer:
1/3 cup Butter
3 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 Eggs
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Combine all oatmeal layer ingredients in large bowl except butter. Cut in 2/3 cup butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1 1/4 cups crumb mixture for topping. Press remaining crumbs into greased 13x9-inch baking pan. Bake 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, combine 1/3 cup butter and chocolate in large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH (100% power), stirring twice, until chocolate is melted (30 to 60 seconds). Cool slightly.
3. Combine sugar, eggs, water and vanilla in large bowl; beat at medium speed until well mixed. Add melted chocolate mixture; continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low; add 1 cup flour and baking powder. Beat until well mixed.

4. Drop chocolate mixture by tablespoonfuls over warm, partially baked crust. Carefully spread brownie layer evenly over crust; top with reserved crumb mixture.

5. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are set. (DO NOT OVERBAKE.) Cool completely; cut into bars.

Pretzel M&M Cookie Bars

I've experimented with M&Ms before. So I obviously had to make something with the newest M&M:

The M&Ms themselves were quite good. They'd be even better with peanut butter, but everything is better to me with peanut butter. :)

I came across BEB's Chocolate Chip & Pretzel Cookie Bars and new the M&Ms would pair well with the bars since they already included pretzels. I didn't do much to adapt the recipe, other than to cut down on the chocolate chips to make way for the M&Ms. And they were fabulous. And, since I didn't snap any pictures, you'll just have to take my word for it. ;)

Pretzel M&M Cookie Bars
(Source: Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup Pretzel M&Ms
1/2 cup pretzels, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chocolate chips, for drizzling (optional)
1/4 cup pretzels, crumbled, for topping (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray.

2. In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt. Using a mixer, beat the butter and both sugars at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs and the vanilla extract. On low speed, beat in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips and pretzel pieces.

3. Spread the batter evenly in the pan and press it down evenly with a spatula. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool completely.

4. In separate sandwich size baggies, melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter. Cut off a small corner on each bag and drizzle the chocolate and peanut butter over the top of the bars. Sprinkle the extra crushed pretzels on top. Let set and then cut into squares.

Makes 32 squares

Doughnut Muffins

I've seen similar muffins floating around on the internet for months, but never got around to making them until now. This basic muffin is a beat-it-up, cake-type muffin, high-crowned and very "vanilla-looking."

I'll admit, I didn't care for these muffins right out of the oven. The nutmeg was very prominent and I didn't think they tasted particularly doughnut-like. However, by the next day the nutmeg flavor had subsided and I was left with a muffin that did indeed taste like a doughnut. And it was delicious.

Doughnut Muffins
(Source: King Arthur Flour)

Batter:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 to 1 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, to taste
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 2/3 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 cup milk

Topping:
3 Tbsp melted butter
3 Tbsp cinnamon sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin. Or line with 12 paper or silicone muffin cups, and grease the cups with non-stick vegetable oil spray; this will ensure that they peel off the muffins nicely.

2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars till smooth.

3. Add the eggs, beating to combine.

4. Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla.

5. Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.

6. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan, filling the cups nearly full.

7. Bake the muffins for 15 to 17 minutes, or until they're a pale golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle of one of the center muffins comes out clean.

8. Remove them from the oven, and let them cool for a couple of minutes, or until you can handle them. While they're cooling, melt the butter for the topping (this is easily done in the microwave).

9. Use a pastry brush to paint the top of each muffin with the butter, then sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar. Or simply dip the tops of muffins into the melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar.

10. Serve warm, or cool on a rack and wrap airtight. Store for a day or so at room temperature.