Sunday, March 20, 2011

Soft Choc Chip Cookies

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

•2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour


•1 teaspoon baking soda


•1 cup butter, softened


•3/4 cup packed brown sugar


•1/4 cup white sugar


•1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix


•2 eggs


•1 teaspoon vanilla extract


•2 cups semisweet chocolate chips


•1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.



In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.

Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.
Makes approx. 3 dozen.


NOTE: I used a medium ice cream scoop to portion out the cookie dough. I got 32 cookies and baked them for 13 minutes on parchment lined sheets.


*RECIPE found HERE

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Andes Mint Brownies

Andes Mint Brownies (found here)

*Makes one 9X13-inch pan




1 cup butter (2 sticks)

2 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup cocoa

½ teaspoon salt

1 package Andes mints (24-28 mints)



Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9X13-inch pan with foil and lightly grease with cooking spray. Set aside.



In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa and salt. Set aside.



Unwrap all the mints and coarsely chop. Set aside.



In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Remove from the heat and add the sugar, stirring well to combine. Whisk in the vanilla and then the eggs. Blend well.



Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. Gently stir in the chopped Andes mints. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 32-35 minutes, until the brownies are set in the middle but not overbaked. Let cool completely, slice into squares and serve.

Brownies

Magical Layered Brownies (found here)

*Makes 9X13-inch pan of brownies







Brownies:


1/2 cup (1 stick) butter


6 ounces unsweetened chocolate


2 cups sugar


4 large eggs


1/4 teaspoon salt


1 cup all-purpose flour


1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract






Browned Butter Frosting:


1/2 cup (1 stick) butter


2 cups powdered sugar


1/4 cup heavy cream


1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract






Glaze:


3 tablespoons butter


4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped






Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch aluminum pan with nonstick cooking spray and cut parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan. Lightly grease the parchment paper. Set the pan aside.






For the brownies, in a small saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate, stirring until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, eggs and salt. Mix with a handheld mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture has lightened in color and is very thick. Fold in the warm (not hot!) chocolate/butter mixture. Stir in the flour and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing evenly.






Bake the brownies for 25-30 minutes until the sides pull away from the pan just slightly. Remove the brownies from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack (about 1 1/2 hours).






For the browned butter frosting, place the stick of butter in a small saucepan and set it over low heat. It is best to not use a non-stick or dark coated pan in this step because it will be difficult to tell when the butter has turned brown. Let the butter melt over low heat and turn a caramel brown color, about 15 minutes. Watch carefully so the butter doesn’t burn. Once it has turned a nice medium-brown color, remove it from the heat. Pour the butter into a medium bowl. Immediately add the powdered sugar, heavy cream and vanilla. Mix well with an electric mixer until the frosting is smooth and thick.






Spread the frosting over the cooled brownies.






For the glaze, melt the butter and chocolate together in the microwave or on the stovetop until it is smooth. Pour the warm glaze over the frosted brownies. Tip the pan from side to side to even out the glaze over the frosting (or carefully spread with a knife or offset spatula). Chill the brownies until the glaze is set and the brownies are chilled through, about 1-2 hours. The brownies taste best cold.

Chicken Pot Pie Crumble...Mmm!

CHICKEN POT PIE CRUMBLE (found recipe HERE)
Serves 6-8




Chicken and Sauce:

1 ½ pounds chicken (about three medium-size chicken breasts)

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion , chopped fine (about 1 cup)

3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced (about 1 cup)

2-3 stalks celery, chopped (about ½ cup)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter

½ cup flour

1 cup milk

3/4 cup frozen peas



Crumble Topping:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

6 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup heavy cream



To prepare the chicken, place the chicken and broth in a large Dutch oven or pot and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Cook the chicken until it is just done (don’t overcook or it will dry out) – about 10-12 minutes. Alternately, if you are planning in advance, you can place the chicken and broth in a slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 5 hours. Transfer the cooked chicken to a medium bowl. Pour the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a liquid measuring cup and reserve. Return the pot to the stovetop (no need to wash if you used it to cook the chicken).



Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Sprinkle the chilled butter pieces over the top of the flour. Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. Add the cream and stir until just combined. Crumble the mixture into irregularly shaped pieces onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the crumble topping until fragrant and starting to brown, about 15 minutes, tossing halfway through. Set aside.



For the filling, heat the olive oil in the now-empty pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 5 minutes. While the vegetables are cooking, shred the chicken into small bite-size pieces. Transfer the cooked vegetables to the bowl with the chicken; set aside.



Over medium heat melt the butter in the empty pot. Stir in the flour and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in the reserved chicken broth and milk. Bring to a simmer and stir occasionally until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes, taking care not to burn the bottom. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Remove from the heat and stir the chicken, vegetables and peas into the sauce.



Pour the mixture into a 9×13 pan. Scatter the crumble topping evenly over the filling. Place the 9X13-inch pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees until the topping is well browned, about 15-20 minutes. Let the casserole stand for 10 minutes before serving

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Chewy Brownies..very rich!

Chewy Brownies



1 2/3 cups sugar


3/4 cup butter, no substitute


2 tablespoon water


2 eggs


2 teaspoon vanilla


1 1/3 cups flour


3/4 cups cocoa


1/2 teaspoon baking powder


1/4 teaspoon salt


chocolate chips to sprinkle on the top(optional)










Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine sugar, butter, and water. Stir in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to sugar mixture. Stir until combined. Pour into a greased 9"x9" pan and cook for 32-38 minutes or until toothpick comes out still slightly gooey at the bottom of the toothpick.










*My secret trick is the smaller pan (9"x9" instead of 13"x9") and to take them out of the oven when the brownies are still a bit gooey on the inside. This makes super moist, super thick brownies!*
 
Recipe taken from Craftoholics Annonymous

Heath Bar Cake! MMmm!

Heath Bar Cake

Printable Version with Picture

Printable Version



*Serves 8-10



1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 cups flour

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened

1 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

5-6 (1.4 ounces each) chocolate covered toffee bars (like Heath), chopped



Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and center a rack in the middle of the oven. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan and set aside.



In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, white sugar, flour and butter. Crumble these ingredients together with a pastry blender, whisk or two forks until the mixture is crumbly and coarse. Remove 1/2 cup of the crumbs to a small bowl and set aside. To the large bowl with the remaining crumbs, add the buttermilk, egg, vanilla, baking soda and salt. Mix well.



Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it to the edges. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the reserved crumbs and chopped Heath bars. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the center is no longer gooey but a toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs. The cake may fall slightly in the center leaving the edges raised. No fear! It will still be delicious.


Recipe taken from http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/01/heath-bar-cake.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MyKitchenCafe+%28My+Kitchen+Cafe%29

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Knock You Naked Brownies :)

Knock You Nakeds



14 ounce bag Kraft Caramels


1/3 cup condensed milk






1 Devil's Food cake mix


1/3 cup condensed milk


3/4 cup melted butter


1 cup chocolate chips


1 cup chopped nuts, optional






Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan very, very well. Preheat oven to 350°. In a large mixing bowl mix 1/3 cup milk, butter, and cake mix. Spread half of the mixture in the bottom of baking pan. Batter will be thick. Bake 7 minutes. While the batter is baking melt caramels and 1/3 cup milk together over medium heat on your cook top. Stir constantly. Pour over baked bottom layer of brownie. Sprinkle with nuts and chocolate chips. Sprinkle with the rest of the batter. Bake 15-17 more minutes. Brownies will look set on top but still a little soft. Do not over cook, they are to be gooey! Cool completely before cutting. Makes 12 large brownies.
 
 
Found here