Cookie Butter Rice Krispie Treats

Cookie Butter Rice Krispie Treats - made February 8, 2020 from Mallow and Co

One of my guilty pleasures is Rice Krispie Treats. I don't make them that often because I'd eat them. Yes, Virginia, there is logic in that. I still remember when I worked at Yahoo!, they'd have these big blocks of Rice Krispie treats at the cashier checkout station in the cafeteria. More often than not, one of those blocks would be in my tray as part of my lunch. The block was so thick, it was hard to take a full-on bite. I had to nibble around it sometimes. But ask me if I minded. Heck, no.

But it had to be "homemade" Rice Krispie treats (I count whoever made it in the Yahoo! kitchen cafe as an extension of my home kitchen because they got it right). I tried the packaged ones at the store. Um, no. Too sweet (yes, the irony) and too processed-tasting. And, although there are all sorts of different varieties and flavors of Rice Krispie treats, I prefer them plain. Butter, melted marshmallows, vanilla extract and Rice Krispies. That's all you need.

But, I did spread my taste-bud wings to allow for the addition of cookie butter in these Rice Krispie treats. Because...cookie butter. And I wasn't wrong. If you didn't know there was cookie butter in these, you might not recognize the flavor or you might think it was just a really good Rice Krispie treat. It is because, once again....cookie butter. So easy to make and one of my fellow Angel Bakers from Soldiers Angels confirmed they're good to send in care packages and are a popular item among the deployed service members. So into the vacuum seal bags and USPS flat rate boxes these go. Otherwise I would've eaten the whole pan. No joke.

4 tablespoons butter
3./4 cup cookie butter
6 cups mini marshmallows
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 cups rice krispies

1. Line 9 x 9 baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. (If you want thinner treats, use a 9 x 13 pan like I did.)
2. Pour the rice krispies in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
3. Melt the butter and cookie butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Once melted and whisked together, add the marshmallows. Stir until they are mostly all melted then stir in vanilla.
4. Once fully melted, take off the heat and pour over the rice krispies. Stir slightly to combine then dump into prepared pan. Spread into an even layer.  Cool then cut into squares and serve.

Chocolate Chip Treasure Cookies

Chocolate Chip Treasure Cookies - made dough February 5, 2020 from Together as a Family

Unfortunately I have to confess I didn't love these like I thought I would. You have to click on the recipe title link to go to the original blog where I got the recipe. You'll clearly see from that blog's pics that mine didn't come out like hers. And her pictures are what sucked me in.

Don't get me wrong; these were still good. But they spread more than I expected and I'd wanted them thicker and more dense. I think part of the problem is I didn't follow my cardinal rule of chilling or freezing the dough first then baking from frozen dough. That helps with the spread issue.That was just greed on my part because her pics looked so good that I wanted to try the cookies as soon as I made the dough. My sin of gluttony was not rewarded in this case.

P.S. After I wrote the above, I did bake the remaining dough after freezing them. While they didn't spread as much, they still didn't look like the original blog pics from Together as a Family. If you like coconut, these are still good cookies. They're not as pretty as they could be. I always wonder if baking at slightly higher altitude is ruining my cookie game. Mine took over 15 minutes to bake to this state and they're weren't overbaked. They could've even used another minute in the oven.

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cups shredded, sweetened coconut
2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder and salt; whisk to combine and set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine sweetened condensed milk and butter. Beat together for 1-2 minutes or until completely combined and creamy.
4. Add the dry ingredients, mix to combine. Add coconut, chocolate chips and nuts, if using. Mix with wooden spoon just until combined.
5. Roll dough into golf-ball-size balls and evenly space on cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes (mine took about 15 minutes). If you want uniformly flat(ter) cookies, press bottom of glass in the center of each cookie while hot. Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Double Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

Double Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies - made dough February 2, 2020 from Sugar and Soul

You might be seeing more cookie recipes coming up as that's what I've been baking a lot for the care packages I'm sending to deployed military service members as part of the Angel Baker team of Soldiers Angels. 

Now that I got a food vacuum sealer for Christmas, I've been making more and more cookies to put in the care packages since vacuum sealing will keep them fresh for the longer mailing time. For the two packages I planned on sending, I wanted to do a chocolate chip cookie palooza and did some of my tried and true favorites like Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies and Alton Brown's Chocolate Chip Cookies.

But I also tried out a new recipe for double chocolate chip cookies. It had the addition of chocolate pudding mix and past experience says that helps keep the cookies moist and fudgy.

This didn't disappoint. It doesn't spread much as I mounded up the cookie dough and froze them first then baked from frozen dough.

And as I always say, don't overbake. It's hard to tell when dark chocolate cookies are done so you do have to time these or keep checking them. They'll be done when the outside doesn't look raw anymore. Don't wait for dry fissures or cracks to appear in the middle. You might be past the fudgy stage by then. The cookies will continue to cool on the hot baking sheet and the chocolate will set when it cools. Be sure to cool completely so you can enjoy that moist, fudgy texture properly. 

3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 3.4-ounce chocolate pudding mix
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips (I used all milk chocolate)
1 cup milk chocolate chips

1. Cream together butter and both sugars until combined and fluffy. Add pudding mix, eggs, egg yolk and vanilla. Mix until combined.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Add in thirds to butter mixture and mix after each addition until just combined. Do not overmix. Fold in chocolate chips.
3. Portion dough into golf-ball size dough balls, cover and chill for several hours or overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Evenly space dough balls about 2 inches apart. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are set and middles no longer look raw. Do not overbake.
5. Remove from heat and let cool for several minutes before transferring cookies to wire rack to cool completely. 

Valentine's Day Cookies

Valentine's Day Cookies - made dough January 30, 2020 from Buns in my Oven

The other easy way to Valentine-ize cookies is to add red, pink and white M&Ms. That's about the extent of my "decorating" for the holiday. Yup, that's all I got.

But hey, it's not so bad. This is a typical M&M sugar cookie which is easily customizable  for any holiday as long as you have holiday-appropriate M&Ms to use (green and red for Christmas, red, white and blue for Memorial Day and 4th of July, etc).

The cookies themselves are like chocolate chip cookies without the chocolate chips: crisp edges, brown sugar overtones, chewy middles. I did use white chocolate chunks to supplement the M&Ms

I also included these cookies in the care packages going to deployed service members. I shipped the packages the day after I baked the cookies so hopefully they'll get it somewhere close to Valentine's Day, if not before. Although, I will admit, it felt a little weird sending hearts-y cookies and Valentine's Day-themed cookies to strange men I'd never met before who don't know me at all. I assume they know I know they have wives and girlfriends and that this is more of a "hey, thank you for your service" gesture than anything romantic, lol.

8 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup Valentine mix M&Ms
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1. Combine melted butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until well combine. 
2. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
3. Add flour, baking soda and salt; beat until just combined. Stir in M&Ms and white chocolate chips.
4. Cover and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes to firm up dough. Portion chilled dough into 12 dough balls. Cover and refrigerate or freeze for several hours or overnight.
5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and evenly space dough balls. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Red Velvet Sugar Cookies (with a chocolate heart center)

Red Velvet Sugar Cookies - made January 30, 2020 from Our Table for Seven

It's February so time for some red velvet. It's also the time where you can easily "valentine-ize" almost anything by sticking a Dove chocolate heart on it so here ya go.

This is a play on peanut butter blossoms - you know, those peanut butter cookies rolled in sugar, baked then have a Hershey's kiss pushed into the center. This is the Valentine version with red velvet cookies and a Dove heart center.

I like this better for two reasons: 1) it tastes really, really good. The texture is soft and chewy and hey, red velvet. Plus the hearts are cute. 2) Because it doesn't have peanut butter, it's good for anyone with peanut allergies who couldn't eat a peanut butter blossom.

I made this for a care package going to a deployed military service member so I only took one taste test cookie and vacuumed sealed the rest to go into the box. After I ate the taste test cookie, I'm not gonna lie, I was tempted to hold back another cookie for myself. It was that good. I didn't do it but it was close. Guess I'll have to bake another batch. For another care package, of course. Really.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
dash of salt
1-2 teaspoons red food coloring
coarse sugar, for rolling
Dove chocolate hearts, unwrapped

1. In a bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt; set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add in eggs, one at a time, mixing briefly to incorporate. Add vanilla and red food coloring; mix just until combined.
3. Add in dry ingredients in 2 additions, mixing after each addition until just combined. Do not overmix.
4. Portion into small dough balls, cover and refrigerate or freeze for an hour or up to overnight.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Place coarse sugar in shallow bowl. Roll dough balls in sugar, coating completely, and evenly space on baking sheets.
6. Bake 9-11 minutes or until edges are set and middles no longer look raw. Do not overbake. Immediately press an unwrapped chocolate heart in the center of each cookie. Let cookies sit on baking sheets for 5 minutes then remove to cool completely on a wire rack. Chocolate heart will melt into cookie center but retain its shape. Cool completely to keep chocolate hearts in place.

Graham Cracker Toffee Bars

Graham Cracker Toffee Bars - made January 30, 2020 from Tastes Better From Scratch

I have a bunch of other recipes to put up that I made before this but I'm leap frogging this to the front of the line because it's just that good and I want you to make it as soon as humanly possible. Actually, it's also because it's amazingly easy. Like, seriously amazingly easy.

I modified the original recipe slightly to make it even easier. I used chocolate chips which I already had in my pantry instead of running out to get Hershey bars. I also skipped the step of covering the newly baked bars with foil after placing the chocolate on top. Instead, once you take out the bars and turn your oven off, blanket the top of the bars with chocolate chips, put it back in the hot (but turned off) oven for 2-3 minutes (no longer!) then take out and the chips should be melted enough to spread easily.

Sprinkle the top with any garnishes like toffee bits while the chocolate is still melted so they'll adhere more easily. Then let cool and set. You'll want a sharp knife to cut these. The graham cracker layer is still crisp and makes for a nice base. I think that's also why I liked these so much. There's a nice texture contrast between the crisp graham crackers, the crunch of the toasted pecans and the richness of the chocolate.

I made these to put in the care package for a deployed military service member and they also turned out to be a good choice for mailing. The food vacuum sealer fit snugly around the bars which will also help them from getting crushed or broken and won't move around in the box during shipping. Last pic shows all the cookies and brownies/bars I made and vacuum sealed for shipping. I'm such a stickler for freshness that I don't think I'll ever mail non-vacuum-sealed baked goods again.

1 package honey graham crackers
14 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup pecans, chopped and lightly toasted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13" pan with foil and lightly spray with cooking spray.
2. Place graham cracker sheets along the bottom of pan, covering completely.
3. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and bring to a full boil, stirring constantly. Add pecans and boil mixture for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Remove from heat and pour mixture over graham crackers, spreading in an even layer.
5. Bake for 7 minutes. Turn oven off and remove pan from heat. Sprinkle with chocolate chips, blanketing mixture completely; this is not the time to skimp. Put bars back in hot oven for 2-3 minutes, no longer.
6. When chocolate begins to melt, remove from oven and spread melted chocolate evenly over top. Sprinkle with toffee bits or M&Ms if desired. Cool completely before cutting and serving.

Bistek Tagalog

Bistek Tagalog - made December 16, 2019 from Lola Kusinera

Growing up, bistek was one of my favorite Filipino dishes. Filipinos shortened "beef steak" to "bistek" but however you want to say it, it's slices of tender beef simmered in a lemon-soy sauce marinade with sliced onions. Or "really good" if you want to keep it simple.

This is a typical Filipino dish of something with a tasty sauce to help also flavor the rice. I can give up rice as long as I don't eat Filipino food because so many amazing Filipino dishes (except the ones with noodles) just beg for rice. And you can't eat bistek with soft, fluffy rice to further enjoy the sauce.

This was pretty good and very easy to make. You just want to make sure you get a good cut of beef, slice it thinly and simmer long enough to soften the beef. Add water during simmering if your sauce starts to dry out but you want to keep enough flavor and not water it down too much.

2 pounds beef chuck roast, sliced thin and pounded
3/4 cup Knorr Liquid Seasoning or 1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup kalamansi juice or lemon juice
8-10 cloves garlic, peeled and minced.
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground pepper
salt as needed
1 large onion, sliced thin and round
1/3 cup cooking oil

1. In a large bowl, combine soy sauce, kalamansi or lemon juice, minced garlic, brown sugar and ground pepper. Add beef slices to the mixture and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Remove meat from the marinade and reserve marinade.
3. Heat oil in wok or wide frying pan. Quick fry onion slices and set aside. Using the same wok or frying pan, adjust heat to high and quick fry beef by batches. Remove from pan and reserve.
4. Pour remaining marinade into frying pan. Simmer on low heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Add the fried marinated beef to the cooking pan. Stir and simmer for another 3 to 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Add the onions and stir. When meat is tender, remove from heat. Serve warm with rice.

Super Moist Air Fryer Chicken Wings

Super Moist Air Fryer Chicken Wings - made December 21, 2019 from Craving Tasty

The last chicken wing recipe that's been - haha - waiting in the wings to be posted. This one is probably the easiest out of all of them since it's basically a dry rub that you rub all over the chicken wings then let it cook in the air fryer. Simple.

It was also pretty tasty. If you want a quick snack or an easy, low-carb meal, this fits the bill. I ran them in my air fryer a little bit longer to make sure the chicken was cooked so mine don't look as moist on the outside as the original blog's but inside it was still pretty moist and the outside was crisp. A reminder to keep using my air fryer more often with good results.

12 chicken wings (drummettes and wingettes)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 tablespoon baking powder

1. Dry the wings with paper towels and place in a medium bowl. Mix the salt, chili powder, garlic and baking powder in a small bowl. Gently rub the seasoning all over the wings, ensuring even coverage; set aside.
2. Lightly rub the cooking rack of air fryer with cooking oil to reduce sticking or lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the chicken wings on the rack in a single layer, allowing for free air circulation.
3. Set temperature of air fryer to 400 or 410 degrees F. Set the cooking time to 20 minutes and start.
4. After 20 minutes, check time for doneness and cook further if needed or if you want more crispness.
5. Serve immediately.