OMG SO GOOD Oatmeal Craisin cookies

So, I was browsing the interwebs today for a "small batch" cookie dough. I wanted to make cookies, but didn't want to be overrun by them. Plus I forgot the flour I bought the other day in the trunk of my car and was too lazy to go get it, so I wanted to keep it limited to the flour I had on hand in the house. Necessity and laziness are the mothers of all inventions. Hence, these cookies. I found a recipe that I loosely adapted for these cookies (I'm out of chocolate chips STILL). It wasn't exactly a small batch (this made about 2 1/2 dozen), but definitely yummy! Ready? GO!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp lemon extract
1 egg
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 packet instant maple brown sugar oatmeal
1 packet instant plain oatmeal

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375º.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add extracts and egg and mix. Add remaining ingredients and stir until just combined. Drop onto cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls, bake 8-11 minutes, or until cookies just BARELY begin to brown. Enjoy with a nice cold glass of milk!

Lemon cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Chocolate, lemon and salted caramel.. What better compliment to smoked ribs? Yeah, that's what I thought. None. This is all what happens when the "fun committee" at work is comprised of "foodies"! These cupcakes need ZERO introduction really. I mean, just look at them! 

Ingredients:

1 1/2c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
1 c sugar
2 eggs
Zest of 2 lemons (about 1-2 tbsp)
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
1/2c buttermilk
Yellow food coloring (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º. 

Mix flour, baking powder and salt together, set aside. 

Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy and pale. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until fluffy after each. Beat in zest and vanilla. Add flour mixture in alternating batches with buttermilk and lemon juice, beating until just combined after each addition. Add yellow food coloring until desired shade is reached (optional). 

Divide batter evenly among mini-muffin cups. Bake for 15-18 mins, or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool to room temperature before frosting.

Frosting:
Beat 4oz softened cream cheese and 4oz softened butter until well combined and fluffy. Add 1tsp vanilla, zest and juice of 1 lemon, mix well. Add 2-3 cups powdered sugar and 1-2tbsp heavy cream until desired consistency is reached.

Mississippi Mud Cupcakes

Being on the fun committee at work has it's perks. Like, I get to bake and test out new recipes, and the company pays for the ingredients. Could it get any better? I think not. I was tasked with making a variety of mini cupcakes for the BBQ potluck we had recently. I'm a few days late in the posting of it, but I was recovering from the baking hangover I had. We had Salted Caramel cupakes, Lemon cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting, and Mississippi Mud (with a few that the nuts and such were left out of for the chocolate but not nutty lovers). Did I mention the baking hangover? So. Cupcakes. Chocolate. Goodness. They went over well. 

Ingredients: 

1cup butter (2 sticks)

4oz good quality semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

2cups sugar

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3/4tsp salt

1/2-1cup chopped/crushed walnuts or pecans, divided (optional)

1/2 cup Mallow Bits (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º. Place nuts in a single layer on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until toasted. Set aside.

Heat butter and semi-sweet chocolate together until melted and smooth, either in a double boiler or microwave, stirring often. 

Whisk everything else into chocolate mixture except nuts until well mixed. Fold in mallow bits and all but 2 tbsp of the nuts. Spoon evenly into mini-muffin cups. You can do this in regular muffin cups, but I can't guarantee the result. The mini's turned out perfect. 

Bake for 16-20 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Frost with your favorite chocolate frosting, finish by sprinkling remaining toasted nuts over fresh frosting. I used a chocolate cream cheese frosting for mine (4oz softened cream cheese, 4oz softened butter, 1tsp vanilla, 3/4c cocoa powder, 2-3c powdered sugar, and 1-3tbsp heavy cream). 

Brownies for Two (Or one!)

I'm pretty sure in my last post, I promised not to neglect you all so much. And I'm pretty sure it's been 13 days since I posted last. I guess I lied, sorry. Hopefully, there will be more to come. Summer has just been so busy for us! 


Okay. So, the last couple of times I've made brownies, half of the pan has gone to waste because they weren't eaten before they went stale. Solution? Brownies that are the perfect amount of chocolate for two people (or one if you're pretty hard up!). 

Ingredients: 


1/4 cup flour
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp powdered sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
pinch of salt
2 tbsp mild oil (like vegetable or canola)
3 tbsp water
splash of vanilla extract
Chocolate or hot fudge sauce (optional)


Directions:


Combine dry ingredients in whatever vessel you choose. You can use a mug, a bowl, whatever. I used a 1.25 cup tupperware bowl and it was perfect. Add the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Microwave for 1:30 to 1:40 (depending on your microwave, mine took 1:35). Drizzle chocolate over the top and enjoy!


Okay - so here's the fun part.. VARIATIONS! There are so many ways you could do this!! Substitute white sugar for the brown and add a splash of mint extract for a chocolate mint delight. Add chocolate chips (or butterscotch or peanut butter or whatever kind of chips or chunks you want!) with the dry ingredients. Add a bit of caramel with the wet ingredients for a caramel brownie (which would be a fantastic way to use up some leftover salted caramel from my Salted Caramel Cupcakes!) with a drizzle of it over the top in place of the chocolate. Endless variations! Please feel free to share your variations, I'd love the new ideas!! 

Oven Roasted Salsa

Hey there, friend! It's been awhile, eh? Well, things have calmed down in our household a bit, and I can finally get back to what I love. Cooking. Real cooking. Not mac 'n' cheese. From a box. Ew. I think I've gone through a half bottle of Sriacha sauce in the last month trying to make the stuff edible. Or at least so hot that I can't tell if it's edible or not. Close enough. I needed something else to put in my mac n cheese (my kids are going through a phase), and summer is always filled with spicy things. Salsa it is. I would *love* to make some grilled veggie salsa, but my grill is still sitting on a wishlist in Santa's workshop at the moment. I have learned to do a lot of things in my oven that I used to do on my grill (which coincidentally I had adapted from the oven when I lacked a working one). 

Ingredients:

2 - 2.5 lbs Roma tomatoes

1/2 large sweet onion

1-3 cloves garlic, finely diced (can sub 1 tsp garlic powder)

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

2-3 tbsp olive oil

2 poblano peppers

2-3 jalepeno peppers

2 tbsp cilantro

juice of 2-3 limes

1 tbsp ginger ale

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450º.

Line two baking pans with foil. Make sure to use one with sides, I used my 9"x13" and 8" round cake pans. 

Cut the tomatoes into 8 pieces (half, then quarter the halves) and dice the onion. Add to baking pan. Sprinkle in Oregano, Basil and garlic, drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. 

In another foil lined baking dish, place all peppers and cover loosely with foil. 

Place both pans in the oven, bake for 30-40 mins, then broil for 2-5 just until tomatoes begin to char in spots. Cover peppers tightly with foil, or place in a paper bag and close tightly. Let cool for 10-20 mins. 

Place roasted tomato mixture in food processor and pulse until desired consistency, then dump into a medium bowl. 

Depending on the size of your food processor, you may need to do this in several batches. Next, peel your peppers. You don't need to get all of the skin off, but you'll want at least the majority of it gone. Remove the seeds, leaving only a few if you want your salsa to be a bit spicier. Rough chop and toss into food processor with lime juice and cilantro. Pulse to desired consistency, add to tomato mixture and combine. 

Last step: add the 1tbsp ginger ale. Yes, I know that it's a bit of an odd ingredient for salsa, but trust me! It adds a nice depth to it. 

It's delish! The ginger ale adds the subtle kick of ginger along with a little sweet to off-set the hot. 

Side note - there are three jalepenos in my pan above. I did *not* use all three, I only used two and it's perfect for me. It's just slightly spicier than a good medium you get in a grocery store. It all depends on your jalepenos as well, some are hotter than others. Judge accordingly. 

And now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some chips calling my name along with a cold beer. 

Oh, and refrigerate your leftovers. 

Cupcakes For Two - Brown Sugar Vanilla

Ever get that late-night craving for cupcakes, but you don't want to make a whole batch? I have your solution!! I love brown sugar.. and I kind of wanted cupcakes.. but we have a birthday party tomorrow for my daughter, and there will be lots of goodies while there and leftover. Solution? Small batch cupcakes!! The original inspiration I found was for two cupcakes, which would have been perfect for hubby and I since the kidlets are in bed, however, we have an extra mouth tonight, so I decided to go the mini route. I love mini cupcakes. They're perfectly sized, and I got exactly what I wanted with just one. No need to over-do it! Hence, the birth of the small-batch brown sugar vanilla cupcake. If I had them, I would have also added some vanilla bean, but alas, I do not. If I would have thought about it, I would have also browned the butter before hand too. Someday, I will try these again with said modifications. For the moment though, they were a perfect fix. I think next time, I will also make some caramel whipped cream for the topping. 

Ingredients:


1 egg white
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla 
1/4 cup flour
1/4 heaping tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 1/2 tbsp heavy cream


Directions:


Preheat oven to 325º. Fill an oven-safe container (I just used a cake pan) with about an inch of water, place on bottom rack.


In a bowl, whip egg white and brown sugar until frothy. Add butter and vanilla, mix well. Add flour, baking powder and salt, mix until just incorporated. Add cream and combine. 


Divide batter between 2 regular size cupcake liners or 9 mini liners. Your regular sized cupcakes make actually make 3, depending on how much you fluffed up your egg. Bake minis for 12-16 minutes, regulars for 15-20. Baking times may vary by oven.

I had some cookies n cream frosting left in my fridge from a recent batch of Chocolate Cheesecakes that I had used an Oreo crust on, so I just used that, but honestly, it would have been much better with just plain vanilla, or as discussed above, a caramel whipped cream frosting. MMM..

White Sangria

My first attempt at salted caramel cupcakes (and a few thereafter) were such HUGE hits that I decided to play with it a bit. Not a lot, but enough that it warranted another blog about it. Chocolate + salted caramel = can't be too bad unless you're diabetic and/or have heart problems, right?


Anyways, I needed something spectacular to go with and off-set the sweetness of my chocolate salted caramel cupcakes. The hubs is a sangria fan, and I love the fruits that generally go into a white sangria. And ginger ale. MMM.. So, I decided it was time to give it a go.

Ingredients:


1/2 of a ripe nectarine, chunked
1/2 of an orange, chunked
3-4 LARGE strawberries, chunked
10-15 ripe raspberries
4-6 Rainier cherries, halved and pitted
1/4 c sugar or Splenda
1 small lemon (or half of a large), sliced thinly and de-seeded
1 750ml bottle of white wine (I used Kestrel Pure Platinum)
Ginger ale / Club Soda / Lemon-lime soda

Directions:


Toss fruit into a glass pitcher. Add sugar, toss to coat. Add wine, cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. You *can* drink it right away, but it won't be nearly as good as if you let the fruit and wine meld. When ready to serve, add gingerale. The ratio should be about 1/2 to 2/3 wine : 1/3 to 1/2 soda, depending on how much of the wine you want to taste. I do about half and half. Add ice and serve!