A cookie with a kiss.

In our house Santa cookies are made by the kids. At least now they are - both kids are old enough to wrangle the mixer and the oven. I did help direct them to this recipe since they are easy and fun to make. We had everything in the house which makes it even easier. These two make them start to finish. My favorite part of this is the Hershey kiss on top. You add it after the cookies come out of the oven, it melts into the cookie enough to hold on, the entire thing gets soft then firms back up as it cools. It's pretty magical. Santa was left three cookies and some milk - all gone by the next morning - and thankfully Bernard had no part in partaking.... often he's a trial with cookies in the window. They must have been great because Santa left some great gifts!

Classic Peanut Butter Blossoms
1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (8 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
24 chocolate kiss candies, unwrapped
Coating
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
OR: 1/4 cup (50g) green sanding sugar and 1/4 cup (50g) red sanding sugar
Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
In a large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on high speed until creamy. Switch to medium-high speed and beat in the brown sugar and 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar until completely creamed and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. Add the peanut butter and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until combined. The dough will be very creamy and soft. Cover and chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, and up to 3 days.
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside. Also, make sure there’s room in your freezer because the cookies will need to be placed inside to prevent the chocolates from melting.
Roll & Bake: Scoop and roll cookie dough, about 1 heaping Tablespoon of dough each. Roll each ball in the 1/2 cup of sugar (or sanding sugar) and arrange on the baking sheet about 3 inches apart. Bake for 11–13 minutes or until the tops begin to slightly crack. Remove cookies from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.
Set the chocolate: Press a chocolate kiss candy into the center of each, then, using a thin spatula, immediately transfer the cookies to a large plate or a few smaller plates (gently—they’re soft). Place the plate(s) of cookies in the freezer for 10 minutes to quickly set the chocolate in the cookie.
Remove from the freezer and serve.
Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Pinching What?

I've been wanting to try making apple fritters for a long time, the only reason I haven't - frying in oil. I decided to give it a try along side another recipe that needed frying. I made a half recipe of these fritters - it still made a lot, I could have done a third... I do have questions about why most of my apples ended up in the fryer oil and not in my fritters. The chopping up the dough and mushing it back together was... interesting but that's what other recipes do too. This recipe calls for pinching dough back together - Andy and I both wondered what that actually meant because it sure didn't make sense. There was nothing to "pinch" together. I did make this dough the night before and let them proof in the fridge over night. When I took the pan out in the morning, nothing had happened, or so it seemed. I put them in the oven with the light on, then added a 9 x 13 pan filled with boiling water to add some warmth and humidity to the oven. That worked because after our morning walk, we came home and they were puffy and looked ready! Frying wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. Keeping the temp wasn't the easiest but I did my best. They came out brown and delicious. I did find a lot of apple in the oil after - but it was there, I promise. I would do these again for sure. Maybe try harder to keep the apple on the inside... we'll see.

Homemade Apple Fritters Recipe
Dough
1 cup warm water 115 degrees is perfect
¾ cup buttermilk- room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
5 tbsp butter- melted & slightly cooled
3 tbsp dry active yeast
½ tbsp table salt
2 large eggs- room temperature
5½ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp cinnamon
1½ quarts canola oil for frying
Filling
4-5 medium apples
¼ cup unsalted butter
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
⅛ tsp salt
1 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
Glaze
2 cups powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp milk


Instructions
Dough
In a large mixer bowl, combine the water, buttermilk, sugar, melted butter & yeast, stir & then allow to sit approx 15 minutes for the yeast to proof. (you know it's ready when it's puffed & frothy)
Add in the eggs and salt followed by the flour and cinnamon & mix together slowly using a dough hook until flour is incorporated.
Set on med-low speed & mix/knead 10 minutes
Once mixed, let rest 10 minutes while you make your filling.
Prepare the filling
Peel, core, & chop the apples into small pieces.
Place a large saucepan over medium heat, & melt the butter.
Add sugar & stir it in until the sugar melts.
Add the apples, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, & apple cider vinegar.
Cook the apples, stirring occasionally until they are golden & caramelized, & almost all of the liquid has evaporated from the pan. (15-20 minutes)
Scrape the apples into a shallow pan or bowl, and refrigerate them until they're room temperature or cooler.
Assemble & cook
Dust your work surface with flour & turn dough out onto your work surface.
Roll it into a thin layer about 1/2-inch thick.
Spread half of the apples over half of the dough.
Fold the dough over on itself, and press down gently to seal the apples into the middle of the dough.
Press the dough out into a thin rectangle again, flour it as necessary to keep it from sticking.
Add the rest of the apples on half of the dough, and fold it over itself again. (This process helps distribute apples randomly throughout the dough layers.)
Pat the dough back into a thin rectangle.
Use a bench scraper or large sharp knife to cut the dough into small squares, about 1½" or so. Line two baking sheets with parchment
Gather together about 4-5 squares (total weight 2.5-3 oz) & press them together into a patty, pinching them at the top to help secure them. (it's okay for them to be odd shaped or for some apples to poke out)
Place a fritter on a baking sheet, then repeat until all of your fritters are formed.
Cover the fritters loosely with a cloth and let them rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.
Toward the end of the fritter rise time, preheat the frying oil into a medium-large saucepan, and insert a deep fry thermometer.
Turn the heat to medium and heat until the oil reaches 350 F.
(During the frying process, keep a close eye on the thermometer and monitor the temperature carefully.)
Place 2-3 fritters at a time in the oil and fry them for 1-2 minutes per side, until they are puffed and golden brown.
Once cooked, remove them from the oil using a slotted spoon & place them on a paper-towel lined wire rack to cool.
Repeat with the remaining fritters. (keep a close eye on your oil temperature & adjust your heat accordingly)
Glaze
Whisk together all glaze ingredients.
Drizzle on the fritters, or spoon it on.

Giant rat named Bernard

When Andy has his meetings, the kids and I take the dog and go hide upstairs. We take Bernard with us for a few reason, one is that he just LOVES to bark at these people. Why? I have no idea. He never does it when we have other people over, but when this group comes, he will settle then suddenly up and bark his brains out. It's less than cute. The funny thing is that these people love dogs. One person even brings him treats - does that stop the barking? Nope. So we have him up in the bedroom with us. He listens intently - runs all over and worries. He frets. This last meeting he decided to get zoomies which our guests then asked if we had a giant rat upstairs... yes, a giant black one named Bernard. Nothing is save with zoomies, socks, slippers, anything is fair game for him to grab and run with. Goober. While we were chasing the giant rat, our guests were enjoying these Binge Bars - they have all sorts of good things in them. Perfect for a cold winter’s night.

Binge Bars
1 cup salted butter softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 bag (11 ounces) caramels, unwrapped
3 Tablespoons heavy cream
3 Tablespoons salted butter
1 ½ cups milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
Place butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, baking soda and salt in a medium size bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, beat together until combined. Press 3/4 of the cookie dough mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. (It will be a thin layer) Bake or about 15 min or until lightly browned. Do not overbake.
While the crust is baking, melt the 3 Tablespoons butter, heavy cream and caramels over very low heat. Stir constantly and only keep on low heat as this can burn easily. Cook just until just melted and smooth. Pour melted caramel mixture over warm baked crust. Sprinkle milk chocolate chips evenly over caramel.
Crumble remaining cookie dough evenly over chocolate and caramel. Carefully place back in oven for another 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Cool completely before cutting into bars. Serve and enjoy!

Research Purposes

Let's take a brownie and magic 7 layer bars, then make them into a cookie! That's what these are, or at least that's what they seem like to me. This cookie packs a lot of different flavors in it together as one cookie. They don't have much flour so I'm guessing a GF flour would be easy to swap out and you'd have a pretty amazing GF cookie too! These came together quick for a meeting at our house. I will say they were oddly fragile. But hey if bits and pieces fall off, that's more for taste testing... for... research purposes - right?

Magic Brownie Cookies
1 ¼ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips 8 ounces
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
2 large eggs room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
Combine 1 ¼ cups chocolate chips and butter in a microwave safe container. Heat on high for 30 seconds, stir. Heat for another 15 seconds and stir again. Let sit for 1-2 minutes and then stir again until smooth.
Stir in the espresso powder. Let chocolate mixture cool for 15-20 minutes.
Beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla together until combined, about 2 minutes.
Turn the mixer to low and slowly add in the cooled chocolate mixture, mixing just until combined.
Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl. Stir in the flour mixture just until combined.
Combine the walnuts, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut in a medium bowl Toss with 1 tablespoon of flour. Stir into dough.
Scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheet using a cookie dough scoop or a rounded tablespoon.
Bake for 13-15 minutes. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

All the cheer

These were another set of cookies I made for the Bake Sale - if you are looking for a showstopper cookie - these are it. They can be customized in so many way... the color of the sprinkles, the designs on top, and even the flavors! These cookies were so fun to make, a little tricky to flatten the cookie discs to make sure they baked to each other and didn't separate, but also remained round. I think other more creative people could do some fun piping on top - I did my best. What a fun way to bring some Christmas cheer in or Halloween cheer - heck - Easter cheer! Bring on all the cheer!

Stacked Christmas Sprinkle Cookies Recipe
For the sprinkle sugar cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2½ cups all-purpose flour, spoon and leveled
2 tablespoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Christmas colored sprinkles 
For the buttercream frosting (optional - to decorate)
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
red and green gel food colorings
more sprinkles for decorating

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Make the sprinkle cookies: In a large bowl, combine butter and sugar. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a wooden spoon by hand, cream together butter and sugar until smooth.
Add the egg and vanilla, and whisk to combine.
Add your flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Fold together until you have a streak free cookie dough. The cookie dough should be soft, but shouldn't stick to your hands. If it's too sticky to work with, pop it into the fridge for 30 to 60 minutes or until firmed up enough to handle.
Scoop a 1.5 tablespoon sized portion of dough and roll into a smooth ball. Roll the ball of dough around in your choice of colored sprinkles to completely coat. Place the sprinkle covered ball of dough on your parchment lined baking sheet and flatten into a ¼ inch thick disk.
Take another piece of dough (about half the size of the sprinkle covered dough) and press into a small disk shape that's smaller than the disk of sprinkle dough. Lay the plain disk of dough over the sprinkle covered dough and gently press to stick it on. See above for visual.
Repeat the process of stacking sprinkle covered dough with plain dough. Make sure to leave about 1 inch of space between each cookie on your baking sheet.
Bake the stacked cookies in the center of your preheated 350°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until puffed and lightly browned along the bottom edges.
Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then carefully transfer onto a wire rack and set aside to cool completely to room temperature.
Make the buttercream frosting: In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, and salt. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a wooden spoon by hand, mix together until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is smooth and lightened in color.
Add vanilla and 1 tablespoon of milk, and whisk together until combined and fluffy. If needed, gradually whisk in more milk until you reach your desired consistency.
To create the designs I made for these cookies, divide the frosting into thirds. Leave ⅓ of the buttercream plain white, and color ⅓ red and ⅓ green.
Decorate the cookie tops with some with your favorite Christmassy designs - I just piped on some snowflakes, Christmas trees, and Santa hats! Before the frosting sets, sprinkle over some white sprinkles on the snowflakes for added sparkle and crunch. Sprinkle some rainbow sprinkles over the trees to resemble Christmas lights. Or you can also leave the cookies plain. Serve and enjoy!