Posts filed under 'Cookies'
So quick. So easy. So elegant.
This is the perfect cookie to take to that Christmas party that you forgot you were supposed to bring cookies to. Or your oven broke. Or - admit it - you simply don’t want to bake Christmas cookies.
I invented this all by myself. Well, okay - after I saw something like this being marketed by Oreo, but selling for the incredibly high price of nearly $3 for a tiny package with 20 cookies in it. That’s when I decided to do something similar myself.
They turned out so beautiful, I knew I had to share my idea with my readers - all 4 of you!
Basically, these are just an Oreo (or in this case, it’s Wal-Mart brand cousin, a “Twist and Shout”) cookie, topped with white chocolate and crushed candy cane. That’s it.
Three easy steps:
1. Buy a package of Oreos, some white chocolate chips, and candy canes.
2. Melt the white chocolate according to the package directions. In the microwave, watch it closely, and you might want to add a few drops of cooking oil. Also, crush some candy canes.
3. Spread a little white chocolate on top, and sprinkle some crushed candy cane on before it hardens.
For one package of Oreos, I melted 1 cup of chocolate and crushed 4 regular-sized candy canes. I had just a little bit extra. These Candy Cane Oreos disappeared quickly.
December 7th, 2009
After buying Nature Valley Granola bars with a coupon, I decided to try making my own homemade version of those delicious treats. With a family of seven, a dozen granola bars does not last long at all. For us, it’s really not worth spending the $4 to get 2 boxes of granola bars that will last less than a day.
Somewhere between a Payday candy bar and a whole grain granola bar, Nature Valley’s Sweet and Salty bars are the latest bar on the market and they are GOOD. I could not resist buying a few ingredients and heading to the kitchen… After you read the recipe, keep scrolling for a cost comparison…
Sweet and Salty Bars
makes 40 bars (a darn sight more than the 6 that come in a box)
4 c. crisped rice cereal
3 c. oats
1 c. crushed graham crackers
2 c. cashews or peanuts, coarsely chopped
1 c. sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 t. vanilla
2 c. peanut butter OR butterscotch baking chips, or a combination of both
First, heat the oven to 275 degrees and put the oats on a jelly roll pan to toast. It should take about ten minutes, just let them begin to turn golden brown. Leave the oven on, since you will be using it again soon.
Next, combine the oats, crisp rice cereal, graham crackers, and nuts in a large bowl. Set this aside. In a saucepan, heat the sweetened condensed milk and butter and let it begin to bubble. Add the brown sugar and stir until it is completely dissolved. Then add the vanilla and stir well. Pour this gooey mixture over the cereal combination and stir well, tossing with a rubber spatula.
Press tightly into a greased jelly roll pan. Using a sheet of aluminum foil can be helpful for this, just lay it on top and press down with all your might. Remove the foil. Then, sprinkle the baking chips over the top and return to the oven for 10 minutes to let the chips melt. Remove from the oven and spread the melted chips over the granola as if you were frosting a cake. Cool in the freezer or refrigerator.
Cut into bars and wrap in foil or plastic wrap.
(To simplify this recipe, toss the baking chips into the mixture along with the cereals and nuts. Then you can eliminate the final step of returning it all to the oven and spreading the melted chips.)
Cost comparison; the amounts below reflect my estimate for the cost of each ingredient, the amount used in this recipe:
Crisped rice — $.50
oats — .$50
graham crackers — $.25
cashews — $2.00
sweetened condensed milk — $1.00
butter — $.50
brown sugar — $.50
vanilla — $.05
baking chips — $2.00
Total cost of 40 homemade bars — $7.30 equals $.18 per bar
total cost of 40 boxed bars (with coupon) — $13.33 equals .$33 per bar
April 21st, 2009
I just love making these cookies and an added bonus — there is very little guilt involved with eating them!
Not much more than an over-baked glob of pie meringue, containing no fat or cholesterol, and only a bit of sugar, Meringues can satisfy that urge for a treat without ruining your diet.
Last weekend, we made some of these - a few for us and a few to share, and I was experimenting a bit so we added some mint extract and broken up chocolate bits. Delicious!
Mint Chocolate Chip Meringues
makes 2 dozen
3 large egg whites, room temperature is best
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. cream of tartar
1/2 t. peppermint extract
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. broken or chopped semi-sweet chocolate
To start with, set the oven to 225 degrees (that’s correct, not a typo - really low heat for this) and line two cookie sheets with foil.
Next, separate the eggs and discard the yolks or set them aside for something else, like noodles. I’m not a great noodle maker, so mine generally get tossed. Drop the whites into a medium-sized bowl. (No yolks allowed - if you get a bit of yolk mixed in with the whites, you have to start over, this recipe will NOT work with yolks, even a tiny bit.) Add the salt and cream of tartar. You will have to get out your mixer and go to town beating those egg whites up. Beat and beat and beat them - on high. They will turn white and fluffy, but keep on beating until they form peaks when you pull the beaters out.
Now it’s time for the sugar and mint — add the mint, but just a little sugar at a time, and lower the speed on your mixer to medium. Once all of the sugar is added, your meringue will be smooth, fluffy, and glossy. Gorgeous. Slow the mixer way down and fold in the chocolate bits.
Great - now plop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake these at 225 for 1 1/2 hours. (Again, not a typo - an hour and a half.) No peeking! They might fall if you do. The final result should be a slightly browned, crispy, airy meringue cookie.
ENJOY!
October 16th, 2007
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