Happy New Year!

As 2011 draws to a close, I can't help but think about... all of the flour I've gone through this year.

Seriously, I've bought a lot of flour.

The other great things I've accomplished? I've created this kick ass blog where people actually come to find cool recipes. I've baked a lot, passed out a lot of Yeah, I'd Bake That business cards, and bribed people with sugary treats until they came to the blog and checked out all the good stuff that's happening here. I know I've said it before, but really, we've hit the big time. 2011 was a great year!

Now I know what a lot of you are thinking, how can we possibly get better in 2012? The answer is, we can't. But I'll make a promise to you now that we'll never plateau. I'll keep posting recipes and poorly taken photos until I have to give it all up. Why? The beginning period of a relationship is one of the best parts. We're learning new things about each other, getting excited to see the other person, staying up late talking on the phone. Why would we want to lose that? Over the next year we'll just prolong that feeling, unless you get sick of me. In which case, just let me down easy.

12 Days of Christmas Cookies Wrap Up

Well we did it! We survived 12 Days of Christmas Cookies - it was a success! Below I've put a link for each day's recipe, that way you can forward this post link to your Grandma and tell her to get back in the kitchen! Not in that awkward women belong in the kitchen sense..it's just that Grandmas are normally good at baking.

Phew, it's time for me to take a break.

So here they are! Thanks to everyone for tuning in and checking out my little blog! It really was fun, and I hope we can do it again soon. If I don't see any of you before the New Year, have a Happy Holiday and come back to Yeah, I'd Bake That soon! 2012 holds some great recipes and what I can (safely) assume is more sarcasm.

Day 12: Peanut Butter Toffee Turtle Cookies

Just like all great things in life, our 12 Days of Christmas Cookies Rockette Winter Spectacular is coming to an end.

Right now I'm imagining us all sitting around the table as the man from the Chinese restaurant chops the head off the duck in A Christmas Story. "He's smiling at me". It certainly was a festive countdown, I hope you all enjoyed it as much as me.

Tonight's final recipe is a cookie I've been saving for last, because like all great Christmas movies, this cookie has a little something for everyone. [insert Jingle All the Way quote here].

Peanut Butter Toffee Turtle Cookies.
I'll give you a minute to think that over.

Day 11: Ricotta Cheese Cookies

I’m going to throw this out there for all of you non-believers and say I don’t like cheese. There, I said it! Now, like many of the greatest proclamations, there are a few caveats to that sentence. I like grilled cheese sandwiches (if there is only one slice of cheese). I now eat almost all of the cheese on a slice of pizza (although if the cheese to sauce or pepperoni proportions are way off, things change). I like sausage cups (which, even I can’t explain). And more importantly, and for the purposes of this post, I like Ricotta Cheese Cookies.

The one thing I’ve always had a problem with is why anyone in the their right mind would have combined cheese and cookie batter. Even in my dark twisted fantasy Kayne West mind, I cannot come up with a scenario where I would say “Wow, you know what would make this cookie better? Cheese.”

Day 10: Chocolate Caramel Chews

It's not something that I've ever done, but I've always wanted to learn how to make candy for Christmas time. I've messed around looking for recipes online, and every time I find one I never do it because the recipe calls for roughly half a day. Sadly, I just don't the patience.

What I do have is a quick google finger, so I'm on to the next recipe before I get too depressed thinking about my lack of candy making abilities.

Day 9: Chocolate Rice Cereal Rocking Horses

Today's thoughts on Christmas and cookie recipes are brought to you by Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman's Open Heart necklace. Because if you keep your heart open and wear a necklace shaped like a butt around your neck, love will always find a way in. 

Anyway, today's recipe is described in my recipe book as an old-fashioned favorite among "youngsters". I'm not sure how old fashion it is, but I know rice has been around for awhile so maybe they're right.

A different twist on the regular rice krispie treat, this recipe can definitely add a little chocolate color to your cookie tray.

Day 8: Eggnog Snickerdoodles

A couple years ago I made a joke that it's not Christmas unless the Wells household smells like Southern Comfort. Different people have different ways to spice up eggnog.
Some choose the Raspberry Vinaigrette of liquors - Brandy. Some go whiskey or kahlua. My mom uses Southern Comfort, and the fine spirit has since turned into her Major Award from A Christmas Story. It's not particularly fra-gee-lay, but it's a holiday staple.

Looks just like a snickerdoodle right? Wrong!

Day 8 of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies is a recipe for Eggnog Snickerdoodles that the book kindly suggests you serve with real eggnog or chai lattes.

I say serve with a hearty helping of Southern Comfort!

Day 7: Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

Day 7 -- we've more than half way through the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies! Hang in there, the back nine of this countdown is all good recipes all the time. It's like the Lifetime Channel. 24 hours a day of Golden Girls. Perfection.

These cookies look like they're made of candy cane clouds.
I should write Hallmark cards.

Today's recipe is for Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies. Candy canes are popular around Christmas time, sure. Every year I try to make a cookie that involves candy canes. Last year I tasked my spouse with chopping all the candy down to a dust like substance so that I could dip my chocolate covered sugar cookies in the candy canes. By the way, I promised in the beginning that I would never share spouse stories, but I'm breaking that promise when I tell you now that he came back into the kitchen with HUGE chunks of broken candy canes. Like a every candy cane was just in 8 pieces. You can't attach a chunk of candy canes to a cookie like that. Come on now.

Day 6: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

I've been baking since 6:30. At least I think it was 6:30? I feel like I'm high from all of the cookie fumes, it could actually be midnight, who knows.

Wow. A picture of a picture. Classy.

One thing I do know is that it's National Cupcake Day! So let's celebrate by baking some chocolate peanut butter cup cookies! Today doesn't have to be all about cupcakes. You don't wear a diaper and shoot arrows at kids on Valentine's Day do you?

Don't answer that.

Day 5: Chocolate Chunk Brownie Cookies

Day 5 Chocolate Chunk Brownie Cookies are brought to you courtesy of my Aunt Karen (the muddy buddy master) whose a veritable wiz in the kitchen. I mean, this lady can make cookies with the best of them, and is always there with a package of Andy's mints when you need it.

Obviously I took this photo. I don't go anywhere without
my camera, orange spirals and carefree raisins.

The last few Christmas cookie posts have been a little time consuming, and involved in the ingredients department. This recipe, however, is built around a brownie mix and could not be more easy or freakin delicious.

If you're a fan of brownies and cookies, and are looking for something to shake up your Christmas cookie tray this year -- this recipe may be for you.

Day 4: Linzer Cookies

My sister and I are pretty bad ass, as evidenced by this photo:

In our shared history together we've attempted a few kitchen experiments. There was the time when we microwaved marshmallow peeps because we watched a bunch of videos of it on youtube and thought it was hilarious. We didn't actually let the peeps explode though, so it was pretty underwhelming for all involved.

Day 3: Chocolate Dipped Shortbread

I just borrowed this. You know the drill.

I'm a big fan of shortbread cookies, but I don't think I've ever actually made them around the holidays. If it's not covered in sprinkles or green icing, is it really even a Christmas cookie? These are tough questions. If a sugar cookie tree fell in the woods would it make a sound? I don't know, but my dog grabbed a sugar cookie tree from the table the other day and I didn't hear it, so maybe.

Whether or not they're Christmas staples, this recipe is a keeper and today is officially the third day of the 12 days of Christmas Cookies. So without any further ado, here is the recipe for Chocolate Dipped Shortbread cookies! 

Day 2: Spritz Christmas Trees

Living in our mini house in East Falls is difficult around Christmas time. Between moving out on our own, getting married and the occasional sidewalk shopping we do we have amassed a large number of  decorations. I think a normal couple would choose a few that mean the most and just display those, but we've crammed all of our decorations into this tiny place.

As was the case with yesterday's post, this picture is clearly just for demonstration purposes.
I just found it on google. Got it?

We even take out the back portions of the Christmas tree so it'll fit in the corner of the dining room. 

Because that's where Christmas trees go.

So while we're putting decorations on top of shelves that are packed with books, hanging hand made stockings and lighting cheap candles that smell like cinnamon - I'm also filling the house with Christmas cookies. It's what I'm best at.

Day 1: Peanut Butter Blossoms

..And you thought I forgot.

Welcome to Day 1 of the 12 Days of Cookiesssss!

^ That logo is just so good, I have to keep using it.

Today is the first day of my personal Christmas cookie challenge, posting one recipe a day for 12 whole days. Since the completion of my grad school finals I've been going over recipes in my head, and today is the day that it all begins.

A Special Announcement

Somehow in the past few days it became December, and the hunt for new kinds of Christmas cookies has officially eclipsed the final I need to finish by Wednesday night. Oops.

I started thinking about what I was going to make and what I would post and immediately I thought of at least 4984 kinds of cookies I wanted to write about. That's a ballpark, but it's pretty spot on. I convinced myself that I would need to post a lot, and often, to get them all out and to the masses so you can make them for Christmas too. That's why I decided to post 12 cookie recipes in 12 days. It's like the Amazing Race, only with less forms of transportation and no tears! (Actually, no promises on the tears).

On the Road with YIBT: Apple Pie Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting

You did it! You made it through Thanksgiving! With any luck your body has starting working against the tryptophan and the cranberry sauce that's coursing through your veins, and you can finally sit down and read something without falling asleep. I'm so proud of you.

This post is a special one because it's our first (say it in the Oprah voice) travel edition post! Yeah, I'd Bake That packed up (which is an understatement I will explain later) and hit the road to a bigger and better kitchen!

Last week I committed to making these apple pie cupcakes, and hit the grocery store to pick up some supplies. I thought I was being responsible, picking everything up ahead of time so I wouldn't have to run out when we got to Jersey. I was even going to measure out everything I was bringing from home, pack my icing gun and the new cupcake corer I had yet to use. It was a nice thought.

We were 5 traffic miles and 45 minutes away from the house when I realized that I forgot everything. EVERYTHING. Not only did I forget to bring all of the supplies, I had completely neglected to pack any of it. So when we got to Jersey I called myself an idiot the appropriate amount of times and went back to the grocery store.

These cupcakes were fun to make because I actually had counter space to work with. Real counter space. When I'm in my own kitchen I use the top of my dog's crate as part of my work space (which enables me to act like I'm a guest on a talk show, pulling out the ingredients or finished product from down below) but it's not ideal. In the Jersey kitchen (which I'll so fondly refer to it) I could move around and actually do things. So much room for activities!

This recipe is extremely easy. The actual cupcake parts tastes more like an apple bread than a sweet cupcake. The insides are filled with apple pie filling, and the icing is a light whipped creme icing that makes the whole cupcake taste like a real apple pie. I would HIGHLY suggest them, and they're perfect for the upcoming holidays.

Apple Pie Cupcakes with Caramel Icing

http://www.justputzing.com/2011/10/caramel-apple-pie-cupcakes.html

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

1 cup of milk

1 stick of butter

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 pinch of nutmeg

1 pinch of ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling: 2 cups of apple pie filling

Frosting:

2 cups heavy cream

3 to 4 tablespoons powdered sugar

1/2 cup caramel sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350. Put your cupcake liners in

2. Heat milk and butter in small saucepan or in microwave until butter melts

3. In medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder cinnamon and salt together

4. In separate bowl, beat eggs and sugar until really thick for about 5 minutes. Add dry ingredients and mix until incorporated

5. Add the milk and vanilla mixture and mix until blended

6. Put batter in cupcake tins about 1/4 full

7. Bake 16-18 minutes. Cool in pans for 5 minutes and then move cupcakes to racks to cool.

8. When cool, use corer or knife to scoop out a hole in the center of the cupcake. Fill the hole with apple pie filling.

For the icing: Beat whipping creme and powdered sugar until thick.  

 Then you just have to drizzle caramel sauce over them!

Final products:

At the end of the day, I had a full batch of Apple Pie Cupcakes and a full batch of Red Velvet. I hadn't intended on making the red velvet ones, but I figured since I had the room and I was already buying the ingredients again I might as well. Red velvet is a post for another day!

If you were at the party and tried the cupcakes, leave a comment here and let me know what you thought! 

Source: Just Putzing Around the Kitchen

URL: http://www.justputzing.com/2011/10/caramel-apple-pie-cupcakes.html

Leftover Halloween Cookies Part 2: Lost in New York

Ahh, it’s almost that time again. Turkey, turkey sandwiches, apple pie, stuffing... Halloween candy. The anticipated follow-up to the leftover Halloween candy blog is here, and it’s intense so get ready.

I mean, it’s no turkey sandwich, but it’ll do.

Last night I finally had the opportunity to make these bad boys. They are an excellent alternative to throwing your leftover candy away and/or peddling it to people in your office who live in high rise buildings or out in areas where no one dares to walk from door to door.

I threw around some language in my last post, I think I called them “bars” once, “cookies” a few times. These baked goods are definitely bars, and they won’t yield a lot of return. HOWEVER, they are delicious and the EIGHT people you get to share them with will love you forever. Trust me, I’m beloved by some just because I know my way around a spatula. I’m not proud of it, but whatever.

Below are some shots from my before and after. For the candy I used chopped up leftover plain Hershey bars tossed with pecans. There’s also chocolate chunks and other pecans in the cookie dough. If I had the chance I’d definitely use snickers, kitkats, whatever I could get my hands on because these bars are awesome. The recipe, posted again below, warns you that you’ll just get 12 very large bars and they weren’t kidding. I actually only came away with 8.

For the inside of the cookies, the finer the the chocolate the better.
For the TOPS, keep the pieces big! 

Be sure to space the cookies far apart, because they'll spread. 

The final products up close and personal.

And because you’re all such beautiful people and you left comments on the last blog, I’m giving away Yeah, I’d Bake That Magnets! They look great on refrigerators, filing cabinets, cars…and they’re free! Seriously, I’ve been thinking about it and I just can’t think of a better present for your loved one than a Yeah, I’d Bake That Magnet. Don’t wuss out and get them a bathrobe like last year Brad, step your game up! [I apologize to all Brads whose wives love bathrobes]

If you too want a magnet, leave a comment on this blog and I’ll hook you up!



Source: Best Ways to Use Halloween Candy 79
Author: Lela Davidson
Link: http://leladavidson.hubpages.com/hub/Best-Ways-to-Use-Leftover-Halloween-Candy

Topical: Leftover Halloween Candy Cookies

If you're anything like us, you now have a mountain of Halloween candy on your dining room table that may or may not cause your friend Ben to catch diabetes. Every year on Halloween our block of row homes gets assaulted with little pirates, Michael Jacksons and regular teenagers who dressed up and went trick-or-treating as regular teenagers. But for some reason, this year we over prepared (I think it was the freak snow storm and the stock piling mentality) and now we have a table full of candy that's got to go. I mean, it's got to go.

So today when I was supposed to be writing lesson plans I was scouring the internet for ways to use these leftovers. I came away from the search with two ideas: 1. I'm not sure I want to use too many collaborative writing assignments in my classroom and 2. The following Pampered Chef recipe is an amazing way to pile up all that candy, throw it in a bowl and eat it all at once so you don't have to bother with the wrappers. Obviously, my thoughts on collaborative writing do not apply here.

The website I got the recipe from says you'll make a killing if you sell these at some kind of bake sale, so if you're looking for some extra cash you're welcome:

Coffee House Cookies
Link: http://leladavidson.hubpages.com/hub/Best-Ways-to-Use-Leftover-Halloween-Candy

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans, divided
2 bars (1.5-2 ounces each, or the equivalent of mini bars) of your leftover chocolate goods*

*I haven't made this recipe yet, but I would think adding more to the recipe can't do a lot of harm. Just don't load up on too much caramel or rice products.

*This recipe makes 2 batches of 6 big cookies


Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, baking soda and salt and mix well. In another bowl or mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Gradually beat in flour mixture.

2. Stir 2/3 cup of the nuts and 2/3 cup of the chocolate chucks into dough. Cut candy bards into small pieces and set aside for later.

3. Scoop 1/4 cup of dough onto cookie sheet and flatten slightly. Leave plenty of space (about 3 inches) because cookies will spread as they bake. Press nuts and candy into cookies.

4. Bake 14-16 minutes or until cookies are almost set. Don't over bake. (Like you would on purpose?) Centers should be slightly soft. Cool on baking sheet for 7 minutes before putting on a cooling rack.



I'm going to be making these some time this week, so check back for pictures! And leave a comment below if you have any other ways to get rid of halloween candy!

This is our friend Ben. He loves candy corn.

Source: Best Ways to Use Halloween Candy 78
Author: Lela Davidson
Link: http://leladavidson.hubpages.com/hub/Best-Ways-to-Use-Leftover-Halloween-Candy

Southern Apple Crumble

October 5th was a weird day around here. I was running around the house like an idiot trying to clean up because we had friends coming over to watch the Phillies game. It was also the day after Apple announced the new iPhone 4S, so while everyone I knew was complaining about the lack of features and general coolness the new phone had and lacked,  I was in the kitchen slicing up real apples. 

That morning I found a sweet recipe for a slightly different version of apple crisp and I was going to make it because we had people coming over. It was actually just a lame excuse to bake because school had been draining the life out out me and leaving me with no time to bake anything. Every time I walked in there I remembered when I covered the whole room with corn starch. I antiqued it. The memories. 

The recipe - Southern Apple Crumble - is from Betty Crocker. Before I used it on my test audience it had already gotten rave reviews online so it was clearly a no brainer. 

So while there were rampant squirrels running across the Phillies' chances of getting into the World Series, I was telling my friend Ben that Apple Crumble only went to the people who appreciated it. It was a tense moment. I'm not proud of it.

The weird part of the story is that as we were all cramped in our tiny living room, watching the squirrel and eating Apple Crumble when we found out that Steve Jobs died. This is why the word apropos was invented. So while I may be 13 days late in saluting a legend, this Apple Crumble Yeah, I'd Bake That post goes out to Steve!

I mean, face it. This is apple season, and this is the recipe you want to use to impress your friends who also love apples. Here's the recipe:

Southern Apple Crumble

Link: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/southern-apple-crumble/d3c36ab1-55f3-4221-a114-b32c49b489e5

Filling:

3 large apples, peeled and chopped (I'd use 4 next time, but 3 is good too)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 to 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 cup cold butter or margarine, cut into small pieces

Topping:

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker Oatmeal Cookie Mix

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup of chopped pecans

1. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Spray bottom and sides of 8-inch square glass baking dish (which I clearly failed at) with cooking spray. In large bowl, toss filling ingredients together. Spread mixture in baking dish.

2. In the same large bowl, stir cookie mix and belted butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over filling.

3. Bake 40 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with pecans. Bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until topping is golden brown. 

Serve warm and probably with ice cream! Try it out my friends!

Source: Betty Crocker

Link: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/southern-apple-crumble/d3c36ab1-55f3-4221-a114-b32c49b489e5

Amish Caramel Corn

Wow. I can not watch Dancing with the Stars and concentrate on writing this blog. It's too difficult! The shiny costumes...the mediocre dancing...it's all too much.

It took me awhile to figure out what to post this week, but I decided on a sweet recipe for caramel popcorn. I made it and gave it away for Christmas last year, but made it again last week because I had some extra time on my hands (and I was trying to get rid of the ridiculous amount of plain popcorn I had in the cupboards) Seriously, who bought that much plain popcorn?

Anyway, I give out cookies every year for Christmas because I'm cheap thrifty and before it was time to start all the baking my mom told me about this recipe. In my memory she kept going on and on about her Amish friend and her great recipe for caramel popcorn. Which made me ask her repeatedly who she knew that was Amish, and if she ever stayed with them or if they were the ones who made our fireplace. In reality, I'm sure she was rationally telling me about the recipe and how her friend (who was not Amish) gave her this recipe which was called "My Amish Friend's Caramel Corn".

This recipe is a few things. A. It's time consuming. B. It's awesome. C. It's sticky. 4. It'll go fast.

I'm posting the recipe below, but I encourage you to take a look at the link so you can read the comments. I don't think I've ever seen so many 5 star reviews. But maybe it's the Amish girl's friend just trying to make her feel better about her popcorn recipe.

My Amish Friend's Caramel Corn (I just wanted to say Amish once more)
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/my-amish-friends-caramel-corn/detail.aspx

Ingredients:
7 Quarts plain popped corn (I used 3 bags worth)
2 cups dry roasted peanuts (If you enjoy peanuts. I used them and would recommend them for sure)
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup margarine
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Place the popped corn into 2 greased, baking pans. If you're adding peanuts, add them now. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 250. Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, margarine and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, over medium heat, stirring to blend. Once the mix starts to boil, boil for 5 more minutes stirring constantly.

3. Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda and vanilla. It's going to look foamy. Immediately pour over the popcorn and stir to coat all of the popcorn.

4. Bake for one hour total. Every 15 minutes remove the pans and stir up the popcorn to cover all of it. Line a flat surface (in my case, the entire dining room table) with waxed paper. Dump the corn out and separate into smaller pieces. Let it cool, or eat it all when it's warm because it's awesome that way.

I'm not kidding when I say it took up the majority of my dining room table. 

So friends, take this recipe and put it in your Christmas bank. I have yet to hear anything negative about this popcorn. And even if I did, I wouldn't tell my mom's Amish friend. She's sensitive.

Source: Allrecipes.com

URL: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/my-amish-friends-caramel-corn/detail.aspx

No Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie: Part II The Two Towers

My last post was all about what I had deemed the second coming of pie. I hadn't had the chance to make it when I wrote about it, but I was pretty positive that it would be amazing. Now, two weeks or so later, I can officially say it's a pie you HAVE to make. Have to! Like, go now and make this pie! I will wait.

I included the directions in my last post, but I'm reposting here for easiness. That's how much you need to go to the grocery store to get the FOUR ingredients you need for this pie.

Ingredients:

1 (15 or 18 oz) package of chocolate chip cookies

1 cup milk

1 (9 oz) commercial graham cracker crust

1 (8 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

1. Dip 8 cookies in milk, and place in a single layer in crust. Top with one third of whipped topping. Dip 8 more cookies in milk, place on top; spread with one third of whipped topping. Repeat layers with 8 more cookies, milk and remaining whipped cream.

I'm pretty sure that the cookies dipped in milk is what makes this
recipe so amazing. 

Keep layering!

2. Crumble 2 cookies and sprinkle over pie.

 

3. Cover and chill for 8 hours before serving.

Pie glamour shot

We enjoyed our pie at the Wallover residence for Labor Day Fondue! It was an excellent accompaniment to fondue and the famous blue t-shirts:

This is where lucky readers get to see pie enthusiasts! 

And the cutest child in America! 

(obviously, bottom right. not the cute one in the bottom left)

So go forth my people, make this pie. Today! Or tomorrow! Or never, your loss.

By the way, I have a ton of sweet recipes coming up. Including but not limited to:
-The easiest creme puffs on earth*
-Icing that looks like you got the cookies from the bakery*
-Black and white cookies like you buy in NY*
-Turtle brownies
-Caramel Popcorn

*Names have been changed to provide emphasis





Source:
Food.com/Southern Living
http://www.food.com/recipe/no-bake-chocolate-chip-cookie-pie-253048
Posted by: Knitaholic

No Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

I've been trying to think of a nice way to say this, but...I've been ignoring you all. It's not you, it's me.

Okay, it's a little you.

But mostly me.

For the past couple months we've been working like crazy people trying to finish our documentary and readying the hundreds of dollars in DVDs and CDs we bought for people to purchase. At the same time, I've been preparing everything (financial aid) to start the next semester, and it's been storming a lot.

That last part doesn't really affect much, but it's rained like 100 inches in the past couple weeks.

Anyway, I've been super busy and wasn't sure what to post until Kevin and I practically bought every book in a Border's going out of business sale this past weekend. Between the two of us we easily bought over $100 in books. I literally walked away with an armload of cookbooks. In particular, this one book is amazing and has a super delicious recipe on just about every page - particularly this one for No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie.

That's right.

I flipped open the book (Simply Chocolate), and that was the page it opened to. One of the few recipes that actually came with a picture, if I didn't walk out of the store with this book I was an idiot. For god sakes, there's only 4 ingredients!

So in honor of my recent absence, and to try and win back your hearts -- I'm posting this amazing recipe which I have yet to try myself but can see absolutely no fault in.

You can see the recipe from that link, or below:

No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
Ingredients:
1 (15 or 18 oz) package of chocolate chip cookies
1 cup milk
1 (9 oz) commercial graham cracker crust
1 (8 oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

1. Dip 8 cookies in milk, and place in a single layer in crust. Top with one third of whipped topping. Dip 8 more cookies in milk, place on top; spread with one third of whipped topping. Repeat layers with 8 more cookies, milk and remaining whipped cream.

2. Crumble 2 cookies and sprinkle over pie.

3. Cover and chill for 8 hours before serving.


I haven't made it yet, so I have no photos to post and the link I gave you is photoless too. But I imagine if you make it, people will look like this:

I do not know this man, but I think he would like this pie just as much.

I will be making this pie soon, so check back for an updated blog with pics! In the mean time, check out our FINISHED documentary (that has pictures!) at www.christymathewsondayfilm.com
^How's that for some cross promotion?

The Greatest Sugar Cookie Recipe

I have a soft spot for baking sugar cookies because it reminds me of Christmas time, so in the summer months I always decide to bake them. But while I'm busy being all nostalgic, I completely forget that making sugar cookies starts off fun, becomes a pain in the ass, and then ends with me yelling at my sister for wandering off and quitting on me. The memories.

So I had lapsed into my sugar cookie feelings last week, and found myself home alone for a while with an acceptable excuse to bake some goods. I decided to make some sugar cookies, and remembered that I was given one of the greatest recipes for this kind of cookie. The Wilton Roll Out Cookies recipe is one of the best I've ever found because it's easy, you don't have to chill the dough, and they taste like you just picked them up from the bakery.

Now, normally I'm not the biggest fan of Wilton recipes - I've been burned by their icing a few times (literally, of course) - but this one is a keeper.

The best part of this blog post is my clear disregard for the holidays. As you can see above, I have three sugar cookies shaped like pumpkins, decorated for the fourth of July sitting in the most patriotic dish I think I've ever seen. When I brought them out at a tailgating event, I told everyone they were shaped like summer squashes. I don't know anyone who knows what a summer squash looks like.

Here's the link to the official recipe: http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Roll-Out-Cookie-Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (which I've never used, so you can do without it if you'd like)
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In mixing bowl cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla and almond extract.

Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl. Add to butter mixture one cup at a time, mixing after each addition.

Do not chill dough (you don't have to, that's the best!)

On a floured surface, roll dough out. Dip cookie cutter into flour before each cut.

Bake cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet for 6-7 minutes or until light brown.
*This dough/cookie comes out very white, so keep an eye on them to make sure they're not burning around 5 minutes



You really can't go wrong with this sugar cookie recipe, specifically because they don't have many ingredients and they don't take long to make. Give 'em a shot!

And by the way,

I was dead on about the summer squash. Dead on.

Source: Wilton Roll Out Cookie Recipe

http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Roll-Out-Cookie-Recipe

Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Pie: Part II Tokyo Drift

This chocolate peanut butter ice cream-heaven-you-could-eat-it-every-day pie might be the best pie you ever make. (this is my best bill mays impression) On terms of ease, this is on par with just about everything else I bake. On terms of taste? This is ridiculously good. Too good. I mean come on, it's a pie! Pies are for Thanksgiving, and dinners with extended family members. But this pie, whoa. This recipe rivals only the chocolate dump cake in terms of how easy it is to make vs. how good it tastes.

Before we get started, I have to make some confessions. I didn't have time to make the crust myself, so I bought a chocolate pie crust. I didn't think that I may have to scale the amount of ice cream back a little, and as a result I got a chocolately stream that ran down my counter, and into my dog's crate. He liked it though, he was so excited he looked like this:

Okay, we were both excited.

If you decide to go the same route, you definitely don't need the full 2 cups of chocolate ice cream. I was following the recipe and everything was going well until it was time to put the second layer of vanilla/peanut butter ice cream in. That was when I had created an overflow of chocolate ice cream and needless to say, there are no photos of that.

I also had a lot of left over vanilla/peanut butter ice cream filling, so you could afford to scale back on that as well. I imagine the left overs would make for a pretty sweet milkshake, but I didn't have the time or the energy to figure out how to create a machine to make a milkshake. Especially after my experience with the homemade double boiler.

So here's the recipe for your family's new favorite pie: 
According to the recipe:
Prep time: 35 minutes
Baking time: 6 minutes
Total time: 41 minutes  (that's some great math, but don't forget you need to freeze it for 6 HOURS)

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups of chocolate cookie crumbs
- 2 tbsp. finely chopped nuts
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 2 cups chocolate ice cream (or a little less if you don't make the crust yourself)
- 4 cups vanilla ice cream (again, less if you're using a store bought crust)
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup of chopped nuts

Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If you're making your own crust, mix the cookie crumbs, the 2 tbsp. of finely chopped nuts and melted butter and mix well. Press into the bottom and up the sides of your 9 inch pie pan. Bake at 350 for 5-6 minutes until set. Then cool. If you're not making your own crust, skip ahead!

This is how I cheated.

- If your crust already came assembled, spread the soft chocolate ice cream in the bottom of the crust. Freeze for 30 minutes.

You can (and I should have) clearly seen here that I had too much
chocolate ice cream, but how is that ever a problem?

- While the chocolate ice cream is getting hard in the freezer, mix the vanilla ice cream and peanut butter and beat until thoroughly blended. It's best to have all of the ice cream sitting out to get soft before you begin. When blended, spread over the chocolate ice cream and top with remaining peanuts. Cover and freeze for at least 6 hours. Before you serve, let it sit for about 10 minutes or just 2 if it's 100 degrees outside.

This was the next day. I had to reinforce the pie crust with a Pyrex dish to make sure it wouldn't collapse. This was a solid ice cream pie. I added the swirls on the top to make it look more appetizing. I'm still not positive that worked.

- Pie serves 8-10 or one Kevin.

This is clearly not your mom's apple pie. Or anyone else's for that matter.

There's no apples in it.

This pie can't come with enough recommendations, you just have to try it. I can assure you that it won't disappoint. And if it does, let me know and I'll stop making such strong assurances.

Also, here's a quick shot of my peanut butter cupcakes with chocolate butter cream krispie icing:

But that's a recipe for a different day my friend!



Source: About.com 'Busy Cooks'
http://busycooks.about.com/od/dessertrecipes/r/chocpbicepie.htm
Posted by: Linda Larsen