Oatmeal Cookie Granola with Dried Strawberries, Blueberries, & Macadamia Nuts

EDIBLE DREIDELS

Hanukkah begins this week! In this blast from the past photo, Jaden is preparing some edible dreidels! 
INSERT A PRETZEL STICK INTO A MARSHMALLOW AND DIP IN MELTED CHOCOLATE.  DIP A HERSHEY KISS IN MELTED CHOC AND ATTACH TO THE MARSHMALLOW. ADD WRITING WITH GEL WRITERS OR FROSTING PENS! DONE!

OUTRAGEOUS OATMEAL PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Killer Oatmeal Peanut BUtter Choc Chip Cookies
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick soft butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
3/4 cup oats
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (Ghiradelli's 60% cocoa chips are great here)

In a mixer cream together butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla on medium speed. Add the egg. On low add the flour, baking soda, salt just till combined. By hand stir in the oats and chocolate chips. Chill dough at least 4 hours or overnight!

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line sheets with parchment paper.

Use a small ice cream scoop or your hands and form 3 T. of dough. Drop onto baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-15 min, until lightly golden. Cool completely. Note: The cookies should appear jut slightly under baked when you take them out of the oven, because they'll cook a bit more as they cool.

LAYER BARS

4 layers of goodness baked with a truly special friend. Sugar cookies, double chocolate chip, peanut butter, & chocolate chip dough all topped with a semisweet drizzle!

CHOCOLATEY COOKIES

A Serious Chocolate Cookie

TURKEY!

Gobble, Gobble!

Baked Oatmeal Bread Pudding for Breakfast Topped with a Splash of Heavy Cream, Dried Strawberries, Blueberries, & Cherries!

APPLE FUN!

PUMPKIN PIE WITH MELTED CARAMEL & CHOPPED HEATH BARS
APPLE CRUMB PIE TOPPED WITH CARAMEL & A GARNISH OF PECANS

JADEN HAS DISCOVERED A NEW KITCHEN TOOL!

THANKSGIVING EVE

Happy "National Cranberry Day" Everyone!

OREO CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Oreos Meet Chocolate Chips....

YOU CAN MAKE THIS ONE OF TWO WAYS!  

1.  USE SOME PREMADE PILLSBURY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH AND WRAP IT AROUND AND OREO.  
BAKE AT 350 UNTIL LIGHTLY GOLDEN.  OR.....

2. TRY THE HOMEMADE VERSION BELOW.  YOU CAN'T GO WRONG EITHER WAY!!!!

2 sticks softened butter
3/4 Cup packed light brown sugar
1 Cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla
3 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
10 oz bag chocolate chips
1 bag Oreo Cookies
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer cream butter and sugars until well combined. Add in eggs and vanilla until well combined.
2. In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined. Using a cookie scoop take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo Cookie. Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo Cookie. Seal edges together until Oreo Cookie is enclosed with dough. Place onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until cookies are golden. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.
Makes about 2 dozen VERY LARGE Cookies (Recipe from Picky Palate)

EDIBLE SCRABBLE BOARD

BABY SCRABBLE BOARD -MAKE THIS FOR ANY OCCASION FOR SOMEONE SPECIAL!
1. CHOOSE A GAME BOARD.
2. MAKE YOUR FAVORITE SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE AND ROLL IT OUT. CLICK HERE FOR MY FAVORITE SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE!!!
3. CUT THE DOUGH INTO SHAPES TO FIT THE RECTANGLES ON YOUR GAME BOARD.
4. BAKE AS THE RECIPE SAYS AND COOL.
5. ICE COOKIES WITH ROYAL ICING.
6. ONCE DRY, USE A DIFFERENT COLORED ROYAL ICING TO PIPE ON YOUR LETTERS. CHOOSE WORDS TO GO WITH YOUR THEME!
7. "GLUE" COOKIES TO BOARD USING ROYAL ICING!

DESIGN YOUR OWN COOKIES!!

BAKE SUGAR COOKIES INTO ANY SHAPES YOU WANT. FROST WITH ROYAL ICING ND DRY OVERNIGHT. LET KIDS USE EDIBLE MARKERS TO DECORATE AND THEN EAT!!! FUN! . CLICK HERE FOR MY FAVORITE COOKIE/ICING RECIPE!!

Peanut Butter Cup & Brownie Trifle with Pastry Cream and a Sprinkling of Heath Bars on Top

TOP SECRET RECIPE! WOULD YOU LIKE IT???? CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE!!

White Chocolate Bark with Whoppers & CRANBERRIES

MELT WHITE CHOCOLATE AND SPREAD ON NONSTICK FOIL LINED COOKIE SHEET. ADD WHOPPERS AND CHILL TILL SET. BREAK INTO PIECES!

YUM WITH CRANBERRIES TOO!

GOBBLE GOBBLE!

Edible Crafts for Turkey Day!

USE MELTED CHOCOLATE TO "GLUE" 2 OREOS TOGETHER.  ATTACH A PB CUP BODY, A WHOPPER OR MILK DUD HEAD, CANDY EYES, CANDY CORN FEATHERS & NOSE AND A FROSTING WADDLE AND LEGS

FRITTATA

Roasted Potato & Sausage Frittata

Over the Top Reese's ...AGAIN!

With so many Oreo recipes, I didn't want to neglect the Golden Oreo! hee hee

Apparently my picky 2 year old LOVES carbonara!

HOMEMADE GRANOLA BARS

Chef Jaden made Oatmeal Blueberry Pie Bars!

Peppermint Patty Brownies for that Cool Mint Sensation!

BLACK & WHITE COOKIES

 

Every test kitchen needs a helper!

COOKIES:
2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 sticks soft butter
1 C sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 C buttermilk
for the icing
2 1/2 c. confectioners sugar
1 T. light corn syrup
2 tbsp hot water to start but u will need to add more a little at a time
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted
1 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
Preheat oven to 350 Beat the butter and sugar. Add egg, vanilla. Combine the flour & baking powder and add to the batter alternating with the buttermilk until all is added. Spoon onto parchment using 1/4c. measurer or muffin top pan like I used. Bake for 10 mins-depending on size. Watch them-should just be light golden. cool...
To make the icing, beat together the confectioner's sugar, corn syrup & water. Divide into 2 bowls. One bowl is your white. To the other bowl, add the melted chocolate and cocoa powder (sifted so not lumpy)
You need to keep adding hot water as u work to keep it thin enough for spreading! Spread one half white and the other half chocolate! Let set.

Back in the test kitchen....Black & White Cookies Take 2!

Which half would you eat first or would you chomp right down the middle?

A Post From My Chef in Training-(WARNING: This may gross you out!!!!!)
Jaden was eating whole wheat bread with peanut butter when he got up from the table, headed to the pantry, took out the cheddar goldfish and proceeded to systematically place them on the peanut butter. And yes my friends, here it comes...he ate it!!! I warned you!! ha ha ha

CHOCOLATE CLUSTERS

MELT DARK CHOCOLATE AND DROP BY ROUNDS ON WAX PAPER. TOP WITH DRIED CRANBERRIES AND ALMONDS AND A TOUCH OF SEA SALT!

OREO PEANUT BUTTER CUP PARADISE CHEESECAKE!!!

For the Crust:
32 Oreo cookies, ground in a food processor
5½ Tablespoons butter, melted
Pinch of salt
For the Fudge:
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
20 miniature peanut butter cup candies, unwrapped and roughly chopped
For the Cheesecake:
24 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
For the Ganache Topping:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Grease a 9" spring form pan.
2. To make the crust, stir the Oreo crumbs, melted butter and salt in a small bowl and press evenly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.   Press in firmly and freeze 10 mins.
3. Bake the crust for 10 minutes & let cool.
4. To make the fudge, put the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Heat the cream in the microwave and pour over the chocolate. Let sit 2 minutes.  Add vanilla and whisk till smooth.  Pour this fudge into the cool crust and spread evenly across bottom. Freeze 10 minutes. Remove from freezer and sprinkle surface with the chopped peanut butter cups. Return to freezer for 10 more minutes.
5. Make the cheesecake filling. Beat the cream cheese and peanut butter together until smooth. Add the sugar and vanilla beating on medium speed until mixed well.  On low add the eggs one at a time. Scrape sides and mix another 20 seconds.
6. Remove the pan from the freezer and pour the cheesecake filling over the fudge and peanut butter cups. Bake about 1 hour or until mostly set with just a slight center jiggle.   Cool to room temp and then chill hours.  When unmolding, wrap a warm towel around the outside of the pan to loosen the crust from the sides. Carefully remove the sides from the pan.
7. Before serving make the ganache topping. Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl. Heat cream in microwave and pour over the chocolate. Sit 2 mins and stir smooth.  Pour over the cake and spread evenly.  Chill until set.
Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Party Favors for the Birthday Girl!

The final chocolate chip cookie this week!

These Cookies required sea salt and a 48 hour chill!!!!

NY Times Cookie with Semisweet Chocolate & Sea Salt

NY Times Cookie with Bittersweet Chocolate & Sea Salt

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies

ingredients:

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks, at least 60 percent cacao content (I PREFER GHIARDELLI CHIPS)

Sea salt

directions:

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

BASE DON RECIPE FROM Jacques Torres, recipe from the NY Times

It's chocolate chip cookie week. More to follow!

Top Chef cookies...recipe by Eric