White Chocolate Peppermint Pretzel Cookies

INGREDIENTS
1 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs cold
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt
2 cups Ghirardelli Peppermint Chunks
1 cup miniature pretzels, crushed
Crushed Peppermint Candies
Miniature Pretzels
Flaky Finishing Salt

DIRECTIONS
Using a paddle attachment, further soften butter until lighter in texture.
Cream together granulated and brown sugar, until pale in color. Scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Add vanilla extract, and mix to incorporate.
Add eggs one at a time, beating on medium speed until the mixture is smooth. Scrape bowl between additions.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. To ensure even distribution of baking soda and salt.
Add half of the flour mixture to the bowl, and pulse until barely incorporated.
Again, scrape the sides of the bowl, and be sure to lift the ingredients from the bottom.
Add remaining flour, and pulse until just mixed. There will probably be some flour still visible.
Again, scrape the sides of the bowl, and be sure to lift the ingredients from the bottom.
Add peppermint chunks, and crushed pretzels, and mix until incorporated.
It's okay if the paddle crushes the pretzels and chunks, the broken pieces are more evenly distributed.
Using a cookie scoop, (I used a #40 scoop, which is about 1.75 Tbsp), scoop your dough.
Place balls of dough on a cookie sheet, and scoop the entire batch.
Roll the top half of the dough in the crushed peppermint candies, and top with a miniature pretzel.
Refrigerate dough for at least half an hour, up to a day. Then bake.
Preheat oven to 375° F; at least 30 minutes before you begin to bake.
Place dough on cookie sheet, at least 2 inches apart.
Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until edges are lightly golden brown.
Top cookies with flaky finishing salt.

This is legitimately my new favorite cookie. I first discovered the flavor combination when I mistakenly thought my niece's favorite thing was white chocolate and peppermint- (she likes it when it's on top of very thick dark chocolate)… so I grabbed a bag of these at Costco, and then quickly became obsessed with them. My favorite flavor of Perk Energy is even inspired by those White Chocolate Peppermint Pretzel Crisps. So when I was making chocolate chip cookies as a request from my grandma, I figured why the heck not? I grabbed a bag of Ghirardelli Peppermint Chunks from the freezer, crushed some pretzel until I had a cup, decided they didn't look quite festive enough, and bam! my new favorite holiday cookie was born. I took them to work the next day to test on some of our clients, and by the double fisting action that went on, I knew they were winners.

Creamy Stove Top Mac-n-Cheese

adapted from Alton Brown's Stove Top Mac-n-Cheese

INGREDIENTS
3 cups elbow macaroni
1/2 stick butter, unsalted
2 large eggs
8 ounces evaporated milk
2 tsp sriracha
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp fresh black pepper
8 ounces Monterey Jack Cheese
8 ounces Medium Cheddar Cheese

DIRECTIONS

Whisk together eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard.

In a large pot, cook the pasta to al dente and drain. Return to the pot, and over low heat melt in the butter, toss to coat.

Stir egg/milk mixture into the pasta, and add the cheese.

Over low heat, continue to stir for 3-5 minutes, or until creamy.

Enjoy!

You know when the craving for a pot of creamy macaroni and cheese hits, and you're out of the boxed stuff, but you're also going to die before you can whip some homemade goodness up AND pull it out of the oven? Well, that was last Sunday at our home. Everyone was hankering for some hot mac'n'cheese, and none of us wanted to deal with the hassle of a baked mac'n'cheese, but we also didn't have any of the boxed stuff and by the time we got back from the store, even that would have been too long of a wait. So while at the store, I told my sister to throw 3 cups of macaroni in some boiling water, and we would figure it out when we got home. My niece grabbed 8 ounces of cheddar, and 8 ounces of monterey jack when she ran into the store, and we made adjustments based on what we had. I added more evaporated milk, used all the cheese that she bought, the only hot sauce we had was sriracha, and it got doubled because I didn't know how to open it. My niece who hates mac'n'cheese freaking loved this, and it was so easy that it will for sure be how we get our mac'n'cheese on from now on.

I think you could use just about any combination of cheese your heart desires.
This recipe could easily be gluten free if you used a GF pasta.

Cake Blog Favorites

A stacked cake is intimidating to me. However, since discovering Courtney Rich of Cake by Courtney, my confidence in the kitchen when it comes to cake has grown exponentially. Courtney has broken down cake baking and decorating in a way that makes cake fun, accessible, and a way to build your confidence.

If for whatever reason you aren't already obsessed with her, you need to check out her website: cakebycourtney.com right now! I have yet to make a cake from her that I or a friend/family member did not love.

These are my favorites:

CARROT APRICOT CAKE WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE PRETZEL CRACK FILLING

CLASSIC WHITE CAKE

W/ STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

RED, WHITE AND BLUE BERRY CAKE

RED, WHITE AND BLUE BERRY CAKE

IN A SHEET PAN W/ BUTTERCREAM THAT WON'T STAIN YOUR TEETH

PEACH CRISP CAKE

CHURRO CAKE

ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE CAKE

W/ SALTED CARAMEL BUTTERCREAM FILLING

PUMPKIN PIE CAKE

S'mores Cookies

recipe adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

INGREDIENTS
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup Hershey's Milk Chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup mallow bits
Optional:
Hershey's Milk Chocolate Candy Bars
Mallow Bits
Extra graham cracker pieces

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper, and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until creamy and smooth. Scrape down the sids, and then add the egg, and vanilla extract, and beat until smooth.

Carefully add half of the dry ingredients, and mix until a dough starts to form. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until just combined - there should be crumbs on the bottom.

Gently fold in the mallow bits, and chopped chocolate bars. Taking care to lift all of the dry crumbs from the bottom of the bowl.

Scoop dough with your favorite cookie scoop, and plate rounded ball on prepared baking sheet. Flatten top of dough with the palm of your hand. Repeat, placing cookies about 1 inch apart.

Top dough with a pips of Hershey's Milk Chocolate, and mallow bits.

Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until cookies are set. Remove from oven, and cool on baking sheet for at least 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

*I used a #40 Scoop, which is about 1.75 Tbsp of dough. Which gives the perfect S'mores ratio of chocolate:graham:mallow, with the addition of a pip of Hershey's Milk Chocolate.

S'mores Cookie

Ain't nobody got time to build a fire, put out a fire, clean up the sticky mess, AND wash your hair- all in the name of eating America's favorite campfire treat, the S'more. These cookies incorporate all the best things about S'mores without all the hassle of S'mores. Truly a gift. The dough is fairly dry, so the cookie ends up crunchy like a graham cracker, and when eaten lone tastes like a graham cracker. The mallow bits are dehydrated mallows - like the ones from hot chocolate packets. So on the inside they absorb some the moisture from the dough and get soft & chewy; but the ones on the outside get a tiny bit browned, and are similar in texture and color to roasted mallows, just on a much smaller scale. The chopped Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bars, and the pip get melty and gooey. Just like the mallows of your dreams, but with so much less mess. These are winners.

Lemon Ricotta Cookies

adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

INGREDIENTS
Cookies
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
2 cups sugar
1 lemon, zested
2 large eggs
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
1/4 cup lemon juice
Glaze
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 lemon, zested

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375º F.

Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until pale yellow and fluffy.
Add eggs, one at a time. Add the ricotta, and lemon juice and beat until fully combined.

To the butter/ricotta mixture, add half of the prepared dry ingredients, and mix on low. Scrap sides of bowl and add remaining half of dry ingredients, mix until just combined. Gently fold the dough taking care to scrape the sides of the bowl, to finish the mixing the dough.

Scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets. *I prefer a #20 scoop (3.5 tbsp), and can fit about 24 cookies on a half sheet pan. Prepared cookies sheets, and dough should be kept in the refrigerator if not in the oven.

Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove sheets from oven, and let cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes. The cookies are extra delicate when warm, and the residual heat of the sheet helps to firm up the bottoms. When cookies have cooled, prepare glaze.

Combine powdered sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Stir until smooth. Dip cookies, and let glaze harden at room temperature. Enjoy!

Are these cookies a family favorite that will be gone in less than 45 minutes? Yes. My family loves them more than they love me. At least that's the vibe I get from my mother and sister. My sister has requested that if she ever marries that I make her wedding cake out of these cookies- stacked to be the cake. They are the perfect delicate little cookie. Sweet but tart, tender, moist, and just plain delicious. You should definitely make them, especially when lemons are in season. I added more flour than the original recipe calls for, and highly suggest taking care to be sure it's fully mixed. If not, the cookies will spread like the devil, and it will be a crunchy lemon sugar butter mess. Extra delicious? Yes. Beautiful cookie? heck no.

VARIATIONS:

Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Berry Glaze
            Replace 2 Tbsp lemon juice with fresh berry juice of your choice.
            Strawberry & Raspberry SO good.
Orange Ricotta Cookies with Chocolate Glaze
            Replace Lemons with Oranges
            Double the zest in the cookies
            Chocolate Glaze

                        1 cup powdered sugar                            1 Tbsp butter, melted                        Orange Zest

                        2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder    1 Tbsp Orange Juice
                       
                       

Crumble Topping

Recipe from Rachel Parcell
 
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar and flour.
Add the butter, and mix* until a crumble-y texture forms.

*You can do this with a pastry cutter, spoons, or freshly washed hands. Personally, I think it's best with a pastry cutter, because you lose less butter to your skin.

Top your favorite prepared muffin batter mix, and bake according to package directions. Let cool in muffin tip for at least 3 minutes before removing to allow to cool in a cooling rack. ENJOY!


This Crumble Topping recipe is as basic as you can get, and it is freaking delicious as is.

BASIC IS GOOD! 

You can always change it up, as you keep the basic ratio pretty similar. The more sugar/butter the crunchier the crumble, and more of a caramelized goodness will develop. The more flour you add the more sandy the crumble will be- which is good for topping juicier stuff. Swap the sugar for different blends depending on what you're going for - brown sugar, raw sugar, honey, whatever floats your boat. Adding vanilla paste is money, as is adding your favorite extract like almond, or even some citrus zest. Mix in some rolled oats, sliced almonds, or finely chopped nuts- that will give the crumble an insane crunch!

THE LIMIT DOES NOT EXIST…
WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR OPTIONS.

USES:

• On top of fruit, and baked for a delicious fruit crumble. Any fruits will do, get creative! Just cook them a little, sweeten them up a touch if they are particularly tart, and bake.
• MY FAVORITE: Grab a bag of frozen mixed berries, throw them in a pot with 1/2 cup sugar, your favorite extract, a squeeze of lemon juice, and lemon zest. Cook for a couple minutes over medium-high heat, to get the berries poppin' and to get the natural pectins in the berries. Transfer to casserole dish, top with crumble and bake at 350ºF for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Use it as the topping for fruit pies.
• Since there is no limit on variations, there is no limit on what you can do with it. :)

Homemade Crunchy Taco Skillet

adapted from Iowa Girl Eats

INGREDIENTS
1lb lean ground beef
1 1/2 cups diced onion, frozen
1 good sized jalepeño*
1 taco seasoning packet
1 cup salsa
1 32 oz box chicken stock**
1 cup long grain white rice
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 1/2 cups sweet corn, frozen
1 cup shredded cheese

Corn tortilla chips to crunch on top

DIRECTIONS
Brown ground beef with onion and jalapeño in a large skillet over medium-high heat. If using a fattier burger, drain then return to skillet.
Add taco seasoning, salsa, chicken broth, and rice and stir to combine.
Bring mixture to a boil, cover with lid and reduce heat to low.
Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until rice is tender.
Stir in corn and black beans until warmed through, remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted.
Place lid back on the skillet then let sit for 5 minutes before serving with toppings.

Okay friends. I first made this recipe for my family FIVE YEARS AGO. And it has become a family favorite, and has made at least two appearances on the table every month since. We've made even more modifications to the original recipe that I posted, and to be honest, the original doesn't even compare. We've upped the convenience by using frozen diced onions and frozen sweet corn. The frozen sweet corn is necessary because it completely changes the meal. We also just increased the salsa to a full cup because no one wants to wash a second measuring cup.

Seriously y'all. This recipe is the real deal. It's even requested as special birthday meals, because the kids have grown up loving this! We're love it as is, but you can definitely top it with whatever your heart fancies. Make this! Your family will not be disappointed.

*For a milder crunchy taco helper, remove rib and seeds from inside of the jalapeño.
**You can totally sub half of this for water, but if I am opening a box of chicken stock, I'm just going to throw the entire thing in. I will forget the other half of the box and it will go to waste. That's just the type of person I am.

Belgian Waffles

adapted from Simple Daily Recipes

INGREDIENTS
2 eggs, room temp
1 cup milk
4 Tbsp oil
2 tsp butter vanilla baking emulsion
1 cup cake flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp sugar

DIRECTIONS

Separate the yolk from the whites of your room temperature eggs.

Combine yolks with milk, oil, and vanilla emulsion. Beat until combined. Set aside.

In a clean metal or glass bowl, whip egg whites until stiff peak stage. A KitchenAid is your best friend for this. Reserve one quarter cup of stiff egg whites.

Turn on waffle maker to let it come to temperature.

In a medium sized bowl, thoroughly combine flour, baking powder, kosher salt, and sugar. Whisk in your wet ingredients, until mixture is homogenous. Slacken batter with 1/4 of egg whites, then carefully fold in the rest.

Fill waffle iron according to the directions, and bake in iron until it has reached the desired color. No one likes to clean up the mess of an overfilled waffle iron.

When you have approximately 1/4 of your batter remaining, gently fold in the remaining quarter cup of stiff egg whites. The last bit of batter is never quite as fluffy as the begging of the batch, and this has prevented me from having the dreaded waffle iron mess.

Serve with your favorite waffle toppings, and enjoy!

Ever have those moments when you see something that would make all of your childhood dreams come true, but you recognize that you're an adult and don't actually need that dream to come true? Well that was me with this Mickey Mouse Waffle Maker… and I resisted, until they came back in stock and my favorite Disney Instagrammer was like, "they're baaaaack!" Well friends, I don't regret the decision because this waffle iron has several settings, and a super even heating element. It's just pure quality… especially with this waffle recipe.
I didn't take very long searching for the perfect recipe. And then I was committed to making waffles, even though we didn't have regular flour OR vanilla extract, but the adjustments to the recipe are now necessary. Cake flour is a little sweeter, and much lighter, and Butter Vanilla Baking Emulsion is HEAVEN SENT. The trick of setting aside some of the stiff egg whites has also been loads of help, because the batter tends to be denser, and will just ooze out like lava if you don't have set it aside to add later.

Sweet 'n' Spicy Baked Beans

Recipe from Brian Ballou

INGREDIENTS

1 lb thick sliced bacon, chopped
3 large sweet onions, diced
5 bell peppers, diced
12 hot links, sliced into half moons
3/4 lb light brown sugar
18 oz BBQ Sauce, sug: Sweet Baby Ray's*
2- 55 oz cans Bush's Baked Beans Homestyle*
1- 55 oz can Bush's Baked Beans Original*
Vinegar (optional)**

*Use whatever ratio or brand you want, this is just what I have always used, and it works.
**If you find that the beans are too sweet, throw in a dash of vinegar to cut the sweetness.

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot, over medium heat cook bacon until crispy.
Remove from pot, and leave rendered bacon fat in pot.
Add onions and peppers, and cook until soft. Add hot links and brown.
Return bacon to pot, add brown sugar and BBQ sauce. Mix thoroughly.
Stir as you add baked beans to mixture. Cook over medium heat until beans are warmed.
Remove from heat and serve.

I used to work at an oilfield chemical company, and every year we were tasked with catering the API Golf Tournament Lunch for the Friday flights every year. I had joked that we needed to do catering on the side, because we'd kill it. This recipe for baked beans will make the crankiest of old men happy to see you. They will also keep them coming back for more, even if they just ate or are about to eat, a crap ton of food on the course. They are spicy, they are sweet, they are delicious. I'm certain I will find true love someday while serving these baked beans.

Roll Out Cookie Hack

Rolled out cookies are always my favorite cookies. There is just something about eating a cookie that is shaped like a heart, or bear, or Christmas tree that just makes you happy!

However, rolling out the dough is the worst. There are so many factors at play that it's hard to nail it sometimes.

• The dough can be too cold.
• The dough can be too warm.
• The dough is sticky.
• The dough keeps cracking.
• The dough isn't rolling out evenly.
• The dough can't be worked too much.

 It is definitely the worst part about making delicious shaped cookies.

Most recipes call for some refrigerator chill time, because for cut out cookies, a lot of the rise comes from butter*, so you want to the dough to be cold, so that the butter doesn't melt prematurely. Premature melting is what causes misshapen, and greasy cookies. Ain't nobody got time for that.

Which is why older recipes always say to wrap your dough in cling film, and let rest in the refrigerator.

Which is nearly impossible to roll out after you've forgotten it for several hours, and it has unfortunately taken on the smell of the pungent onion your grandma cut and chucked into the refrigerator.


Which is where gallon sized ziplock bags came into my life and to the rescue. Instead of wrapping your dough in a ball in cling film, use a gallon sized ziplock bag. The pros are as follows

• ziplock bags are sturdy enough that you can make it as flat as possible without tearing
• you'll take up less space in the refrigerator
• the dough will be evenly chilled
• you will spend a lot less time working the dough
• you don't have to worry about getting caught in a roll of cling film

A gallon sized ziplock will perfectly hold a single batch of my Momma's Sugar Cookie Dough… and single batches of most other roll out cookie dough recipes.

When it's time to roll out your dough, just rip open the side of the bag and pull it out.

CCC: Tried + True CC Cookies by ABK

recipe adapted from: A Bountiful Kitchen

INGREDIENTS
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp kosher salt, or coarse sea salt
12 oz chocolate chunks*

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Prepare baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt, and set aside.

In a stand mixer, cream butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract.

Add eggs, beating well.

Stir in flour mixture and chocolate chips. Taking care not to over mix.

Using a cookie scoop, drop onto prepared baking sheets. Flatten slightly with the palm of your hand.

Bake for 7-10 minutes on a middle rack until golden brown.

Remove from oven, and cool on baking sheets for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire baking sheets to finish cooling.

*Chocolate Chunks are necessary. Trader Joe's Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks are best. Cheap and delicious.

A Bountiful Kitchen will never lead you astray. Her Tried & True CC Cookie recipe is literally the Toll House Cookie Recipe… aka Phoebe Buffay's Grandmother's Family Recipe. However it has all the tweaks that we need for high altitude. Si swears by baking these with a convection oven, and her cookies always look beautiful; but they work just as well in a conventional oven. THIS is my go-to chocolate chip cookie.