The Grey Stuff

Recipe Adapted from The Disney Diner

INGREDIENTS
2, 3.3 ounce packages, instant white chocolate pudding
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1, 14.3 oz package Oreos (regular)
3 tablespoons instant chocolate pudding mix
1, 16 oz tub Cool Whip

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, whisk together the heavy cream and whole milk. Add the packages of instant white chocolate pudding. Whisk it together, and place in the refrigerator to set, about 10 - 15 minutes.

While the pudding is setting, place Oreos in a food processor, and blend until fine. Set aside 1/3 cup of the crushed Oreos.

Remove the pudding from refrigerator. Add the crushed Oreos to the white chocolate pudding, and mix in the 3 tablespoons of chocolate pudding mix. Gently fold in the Cool Whip, and voilà! The Grey Stuff!

To Serve: The Red Rose Tavern in Disneyland served their version of The Grey Stuff over a lemon shortbread cookie, red velvet cupcake, topped with a fresh raspberry. It was freaking delicious. I didn't have the patience to make lemon shortbread cookies, so I made red velvet cupcakes, topped with raspberries, and then I piped The Grey Stuff using a Wilton 1M tip, and topped with pearl sprinkles. I totally forgot to sprinkle some crushed Oreo on top, but you should.

Homemade Soft Pretzels

INGREDIENTS
Dough

4 3/4 cups unbleached, all purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons Active Dry Yeast (2 packets)
2 cups warm water

Topping
2 cups water
4 tablespoons baking soda
Coarse, kosher or pretzel salt
1 cup unsalted butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

In a mixer, bloom the yeast with the sugar and water, let sit for 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, and using the hook attachment, combine ingredients until it forms a dough that pulls away from the sides. Continue kneading for about 5 minutes. It should be soft, smooth, and quite slack. Cover, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.

While the dough is resting, prepare the topping:

In a small pot, boil water and add baking soda, stirring until the soda is dissolved. Reduce heat to a soft simmer.

Preheat your oven to 475°F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into sixteen equal pieces (about 70g, or 2 1/2 ounces, each). Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

Pour the baking soda/water into a 9" square pan.

Roll each piece of dough into a long, thin rope (about 28" to 30" long), and twist each rope into a pretzel. Working with 4 pretzels at a time, place them in the pan with the baking soda/water, spooning the water over their tops; leave them in the water for 2 minutes before placing them on the baking sheet. This baking soda "bath" will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color.

Transfer the pretzels to the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle them lightly with salt, if desired.

Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Bake the pretzels for 8 to 9 minutes, or until they're golden brown.

Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter.

Keep brushing the butter on until you've used it all up; it may seem like a lot, but pretend you're Paula Dean, and you need butter to live.

Sprinkle with more salt, because we go hard to the paint here, and serve!

Variation: PRETZEL BITES WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. Instead of twisting your ropes of dough, cut them into 1 inch pieces, throw them in the soda water for a minute, and let sit for 10 minutes, and bake for 6-7 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Momma's Sugar Cookies

INGREDIENTS
2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla (OR 1 teaspoon almond extract)
4 eggs
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup dairy product

DIRECTIONS
In large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
In a mixer, cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs in one at a time until incorporated, then add vanilla.
Incorporate 1/3 flour mixture, then 1/2 dairy product. Repeat. End with flour. Be sure to not over mix.
Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour- use my roll out dough hack!
Heat oven to 400ºF.
Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface.
Cut with cookie cutter.
Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Place in freezer for 3 minutes.
Bake for 7 minutes, or until bottoms are pale brown.
Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack, repeat with remaining dough.
Let cookies cool completely before topping with your frosting of choice, and ALL THE SPRINKLES.

Caramel Bugles

 Recipe adapted from Dollie Nyberg's

INGREDIENTS
1 stick butter
2 cups brown sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2/3 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup honey
Splash of vanilla extract
29 oz Bugles
Cooking Spray

DIRECTIONS 
Prep a large baking sheet with parchment paper, and then spray with cooking spray, set aside.
In a very large mixing bowl, coat thoroughly with cooking spray, and then add Bugles. Set aside.
In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter and brown sugar together until brown sugar is dissolved.
Turn up heat to medium-high, then add sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup, and honey. Bring a boil, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula (to keep the bottom from burning). Continue stirring until caramel reaches a tad passed the soft-ball stage, 245ºF with a candy thermometer.
Remove from heat, and add vanilla extract- the caramel will bubble up! Stir until bubbles subside, and then poor over Bugles.
Mix caramel and Bugles until all of the Bugles are covered in caramel goodness.  Evenly spread Caramel Bugles over your prepared baking sheet, and let until cool.
Then share with your favorite people!

I detest Bugles. I think they are one of the worst snack foods ever. However, Sister Nyberg brought these Caramel Bugles to our Ward Campout over the summer, and in love I fell. They were like crack to me, and no one else dared try them, so I got to take a lot of them home, and made a request for the recipe. The next day I had the recipe, now here I am five months later, and I have finally gotten around to making them. However, I discovered upon making them that I only had 2/3 cup of Corn Syrup- the original recipe called for 1 cup Corn Syrup, so I scrambled around for an appropriate substitute, and I ended up dumping 1/3 cup of Honey. I know that the chemical structure of the two are fairly similar, but the difference in the honey would require that I cook it just a tad bit hotter than the original recipe.
I am happy to report that I dare say this is better than the original, and you should all give it a go! I'm pretending that it is healthier, because honey is healthy. ;)

Bacon Swiss Poppy Seed Salad

INGREDIENTS
1/2 tsp grated fresh onion
1/2 tsp prepared mustard
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp poppy seeds
1 head green leaf lettuce

1 head red leaf lettuce

2 cups grated Swiss cheese

3/4 lbs crispy-cooked, and crumbled bacon

DIRECTIONS

Combine grated fresh onion, mustard, sugar, rice vinegar, olive oil, salt, and poppy seeds in a container. I plopped them in a blender bottle, shook it like a polaroid picture.

Chop your heads of green and red leaf lettuce- into fork manageable pieces. Top lettuce with Swiss cheese, bacon, and poppy seed dressing. Then toss to combine, and enjoy!

This recipe is EASILY doubled, and will go fast in a crowd. Even in a crowd of non-green salad loving Mormons. In fact, the original recipe I was given was doubled, and filled a GIANT bowl. however, this recipe fit nicely into a casserole dish for our Christmas Dinner for six, with no leftovers-  I took one for the team and finished it off. You will NOT regret making this salad.

Hot Chocolate Truffles

recipe adapted from Your Cup of Cake
BASIC RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

2 3/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Cocoa Powder

DIRECTIONS
In a medium sized pot, melt all of the ingredients over medium-low heat stirring constantly until smooth.
Remove from heat, and transfer to a separate container. Let cool in the refrigerator until stiff enough to scoop.
Using a small cookie scoop (2 Tbsp/1 ounce/30 mL), scoop your ganache onto a parchment lined baking sheet, and place in the freezer for half an hour.
Remove scoops from freezer, and shape into (pretty) balls with your hands. Roll truffles in cocoa powder, and keep chilled until ready to use.

TO SERVE

Place truffle in bottom of cup, and pour 6 to 8 oz of hot milk over the top. Stir stir stir and enjoy!

VARIATIONS

Candy Cane
Use 2 teaspoons of peppermint extract in place of vanilla.
Roll in crushed candy canes.

Chocolate Orange
Use 1 Tablespoon of orange extract in place of vanilla.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup
Use 2 Cups Reese's Peanut Butter Chips & 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Roll in 2 parts cocoa powder to 1 part PB2.

Extra Dark Milk Chocolate
Use Guittard Extra Dark Chocolate Chips & 1/2 teaspoon salt

Som' Bitches

Recipe adapted from two.thirty.ate

INGREDIENTS
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
28 chewy caramels, unwrapped

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars. Add peanut butter and beat until thoroughly mixed. Add vanilla, then eggs, one at a time until combined.
Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Gently fold in chocolate chips, and mix until just combined.
Using a two tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop out dough then flatten in the the palm of your hand. Place caramel in the middle, then fold cookie dough up, pinching the seams to create a ball. Place cookies 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

If you know me, then you know that Peanut Butter Cookies are always a bust with me. Not that I don't love peanut butter cookies, but because I am THE WORST at making them. No matter what I do, they always end up terrible. After that famous episode of How I Met Your Mother where we actually met the mother, and she had made these cookies. When I watched that episode, I knew that I needed to make them. But with my terrible track record, I was SO thankful that my friend Kayla would make them. She taught me how, but for some reason every time I tried, they just didn't ever work. That is until I made them during the 2016 BYU/Utah Football game. I was SO stressed, that I had to do something. So while the game may not have ended the way I wanted it to, I have these cookies to help ease my pain.