Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Recipe is from Sally's Baking Addiction: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/soft-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookie-bars/

Ingredients:

• 2 and 1/4 cups (280g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 cup (200g) packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup (180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• optional: sprinkle of sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment, leaving an overhang on all sides to easily lift the bars out of the pan when cool. Set aside.
2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the egg, then the egg yolk. Finally, whisk in the vanilla extract. The mixture will be thick. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together until combined. The dough will be very soft, yet thick. Fold in the chocolate chips. The chips may not stick to the dough because of the melted butter, but do your best to combine them.
4. Transfer dough to the prepared baking pan and press/smooth into an even layer. Sprinkle the top with sea salt if desired. Also, I like to press a few more chocolate chips on top of the dough before baking (I do this just for looks!). Bake for 32-35 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides. Use a toothpick to test for doneness; if it comes out clean from the center of the pan, the bars are done.
5. Allow the bars to cool in the pan set on a wire rack for at least an hour. Once relatively cool, lift the foil out of the pan using the overhang on the sides and cut into squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Make ahead tip: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to come to room temperature and continue with step 4. Baked cookie bars freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw bars overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.

My Notes:
In my oven, 32 minutes was a little too long. If I made these again, I'd start checking closer to 28 minutes.
I definitely added extra chips to the top for looks and sprinkled sea salt on top.
While baking, it really smelled like eggs, but the finished product did not taste overtly eggy.
Bars were chewy, crispy on the edges, and had a slight bready quality to it.
I'd consider making the recipe again.


Pics:

Salted Caramel Sauce

This recipe is from the blog Brown Eyed Baker. (https://www.browneyedbaker.com/homemade-salted-caramel-sauce-recipe/)

Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce

This easy salted caramel sauce will change your life! It's perfect to keep in the refrigerator for ice cream sundaes, or package it up and give it as gifts!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep 5 minutes

Cook 15 minutes

Total 20 minutes

Servings 2 cups

Calories 1786 kcal

Author Michelle

Ingredients

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
• 1 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon fleur de sel or any other flaky sea salt

Directions

1. Add the sugar in an even layer over the bottom of a medium (2 to 3 quart) saucepan. Heat the sugar over medium-high heat, whisking it as it begins to melt. You'll see that the sugar will begin to form clumps, but that's okay. Just keep whisking and as it continues to cook, they will melt back down. Stop whisking once all of the sugar has melted, and swirl the pan occasionally while the sugar cooks.
2. Continue cooking until the sugar has reached a deep amber color. It should look almost a reddish-brown, and have a slight toasted aroma. This is the point where caramel can go from perfect to burnt in a matter of seconds, so keep a close eye. If you are using an instant-read thermometer, it will be around 350 degrees F.
3. As soon as the caramel reaches its sweet spot, add the butter all at once. Be careful, as the caramel will bubble up when the butter is added. Whisk the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted. Remove the pan from heat.
4. Slowly pour the cream into the caramel. Again, be careful because the mixture will once again bubble up ferociously.
5. Whisk until all of the cream has been incorporated and you have a smooth sauce. Add the fleur de sel and whisk to incorporate.
6. Set the sauce aside to cool for 10 to 15 minutes and then pour into your favorite glass jar and let cool to room temperature. The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 month.

Recipe Notes

• To reheat the sauce, remove the lid from the jar and microwave for about 45 seconds, then stir. It should be smooth and pourable, but not piping hot.
• Do not substitute kosher salt or table salt for the fleur de sel flaky sea salt, as it will turn out much too salty!
• This recipe is not suitable for canning or long-term storage, so it should be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Nutritional values are based on one cup

My Notes:

I burned the back of my hand, whisking in the butter. Be careful!! I had only 3/4 cup of cream so I scaled back on the other ingredients. The fleur de sel clumps a bit and so the bottom gets saltier. I'd consider waiting until it cools a bit more to add the salt so that it disperses more evenly. When transferring the caramel, just know that the bottom will be saltier so if separating into two jars plan accordingly.
Had some lumping clumping issues in the process, but the final product looks smooth.

Would make again! Would try to use a candy thermometer instead of an instant read thermometer because I could clip it to the side. I used a stainless steel 3 qt pan. I'd consider nonstick like in her video if I had it.

7/24/19 - I made it again! No burns this time! I reduced the salt to 3/4 TBSP and felt that was better, although the bottom of the pan was saltier again—- definitely remember to stir before pouring out.


My pics:

Applesauce Cake

I wanted to revisit this recipe, the last time I made it was in 2010!

The recipe is from Family Circle Magazine, September 2009.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup light-brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• Bottled caramel sauce, whipped topping and pecans (optional)

Directions

1. 1 of 4Coat slow-cooker bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Place 1 long sheet of nonstick foil in bottom of slow cooker bowl, with ends hanging over handles.
2. 2 of 4Whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.
3. 3 of 4Beat together butter and brown sugar on high speed for 1 minute. Beat in egg. Scrape down sides of bowl and, on low speed, beat in buttermilk (mixture will look curdled). Beat in applesauce. Add flour mixture to bowl and beat on low speed until combined.
4. 4 of 4Spread batter into slow cooker. Place a clean dish towel over slow cooker then put cover on top. Cook on HIGH for 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Use foil handles to lift cake out of slow cooker. Cut into slices. Garnish with caramel sauce, whipped topping and pecans, if desired.

Nutrition Information for Slow-Cooker Applesauce Cake with Caramel Sauce
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Per Serving: 1 g fiber, 5 g sat. fat, 8 g Fat, total, 46 mg chol., 4 g pro., 35 g carb., 226 kcal cal., 279 mg sodium

My Notes:

My notes from 10/5/2010: This cake is both delicious and moist. If making for a birthday cake, add more sugar, maybe up to a cup. If doing this recipe in a small slow cooker, maybe do two batches?
Nuts would be delicious in there. Two hours max in the cooker-- as slow cookers don't cool immediately. The top of the cake isn't super impressive, and since it's not too sweet, it may need a frosting.

My notes from 1/5/2019: This a delicious for soft, delicate cake, not-really-sweeeeet cake. I used about 2-2 1/2 tsp of spices (a blend of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, and white pepper). I removed the cake at 1 hour and 50 minutes in my larger cooker at level "2". Next time I'd check at the 1 hour, 45 minute mark. I'd consider adding nuts, and trying to make some part of it whole wheat next time. The cake stayed soft four days later. My cake's internal texture looked nothing like theirs.

Pinto Bean Burgers

Made these because we had all the items on hand!

Pinto Bean burgers (from: https://www.marthastewart.com/1512581/pinto-bean-burgers)

Toasted almonds, panko, roasted red peppers, and feta add heft and flavor to these California-style veggie burgers. The patties can be made with any kind of beans. You can also swap homemade for a 15.5-ounce can -- just drain and rinse first. Source: Martha Stewart Living, March 2017


Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped shallot
• 1/3 cup toasted almonds, chopped, plus more for serving
• 1 3/4 cups cooked pinto beans
• 2/3 cup panko
• 1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 1/2 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
• Sprouts, sliced avocado, and lemon wedges, for serving

Directions:

1. 
   

   1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium. Add shallot and cook until soft, 3 minutes.
2. 
   

   2. Pulse shallot, almonds, beans, panko, 1/4 cup roasted peppers, and egg in a food processor until just combined. Season with salt and pepper, fold in feta, and form into four 3 1/2-inch patties. At this point, you can chill them for up to 8 hours so that they hold together better when fried. 
3. 
   

   3. Wipe skillet clean; heat remaining oil over medium-high. Cook patties, flipping once, 8 minutes.
4. 
   

   4. Mix yogurt and remaining 1/4 cup peppers. Spread on burgers and serve, with sprouts, avocado, lemon, and almonds.

My notes:
I followed the recipe pretty closely, except that I added some ground cayenne and ground cumin to spice it up a bit more. I used a 15.5 oz can of pinto beans. I probably also added more feta (I used block feta, which I crumbled by hand) than 1/2 a cup. For the topping I used a mixture of sour cream and buttermilk because I didn't have Greek yogurt. I shaped the burgers and let them chill in the fridge for several hours, and they held their shape wonderfully as I was frying them. It made 4 burgers.

The burgers came together quickly and the DH liked them. They'd probably taste yummy with white or black beans, maybe not chickpeas or kidney beans which are slightly tougher. I served the burgers on top of a bed of greens with other veggies, and used the topping as the dressing. I would serve them again this way, as the burgers would probably be too dry for a veggie burger sandwich.

I would make these again.

Eggnog Pancakes

Recipe from Creme de la Crumb - https://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/eggnog-pancakes/

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups eggnog
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 tablespoons oil (may sub melted butter)
• optional: maple syrup and powdered sugar

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. In another bowl beat eggs. Whisk in the milk, vanilla, and butter.
2. Lightly grease a large nonstick skillet or griddle. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto the skillet. Cook 2-3 minutes until bubbles form in the batter and edges start to look "dry". Flip and allow to cook 1-2 more minutes until golden. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve pancakes warm with maple syrup and powdered sugar.

The Verdict:
I'd make these again.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies with dried cranberries

Made these white chocolate macadamia nut cookies with dried cranberries because my FIL brought me a bag of roasted unsalted Mac nuts and said those were his favorite cookie.

Recipe from Bon appetit:

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries (about 6 ounces)
• 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips (about 8 1/2 ounces)
• 1 cup coarsely chopped roasted salted macadamia nuts (about 4 1/2 ounces)

RECIPE PREPARATION

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift first 3 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add both sugars and beat until blended. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla. Add dry ingredients and beat just until blended. Using spatula, stir in cranberries, white chocolate chips, and nuts.
• For large cookies, drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets, spacing 2 1/2 inches apart. For small cookies, drop dough by level tablespoonfuls onto sheets, spacing 1 1/2 inches apart.

  • Bake cookies until just golden, about 18 minutes for large cookies and about 15 minutes for small cookies. Cool on sheets. DO AHEAD: Can be made ahead. Store airtight at room temperature up to 2 days or freeze up to 2 weeks.

  
  

My notes:
I used roasted unsalted nuts and added a little extra kosher salt in the dough. I also topped the cookies with a little fleur de sel midway through the bake.
These cookies took around 10 minutes to be done for me. I would consider subbing some part of the vanilla for almond extract. Overall, though they came out well, I think I prefer my macadamia but cookies without the dried cranberries and with more nuts. I probably will not make them again.