Easy Superbowl Feast {Chips & Dip, Chili & Cornbread}

12th Man Sugar Cookies

Even though Mac's Seahawks lost in the final minute, we had a blast watching the Superbowl this year! I absolutely love having friends in our home, especially when it involves 4 toddlers scooting/crawling/running around. I love any opportunity I can get to make good food, eat it, and share it with others. We used simple recipes that can be prepped ahead of time to compile a homemade spread of deliciousness. I stuck with my favorite go-to's to ensure the least amount of stress. We had guests bring their own beverages to chip in. All the recipes can be found right here on the blog, minus the cornbread (which I'll share here).

The Menu:

• Mac's *famous* 7-layer dip - we even made homemade refried beans the day before!
• Pioneer Woman's Spinach Artichoke Dip (dangerous, delicious stuff!)
• Veggie and Fruit tray
• America's Test Kitchen Chili
• America's Test Kitchen Northern Cornbread (see below)
• Seahawks Sugar Cookies
• Ghiradeli brownies (okay, these were from a box... if you're feeling super ambitious, you can make the best brownies ever)
• Skittles (in honor of Marshawn Lynch)

The Game Plan:

• Sometime the week before (or up to a month before): make the sugar cookies and freeze.
• The day before:
• Make the Spinach Artichoke dip up to the last step. 
• Cornbread!
• Assemble the chili.
• Bake the brownies. Lick the bowl.
• Wash the dishes as you go - you'll thank yourself later!
• Game day:
• Pull the cookies out of the freezer in the morning, and they're good as new!
• Have your significant other make the 7-layer dip - save him/her some time and dishes by buying shredded cheese and sliced olives. 
• Allow the spinach artichoke dip to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes right before serving.
• Turn the oven off and let the cornbread warm in it.
• Reheat the chili on med-low when the game starts - it'll be ready at halftime.
• Assemble your fruit and veggie tray (blueberries, grapes, orange slices, sliced bell pepper, celery, english cucumber, and baby carrots).
• (Notice there are hardly any dishes to do today!)
• Eat with your friends, instead of slaving away in the kitchen during the game!

You, of course, can prep everything the morning of the gathering; everything is very simple to assemble - the waiting is the hardest part. Whatever you prefer, this spread took very little effort to make, it was fairly inexpensive (I think the grocery bill was around $55), it all turned out great, and it fed 9 adults with about a week's worth of leftovers. Also, it helps if you only have to go to the store once...unlike me, who tends to forget at least one thing even with a list. To help you avoid my mistakes, you will find a grocery list of everything you'll need to make our Superbowl Feast right after the cornbread recipe!

Northern Cornbread

from America's Test Kitchen Menu Cookbook

Ingredients:

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 c. yellow cornmeal

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. buttermilk

1 c. frozen corn kernels, thawed

6 T. packed light brown sugar

3 large eggs

12 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Directions:

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line 13 by 9-inch baking pan with aluminum foil sling and grease foil (I just used my stoneware pan without foil).

Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. Process buttermilk, corn, and brown sugar in a food processor until combined, about 5 seconds. Add the eggs and continue to process until well combined (some corn lumps will remain), about 5 seconds. Fold buttermilk mixture into flour mixture with a rubber spatula. Fold in melted butter until just incorporated (do not overmix).

Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let the cornbread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan using the sling and let cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The Superbowl Feast Players:

• Produce
• 3 large, ripe avocados
• 1 lime
• 1 red onion
• 2 yellow onions
• 1 red bell pepper
• 4 roma tomatoes
• 2 heads of garlic
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro
• 1 Jalapeno (optional)
• 1 10 oz. baby spinach
• 1 c. frozen corn
• Desired produce for your fruit and veggie tray (see above for my choices)
• Pantry
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cayenne Pepper
• Chili powder
• Cumin
• Vegetable oil
• 1 pkg. powdered sugar
• Vanilla extract
• All-purpose flour (7 1/4 cups total)
• Yellow cornmeal
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Cream of tartar
• White Sugar
• Brown Sugar
• Meat
• 2 lbs. ground beef (85% lean to help with the moisture)
• Dairy
• 6 large eggs 
• 16 oz. sour cream (you only need 8 oz., but you can use the extra for the chili)
• 1 pkg. shredded Colby Jack cheese
• 2 - 1 lb. pkgs. butter 
• 1.5 c. whole milk
• 1.5 c. buttermilk (or add vinegar/lemon juice to the quart of whole milk you just bought)
• 2 - 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese
• 1/2 c. feta cheese
• 1/2 c. parmesan cheese
• 3/4 c. pepper jack cheese  
• Cheddar cheese to serve with the chili
  
• Ranch or other dip for the veggie tray
• Canned Goods
• 1 can refried Beans (or 2 cups dry pinto beans)
• 1 can sliced black olives 
• 1 (28 oz) can tomato puree
• 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 2 (15.5 oz) cans red kidney beans
• 2 (15 oz) cans artichoke hearts
• 1 box Ghiradeli brownie mix
• Snacks
• French baguette (to serve with the spinach artichoke dip)
• Tortilla chips
• Skittles

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Perfect Cookies

If you like your chocolate cookies thick, chewy, and delicious, this is the recipe for you! While these are not actually my go-to Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe (these are), America's Test Kitchen never fails to deliver. These belong in a bakery!

Ingredients:

• 3 1/3 c. flour
  3/4 t. baking soda
  1/2 t. salt
  2 sticks (16 T) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  1 1/4 c. brown sugar
  1/2 c. white sugar
  2 large eggs
  2 large egg yolks
  1 T. pure vanilla extract
  2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Directions:
• Adjust oven racks to the upper and lower 1/3 positions. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
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• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and sugars. Mix on medium speed until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. With the mixer still going, add the eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla, and beat for another 30 seconds. 
• Add in the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix on low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed.
• Working with 1/4 cup of dough, form into balls and place on the prepared cookie sheets about 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake at 325 for 17-20 minutes. Let cool completely before serving. 
• Makes 20 large cookies
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Cookies 'N' Creme Cookies

What's better than an Oreo or a Chocolate Chip Cookie? A Chocolate Chip Cookie that tastes like an Oreo! These completely destroyed any smidgen of self-control that I have... there is no way to eat just one!

Ingredients:
1 c. butter, room temperature
3/4 c. light brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
1 (small) package instant vanilla pudding mix
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 XL (or 2 King sized bars) Hershey's Cookies 'n' Creme Candy Bars, chopped into small pieces

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together the butter and sugars. Beat in the pudding mix until blended.  Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.  Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to the wet ingredients and mix to combine. Stir in the candy pieces and chocolate chips (the batter will be thick). Scoop out dough in golf-ball size balls on a baking sheet, and bake for 8-10 minutes. Don't overbake them! Let them cool for 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to a cooling rack.

**Adapted recipe from Mandy's Recipe Box as found on Pinterest. =)

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Triple Layer Monster



Photo Cred: Jason Swank

Everything about this dessert says, "Oh, I found it Pinterest!" I like to label it "pinteresque".  I was looking for a special birthday dessert for our friend who has a healthy love for classic sweets (cookies, brownies, and oreos).  This was absolutely the winner.  How can you go wrong when you combine all three of his favorite delectables?
So what is it, you ask? Exactly what Jason loves. Chocolate Chip Coookie dough, covered with a layer of whole (Double Stuf) Oreos, covered with a layer of Brownie Batter.  Every bite is ooey, gooey, sweet, deliciousness. 

What really sealed the deal was the Double Stuf. What's your take on the perfect amount of filling inside America's favorite chocolate cookie sandwich?  I personally, prefer the classic, but Mr. Birthday Boy loves the Double Stuf, and still advocates for a Quadruple Stuf.  To show just how much we appreciate the guy, I sacrificed my idea of perfection to appease him... his only critique of this dessert was that it would be better with a little more oreo creme. Ah, well, you can't win 'em all, huh?

Anyway, enough babbling... all you really want is to know how to make this crazy thing! I adapted the recipe (just slightly) from a blog called Kevin and Amanda.  They have a great assortment of recipes - go check them out for more delicious ideas!

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups (12 ounces) chocolate chips
1 pkg Double Stuffed Oreos
1 Family Size (9×13) Brownie mix (I recommend Ghiradeli!) plus ingredients needed to make the mix

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cream the butter and both sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well to thoroughly combine.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt, then slowly incorporate into the mixer until the flour is just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Spread the cookie dough in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish that’s been lined with wax paper and sprayed with cooking spray.
5. Top with a layer of Oreos.
6. Mix together brownie mix. Pour the brownie batter over the cookie dough and Oreos. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 15-20 minutes.
7. Let cool completely before cutting — brownies may still be gooey in the middle when still warm, but will set up perfectly once cooled.

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Candied Bacon and Chocolate Chip Cookie Pies

Brynna is a genius. 

Really.

Bacon, cooked with brown sugar and cayenne pepper.

Chocolate chip cookies, in individual pie form.  

Together.

Genius.

Thank you, Brynna! We love you (for more reasons than just this creation)!

Candied Bacon

Ingredients:
8 slices thin-sliced bacon
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and put a wire cooling rack on it.  Combine brown sugar and pepper.  Lay bacon on the wire rack and coat with half of the brown sugar mixture.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven, flip bacon and cover with the remaining sugar.  Bake for 4-6 more minutes or until bacon is nicely browned.  Let cool about 15 minutes before trying to cut.


Chocolate- Chip Cookie Pies:
1 c. unsalted butter
1/2 c. white sugar
1 c. light brown sugar
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
2 eggs
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. milk chocolate chips
1/2 to 1 c. candied bacon

Directions:
Cream together butter and sugars until fluffy.  Beat in eggs one at a time.  Add in flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, and stir until combined.  Stir in chocolate chips and candied bacon.  Press dough into 6 ramekins, filling 3/4 of the way full.  You can either use 6 more ramekins or make the rest into cookies.  I put the remaining dough into the freezer.

Bake the pies at 350 degrees for 13-17 minutes, until golden brown, but still slightly gooey in the middle.  Serve immediately (let cool slightly so you don't scald your mouth like me).  Best warm with vanilla ice cream melting all over it!

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Lemon Crackle Cookies

These are SO yummy, especially if you love lemon like I love lemon.  I got this recipe from laurenslatest.com (the same place the pizza bread came from).  I froze half the batch of dough to bake for later:

Ingredients:
½ cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
Zest from one small lemon
Juice from one small lemon
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
⅛ teaspoon baking soda
1-½ cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice.  Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 8-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

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Mama 'Blicky's Easy Cookies

Easy.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line cookie sheet with tin foil

Place saltine crackers on sheet in rows to cover bottom

Bring to a boil over medium heat 1 1\2 sticks butter and 1 cup brown sugar

Boil for 5-7 min or the "hard crack" stage on a candy thermometer)

This is the toughest part if you don't have a candy thermometer, cause every stove is a little different, if it starts to smell like its burning take it off. 

Pour butter and brown sugar mixture over the saltines and spread evenly

Place sheet in 350 degree oven for 5 min

Take out of oven

Pour 1\2 of a 10-12oz choc chip package and 1\2 of a 10-12oz peanut butter chip package (or however much you desire) over the cookie sheet mixture. 

Then spread evenly with a knife as it softens and melts (takes a min or two to melt before you can spread it)

Refrigerate 1 hr and break into chunks

And ENJOY!!!  

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Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are SO yummy! Perfect texture, perfect taste. Yum. Thanks, Justin Shinn, for the recipe base!

Ingredients:
4 oz. low-fat cream cheese, softened
3/4 c. butter, melted and cooled
1 c. light brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. plus 3 T. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. white chocolate chips

* Yes, it is CORRECT that there are no eggs in this recipe. It makes them nice and dense.

Directions:

Cream together cream cheese, butter, and sugars until light and fluffy.  Beat in vanilla.  Sift together dry ingredients, then add to butter mixture.  Stir in the chips.  Bake at 325 for 8-12 minutes, until lightly brown.  Let cool 5 more minutes on the pan before moving to a cooling rack.

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Chewy Chocolate-Oat Bars

These are a forgotten favorite in our house... I always double the recipe to put in a 9x13 pan.  It was gone in 2 days!

Ingredients:

1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

1/3 c. fat-free sweetened condensed milk

1 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. plus 2 T. old-fashioned oats

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 c. packed brown sugar

1/4 c. vegetable oil

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Heat oven to 350.  Heat the chocolate chips and milk in a medium heavy saucepan over low heat.  Cook, stirring, until the chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth, about 3 minutes; set aside.

Mix the flour, 1/2 cup of the oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; set aside.  Combine the brown sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla in a medium bowl with a fork until smooth; stir into the flour mixture until blended.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the dough in a small bowl for topping.  

Pat the remaining dough into a greased 8-inch square baking dish; spread the chocolate mixture over the dough.  Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of the oats and the butter to the reserved dough, mix with a pastry blender or fork until crumbly.  Drop small spoonfuls of oat mixture evenly over chocolate mixture.  Bake until top is golden and firm, 20 to 25 minutes.  Cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.  

2 T. butter

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Banana-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I don't have a picture of these cookies, but this is the cookbook they came out of:

Thanks, Chama for the 2010 birthday present :)

Just imagine an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, 75% baked, with inconspicuous banana pieces.  Take my word for it, they're amazing.

I froze half the batch, which worked out fantastic.  Next time, I will use half the batch to make a chocolate-banana trifle. Stay tuned for that recipe. :)

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 sticks butter, room temp (12 Tbsp)
1 c. white sugar
1 c. light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. oatmeal
4 c. chocolate chips
2-4  bananas, cut into 1/4" pieces

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, stir the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together and set aside.  In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to beat the butter and sugars until smooth, about 1 minute.  Beat in egg and vanilla and mix until blended.  Add in the flour mixture with the mixer on low.  Mix in the oatmeal, then chocolate chips, then bananas.

Drop by tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Cook 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly brown and the tops look dry.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.

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Cowboy Cookies

These are Mac's current go-to cookie.  So delicious, perfect texture, just the right amount of goods... they can be made with or without the pecans (but you can hardly tell they're in there!)  The recipe is meant to be a cookie-in-a-jar that you can give as gifts, so its a cinch to make!  Thanks, Felecia for the recipe!

Ingredients:

1 1/3 c. rolled oats

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. white sugar

1/2 c. chopped pecans

1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. melted butter

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

Directions for packaging:

Layer dry ingredients in a 1 quart jar in the order given.  Press each layer firmly in place before adding the next layer.

To bake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix together the dry ingredients, butter, egg, and vanilla.  You may have to use your hands to complete mixing (I just throw it all the in kitchenaid).  Bake 8-12 minutes.

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NEW AND IMPROVED Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm always hesitant to try reduced-fat, less-sugar cookie recipes due to the fact that they tend to just make really tough, bland cookies.  BUT, I've found the recipe that fools everyone! The new and improved Chocolate Chip Cookies from Healthy Test Kitchen Cookbook!

It drop the calories from 290 to 120, the fat from 15g to 5g, and the cholesterol from 55mg to 20mg. And they taste AMAZING!  The process is slightly more labor intensive than a regular batch of cookie dough, but I promise... if you want to cut the calories, it's well worth it!

We subbed Heath Bar crumbles for the chocolate chips on this go around...

KEY POINTS:

• Brown the butter
• Whisk and rest the butter
• Underbake the cookies

Ingredients:
1 c. plus 2 T. all-purpose flour (next time I will probably use half whole-wheat)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 c. packed dark brown sugar
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.  Whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda together in a bowl.

Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in an 8-inch skillet over medium-high heat until the butter is dark golden brown and has a nutty aroma, 3 to 5 minutes.  Transfer the browned butter to a large bowl and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter until completely melted.

Whisk the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla into the melted butter until incorporated.  Whisk in the egg until the mixture is smooth with no lumps, about 30 seconds.  Let the mixture stand for 3 minutes, then whisk vigorously for 30 seconds.  Repeat his process of resting and whisking twice more until the mixture is thick, smooth, and shiny.  Stir in the flour mixture and 6 tablespoons of the chips until combined.  (I use my KitchenAid for this entire process, and also throw in all the chips at this point).

Working with 1 heaping tablespoon of dough at a time, roll the dough into balls and lay them on the prepared baking sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart.  Press the remaining 2 tablespoons of chips into the tops of the cookies.

Bake the cookies until the edges are set and beginning to brown but the centers are still soft, puffy, and underdone, 8 to 11 minutes.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes.

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Monster Cookies

A co-worker said he gets excited when viewing my blog thinking that every recipe on here contains M&M's, and I realized that there are NO recipes with them! Time to change that...

These are amazing cookies from Mac's grandmother.  This makes a HUGE batch, so I recommend cutting it in half, unless you are feeding a small army (as I often do).

Ingredients:
6 eggs
2 c. brown sugar
2 c. white sugar
2 1/2 c. peanut butter (I use Adam's, as there is less sugar and fat)
4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. butter
1 lb. m&m's
1 lb. butterscotch chips
9 c. oatmeal
1/2 to 1 c. whole-wheat flour

Directions:

Mix together in order given, beating after each addition.  Drop by tablespoons on a well-greased (or parchment-paper lined) cookie sheet and flatten slightly with a fork or hand.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

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Melt-in-your-Mouth Sugar Cookies

Apparently I've been lazy lately and have failed to take pictures of any yummy things.... I apologize for the lack of visual aesthetics.  You'll just have to trust my words and believe with faith that these are to die for!

These are not your average crisp sugar cookies, but instead soft and decadent.  The recipe comes from Mac's grandmother and we love it!

Ingredients:

1 c. butter, softened
2 c. powdered sugar
2 eggs
1 c. vegetable oil
2 t. vanilla extract
5 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cream of tartar
1-2 T. white sugar

Directions:

Cream butter and powdered sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until lemon color.  Add in oil and vanilla.  Add in the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar.  Mix well.  Chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator (or about 20 minutes in the freezer will do).  Roll into balls, dip into white sugar and flatten slightly with the bottom of a cup.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Cool completely then frost with your choice of frosting.

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Daddy's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have made many-a-cookies in my 23 years.  Of course there has been a variety of textures, tastes, and turnouts... but never a point where I open the oven and think "What is happening in there?".  That is, until last night.  And after the observations from last night, I realize just how amazing my Daddy's cookie recipe actually is.  No questions asked, these cookies survived an on-fire oven (flames and all), both under- and over-cookage, and ridiculously terrible consistency.  Not only did they survive, but they were delicious and consumed quickly!  Hands-down, this is my favorite cookie recipe.  I recommend you try it and I wish you better luck than my last attempt!

Ingredients:
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. oatmeal
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar, packed
3/4 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Sift together flour, oatmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.  Beat butter and sugars until fluffy.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  Stir the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, then stir in chocolate chips.  Drop by spoonful onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees.

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Chai Cookies

We have been on 2 kicks lately... chai and lemons.  Ooh! Maybe I should make something chai-lemon... okay, can you tell it's late?  That will be for another post... look forward to LEMON posts in the near future and maybe the addition of a chai-lemon something.  I bet you can't wait.

Back to THIS recipe.

I made a batch of my homemade chai mix recently (adapted from this allrecipes contribution).  Needless to say, we've been drinking blended chai's every night of the 100 degree summer weather!  As I was sipping on my favorite drink after a hard day, I got the ambitious idea to put my drink into cookie dough.  THESE are the result!  I did use inspiration and guidance from allrecipes on this one as well... enjoy!

Ingredients:
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c. chai tea mix
2/3 c. white sugar
1 egg
1 T. vanilla
1 3/4 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt

Directions:

Blend together butter, chai mix and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add in egg and vanilla and beat well.  Throw in the dry ingredients (if using a kitchenaid, if not sift together first), and mix well.  If you do not have a cookie dough scooper, I recommend popping it in the freezer for about 20 minutes so it will be easier to work with.  Otherwise, drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

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Thin Mints

This is what happens when you make girl scout cookies at home and they're happily frozen:

This is what happens when you make girl scout cookies at home and forget to turn the mixer speed down:

Oh, heavenly happiness.  I adapted this recipe from 101Cookbooks... it's really quite simple, just a little time consuming so give it some patience and attention and they'll be great.  We enjoy them straight out of the freezer served with Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream!

Chocolate Wafers:
8 ounces butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)

Chocolate Peppermint Coating:
1 pound good quality semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (We used 3 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips)
peppermint extract, to taste (I think we ended up with 1/2 tsp)

Preheat your oven to 350. Racks in the middle zone.

Make the cookie dough: In a mixer cream the butter until it is light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and cream some more, scraping the sides of the bowl a couple times if necessary. Stir in the vanilla extract and then the salt and cocoa powder. Mix until the cocoa powder is integrated and the batter is smooth and creamy, sort of like a thick frosting. Add the whole wheat pastry flour and mix just until the batter is no longer dusty looking, it might still be a bit crumbly, and that's o.k. You don't want to over mix and end up with tough cookies.

Turn the dough out onto a counter, gather it into a ball, and kneed it just once or twice to bring it together into once nice, smooth mass. Place the ball of dough into a large plastic bag and flatten it into a disk roughly 3/4-inch thick. Place the dough in the freezer for 20 minutes to chill.

Rollout and bake: Remove the dough from the freezer and roll it out really thin, remember how thin Thin Mints are? That's how thin you need your dough, about 1/8-inch. You can either roll it out between two sheets of plastic, or dust your counter and rolling pin with a bit of flour and do it that way. Stamp out cookies using a 1 1/2-inch cutter (this time I used one with a fluted edge, I've done hearts and other shapes in the past). Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely on a baking rack if you've got one.

Make the peppermint coating:
While the cookies are in the oven you can get the coating ready. I use a makeshift double boiler to melt chocolate (a metal pan over a saucepan of gently simmering water), but I know many people who swear by melting chocolate in the microwave. Slowly melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally until it is glossy and smooth. Stir in the peppermint extract. If you think the chocolate needs a bit more peppermint kick, add more extract a drop or two at a time - but don't go overboard.

Finishing the cookies: You are going to coat the cookies one at a time and then gently set them on a parchment-lined baking sheet to set. Drop one cookie into the chocolate and (using a fork) carefully make sure it gets fully coated. Lift the cookie out of the chocolate with the fork and bang the fork on the side of the pan to drain any extra chocolate off the cookie. You are after a thin, even coating of chocolate. Place on the aforementioned prepared baking sheet, and repeat for the rest of the cookies. Place the cookies in the refrigerator or freezer to set. They will set at room temperature, it just takes much longer, and I prefer them straight out of the freezer anyways ;)

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Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies

Inspiration for the chocolate-dip came from a co-worker who shares my love for chocolate and peanut butter combos. The cookie recipe is slightly changed from the wonderful Mrs. Wade. :)

Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. Adam's crunchy peanut butter
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. salt
1/2 c. baking soda
approximately 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips (i'm not really sure on this amount yet)

Directions:
Cream together butter and sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla extract, then add peanut butter and continue to beat until well-creamed. Add in flour, salt, and baking soda and mix well. Drop by tablespoonfuls on ungreased baking sheets, then press each cookie with a fork (twice to make the criss-cross pattern). Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

When the cookies are cool, melt chocolate chips in the microwave. This is where you'll have to eyeball it... I used a little over 1/4 c. of chocolate chips and that 1/2 covered 6 cookies. For the whole batch, you'll probably need a cup of chocolate chips. I microwaved for 1 minute, stirring at 30 seconds and then at the end. Then, dip the cookie halfway in the chocolate and use a knife or spoon to spread evenly. Place on wax paper and let set. Then eat... with milk!

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Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars

Mac made these today for dessert with friends' and everyone loved them - even me, who doesn't like cheesecake! So yummy... not healthy, but next time I will adapt the recipe a bit to increase the health factor.

Ingredients:
3/4 c. shortening
3/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 c. miniature chocolate chips
3/4 c. chopped pecans

Filling:

2 pkgs (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, salt, and baking soda; gradually add to the creamed mixture until blended. Fold in the chocolate chips and pecans.
Set aside a third of the dough for topping. Press remaining dough into a greased 13x9" baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Spoon over crust.
Drop teaspoonfuls of reserved dough over filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

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White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

The perfect amount of sweetness and saltiness, these cookies (4 dozen, mind you), were gone in a matter of hours at our friends' house...

From allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 c. white sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 pkg. white chocolate chips (10-12 oz)
1 can macadamia nuts (7-9 oz)

Directions:
Cream together butter and sugar. Beat in the vanilla and eggs. Add the dry ingredients and stir until well-incorporated. Stir in the chips and nuts. Drop by spoonful on ungreased baking sheets and bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.

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