Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

You can always use another cookie recipe, right?

These oatmeal cookies are the perfect combination of a slightly crisp outside, but a perfectly chewy middle. The addition of the chocolate bar really adds to the cookie, so don't skip it!

I might have had a couple for breakfast the morning after I made them... I justified it because of all the oatmeal!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

1 Cup Butter, softened
1 Cup White Sugar
1 Cup Light Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
2 Cups Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Baking Powder
2 1/2 Cups Oatmeal
4 oz. Chocolate Candy Bar, cut into small pieces
12 oz. Milk Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and sugars and mix until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and incorporate well. Add flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder,  and oatmeal. Stir in chocolate chips and candy bar chunks.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges start to get golden brown and the centers look set. Makes about 36 cookies.

Rich Chocolate Sauce

1/2 Cup Dutch chocolate or Hershey's Cocoa
1/4 Cup white sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup cream or light cream
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
Stir over medium heat with wire whisk until completely smooth and remove from heat.
Add 2 Tablespoons butter and continue to beat with wire whisk until butter is completely melted.
Pour over ice cream, brownies or cake.

Nutella Rice Krispy Treats

This is a recipe that I found while perusing Pinterest a few weeks ago. It looked super quick and easy, and the addition of Nutella really intrigued me. I seriously love that stuff, and had just happened to purchase a Costco size bottle last month! :) Since I had all the ingredients on hand I thought I might give it a whirl... Nevermind I had no reason to make these, my husband doesn't eat chocolate, and I had no one in mind to share them with! I'm pregnant, thats my excuse.

Nutella Rice Krispy Treats

• 5 Cups Rice Krispies Cereal
• 1 (10.5 oz) Bag Mini Marshmallows
• 1/4 Cup Butter
• 1 Cup of Nutella

• 1 Cup Milk Chocolate Chips
• 1 Cup Nutella
• 1 TBSP. Shortening

Measure out Rice Krispies cereal into a large bowl and set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, 

melt butter and marshmallows together until smooth.

Once marshmallows and butter have melted together,

 add 1 cup Nutella and stir until well combined.

Pour marshmallow mixture over the cereal.

Stir to coat evenly.

Press into a greased pan  

(I used a 9x13 inch pan, but you can use whatever pan you would like to)

Topping:

Heat 1 cup Nutella, chocolate chips and shortening in a double boiler 
over medium/medium low heat until smooth.

Spread over the top of Rice Krispy Treats.

Stick in the fridge and let it set up.

Eat and Enjoy!

adapted from chef in training

German Chocolate Cake with Dreamy Chocolate Frosting

I LOVE German Chocolate Cake. I'm pretty sure it was the most frequently requested birthday cake in our home while we were growing up. Every single time our Mom made it, you would see people taking spoons out of the drawer and just wanting "one little taste" of the coconut mixture. It was so good you could just eat if off a spoon! In fact, we did eat it off a spoon so frequently that I remember getting in trouble because there wasn't  enough left for the cake. What can I say, our parents raised a bunch of sugar addicts! :)

Anyway, this recipe comes from my Grandmother Stout. I asked my Mom for her recipe back in February, and she replied by sending me this one. Its not the one we had growing up, but Mom though it was actually better than the version she made all those years, so I thought I would give it a try. It is AMAZING! I seriously ate it for breakfast 3 days in a row... because heaven forbid I actually use will power.

German Chocolate Cake with Dreamy Chocolate Frosting

Cake:

Combine in a large bowl:

2 Cups Flour
2 Cups Sugar

Combine in saucepan:

1 Stick Butter
1/2 Cup Crisco Shortening
1 Cup Water
5 TBSP Hershey's Cocoa (unsweetened)

Bring to a boil. then pour over dry ingredients in bowl.  Mix well.

Add:

2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Buttermilk (or 1/2 cup milk plus 1 teaspoon vinegar)
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Salt 
1 tsp. Vanilla

Mix well and pour into greased and floured 9 X 13 pan.  Bake @ 350 degree for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Or for birthday cakes you can use 2 round pans and bake about 35-40 minutes at same temperature.

Dreamy Chocolate Frosting:  

Mix together:
1 Stick plus 2 TBSP. Softened Butter
2 Pound Bag Powdered Sugar
6 T. Hershey's Cocoa
Evaporated milk....approximately 1/2 cup leftover from coconut topping.

German Chocolate Coconut topping:

1 Stick Butter - I melt the butter in a saucepan (watch this carefully) and let it bubble up and brown a little as it melts.  This make the flavor amazing!

Turn down the heat to medium and quickly whisk in:

3 TBSP Flour {may need to add a little more. Just be careful!!}
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Cup Evaporated Milk
1 Cup Shredded Coconut
1 Cup Chopped Nuts (either walnuts or pecans. I only use pecans)
2 tsp. Vanilla

Beat together for about 2-3 minutes (beating cools it faster and makes it a nice consistency).  Cool completely.

It is a good idea if you are making round layers to put them into the freezer with wax paper between them for at least an hour before frosting.  Remove from freezer and gently "saw" across cake tops with a sharp bread knife to "level" if they are uneven.  


For round cake:
Place 1st cake on a platter and spread about 1 inch of chocolate frosting all around the outer edges. Next place 3-4 heaping tablespoons of coconut mixture in the center of the cake and spread around. Top with 2nd cake round. Frost entire cake with chocolate frosting, then pour remainder of coconut frosting on top of the cake. Spread evenly. At this point I usually stick the cake in the fridge to help the coconut frosting stay in place.

For 9x13 cake:
Spread chocolate frosting all over cake, then repeat with coconut frosting. Enjoy! :)

Crack Brownies

So I found these brownies on a blog I recently stumbled upon. Let me just say, this girl is going to ruin all things skinny for me. Not that I am skinny {or anything remotely close!!}, but any hopes of being skinny in the future can just be thrown out the window when following her recipes. That said, you have been warmed.


She refers to these as Better Than Crack Brownies. 


Seeing as how I am not {nor have I ever been} a "junkie" {is that even an ok term to use? See. I have no idea!}, I don't know if her claims are true. So for me, & all my non illicit drug using friends, I like to just refer to them as "Crack Brownies." Because folks, lets face it, they have a few characteristics that could remind us of their not so legal friends:


1. Addiction
2. Difficulty Focusing
3. Withdrawal


Ok, thats probably all I know about drugs. Ask my husband if you really want to know more {**he informs me that chocolate and marijuana actually blah blah blah receptor blah blah blah in the brain blah blah blah linked closely blah.} 


Did you even want the recipe?? Hope all that drug talk hasn't scared you away...

Crack Brownies

1 Box Brownie mix, made according to package directions

1/2 Cup Salted Peanuts 

1 Cup Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, chopped

1 1/2 Cups Milk Chocolate Chips

1 1/2 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter

1/2 TBSP Butter

1 1/2 Cups Rice Krispies Cereal

Mix brownies according to directions, and bake for 20-25 minutes in a 9 x 13 baking dish. 

Remove and top with peanuts and peanut butter cups. Bake for 4-6 minutes more.

While they are finishing baking, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter. Stir in cereal. 

Remove brownies from oven and evenly pour chocolate mixture over top.

Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

**disclaimer: before you go thinking my husband has first hand knowledge of the subject, let me just inform you he's in medical school. I'm glad to know that all that money is paying to teach him interesting facts about marijuana.)

Brigadeiro

This is a recipe from my Brazilian friend, Camila, I met in Brussels.  It was delicious and easy to make!  It tastes like a chocolate caramel, if that makes sense.  You'll just have to try it ;-)

1 can of sweetened-condensed milk
1 tablespoon of butter
4 tablespoons of cocoa powder*
chocolate sprinkles


Mix all ingredients and cook in microwave for 6 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes (I'm not sure if my mom's new microwave is more powerful, but I had to stir every minute).  Allow to cool.  Grease hands and roll into small balls.  Roll balls in chocolate sprinkles.

*I read that American sweetened-condensed milk is not quite as sweet as Brazilian so someone recommended using a sweetened cocoa like Nestle.

Heath Bar Cake

Happy Birthday to my sweet husband, Richie!  I love you!

Turning 95 this year.

Birthday Kissie Face

 This recipe is in honor of Rich today as he requested this cake, that Shauna normally makes, for his birthday.  It's delicious and I can't believe this hasn't been posted already.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 box chocolate cake mix (Chocolate, Devil's Food or German Chocolate*)

1 jar caramel ice cream topping

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 container whipped cream, thawed

4-6 Heath bars (or Skor bars) broken up or 1 package toffee bits

Directions
Make cake according to package directions in a 9" x 13" pan.  Remove from oven and immediately poke with a fork or end of a wooden spoon, all over the cake.  Pour caramel topping and sweetened condensed milk all over the cake, filling in the holes.  Let cool.  Spread whipped cream over the cake, then sprinkle with candy bits.

This is what happens when no one can wait long enough for the cake to cool.

*I never really knew the difference between the different chocolate cake mixes, so here's what I found out from my research:

• Regular Chocolate: flavored with milk chocolate
• Devil's Food: richer and darker, strong cocoa flavor.
• German Chocolate: usually a lighter-colored cake with a mild flavor of mild chocolate.

What's your favorite?

Cookies & Cream Brownies

I have some friends who keep telling me I should stop posting deliciously fattening recipes on this here blog {you know who you are!}.  I keep thinking...  "if I was a good friend, I would listen to these skinny girls".  But then, I come across a recipe so sinfully delightful that I cannot {CANNOT I say}, keep it to myself.

See, I think a better friend will share the recipe with you...  and then join you as you eat it!

Now, what do you say we go get chubby together!?

Cookies & Cream Brownies

1/2 Cup Butter, softened
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
2 Eggs
2 tsp. Vanilla
3 TBSP Cocoa Powder
1 1/4 Cups Flour
1/4 tsp. Salt
2 Cups Milk Chocolate Chips*, divided
1/2 Cup Peanut Butter
20 Oreo Cookies


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 8x8 inch cake pan {or use the awesome cooking spray that has flour already in it!} 


In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until nice & fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.
Add vanilla & stir.
Add cocoa powder and mix until combined.
Add flour and salt, mixing until batter is smooth.
Fold in 1/2 cups chocolate chips.

Spread mixture into prepared pan. Sink 9 oreos into the batter and gently press. Bake for 25-30 minutes. While brownies are in the oven, crush the remaining oreos and set aside. When finished baking, remove brownies from oven and sprinkle 1/2 cup chocolate chips and crushed oreos evenly on top. Return to oven and bake for about 3 minutes.

While brownies are in the oven, put your peanut butter and remaining 1 cup of chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Melt together until a smooth mixture forms... about a minute and a half. When brownies are done, remove from oven and pour peanut butter mixture on top. Spread with a spatula and gently tap on the counter, making sure the chocolate gets into every crevice. This chocolate mixture is what will bind the brownies together. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

when ready to eat, let brownies sit at room temperature for a few minutes before slicing. If the cookies are a little crumbly and spill, its ok. Trust me, these things are so good you won't even care how they look when all is said and done!

Also, if you are a very smart person, you will get ride of these very soon after slicing into them...otherwise you will find yourself going back for seconds...

and thirds...

and lets face it, fourths.

*I recommend using a high quality chocolate chip. It really does make all the difference. I just can't stand waxy chocolate!!


recipe source: howsweeteats

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Yesterday I bought some beautiful strawberries at the grocery store and since a friend of mine had told me just this week about how she had made some chocolate covered strawberries I decided I'd give it a try too.  They turned out totally delicious and so I wanted to share with you a recipe you probably already have but maybe haven't made in awhile.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Strawberries, of course

1 cup chocolate chips (personally I like the milk chocolate chips)

1 TBSP shortening

Clean and dry your strawberries.

Using the double boiler technique melt your chocolate chips and shortening together.  Not sure what the 'double boiler technique' is?  Just take 2 pots (one slightly smaller than the other) and fill the bigger one with about 1 1/2 - 2 cups water.  Then place the smaller pot inside the bigger pot and put on the stove.  Put your chocolate chips and shortening in the smaller pot and as the water boils it will melt the chocolate.  Keep stirring as it melts.  

Remove from heat and dip your strawberries in the chocolate and lay them out on parchment paper.

For fun I also melted some white melting chocolate (in the microwave this time) and drizzled it over the top.  Delicious! 

Oreo Cake Mix Cookies

A while back, Emily posted the recipe for the easiest cookies known to man: Cake Mix Cookies,
I was talking to my friend this week and she said she had made some and added oreos to the batter. I decided to try them out and I thought they were delicious... and quiet addictive. Now this isn't the kind of dessert you would serve the Queen of England, but they are tasty, quick, and my little girl loved them!

Oreo Cake Mix Cookies

1 Box White Cake Mix
2 Eggs
1/3 Cup Oil
1 Sleeve Oreo Cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Mix cake mix, eggs, and oil until it forms a smooth dough. Roughly cut Oreo cookies in large chunks {about 4 pieces per cookie}. Add to dough and gently stir.

Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on prepared baking sheets. Cook for about 12-14 minutes, depending on your over {mine seemed to take a little longer than I expected. Just watch them because you want them soft!}

When cookies have cooled completely, either eat, or add a glaze/frosting of some sort. I was going to make an Oreo frosting, but decided to use up the rest of some vanilla glaze I had. Turned out great!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Cookie Dough + Cheesecake.


Seriously, I don't even know what else to say.


So lets just say that this dessert is AMAZING, and if you want an incredible treat to share, this would be the way to go! It takes a little time and effort, but it is well worth the wait!! Just trust me on this one.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Crust:
4 TBSP Butter, melted
2 1/2 Cups Chocolate Cookie Crumbs 

Filling:
4 {8-ounce} Blocks Cream Cheese, @ room temperature
1 Cup sugar
4 Eggs
1 tsp. Flour
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 Cup Sour Cream 

Cookie Dough:
½ Cup Butter, softened
½ Cup Sugar
½ Cup Light Brown Sugar, packed
2 TBSP Milk
2 tsp. Vanilla
1 Cup Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips

An additional 1 cup mini chocolate chips to fold into the batter with the cookie dough balls

Garnish:

1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped to stiff peaks {add powdered sugar to sweeten} 

Mini chocolate chips, for sprinkling

For the cookie dough: In a medium bowl, combine the butter and sugars for the cookie dough. Add the  milk, vanilla and blend. Mix in the flour, salt and the chocolate chips. The dough will be fairly soft. Gently roll the dough into small balls and put them on a lined plate or baking sheet. Put them in the freezer to harden while making the rest of the cheesecake.

For the crust: Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan with softened butter. In a medium bowl, combine the butter with the chocolate cookie crumbs. Press onto the bottom and about halfway up the sides of the prepared pan.

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For the cheesecake: Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the cream cheese, sugar, eggs and flour until smooth. Add the vanilla and sour cream and mix just until blended. Don't over mix!

Pour half the batter into the prepared crust. Gently stir in the cookie dough balls and the additional 1 cup mini chocolate chips into the remaining batter. Pour into the pan, spreading the batter to the sides of the pan and evening it out across the top. Bake the cheesecake at 325 degrees for one hour. Turn off the oven and prop the door open several inches. Let the cake sit in the oven for an additional 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate until chilled (ideally, overnight). To serve, cut into slices and top with whipped cream and mini chocolate chips. Will make 12 generous servings!

**I baked mine the same way I bake our PB cheesecake... in a water bath. the water bath will help prevent cracking on the top of the cheesecake, and since I was actually selling slices of this cheesecake at a service auction, I wanted it to look perfect.

recipe source: melskitchencafe.com

Check out our other great recipes!

White Chocolate Covered Popcorn

I go this recipe from my friend Liberty. When we first moved to Chicago, we had a recipe exchange night with the youth from our church.... the girls brought some funny stuff {fried cheerios anyone?}, and the leaders brought some recipes that I have made over and over again! This one is a delicious snack that gets kind of addictive. I figure there are nuts in there so @ least it has some protein... so its totally good for you, right?!

White Chocolate Covered Popcorn

2-3 Bags of Lightly Buttered Popcorn
1 Cup Almonds
1-2 Cups Peanut M&M's
White Chocolate Chips or Vanilla Bark (to taste)

Pop the popcorn and carefully try to remove any kernels that didn't pop. I usually spread the cooked popcorn on a clean Tea Towel and sift through it. Place popcorn in a large bowl. Pour M&M's and almonds over popcorn. Melt your chocolate either in a double boiler, or in the microwave in small intervals, making sure to stir after each 30 second interval.

When chocolate is melted and smooth, pour over popcorn and gently stir.  Wait for chocolate to harden before diving in.

This is also a great treat to package up and take to a friend. Easy and delicious!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

We made these yummy cookies a few weeks ago for a Valentine's Day treat. My friend had dropped some by for us and I loved them. So of course I needed the recipe. Ironically, after she emailed the recipe to me, I took one look at it and realized I already had the same exact recipe in my recipe book from my mother-in-law. I had never made them though so I didn't know how tasty they were! I have since made them and can tell you they are delightful! Also, you will want to use the wheat flour like the recipe calls for. They are just not the same when you use regular white flour.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie's

1 Cup Butter, softened
1 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
1/2 Cup White Sugar
2 Eggs
2 tsp. Vanilla
1 1/4 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
3 Cups Quick Cooking Oats
1 Cup Milk Chocolate Chips (or M&M's)

Preheat oven to 325 Degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking sheets.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla.

Combine the flour, baking soda and salt into a different bowl and then stir into the butter mixture until just blended. Mix in the oats and the chocolate chips.

Use a spoon or ice cream scoop to drop dough onto prepared sheets. Bake for 11-13 minutes. allow cookies to sit on sheet for a few minutes than transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Panda Brownies

My senior year of high school, I would go to my friend Amanda's house for lunch almost every day. Some days we would bring our own lunch, some day's we would buy lunch, and LOTS of days we would eat whatever they had at their house {Thanks Malia!}. They even had a treat drawer that was always one of the first places I went.


These brownies on the other hand... they could never belong in the treat drawer.  These homemade wonders were too good for that drawer of prepackaged sugar!! I can't even tell you how many times I consumed these things growing up... They were like a staple in Amanda's household. Which is why it kills me that it wasn't until last summer that I remembered there goodness. How I went the last few years without them, I will never know! Her family actually just calls them Double Iced Brownies, but to me they have always been Panda Brownies {get it... Amanda Panda? I know, I'm funny, right!?}. And since I am sharing some recipes this week that remind me of my brother, and he had a love of brownies, I thought these bad boys would be fitting. 


The actual brownie base isn't as chocolate-y as you may think, but once you get both of your frostings on there, the brownie itself is plenty sweet and incredibly addicting! **Make sure you let them cool completely before applying your first frosting, and then refrigerate them before applying the 2nd layer! This is a great recipe if you need a treat for a large group.

Panda Brownies


Brownies
beat 4 eggs
add 2 cups sugar
then add 2 cups flour
 
Melt 2 cubes margarine (or butter. I don't love margarine) and 2 squares baking chocolate 
*(or 6 T. cocoa and 2 T. butter) 
Blend together and add to egg/sugar/flour mixture.
 
Add 2 teaspoons vanilla and mix.
Add one cup of your favorite nuts if you like that kind of thing 
(I added pecans on half of the brownies after they were frosted)
Bake on a large jelly roll pan at 350 for 20 minutes.


Cool Completely!

 First Frosting
1 cube butter
3 Tablespoons instant pudding mix (vanilla)
1 pound powdered sugar
enough milk to make creamy


Second Frosting
Make your favorite frosting. I used this recipe.


After brownies have cooled, frost with vanilla frosting and refrigerate until hard (@ least 30 minutes). Apply chocolate layer of frosting. Return to refrigerator if you want the 2nd frosting to harden up (I find its easier to cut them that way). Slice into individual pieces and enjoy!

don't forget to enter the giveaway... if you haven't already!

Give Oh Give Away

Our family loves Chocolate.

I mean we really love the stuff. If you look on our recipe list, you will notice that there are 46 recipes that include Chocolate!

FORTY-SIX!

Other than "Entree's" and "Veggies" {Phew!!}, Chocolate takes the cake {couldn't help myself} on most entries.

Our brother Stephen was no exception to the "McConkie Chocolate Rule". He LOVED it. When we were growing up, he would make a pan of brownies, and then hide it from the rest of us! The thing was, he had the BEST hiding spots!! And with 6 siblings, trust me, we looked high and low.

Our mom on the other hand... well, she would see us eating a brownie and ask us where we got it, claiming she had hidden them from us... and that usually meant she had stuck the tray in the microwave {or my personal favorite, sitting on the kitchen table with a tea towel over them}. Her hiding spots were always really easy to find.

As you might have noticed, I said that our brother loved chocolate. Sadly, we lost him to cancer almost 5 years ago. He would have been 32 years old this Saturday.

So, in honor of our dear brother and his birthday, I will be posting some recipes this week that remind me of him, and I am giving away a "Stephen Care Package". The things I have added to this little giveaway are things that either Stephen loved, or things that remind us of him.

Don't expect any Salad in this list... He was  a meat and potatoes kind of guy, with lots of pepper on the side. Of course, he'd throw a lot little Chocolate in to satisfy that sweet tooth as well. :)

So, here's what your little Care Package entails:

Penzys Spice Sample pack. I LOVE Penzys. I found it when I moved to the Midwest, and I know I will miss it greatly when we leave. This particular pack is for meat... and since I wasn't about to throw some steak into this giveaway, I thought this awesome spice pack was a good alternative.

My very favorite brand of Chocolate chips and BBQ sauce. The pepper, because well, Stephen put pepper on everything!! And tucked in the back there is the movie "Batman Begins". Stephen loved movies, and in fact people always told him he looked like Val Kilmer {not today's Val. He's let himself go!}. While Val did play the Caped Crusader, Christian Bale's version of Batman would just have to do! :)

Some of my all time favorite Hot Chocolate from a very fitting brand, as well as some of the best Brownie Mix and Peanut Butter Cups. Put those together for a delicious treat! An AUTHENTIC Cadbury Bar (NOT AMERICAN!!) straight from Down Unda'. Stephen served a mission for our church,  in Adelaide Australia, and our baby brother is currently there doing the same... good to have an Aussie connection! Some McDonalds Dollars, because from the time he was a very small child, Stephen loved going to McDonalds... especially with his Grandfather. I can still hear in my mind the way my mom describes how he would always say "GWANDPA! Lets go to McDonnnalllddsss!!!"

Oh, and you can't see the lotion, but I threw that in there because Stephen would give the best foot massages. Not to me mind you, but I think our Mom read the entire book Les Miserables {out-loud} while Stephen rubbed her feet. That's a long book... so he probably went through a lot of lotion!


So there you have it!

If you would like to enter, just leave a comment telling me what your favorite kind of sweet treat is... or what out of this slew of items would be your favorite.

A winner will be picked on Stephen's birthday, Saturday, February 26th. Please leave a way for me to contact you (email is great!) so I can mail you your delicious treats!

{Giveaway is only open to followers of McConkie Menu. 

So if you haven't already, go ahead and join!}

Any questions? Shoot us an email at:

 mcconkiemenu@gmail.com

Peanut Butter Blossoms

I know you have all probably made these a hundred times but I made them on Sunday and realized we didn't have a recipe on our blog for them so I was going to add one.  I have seen many variations to this recipe.  This one comes from the Hershey's Baking Calendar they put out for 2010.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Hershey Kisses

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Beat shortening and peanut butter until well blended.  Add sugars and beat until fluffy.  Add egg, milk and vanilla.  Beat well.  Stir together the flour, baking soda and salt and then gradually beat into the peanut butter mixture.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls.  If you desire you can then roll them in white sugar (I opt not to do this part).  Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.  Immediately press Hershey Kiss into center of each cookie.  The cookie will crack a bit around the edges.

Cool  and enjoy.

*Now, this recipe says it will make approximately 48 cookies.  I find this to be a huge exaggeration.  I doubled the recipe and got 60 cookies total...and my cookies were the same size as the ones the calendar advertises.  :)

Oreo Brownie Bites

Ok, so i saw this on a blog a few weeks ago, and now for the life of me I cannot remember which blog it was! So I apologize to the blog world for not crediting this back to who ever you are! {Liberty... who was it??}

Anyway, these are a really fun, fast, and easy treat. My husband and 3 year old actually helped me make them... and their pan turned out way better looking then my pan did! The original post says to get one of those wilton pens to do the decorations on top, but I was just going to the store and decided to improvise. I bought some of this stuff, and it worked great:

I know they aren't gorgeous, but that wasn't really the goal on this particular evening. I am sure you can make these much fancier, but for my purposes the glaze worked just dandy.

Oreo Brownie Bites

1 Package Oreo Cookies {I actually used peppermint cookies and it took more than 1 package}

1 Box Brownie Mix, made according to package directions

Glaze of some sort

Sprinkles

Make brownie mix according to package directions. Generously spray 2 muffin pans with non-stick cooking spray. Take Oreo's and dip them in the brownie batter, shaking off the excess if there is too much, and place 1 cookie in each muffin holder. Bake @ 350 degrees for about 12-14 minutes... depending on your oven. When cooled, decorate and enjoy. Tasty and ridiculously easy!!

Double Chocolate Macaroons

These are European macaroons, more meringue-like than chewy, coconut American macaroons.

Macaroons

75g/2.5 oz plain chocolate, chopped

2 large egg whites, at room temperature

200g/7.5 oz caster sugar

125g/4.7 oz ground almonds

2-3 drops almond essence

Chocolate Filling

110g/4 oz white chocolate, chopped

100ml/approximately 3.75 fl oz double cream

2 baking sheets, lined with non-stick baking parchment

Makes 8 pairs

Put the plain chocolate into a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of steaming but not boiling water and melt gently (do not let the base of the bowl touch the water).  Remove the bowl from the heat and stir until smooth.  Let cool while making the rest of the mixture.  Put the egg whites into a spotlessly clean, grease-free bowl and, using and electric whisk or mixer, whisk until stiff peaks form.  Gradually whisk in the sugar to make a thick, glossy meringue.  Using a large metal spoon, fold in the ground almonds, almond essence and melted chocolate.  When thoroughly blended, put 1 tablespoon of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and spread to a disc about 5cm across, repeat with the rest of the mixture, spacing the macaroons well apart.

Bake in a preheated oven at 300F/150C/Gas 2 for 30 minutes until just firm.  Remove from the oven and let cool on the trays for about 2 minutes or until firm enough to transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  When cold, peel the macaroons away from the lining paper.

To make the filling, put the white chocolate and cream into a small, heavy-based saucepan and heat very gently, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth.  Remove from the heat, let cool, then, using a wooden spoon, beat until thick and fluffy.  Use to sandwich the macaroons together and set aside for at least 1 hour before serving.  Store in an airtight container.

Best eaten within 5 days.  Not suitable for freezing.

We just used whipped cream to fill them.