How is everyone?

If you live in central Missouri, I hope you are not floating down the Missouri River like Tom Sayer. : )

We have had so much rain lately maybe we all should be buying a boat. Not that I am complaining after the drought we had last summer. I am sure the ground is loving this rain.

One of the things that I love to do when it is stormy outside (since I can’t go outside and plant my seedlings) is to spend some time in my kitchen baking something yummy.

I noticed this recipe a few weeks ago while I was looking through that Brownies and Bar magazine that I made those yummy Banana Bars and the  Chocolate Shortcake Brownie with Macaroon from. This recipe really got my attention because my son the  Super Hero  loves snickerdoodles. The praline part sounded really pretty good too.

So anywho, the other night when it was raining outside I made these sinfully chewy cinnamony cookie.

They are easy to whip together. Just allow an extra hour for refrigeration to chill the dough and then they will be ready to pop in the oven.

Warning: These cookies are highly addictive. Do not eat them right out of the oven while they are warm, with milk, if you plan on having any cookies left over.

Here are your step by step instructions:

Suprise…..they have pecans in them too.

    

In a large mixing bowl put in 2 sticks of soften butter and cream.

Add the sugar. Cream the sugar and butter together.

     

Next add the baking soda, cream of tartar and salt to the creamed butter mixture. Then add in the vanilla and two eggs.

    

After  you add the eggs and mix, be sure to stop and scrap the bowl several times.

Now that the butter, sugar and eggs are all cream together it is time to add the flour, chopped pecans and those yummy toffee pieces.

     

Add the flour and the chopped nuts.

    

Add the toffee pieces and using the mixer combine all the dry ingredients without over mixing. Place the dough in the refridgerator for one hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

          

In a small bowl mix 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon together. After the dough has chilled, scoop out 2 inch balls and roll into the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat.

Place the scoops of cinnamon coated dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 9 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake. Bake just until the outside edge starts turing brown.

I ate one while the cookie was still warm right out of the oven….OH. MY.

I told the Super Hero to try one. OOOPS….I forgot the Super Hero does not like nuts.

This means only two thing.

It means that I will have to make a batch without the nuts for him.

AND it means more cookies for me.

My BAD.

Here is  your recipe;

Praline Snickerdoodles

Adapted from Better Home and Garden

Ingredients:

1 cup soften butter

1 and 1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups all purpose flour

1 cup almond toffee bits

1/2 cups chopped pecans

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl cream the soften butter. Add the sugar and cream together. Add the cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Beat until combined. Be sure and scrap the bowl down several tims. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined.

Add the flour, chopped pecans and toffee bits to the creamed butter and sugar mixture. Mix in the dry ingredients with the mixer until all the ingredients are combined. Do not over mix.

Chill the dough for one hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

While the dough is chilling, make the cinnamon sugar coating. In a small bowl stir together the sugar and cinnamon.

When the dough is chilled, scoop out 2 inch balls of dough and roll each one in the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat.

Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for  9 to 10 minutes until the edge just starts to turn brown. Do not over bake.

Cool on a cooling rack.

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Enjoy!

Becky

Here is some post you may enjoy reading : D

Buttermilk Chocolate Cookies

Don’t you love it when you buy a new recipe magazine and you can not decide which recipe to make from it?

That was my problem last night.

A few weeks ago I bought this Better Homes and Garden magazine on Brownies and Bars.

The pictures are so gorgous, you’ll want to rip out the page, crumble it up and put it in your mouth for a taste.

But don’t. You might eat the recipe.

Trust me I know.

Anywho, last night I was looking for a yummy recipe to make into little goodie boxes for my Mom the Princess, Neiner Weiner, Jeanie Beanie and PIC. I wanted to take a little chewy goodie to give them when I went up for a visit today.

After narrowing down the choices to three, I finally had to decide on the one that I had all the ingredients to.

So, I settled on making Chocolate Shortbread Blondies with Macaroon.

Whew….who came up with that name?

I would have just called them Knock Your Taste Buds Off and Bring Me A Glass of Milk Blondie.

Maybe, we should keep with the original name.

If you love chocolate. If you love peanuts. If you love coconut. If you love chewy, moist, lick your fingers clean, blondies, then you have to make these.  Allow yourself a couple of hours. They have a few steps to them, but I know you can do it! Just follow the step by step pictures to help you out. I made a couple of small mistakes, but they were easily corrected.

These are the little goodie tins I made for everyone. I bought the tins for 3 for $1.00 at the dollar store. They even came with a lid. Cool uh?

PIC took hers to her work and I don’t think she had any left by they time she left to go home.

If you need a recipe for a pot luck, office party, holiday dinner or pinic, these would be perfect.

Have a go and give them a try.

Here are your step by step instructions.

This is what you will need to make these sinfully delicious blondies. I forgot to put one more stick of butter in the picture. I can’t count sometimes.

The first thing you will make will be the crust on the bottom.

    

Add the flour and the sugar into a medium bowl.

    

Add the cocoa and the miniature chocolate chips to the flour and the sugar.

    

Stir the flour mixture together and add 2 sticks of butter.

With a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles course crumbs.

    

Line a 13 x 9 x 2 baking pan with foil and lightly grease (I used cooking spray). Press the crust mixture evenly in the bottom of the pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 8 minutes or until set.

This is what it looks like when it comes out of the oven. Just let it cool while you make filling and the macaroon topping.

Now it is time to make the macaroon topping.

    

In a medium bowl, add the flour and sugar (not shown because I forgot to take the picture). Measure out the coconut and add it to the flour and sugar.

    

Lightly beat 3 egg whites. Add the lightly beaten egg whites to the macaroon mixture.

    

Add the vanilla and stir to combine. Set the macaroon topping aside for later.

Now it is time to make the filling.

    

In a medium sauce pan melt together the butter and the brown sugar.

Stir while it melts together. Cool slightly and and pour into a medium size bowl.

    

Add two slightly beaten eggs and stir together. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla and stir.

    

Add the flour and baking powder.

    

Add the baking soda and stir everything together.

    

This what it will look like. Now, add the chopped peanuts.

Now the fun begins…..though I know you were already having fun! Right?

    

Pour the filling over the chocolate crust. Spread out evenly.

    

Spoon macaroon topping into small mounds evenly over the top of the filling. Spread out evenly. Place in a 350 degree preheated oven and bake 30 to 35 minutes or until the topping turns light brown.

This is what mine looked like when it came out of the oven. Cool bars in the pan on a wire rack.

When cool, take the blondies out of the pan and drizzle melted chocolate over the top.

Cut into 32 bars.

Can you believe I gave them all away??? Was I crazy or what?

I did eat one of the Princess’s before I left for home.

I may have to go back tomorrow for another visit to eat (gobble down) another one.

When you make yours, be prepared to gobble too.

Enjoy!

Becky

Here is the recipe

Chocolate Shortbread Blondies with Macaroon

Adapted from Better Homes and Garden

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1 and 1/2 cups of flour

2/3 cups of sugar

1/2 cups of cocoa powder

1 cup of butter

1/2 cup miniature semi sweet chocolate pieces

For the Macaroon Topping:

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 and 1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut

3 slightly beaten egg whites

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the Filling:

2 cups packed brown sugar

2/3 cups butter

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup chopped peanuts

Optional: melted chocolate chips to drizzle on top

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan by lining it with foil and lightly grease.

For the crust:  In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, chocolate pieces and cocoa. Using a pastry blender, cut up the butter until the crust resembles course crumbs. Press the crust evenly into the foil lined pan. Bake for 8 minutes or until set.

For the macaroon topping:  In a medium bowl stir together the sugar and flour. Stir in coconut and 3 lightly beaten egg whites. Stir in the vanilla and set aside for later.

For the filling:  In a medium saucepan melt together the butter and the brown sugar. Stir till totally mixed together. Cool Slightly. Pour into a medium sized bowl. Stir in 2 slightly beaten eggs. Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder and soda and combine together. Stir in the chopped nuts.

Putting it all together: Pour the warm filling over the crust and spread evenly. Spoon out the macaroon topping in small mounds evenly over the top. Spread the macaroon over the top of the filling. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until the macaroon topping turns light brown. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Using the edges of the foil remove the bars from the pan. Drizzle the bars with melted chocolate if desired.