Chocolate Parfait Cookies

A friend gave me this recipe more than 20 years ago.  They look like chocolate chip cookies, but no.  The almond flavoring and the chocolate chunks make them so different.  They are my families favorite cookies.  Thankfully this recipe makes a very big batch.  They still don't last long. 

They can be made with nuts.  But we aren't a big nut-loving family, so we go without the nuts.  I also use Hersey's Symphony bar, but the plain one.  But any good plain chocolate will work well.  The recipe calls for 1-2 chocolate bars.  You can decide how much you like.  I usually use 1 1/2 bars.  Plus we can eat the other half while we are baking the cookies.

Chocolate Parfait Cookies

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 1/2 cups butter

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp almond flavoring

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

6 cups flour

1-2 large chocolate bars (4.5 ounce), cut into chunks

1 cup chopped nuts, optional

Cream sugars and butter.  Add eggs and flavorings.  then stir in soda, salt and 4 cups of flour.  Add remaining flour until it ceases to be sticky.  Stir in chocolate chunks and nuts.  Drop heaping teaspoonful on parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  Bake for 8-9 minutes at 350 degrees F.  Cookies should have a light brown tinge but mostly white. 

Makes about 6 dozen cookies

Cherry Checkerboard Cookies

This month was my turn for hosting my book group.  I was feeling the need for some fun party planning and thought it would be fun to have a red and white theme.  Seeing as my book group was meeting on the 10th of February, I jumped in.  I found these little beauties while searching online for red desserts.  I must admit they took quite a bit of time but they weren't hard.  They were perfect for a ladies group.  They were originally made by Womens Day Magazine

Cherry Checkerboard Cookies
1 1⁄2 sticks (3⁄4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 large egg
1⁄2 tsp almond extract
1⁄4 tsp salt
2 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
1⁄4 cup maraschino cherries (8 to 10), finely chopped
Red liquid food color
1 white of 1 egg, slightly beaten

1. Beat butter, sugar, egg, extract and salt in a large bowl with mixer on medium speed until blended. With mixer on low speed, gradually beat in 2 cups flour.

2. Remove and reserve 1 cup dough. Divide remaining dough in half. Roll each half between 2 sheets of wax paper into a 6 x 3-in. rectangle. Slide onto a baking sheet; refrigerate.

3. Put reserved dough in bowl; add remaining 1⁄4 cup flour and the chopped cherries. Beat until well blended, adding red food color (about 14 drops) until dough is bright pink. Divide in half; roll out as above; refrigerate 1 hour.

4. Remove paper from top of each rectangle. Brush tops of each white rectangle with egg white; top with a red rectangle. Wrap stacks separately; refrigerate 1 hour.

5. Cut 1 stack in half lengthwise (keep other stack refrigerated) to make two 1 1⁄2 x 6-in. strips. Brush top of 1 stack with egg white; place other stack on top, alternating colors. Rewrap and freeze 20 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough.

6. Cut each stack in thirds (1⁄2 x 6-in. strips); turn strips on their side. Brushing egg white between each strip, stack strips, alternating colors. Wrap in plastic wrap; freeze 20 minutes, or refrigerate longer until ready to bake. Repeat with remaining stack.

The sides don't come out all even.  So I just trimmed off the edges.

7. Heat oven to 350ºF. Cut square logs into 1⁄4-in.-thick slices. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until set and edges are slightly golden. Remove cookies to wire rack; cool completely.

Easy Microwave Fudge

This is an easy treat to make.  It does take some time to set up.  And of course, the better the chocolate you use, the better the fudge.  I still had some good dipping chocolate from Christmas and decided it was a great treat for Superbowl Sunday.  But then really, what isn't a great treat for Superbowl Sunday?

Easy Microwave Fudge
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 stick butter, not margarine
1 bag of chocolate chips, semi-sweet or milk chocolate

Place all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave for 2 minutes, stirring several times throughout cooking time.  At the end of the 2 minutes, it should be melted.  Stir well, until smooth.  If your microwave is a little slower you can add 30 seconds more.  But do not overcook.  Pour into a buttered 9x9 pan.  Set aside to set up.  It can take up to 4 hours or put it in the refrigerator to set up faster.

Coming Soon

My other blog, I Heart Salt Lake is taking a lot of my time lately.  Check it out.  We have a giveaway every Monday.  But keep checking back here too.  I've got a few good treats to post soon,  Chocolate Parfait Cookies and easy Microwave Fudge.

Oatmeal Carmelitas

I love just about anything with caramel in it.  So years ago when I picked up a Pillsbury Bakeoff Cookie cookbook at the checkout at the grocery store,  I was hoping there would be something caramel in it.  Sure enough there was, Oatmeal Carmelitas.  I was hooked from the first time I made them.  I have a cousin who loves them too.  She usually asks me to bring them to family get-togethers.  So here they are...

Oatmeal Carmelitas

crust

2 cups flour

2 cups oatmeal

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups butter, softened

filling

1 12 oz jar caramel ice cream topping

3 T flour

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine crust ingredients in a large bowl and mix with electric mixer on low until crumbly.  Reserve half of crumb mixture(about 3 cups) for topping.  Press remaining crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan.

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine caramel topping and 3T flour.  Remove partially baked crust from oven, sprinkle with chocolate chips and nuts. Drizzle evenly with caramel mixture.  I also use chocolate from a bar.  I just chop it into bitesize pieces.

Return to oven and bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool 1 hour or until completely cooled.  Refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or until filling is set.  Cut into bars.

Too bad these are gone already.  I better go make some more.

French Bread-- Food Nanny Recipe

French Bread

This is a really easy bread recipe from Liz Edmunds, The Food Nanny.  I was able to go to a class that she taught and I was so impressed by her.  She has an amazing plan for planning meals.  Each night of the week is a different type of food, for example, Monday-comfort food, Tuesday-Italian, Friday-pizza, and so on.  Liz is also so sweet and very personable.  I bought her cookbook and I would recommend it to anyone.  She was a wealth of information and I've loved every recipe I've made from her cookbook.

This recipe is actually called French Baguettes, but we're kind of simple around here so it's just french bread to us.

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/2 T. active dry yeast, (2 packets)
2 tsp sugar
3 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp salt
melted butter

In a small bowl combine 1/2 cup of the warm water, the yeast and 1 tsp of the sugar.  Stir to combine and let mixture stand for about 5 minutes or until foamy.

In a large mixing bowl blend the flour, salt, the remaining teaspoon of sugar and the yeast mixture.  Gradually add remaining water and mix until the dough forms a smooth ball that is not too sticky to handle (if it is too sticky add a little more flour)  Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead briefly until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Cut the dough in half and shape the halves into baguettes. Grease a baguette pan and place the loaves in the pan. Score the loaves down the middle, cover with a dish towel and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

Here's the scored loaves in the baguette pan.  The pans are inexpensive and I love them!  Don't judge these sad shaped loaves, they get better.

Here they are after raising for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and place a shallow pan of water in the bottom of the oven to create steam. Bake the baguettes for 15 minutes. If desired brush the tops with melted butter halfway through the baking. For a softer crust, brush with butter when they have finished baking.

Here they are after baking but before brushing with butter.

And here's how my husband likes it, slathered with butter and jam. 

But that's another post.

Seriously, this is an easy recipe that takes one hour start to finish.  If you are afraid of bread and yeast, this is the perfect recipe to start with.  And if you are an experienced bread maker, this is a great addition to any meal.

Caramel Popcorn

This caramel popcorn is quick and easy to make.  It also stays soft and chewy.  My friend LeeAnn gave me the recipe and it works perfectly every time.

LeeAnn's Easy Caramel Popcorn
2-3 bags microwave popcorn, popped
2 cubes butter
1 cup brown sugar
14 large marshmallows or 2 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Place popped corn in large bowl and set aside. Put butter, brown sugar and marshmallows in a pan on the stove.  Bring to a boil.  Boil for 2 minutes over medium heat.  Pour caramel mixture over popcorn.  Stir to coat.  Place on cookie sheet to cool. 

Now go and make some.  Your family will thank you.  Mine usually does!