New Year, New Recipes

I may be a week late, but now that the (extensive) Christmas recap is over (although it looks like it was greatly enjoyed, which I'm always thrilled to see), I can officially usher in the second year of my blog. Wow, can't believe it's already been a year since I kicked things off with this utterly addictive apple sauce?!

I've had a blast cooking and sharing my creations with you over the past year, and the fun's just getting started. Because my friends and family know me so very well, Christmas brought with it an assortment of new kitchen toys for me to play with. I kind of felt like a kid again...or at least a very nerdy adult :) And, to make my kitchen-accessory-filled-Christmas even better, I made a post-Christmas trip with TF to visit his mom. Admittedly, this is a weird thing to be excited about, but she not only owns a kitchen store, but for the last couple of years she's let TF and his brother raid it as part of their Christmas present....and guess who got to help this year! I was allowed to pick out a few things as well, which made the trip even sweeter. I'll get back to this trip in more detail in a future post, but for now, time for my first baking foray of the new year.

Over the weekend, I gathered with friends for a little celebration to welcome the new year. Our hosts for the evening had the grand idea of jazzing up our gathering, and bringing an air of sophistication to the evening, by making it a fancy cocktail night. Genius. To accompany the fine drinks, I volunteered (as is my custom) to bring a baked good. Since I bake for them a lot, I am constantly trying to outdo my previous self. I'd bought a bag of toffee chips during the holiday season that had gone unused and served as my inspiration for my first run at toffee-inspired baking.

Breaking in my new Anthropologie apron and measuring cups

Toffee Oat Butterscotch Cookies

Ingredients

Adapted from Annie's Eats

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
• 3/4 cup butterscotch chips
• 1/4 cup toffee bits

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line baking sheets with parchment paper
2. In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir to blend, and set aside
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugars and beat on medium-high speed until light and smooth, about 2-3 minutes
4. Beat in the egg until incorporated. Blend in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. With a spatula, fold in the oats, butterscotch chips and toffee bits until evenly combined
5. Drop scoops of dough (about 2 Tbsps each) onto the prepared baking sheets, a few inches apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until just set and light golden, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Let cool on the pans about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely

The hosts for the evening loved my latest creation. Starting off the new year with high praise, that's how I like to roll.

FALL IS HERE!!

I thought this day would never come. Once again, I have survived the hell that is summer. Spending the past three summers in the District has made me hate summer more than I ever thought I could. Every morning I was forced to play my least favorite game "how long will it take en route to the metro before I start sweating." I swear, that walk got longer every day and always ended the same, with me covered in sweat and hysterical by the time I threw myself onto the metro! There were times, both this year and last, that I honestly didn't think I'd make it through July.Something about that month doesn't sit well with me. I think it has something to do with the fact that it's smack in between June and August, resulting in me only being able to see summer before and after it, but I can't entirely prove it. Thankfully, September has come and with it the end of summer and the beginning of my favorite time of the year! I love fall, not only for the cooler temperatures, but also for all the wonderful things that come with it. Football is back in my life, the mosquitos will soon die off, pumpkin beer and coffee have returned to store shelves, and most importantly, I can finally start making my way through all those pumpkin laced recipes I have pinned on pinterest! 

As I mentioned in my last post, I spent Labor Day weekend in the Sooner state and ushered in fall with two of my favorite things: pumpkin beer and watchinging my Sooners kick off the college football season. But now I'm back in the District and as per usual, needed a little pick me up to get me over my post-vacation slump. Enter pumpkin. Last year I felt like pumpkin really began to come into its own. I don't know if this was because I loved pumpkin more and thus was looking for it in as many things as possible or if it really was everywhere. It's impossible to know. One thing I do know for certain, I shall be including it in as many things as possible over the next three months! To kick things off, I decided to go with this super simple but extremely yummy cookies. They combine all of my favorites in one bite: pumpkin, oats, and butterscotch chips. There's really nothing else I could ask for. Happy Fall!!

Pumpkin Oat Scotchies

  

Ingredients

[Original found here]

• 1 1/4 cup cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 3 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside
2. Whisk flour, baking soda, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl and set aside
3. Beat butter, sugar and brown sugar until smooth and creamy. Add egg and vanilla extract. Next, add in pumpkin and mix until combined.
4. Slowly add in flour mixture. Stir in oats and butterscotch chips
5. Drop dough by the tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cookies are set and golden. Remove cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely

 
 

 

 

 

 






 
 
 
 
 
 

Beach Treats

Summertime at the beach. It never feels like my summer is complete until I visit the beach. For as long as I can remember, that came in the form of a trip to Ocean City, MD. When we spent summers in Maryland growing up, we'd always make the trip to Ocean City during the end of our two month stay. As a result, I would both look forward to and dread the trip. I loved a good trip to the beach, but also dreaded summer coming to an end and heading back to school and "responsibilities." In my third official summer since ending my very long stint in school, trips to the beach no longer signal the end of summer, but rather help me stay sane as I tire of summer and anxiously await the arrival of my beloved fall.
For the first time ever, Mother and I decided to head to a different beach for the day. Usually, we head out to Maryland's eastern shore for a day filled with nostalgia. Trips to Ocean City are never complete without a retelling of the time when my cousin and I talked our parents into letting us get hermit crabs on the boardwalk and I both dropped mine, allowing to fly across the bathroom floor, and nearly drowned it in a bowl of water...screaming hysterically during both occurances...within the first 24 hours of ownership; or the time when a solo trip on the haunted house ride on the boardwalk sent me into a crying fit of hysteria. This time, however, we decided to head to the first state (Delaware) for some rest and relaxation on the shores of Bethany Beach. It was a delightful day (well, at least until dinner time...Deleware doesn't do crab cakes like Maryland and I mistakenly ordered a whole lobster, sending me into an unexpected level of hysterics yet again) and we were quiet pleased with our decision for a change of pace.

As with any trip to the beach, we packed up the cooler with sandwiches and snacks for both the car and our time at the beach. Never one to miss an opportunity to bake, I decided to make some cookies for us to take on our journey. Using both apples and cinnamon, these cookies filled my kitchen with the smells of fall and further ignited my desire for it to arrive. They were perfect for a day in the sun and will be even better to snack on when the leaves begin to fall...less than two months :)

Butterscotch Apple Cinnamon and Oats Cookies

Adapted from this version

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 3/4 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup apple sauce
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup butterscotch chips
• 3/4 cup chopped apples

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; whisk in oats until combined
3. In a large bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together butter, brown sugar and applesauce until creamy, about 1 minute; beat in vanilla and egg until combined
4. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in oat mixture until combined. Stir in butterscotch chips and apples until combined
5. Drop heaping teaspoons of dough onto cookie sheets, about an inch apart
6. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 1 minute before transferring to wire racks to cool completely

Happy Summer!

Super Bowl Treats Part III

In the third and final installment of my Super Bowl snack series, I present one of my favorite holiday dessert recipes. 


For the past five or so years, my family Christmas gatherings have included butterscotch balls. I don't remember the exact moment that my taste buds first crossed paths with them, but it was love at first taste. I do remember my aunt cautioning me against eating too many, telling me that they were very sugary and I would be sick. I could not be deterred. I love sugar and routinely make myself sick from bad food choices (you'd think after almost 27 years I'd get it together, but alas it continues), and my relationship with these delightful little treats is no different. 


A few years ago I requested the recipe so that I could try my hand at them and not have to wait for Christmas to roll around again. I'm not sure what happened to the recipe, but I lost it and the the dream of making them once the Christmas decorations were packed away and didn't think about it again, until this year. My cousin (who's assumed the role of making them the last couple years) sent some down for Christmas and (as per usual) I had way too many. I was really beyond out of control this year (I also believe they were the force behind my Wii bowling championship). Nonetheless, I decided I must learn to make them. Given my history with them, I knew I had to make them to share with others rather than keeping them in the home. Enter the Super Bowl party. I won't pretend like I didn't have a few...or 5...while preparing them, but silverlining, way better than me eating two dozen!


Butterscotch Balls

Ingredients [made about 2 dozen for me, depends on how big you make the balls]

• 3 C Rice Krispies finely crushed
• 1 1/4 stick of margarine, melted
• 1 lb. powdered sugar
• 2 C. chunky peanut butter
• 12 oz. butterscotch chips

Preparation 

1. Combine ingredients (rice krispies, margarine, sugar, peanut butter) and form into balls
2. Chill balls on cookie sheet while you make coating (I also stored them in an airtight container overnight and coated them the next day, which works too)
3. Melt butterscotch chips in double boiler while stirring
4. Dip peanut butter balls in butterscotch.  Place on wax paper to cool