Summer Treats - Peanut Butter Blondies

Summer treats should be sweet and easy. These Peanut Butter Blondie fit the bill! Peanut butter Reese's are a favorite candy here, I even remember the excitement of my family when they first hit the shelves! What a great idea - like M&M's but PB!

Great with a glass of milk. 

This recipe is from a new blogger I've been following - Sallys Baking Addiction. She was a participant in a Wheat Tour sponsored by the Kansas Wheat Commission for top food bloggers across the country. KWC is always looking for ways to share information about baking and using flour from our Kansas wheat. I think they do a great job with educational stories and recipes. You can learn more on their website:   https://eatwheat.org

Wheat harvest has been finished for a few weeks,
but we always enjoy wheat products. 

Reese’s Pieces Peanut Butter Blondies

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup unsalted butter

2 cups packed light or dark brown sugar

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¾ cup Reese’s Pieces

Directions:

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

2.    In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and brown sugar, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in the peanut butter. Set mixture aside to cool. 

3.    In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

4.    Add eggs, one at a time, to the peanut butter mixture, mixing well after each egg. Stir in pure vanilla extract. Add this mixture to the prepared dry ingredients, and stir until batter is smooth. Fold in ½ cup of Reese’s Piece, leaving ¼ cup to sprinkle on top. 

5.    Pour batter into the greased pan, spreading batter evenly. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup Reese’s Pieces. 

6.    Bake for 25-30 minutes or until top is golden brown and edges are lightly browned. Allow 20 minutes to cool and cut into squares. 

Sweet as a Christmas Cookie

Christmas cookies and happy hearts,   This is how the Season starts.                  

Our UMW/church women's group believes the season starts, and continues with cookies. Each December meeting is Cookie Plate time, when each member brings a batch of cookies and plates of assorted cookies and candies, with fruit, are assembled and delivered to friends and church members in care homes. I think this is a wonderful tradition.

This year the cookies I gave were from a new favorite recipe, Red Velvet Cookies. Red Velvet is another seasonal flavor I like and these are made with a cake mix. So they are very quick and easy, (about 10 minutes to mix and 20 minutes to bake two pans) besides looking festive. I'm going to try this recipe with other flavored cake mixes. I've seen a Blue Suede cake mix. Maybe Red Velvet, Blue Suede, and White cake mixes for 4th of July?

Red Velvet Cookies                                                         

Ingredients:

1 box Red Velvet cake mix

2 eggs

⅓ cup vegetable oil

Powdered sugar (or frosting)

Instructions:

1.     Preheat the oven to 375°.

2.     Combine one box Red Velvet cake mix, two eggs, and one-third cup vegetable oil with mixer.

3.     Form teaspoon size balls and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet or baking pan about one-inch apart. Slightly pat down the top of each ball (use the back of an oiled spoon)

4.     Cook for 8-10 minutes (the tops of the cookies will crack slightly)

5.     While hot, lightly sprinkle the top of the cookie with powdered sugar. Or wait until cooled and frost with your favorite white frosting.

Makes about 24

Simple ingredients!

For my first batch I frosted the tops

Cherry-Topped Lemon-Coconut Cookie Cups

Its bake-sale season in our town!
The current issue of Food Network magazine featured contest winners for the Food Network and Land O'Lakes bake-sale recipe contest. One of my National Festival of Breads friends told me she had a recipe which would be published there, so I  anxiously awaited the magazine's arrival.
     This recipe from Patrice Hurd of Bemidji, Minnesota is beautiful and delicious! It is no wonder that Patrice won First Place with her entry. I made it with my almost-3 year old granddaughter's help (she licked the butter, sampled the coconut, and ate part of the cherries I had counted out). So with all that help, you know it is also easy! Don't they look like a party ready to happen? I think they will be a best seller at the next bake sale.

Here's the magazine - 2 covers at Barnes & Noble. Patrice's
recipe is the photo on the second cover. 

CHERRY-TOPPED LEMON-COCONUT COOKIE CUPS

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 ¼ cups sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

1 ½ tablespoons grated lemon zest, plus ¼ cup lemon juice (from 2 lemons)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 14 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon fine sea salt

¾ cup white chocolate chips

¼ cup cream of coconut

32 maraschino cherries, patted dry

Directions:

1.     Preheat the oven to 375°. Coat 32 mini-muffin cups with cooking spray; set aside.

2.     Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in the egg, ½ cup shredded coconut, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, 3 tablespoons lemon juice and the vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. Reduce the mixer speed to low, gradually beat in the flour mixture until just combined.

3.     Drop 1½ teaspoons dough into each mini-muffin cup (do not press the dough in). Bake until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned, 12 to 13 minutes. Transfer the pans to racks and immediately make a ½-inch deep indentation in the center of each cookie using the back of a melon baller or measuring spoon. Let cool 3 minutes in the pans, then loosen the cookies with a paring knife and remove to the racks to cool completely.

4.     Microwave the white chocolate chips with the cream of coconut in a small microwave-safe bowl in 20-second intervals, stirring, until melted and smooth. Stir in the remaining ½ tablespoon lemon zest and 1 tablespoon lemon juice.

5.     Put the remaining 1½ cups shredded coconut in a shallow bowl. Dip the top of each cookie in the melted white chocolate, then dip in the coconut to coat. Return coated-side up to the rack. Dip the bottom of a cherry in the melted white chocolate, then place in the indentation of the cookie. (if the melted white chocolate starts to thicken, microwave again to soften). Let sit until set about 10 minutes.

Butterscotch Cowboy Cookies

Chewy, moist, sweet, crunchy. I have a new favorite cookie recipe!
I've used the same chocolate chip/oatmeal cookie recipe for years. Thinking it couldn't be beat. The addition of a pudding mix made a good flavor that can be changed with the seasons and kept the cookies soft. Then I tried a new recipe from Chef Alli. I've made this twice in the last two weeks and the family loves them. The original recipe calls for crushed corn flakes but I used Rice Krispies. Left from plans to make lots of Rice Krispy bars I guess. They add just the right crunch. My fresh pecans from southeast Kansas add a good flavor also.

BUTTERSCOTCH COWBOY COOKIES        

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 Tbs. water

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 cups oatmeal

2 cups butterscotch morsels

2 cups sort-of-crushed corn flakes

   or rice krispies

1 cup toasted chopped pecans

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with sugars until well blended; add eggs, beating in one at a time. Add vanilla and water. In a separate bowl, combine flour with soda, baking powder and salt; add dry ingredients to butter mixture and combine well. Add oatmeal, morsels, corn flakes and pecans and mix again until well combined.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place heaping spoonsful of cookie dough approx. 2” apart, into a greased parchment-lined baking sheet. Gently flatten each mound of cookie dough slightly, using a fork, than bake, uncovered, for 10-11 minutes or until golden brown and slightly set at center when lightly touched. Let cookies set in baking sheet for 2 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack. Makes approx. 30 large cookies.

Sweet desserts for Valentines Day

Valentines Day always make me think of chocolate and cherries. Maybe the cherries are George Washington, but its all February. And a good combination. The magazines, Pinterest, and Facebook are full of sweet recipes for February, so I know I'm not the only one. We show love of family and friends with food and these two recipes are simple treats to make this week or anytime. The S'More Bars were fun in a cast iron skillet, that would be a good dessert for summer picnics and camping as well.

Chocolate Cherry Blossom Cookies                                

Ingredients:

 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons Maraschino Cherry liquid

red food coloring

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

6 oz jar Maraschino cherries, drained and chopped

3 tablespoons white sugar (or red, or a mixture)

Hershey’s Kisses (about 36), unwrapped

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Drain cherries of the liquid, reserving 2 teaspoons of the juice.

Cream butter with a mixer. Gradually stir in powdered sugar.

Stir in cherry juice, red food coloring, and vanilla.

Gradually stir in flour. Mix until just combined.

Fold in chopped cherries.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar. Gently flatten using a small juice glass dipped in sugar.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until the sides are just beginning to brown. Remove from oven and immediately press a kiss into the middle of each cookie.

S’Mores Bars                                                            

 Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup graham cracker crumbs

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

⅓ cup packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large milk chocolate Hershey Bars, broken into sections

2 cups mini marshmallows

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and brown sugar, beating with an electric mixer until cream. Add egg and vanilla extract.

Beating on low, slowly add flour mixture and mix until combined.

Press mixture into the bottom of a greased 9x9-inch baking dish, or a greased 10-inch cast iron skillet.

Place chocolate pieces over the top of dough, and then sprinkle with marshmallows. 

Bake, uncovered, on center rack 23-25 minutes or until puffed and golden.

Let bars cool slightly, cut into squares before marshmallows cool completely.