Cookies – Page 2 – The Pajama Chef

Avalanche Cookies #bookclubcookbookCC

June 20, 2016July 27, 2016 Sarah

These addictive creamy peanut butter-based no bake cookies are full of fluffy marshmallows, decadent white chocolate, and crunchy Rice Krispies cereal. Believe the hype–these are fabulous!

These addictive creamy peanut butter-based no bake cookies are full of fluffy marshmallows, decadent white chocolate, and crunchy Rice Krispies cereal. Believe the hype--these are fabulous!

Have you ever had Avalanche Cookies before? Or the original Avalanche Bark from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory? If you haven’t, you are missing out! But good thing–these cookies are super simple to make and they are no bake, so perfect for the current heat wave of summer! It’s been about a zillion degrees in Nashville lately, so I haven’t wanted to turn my oven on to bake. And with a newborn, it’s not like I have much time anyways. 🙂 But what I DO have time for is super easy no bake treats like these… or these chocolate peanut butter granola bars. Mmmm!

These addictive creamy peanut butter-based no bake cookies are full of fluffy marshmallows, decadent white chocolate, and crunchy Rice Krispies cereal. Believe the hype--these are fabulous!

I really shouldn’t make these treats very often though, because they are so addictive. Whether you’re eating the “batter” or the cookies themselves, you will want to keep going back for more and more. They have such a rich, distinctive flavor–the perfect blend of caramel-y, butterscotch-y, chocolate-y goodness that arises when you mix together peanut butter and white chocolate. Originally I wasn’t going to share this recipe as my contribution to #BookClubCookbookCC for our June selection, Chocolat, because these treats don’t seem as sophisticated enough to be French… but then I decided, what the heck. They have chocolate in them and they are tasty treats. Who can say no to that? Certainly not the French, haha. I haven’t actually read the book Chocolat or seen the film [yikes] but I would like to, so I will request them from my local library soon. 🙂 Thanks for hosting this month and for pushing me to make something AND write a blog post this week, Sarah! If you would like to win a copy of The Book Club Cook Book, the cookbook that this event is based off of, scroll to the end of this post. This month we are giving away TWO copies so you have a great chance to win! 🙂

These addictive creamy peanut butter-based no bake cookies are full of fluffy marshmallows, decadent white chocolate, and crunchy Rice Krispies cereal. Believe the hype--these are fabulous!

There are many versions of these cookies online–even a few bar cookies variations–but what I did differently was to add additional cereal to the peanut butter/white chocolate mixture. This adds a little bit of extra crunch [and stretches the number of cookies you can make, which is always a plus in my book]. But if you want a richer treat, you can reduce the cereal down to 1 1/2 or 2 cups. We thought they were plenty rich though… and plenty delicious. I added mini chocolate chips to a few and boy was that great! I think sprinkles on top would be wonderful too, but certainly not necessary. No matter how you make these, everyone will love them. Enjoy!

one year ago: Strawberry Ginger Smoothie
two years ago: Tabbouleh
three years ago: Italian Chicken & Veggie Couscous Bowls
four years ago: Banana Crumb Muffins
five years ago: Creamy Taco Mac

Avalanche Cookies

Servings: 4 dozen
Time: 10 minutes + time to chill
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slightly adapted from Cookies & Cups

Ingredients:

3 cups crispy rice cereal [like Rice Krispies]
2 cups mini marshmallows
16 ounces white chocolate [chips or candy coating]
1 cup creamy peanut butter

Directions:

In a large bowl, stir together cereal and mini marshmallows. Line two baking sheets with silicone liners or wax/parchment paper.

Melt white chocolate and peanut butter together using your desired method. I used the white chocolate candy coating and melted that for 1 minute in the microwave, then added the peanut butter and melted everything together for about 20 seconds, but your results may vary. You can use a double boiler if you prefer.

Immediately pour white chocolate mixture over cereal mixture, then stir together. Scoop out onto prepared baking sheets in about 1 tablespoon rounded scoops. Refrigerate to for about 20 minutes or so to set, then enjoy!

These are pretty stable at room temperature but if it’s really hot or humid you may want to refrigerate until serving if possible.

Mix ins like mini chocolate chips or sprinkles are always good, but not necessary. 🙂

Giveaway

This month Sarah at Thing I Make (for Dinner), this month’s host, is giving away two copies of the book.* Enter to win a copy of the cookbook so you can join us in future months, if you wish!

TWO of our lucky readers – US and Canada only! – can enter to win a copy of The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club’s Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp, courtesy of Tarcher-Penguin. Giveaway runs from June 1st till June 30th at 6 o’clock PM, Pacific time. Please see terms and conditions in the rafflecopter widget below. Many thanks to Tarcher Books. You may find Tarcher: on the web, on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Pinterest.

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*Disclosure: Sarah received a complimentary copy of The Book Club Cookbook, Revised Edition: Recipes and Food for Thought from Your Book Club’s Favorite Books and Authors by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp as an opportunity to give a copy away. Opinions are our own. We received no further compensation for our posts.

Cookies, Desserts, Recipes

Coconut Oil Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

October 22, 2015October 21, 2015 Sarah

Perfectly soft, chewy dark chocolate chip cookies… made with coconut oil for a little extra deliciousness. 🙂

Can I let you in on a secret? I don’t really like making cookies. In fact, I find it kind of… tedious nowadays. I feel bad saying that, because I have such great memories baking cookies throughout the years with my mom, sister, and grandma, with friends and roommates, even with Ben. I think it might be more enjoyable with someone else, so you can share the measuring and mixing, scooping and rolling, and even the cleaning if you’re lucky. But when you do it all alone, it’s ALL on you. It’s not that making the dough or rolling it out or baking it is hard exactly, but it’s a constant dance of getting everything in the oven and cooked the perfect amount without burning anything, then waiting for the cookie sheets to cool before putting more dough on. On and on it goes. So much work!

That being said, I find it funny that so many people would rather bake cookies over anything else. I’m happy to make muffins or cake or pie or cookie bars any day but asking me to bake [and/or GASP decorate] a bunch of cookies for something makes me freak out. Weird, I know. I will never be that person showing up at a bake sale with impeccably decorated cookies. Oh well.

You might think it’s strange that I’m rambling on about how I don’t really like making cookies… while I’m sharing a COOKIE RECIPE. Geeze, not good endorsement there. Ha! And yes, maybe that is a bit weird. But truthfully, these cookies are worth the trouble and the fuss! They’re worth every bit of that measuring and scooping and rolling and tedious baking process. They’re soft and chewy, with just a hint of coconut goodness, especially when freshly baked. Plus, if you don’t want to bake all the cookies at once, you can freeze the dough balls and pop them out to bake on a random Thursday afternoon for no good reason at all. Something fun to pull out of the freezer, me thinks. 🙂 I hope you love ’em as much as I do!

one year ago: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
two years ago: Peanut Butter Apple Oatmeal Cookies
three years ago: 30 Minute Chicken Tortilla Soup
four years ago: Pumpkin Biscuits
five years ago: Brown Sugar Bacon Waffles

Coconut Oil Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

Servings: 32 small cookies or 16 larger cookies
Time: 30 minutes + time to chill
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from Leelalicious

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut oil, at room temperature [consistency of softened butter]
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or coconut extract
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

With a mixer, cream together coconut oil, sugars, egg, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy–about 3 minutes. Add flour, cornstarch, and baking soda, mixing until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Roll dough into balls–about 32 small balls or 16 larger balls. When chilled, dough will be hard to roll so do this first! Then place on a baking sheet or plate, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. At this point, you can either bake the cookies or freeze for later.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place dough on a lined baking sheet [with a silpat or parchment paper], then bake for 9-10 minutes until edges are just set. Do not overbake! Cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container or enjoy right away!

Cookies, Desserts, Recipes

SRC: Cantucci (Almond Biscotti)

September 20, 2015September 19, 2015 Sarah

Sweet, nutty, crisp almond biscotti is a wonderful fall treat. Biscotti always looks so fancy, but only requires a handful of ingredients and comes together in a snap! A great fall treat.

This month for Secret Recipe Club I was assigned to a lovely, exotic blog filled with recipes from across the globe! Choosing a recipe from Manu’s Menu was a tough assignment! Manu, an Italian-native lives in Australia with her Indian husband and their adorable children. Did you catch all those countries and all that cuisine? Italy, Australia, India… Manu’s recipes comes from literally ALL over the world–from her homeland(s) and her travels. So fun. Her photography is gorgeous and every recipe seems authentic, delicious, and do-able for any home cook. I’m not sure how she manages this but I’m so impressed. I thought about making tons of recipes, like her Artichoke Frittata, these cute Kitten Chocolate Cookies, Tahini Honey Roasted Cashews, or this refreshing Moroccan Mint Tea. Ultimately [as I usually do when stressed out about making a SRC recipe choice], I consulted Ben and he thought biscotti sounded like a good choice. So biscotti it is… 🙂

I think biscotti was a great choice from Manu’s blog. What’s more Italian than crunchy cookies to dip in coffee? But while reading Manu’s blog post with her recipe for biscotti, I learned some interesting facts that I just had to share with you! First of all, what we think of as biscotti is actually called cantucci to signify that they are twice baked. All cookies in Italy are called biscotti [plural, singular is biscotto]. Confusing, right? And traditionally, cantucci are dipped not in coffee but in sweet wine! Huh. I mentioned this to Ben and he was like, hmmm, a new sort of communion? Haha! I hope that’s not too sacrilegious to say online but it was just too funny not to share. 🙂 I can’t attest to how these taste dipped in wine, but in coffee… let me just say they are FABULOUS!

These almond biscotti, err--cantucci–are sweet, crunchy, and a lovely treat to make even a weekday morning more special. I love it whenever we have biscotti on hand, since they last for a couple weeks on the counter and also freeze well. #treatsfordays Thanks, Manu, for a great recipe! Enjoy!

one year ago: Baked Blueberry Pork Egg Rolls
two years ago: Autumnal Muffins
three years ago: Iced Tea with Ginger-Mint Simple Syrup
four years ago: Honey Fig Scones
five years ago: Citrus Tilapia

Cantucci (Almond Biscotti)

Servings: 48
Time: 90 minutes
Print

from Manu’s Menu

Ingredients:

10.5 ounces whole almonds – or a generous 1/2 cup sliced almonds
3 eggs
10.5 ounces sugar
5.25 ounces butter, melted
2 cups/500 grams flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon almond extract [or vanilla]
egg and milk, for brushing – optional

Directions:

Toast almonds in a preheated oven at 375 degrees F for 3-4 minutes, or on the stovetop. Or you can take the easy way out and buy toasted and sliced almonds like me. 🙂 Set aside, and leave oven on. Line a large baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.

Then, place eggs and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat with whisk attachment until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Stir in melted butter, then slowly beat in flour and baking powder with paddle attachment on low speed. Fold in almond extract and toasted almonds.

Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and gently knead dough to form a ball. Dough will be sticky, so flour your hands too. Divide dough into two equal parts, then roll each ball into a long log and place on prepared baking sheet. Brush with an egg/milk mixture, if desired. I forgot to do this!

Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes or until the top is just getting golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for about 20 minutes, then slice into thin strips and place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Reduce oven temperature to 340 degrees F, then bake for 20 minutes or until crisp on each side, flipping halfway through.

Cool completely, then eat by dipping in beverage of choice–coffee, milk, tea, or cocoa. Mmm!

For more great Secret Recipe Club recipes, check out the link below!

Cookies, Desserts, Recipes

Chewy Ginger Cookies

January 5, 2015January 1, 2015 Sarah

These chewy ginger cookies are filled with molasses, warm spices, and lots of love! Don’t let the Christmas plate fool you… your family will love these cookies year round!

My mom started making these cookies when I was in high school, and over the years they have been called many, many names [aside from delicious]. Ginger cookies, big soft ginger cookies, harvest ginger cookies, harvest cookies… so when I decided to make them this Christmas season, I didn’t know what to call them. Ultimately, the descriptive title won out: Chewy Ginger Cookies. These cookies are unmistakably gingery and SUPER chewy. I have to admit that since they’re a fairly basic cookie I didn’t immediately think of making them for Christmas. But recently, a family friend messaged me on Facebook for the recipe and BOOM! They popped into my head and just wouldn’t leave. 🙂

I altered this recipe a little from the original: namely, I made them about half the size as the recipe calls for. I don’t remember how big my mom used to make them but these were plenty large for us… plus you get double the amount of cookies. Enough for BOTH of our families. 🙂 Score! Since we were seeing our families different weeks, I put half the cookies in the freezer and was pleasantly surprised that they retained their chewiness despite a stint in the freezer. Perfect!

Though these cookies are pretty simple, they taste pretty amazing. I meant to share this recipe before Christmas but alas. You’ll just have to tolerate a Christmas plate in January, alright? Be sure to enjoy these cookies soon! They’re amazing with a glass of milk or a cup of tea. Mmm! Enjoy!

one year ago: Sweet Potato Chorizo Chile Mac
two years ago: Chicken Tinga Tacos
three years ago: Crockpot Cran-Apple Sauce
four years ago: Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Chewy Ginger Cookies

Servings: 48 cookies
Time: 75 minutes
Print

from Better Homes and Gardens

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups butter or shortening, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup molasses
3/4 cups coarse sugar or regular sugar

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar and beat for 2 minutes, scraping sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and molasses to combine. Slowly add in flour mixture, as much as possible with the mixer. Finish mixing in the rest with a wooden spoon.

At this point, dough can be shaped and baked or refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. If desired, line baking sheets with parchment or a silpat. Roll dough in 2 tablespoon sized balls [approximately 35 grams/1.25 ounces], then roll in coarse sugar. Place 2 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until puffy and light brown. Do not overbake. If desired, rotate pans halfway through baking [front to back and top to bottom] and allow baking sheets to cool before baking the next batch.

Cool cookies on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Cookies, Desserts, Recipes

Mystery Dish: Spiced Biscotti with Eggnog Glaze

December 29, 2014May 6, 2015 Sarah

Delicious spiced biscotti with some holiday cheer in the eggnog glaze! Mmmm!

Merry Monday after Christmas! No, really. Merry Christmas! I hope you had a wonderful day with family and friends. We were on the sunny beaches of Florida… an absolutely perfect destination Christmas with my parents and sister and brother-in-law. So much FUN!! Except for when my phone took a tumble in the ocean on Christmas day. So, so sad. I got a new phone [woohoo]; fortunately my old phone was about 1 1/2 years old. Now we’re back in Tennessee, back to reality, kinda sorta. Ben and I both have another week off… and I can’t wait! I forsee lots of reading, kitty snuggles, and relaxing in my immediate future. Aside from popping in today to share this biscotti recipe for Mystery Dish, I don’t know if I’ll be blogging much til after the new year. But we will see! 🙂

Anyways, I made these biscotti last week before heading to Florida for Mystery Dish. The lovely Colleen from The Smart Cookie Cook was our host. She gave us a GREAT list of ingredients to work with, including:

White Chocolate
Peppermint Bark
Muenster cheese
Eggnog
Canned biscuits
Nutmeg
Browned butter
Cherry tomatoes
Spinach
Roasted Garlic
Vanilla ice cream
Cream cheese

These biscotti are made with three of the above ingredients: eggnog, nutmeg, and white chocolate. Let’s start with the biscotti: aside from allll the lovely spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves, I also added some sliced almonds and some chopped white chocolate. Tiny sliced almonds + chocolate = lotsa small pieces in each bite. Small pieces also makes slicing the biscotti easier after its initial bake.

After the biscotti baked and cooled, I finished it off with a super simple eggnog glaze. It was just eggnog and powdered sugar. Easy as pie! 🙂 We have been enjoying our biscotti over the past week or so with coffee, tea, and even hot cocoa! They’re a fun treat to an already fun season. Hope you enjoy, and be sure to check out other recipes from this month’s edition of Mystery Dish!

one year ago: Baked Fish Tacos with Cranberry Salsa
two years ago: White Chocolate Peppermint M&M Cookies
three years ago: Classic Sugar Cookies
four years ago: Cranberry Scones

Spiced Biscotti with Eggnog Glaze

Servings: 16
Time: 60 minutes
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biscotti from Bon Appetit; glaze from Cupcake Project

Ingredients:

for biscotti

1 large egg
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/3 cup white chocolate chips, chopped [measure then chop]

for glaze

1 1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup eggnog

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease.

With an electric mixer, beat egg and sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add in brandy and vanilla, beating to combine. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Slowly mix in flour mixture into egg mixture. Fold in almonds and white chocolate.

Spoon batter onto baking sheet. With wet hands, shape into a 2 by 10 inch log.

Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown, then remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes.

Transfer biscotti to a cutting board and slice into 1/3 inch pieces. Return pieces to baking sheet, then bake for 10 minutes. Flip and bake for another 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven. Biscotti will continue to harden as it cools.

When cool, whisk together powdered sugar and eggnog in a small bowl. Brush or drizzle onto biscotti and let glaze set. When set, brush or drizzle on a second layer if desired.

Store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Check out what else my Mystery Dish pals made this month!

Brown Butter Eggnog Banana Bread with Cream Cheese Glaze from Flavor the Moments

Brown Butter Nutmeg Melted Ice Cream Cupcakes from The Sweet {Tooth} Life

Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies from I Dig Pinterest

Creamy Chicken Pasta Skillet from Simply Gloria

Peppermint Bark Milkshake from The Smart Cookie Cook

Roasted Garlic, Spinach & Tomato Whole Wheat Pizza from Yummy Healthy Easy

Spiced Biscotti with Eggnog Glaze from The Pajama Chef

Spinach and Tomato Quiche with Whole Wheat Crust from The Well Floured Kitchen

Spinach, Tomato & Roasted Garlic Flatbread from Inspiration Kitchen

White Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Blondies from Culinary Couture