Cookies, Desserts, Recipes

Triple Chip Coconut Cookies

Sarah

So as Ben shared on Monday, last Tuesday I just wasn’t in the mood for making dinner. I wanted chocolate chip cookies. Like, yesterday. Or more accurately, last Monday. So many yesterdays ago. Late in the night, I understood why… it was National Chocolate Chip Day! But I promise I didn’t know that when my craving hit. Nope nope nope–I just needed cookies, which is weird because I’m not much of a cookie person. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I baked cookies. Probably Christmastime! Clearly, that was going to change. And fast! In fact, I planned on making cookies for dinner and was pretty satisfied with that choice. I mean, wouldn’t you be?

But Ben nixed that idea, and said he’d make dinner. So sweet! Probably raking up husband points since our anniversary was coming up [it’s today, actually! and I’m totally just kidding. He’d make dinner even if our anniversary wasn’t approaching. He’s sweet like that.] I flipped through my recipe binder and about a zillion cookbooks, and as he was almost done I found a winner [from this semi-local bakery, no less].

After scarfing down some dinner and doing some cleanup [round one, to Ben’s chagrin], I started in on the cookies. Only to discover I had no chocolate chips! Whaaaaat? So, I improvised. Meet Triple Chip Coconut Cookies!

triple chip coconut cookiesThey’re buttery, caramely delights! I used chocolate chunks, white chocolate chips, and butterscotch chips, but feel free to use what you’ve got–these cookies are perfect for using up half-full chip bags leftover from other recipes. Some dark chocolate chips would be fantastic, I think. My favorite part, beyond the traditional chocolate punch and vanilla aftertones was the chew and nuttiness added by the coconut flakes. Yum! Coconut is one of my new favorite flavors, and this cookie illustrates why. Coconut is amazing with everything it touches!

These cookies are simply the best combination of fabulous flavors, textures, and personality… perfect for cookies, and a perfect illustration for our three years of marriage.

Triple chip, three years! Works for me! Maybe I should rename [the renamed!] the cookies to Triple Chip Three Year Marriage Cookies? Hmmm…. gotta work the coconut in there somehow, I think I’ll leave the title the same. If you want more wedding photos, click the photo for some I shared last year. But if you just want the cookies, read on. They’re totally worth it!

Happy anniversary, dear Ben, and happy Wednesday to everyone else!

Triple Chip Coconut Cookies [adapted from Rene’s Chocolate Chip Cookies as featured in Midwest Living April 2010]
click to print

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1 cup butterscotch chips
  • 3/4 cup coconut flakes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.In a small bowl, stir together flour, salt, and baking soda, then set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter for 30 seconds. Next add sugars and beat for 5 minutes or until mixture is light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl every minute or so. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Then, add flour mixture slowly while mixer is running on low. Turn off mixer and stir in chips and coconut with a wooden spoon.

You can cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours or bake immediately. [Obviously if you wait to bake, turn off oven!]

Drop 2 tablespoon size balls onto ungreased cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Press down on each ball to flatten. Bake for 10-14 minutes [more if it’s chilled], or until light brown and still soft in the center as these cookies harden as they cool. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then remove to cooling rack.

Time: 45 minutes.

Yield: 48 cookies.

Notes: I found this dough was best popped in the fridge in between batches as it was hard to handle when soft.

Main Dishes, One Tablespoon Testosterone, Pork, Recipes

OTT: Pork Chops with Balsamic Blackberry Salad + Orzo

Sarah

After a long absence, my husband, Ben, is back with his guest post column entitled One Tablespoon Testosterone, or OTT for short. Enjoy!

———

Each weekend as my wife is planning meals for the upcoming week, she asks if there’s anything I’d like or if I have any ideas.  Generally, my answers range from nothing to worthless until this past weekend.  I knew we had unused pork chops, so I grabbed a cookbook and immediately found a recipe that sounded quite enticing.  This cookbook was by Rachel Ray, whom a friend of mine from my college town of Athens, Ohio [go Bobcats!!!!!!!] has a massive celebrity crush on [to the point where he’s told his girlfriend that he would absolutely break up with her for the chance to be with the celebrity chef].  But anyways… Sarah agreed, and for possibly the first time ever, I felt good about my assistance in the meal selection process.

Pork Chops with Balsamic Blackberry Salad + Orzo on a plateSo come Tuesday night, my pork chops’ assigned cooking date, my wife decides she has absolutely no desire to cook.  Why?  Because she just wants to bake cookies.  As tempting as the idea of cookies for dinner was, I’ve put on a few more pounds than I would like in the last year so I shrugged it off.  This meant it was time for OTT to take command of dinner.

close up of Pork Chops with Balsamic Blackberry Salad + Orzo on a plateAnd what a delightful dinner it was. Salty pork, crisp almonds, juicy blackberries on spinach drenched in a sweet vinegary dressing. By the way, the cookies were good too. It was a messy kitchen sort of night.

OTT: Pork Chops with Balsamic Blackberry Salad + Orzo [from Rachael Ray’s Look + Cook]
click to print

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 lb orzo pasta
  • 1/2 c balsamic vinegar
  • 1 pint blackberries
  • 1 T ground basil
  • 1 c spinach leaves
  • olive oil
  • 4 pork chops
  • 1/4 c almonds
  • 2 T butter
  • cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, pepper to taste

Directions:

This recipe basically consists of making three things:  the pork chops, the salad to top the chops, and the orzo to serve on the side.  Let’s start with the salad.  Put the balsamic vinegar in a small pot and bring to a boil.  Once it begins boiling, maintain heating for about 5 minutes, or until it’s reduced by about half and is a thicker, syrupy consistency.  Remove from heat.  Combine the blackberries [or strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, or any other delicious berry], basil, and spinach in a large salad bowl.  You should cut the spinach into thin slices.  I elected to tear it into small pieces because I’m better at ripping things than cutting them.  Sarah was disappointed because it didn’t look as pretty [but she says she still loves me]. Once the vinegar has cooled, you can drizzle it over the salad.

But while it’s cooling, heat a pot of water to boiling for the orzo.  When the water’s boiling, add the pasta and cook it however long the box/bag tells you to.

While the pasta’s cooking, you can get to work on the pork chops.  Season the chops with some salt and pepper if desired, pour some oil in a large skillet, and once the oil has heated add the chops.  Cook the chops for about 4 minutes on each side.  I would recommend covering the skillet.  Once the chops have cooked, remove them from the pan and roast the almonds for a couple minutes, then remove.

Back to the orzo.  When the pasta is finished cooking, drain it and melt the butter in the pan.  Return the orzo to the pan and stir together.  Add the almonds and salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg to taste.

Serve the orzo on the side with the salad topping the pork chops.  Or I suppose you could serve the salad on the side with the chops over the orzo.  Or even the salad over the chops over the orzo.  It all tastes good, so do what seems best to you.

Reader Question ~ If you could have any dessert for dinner on a weekly basis, what would it be? I would have cheesecake. Mmmmm cheesecake… strawberry, blueberry, chocolate, the works. MMMMM!

Linked up on Life as Mom.
Menu Plans

Menu Plan

Sarah

Week of May 21

Monday: Ben usually plays ultimate frisbee so I’m headed to Panera
Tuesday: Quinoa Pizza Bites
Wednesday: our third anniversary! going out to celebrate since we didn’t over the weekend as we had planned
Thursday: Baked Eggs
Friday: breakfast for dinner
Saturday: Ben has planned a picnic to celebrate our anniversary!
Sunday: leftovers

Main Dishes, Recipes, Soups

Tortellini Soup

Sarah

Tortellini Soup. Not exactly a spring or summer meal… but I’m a year round pumpkin eater, so I guess I really don’t abide by seasons with food, do I? Well, except for produce and the like… but this is really a pantry meal, almost as easy to make with grilled cheese as canned tomato soup is.

We first enjoyed this last fall at Ben’s grandparents house, and his grandma was kind enough to share the recipe with me. If it’s grandma-approved, you know it’s gotta be good! Each spoonful of garlicky, light broth is full of cheesy tortellini goodness and vegified with hearty tomatoes and tasty spinach. Unlike most soups, this recipe doesn’t contain alot of seasonings, so be sure to choose high quality ingredients to get the best, freshest taste possible.

This soup is perfect for a cozy weekend lunch, or as some comfort food to enjoy on a rainy evening. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Tortellini Soup [from Ben’s grandma via College Inn]
click to print

Ingredients:

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 48 ounces chicken or beef broth
  • 19 ounces frozen cheese tortellini [or 8 ounces dried tortellini]
  • 10 ounces frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
  • 29 ounces stewed tomatoes, undrained and chopped
  • Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:

Melt butter in large stockpot set over medium heat. When butter is melted, add garlic and cook until fragrant.

Stir in broth and pasta, then bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. [Or until dried pasta is cooked.]

Add spinach and tomatoes, then simmer for another 5 minutes.

Serve with cheese.

Time: 25 minutes.

Yield: 6 servings.

Desserts, Pies, Recipes

Winning: Reese’s Blondie Pie

Sarah

So, I don’t know about you, but I had a pretty exciting weekend. I mean, not to brag or anything, but it’s not every Saturday that you WIN A 5K!! Check it out–I was the first female finisher out of 500-some runners and walkers of an awesome semi-local race: Run Through the Jungle 5K. I got a trophy and everything!

Sarah with her trophy after the 5K race.My finish time of 22:20 wasn’t amazing, but it was pretty good considering most of the hilly course was on gravel roads and the last 3/4 of a mile had plenty of sharp turns. And I mean, it was obviously good enough to be the top female finisher. Ahh! I’ve only won a couple other races before in my life–a JV cross country meet where the top runner got lost, and a JV track meet that had only a few participants anyways–so this was so thrilling. But you know what’s better than winning? Knowing that the race was for a good cause.

Most people haven’t heard of the Exotic Feline Rescue Center, located in tiny Center Point, Indiana, but it’s one of the largest rescue centers in the country for abused, unwanted and neglected exotic felines. Their heart for taking care of these animals is just huge, and if you’re ever in Indiana, especially in the Bloomington or Indianapolis areas, be sure to take the time to visit because you’ll be within an hour of the EFRC. Don’t go expecting a fancy zoo atmosphere, but go expecting a fun walk through the jungle to see many lions, tigers, bobcats, and more. It’s absolutely awesome there!!

tiger up closeBen and I have been twice now, and loved getting to run there, supporting the animals… and oh, winning too. 🙂 Here’s a write up of the race from a local paper. And speaking of winning… this recipe for Reese’s Blondie Pie is a winner, too!

Soon after we got married, I experimented with blondie recipes to find the perfect one: it’s buttery and vanilla-y, cooked to just the right ratio of chewy/crunchy perfection. But this time… instead of leaving them plain, I added a little bit of spunk–a winning combination of chocolate peanut butter bliss. Yes, I added some Reese’s! Best decision ever.

Oh, and I baked it in a pie pan to make it reminiscent of the cookie cakes I loved sharing with my sorority sisters in college. What can I say? There’s just so much winning going on here that I can hardly believe it. Reese’s. Blondies. Pie-like cookie cake. College. Sisters. Exotic Felines. Oh, and a race. This is gonna be a great day, I know it! 🙂

Reader Question ~ What’s winning for you today?

Reese’s Blondie Pie
click to print

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 Reese’s peanut butter cups, chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch pie pan with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, stir together flour and baking powder. Set aside.

In a saucepan set over low heat, melt butter then remove from heat and stir in brown sugar with a wooden spoon until it dissolves. Quickly add egg and vanilla, stirring until well incorporated.

Fold in flour mixture [batter will be thick], then press into prepared pie pan. Top with chopped candy, pressing into mixture with the back of a wooden spoon.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until set at center. Serve warm.

Time: 40 minutes [10 minutes active].

Yield: 8-10 servings.