'Tis the Season for Christmas Candy Part 3: Festive Fudge!

Let’s end the year on a sweet note! Though fudge may not be the most photogenic food, it sure does taste delicious! When I asked my mom for the fudge recipe that she used, she quickly replied with, “Well I use my mother’s recipe and she used the recipe on the back of the marshmallow creme jar…” While we probably wouldn’t consider this gourmet, I appreciate the unfussy, approachable nature of this recipe, which is probably why it has been used for years and years. So, in keeping with that spirit, I used part of the recipe for "Fantasy Fudge” that is found on the back of the marshmallow creme jar, just like my mom and my grandmother. While I decided to keep the method traditional, I wanted to elevate and play with the flavors a bit.

While Christmas day may be over, these treats are still being enjoyed as we countdown to 2021. So, I give you dark chocolate fudge and cookies and cream fudge (with plenty of Oreos!). Of all the Christmas candies I made, this is by far the easiest recipe! Though you do need a candy thermometer, it comes together pretty fast so it can get to cooling, and then most importantly, you can get to eating!

Wishing you a sweet New Year!

Cookies & Cream Fudge

Ingredients:

• 3 cups white sugar

• 3/4 cup butter (1 full stick +1/2 another stick)

• 2/3 cup evaporated milk

• 1, 12oz package white chocolate morsels

• 1, 7oz. jar marshmallow creme

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 cup crushed Oreos (about 10 Oreos)

Equipment:

• candy thermometer

• lined and greased pan

Method:

(You can use an 8x8, 9x9, or a 9X13 pan for this!)

1. Prep your desired pan with foil or parchment paper and non-stick spray, set to the side.

2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat combine: sugar, butter, and evaporated milk stirring to dissolve sugar.

3. Secure candy thermometer to the pot and set to soft-ball or 234 degrees. Stir until the temperature is reached.

4. Immediately remove from heat and stir in white chocolate chips until melted and thoroughly combined. Fold in marshmallow creme, vanilla extract, and salt.

5. Once smooth, pour in Oreos and mix.

6. Pour fudge into the prepared pan and let cool before cutting into squares. Dust top with remaining Oreo crumbs, if you haven’t eaten them already,

Dark Chocolate Fudge

Ingredients:

• 3 cups white sugar

• 3/4 cup butter (1 full stick +1/2 another stick)

• 2/3 cup evaporated milk

• 1, 12oz package dark chocolate morsels

• 1, 7oz. jar marshmallow creme

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Equipment:

• candy thermometer

• lined and greased pan

Method:

(You can use an 8x8, 9x9, or a 9X13 pan for this!)

1. Prep your desired pan with foil or parchment paper and non-stick spray, set to the side.

2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat combine: sugar, butter, and evaporated milk stirring to dissolve sugar.

3. Secure candy thermometer to the pot and set to soft-ball or 234 degrees. Stir until the temperature is reached.

4. Immediately remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted and thoroughly combined. Fold in marshmallow creme, vanilla extract, and salt.

5. Pour fudge into the prepared pan and let cool before cutting into squares. Can sprinkle the top with salt, if that is your jam!

Grown-Up Dirt Cups with Chocolate Mousse

There is something so comforting about enjoying a cherished dessert from childhood as an adult. I LOVED dirt cups growing up. How could I not? It involved all of my favorite things: chocolate, Oreos, and if I was feeling particularly dangerous, gummy worms! So I decided it was time to give this childhood classic a makeover, and instead of using chocolate pudding, making it with a very sophisticated mousse to elevate things a bit, and serving in some crystal martini glasses—they do not get used nearly enough! But still keeping the childhood favorite—Oreos—to keep things light-hearted and approachable. The results were the perfect balance between fluffy and crunchy, sweet and bittersweet, chocolate notes, and childhood and adulthood. Grab a spoon and bring this elevated classic into your grown-up day!

Tip: This mousse would also make an excellent replacement for icing between the layers of a chocolate cake!

Note: This recipe contains raw eggs and though heated on the stovetop for a brief period on low heat, if you are immunocompromised, pregnant, or have any other health issues, use pasteurized eggs so that you can safely enjoy this creamy mousse!

Ingredients:

• 4 egg yolks

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 3 cups heavy cream, divided into 1 cup and 2 cups

• 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 2 teaspoons espresso powder

• 8 Oreos (or chocolate wafers) crushed

• Optional: Gummy worms! Or for the grown-up version: strawberry or raspberry!

Method:

1. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks with a hand mixer until thick and lemon-colored. Gradually beat in sugar until well incorporated.

2. In a small saucepan on medium-low heat, heat 1 cup of heavy cream until bubbles form around the sides of the pot, stirring occasionally. Do not boil! Once warmed, take off the heat.

3. Stir 1/2 of the heated cream into the egg mixture to temper the eggs. Slowly stream in cream, stirring eggs constantly.

4. Once 1/2 of the cream is added, pour the tempered eggs/cream mixture, into the saucepan with the rest of the cream and place over low heat.

5. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly until thickened. Do not boil!

6. Stir in chocolate chips until melted.

7. Add in espresso powder, vanilla, and salt and stir until incorporated.

8. Take off heat and pour the mousse into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

9. Beat 2 cups of heavy cream with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold into the mousse.

10. Crush Oreos or chocolate wafer cookies into the bottom of the serving dish, spoon in mousse, and place additional cookies over the top for an extra crunch! For some nostalgic flair, add some gummy worms (or fruit!).

11. Serve immediately!

Dirty Mint Ice Cream

I absolutely adore mint in everything from my salads to my cocktails to my desserts—but most especially my ice cream. Recently, I have observed that the mint-chocolate flavor combination is becoming increasingly overlooked in favor of things that are more inventive and current, like mascarpone and fig or honey and lavender ice cream flavors. But what flavor is as refreshing as mint? It stands alone. What food is as celebrated as chocolate? None. It is time to revive this classic and celebrate her contributions to our spoons and stomachs. I’m a proud member of the ice cream party and am voting Mint-Chocolate 2020!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups whole milk

• 3 cups heavy cream

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon mint extract

• 3-5 drops green food coloring, personal color preference

• 1 cup Oreos, crushed

• 2 tablespoons chocolate hard shell (optional)

Method:

1. Freeze ice cream maker bowl at 0 degrees for 24 hours.

2. In a large bowl combine, milk, sugar, and salt. Stir together until sugar and salt are dissolved.

3. Add in cream and mint extract and food coloring. Stir until incorporated.

4. Cover and chill for 2 hours, or if needing quicker, put in the freezer for 30 minutes.

5. Pull out mix and give it a final stir.

6. Pour into ice cream bowl and make according to your machine’s settings.

7. While that’s churning, count out 12 Oreos and put 10 into a plastic bag and smash into crumbs with a rolling pin. This should yield about 1 cup. Snack on the saved two while waiting for ice cream to finish; when you finish the package of Oreos without sharing, hide the evidence.

8. With 5 minutes left on the churn, add in crushed Oreos and drizzle in chocolate hard shell.

9. Once completed, put in a freezing container, and let harden for 3-4 hours or overnight.

10. Welcome to the Ice Cream Party! We are glad to have you!

S'Mores Ice Cream

Well friends, we made it to June—Happy Summer! The temperatures in Texas have officially moved from warm to just plain H-O-T! With the rising temperatures, I am thinking of all the ways to cool down and my favorite way to do it is with my number one vice: ice cream! This recipe pays tribute to those nostalgic s’mores I used to enjoy at camp and at my family’s lake house growing up. I’m curious are you very methodical about your marshmallow roasting, trying to get just the right golden color, or do you simply just light yours on fire and let nature take its course? I am the latter—I love the crunch that comes with a burned marshmallow. I feel like you can get a small taste of children’s risk tolerance, watching them around a campfire, engaging in the roasting practice. I am no rebel though; a burned marshmallow is about as wild as I get! Spreading s’more love from my ice cream maker to yours—here’s to a sweet treat to beat the summer heat!

Ingredients:

• 5 graham cracker sheets broken into pieces

• 3 cups whole milk

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 tbsp vanilla

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 3/4 cup chopped chocolate bar

• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (I used a box of graham cracker pie crust) You could always pulse some graham crackers in the blender until you get a powder-like consistency

• 3/4 cup of mallow bits (I used Kraft)

Method:

1. Freeze ice cream maker bowl at 0 degrees for 24 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place broken graham crackers onto a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until you start smelling them.

3. Pour toasted graham crackers into a bowl with 3 cups of milk. Cover and steep for 15 minutes. Strain milk out of crackers, pressing with a spatula. You should get back 3 cups of milk, but if you get a little less than that—don’t worry—just top off with regular milk!

4. In a large bowl, combine graham cracker milk, sugar, and salt. Stir together until sugar and salt are dissolved.

5. Add in cream and vanilla extract. Stir until incorporated.

6. Cover and chill for 2 hours, or if needing quicker, put in the freezer for 30 minutes.

7. Pull out mix, and give it a final stir, taking care not to make it bubbles, as you do not want to add air.

8. Pour into ice cream bowl and make according to your machine’s settings.

9. With 5 minutes left on the churn, add in chopped chocolate, graham cracker crumbs, and mallow bits.

10. Once completed, put in a freezing container, and let harden for 3-4 hours or overnight.

11. Enjoy your s’mores ice cream and remember to spread s’more love!

Chocolate Ice Cream

A sweet treat for a sweet day! Today is our 3rd wedding anniversary and actually the first time we have spent May 6th in Dallas since the day we got married! We love to take a trip over our anniversary! Tonight will look a little different, but still delicious! Ribeyes on the grill, twice baked potatoes, a glass (or two!) of red wine, the leftover brisket queso from yesterday’s Cinco de Mayo dinner, and finally, cookies and ice cream! I whipped this ice cream up in no time at all and it will be the perfect sweet treat to cap off tonight’s celebrations. I included some wedding photos below and it is very easy to see that our wedding revolved around food! I don’t think our guests went more than 30 minutes without eating! Starting off with our fabulous passed hors d'oeuvres (including mini crab cakes!), our three signature cocktails for our hour and a half cocktail hour (the Kentucky Derby ran in the middle of our cocktail hour so we had the country club set up a TV outside and served mint juleps during it too!). Leading to a seated dinner of salmon and beef tenderloin, my bride’s cake with vanilla and red velvet cake, my husband’s cookie bar with 2000 Oreos stacked with 15 dozen cookies and macaroons and spiked milk punch, a midnight snack of sliders and fries, and then donut holes in cinnamon and sugar to end the night on a sweet note! Clearly, our priorities have not changed—I would not have it any other way!

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups of whole milk

• 2 cups of heavy cream

• 1 tsp. vanilla

• 1 cup of sugar

• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

• 1/2 cup of cocoa powder, unsweetened

• 1/2 tsp. espresso powder—it is just going to enhance and intensify the cocoa flavor!

• Optional spike: 1/8 cup of preferred bourbon or whiskey—this will also intensify the chocolate flavor

Method:

1. Pre-freeze ice cream maker bowl at 0 degrees for 24 hours.

2. In a large bowl, combine milk, sugar, and salt. Stir together until sugar and salt are dissolved.

3. Add in cream, vanilla extract, and espresso and cocoa powder. Add your spirit spike here too! Stir until incorporated, it’ll take a second! You might have to whip out a whisk!

4. Cover and chill for 2 hours, or if needing quicker, put in the freezer for 30 minutes. This time is going to help the milk absorb all the cocoa powder you just threw at it!

5. Pull out mix, and give it a final stir or whisk.

6. Pour into ice cream bowl and make according to your machine’s settings.

7. Put in a freezing container and let harden for 3-4 hours or overnight.

8. Behold—your new favorite summer treat!

Shiny, Shatter-Top, Double Chocolate Brownies

Brownies that are gooey on the inside yet have a shatter-top texture are no longer a figment of your food imagination. My friends, they are here and they are glorious, and just in time for swimsuit season! Ha! The best part is that they are a cinch to put together and even easier to eat! With everything going on in the world today, I feel the phrase “Keep Calm & Carry On” just took on greater meaning. But perhaps we should update it a bit to, “Keep Calm, Carry Hand Sanitizer, & Eat Chocolate”? Pretty sure that is going to be my new personal mission statement. So if you find yourself needing a new brownie recipe to try after putting up all of your stockpiled toilet paper, try this one! You will not regret it. Plus chocolate is known to cause a calming effect on the brain by increasing the neurotransmitter serotonin and it also causes an increase in your dopamine levels. Double chocolate and double neurotransmitter benefit? Talk about the definition of win-win!

Ingredients:

• 10 oz of chocolate morsels, dark or semi-sweet

• 2 sticks of butter, softened

• 1 1/2 cups of sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 cup of cocoa powder, Dutch-pressed if you have it

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup of brewed coffee, room temperature

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a double boiler, melt chocolate morsels. Once melted set to the side, cool slightly.

3. In a bowl, combine flour, salt, and cocoa powder. Set to the side.

4. In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter together until fluffy.

5. Add in eggs, one at a time, and blending together until incorporated.

6. Add in a small amount of melted chocolate to temper the eggs, once incorporated, stir in the rest of the melted chocolate.

7. Add in brewed coffee and stir to combine.

8. Stir in dry ingredients into wet ingredients, and mix until well combined.

9. Pour into a greased pan, I used a 9x13, and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.

10. Enjoy!

Texas Sheet Cake

Texas Independence Day was one week ago today (Remember the Alamo/ Remember San Jacinto!). I love this great state of mine, but the sharing of the adoration had to wait due to work and terrible sickness that crept in towards the latter part of last week. But I am on the mend, (fever free no less!) and am so happy to be sharing this delicious Texas Sheet Cake with you! I’ll save you the extra copy and get straight to the sugar, as if this cake recipe is not sweet enough, you don’t have to wait to ice it! Speedy and efficient, just the way us Texans like it! Any day is a great day to celebrate Texas! I think Boone, Crockett, Bowie, and Houston would approve.

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 1 cup of water

• 4 tbsp. cocoa powder

• 2 sticks of butter

• 2 cups of flour

• 2 cups of sugar

• 1/2 cup of buttermilk (if you don’t have any don’t worry, just combine a cup of milk with a tbs. of vinegar or lemon juice. Let it sit for 10 minutes and you’re good to go!)

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 tsp baking soda

Icing:

• 1 stick of butter

• 1 cup of Coca Cola or Dr. Pepper

• 1 cup of sugar

• 1 tbs cocoa powder

• 1 tsp of vanilla

• Pinch of salt

Method:

1. Pre-heat your oven at 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, combine all of the dry cake ingredients: salt, flour, sugar, and baking soda.

3. In a saucepan on medium-high heat, combine water, butter, and cocoa powder. Bring to a boil.

4. Add vanilla to chocolate mixture and pour mixture into a bowl. Set to the side and cool slightly.

5. Combine dry ingredients and into wet and add buttermilk and beaten eggs.

6. Place into a greased sheet pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until center is set and a toothpick comes out clean.

7. While the cake is baking, start on the glaze.

8. In a saucepan, melt a stick of butter on medium heat.

9. Add in soft drink of your choice, vanilla, sugar, and cocoa powder. Bring to a boil.

10. Reduce heat to a simmer. The graze will be ready when it coats the back of a spoon and stays put when you swipe your finger through it.

11. Add salt to taste.

12. Once cake is done, poke a few holes in the cake with a fork. and pour glaze over the top!

13. Google Texas Independence Day videos, cut a slice, and enjoy y’all!

Peppermint Bark

I feel that this recipe needs no introduction or explanation—it is, after all, the Christmas season, and a merry one it has been in our home. I’ve said before that my husband isn’t a big sweets guy, but he has literally put this on his Christmas gift list: Peppermint Bark. He could eat it by the pound and I enjoy a chocolate challenge. So naturally, this was something that was bound to come out of our kitchen. If you are looking to sharpen your tempering chocolate skills, this a great recipe to cut your teeth on. Why you ask? It is literally fail-proof, because even if you are not successful in tempering your chocolate, you will still have a delicious and highly edible product! Merry Christmas indeed.

Ingredients/Items:

-parchment paper cut for a quarter sheet pan

-10oz of dark chocolate chips

-10 oz of white chocolate chips

-1/2 cup of crushed peppermint candy

-peppermint oil

Method:

• This recipe used the seed method to temper chocolate. Want to skip tempering all together? Melt your chocolates, add 2-3 drops of peppermint into each melted chocolate, and skip to step 6! Tempering just makes the chocolate snap when broken and shiny!

1. Set up two double boilers, with the water temperature set to simmering.

2. Pour 2/3 of your dark chocolate into one double boiler, stirring constantly until dark chocolate is melted and registers 118 degrees on a thermometer.

3. Immediately take off the heat, pour in the remaining dark chocolate, and stir until melted.

4. Place into ice bath, stirring continuously, until dark chocolate registers 78 degrees. Make sure no water comes into contact with chocolate!!

5. Once dark chocolate registers 78 degrees, place back on double boiler until it reaches 87 degrees. Stirring until temperature is reached. Add in 2-3 drops of peppermint oil and stir in.

6. On a parchment-lined and greased quarter sheet pan, pour dark chocolate onto pan and smooth out and into edges of pan. Place into freezer to harden while you prepare white chocolate, will need about 5-10 minutes to set up.

7. In another double boiler, pour in 2/3 of your white chocolate, stirring until it reaches 115 degrees.

8. Take off heat immediately, and stir in remaining 1/3 of white chocolate, until melted.

9. Place white chocolate into ice bath, and stir until the thermometer registers 78 degrees. Make sure no water comes into contact with chocolate!!

10. Place white chocolate back on double boiler, and stir until it reaches 87 degrees. Once reached, add in 2-3 drops of peppermint oil, stir in.

11. Take dark chocolate out of freezer and pour white chocolate over the top. Smoothing out to match size of dark chocolate.

12. Crush 5-6 candy canes or your preferred peppermint candy, until you get 1/2 cup of crushed candy. Sprinkle over the top of white chocolate.

13. Freeze for 3-4 hours or overnight to set up. Break into pieces for serving.

Spooky Good Candy Bark

I am not a big Halloween girl. Never have been, and probably won’t be until I have children of my own—I have big plans for baby poodles, maybe a scuba diver, and, let’s not forget, The Blues Brothers. There is something about Halloween that just grosses me out, maybe it’s the witches or the gory costumes. I have vivid memories of my mom’s ceramic witch bowl sitting on the kitchen table, and being unable to finish my breakfast as a child. My resistance to the kid-centric holiday was so bad one year my parents just threw in the towel and bribed me to trick-or-treat. I think they were worried that I was going to miss out on the childhood experience, and wanted me to learn to face my fears. As it turns out, an Alexander Hamilton in hand is a pretty good extrinsic motivator. All the while, I was researching how to make sure your Halloween spoils were not tampered prior to receiving them; I watched far too much news as a child. (I also took a rain jacket and umbrella everyday in elementary school!) It is no small wonder I work with anxious children, I can really identify with them.

Once my candy anxieties were quieted by ensuring the seals were not broken, the candy was the one part of Halloween I could get behind. I didn’t eat much of it, but mama loved her some Twix (still do!). I guess I should I call my parents and say thank you because this Halloween I decided to face another one of my fears: tempering chocolate. Ever since I began seeing my baking hero, Claire Saffitz, go through trial and error trying to temper chocolate on Gourmet Makes, the thought of trying it myself challenged and scared me. See also: the perfect combination for growth. Tempering chocolate basically means that you have to bring the chocolate to three different temperatures. The tempering causes an altering in the crystal formation of the chocolate, and when it dries it will be shiny and snap when broken. Don’t get any ideas about short cuts either, you cannot use a sous side, as the stirring is elemental in the tempering process. Also, if you want any chance of making a decent, homemade Peppermint Bark this coming holiday season, you too will have to temper your chocolate. This recipe used the Seed Method to temper.

So this Candy Bark accomplished three things: used up my left over Halloween candy, taught me to do something new, and served as a trial run to the main event: Peppermint Bark. Maybe I should rename this, Type A Bark?

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of crushed Snickers

• 1 cup of crushed Twix

• 1 cup of M&M’s, reserving 1/4 cup for sprinkling on the top

• 20 oz of dark chocolate

• 20 oz of white chocolate

• kosher salt for sprinkling at the end

Supplies (besides: pots/pans/and the like):

• two cooking thermometers

• make an ice bath in your kitchen sink, with no more that 2-3 inches of water

  Method:

1. Set up two double boilers, with the water temperature set to simmering.

2. Pour 2/3 of your dark chocolate into one double boiler, stirring constantly until chocolate is melted and registers 118 degrees on a thermometer.

3. Immediately take off the heat, pour in the remaining dark chocolate, and stir until melted.

4. Place into ice bath, stirring continuously, until dark chocolate registers 78 degrees. Make sure no water comes into contact with chocolate!!

5. Once dark chocolate registers 78 degrees, place back on double boiler until it reaches 87 degrees. Stirring until temperature is reached. Leave on double boiler to maintain 87 degree temperature while you start tempering the white chocolate.

6. In another double boiler, pour in 2/3 of your white chocolate, stirring until it reaches 115 degrees.

7. Take off heat immediately, and stir in remaining 1/3 of white chocolate, until melted.

8. Place white chocolate into ice bath, and stir until the thermometer registers 78 degrees. Make sure no water comes into contact with chocolate!!

9. Place white chocolate back on double boiler, and stir until it reaches 87 degrees.

10. On a small piece of parchment paper, take a small spoonful of each chocolate and place a drop of each on top of the paper.

11. Once the chocolate dries (should take 5-7 minutes), if it is tempered it will be shiny, and snap when broken. Picture below for reference!

12. On a parchment lined baking sheet, coated with nonstick spray, pour both your dark and white chocolate, and with a knife or offset spatula, create whatever design you fancy. Picture for reference below! If you just want a chocolate bark, you can stop here and freeze for 3-4 hours or overnight to set up. Break into pieces.

13. If you prefer to take it a step further, mix in the crushed Twix, Snickers, and M&Ms, until combined with chocolate.

14. Top with remaining 1/4 cup of M&Ms and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt.

15. Place into the freezer to harden for 3-4 hours or overnight.

16. Break into pieces for serving.

Simple, tempered chocolate swirl!

Tempered dark and white chocolate. See that shine?!

'Kila Cookies

When my husband and I went to Bali for our honeymoon, I discovered Amankila’s chocolate chip mini cookies that they delivered in the most adorable jar, twice a day! When jet lagged, I would wake up in the middle of the night and polish off the jar, and wake up in a pile of crumbs. They replenished during breakfast and turn down service, and yes, I asked my husband to hunt down the “Cookie Man” while we were on the beach too. Don’t worry, I have provided proof of my nightly cookie thief antics below for your entertainment.

I’m not sure if my husband had to beg, borrow, or steal, but upon check out, the manager had graciously typed it out for me, so I could bring it back to Texas! The original recipe was measured in grams, so I have been perfecting moving the recipe to volume measurements instead of weight, and adding my own touches here and there. You can make mini cookies or roll out large ones! Make it your own, I use a food processor and brown some of the butter to add a nutty flavor to put my own spin on things!

We lovingly refer to them as ‘Kila Cookies in our house. Warning this makes large batch, so you’ll have plenty to freeze to enjoy later!

Method:

In a food processor combine:

-4 cups of oats, 4 cups of flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp kosher salt and pulse to combine, until oats are powdery

In a sauce pan:

-brown 1 stick of butter and set to the side (the Balinese are not afraid of butter!!), set out 2 1/2 sticks to get to room temperature

In a large mixing bowl, combine:

-2 cups of white sugar, 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar, the browned and room temp. butter and cream together.

-add in 1 tsp of vanilla and 1 tsp honey.

-then add in 4 beaten eggs to the sugar/butter party (I use extra large)—one at a time

-then mix the dry into the wet

TIP: when mix wet into dry, you get pockets of flour and a crusty bowl. Dry into wet, provides a more supple dough (use a stand mixer if you fancy!).

Roll out as big or as small as you want! Bake at 325.

Mini cookies bake for about 10 minutes and the larger about about 15-20 minutes.

Who took the cookie from the cookie jar? I said Savannah took the cookie(s) from the cookie jar!

One more because that pool and that horizon….

Spiced Pumpkin Bread with Dark Chocolate

Hello, Fall! If you’re reading this, I have probably just touched down in the Big Apple, and cannot help but reminded by Meg Ryan’s line in You’ve Got Mail, “Don’t you just love New York in the fall?” While Tom Hanks may not be asking for my address to send me a box of “newly sharpened pencils,” as he jokes in the film, I am finding my own way of enjoying the season. As my mom, sister and I are working through my grandmother’s recipes for the cookbook we are creating in her memory, we are coming across a treasure-trove of old favorites! One of them being, her Pumpkin Bread. Now I’ve never met a bread I didn’t like, but this one feels special. It’s not overly sweet, and the texture is simply divine. The taste actually lives up up the aroma while baking! I will admit, the base of this recipe is my grandmother’s, but I felt it needed a bit of a face lift. For starters, the original recipe called for a full cup of oil. That’s over 1800 calories, just in oil! So I swapped a few tablespoons of butter and some applesauce. The spice list in the original was pretty extensive, too. In order to simplify, I decided to use pumpkin pie spice seasoning, using a tablespoon, and a dash extra of cinnamon. My pumpkin pie seasoning also has ginger in it, which makes the bread a touch more spiced, than the cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg the original recipe called for. I love falling for Autumn, and this bread can take me through the season’s flavors in a bite!

Ingredients:

3 cups of sugar

4 tbsp melted butter

3/4 cup of applesauce

1 15oz can of pumpkin 

1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp cinnamon

3 cups self rising flour

1 12 oz bag of dark chocolate chips

1 tsp salt

4 eggs

This recipe makes 2 loafs or one loaf and a dozen muffins! Or you can make all muffins too, if that’s your thing!

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl combine, flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt.

3. In another large bowl beat together butter and sugar until fluffy. Crack and add in eggs in one at a time. Once combined, add in pumpkin and applesauce, and bring together.

4. Add dry ingredients in, stirring into wet in 3-4 installments.

5. Once combined, fold in dark chocolate chips.

6. Place batter into greased baking dish. If making in loaf pans, bake for 65-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If making in muffin tins, bake for 25-30 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched.

“Mrs. Field’s” Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Cookies

“Imma make you girls a hump day treat…” Okay, yes, my mom did not wear a hot pink Juicy Suit, like Mrs. George in Mean Girls, while she made after school snacks for me and my friends. She might have left the excessive Juicy Couture wearing to me and my sister, but she was all about the after school treats. In the spirit of back to school, think back to your after school snacks: was there a better surprise to await you than a hot cookie? Negative, ghost rider. These cookies were my childhood. We used to double the recipe and take them to our family reunions and when I dressed up as Debbie Fields for Biography Day in third grade, these were the cookies I had as my prop on my cookie tray. As such, as now refer to them as the “Mrs. Field’s Cookies.”

Side bar: I’ll have to dig up the picture of me on Biography Day, it’s GOLD. I look like an overweight, middle-aged colonial woman who lost her skirt to a pair of scissors.

Ingredients:

-1 cup of butter (softened)

-1 cup brown sugar

-1 cup of sugar

-2 eggs

-1 T. vanilla

-2 1/2 cups of oats

-2 cups of flour

-1/2 t. salt

-1 t. baking powder

-1 t. baking soda

-1/2 t. espresso powder

-12 oz chocolate (dealer’s choice of wafers, chips, or chopped chunks!)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In a stand mixer, cream together sugars and butter, add in eggs one at a time until well combined, and then add vanilla.

3. In a food processor combine oats, flour, salt, baking soda and powder, and espresso powder, pulse until oats are powdery.

4. Turn the stand mixer back on a gentle stir and slowly add in the dry ingredients. Once combined, add in the chocolate of your choice and mix in!

5. Shape into golf ball size dough balls and place onto baking sheet.

6. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until done to your liking. I found that the 12-13 minute mark ensures the gooey center and crunchy top—also know as the perfect cookie.

7. Let your inner cookie monster shine!

Coffee Chip Ice Cream

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen a story post of mine a few weeks back where I could not actually stop myself from eating ice cream. This recipe was what yielded the ice cream in question, and yes, I heard that dreaded sound of the spoon scraping the bottom of the tub.

My favorite flavor combination would have to be coffee and chocolate. Nothing else comes close for me. I am curious what is yours? Leave in the comments below! After spending the July 4th week perfecting my peach ice cream, I finally decided I had a delicious and reliable enough base recipe to start making other flavors.

This ice cream is creamy, but not too soft. Sweet, but with plenty of bold flavor to cut through. And the cream eats cleanly—don’t you just hate it when ice cream coats your mouth? I truly believe this is the best ice cream I have ever had or made. My friends, I give you Coffee Chip Ice Cream.

Coffee Chip Ice Cream Recipe:

Pre-freeze ice cream maker bowl at 0 degrees for 24 hours.

Ingredients:

-2 1/2 cups of whole milk

-2 cups of heavy cream

-1 cup of sugar

-2-3 teaspoons of kosher salt, total personal preference here and I’ve used 2.5 teaspoons before

-2 tablespoons of espresso powder

-1 cup of chopped semisweet chocolate chunks

Method:

1. In a large bowl, combine milk, sugar, salt. Stir (do not whisk) together until sugar and salt are dissolved.

2. Add in cream, combine, and espresso powder, a tablespoon at a time, and make sure to stir out clumps. Put in refrigerator to chill for 2 hours.

3. Pull out mix, and give it a final stir, taking care not to make it bubbles, as you do not want to add air.

4. Pour into ice cream bowl and make according to your machines settings.

5. Add in chocolate chunks with 5 minutes to go.

6. Put in a freezing container and let harden for 3-4 hours or overnight.

7. Do not eat all of the ice cream in one sitting.

8. Do as I say, not as I do.