Heaven in a Cookie

This cookie is the cookie to defeat all cookies; that is, if you love cheesecake and oreos, but then again, who doesn't?  It's super simple to make and surprising uses very few ingredients.  These cookies only lasted a good three days at my house, at that was much longer than I expected.

Irresistible oreo-cheesecakey-goodness.

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies

1/2 c. unsalted butter (at room temp.)

3 oz. cream cheese (at room temp.)

1 c. granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. flour

1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

1 c. Oreo cookie crumbs

Preheat oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  This step is important, because for some reason the bottoms cook a lot fast than the tops.  In a mixing bowl combine butter and cream cheese until mixed well.  Add sugar and vanilla extract, mixing until combined, then add flour and mix until incorporated.  Stir in mini chocolate chips with a spatula.  

Crush the Oreo cookies, then place the crumbs in small dish/bowl.  Roll 1 1/2 inch balls of dough, then coat in crumbs and place on sheet about 2 inches apart.  I might experiment with only coating the tops and sides of the cookies to prevent the quick cooking of the bottoms, but it's up to you.  Either way, I promise, they come out delicious.  Bake for 12-15 min. or until edges are golden and the cookie has puffed up.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely then enjoy! Makes 1-1 1/2 dozen cookies.

Holiday Baking

The girls have disbanded for a short Thanksgiving break, but that doesn't mean the cooking and baking has to stop!  After making the requested Kung Pao Shrimp (with the replacing of edamame with peppers and carrots because little Jacob refuses to eat anything green) for my family back in St. Louis, I was on a roll, so I decided to bake some cookies.  This is a delicious recipe I've made before, and is quite a hit with the fam, so why not share it with you.

Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies
3/4 c. unsalted butter
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. brown sugar
3 c. rolled oats
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1 2/3 c. butterscotch chips
Preheat oven to 375.  In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars together, then add eggs and vanilla, beating well.  In a medium size bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, until blended well.  Stir in oats and butterscotch chips with a spatula, and drop dough balls (about a tbsp. each) 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake for 10 minutes, until the edges start to brown, then let them cool on a wire cooling rack.

I'm drooling.

Sealed with a Kiss

A bit of bad luck had fallen upon one of the roomies one day, so necessarily, baking was in order.  Problem: the house was lacking in most of the essentials found in most recipes. The solution: two ingredient mini-pies that were as quick and easy to gobble up as they were to make.  We had a left over pie crust from the apple baking spree from the previous weekend, and a bag of Hershey's Hugs.  With the addition of a little melted butter or egg wash, and some cinnamon and sugar, these little pastries were completed and baked faster than the gloomy roomie could shed a tear!

Pre-baking!

Kiss Pies
1 pre-made pie crust
1 bag of Hershey's kisses (any flavor)
1 tbsp. butter
sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Roll out the thawed dough on a floured surface, and place kisses about 2-3 inches apart around the edge of the dough.  Cut even circles around the kisses.  Fold opposite sides of the circle to each other at the top of the kiss, making a wonton shape, and press together firmly.  Re-roll the dough and repeat process until all the dough is used up.  Place them on a lightly Pam-ed baking sheet, brush each with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, then bake for 10-20 min., or until pies are golden brown, then remove and sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.  I promise these bite-sized treats will turn any frown upside down :)

When in Doubt, Make Lasagna!

Eggplant Lasagna

First cooked meal on a school night called for something hearty and comforting.  What better cuisine than Italian to fit those requirements?  We started off with the plan of making some eggplant roll-ups courtesy of Ms. Rachel Ray, however, when we happened upon the time to roll up those eggplants, it was apparent that that recipe was not going to happen.  Still sharp-minded from a full day of classes, we decided to layer the eggplant, fresh mozz, basil, more eggplant, and top with tomato basil sauce.  This concoction would be knighted Eggplant Lasagna.

Necessary filling shot

Eggplant Lasagna

vegetable or olive oil, for frying (bulk item)

2 medium eggplants ($2.50)

3/4 c. flour (bulk item)

3 eggs, beaten ($0.75)

salt and pepper, to taste (bulk item)

1 lb. fresh mozzarella ($4.49)

basil leaves, chopped ($1.88)

1 1/2 c. marinara sauce, homemade or jarred ($2.99)

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Put flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish.  Also have the three beaten eggs in a dish.  Thinly slice eggplants lengthwise, then dredge in flour, and coat with egg (seems backwards, I know, but Rachel Ray said so).  Fry on each side until golden, then transfer to a paper towel lined plate.

In a 9x13 baking dish, layer eggplant, cheese, basil, more eggplant, then the sauce on top (and more cheese if desired).  Cook for eight minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove, and serve with simple olive oil and herb spaghetti if you're carb lovers like us!

Makes a 9x13 dish/$12.61

You're the Pie of My Eye

The clan was incomplete, for two of the roommates were M.I.A. Even with the lack of support, Kayti and I decided to carry on. A glimmer of strawberry rhubarb pie rose on the horizon of our minds, and naturally, we could not resist. Even with our other half missing, we took on the challenge of making our own pie crust from scratch.

Filling:

2 cups white sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 pounds fresh rhubarb

2 pounds fresh strawberries

Pie Crust:

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 cup softened butter (2 sticks)

10 Tbs ice water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In large bowl, mix flour and sugar. Toss in strawberries and chopped rhubarb. Let stand for 30 minutes.

Mix flour and salt in large bowl. Add butter and cut in with pastry cutter (two knives work) until crumbly. Add ice water, mixing one tablespoon as a time. Form into dough ball- divide in half and roll on floured surface with floured rolling pin. Fold in fourths for easy transfer into pie dish, making sure dough covers entire dish. Cut extra dough off with butter knife. Pour filling into pie crust , dotting the top with butter. Roll out second half of dough and lay over the top. Mash the edges together with thumb and cut off extra dough with butter knife. Cut slits into the top of pie and add topper with a water seal (adding food coloring to the dough if you're feeling artsy).

Cover edges with foil for first 25 minutes, bake for 30-40 minutes (until crust is golden brown) on cookie sheet.

Brush pie with mixture of water and powdered sugar (slightly thick) while pie is hot out of the oven. Let cool and have at it!