Banana Bread Cookies

 

Banana Bread Cookies

Adapted from: With a Cherry on Top

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups Flour
• 1 Tsp. Baking Soda
• 1/4 Tsp. Salt
• 2 Tsp. Cinnamon
• 6 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar, packed
• 1 Egg
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 1 cup Oats
• 1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 3 Bananas, chopped

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and cinnamon; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and brown sugar until it resembles a crumbly texture (about 1 minute).  Add in the egg and vanilla and continue beating until mixture becomes smooth and creamy (about 1 minute).  Add in half of the flour mixture and blend in at a low speed.  Add in the remaining flour mixture and continue blending in on low.  Stir in the oatmeal and chocolate chips; mix until evenly distributed throughout the mixture.  Carefully mix in the banana pieces. (I just very ripe bananas and ended up smushing them a bit into the mix)
3. Using a tablespoon, drop the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake until the edges are lightly browned (about 15 minutes).  Carefully remove from the oven and let cool on pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. 

Brown Butter Toffee Blondies

Brown Butter Toffee Blondies

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 2 cups packed light-brown sugar
• ½  cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 3  teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (about 4 ounces)
• 1 ½ cups milk chocolate heath toffee bits
• ¾ cup butterscotch chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Line pan with foil; butter and flour.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, cook the butter until it turns golden brown; remove from heat, and let cool. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine browned butter and both sugars; stir with a wooden spoon until combined. In a coffee mug, beat eggs and vanilla.  Add to mix and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add flour mixture and beat until combined.  Stire in walnuts, toffee bits and butterscotch chips. Mix until thoroughly combined, and pour into prepared pan.
4. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before turning out of pan onto a cutting board. Peel off parchment paper; cut blondies into 3-inch squares. Blondies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

Notes:

• I went to go make this recipe and ended up not having enough butter, so I used 3 sticks of margarine.  After about 25-30 minutes of boiling, it was not turning brown so I gave up.
• I added ½ tsp more of baking powder and ½ tsp more of vanilla. 
• The original recipe calls for you to add in the eggs and then the vanilla.  I prefer to beat my eggs with the vanilla before adding them.
• The original recipe calls for 1 cup of toffee bits and 1 cup of chocolate chips, I switched it up for a different flavor.  Next time, I will add 1 cup of coconut too!
• This mixture was thick, so I was not able to pour it into my pan.  Instead, I “scooped” it up with a spatula and spread it onto the pan.
• Mine baked for around 45 minutes.  I let it cool in the pan for about 20 minutes and then pulled the foil up to remove it from the pan.  I placed it on the counter and let it cool another 30 minutes, or so, before cutting into it.

First Hudock Cookie Exchange

I know this is dated, but since I just started this blog I wanted to list the new cookie recipes I gathered from hosting my first ever cookie exchange!

Invite

I sent out this facebook invite:
Come and enjoy an appetizer buffet,
hot spiced cider and sample all those
delicious cookies!

We look forward to seeing you
...and your cookies, of course !

**The Rules of the Cookie Exchange**


1. All cookies should be homemade and baked.
2. No plain chocolate chip cookies, no-bakes or meringues.
3. Please bring 6 dozen total cookies.
4. The theme is "Christmas Cookies"
5. Arrange cookies in a basket or platter and be creative! Bring a large container to carry away your cookies.
6. Email  a copy of your recipe to me before the party (or bring recipe to the party)
7. Christmas attire is encouraged! The more redic the better!
8. RSVP as soon as you can and let me know what type of cookies you are planning on baking - no duplicate recipes are allowed.
9. There's a prize for the best Christmas outfit.
10. If you don't have time to bake, or have burnt your cookies, but still want to attend, you must go to a real bakery and buy 6 dozen yummy cookies.

Decor

It's no secret to anyone who knows me, that Christmas is my favorite time of year.  I put up 2 Christmas trees and completely deck out my house with decorations in just about every single room in the house. So as far as decor went, I didn't need to buy or do too much.  I went to the dollar store and bought some snowmen (I collect snowmen & may or may not be slightly obsessed with them) paper products and a few extra cookie platters ( I knew there would be people who forgot and it's not like I couldn't find a use for them myself.).  I set out my snowmen paper goods, put my appetizers on my additonal snowmen platters and even used my snowmen spreaders for some of the apps.

To avoid clutter on the kitchen table, I moved one of my plastic tables into the kitchen and threw a vinyl Christmas tablecloth over it for us to display our cookies.

Food

Since I wanted this cookie exchange to serve as a way for people to actually go home with cookies, I didn't want us to be eating them there! So I made some chocolate chip cookies to set out, a chocolate cake, artichoke dip with crackers, cheese spread with crackers and some swedish meatballs.

Drinks

I wanted to keep these festive but I was having a hard time (and running out of time) to get everything I needed for some of the drinks I had in mind.  So here's what we ended up with:
- White Russians
- Eggnog
- Holiday Hangover (7up, rum & a mini candy cane)

Games

I didn't want to get too cheesey with this, so I just stuck to one game.  I made necklaces using ribbon and candy canes.  When everyone arrived, I gave them a necklace and explained the rules.  Everytime someone said cookie, they could take it away from that person.  By the end of the exchange, whoever had the most candy cane necklaces one.  I called this 'don't say cookie game.'

Prizes

I ended up with a prize for everyone.  I went to the dollar store and bought things like: a bell necklace, a Christmas platter, oven mitts, a snowman mug, etc.  I gave 2 gifts to the person who won the 'can't say cookie game.'  Everyone came dressed up!  It was a lot of fun. One lady wrapped herself like a present, another wrapped a box and stepped into it like a present with a bow on her head and others were just in a random mix of festive gear!  The lady who won brought some maxi-pad slippers that were decorated Christmas-y and we got a good laugh out of it!  For that winner, I bought a gingerbread cookie ornament and wrote on the back "Hudock Cookie Exchange 2009. Most festive outfit".

All in all, it was a really good time!  We had a few too many drinks and were giggling uncontrollably!  We played apples to apples and just hung out.  As the night progressed, hubby came home and some of the other ladies husbands, boyfriends and more friends came over.  Most of the cookies were good, some not so much!  So cookie party = great success!

Recipes

Fudge Ecstasies
1 12-ounce semisweet chocolate pieces
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup chopped nuts

Grease cookie sheet. In a saucepan cook and stir 1 cup of the chocolate pieces, the unsweetened chocolate, and butter until melted. Remove from heat add eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla & baking powder.
Beat until combined, scraping sides of pan. Stir in remaining 1 cup chocolate pieces & nuts.
Drop cookies on cookie sheet & Bake in a 350 oven for 8-10 min until edges are firm & surfaces are dull & crackled.

Peanut Blossom Cookies 

1 bag (8 oz) Hershey’s Kisses
½ cup shortening
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup pakced light brown sugar
1 egg
2 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Granulated sugar (red or green)
Heat oven to 375
Remove wrappers from Hershey’s Kisses
Beat shortening & peanut butter in large bowl until well blended.
Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar & brown sugar; beat until light & fluffy
Add egg, milk & vanilla; beat well.
Stir together flour, baking soda & salt.  Gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls.
Roll in granulated sugar, place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown
Immediately press a kiss into center of each cookie.  Cookie will crack around edges.
Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack, cool completely before serving.


Cornflake Christmas Wreaths 

½ cup margarine
1 cup (10 oz) regular marshmallows
1 tsp green food colorsing
6 cups Corn Flakes ceral
1 tsp vanilla
Red cinnamon candies or M&M mini candies
Vegetable cooking spray
1.)    In a large saucepan, melt margarine over low head.  Add marshmallow and stir until completely melted. 
2.)    Remove from heat.  Stir in food coloring and vanilla
3.)    Add corn flakes cereal.  Stir until well coated
4.)    Using ¼ cup dry measure coated with cooking spray, evenly portion warm cereal mixture.
5.)    Using buttered finger, quickly shape into individual wreathes.  Dot with cinnamon or M&M mini candies

Bohemian Kolaches 

2 Sticks of Butter (soft, remove from fridge 2 hours before your prep time)
2 Sticks of Margarine (soft, remove from fridge 2 hours before your prep time)
2 packages of Cream cheese (soft, remove from fridge 2 hours before your prep time)
4 ½ cups of flour
½ teaspoon of vanilla
Solo fruit filling (your choice)
Powdered sugar
First preheat oven to 350 degrees
1.)    Combine the Butter, Margarine, Cream Cheese, and Vanilla once mixed (mix by hand) add in flour.  Place in refrigerator for 1 hour. 
2.)    Split dough in half, roll with rolling pin, you don’t want it to roll too thin they will crumble and burn, should be about half an inch thick. 
3.)    Use a small to medium size glass to cut circles in the dough.  Lift circle out and place on cookie sheet, than take you thumb and press in the middle of circle, this is where you will put your filling.
4.)    Use about a spoonful of filling try not to over fill, you don’t want it to over flow as it bakes.
5.)    Your cookies will bake anywhere from 10-15 Mins; they should be lightly brown, check bottoms of cookies through out bake time to make sure bottoms don’t burn.
6.)     Let cool and than use a sifter to sprinkle powder sugar over the top.
It may take a few times for you to perfect this recipe, it’s a recipe where you have to feel and touch and the batter should be soft.

Crescents
2 cups flour
½ cup powered sugar
1 cup butter
2 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla

½ bag of powered sugar

1.)    Preheat oven to 350
2.)    Mix all ingredients together with a wooden spoon.
3.)    Take ½ teaspoonful of dough and roll into ball.  Roll out (using your hand as a roller) to create a half moon shape.
4.)    Bake for 8-9 minutes
5.)    Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes and while cookies are still warm, dump them in powered sugar to cover entire surface.


Classic Peanut Butter Cookies‏

1/2  cup butter, softened
1/2  cup peanut butter
1/2  cup granulated sugar
1/2  cup packed brown sugar or 1/4 cup honey
1/2  teaspoon baking soda
1/2  teaspoon baking powder
1  egg
1/2  teaspoon vanilla
1-1/4  cups all-purpose flour
  Granulated sugar

1.) Preheat oven to 375 F. In a large bowl combine butter and peanut butter. Beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and baking powder. Beat until combined, scraping the side of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and Vanilla until combined. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour. If necessary, cover and chill about 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle.

2.) Place additional granulated sugar in a small bowl. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in sugar to coat. place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Using the tines of a fork, flatten balls by making crisscross marks on top.

3.)  Bake in preheated oven for 7 to 9 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; cool.  makes about 36 cookies

To Store: Place in layers separatd by waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

*** For lots of crunch in these classics, opt for extra-crunchy peanut butter instead of the smooth variety.****

Baking Tips
Many cookie recipes require the dough to be chilled before baking. Here's why chilling is necessary.

-Softend butter or shortening used in the dough often makes the dough too soft and sticky to work with.

-Chilling the dough causes the butter to harden a bit, creating a firm dough that is easier to handle.

-When cookie dough rests in the refrigerator, the glutens in the dough relax, which results in tender cookies.

-Chilling the dough minimizes stickness, making it easier to roll out.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp milk
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups semi-sweet choc. chips

1.) Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir well.

2.) Add vanilla and chocolate chips.

3.) Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350º for ~10 minutes.