Brickel Heaven

Ok, these were fun to make and even more fun to eat. LOVED LOVED these and could not keep myself from eating like ten a day...so be warned these are dangerous! :O)


Why these are so delicious: First, they marry salty and sweet perfectly which is a favorite (if you are shy of salty and sweet then just use reduced salt saltines and they would still be right up any sweet lover's ally) . Second, they are super easy to make. Third, it is best kept and eaten frozen so it is awesome for summer time. Fourth, the texture is so great...chewy, crunchy, and melty. Fifth, they are pretty.

- 40 Saltine crackers (one sleeve about)
- 1 Cup salted butter (don’t substitute with margarine!)
- 1 Cup brown sugar
- 1 12 ounce package of good milk chocolate chips
- 2/3 bag of Heath bar toffee bites or 5-6 Heath bars, crunched up... for topping

*and I added about 1/2 or crushed pecans to the caramel before I poured it over the crackers, optional, I just wanted to use them up, I liked what they added

1.) Lay foil on top of a large cookie sheet. Then arranged the 40ish saltines on top of the foil.

2.) melt butter then add the brown sugar. Stirring constantly bring butter/sugar to a boil. Once it is boiling reduce the heat to medium and let it continue boiling with constant stirring for about three minutes. Remove from heat and add crushed pecans if you want to add them.

3.) Turn on the oven to 375. Evenly pour the caramel over the crackers and spread with a spatula to get the crackers covered as much as possible but don't worry about making these pretty.

4.) Then place the cookie sheet in the oven and let it bake for a couple minutes until the edges brown a little and all the caramel is bubbling...be careful to not let it burn.

5.) Remove from the oven and evenly spread the chocolate chips over the top. Let it rest until all the chips are melted then spread the chocolate over the top. Then while still warm sprinkle the top with the Health toffee bites.

6.)Put in the freezer until hard. Flip the cookies over and peel off the foil. Then break into pieces.

Store in the freezer and serve cold. Seriously the best thing to ever happen to saltines! I dream of having company over and having these served up with really great vanilla ice cream and my homemade butterscotch sauce. TO DIE FOR!!!

Chcolate Chip Cookies - I found my FAVORITE!

Ok, so my quest for the best chocolate chip cookies has ended in a glorious way...despite my thwarted weight loss :) I ended up just tweaking my old favorite and TaDa! Heaven was created in my very our kitchen. I just reduced the flour and they were what I always wanted them to be...less dense and full of rich butter sugar chocolate flavored goodness. So here is my adapted favorite recipe. I hope you try them and love them like I do!

Makes about: 20 large cookies

Prep time: 5 minutes

Total time: 35 minutes plus cooling time

You can do any type of chips and can add ½ cup chops nuts too if you want to

3 cups flour

¾ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 sticks butter melted and cooled

1 ¼ cups packed light brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 (12 oz.) bag of milk chocolate chips (2 cups)

1.) adjust racks so they are in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Melt butter in microwave and set aside to cool until needed. Mix flour, baking soda, and slat together and set aside.

2.) beat butter and sugars in a large bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed until combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, until combined, about 30 seconds. Make sure to scrap down the bowl and beaters as needed.

3.) Reduce the mixer speed and slowly add the flour mixture until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips until well incorporated.

4.) Measure out ¼ cup (or less if your like me and don't want monster cookies, adjust time accordingly) of dough and then roll it in your hand to form a ball. Place the balls about 2 ½ inches apart. Bake until the edges are golden but the centers are still soft and puffy, 17 to 20 minutes. DO NOT OVER BAKE, UNDER BAKE THEM!!! other wise they become cakelike and not chewy. To keep both sheets cooking at the same pace rotate and switching the baking sheets halfway through baking.

5.) Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Note: These are crispy on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside. This is achieved in part because of the melted butter. This gives the center its chewiness. But to keep the cookie from being tough the yolks are needed - - extra fat. They keeps the cookies tender. The third secret step to these perfect cookies is that you remove the cookies from the oven before they are completely baked. Then you let then finish baking as they sit on the cookie sheet for ten minutes. These are the picture perfect cookie! Perfect every time! And pretty. Good enough for a bake sale for sure!

Pecan Bars

I stole this recipe from this really cute food blog who stole them from Martha Stewart. These are probably my favorite cookie EVER. Really, so good. I could not stop eating them. I will only make these when I know I have to give 99% of them away. I can not resist!



Ingredients

• 18 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup light-brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup light-brown sugar, firmly packed
• 6 tablespoons honey - I did half honey and half corn syrup, I am not a huge honey fan and they worked out perfect!
  
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups (8 ounces) pecan halves
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Place rack in center of oven. Heat oven to 375 degrees. To make the crust: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add salt, and mix to combine. Add flour 1 cup at a time, on medium speed, mixing until fully incorporated after each addition. Continue mixing until the dough begins to come together in large clumps.
2. Press dough about 1/4-inch thick into a 9-by-13-by-1-inch baking pan. Prick the pastry with the tines of a fork. Chill until firm, about 20 minutes. Bake until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
3. Reduce oven to 325 degrees. To make the filling: Place butter, brown sugar, honey, granulated sugar, heavy cream, and salt in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; stir in nuts and vanilla.
4. Pour filling onto the cooled crust. Bake until filling bubbles, 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully transfer pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Run a paring knife around edges of the pan, and invert onto cooling rack, leaving the pastry on the rack. Invert rack with pastry onto a cutting board, leaving the pastry on the board, filling side up. Use a sharp knife to cut into 1-by-3-inch bars. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.

Makes about 3 dozen

Best Chocolate Frosting Ever

I haven't tried this yet but it sounded fun to try...some day I will surely do it!

Frosting:
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

To make the frosting: In a small saucepan, whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa, salt and milk; bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Boil 1 minute or until thickened; remove pan from heat and strain mixture into a small bowl. Cool completely in the refrigerator or freezer.

Beat the butter until creamy, about 1 minute, in a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed. Beat in "chocolate pudding" mixture until well combined, about 1 minute. Beat in melted chocolate until well combined and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

*stole from this blog and this blog

Best Paper-Mache Recipe

To make it, combine 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and 2 cups cold water in a bowl. Add this mixture to a saucepan of 2 cups boiling water and bring it to a boil again. Remove from the heat and stir in 3 tablespoons of sugar. Let it cool; it will thicken as it cools. Once it does, it's ready to use.