Scotcheroos

I was looking for this recipe in my email and decided to post it here to make it easier to find. I think these are way better than rice crispy treats. They are tasty and supposedly gluten-free. I'm not sure what is or isn't gluten-free, but I got this recipe from a co-worker who can't eat gluten. So either they don't have gluten or my coworker was cheating. They are yummy!

Ingredients

1 cup white Karo Syrup

1 cup sugar

1 cup peanut butter

6 cups Rice Krispies (you can use Rice Chex too)

1 cup chocolate chips (milk or semi-sweet your pick ... i use milk chocolate)

1 cup butterscotch chips

Combine Karo syrup and sugar in a pan. Dissolve and bring to a boil. Add peanut butter and stir until melted. Remove from heat. Add cereal. Press into greased 9 x 13 pan. Melt the butterscotch and chocolate chips together then spread over the top.

Notes:

If you like it more peanut buttery you can add 1/4 to 1/2 cup more of peanut butter.

I usually melt more chocolate and butterscotch chips because I like the top a little thicker

Easy Crescent Cinnamon Rolls

Okay. Stop what you are doing, and make these. Seriously--they are that good. They're really easy to make too! Yummmm!!!!

Ingredients:

Filling:                               

2/3 cup finely chopped pecans (I omitted this because I'm not a fan of nuts. I heard grating apples in the filling is good as well!) 

1/3 cup packed brown sugar                                           

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

Rolls:

2 cans (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet

Glaze:                               

1 cup powdered sugar

1 Tablespoon butter or margarine, softened

2 to 3 tablespoons milk

I added in a little bit of vanilla and cinnamon 

Directions:

 

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Grease 13x9-inch pan. In small bowl, mix filling ingredients

 

2. If using crescent rolls: Unroll 1 can of the dough into 1 large rectangle; press into 13x7-inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal. Spread filling over rectangle. If using dough sheets: Unroll 1 can of the dough; press into 13x7-inch rectangle. Spread filling over rectangle.

 

3. If using crescent rolls: Unroll second can of dough; press into 13x7-inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal. If using dough sheets: Unroll second can of dough; press into 13x7-inch rectangle.

 

4. Place over filling; press dough onto filling. Cut stacked dough into 8 (13-inch) strips. Twist each strip 5 or 6 times, pressing extra filling into rolls. Shape each into a coil; place in pan.

 

5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from pan; place on cooling rack.

 

6. In small bowl, stir glaze ingredients, adding enough milk for desired drizzling consistency; drizzle over warm rolls. Serve warm.

 

And then bask in the yumminess.

(Warning: Cinnamon rolls are quite sugary and rich. One is enough! Or if you are Ryan than 2 will do.)

Peanut Butter Cookies

I didn't think I liked peanut butter cookies, and then I made these. So yummy! The full recipe makes A LOT of cookies...probably 7 dozen. We halved the recipe and still didn't use up all the dough. We made 3 dozen and it was plenty. The only annoying part is refrigerating the dough for an hour. We tried to skip that step the 2nd time baking these, but the cookies turned out a little crumbly.

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter

1 1/4 cup peanut butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Directions:

1. Cream together butter, peanut butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
2. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into batter. Put batter in refrigerator for 1 hour.
3. Roll into 1 inch balls, roll the top in sugar, and put on baking sheets. Flatten each ball with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for about 9 minutes or until cookies begin to brown. Do not over-bake.

Chocolate-Drizzled Strawberries and Cream Pie

I made this dessert for Easter, and it was a hit! It was a bit runny because I didn't mix the whipped cream mixture enough. Don't make the same mistake! It was still good though. I melted a Symphony chocolate bar and drizzled it on top. Mmmm...(Eat it the same day you make it, it doesn't sit well overnight.)

1 quart fresh strawberries (Don’t use frozen strawberries.)
1 8-oz. package cream cheese at room temperature (light is fine)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. packed light brown sugar
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1/4 c. powdered sugar
1 9″ graham cracker crust (store-bought or homemade)
1-2 ounces chocolate

In a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, brown sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. In a separate large bowl, beat the whipping cream and powdered sugar until medium peaks form.  Add about 1 c. of the whipping cream mixture to the cream cheese mixture. Beat until smooth and well-combined. Add the remaining whipping cream mixture and mix until just combined.  Spread in the graham cracker crust and refrigerate for a few minutes while you prepare the strawberries.

Wash the strawberries and cut off the stems. Blot dry with a paper towel and then gently press, cut side down, into the whipped cream mixture. Set aside.

If using a chocolate bar, break it into equal pieces and place in a small Ziploc bag. Microwave for 1-1 1/2 minutes, stopping the microwave every 20 seconds to mash the bag. You want the chocolate to be melted but not hot at all. When the chocolate is melted, snip a corner off the bag and drizzle it over the strawberries. Refrigerate for at least three hours before serving. Serves 8.

Another Our Best Bites Recipe

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is already in the family cookbook, but I absolutely love it...so I'm going to post it again. This cookie recipe is unique because it has no egg in it, so Ryan doesn't feel guilty about eating the cookie dough. Seriously, best. cookies. ever.

1 cup soft butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 t baking soda
¼ cup boiling water
1 t vanilla
1 ¼ cup flour
½ t salt
2 cups quick oats
12 oz semisweet chocolate chips

1. Cream butter and sugar together.
2. Dissolve baking soda in boiling water, stir into butter/sugar mixture.
3. Add vanilla, then dry ingredients and chocolate chips.
4. Drop small balls onto ungreased  cookie sheet.
5. Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Enjoy!

Quick and Easy No Bake Cookies

Ryan asks for these every week. They are so easy to make! I would recommend using the quick bake oats instead of the regular ones though. The first time I made it, I used regular ones. They were good, but the oatmeal was really chewy. Lesson learned.

No-Bake Chocolate, Peanut Butter & Oatmeal Cookies

Yield: 2 to 3 dozen cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cooling Time: 30 minutes

½ cup (1 stick) butter
2 cups granulated sugar
½ cup milk
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
½ cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups quick-cooking oats

1. Add the first four ingredients (through the cocoa powder) to a 4-quart saucepan.
2. Bring to a rolling boil and let boil for 1 minute.
3. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until smooth, then stir in the oats.
5. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto wax paper-lined baking sheets.
6. Let cool until set. (And they really do set! I was skeptical...)

Another Brown Eyed Baker recipe. Yum!

Vanilla Cupcakes

Last Sunday Ryan and I were craving cupcakes. We didn't have any cake mix or frosting. And it was Sunday, so we couldn't go to the store. Sad day...until I found this recipe. It was a lot easier to make than I thought I was going to be. Also this is the first cake recipe that I've tried that, in my opinion, tastes better than cake mixes. I was in love.

Yield: 12 cupcakes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 20 to 24 minutes

Ingredients:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature
½ cup sour cream
1 large egg , room temperature
2 large egg yolks , room temperature
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin/cupcake tin with paper or foil liners.

2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add butter, sour cream, egg and egg yolks, and vanilla; beat at medium speed until smooth and satiny, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula and mix by hand until smooth and no flour pockets remain.

3. Divide batter evenly among cups of prepared tin. Bake until cupcake tops are pale gold and toothpick or skewer inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 24 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from tin and transfer to wire rack; cool cupcakes to room temperature before frosting.


Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Yield: Enough to frost 12 cupcakes
Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2½ cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Using the wire whisk attachment of your stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once or twice.

2. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and add the vanilla, mixing until incorporated. Whip at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.

You can store any unused buttercream in the refrigerator in an airtight container; let it come to room temperature and then give it a quick whip in the mixer before using.

(Cupcake recipe adapted from Cook’s Illustrated; Frosting recipe is a Brown Eyed Baker original)