Sunday, December 30, 2012

Spiced Nuts for #SundaySupper


Our #SundaySupper team is having a party and you are all invited!!! We will be sharing recipes from the one and only Emeril Lagasse.  Come and join us starting at 7EST on twitter. Follow #SundaySupper and you may win one of the Emeril cookbooks we are giving away (see below for how to qualify to win).
Emeril is affectionately known as “Bam” in my home. When the boys were younger, they would watch his show and run around the house yelling his famous catch phrase.

We have all been faced with the “What to Bring?” dilemma after receiving an invitation to a Potluck. Some people have a go to potluck dish. My Aunt Janet can always be counted on to bring the strawberry pretzel Jell-O and my Aunt Judy makes the best caramel apple salad. Bringing a delicious dish to a potluck can make you the star of the party. Bringing a not so delicious dish can do the opposite. And that’s the last thing any of us wants! Emeril has the perfect solution, a potluck cookbook!

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Emeril’s Potluck Cookbook. After thumbing through the pages, there was one thing I knew for sure. Bringing any of these to a party would surly put me in the star category. I decided to make Emeril’s Spiced Nuts.  I loved the idea of roasting mixed nuts. This is a quick recipe is perfect to put out when guests stop by. Much nicer than a bowl of chips!
 
 

Spiced Nuts
Recipe Courtesy Emeril Lagasse, Emeril’s Potluck William Morrow Publishers, New York 2004.

 
½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon cinnamon

4 cups unsalted mixed nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts and almonds

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

 

1.       Mix spices and reserve.

2.       Heat the nuts in a dry skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to toast, about 4 minutes. Add butter and cook, stirring until the nuts begin to darken, about 1 minute. Add the spices, the sugar, 1 tablespoon of water, and the salt and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens and the nuts are glazed, about 5 minutes.

3.       Remove the nuts from heat and transfer to a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, separating them with a fork. Let the nuts stand until cooled and the sugar has hardened, about 10 minutes. Store in an airtight container.


Variations: Just because I love it so much, I added ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg. However, adding dried fruit would be delicious, too.

Come and see what the rest of the #SundaySupper crew made for the party.

 

This week’s Sunday Supper Recipes:

Sunday Supper NYE Potluck Drinks:
Sunday Supper NYE Potluck Starters:
Sunday Supper NYE Potluck Dishes and Sandwiches:
Sunday Supper NYE Desserts:
 
I am beyond thrilled and excited to a part of this week’s Kicked-Up New Year’s Potluck featuring Recipes by Emeril Lagasse! Follow #SundaySupper on December 30th to participate.

Giveaway Rules
 
1. You must follow me (@cookieaday) on twitter.
2. You must participate in tonight's #SundaySupper chat on twitter starting at 7pm ET.
 
 
This will be one #SundaySupper chat not to miss. Let’s send 2012 out with a “Bam!”
 
 


 

You can purchase Emeril’s Potluck here and Emeril’s Kicked Up Sandwiches here.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Cookie Dough Dip for #SundaySupper

I am more of a savory appetizer type of gal. However, when I saw this recipe on pintrest I knew I had to try it. This weeks #SundaySupper is all about holiday drinks and appetizers. If you are having a party, or were asked to bring an appetizer to a holiday gathering, this is the place you want to be!

Our  lovely host for this fabulous holiday party is Conni from The Foodie Army Wife. We hope you can join us around the family table tonight at 7:00pm ET.


Tonight's #SundaySupper chat has been cancelled. We are all a part of this movement to support bringing families around the table. I am personally going to spend that time tonight hugging my three boys. The tragedy in Connecticut has touched us all. I pray for all of the families, and for the precious children of Newton.






1 8oz bar of cream cheese
1 Stick of butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 TBS brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup of mini chocolate chips
1 cup of toffee pieces
Graham Crackers

In is stand mixer, blend together cream cheese and butter
Stir in powdered sugar, brown sugar and vanilla
By hand, mix in chocolate chips and toffee pieces
Serve in a bowl with graham crackers.
Enjoy!

My boys LOVED this dip! I rarely let them eat raw cookie dough, so they thought it was a real treat to be able to dip a graham cracker into a mount of cookie dough.


 

 

 

Holiday Cocktails

Holiday Appetizers or Hors d’oeuvres

 

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Coconut Macaroons

Every so often, the boys will return from the market with a coconut. Yes, a coconut. Wondering through the produce section this hard brown novelty is just W-A-Y too irresistible.

One time my father-in-law even showed the boys how cool it is to open a coconut. He used power tools. A drill, a hammer and the adoration of three little boys.

What is a girl to do with all this coconut???? Well, make macaroons, of course!


recipe adapted from The Barefoot Contessa

  • 14 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
  • 14 ounces coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Combine the coconut, coconut milk, and vanilla in a large bowl.
Whip the egg whites and salt until they make medium-firm peaks.
Fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.
Drop the batter onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.
Cool and serve.
Enjoy!
 

 

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Mint Surprise Cookies for #SundaySupper

It's no secret that I like LOVE to bake. So when this weeks #SundaySupper theme was announced, I knew I couldn't miss it.  Our fabulous team will be taking you on a Holiday Cookie Tour. A virtual Cookie Exchange where you can find your favorite holiday cookie recipes and discover some new ones.

I first discovered this cookie about 7 years ago. I wanted to give something special to each of my boys' Godmothers for Christmas. At the time we did not have a lot of money. I had just left my job and my husband was working two jobs so I could stay home with the kids. I decided to make them each a fun variety of holiday cookies. I came across this recipe in a Pillsbury Cookie Cookbook. It was a bake-off favorite, and I can see why!

To this day when I make these cookies, people are surprised by the Andes Mint stuffed in the middle. It is a fun twist on a rather plain looking cookie.




Original Recipe from Pillsbury Best Cookies Cookbook
Prep time 30 minutes (including chilling dough)

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup of butter, softened
2 Tbs water
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
3 cups of flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package of Andes Mints
chopped walnuts


Cream butter and sugars together
Add water, vanilla and eggs, mix well
Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt
Slowly add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients
Refrigerate for approximately 20 minutes until dough is easy to handle
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Unwrap Andes mints
Cover mints with cookie dough
Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet
Top each cookie with walnut pieces
Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown
Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, remove to cooling rack to complete cooling.
Enjoy!

Now that you saw what I'm bringing to #SundaySupper, check out all the wonderful cookies we have this week! And don't forget to join us this evening for our #SundaySupper chat. we will be talking to the wonderful Janet Keeler, Food & Travel Editor for the Tampa Bay Times and Author of Cookielicious. She will be sharing her tips on baking for the Ultimate Cookie Exchange and to answer any of your baking questions. We will also be giving away 5 signed copies of her book!

The Sunday Supper Favorite Cookie Exchange Cookies:


I hope you can join us tonight. Follow #SundaySupper on twitter to joing the fun and share your favoite cookie recipes. Our chat starts at 7 ET :)

 

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Dried Cherry and White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Every so often I make a cookie that I really enjoy. This may surprise you, but I'm not a real big sweet eater. While the boys are having dessert, I usually opt to make myself a large bowl of stove popped salted popcorn. Rather then eat the cookie of the day.

However there are always exceptions. This cookie is one of them. The flavor combination the tart (but sweet) dried cherries, and smooth white chocolate chips was more then I could resist. The boys were a little unsure of the cookie at first. I think it was the large pieces of dried fruit in them :)

I left a few at home for them and took the rest to dance practice. There, the girls were very happy to finish them off. One girl has even been asking for the recipe since.

So today I present, Dried Cherry and White Chocolate Chip Cookies.


Dried Cherry and White Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Stephanie Zielinski
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 8-12 min


Ingredients (24 cookies)
  • 1 stick of butter, softened
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 tsp of almond extract
  • 1 1/4 cup of flour
  • 1/2 tsp of baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp of baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup oatmeal
  • 2 cups of white chocolate chips
  • 1 1/2 cups dried cherries
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cream together butter and sugar
Add egg and almond extract
In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients, then stir in oatmeal
Slowly stir in dry ingredients
Fold in white chocolate chips and cherries
Using a cookie scoop or a teaspoon, drop dollop of dough on cookie sheet
Bake for 10-12 minutes
Cool on cookie sheet for one minute
Remove to cooling rack to complete cooling
Enjoy!
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Friday, November 30, 2012

Triple Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Here we are. The last day of November. To date, I have baked exactly 318 different cookies. That is a lot of cookies! We have gone on a few vacations, had our entire house turned upside down so our floors could be refinished and survived the fall soccer season. And still, the cookies were made.

Now, I need to stay focused and get all these recipes up on The Cookie A Day Challenge! Since I am nearing the end of the baking portion, I think I need to up the ante and give myself a date to complete this blog. Since I have hundreds, literaly, of recipes to share, My new goal is to have all the recipes posted by the end of March. So look for lots of delicious recipes to come across your screen.

What better time to kick of my marathon of cookie blogging, then the Holiday season. It is now, when cookies take center stage. Perfect.

I made this cookie at Noah's suggestion this past Monday. He wanted to use candy canes, so we did.

 
Triple Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
 
 
 
1 stick of butter
3/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp peppermint extract
1 cup flour
1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup Hershey's milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
3-4 crushed candy canes
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Line cookie sheet with parchment paper
Cream brown sugar and butter
Stir in peppermint and egg
Slowly add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt
Fold in chocolate chips
Using a cookie scoop, place dough on parchment lined cookie sheet
Add crushed candy canes to the top
Bake for 8-12 minutes
Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute
Transfer to cooling rack.
Enjoy!
 

 
Much to the dismay of my husband, I stored these in our cookie jar. He is not a mint fan, and they made all the cookies taste like mint. so store separately.
 
Tomorrow: Pretzel Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
 



Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Mini Peanut Butter Cup Kisses

In keeping with my "let's make as many cookies out of Halloween as we can" theory, I present to you today's cookie of the day.

Noah is a Resses' Peanut Butter Cup fanatic. It has been his go to candy bar since he was 5. When I presented him with this cookie, he actually hugged me! If you have a a tween you can understand why that made me so happy.

These Mini Peanut Butter Cup Kisses didn't last long.


1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed 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
24 mini peanut butter cups
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cream together butter, peanut butter and sugars
Add egg, milk and vanilla
Slowly stir in flour, baking soda and salt
Shape dough into balls
Bake for about 8-10 minutes
While cookies are baking, unwrap mini peanut butter cups
Immediately after taking the cookies out of the oven place peanut butter cups in the center of the cookie
Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute
Remove to cooling rack
Enjoy!


 

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Day 93: Boo Berry Treats

Every Halloween, my boys buuugggggg and buuuugggg for me to buy one of the festive Halloween cereals. Ian finally made a good argument. "Mom, why don't we try the Boo Berry cereal as a cookie?"

Well, kid. You wish is granted!

Boo Berry Treats
 

 
1/2 Stick of Butter
1 bag of marshmallows
5-6 cups of Boo Berry Cereal
 
 
Melt the butter over medium heat in a large sauce pan
Add marshmallows and melt over low heat.
Once marshmallows are melted, remove from heat and add cereal 1-2 cups at a time
Place mixture in a greased 9x11 pan, press down with a piece of parchment paper
Let cool, cut and enjoy!
 





Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Day 92: Kit Kat Brownies

Okay, Halloween is tomorrow. I have three boys going trick-or-treating. If each boy collects 1 standard sized pillow case full of candy, yet we only allow them to keep one zip lock bag to actually eat, How much candy will be left???

ANSWER: Enough for mom to steal some to bake with!

Can you tell we have been working on math story problems lately?

But seriously, what better way to use some of that Halloween candy? Let your creativity flow. The baking options are endless when you have pillow cases full of supplies.

I decided to try meshing two of my favorites: Kit Kat bars and brownies.


1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup dark cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Crushed Kit Kat Bars

 


Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Stir together melted butter and sugars.
Stir in eggs and vanilla extract.
Mix in flour, dark cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
Pour into a greased brownie pan (11x7)
Press crushed Kit Kat Bars on top of brownie batter



Bake for 20-30 minutes until knife inserted midway from the edge of the pan comes out clean.
Let cool, slice and enjoy!




These were a BIG HIT with the boys.

Have a wonderful and Happy Halloween!!!

Below are some of the boys favorite costumes.

 
 
Dane was Britney Spears last year.
 

Noah was Bacon.
 
 
This year, Ian is The Flash.
 

 

 

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Day 91: Peanut Butter Candy Bar Cookies for #SundaySupper

Halloween is officially upon us! The kids are super excited. Costumes are almost complete and the trick or treat plans are beginning to take shape. To kick off this fun week the #SundaySupper crew has put together a kickin' Trick-or-Treat Halloween Party. Our host, the talented Leslie from La Cocina de Leslie.

I decided to try and make a Halloween, peanut butter version of a twix bar candy bar. Other then the chocolate not looking perfect, they turned out fabulous!! I even found decided to add a mummy-like effect with some bright green chocolate.



1 stick plus 3 Tbs butter
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour
2 1/2 cups peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
White/Orange/Green Candy Melts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Line a 13x9 pan with foil, spray with cooking spray
Mix together butter and sugar
Slowly stir in flower and salt
Press cookie dough into pan
Bake for 18-20 minutes
Cool completely
Mix together peanut butter and powdered sugar
Spread over cookie base
Freeze overnight
Cut cookie into desired bar sizes
Melt 1/2 orange and 1/2 white chocolate in a double boiler
Dip each bar into chocolate and cover
Once covered, remove and place onto a piece of parchment paper
When finished covering bars melt green chocolate in a squeeze bottle
Drizzle over the orange covered bars.
Once chocolate is set move candy bars into the refrigerator


I made my candy bars into "mummies", the boys LOVED them!


 
 





Come join us tonight on Twitter to share and discover new friends and recipes. Just follow #SundaySupper on twitter, hope you can join us around the table!


On the menu for our Trick-or-Treat #SundaySupper Halloween Party:



Bewitching Brews:

Ghoulish Gruel:

Haunted Snacks:

Spooky Sweets: