June 16, 2015

Orange Dreamsicle Chewy Cookie Bars

How was everyone's weekend?  I'm sure it flew bye just like mine did.  I went shopping on Saturday and of course I had to make a stop at Bath and Body Works Semi-Annual Sale.  Every 6 months I stock up on lotion, body spray and shower gel.  A girls gotta smell good, right???  They have sooooooo many different scents, it's impossible to keep them straight.  When I was a teenager, they had the same scents all the time and I could name every single one and probably owned every single one.  Now, I couldn't even tell you what half of them are and they even have scents for men.  I picked up a bunch of new flavors to try out.  What is your favorite scent? 
I not only love the smell of oranges, but I love the flavor.   If you like Orange Dreamsicle Cookies, then you will LOVE these easy cookie bars.  You throw all the cookie dough in one pan and in 20 minutes, you have an amazing dessert.  They are rich and thick and chewy and full of orange flavor.  There is no mistaking that these are an orange dreamsicle cookie bar and that was the point.  I added the zest of two whole oranges and I think it is just right!

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Orange Dreamsicle Chewy Cookie Bars
From: Jenn@eatcakefordinner
(Printable Recipe) or (Printable with Picture)

3/4 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
2 c. packed light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbl. orange zest (zest of two oranges)
3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbl. baking powder 
1 (12 oz.) bag white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream together butter and brown sugar until very light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at at time, beating until combined.  Mix in the vanilla and orange zest.  Add the flour, salt and baking powder and mix until just combined.  Stir in the white chocolate chips.  Press dough evenly into a lightly greased 9x13-inch baking pan.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Cool completely.  Cut into bars and serve.     

Linked up at Weekend Potluck!

June 10, 2015

Brown Butter M&M Cookies


I can't wait for you guys to try these cookies.  M&M cookies are the best.  These ones are taken up a notch and made with brown butter.  I could go on and on about how freaking amazing brown butter is. . . the smell . . . the nutty toffee-like flavor . . . you gotta love it.  
I've attempted these cookies before with no such luck, but then I read a tip about when browning butter you will lose some moisture, which means, you need to add a little moisture back.  I attempted my cookies again, but this time I added a little milk.  They turned out just right.  Soft and chewy and amazing.  The only thing is these do take a little advance planning.  Browning the butter is quick, but you will want to allow the browned butter to cool and solidify again, so you can cream it together with the sugars and you have to refrigerate the dough before baking.  BUT . . . these cookies are totally worth the wait.

The brown butter flavor stands out the most with the raw cookie dough and when they are warm right out of the oven.  Once the cookies are at room temperature, they don't necessarily taste like brown butter, but they do have an added deep rich flavor to them.  So dang good! 

I shared this recipe over at THE RECIPE CRITIC'S site.  Click HERE to see the post.

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Brown Butter M&M Cookies
From: Jenn@eatcakefordinner

¾ c. unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ c. light brown sugar, packed
¼ c. sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1½ Tbl. low-fat milk (I used 1%)
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 c. M&M's, plus more for the tops of the cookies
Place butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and heat until golden brown specks appear, swirling the pan occasionally. Butter will get foamy and if you swirl the pan around, you will see brown bits at the bottom and it will have a nutty smell. Remove from heat and pour into a small bowl. Make sure to get all those browned bits at the bottom of the pan, that is where all the flavor is. Allow to cool until it becomes solid (I refrigerate mine to speed up the process).

When brown butter is solid, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together brown butter, brown sugar and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla and milk and beat until combined. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt and add to wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Stir in one cup of M&M's. Chill dough for at least one hour or overnight.

Roll dough into balls, around 1½ Tablespoons of dough per cookie. Press a few extra M&M's onto the top of each dough ball. Bake for 7- 9 minutes. Cookies will look underdone, but set up perfectly once they cool. My oven does bake slightly warmer than most and I think 7 minutes is perfect. Do not overbake or the cookies will be dry. Makes 24-30 cookies.

June 7, 2015

Berry Sunrise Smoothie



Have you ever planted a garden? It is a lot of work.  Pulling weeds, tilling, raking, planting the plants and seeds, putting stakes in the ground where the seeds are, fertilizing, watering, pulling more weeds that just grew back in the last 10 minutes. . . . and so on and so on. 

We planted ours on Memorial Day and I can't wait to have fresh veggies right out my back door.  After a long day of preparing the garden, a nice refreshing beverage is exactly what I needed.   

I took one of my favorite drinks, Frothy Sunrise Punch, and used frozen berries instead of the ice cubes and I ended up with a super amazing smoothie.  I am calling it a smoothie and not punch like the other version, because this version is more thick and creamy and it stays that way for hours and hours.  I made mine around 2:30 in the afternoon and at 9:00 p.m. it was still just as thick.

This smoothie is so refreshing and a perfect thirst-quencher. 

P.S.  Anyone have any good tips on how to keep birds from eating everything out of the garden?  They have been eating my strawberries and cucumber sprouts.     


Berry Sunrise Smoothie
From: Jenn@eatcakefordinner
(Printable Recipe) or (Printable with Picture)
 
1 c. orange juice
1 c. pineapple juice
1 c. whole milk
1/4 c. powdered sugar, or more to taste
2 Tbl. meringue powder
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. frozen mixed berries 
    (I used strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries)

Combine all ingredients in a large blender and blend until smooth and creamy.  Taste and add more powdered sugar, if needed.  This will depend on how sweet the frozen fruit is that you used.  Pour into cups and serve.  Makes 3-4 servings, depending on the size of your cups.   

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May 30, 2015

Healthier Taco Pasta in under 30 minutes


 I love a good 30 minute meal and this one is fantastic.  The longest part is waiting for the pasta to finish cooking.  I have made this quite a few times.  The cottage cheese is what originally sold me on this dish.  I love adding cottage cheese to so many dishes.  It adds a lot of extra protein which means I can use less meat.  I added 3/4 Lb. of lean meat to this recipe, but sometimes I only add 1/2 Lb. and it is still just as hearty and delicious.   

My other version of Taco Pasta is fabulous and it's one of my favorites, but it has some butter in it and lots of cheese.  This taco pasta is healthier than other versions, because there is no butter or oil and the only cheese that is added is cottage cheese.  You could always add a little cheese if you prefer, Cheddar, Monterey or Feta would all taste fabulous, but honestly, I don't even miss the cheese.  
 I love using the large shells, because they fill up with the creamy sauce, but you can use whatever type of pasta you prefer. 

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Healthier Taco Pasta
(Printable Recipe) or (Printable with Picture)

8-12 oz. large shell pasta (or other type of pasta)
3/4 Lb. lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 packet of taco seasoning
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. onion powder
pepper, to taste
1 Tbl. brown sugar, opt.
1/2 c. hot pasta water
1 can low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can mild Rotel, un-drained
1 heaping cup low-fat cottage cheese
2 Tbl. chopped cilantro

Cook pasta according to package directions; reserving 1/2 cup hot water.  Meanwhile, brown ground beef or turkey in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the taco seasoning, cumin, onion powder, some black pepper and brown sugar.  Carefully add 1/2 cup of the hot pasta water to the skillet and stir to combine; allow to simmer for a few minutes.  It should be thickened at this point.  Stir in the beans, Rotel, cottage cheese and cilantro.  Continue to heat over medium heat and add the drained, cooked pasta.  Stir until pasta is evenly coated in sauce.  The sauce should be thick and creamy, but if it isn't, simmer for a few minutes until thickened.  Serves 4-5

slightly adapted from: Sweet Treats & More 

Linked up at Weekend Potluck!

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