Head Over Heels Cookie Bars

I came home from work the other day and there wasn't a gluten free baked good to be had in the house! Can you believe it? With all of the baking I do, there wasn't a single thing to sink my teeth into after a long, hard, depressing day at work. And to top it off, it was Wednesday, which meant I had to take my son to youth group at church and my daughter to gymnastics. 

I knew I didn't have a lot of time, but I was determined to make something. I figured some kind of cookie bar would be the best. That way I wouldn't have to scoop a bunch of dough balls, wait for them to chill, blah blah blah. (Don't take that the wrong way, I LOVE to make cookies, just not when I am pressed for time.) Cupcakes were also out. You have to wait for them to cool, before you can frost them!

Cookie bar it would be, but what kind of cookie bar? I wanted to make something new so I could share it with you here on the blog. I had some leftover peanuts from the peanut butter cookies, so I wanted to use those. I thought it would be cool to have something with layers. Chocolate and caramel always come to mind. Then I started to think about snickers candy bars, and I thought, why not layer caramel, peanuts and chocolate on top of a chocolate chip cookie? Wabamo! Head Over Heels Cookie Bars were born. Are you dying to try them? Here's the recipe . . .

What You Will Need:
Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
9 x 13 Pan
Non-Stick Cooking Spray
Small Saucepan

Ingredients:
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (Posted on July 9, 2013) - I made these with 
1 cup of Mini Chocolate Chips
3/4 cup Kraft Caramel Bits
3 Tablespoons Milk
1 cup Dry Roasted Peanuts
1 cup Milk Chocolate Chips
2 Tablespoons Canola Oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F.

Spray 9 x 13 pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Dump cookie dough into sprayed pan, and spread evenly.

Bake for 30 minutes.

In a small saucepan over low heat, mix caramel bits and milk. Cook until melted stirring constantly. Let cool.

Pour and spread melted, cooled caramel over baked and cooled cookie dough.

Sprinkle peanuts evenly over caramel.

In a small microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and canola oil in the microwave. Microwave on high for 1 minute, stir, then continue in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until completely melted.

Pour melted chocolate over peanuts.

Let sit until chocolate is set completely. Cut into 2 inch squares and serve.

These turned out even better than I imagined they would. As a result, I thought they deserved an extra special name. Head over heels seemed appropriate.

"Attract what you expect, reflect what you desire, become what you respect, mirror what you admire."
Think about that one for a while. It says A LOT!

~Sheryl

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White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2014. I hope this year brings exciting new adventures for you. I think I'll help you get started with this recipe for white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. That is an exciting adventure, if I do say so myself. 

I've always loved white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. Maybe it is that whole sweet and salty thing. You know, the best of both worlds. Although, I am a die-hard chocolaholic, I still put these cookies at the top of my favorites list. Aside from their amazing flavor, I love how they hold their shape and stay nice and fluffy, that is due in part to chilling the dough before baking it. Make sure you don't miss that important step. 

I'm sure you are going to love them as much as I do. Start the new year with this new recipe, and enjoy the adventures of 2014.

Ingredients:
1 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
3/4 cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed
3/4 cup Sugar
2 Large Eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
1 cup Soy Flour
3/4 cup Potato Starch
3/4 cup Tapioca Starch/Flour
1/4 cup Corn Starch
1 1/2 teaspoons Xanthum Gum
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 jar Macadamia Nuts (approximately 1 cup), cut in quarters
1 cup White Chocolate Chips

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, corn starch, xanthum gum, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Cut the macadamia nuts in quarters. Set aside.

In a standmixer bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and sugar until fluffy.

Add the eggs.

Add the vanilla.

Slowly add the dry ingredients.

Add the macadamia nuts.

Add the white chocolate chips. Mix just until combined.

Using a medium scoop, scoop the cookie dough into balls and place in a container with wax paper between the layers. Refrigerate cookie dough balls for at least one hour. 

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Place the cookie dough balls on silicone lined cookie sheets - 8 per sheet.

Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 16-18 minutes.

Cool on the cookie sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.

Look at those golden delicious disks of goodness! How long can you wait before you have to make (and eat) these? 

"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Lots of people place a lot of importance on New Year's Day - like it is the best day of the year, because of new beginnings, etc. But really every day is a new beginning, so make every day the best day.

~Sheryl

Soft Glazed Pumpkin Cookies

I've been promising for a few weeks that I would share amazing pumpkin recipes. I like to make good on my promises, so here is the first installment. These pumpkin cookies are soft (almost like cake), and have a subtle pumpkin flavor. The sugary glaze adds just enough sweetness to make them irresistible.

I've been dying to make these cookies for some time. I haven't had them since before I was diagnosed with Celiacs, and I just couldn't wait to see how they would turn out. I'm super excited to tell you that they are even better than I remember them.

Are you anxious to get started? OK, here goes. . .

What You Will Need:
KitchenAid Mixer with Whisk Attachment
Medium Bowl
Whisk
Cookie Sheet(s) lined with Silicone Mat
Cooling Rack(s)
Small Bowl

Ingredients:
Cookies
1 cup Soy Flour
1/2 cup Potato Starch
1/2 cup Tapioca Starch/Flour
1/2 cup Corn Starch
1 teaspoon Xanthum Gum
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
1 cup Pure Pumpkin
1 large Egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

Glaze
2 cups Powdered Sugar
3 Tablespoons Milk
1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter, melted
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together soy flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, corn starch, xanthum gum, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

In KitchenAid mixer with whisk attachment, beat together butter and sugar until well blended.

Add pumpkin.

Add egg.

Add vanilla, and mix until smooth.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Slowly add flour mixture.

Drop dough onto lined cookie sheets with medium scoop.

Bake for 17-19 minutes or until edges are firm.

Let cool for 2 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.

While cookies are cooling, make glaze. In a small bowl, mix together glaze ingredients until smooth. If glaze doesn't drizzle, add more milk one teaspoon at a time. Drizzle over cookies.

Try them out, and let me know what you think. 

"It is not happy people who are thankful. It is thankful people who are happy."
Remember to be thankful for all of the blessings in your life - big and small.

Sheryl

Chocolate Caramel Cookies

Those of you who know me or have been reading my blog for any amount of time, probably know that one of my favorite flavor combinations is chocolate and caramel. So you shouldn't be too surprised to see a chocolate caramel cookie recipe. 

Again I feel like I should apologize, because I am not baking apple or pumpkin goodies; but I just can't help myself. I LOVE chocolate so much! Since I don't have nearly as much time to bake as I did when I was unemployed, I tend to want to make the most of the baking time that I have. That means making something chocolate.

Don't get me wrong, I like apples and pumpkins; and I have some really great recipes for each of them. I really do intend to make those recipes and share them with you at some point. But until then, check out these moist and gooey cookies.

What You Will Need:
Large Bowl
Small Bowl
Whisk
Medium Saucepan
Large Cookie Scoop
Cookies Sheets lined with parchment or silicone mats
Cooling Racks

Ingredients:
6 Tablespoons Cocoa
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Unsalted Butter
1/2 cup Sugar
1 cup Brown Sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
2 Large Eggs, room temperature
1 cup Soy Flour
1/2 cup Tapioca Starch/Flour
1/4 cup Potato Starch
1/4 cup Corn Starch
1 teaspoon Xanthum Gum
1/4 - 1/2 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (The original recipe called for 3/4 cup, but it was VERY difficult to get them to mix into the batter, and not all of them did.)
24 (approximately) Kraft Caramels (I used Kraft Caramel Bits, because that is what I had on hand, and I wanted to see how it would work. I recommend using Kraft Caramels instead. They will get more gooey than the bits.)

Directions:
In large bowl, whisk together cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In small bowl, whisk together soy flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, corn starch, and xanthum gum. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Remove from heat.

Add sugar and mix until combined.

Add brown sugar and mix until combined.

Add vanilla and mix until combined.

Add eggs one at a time and mix until combined.

Add butter mixture to cocoa mixture and mix until combined.

Add flour and mix until combined. Batter will be thick.

Mix in chocolate chips.

Using a large cookie scoop, scoop dough into palm of your hand. (If you don't have a scoop, approximately 1.5-2 Tablespoons of dough.)

Use your finger to create a whole in the dough - kind of like a bird nest shape.

Place a caramel in the center of the nest. (In the picture below, you will see Caramel Bits, but again I think you will be much better off with a caramel instead of the bits.)

Fold in dough around caramel and form into a ball.

Place on lined cookie sheet approximately 2 inches apart.

Bake for approximately 9-11 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes until transferring to a cooling rack.

They are incredibly delectable. Check out my son, Tommy, in the picture below. He helped me make them, so I promised to put his picture in the blog post. Since he helped make them, he also got to try the first one. They ranked a double thumbs up. Can't get much better than that, right?

Take another look at the middle of that cookie! A true work of art, don't you think? Moist chocolate cookie with gooey caramel oozing out of the middle. MMMM

I hope you love them as much as we do.

"So, there's this boy - he kind of stole my heart. He calls me mom."
Happy early 12th birthday to my son. I am so very proud to be his mom. I love him more than words can explain. 

Is there a boy, or maybe a girl, who stole your heart? Make sure you tell them regularly, and maybe even bake some yummy cookies with them. . .

Sheryl