My sweet tooth gets me in trouble. I can’t say no to most sweet treats that end up in my path. If it’s a new dessert idea, I have to try it because I need to stay in the know. If it’s a classic then I need to try it to see how it stacks up to others I’ve had. It’s really not good for my waistline. But you know what is good for me? Reading dessert cookbooks. I don’t gain any weight that way. And because I possess little to no baking skills, I don’t have to worry about making these things at home. But that doesn’t stop me from devouring the pages of a beautiful book. If you haven’t checked out the cookbook, Eat More Dessert from Jenny Cookies, you have to! It’s SO well done. And not only are there super yummy sounding recipes, there is also tons of fantastic party inspiration. You’re really going to love this book!
Apple Butterscotch Cookie Recipe
This apple butterscotch cookie recipe is one you are going to want to keep around. I consider this a family recipe even though I am certain we did not create it. I do not come from a family of bakers, but rather a family that enjoys a GOOD baked treat. This recipe has been made by my mom for years and is one she passed on to me in a cookbook she put together for me when I moved out. It is always a crowd pleaser and one that people will most certainly ask you for the recipe. The combination of the apples and butterscotch makes these cookies the perfect fall treat. Put them out at your holiday gatherings and see what I mean.
I am keeping this post simple as these cookies are really easy to make. And everyone needs apple cookies in their life. You make a simple cookie batter and then include a few key ingredients to make them next level. These cookies have all the flavors of fall including nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. These flavors really shine through so you will want to make sure you are using quality spices (have you noticed the new packaging on the J.R. Watkins spices? I love the round glass bottles and can’t wait to get through all the spices so I can repurpose them as little bud vases!). Since I have no baking background, here is where I tell you to use your best baking judgement. I know there are “better” apples to use for baking. I just chose a good old red delicious. I think they taste amazing but if you feel like you want to swap it out for another type, by all means, be my guest. And here is probably the biggest tip I can give you about making this cookie recipe: DO NOT open the bag of butterscotch chips too early or you will eat them all and you won’t have any left for the cookies. Not like that has really happened or anything…(hangs head in shame).
Add the apples and butterscotch chips to the cookie batter and mix it up. You may be looking at the photo above and thinking to yourself, “Dang, yo. Those apple chunks look really big.” And you would be right. You will want to chop your apples a little (or a lot) smaller than I did. It doesn’t ruin the cookies, said the girl who ate the whole batch in 2 days, but the texture would be better if they were smaller.
Plop the batter on some sheet pans and throw them in the oven. These cookies are pretty cakey so, again, if you see a way to fiddle with the recipe to make them more to your liking, do it!
I added a little bit of Maldon sea salt to some of the cookies before baking to see if that made a huge flavor difference. I don’t think it did. But if you want your cookies to be super trendy then add some and make sure your food tag says “Salted Apple Butterscotch Cookies.” We wouldn’t want a party guest to overlook these cookies because they aren’t hip enough.
And then eat the heck out of these apple butterscotch cookies.
Apple Butterscotch Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup soft butter or margarine (duh, use butter)
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups chopped apples
- 1 cup chopped walnuts (I didn't use walnuts because nuts are the devil in our house)
- Approximately 6 ounces of butterscotch chips
Instructions
- Cream together brown sugar and butter.
- Add eggs and milk; beat well.
- Mix and sift flour, baking powder, salt and spices; stir into creamed mixture.
- Stir in apples, butterscotch chips and walnuts, if using.
- Drop by tablespoon on well-greased baking sheets (or use parchment).
- Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Remove from baking sheets immediately; cool on racks.
- Makes about 4 dozen cookies (or 2 dozen if you made ginormous cookies like I did).
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Disclosure: I was sent spices from J.R. Watkins. It was my choice to use them in this recipe. And I will continue to use them because they are great.
{Hellmann’s Chicken Change Up} Mayonnaise Cookies
I am participating in Hellmann’s (yup, Mayo!) Chicken Change Up.
And, well, I made a video. Weird.
Hellmann’s Chicken Change Up Challenge (click to watch- but promise you won’t make fun)
Hellmann’s created the Chicken Change Up as a way to help us solve our dinner dilemmas. Whether we are pressed for time, dealing with picky eaters or budget conscious, they have recipes that can help. Seeing as I could use help in all of those areas, I decided this would be a great project to be involved in. All of the recipes are available on their Facebook page (and they ALL sound delicious!) AND from now until April 30, 2012, if you decide to participate in the challenge, you can enter to win a $5,000 grocery gift card! Or enter to win a daily price of a $50 grocery gift card with a chance to win the $5,000! See full contest rules over on Facebook.
AND, as I said in my video, I don’t like mayonnaise. But I realize that when baked, it totally transforms so I thought it would be a good way to challenge myself to become more familiar with what mayonnaise can do and how I could introduce it in to my everyday cooking. Have you ever used mayonnaise in anything other than a salad-type recipe? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject.
I will be sharing my chicken recipe in a few days but first I thought I would start off and explore what mayonnaise can do in baked goods. Basically mayonnaise is eggs and oil, so it actually makes sense to think that it would be great in baked goods. And I had seen my brother-in-law make a cake for my sis-in-law once using mayo, in a pinch, so I knew I would be able to find recipes. I will say that I am not sure if I tried the cake back then. I’ve grown a bit more adventurous in my eating in my OLD age so I am willing to give it a shot. Back then I think I was still subsisting on cookies and potato chips (it was before I learned how to cook).
So I decided to try Mayo Cookies! I will admit, it was hard to smell the mayo as I was making them. I breathed through my nose. A lot.
The ingredients are super simple: sugar, flour, baking soda and salt mixed together really well. Then mix in a cup of mayo and a teaspoon of vanilla. The batter is then rolled in to balls and placed on a cookie sheet.
Using a fork, tap down the cookies and then sprinkle with sugar. I decided to try these cookies 3 different ways. First, I followed the recipe with just a sprinkle of sugar on top. Second, I tried using my favorite spiced sugar that has a touch of vanilla and cinnamon for sprinkling. Lastly, I rolled the entire dough ball in sugar before squashing them with a fork.
The cookies come out of the oven golden brown, super crispy and taste very similar to a sugar cookie. I think my favorite cookies were the ones that I rolled all the way in sugar. Those browned up really nice on the bottom and were headed towards caramely. Does that make any sense at all? But I think next time, I would roll the dough in the spiced sugar all the way around. That would have added a touch of something extra special. If I hadn’t told my guests that these were made with mayo, I’m pretty sure they would never have guessed. The cookies were a smidge on the greasy side, so I suggest using a touch less mayo then the recipe calls for. For some reason, I didn’t think to check if Hellmann’s had cookie recipes on their site. But they totally do! The Hellmann’s recipe is a bit different then the recipe that I used, but I bet they make a similar cookie. Who knew you could do so much in the way of dessert with mayonnaise!
So don’t forget to check out all the amazing ways to change up your chicken on the Hellmann’s Facebook page and be sure to see their full recipe database on Hellmanns.com.
Check back tomorrow for a recipe that my mom used to make us that isn’t baked! And I still eat it! And I can’t wait to share the chicken recipe I tried with you. It was delicious!
*Discolsure: Hellmann’s product and additional incentives were provided to me. All opinions stated are my own.
Cookies and Corks: Two of my favorite things
When I got an email about Cookies and Corks by Cookie Zen I immediately needed to know more. I mean, cookies that you are supposed to pair and enjoy with wine???? Done. Last week I had a little get together with some local bloggers and thought it would be the perfect time to try out these Cookies and Corks cookies.
We’ve all seen wine and cheese pairings, we’ve seen wine and chocolate pairings. But this whole Cookies and Corks pairing is totally new, at least to me.
When you tell Lauren, “Hey, let’s have a little get together but keep it super simple and not really worry about decorating or anything,” she’ll agree with you. But then she’ll show up at your door with a box of decorations and then just casually drape garlands around your house. I love Lauren.
We set out some fun glassware for the ladies to choose from and kept the drinks easy with just Cabernet and Prosecco per the Cookies and Corks webpage pairing suggestions.
I was sent the White Cheddar Rosemary cookies to pair with the red wine (the cookies on the left). Intense flavor that you would usually find in a cracker, but in a cookie consistency. It was crumbly and delightful. The wine stood up really well with the vibrant cheddar flavor. On the right you will see the cookies meant to be paired with a sparkling wine. There were Zesty Lemon, Sea Salt Chocolate Oatmeal and Parmesan Thyme. My fave was the Sea Salt Chocolate Oatmeal. It was the best of an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie with the perfect amount of saltiness. We served these with Prosecco. And we didn’t get too far in to the Prosecco before I pulled out my fave elderflower concentrate.
Cookies and Corks also has some cookies to pair with white wine that sound absolutely amazing! Check out all their products and pairing ideas on their site. And check their store locator to see if you can buy them locally in your area or you can always purchase them online here.
And what are those big brown things, you ask? Yeah. Those are donut hole brownies. I saw the recipe a few days before the get together and how can you not make them? I will be making them again. And once the other girls showed up I forgot to take pictures! I was too busy stuffing my face and laughing. It was a good night.
*I was sent these cookies for free. The review and opinions are mine. I can’t be bought with cookies (alone).