Chocolate Dipped Brownie Cookies with Sprinkles

 

These taste just like they sound! Chocolate brownies in a cookie form, dipped in even more chocolate. They're rich. They're decadent. They're delicious. I can't wait to make more of these at Christmas time with red and green sprinkles.

I found the recipe on LoveandOliveOil.com (thanks Pinterest :))

 

You will need:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons dark or dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
For Dipping:
6 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, as needed
Rainbow sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350.
Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt into a mixing bowl. Set aside.
Combine chocolate and butter in a double boiler or a heat-proof bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together eggs, sugar, and vanilla.
Mix in melted chocolate mixture. Add dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips.
Drop batter using a small cookie scoop by the tablespoonful onto cookie sheet, leaving two inches of space between cookies. The batter will be somewhat loose at this point, but shouldn't be runny. It will thicken the longer it sits.
Bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until tops are shiny and cracked. Like a brownie, you don't want to over bake these cookies. Remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
To dip, gently melt chocolate together with 1 tablespoon of shortening. You can use a microwave, heating on low power in short, 15 to 20 second bursts, or in a double boiler, setting the bowl over the simmering water and then removing it from the heat.
Add more shortening as needed to thin out the chocolate to a dipping consistency, then dip half of each cookie into the melted chocolate. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and top with sprinkles.
Enjoy!

Macaroni Tuna Salad

 



 

I stole this dish from my Aunt Pam. She always makes it for family get togethers and it's just delicious. I make it often in the summer. Me and my girls munch on it for days. It's a great side dish for burgers and hotdogs!

 

 

You need:

1 box small elbow macaroni

3/4 cup miracle whip

1 whole cucumber, peeled and chopped

6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup diced onion

2 cans of tuna, drained

salt and pepper

 

Boil water and cook pasta until al dente. Drain and rinse pasta in cold water. In a big bowl, add all ingredients to pasta and fold together. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill, covered, in fridge until ready serve.

Enjoy!

Fruity Pizza

We have family that just moved here from Alaska. That's right, Alaska to Las Vegas! So they are experiencing a whole new kind of summer this year. HOT HOT HOT! They seem to be loving it though. They have an awesome pool they get to cool off in every day, so that helps :) They had us over for a barbeque last weekend and I wanted to bring something...something fruity and refreshing. It was 105 degrees out after all. I'd seen pics of fruit pizzas before, but had never made one. It was perfect. With their six kids and my two, it just had to be a hit! I used a "Easy Sugar Cookie" recipe from Allrecipes.com and winged the rest of it. It came out really pretty. I think I baked my cookie dough a little too long, but it was still good. In this recipe, I suggest baking it for about 18 min., just keep checking it. I set my timer for 21 min. for some reason and of course totally got side tracked and wasn't checking it.
You can switch up the fruits to your liking. I used fresh strawberries, canned peaches (which worked just fine), fresh kiwi, and frozen blueberries. I found that frozen blueberries probably weren't the greatest idea either, they leaked quite a bit. Definitely use fresh.                      

 

 

For the cookie crust, you need:

2 3/4 cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 cup softened butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

(I added a little lemon and lime extract, but totally optional)

 

For the topping, you need:

1 pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

 

2 cups of fresh strawberries

1 1.2 cans of sliced peaches (drained)

4 whole kiwi, peeled and sliced

1/2 - 3/4 cup fresh blueberries

Honey to drizzle over top       

                           

Preheat oven to 375. In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.
Roll out onto a round pizza pan or cookie sheet.
Bake approx 18 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden.

Once completely cooled, whip together the cream cheese and powdered sugar and spread over the cookie crust. Arrange your fruit however you want, and then drizzle honey over the whole thing. Keep in the fridge until you're ready to serve. Cut into slices.
Enjoy!!!
 

Pioneer Woman's Perfect Pot Roast

Everyone knows I'm in love the Pioneer Woman. More like obsessed actually. I day dream about her all the time. I want to live in her house, and work on her ranch, and homeschool her kids, and cook for her husband...okay, enough. This is her pot roast recipe. Her Perfect Pot Roast Recipe. I thought I already had a great pot roast recipe of my own, until I made this one. It's the only one I will ever make again. It's just, well, perfect!

You need:
1 whole (4 To 5 Pounds) Chuck Roast
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 whole Onions
6 whole Carrots
Salt To Taste
Pepper To Taste
1 cup Beef Broth
2 cups To 3 Cups Beef Stock
3 sprigs Fresh Thyme, or more to taste
3 sprigs Fresh Rosemary, or more to taste

Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil.
Cut two onions in half and cut 6 to 8 carrots into 2-inch slices. When the oil in the pot is very hot (but not smoking), add in the halved onions, browning them on one side and then the other. Remove the onions to a plate.
Throw the carrots into the same very hot pan and toss them around a bit until slightly browned, about a minute or so.
If needed, add a bit more olive oil to the very hot pan. Place the meat in the pan and sear it for about a minute on all sides until it is nice and brown all over. Remove the roast to a plate.
With the burner still on high, add beef broth to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom with a whisk to get all of that wonderful flavor up.
When the bottom of the pan is sufficiently deglazed, place the roast back into the pan and add enough beef stock to cover the meat halfway (about 2 to 3 cups). Add in the onion and the carrots, as well as 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary and about 3 sprigs of fresh thyme.
Put the lid on, then roast in a 275F oven for 3 hours (for a 3-pound roast). For a 4 to 5-pound roast, plan on 4 hours.

Enjoy!

Breadsticks with Parmesan Butter

I love love love breadsticks. Is there anyone that doesn't though?
This recipe makes about 30 sticks, so plan on eating them for days...or freezing some dough...or having me over for dinner :)

You need:
2 pkgs. active dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups warm water
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
4.5-5 cups flour

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp. grated parmesan
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tbsp. of sugar in 1 cup of water.
Once dissolved, add the oil, egg, salt, 2 cups of the flour, remaining sugar, and remaining water.
Beat until smooth. Stir in enough flour now to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface and knead 6-8 minutes, til elastic-like. (If you are freezing half of this recipe, freeze after kneading)
Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease entire ball of dough. Cover and let rise til doubled, 40 min.
Punch the dough down and turn onto floured surface again. Divide into 30 pieces and shape each into a 6 inch rope. Place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheets. Cover and let rise again til doubled, 25 min.
Bake at 400 for 10-12 min.
In a small bowl, cream together butter, parmesan, and garlic powder. Brush over sticks while they're still hot, or serve on the side.
Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie with a Sage Biscuit Crust

Mmm Mmm Mm! This is a good one. This is a variation of a recipe I got from an old Marlboro cookbook. My husband requested that I make it this week, before it gets too hot out. He has a thing about eating "winter" dishes in the summer. I, on the other hand, can eat anything anytime.

You Need:
1.5 cups frozen corn
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. dried sage
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
3 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1 tbsp. lemon juice

Biscuits:
2 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1.5 tsp. dried sage
1/2 tsp. cumin
6 tbsp. shortening
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp. corn syrup
1 tsp. water

Prepare biscuits first. Combine Flour, baking powder, salt, sage, and cumin in a mixing bowl. Cut in shortening until crumbly. Add milk and mix to moisten. Shape into a ball and roll out onto a floured surface. Roll or pat into an 8' circle. Cut into 8 wedges. When chicken mixture is ready, top with these biscuit wedges and brush with corn syrup and water mixture.

For the chicken mixture: In a 10' skillet, or even better a cast iron skillet, saute corn and peppers in 1 tbsp. of butter, until tender. Remove them from pan. Melt remaining butter in same skillet and stir in the flour and seasonings. Add broth and milk, cook til it thickens. Add the chicken, veggies, and lemon juice. Transfer to a 2.5 quart baking dish (unless you are using a cast iron skillet). Top with sage biscuits and bake at 350 for 35-45 min.
Enjoy!

Old Fashioned Butter Pecan Turtle Cookies

These are so unbelievably good! I made them a few years back and loved them. I misplaced the recipe and just recently found it again! I made them last weekend for my momma's Birthday and she loved them too. They are super quick and easy to make.

You need :
for the crust-
2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup softened butter

top layer-
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup whole pecan halves
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Crust- Combine flour, butter, and  brown sugar. Mix at a medium speed. until the particles are fine. Pack firmly into an ungreased 9 x 13 pan.
Top layer-Sprinkle the pecans over the unbaked crust . Prepare caramel by combining brown sugar and butter in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, until you get a boil. Continue to boil for 1 min, stirring constantly. Pour mix over pecans and put into the oven. Bake 18-22 minutes, til crust is light brown. Remove from the oven and sprinkle chocolate chips all over. Allow the chips to melt slightly, and then gently swirl them with a knife as they cool. Leave some whole for a marbled effect (you'll notice I swirled a little too much).
Cool completely and cut into bars.
Enjoy!