Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pecan Cookies

 

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp. salt

¾ tsp. cinnamon

¾ cup butter

1½ cups dark brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup pecans, toasted

 

Preheat the oven to 375°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Set aside.

Beat butter and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the egg, beat well. Gradually add flour mixture and beat until mixed.  Add pecan pieces.

Use a small cookie scoop to drop dough onto the baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container. 

This recipe was adapted from here.

Frosted Flakes Cookies

 

½ cup butter softened

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup brown sugar packed

⅓ cup vegetable oil

1 egg

½ tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

½ cup quick cooking oats

2 cups flour

1½ cups chocolate chips

1½ cups Frosted Flakes cereal

 

Note: this dough requires chilling.

Cream butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. You can also use a hand mixer. Add oil and stir until smooth. Add egg and vanilla, mix until smooth, then stir in the salt and baking soda.

Mix in oats and flour until just mixed. Stir in chocolate chips and Frosted Flakes cereal. There is no need to crush the cereal; a stand mixer will do that for you. If you’re using a hand mixer, you may want to crush the cereal into large pieces before adding it to the cookie dough.

Scoop 2 tablespoon balls of cookie dough onto a cookie sheet covered in wax or parchment paper. No need to spread the balls out, you’re just going to chill them. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least one hour. (If you chill longer than 4 hours you may need to let them warm up a few minutes on the counter before baking.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with silpat baking mats. Place cookies 2” apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the bottoms just start to turn golden brown. Cool at least 5 minutes on cookie sheet before removing to rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

This recipe can be found here.

Spanish-Style Braised Chicken and Almonds

 

8 (5- to 7-ounce) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed
Salt and pepper
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar

⅓ cup water
1 cup chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped fine
2 hard-cooked large eggs, yolks and whites separated, whites chopped fine
½ cup slivered almonds, toasted
Pinch saffron threads, crumbled
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1½ tsp. lemon juice

 

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300°. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown thighs, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer thighs to plate and pour off all but 2 teaspoons fat from skillet.

Add onion and ¼ teaspoon salt to fat left in skillet and cook over medium heat until just softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in two-thirds of garlic, bay leaf, and cinnamon and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in vinegar and water; cook, scraping up any browned bits, until it starts to thicken, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth and tomatoes and bring to simmer. Nestle thighs into skillet, cover, and transfer to oven. Cook until chicken registers 195 degrees, 45 to 50 minutes.

Using potholders, remove skillet from oven. Being careful of hot skillet handle, transfer thighs to serving platter, discard skin, and tent loosely with aluminum foil.

Discard bay leaf. Transfer ¾ cup cooking liquid, egg yolks, almonds, saffron, and remaining garlic to blender. Process until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides of jar as needed. Return almond mixture to skillet along with 1 tablespoon parsley and lemon juice. Bring to simmer over medium heat and cook, whisking frequently, until sauce has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over chicken and sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon parsley and egg whites. Serve.

This recipe can be found here.

Almond Roca Bars

 

1 cup butter

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. almond extract

¼ tsp. salt

2 cups flour

½ cup chopped almonds

1½ cups semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

 

Preheat oven to 350° and grease a 9x13 baking dish.

In a large bowl, beat the butter with the white and brown sugar until fluffy. Add egg, almond extract, and salt and mix until combined. Add the flour and mix thoroughly. Spread mixture into the prepared pan.

Bake for 13-15 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Sprinkle bars generously with chocolate chips immediately after baking and let them sit to melt. You can stick the pan back into the oven for a couple of minutes to speed this up. Once chips have melted, spread the chocolate evenly on top and sprinkle with almonds.

Cool and cut.

This recipe can be found here.

Cilantro Lime Steak Bowls

 

2 lbs. flank steak

½ cup avocado or olive oil

Zest of 1 lime

Juice of 2 limes

4 cloves fresh garlic, minced or finely chopped

½ cup chopped cilantro

2 tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. black pepper

4 cups cooked rice

2 avocados, sliced

1 can (15 oz) black beans, heated

1 can (15 oz) corn, heated

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

½ red onion, diced

For the lime crema:

1 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons Tajin seasoning

Juice of 1 lime

 

 Place flank steak in a shallow dish or zip-top bag. Add oil, lime zest, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk to combine then pour over steak. Make sure both sides of the steak are coated. Cover (or seal) and place in refrigerator to marinate for 30 minutes to 3 hours.

Heat grill to medium-high then place steak on. Grill for 10 minutes then flip. Grill for 10 minutes more or until steak reaches desired internal temperature. Place steak on a plate or cutting board then allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice into thin strips against the grain or into cubes.

Add rice, steak, avocado, black beans, corn, cheese, and onion to individual bowls. Drizzle with lime crema.

NOTES

To add even more flavor use cilantro lime rice.

More topping ideas: black olives, bell pepper, grilled onions, jalapeños

Recipe can be found here.

Butterfinger Cookies

 

3½ cups flour

1½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1½ cups sugar

1 cup unsalted butter

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1 pkg Butterfinger Baking Bits

Or 4 Butterfingers, chopped

 

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

Beat together sugar and butter until creamy.  Mix in vanilla and eggs (one at a time).  Gradually add flour mixture.  Stir in Butterfingers.

Drop batter by Tbsp. onto ungreased baking sheets.  Bake 8-10 minutes.  Let cool 1 minute before removing from the baking sheet.

This recipe can be found here.

Carrot Cake Cookies

 

2½ cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp ground ginger

1 cup butter

¾ cup light brown sugar

½ cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 Tbsp vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans

2¼ cups finely shredded whole carrots (4 medium-large)

 

Frosting

1 8-oz pkg cream cheese softened

½ cup butter

3½ cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup finely chopped pecans

 

Preheat the oven to 350°.

In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, spices, and baking soda.

Beat the butter for 1 minute. Add the sugars to the butter and continue to mix for 1 more minute. Lower the mixer speed to low, add the vanilla and 1 egg at a time; slowly add the flour mixture.

Add the finely shredded carrots and chopped pecans to the batter.

Using a 1½ tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the cookie batter onto the prepared cookie sheet, spacing the cookies 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes.

Allow the cookies to completely cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream together the cream cheese and butter for 1 minute.

Add the vanilla and powdered sugar. Keep the mixer speed on low, until the powdered sugar is incorporated. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and continue mixing for another 1 minute, until the cream cheese frosting is smooth.

Using a small offset spatula or a silicone spatula, frost the top of the cookie, smoothing as you go. Be sure to frost to the edges of the cookies.

Sprinkle the finely chopped pecans onto a plate. Either gently roll the edges of the cookies in the chopped pecans or sprinkle on top.

This recipe can be found here.

Cookie Butter Cookies

 

1 cup butter (226g)

1¼ cup light brown sugar packed (250g)

½ cup sugar

1½ cups cookie butter (420g)

2 large eggs

1 Tbsp. vanilla 

3 cups flour (375g)

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

 

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

Combine softened butter, sugars, and cookie butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl and use an electric mixer) and beat until ingredients are combined and well-creamed.

Stir in vanilla extract.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Gradually add dry ingredients to wet until completely combined.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Scoop dough into 1½ Tbsp. sized balls, place on baking sheet and put in the freezer for one hour.

Once cookie dough has finished chilling, preheat oven to 350°.

Place dough balls on parchment paper or Silpat lined cookie sheet.  Bake for 11 minutes.

Once cookies are done baking, remove from oven and allow to cool completely on cookie sheet.

Keep your remaining dough in the refrigerator while each batch is cooking and do not place cookie dough on hot cookie sheet.

This recipe can be found here.