Cookies - Double-Post Tuesday

Besides being Taco Tuesday, it's also Double-Post Tuesday. Today's double post deals with cookies. (Yum!) Today's six cookie recipes include The $250 Cookie Recipe and Peanut Butter Snowballs. Enjoy!

EGGNOG MELTAWAY COOKIES

This recipe, from the Food Network kitchen, begins, “The secret to these cookies' melt-in-your-mouth texture is the confectioners' sugar, which easily comes together with almonds in a food processor. The flavors of rum, bourbon and nutmeg make the little snowball lookalikes taste just like your favorite holiday drink. “

Total:2 hr 55 min; Active: 25 min; Yield: 4 dozen cookies; Level: Easy

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 cup blanched almonds (skinless)

2 cups confectioners' sugar

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 tablespoon bourbon

2 teaspoons rum extract

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook's Note)

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1 tablespoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for serving

Directions

Watch how to make this recipe.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

Put the almonds and 1/2 cup of the confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process until very finely ground, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and process until smooth, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Scrape the dough off the inside of the bowl if needed. Add the bourbon and rum and vanilla extracts and pulse until smooth. Add the flour and salt and pulse until the dough forms a ball.

Roll mounded teaspoons of the dough into balls about 1 inch wide and place on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Bake, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until the cookies are firm when gently pressed, completely dry and just beginning to crack at the top, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes; they will firm as they cool.

Meanwhile, put the nutmeg and remaining 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar in a pie plate or wide baking dish and mix well. Toss the warm cookies very gently in the sugar mixture until evenly coated; the cookies need to be warm for the first coating of sugar to stick. Cool the cookies on a wire rack completely, about 30 minutes, then toss again in the sugar mixture so they are very white. Sprinkle with additional grated nutmeg.

Store the cookies in a little bit of extra confectioners' sugar in an airtight container for up to a week.

Cook's Note

When measuring flour, we spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off the excess. (Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, resulting in dry baked goods.)

PEANUT BUTTER SNOWBALLS

This comes from the Recipe Lion Test Kitchen, and begins, “Peanut Butter Snowballs are a new twist on the classic snowball cookie recipe. This Christmas cookie recipe uses peanut butter in the filling and, instead of being dusted with powdered sugar, white chocolate coats the outside. Sprinkle the tops with silver sugar sprinkles if you want to go above and beyond (The sprinkles make them look super fancy). This 5 ingredient dessert recipe makes 24-30 balls, so make sure you share them. Otherwise, you may end up eating them all yourself before you know it!”
Makes: 24 snowballs; Chilling Time: 30 minutes.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 cup powdered sugar, plus 2 tablespoons

3 tablespoons soft butter

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

12 ounces white chocolate candy coating

sprinkles for decorating

Instructions

Line a cookie sheet with parchment or waxed paper.

Combine 1 cup powdered sugar, butter and peanut butter in a large bowl, stirring until completely mixed and smooth.

Sprinkle the remaining powdered sugar on a clean work surface and form the dough into a log shape 12 inches long. Cut into inch pieces and roll each between your palms to make smooth balls. Place on the prepared bake sheet and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

In a medium bowl, melt the candy coating in 30 second intervals in the microwave, stirring until completely smooth. Dip the balls into the candy coating, return to the lined sheet and add sprinkles as desired while coating is still wet. Return to the refrigerator until ready to serve.

CHOCOLATE SHORTBREAD COOKIES

A cookie that is quite simply - heavenly!

Yield: 24 servings

Serving size: 1 cookie

View online with photo: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/1156.shtml

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons Dutch cocoa powder

1 3/4 cups flour

2 tablespoons flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet or jellyroll pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

Place the butter, Splenda Granulated Sweetener, sugar, vanilla and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Mix, using the paddle attachment of an electric mixer until the mixture is light and creamy (approx. 1-1 1/2 minutes). Add cocoa powder and all the flour. Mix until just blended.

Remove dough from bowl and form into a ball. Place the ball of dough on the parchment lined pan. Roll the dough into a rectangle approx. 6 1/2 inches wide by 11 inches long and 1/4 inch thick. Pierce the surface of the dough with a fork all over. This allows the air to escape during baking preventing air pockets from forming.

Bake in preheated 375 degrees F oven 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan after 10 minutes of baking. Remove shortbread from oven after 20-25 minutes and immediately cut into 24 fingers or rectangles while the shortbread is still warm. If allowed to cool, shortbread will not slice well.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 120; Calories from Fat: 5; Protein: 1 g; Fat: 8 g; Sodium: 25 mg; Cholesterol: 20 mg; Saturated Fat: 5 g; Dietary Fiber: 1 g ; Sugars: 2 g ; Carbohydrates: 10 g

GINGER-MOLASSES COOKIES

This is from Alison Roman in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. The recipe begins, “Think of these cookies as a cross between a gingerbread man and a chewy molasses cookie. Adding molasses gives them a softer texture with a decidedly adult, almost caramel flavor. Instead of rolling or slicing these cookies, this rich, soft dough is perfect for rolling into balls and coating in coarse sugar before baking. The dough can even be made up to 5 days ahead and refrigerated, or baked 2 days ahead and stored at room temperature.”

Yield: About 2 dozen cookies; Time: 45 minutes

T his can be found online here.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup molasses

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

About 3/4 cup pearl, Demerara or coarse sugar, for rolling

Do ahead: Cookie dough can be made 5 days ahead, refrigerated. Bring dough to room temperature before rolling. Cookies can be baked 2 days ahead, wrapped tightly and stored at room temperature.

Preparation

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and allspice.

In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together butter, molasses and sugar on medium-high until the mixture is superlight, fluffy and pale, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract, and beat until everything is well combined, again stopping to scrape down bowl as necessary.

Add dry ingredients all at once, and mix on low speed until just incorporated.

Chill dough in refrigerator for 30 to 45 minutes, until firm enough to roll.

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Using your hands, roll heaping tablespoons of dough into balls, then roll them in coarse sugar. (Sanding sugar is festive, but turbinado or coarse sugar will do the trick as well.) If dough becomes too soft to roll, put back in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes. Place balls on a parchment-lined baking tray 2 inches apart and bake until the cookies are puffed, golden brown around the edges and baked through and the tops spring back slightly when touched, 12 to 15 minutes.

THE $250 COOKIE RECIPE

This comes from Barbara Whitaker, also in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Barbara wrote, “Almost everybody has heard the one about the woman lunching at the Neiman Marcus Cafe in Dallas, who enjoyed the chocolate chip cookies so much that she asked for the recipe. For "only two-fifty," the waitress said, it was hers. But when the credit card bill arrived, the woman found the total near $300. Turns out the recipe cost $250, the story goes. In 1997, after years of enduring the myth, Neiman Marcus came up with a recipe – and gave it out for free. It's a delicious variation on chocolate chip cookies, using ground oatmeal, nuts and adding extra chocolate with a grated Hershey bar (you can use any brand you love).” Guess that the woman from Dallas probably gave the recipe out to everyone and anyone and that after it got around, there was little choice on N.M.’s side but to let it out for free. Moral? Don’t p.o. your customers!

Yield: About 55 cookies; Time: 45 minutes.

The recipe was featured in “The $250 Cookie Recipe Exposed”, and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

1 cup butter

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups oatmeal

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

12 ounces chocolate chips

1 4-ounce milk chocolate bar

1 1/2 cups chopped nuts

Preparation

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together butter and both sugars. Stir in eggs and vanilla.

Finely grind oatmeal in a blender or food processor. Combine the oatmeal, flour, salt, baking powder and soda in a medium bowl, and slowly add it to the wet ingredients. Beat just until combined. Grate chocolate bar using a microplane grater and add it, along with chocolate chips and nuts to the batter. Mix just to combine.

Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.

APRICOT AND NUT COOKIES WITH AMARETTO ICING

This is from Giada De Laurentiis of The Food Network’s Everyday Italian.

Total: 2 hr 49 min; Prep: 4 min; Inactive: 2 hr 30 min; Cook: 15 min; Yield: 2 to 2 1/2 dozen cookies; Level: Easy

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Cookies:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 large egg

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

Icing:

1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar

5 to 7 tablespoons almond flavored liqueur (recommended: Amaretto)

Directions

For the Cookies: In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg. Stir in the flour until just blended. Mix in the apricots, almonds, and pine nuts.

Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and shape into a log, about 12-inches long and 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Wrap the dough in the plastic and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 heavy baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cut the dough log crosswise into 1/4 to 1/2 inch-thick slices. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets, spacing evenly apart. Bake until the cookies are golden around the edges, about 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

For the Icing: Place the confectioners' sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Gradually whisk in the almond flavored liqueur, until the mixture is of drizzling consistency.

Place the wire rack over a baking sheet. Using a spoon or fork, drizzle the cookies with the icing, allowing any excess icing to drip onto the baking sheet. Allow the icing to set before serving, about 30 minutes.

Meatless Monday

It's Meatless Monday, which means it's time to try out a few vegetarian recipes. This group of recipes was originally posted on October 24, 2016 on my vegetarian blog. Check it out!

It never fails: Friday afternoon, I'll have tons of things planned for the weekend, including cleaning house, and suddenly, it's Monday morning again, and I haven't gotten half the stuff done that I'd planned to do. Have you ever had that happen? Probably. Well, there's always next weekend...

In the meantime, here are six vegetarian recipes to start your week off, including Creole Red Beans & Rice and Frozen Caramel-Apple Crunch Cake. Enjoy!

FROZEN CARAMEL-APPLE CRUNCH CAKE

This comes from Daring Gourmet in the Tablespoon e-newsletter. She wrote, “A frozen layer of apple pie ice cream laced with caramel and sandwiched between a top and bottom layer of crunchy crushed granola bars.” Prep Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes; Makes 8 Servings.

To view this online, click here. And check out Daring Gourmet’s blog here.

Ingredients

1 box Nature Valley™ granola bars, crushed into coarse crumbs

1/2 cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

3 cups softened vanilla or cinnamon ice cream

3/4 can apple pie filling (chop up the apple pieces)

1/4 cup caramel sauce, plus extra for serving

Directionsbr />
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.br />
Place the Nature Valley granola bars in a food processor and process to a coarse crumb consistency. In a large mixing bowl, add the granola bar crumbs, flour, brown sugar and melted butter and stir to mix together. Spread the mixture out onto a pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool completely. Spread half of the crumb mixture onto the bottom of an 8x8-inch baking dish. Reserve the other half of the crumbs.

In a large mixing bowl, add the softened ice cream and stir in the apple pie pieces and caramel sauce. Pour the mixture over the crumbs in the 8x8-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining crumbs over the top, cover with aluminum foil and freeze for at least 3 hours.

Cut into squares and serve with whipped cream and caramel sauce.

VERTAMAE SMART-GROSVENOR’S ONION PIE

I don’t know about you, but the idea of an onion pie seems a little strange - and just interesting enough to try! This comes from Tejal Rao in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. The recipe begins, “Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor’s 1970 cookbook, “Vibration Cooking, or the Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl,” combined memoir and recipes in a new way, and introduced many readers to a brilliant new voice in American food culture. This onion-pie recipe is like many of her recipes, simple and deeply satisfying home cooking rooted in the South, but with a truly global point of view. If you want, you can toss a handful of cooked ham or grated cheese or fresh chopped herbs into the mix before putting it in the oven. It’s especially delicious chilled, the next day, when the flavors have mellowed and the custard has become creamy.” Yield: Serves 8; Time: 1 hour.

This was featured in “A Pie Made With Onions — and Good Vibes”, and can be found online here.

Ingredients

3 large onions, finely sliced

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons peanut oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons flour

3 eggs

3/4 cup cream

1 9-inch pie crust, blind-baked

Preparation

Sauté the onions in butter and peanut oil until they are tender and translucent. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add the flour, and cook for just a few more minutes, then turn off the heat. Whisk the eggs with the cream, and mix well with the onions, then add the mixture to a partly blind-baked pie crust. Bake at 350 until the egg mixture is set, about 30 minutes.

THE $250 COOKIE RECIPE

This comes from Barbara Whitaker, also in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Barbara wrote, “Almost everybody has heard the one about the woman lunching at the Neiman Marcus Cafe in Dallas, who enjoyed the chocolate chip cookies so much that she asked for the recipe. For "only two-fifty," the waitress said, it was hers. But when the credit card bill arrived, the woman found the total near $300. Turns out the recipe cost $250, the story goes. In 1997, after years of enduring the myth, Neiman Marcus came up with a recipe – and gave it out for free. It's a delicious variation on chocolate chip cookies, using ground oatmeal, nuts and adding extra chocolate with a grated Hershey bar (you can use any brand you love).” Guess that the woman from Dallas probably gave the recipe out to everyone and anyone and that after it got around, there was little choice on N.M.’s side but to let it out for free. Moral? Don’t p.o. your customers!

Yield: About 55 cookies; Time: 45 minutes.

The recipe was featured in “The $250 Cookie Recipe Exposed”, and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

1 cup butter

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups oatmeal

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

12 ounces chocolate chips

1 4-ounce milk chocolate bar

1 1/2 cups chopped nuts

Preparation

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together butter and both sugars. Stir in eggs and vanilla.

Finely grind oatmeal in a blender or food processor. Combine the oatmeal, flour, salt, baking powder and soda in a medium bowl, and slowly add it to the wet ingredients. Beat just until combined. Grate chocolate bar using a microplane grater and add it, along with chocolate chips and nuts to the batter. Mix just to combine.

Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.

CREOLE RED BEANS AND RICE

This is from Vegetarian Times, and begins, “Multipurpose ingredients are the key to this easy recipe. Frozen peppers and onions are used to season both the rice and the beans, and then some of the cooked-bean mixture gets puréed to give the finished dish a rich, saucy texture. Garnish with chives and serve with your favorite hot sauce.”

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. garlic oil, divided

2/3 cup long-grain white rice, rinsed and drained

2 cups frozen pepper and onion mix, divided

1 15-oz. can tomatoes with medium green chiles, divided

1 1/2 cups cooked small red beans, cooking liquid reserved, or one 15-oz. can small red beans, such as Goya, drained, liquid reserved

Instructions:

Heat 1 Tbs. garlic oil in small saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add rice and 1 cup pepper/onion mix, and cook over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes, or until vegetables are softened and rice looks translucent. Add 1⁄3  cup tomatoes and their juices, plus 1 cup water; season with salt, if desired. Bring to boil, and stir to combine. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 18 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.

Heat remaining 1 Tbs. garlic oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add remaining 1 cup pepper/onion mix and sauté 3 to 4 minutes, or until softened. Add remaining tomatoes with their juices, beans, and 1/14 cup bean-cooking liquid. Bring to boil. Cover, and simmer 6 to 8 minutes, or until mixture thickens. Transfer 1/2 cup bean mixture to blender and purée until smooth. Return purée to pan and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. To serve, divide rice among 4 bowls and top each with beans.

Nutrition Information: Unit (Serving Size): serves 4; Calories: 296; Protein: 9 g; Total Fat: 7 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 48 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 561 mg; Fiber: 8 g; Sugar: 6 g; Yield: per serving (1/2 cup rice and 1/2 cup beans)

DYLAN DREYER’S PIEROGI CASSEROLE

This comes from TODAY’s Dylan Dreyer and was in TODAY’s food email. This begins, “You only need six-ingredients for Dylan's easy creamy pierogi casserole that's made with layers of store-bought pierogi and fresh spinach and topped with gooey melted cheese. She can't get over how good it is, so we had to share the recipe on TODAY Food!” Makes 8 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2 16-ounce packages store-bought potato and onion pierogi

1 tablespoon olive oil

10 ounces fresh spinach

1 small onion, diced

2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Boil the pierogi according to the package's instructions. Drain.

In the meantime, in a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium high neat. Add the onion, spinach, salt and pepper. Sauté until the onion is cooked through and the spinach is wilted.

In an 8-by-8-inch casserole dish, spread a good dollop of the canned cream of mushroom soup. Add half of the pierogi. Add half of the cooked spinach and onions. Top with the cream of mushroom soup. Add a layer of mozzarella cheese and a sprinkle of Parmesan. Repeat the layers with the remaining ingredients in this order: pierogi, spinach, soup, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese. Bake until the top is golden and bubbly. Enjoy!

BAKED APPLES STUFFED WITH WILD RICE AND QUINOA

This is from Vegetarian Times. It starts off, “The stuffing for these baked apples can be made up to two days ahead.” Yield: Serves 8.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients:

1 cup mushroom broth

1/2 cup wild rice

1/4 cup red quinoa

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 cup finely chopped shiitake mushrooms

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1 Tbs. chopped fresh sage

1/2 cup low-fat cream cheese, cut into small pieces

1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped

4 medium Red Delicious apples

1/2 cup grated sharp white Cheddar cheese, optional

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring broth and 1 cup water to a boil in saucepan. Add wild rice, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 50 minutes. Stir in quinoa, and cook 20 minutes more, or until most of water is absorbed.

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onion, and sauté 7 minutes. Stir in sage and wild rice, and increase heat to medium-high. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat, and stir in cream cheese. Fold in cranberries.

Halve apples through stem, and scoop out core and seeds, leaving 1/4-inch-thick wall around sides. Fill apple halves with 1/3 cup rice mixture. Place in 11- x 7-inch baking dish. Fill baking dish with 1 cup water, cover tightly with foil, and bake 45 minutes. Uncover apples, sprinkle with Cheddar (if using), and bake 15 minutes more, or until apples are soft and tops are beginning to crisp.

Nutrition Information: Calories: 184; Protein: 4 g; Total Fat: 6 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 30 g; Cholesterol: 8 mg; Sodium: 141 mg; Fiber: 4 g; Sugar: 13 g

Wednesday Recipes

Here we are, half-way through the second week of the new year. Here are six recipes to help you through the day. Enjoy!

VERTAMAE SMART-GROSVENOR’S ONION PIE

I don’t know about you, but the idea of an onion pie seems a little strange - and just interesting enough to try! This comes from Tejal Rao in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. The recipe begins, “Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor’s 1970 cookbook, “Vibration Cooking, or the Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl,” combined memoir and recipes in a new way, and introduced many readers to a brilliant new voice in American food culture. This onion-pie recipe is like many of her recipes, simple and deeply satisfying home cooking rooted in the South, but with a truly global point of view. If you want, you can toss a handful of cooked ham or grated cheese or fresh chopped herbs into the mix before putting it in the oven. It’s especially delicious chilled, the next day, when the flavors have mellowed and the custard has become creamy.” Yield: Serves 8; Time: 1 hour.

This was featured in “A Pie Made With Onions — and Good Vibes”, and can be found online here.

Ingredients

3 large onions, finely sliced

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons peanut oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons flour

3 eggs

3/4 cup cream

1 9-inch pie crust, blind-baked

Preparation

Sauté the onions in butter and peanut oil until they are tender and translucent. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add the flour, and cook for just a few more minutes, then turn off the heat. Whisk the eggs with the cream, and mix well with the onions, then add the mixture to a partly blind-baked pie crust. Bake at 350 until the egg mixture is set, about 30 minutes.

THE $250 COOKIE RECIPE

This comes from Barbara Whitaker, also in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Barbara wrote, “Almost everybody has heard the one about the woman lunching at the Neiman Marcus Cafe in Dallas, who enjoyed the chocolate chip cookies so much that she asked for the recipe. For "only two-fifty," the waitress said, it was hers. But when the credit card bill arrived, the woman found the total near $300. Turns out the recipe cost $250, the story goes. In 1997, after years of enduring the myth, Neiman Marcus came up with a recipe – and gave it out for free. It's a delicious variation on chocolate chip cookies, using ground oatmeal, nuts and adding extra chocolate with a grated Hershey bar (you can use any brand you love).” Guess that the woman from Dallas probably gave the recipe out to everyone and anyone and that after it got around, there was little choice on N.M.’s side but to let it out for free. Moral? Don’t p.o. your customers!

Yield: About 55 cookies; Time: 45 minutes.

The recipe was featured in “The $250 Cookie Recipe Exposed”, and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

1 cup butter

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups oatmeal

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

12 ounces chocolate chips

1 4-ounce milk chocolate bar

1 1/2 cups chopped nuts

Preparation

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together butter and both sugars. Stir in eggs and vanilla.

Finely grind oatmeal in a blender or food processor. Combine the oatmeal, flour, salt, baking powder and soda in a medium bowl, and slowly add it to the wet ingredients. Beat just until combined. Grate chocolate bar using a microplane grater and add it, along with chocolate chips and nuts to the batter. Mix just to combine.

Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.

SALTED MAPLE CHESS PIE

This comes from The Baker Chick (otherwise known as Audra). If you haven’t signed up for her emails, I highly recommend doing it!

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Single layer Pie Crust*

4 eggs, room temperature

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup maple syrup

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter, cooled

2 tablespoons cornmeal

1 tablespoon white vinegar

Flakey sea salt (Like Maldon)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425F.

In a large bowl beat the eggs until fluffy and blended. Add in the cream, vanilla, maple syrup and brown sugar, mixing on medium high until smooth. Add butter, cornmeal and vinegar and mix everything until smooth and free of any clumps or streaks.

Roll your pie crust into a 11 inch circle and drape onto your pie plate. Crimp or flute the edges with a fork or your fingers.

Pour the filling into the pie shell. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes and then reduce the heat to 325F and bake for 40 minutes until the edges are set but the middle is still wobbly. Sprinkle generously with flaky sea salt.

Allow to cool completely before serving, or chill and serve cold. Serve plain or with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Notes

*If you'd like to add the braided crust like I did, I recommend making 1½ times the regular pie crust recipe. Having a little extra allows you to try a few times and use your favorite braid on the crust. To attach it, brush the edge of your crust with egg wash and then gently press it on. Then brush the whole this with the egg wash and chill for 20 minutes before baking.

**If you like a crisper crust on the bottom, I recommend par baking the crust before adding the filling. Fill with parchment and beans or pie weights and then bake for 10 minutes. Remove the parchment and then add your filling.

STRAWBERRY VINAIGRETTE

This comes from Smuckers. Makes 2 1/2 C or 20 servings (2 Tbs).

1 C Smucker’s sugar free strawberry preserves

1/4 C balsamic vinegar

1/4 C Dijon mustard

1/2 - 1 tsp ground pepper

1/2 C Olive Oil

1/2 C water

In a medium bowl, using a wire whisk, whip together the preserves, vinegar, mustard & pepper, until thoroughly emulsified. Gradually whisk in 1/2 C oil, then 1/2 C of water (more, if desired).

SWEET POTATO, CARAMELIZED ONION, AND APPLE CIDER SOUP

This yummy soup comes from Soup for Every Body by Joanna Pruess w/Lauren Braun via Publix’s GreenWise magazine (December 2005). 1 1/2 hours prep time (includes baking time); Serves 4-6

1 1/2 lb sweet potatoes (or yams)

2 Tbsp unsalted butter or olive oil

2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced

2 C fresh apple cider

1 Tbsp unsulphured molasses plus 3 Tbsp water

2 C chicken or vegetable stock

salt and white pepper

2 Tbsp finely chopped walnuts, lightly toasted

1 Tbsp finely shredded fresh sage leaves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake sweet potatoes until tender, about 1 hour. Set aside to cool, then peel. While potatoes are baking, heat butter or oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in onions and adjust head to medium. Sauté until golden brown and very tender, about 20-25 minutes, stirring often.

Transfer onions, sweet potatoes, and apple cider to food processor. Puree until smooth.

Return puree to pan and stir in molasses and water. Add stock to the puree and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle soup into heated bowls. Sprinkle a small amount of chopped walnuts and shredded sage leaves in center of each bowl and serve.

Per serving: 326 calories; 4 g protein; 59 g carbohydrates; 7 g fiber; 9 g total fat (4 g sta., 2 g mono, 2 g poly); 346 mg sodium; Vitamin A, B6, Manganese, B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), C, E, Pantothenic acid, Copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium

MEAT LOAF

This comes from Ina Garten fro, The Food Network’s Barefoot Contessa. Total Time: 1 hr 45 min; Prep: 20 min; Cook: 1 hr 25 min; Yield: 6 servings; Level: Easy

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/meat-loaf-recipe.html?oc=linkback.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon good olive oil

3 cups chopped yellow onions (3 onions)

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup canned chicken stock or broth

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 1/2 pounds ground chuck (81 percent lean)

1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs (recommended: Progresso)

2 extra-large eggs, beaten

1/2 cup ketchup (recommended: Heinz)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add the onions, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not brown. Off the heat, add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste. Allow to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck, onion mixture, bread crumbs, and eggs, and mix lightly with a fork. Don't mash or the meat loaf will be dense. Shape the mixture into a rectangular loaf on a sheet pan covered with parchment paper. Spread the ketchup evenly on top. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F and the meat loaf is cooked through. (A pan of hot water in the oven, under the meat loaf, will keep the top from cracking.) Serve hot.