Caramelita Toffee Bars

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup salted butter 
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1 cup old fashioned oats 
• ¾ cup milk chocolate chips 
• ½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips 
• ¼ cup toffee bits (Heath bar)
• 6 ounces caramel bits (I used Werther's baking caramels, but Kraft is also an option too!)
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• flaked sea salt, for topping

Directions:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease an 8x8 pan with cooking spray and line with parchment.
• 2. In a large mixing bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. 
• 3. Add salt, baking soda, flour, and oats, mixing until combined.
• 4. Press half the dough onto the bottom of the 8x8 pan. Bake for 8 minutes.
• 5. While bars bake, melt caramel and cream together in the microwave. Nuke in 30 second increments, stirring in between until mixed and melted. 
• 6. Top the warm bottom layer of the bars with both chocolate chips and toffee bits, followed by warm caramel sauce.
• 7. Place dollops of remaining dough on top, not worrying about it spreading evenly over the top.

  

  
  
• 8. Bake an additional 15-17 minutes, or until the edges are a golden brown and the caramel is bubbling. Remove from oven and sprinkle with flaked salt.  (I found that mine took a bit longer to bake.)

Notes:

• I prefer to make these a few hours in advance so that they can completely set up before cutting. 
  I have doubled this recipe many times and baked it in a 9x13 pan instead.   If you choose to double the recipe, add 2-3 minutes to each part of the baking.
  *www.thesaltedsweets.com

White Chocolate Oreo Rice Krispies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup salted butter
• 2, 10 oz. bags mini marshmallows
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 8 cups Rice Krispies
• 20 Oreos, roughly chopped (about 2 cups)

• ½ cup white chocolate chips
• 8 Oreos, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)

Directions:

1. Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper. Lightly mist with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.  In a large pot, melt your butter. Once melted, continually stir until the butter just begins to brown. The butter should foam up and begin to give off a nutty aroma with an amber hue. Immediately remove from heat so the butter does not burn.

2. Immediately stir in the vanilla extract. The hot mixture will bubble up, so continue to stir an additional thirty seconds until the sizzling subsides. Add in salt.

3. Add in one bag of marshmallows and mix until almost completely melted before adding the second bag. Stir until all of the marshmallows are entirely combined and melted.  Add in the Rice Krispies, 2 cups at a time, and lightly stir until combined. Continue to add the Rice Krispies until everything is evenly combined. Add in 2 cups of roughly chopped Oreos and use a spatula to fold in until combined.

4. Pour the mixture into the 9×13 pan. Lightly wet your hands and gently push into the pan to the edges. You don't want to crush it, so be gentle but firm enough to press it into the pan.

5. To make the drizzle, add ½ cup white chocolate chips to a heat proof bowl. Microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring with a clean metal spoon in between, and repeat until completely melted. Drizzle white chocolate onto the treats. Immediately sprinkle 1 cup of Oreos on top, cut, and enjoy!

*www.mymessykitchen.com

Croissant Breakfast Casserole

(For a smaller crowd, halve the recipe.)

Ingredients:

8 croissants

8 strips bacon, chopped (I used precooked.  I air fried at 350 degrees for 5 minutes, cooled, then chopped.)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small yellow onion, finely diced

1 red bell pepper, finely diced

10 eggs

4 cups milk

2 cups shredded cheese of choice (gruyere, cheddar, jack)

1.5 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

green onion, chopped (for garnish)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut croissants in half and place open side face up. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden. Set aside.
2. Cook bacon according to package. Set cooked bacon aside. Once cooled, chop into bite-sized pieces.
3. In a small sauce pan, heat olive oil.  Add diced onion and diced pepper and cook until softened and onions are translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Set aside to cool.
4. In a large bowl, whisk eggs. Add in milk and whisk until well combined. Mix in 1 cup shredded cheese of choice, cheese, salt, and pepper.
5. In a greased 9×13 dish, rip/chop croissants into bite size pieces and scatter in bottom of dish. Scatter bacon evenly on top.
6. Add the cooled peppers and onions to the egg mixture and stir until combined, then pour egg mixture over croissant mixture, and press down croissants until they are covered by the egg mixture.
7. Cover with aluminum foil and let sit 8 hours or overnight.
8. When ready to bake, heat oven to 350F. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheese on top of casserole and bake for 45 minutes. If desired, scatter top with green onions. Let cool 15 minutes before serving.

*www.erinliveswhole.com

One Pot Chicken Pot Pie Orzo

Ingredients: (These have been slightly modified from original recipe.)

2 tablespoons salted butter (If you use unsalted butter, just be prepared to salt veggies a tad more.)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (I used frozen Dorot cubes.)

1 cup carrots, shredded or finely chopped

1 cup celery, finely chopped

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup uncooked orzo

2 cups chicken broth/stock

1 cup rotisserie chicken, roughly chopped or shredded

1 cup milk (I used 2%.)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Over medium heat, add butter and olive oil to a heavy-bottomed pan.  Once hot, add onion, carrots, celery, and a generous pinch of salt.  Cook for 4-5 minutes.

2. Add garlic, frozen peas, thyme, and another pinch of salt.  Cook down for another few minutes or until the garlic is fragrant and veggies are warmed through.

3. Add uncooked orzo and broth/stock and stir.  Once simmering, cover and let cook (on low heat) for about 6 minutes.

4. Remove lid and add chicken and milk; stir once more.  Cover and cook for 4 minutes more or until the pasta is al dente.

5. The dish will still look a little liquidy.  Simply remove the lid and allow to cook for a few more minutes to allow the liquid to evaporate.

6. Stir in Parmesan.  With time, the pasta will soak up the liquid and dish will thicken.  Finish with salt and pepper to taste.

*www.grilledcheesesocial.com

Buckeye Brownie Cookies

 Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

filling:

• 1 cup peanut butter (Jif or Skippy work best!)
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

topping:

• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. First, make the cookies. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Set aside.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter and brown sugar and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
3. Use a silicone spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add in the egg and vanilla. Beat on medium-high until mixture is fluffy and pale in color, about 2 minutes.
4. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl, then add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt and beat on low speed until just combined and no streaks of flour remain.
5. Use a 2 ounce cookie scoop to portion out equal amounts of dough. Place on the prepared baking sheets, spacing the dough 2 inches apart. Bake until the cookies have puffed up and are set and firm around the edges but still somewhat soft in the middle, 11 to 12 minutes. As soon as they come out of the oven, take the cookie scoop and press the round side of it into the cookies, making an indentation in the center of each cookie. This will create a little cradle for you to put the peanut butter filling in! Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
6. Once the cookies have cooled, make the peanut butter filling. Combine the peanut butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl and mix to combine. The mixture will be thick! Scoop out about 1 1/2 tablespoons of peanut butter onto each cookie, gently patting it into rounded disc into the indentation.
7. Next make the chocolate topping. Place the cream in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until the cream is hot to the touch but not boiling, 30 to 45 seconds depending on the strength of your microwave. Add the chocolate chips to the cream and let sit for 1 minute, then use a fork to stir the mixture together until smooth and glossy.
8. Use a small offset spatula or a spoon to top each cookie with about a tablespoon of ganache, spreading it in evenly over the peanut butter filling. Let the ganache set completely, about 30 minutes before serving! Enjoy!

*www.bromabakery.com

Easy, Cheesy, Ramen!

 

Ingredients:

3 packets instant ramen noodles (chicken or beef)

1 packet of ramen flavoring (discard the other two)

1 cup reserved pasta water (just for safe keeping)

3/4 cup milk (2% preferred, but any will work)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon butter

1/4 cup cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon grated parmesan

3 tablespoons chopped green onions or chives, optional

Directions:

• Boil 6 cups of water for the ramen and cook according to the package.  Keep one flavor packet to the side, and discard the others. 
• Once the ramen noodles are al dente, keep one cup of pasta water to the side, and drain the rest of the water. Set the noodles aside. 
• In the same pot the ramen was boiled in, place on low heat on the stove. Add the butter and gently melt it, add in the milk, and shredded cheese. Next, add in the garlic powder and the ramen flavor packet. Keeping the heat on low, continuously stir the mix until it's smooth. 
• Add the cooked ramen noodles to the cheesy mix, and gently fold the noodles in to ensure it's evenly coated. If you need to thin the sauce, use the reserved pasta water as needed (optional). Serve the ramen warm and garnish with the green onions and parmesan. 
  
  *www.sailorbailey.com

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

• Ingredients:
• 
  
• 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, melted + slightly cooled
• 1/4 cup (50g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 6 Tablespoons (86g) pumpkin puree (see note)*
• 1.5 cups (188g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 cup (90g) semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus a few extra for the tops
• 
  
• 
  
• Directions:
• 
  
• Whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together in a medium bowl until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the vanilla and blotted pumpkin (see note below for details) until smooth. Set aside.
• 
  
• Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together in a large bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will be very soft. Fold in 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. The chips may not stick to the dough because of the melted butter, but do your best to combine.
• 
  
• Cover the dough and chill for 30 minutes or up to 3 days. Chilling the dough is imperative for this recipe.
• 
  
• Remove dough from the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
• 
  
• Scoop the dough, about 1.5 tablespoons of dough per cookie, and roll each into balls. Arrange cookie dough balls 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Using the back of a spoon or the bottom of a cup/measuring cup, slightly flatten the tops of the dough balls. (Without doing so, the cookies may not spread.)
• 
  
• Bake for 11-12 minutes or until the edges appear set. The cookies will look very soft in the center. Remove from the oven. If you find that your cookies didn’t spread much at all, flatten them out with the back of a spoon when you take them out of the oven. If desired, press a few chocolate chips into the tops of the warm cookies. This is only for looks.
• 
  
• Cool cookies on the baking sheets for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The longer the cookies cool, the even better they taste! The flavor gets stronger and the texture becomes chewier. I usually let them sit, uncovered, for several hours before serving. Chewiness and pumpkin flavor are even stronger on day two!
• 
  
• (Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to one week.)

1. Notes:
2. *Pumpkin: Squeeze as much of the moisture out of the pumpkin puree as you can before adding it to the cookie dough. I simply squeeze the puree with paper towels. See photo in the post for a visual. This will help produce a less cakey cookie. Less moisture is a good thing here! Measure 6 Tablespoons AFTER the pumpkin has been squeezed/blotted. Do not use pumpkin pie filling.
3. 
4. Chilled Dough: If you are chilling the pumpkin cookie dough for longer than 30 minutes, the cookie dough will likely have to sit on the counter at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before scooping/rolling because it will be quite cold and solid. The amount of time it needs to sit at room temperature depends on how long the dough has chilled. If I chill my cookie dough for around 24 hours, I let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
5. Make Ahead + Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Allow to come to room temperature, then continue with step 4. Baked cookies freeze well up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute; no need to thaw.
6. Bigger Batch: Cookie recipe can easily be doubled by doubling each ingredient. Chill the cookie dough for 45 minutes.

*www.sallysbakingaddiction.com