{twd} Caramel Crunch Bars

This weeks Tuesday with Dorie recipe was Caramel Crunch Bars. Which sound {and look} fantastic.

But once you look at the recipe and see that it involves toffee.. then you know its heavenly.

I could have just ate the whole bag of toffee pieces and been fine. And I think I pretty much successfully did do that.

I made mine with coffee and a mix of bittersweet and milk chocolate. I think they were really good. Different than anything I have had before. The little amount of coffee/espresso added makes it a really rich flavor. And its a bonus that you dont have to actually make caramel to do these!



I also did the ice cream bars since thats what she had in the cookbook. I think they were good but I honestly think they were better without making them an ice cream bar. Perhaps if I make them again I will just eat them topped with a scoop of ice cream instead... and lots of extra toffee pieces for sure!

Note: this is posted a little late since our internet was down last night after I made them.

{twd} Devils Food White Out Cake

Its been a long time my friends since I have participated in Tuesdays with Dorie. Mostly because things kept getting hectic {I emailed dont worry} but also because we have been trying to eat healthier so I haven't been baking as much {which used to be 3-4 times a week}

So this week confessions of a city eater picked the cake on the cover of Dorie's book.

I knew right away there was no way I could make the whole cake since nobody would eat it.

So I cut the recipe way down and did cupcakes instead. {which broke my heart because I really wanted to make this cake just because its pretty & I knew the pictures would be nice!}

It worked pretty well.. The batter was easy enough.. especially since there wasn't much.

until I forgot that I was baking them!! Our timer is broken and so I went up stairs and didn't even think about it again until I smelt burning from downstairs! OOPS!

I guess that means Im going to just HAVE to make the entire cake next time. :)

*sorry Freeland threw them away before I could take a picture of them burnt.
*Recipe: From my home to yours pages 247-249

White Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter WheatThins

A new year.. and hopefully lots more new posts to share. Im crossing my fingers that I find time to sit down & do it.

So here is the most easy.. simple.. yummy.. snack ever. Its especially perfect for holiday parties or snacks when you have friends over. I took these to our Tacky Sweater Christmas Party. I had a lot going on that day and didn't have time to make too much so these were perfect. I love watching people try to figure out what they are too! You hear the most random guesses! To me they taste like Butterfingers candy bars. I feel like my mom always made these when we were growing up. Otherwise I have never had them before. But I love them.


Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Wheat Thins
Also known as a wheat thin sandwich on crack.

All you need is:
- 1 box of Wheat Thins
- Peanut butter
- 1 1/4 lbs. bark or white chocolate

Then all you do is:

Spread peanut butter fairly thick on Wheat Thins and cover with another Wheat Thin:

Melt small amount of chocolate on low heat so it doesn't get too hot (it runs off otherwise):

Drop the wheat thins into melted chocolate and then shake excess chocolate off (a fork works well to dip them):

Place on wax paper on a cookie sheet, set in refrigerator to set up faster:

And youre done!

Just like that. Enjoy.

{twd} Buttery Jam Cookies

This weeks Tuesday with Dorie recipe was chosen by Randomosity & the Girl. It was just another reason I was thankful I joined this group of people - never in my life would I have made these cookies! Ginger? Never thought about it. I see Martha put it in cookies - but I normally fast forward that part of the show because it just sounded strange.

So I made the cookies. When I originally read the title I thought they would be the little thumbprint cookies with jelly in the center. I love those cookies! Especially the PB&J ones! They are strange.. but I could eat 2 dozen by myself.

Anyway, Im happy to say I think they turned out great. Not too sweet.. not too ginger-y.. not too apricot-ish. Im making up those words but go with me. Others said theirs turned out hard, or didnt flatten out at all, etc. so I was uber-careful with the mixer not to over mix. (just like last week) and I also made sure to bake them for the minimum amount of time. And they are super soft and kind of cake-like in the end.

Freeland also enjoyed them. I made him guess what was in it. He guessed ginger right away - but he still ate a bunch of them. I plan on taking the rest to neighbors for Christmas.

*PS - I promise I cook way more than I actually post about it. Seems this month is just busier than I realized but eventually I will start sharing all those recipes I planned on doing when I started this blog. eventually...

{twd} Grandma's All-Occasion Sugar Cookies

This weeks Tuesday with Dorie Recipe was picked by Kuchenlatein (you can click "translate" to read the blog in english if you want to see the recipe) and I was SO excited that it was picked. I knew it was something we would actually eat and not end up throwing away.. & I LOVE making sugar cookies around Christmas!

I read through the comments & suggestions of the other people who had already made them and that helped a bunch because I read that some people thought they were a little too crispy.

Crispy Cookies + Brooke = not happy

Therefore I knew I had to be very careful to mix everything as quick as possible .. in an effort to not "over beat" or "over mix" the dough. I also knew that I needed to make the cookies as thick as possible when I rolled them out. Im not sure the science behind those methods and if they actually work or not. But in my head they do.

And this time they did! Because when I pulled the cookies out of the oven they were very soft and cake like. When I mixed everything in our mixer I literally only mixed each ingredient for 30 seconds. (IE: butter for 30 seconds.. add sugar and mix 30 more seconds.. add eggs.. 30 more seconds.. etc.) Then when I added the dry ingredients I only mixed it for a very short time and did the rest by hand with a spatula.

The dough was very crumbly at this point. I separated it into 2. Set out a sheet of parchment paper and folded the paper over so the dough was sandwiched between it .. then rolled out the dough between the sheets. This way while they were in the fridge - they were all ready rolled out and I didn't have to try to roll out the dough after it was hard. It worked perfectly.

this is how I rolled out my dough

The decorating will have to take place today though because I ran out of time {and decided to spend time with my husband instead} We both agreed they were a great recipe. But honestly, its hard to find one that beats Pillsbury Slice & Bake ones. I think they are still my favorite!

*To see the recipe check out page 146-147 in Dorie Greenspan's book or click the link above.

*once I decorate the cookies I will post more pictures

Our Thanksgiving Menu

First Annual Thanksgiving in Erie Menu

To include:

Turkey

Stuffing

Mashed Potatoes

Gravy

Sweet Potatoes

Spinach & Cheese Puff

Creamed Corn

Cranberry Sauce

Dinner Rolls

Pecan Pie

Pumpkin Pie

Ice Cream

And lots of other yummy baked snacks

& of course Wine

I cant wait. Its our first time to do Thanksgiving on our own. We conquered the grocery store on Tuesday. Now the prepping will begin. I will make sure to let you know how everything turns out - and of course I will post pictures. Stay Tuned. Happy Thanksgiving.

{twd} Twofer Pie

Photo credit : La Casserole Carree

This weeks Tuesday with Dorie recipe was the "Thanksgiving Twofer Pie" which means Two Pies for only the effort of one. Think half pumpkin & half pecan.

I wasnt sure what to do with it because we are doing Thanksgiving with some friends.. and she is making pie. So I knew if I made this there wasnt anyway that we could finish it ourselves. BUT I missed out on the last 2 weeks of TWD so I knew I needed to get my bottom in gear and start baking.

Sadly, my camera died while I was making this so I wasnt able to get any pictures. Thats why the picture above is from La Casserole Carree, who selected this weeks recipe. Her blog is very cute. Its in french, but you can click "translate" on the top right corner and read it in English. I loved reading through her blog.. and thought it was sweet of her to pick this for Thanksgiving even though she doesnt celebrate it herself!

So the pie was a challenge. I read the comments and felt like other people had so many questions. Mostly about freezing the pie to save it for Thursday.. but it made me a little nervous.

The pie turned out fine. Its not my favorite. But it was still good. Maybe Im picky when it comes to pie? Or maybe because a friend of mine also made a pie just like this last week and I was burnt out? Freeland enjoyed it. I used a deep dish pie pan and it seemed to work out just fine. I kept my eye on it the entire time it was baking so it wasnt under/over cooked.

And no matter what - add some whipped cream and its great! That helps with everything I think. If you want the recipe please check out Dorie Greenspans book or look over at Vibi's blog.

Off to get ready & start prepping for our Thanksgiving meal