On The Menu: Monster Cookie Bars

I originally made this recipe after craving some Monster Cookies (these cookies are serious good) but not wanting to spend the time waiting for cookie sheet after cookie sheet to come out of the oven. Maybe it is because of the fun, colorful M&Ms but these cookie bars are a real crowd-pleaser. They are dense, soft, chewy, and super rich. Plus, they are incredibly easy to make. I lost count of how many batches of these bars I made during the holidays to give away as gifts and everyone loved them.

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 cups oats (old fashion or quick cooking)
1 cup M&Ms (regular, mini, or peanut butter) plus a few more for the top
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F and line a 13x9-inch metal baking pan with greased parchment paper with a 2-inch overhang on each short side of the pan.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the sugar, brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the eggs to the bowl, one at a time, beating between each addition then add the the peanut butter, vanilla extract, baking soda and salt and mix until well combined.
4. Add the oats and mix just until combined. Stir in the M&Ms and chocolate chips.
5. Transfer the cookie dough into the prepared pan, pressing it into an even layer. Sprinkle a few extra M&Ms on top to make it pretty.
6. Bake for about 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
7. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cookie to cool in the pan.
8. Using the parchment paper overhang, lift the cookie out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Slice the cookie into 24 bars and serve.

via: recipe originally from here

Easter Treats

These are incredibly easy to make and children go crazy for them because they are so adorable. We made these for a group of children who then deemed us to be good "cookers."

Ingredients: Pretzel Sticks
Chick Peeps
Robin Eggs Candy
White Chocolate

Directions:
1. Set aside approximately 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips and melt the rest. 2. Prepare your peeps and robin eggs while your chocolate is melting. 3. Stir pretzels into the white chocolate. We used approximately 10 oz. of pretzels. Once the pretzels are coated use 2 forks to arrange pretzels on wax papers. 4. Melt the 1/2 cup of chips that had been set aside.
5. Dip the bottom of the peeps and eggs into the chocolate and then stick them onto the pretzels. We hope that everyone has an amazing Easter.

Sunny & Star

Milkshake Recipe

Earlier this week I did a post about ice cream, which has had me thinking about those tasty treats all week. I looked through one of my favorite cookbooks Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O'Connor and saw an amazing recipe for milkshakes! What better way to beat the heat than a nice cold drink. The recipe in this book is actually for New York Cheesecake Milkshakes.

Ingredients
1/2 cup Whole Milk
1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla
1-2 Pints Vanilla Ice Cream
2 Wedges (4-6ounces each) Plain Cheesecake

Note: We did not have any cheesecake on hand so we substituted chocolate syrup and peanut butter.

Directions
Combine the milk, vanilla, 1 pint of ice cream, and cheesecake in a blender. Puree until thick and smooth. If the mixture is too thin add a little more ice a spoonful at a time and blend until you get the desired consistency. Pour into a glass and serve.
So we mixed it up a little since we had no cheesecake. My friends wanted a chocolate milkshake so they added chocolate syrup instead of cheesecake. Remember the more syrup you add the stronger the chocolate taste.
I wanted a peanut butter milkshake so instead of cheesecake I added a couple tablespoons of peanut butter.
We all loved our milkshakes. They were so yummy. I think this recipe would work for any kind of milkshake you want just change the cheesecake to get the favor you want.

Star

Via: Blender