Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Billionaire Bars

We had our first visitor this past weekend, thus we had an excuse to test out the new kitchen and bake our first of many treats to come! As I was searching for what to make this weekend I came across these and knew they would be perfect. J loooooves those little caramel candies, even though he claims they give him lock jaw but he could eat a whole bag. Last year we had them in our candy dish and whenever he came over he headed right to the candy dish.

We invited Emily to help us bake and let me tell you, dysfunctional at its finest. Getting used to a new kitchen is zero fun, we were on top of each other, couldn't find anything and it took three tries to get the chocolate on top right. I burnt it the first two times, go me.

These bars were so worth it. I'm surprised they made it until Friday for J. Actually, I'm surprised the cookie dough made it into the bars. We may or may not have snacked on it while we waited for the first two layers to set. I think there is three little squares left, needless to say they were quite the hit this weekend.

The recipe looks intimidating but its really not that bad, especially when you break up the processes between people. We kept ours in the fridge, but they are best when they are brought to room temperature before eating because everything is soft and gooey and YUM.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Billionaire Bars
source: Brown Eyed Baker


For the Shortbread:
Ingredients:
1/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour


Directions:
In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and salt and beat until combined. Add flour and mix until incorporated. The dough may be slightly crumbly. Firmly press into a lined (parchment paper) 8x8 square baking pan. Poke shallow holes into the surface with a fork. Bake 18 to 22 minutes at 350, or until the edges are lightly golden.


For the Caramel:
Ingredients:
7 ounces soft caramel candies (about 25), unwrapped
2 tablespoons heavy cream


Directions:
Place candies in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add the heavy cream and stir until completely melted. Pour the hot caramel over the shortbread crust and spread into an even layer. Refrigerate until set, 30 minutes to an hour.

For the Cookie Dough:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch of Salt
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips


Directions:
Combine the butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the heavy cream and vanilla; mix well. Add the flour and salt and mix on low speed until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread the cookie dough on top of the caramel layer. Refrigerate while you make the glaze.


For the Chocolate Glaze:
Ingredients:
4 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine chocolate and butter and microwave on 50% power in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until completely melted and smooth. Spread glaze over the cookie dough layer and chill until set, about 30 minutes.

Raspberry Mango Sangria

I have been in the car to Syracuse the past three days in a row. I am sick of that stupid thru way and the stupid 690 construction that causes bumper to bumper traffic. But I did get to ride in the moving truck yesterday, pretty nifty.

Yesterday was filled with moving furniture. A whole heck of a lot of furniture. And unpacking. Dear lord I would never like to pack or unpack again. It's consumed my life the past month. No more, please. I would have not been able to do any of this without my wonderous parents who both probably broke their backs yesterday and dealt with all my dictating their every move yesterday, thanks a whole lot!!

But, on a positive note the house is coming along and tomorrow two more friends come! This week is about to be crazy. Tomorrow I start my internship (!!) pending I don't get lost downtown, which is a very good possibility. When I come home from that, Mariah and Tay will be arriving shortly after!! Then Friday 913 is getting their first house guest, Jared's coming!! To say I'm excited for this week would be slightly an understatement.

Totally unrelated to any of this, is the recipe below. Other than the fact that I could go for a big glass right now, it's totally irrelevant. But so good. Goes down like water, I advise you to be careful.


Raspberry Mango Sangria
source: Everyday Food


Stir to combine and refrigerate 1 hour (or up to overnight):
1 mango, peeled and sliced length wise
1 cup raspberries
3 tablespoons raspberry liqueur
1 bottle (750 mL) rose wine

To serve:
add 4 cups of chilled Sprite and ice

excuse my poor pictures, we were on our way out the door to consume this goodness!

S'mores Cookie Bars

Tomorrow I'm moving into our house. Finally. I mean we only signed the lease like 10 months ago and have been waiting for this day for like ever. Today my mother and I went and got the keys and I fell back in love with the house we picked out so long ago. (To be completely honest all I remember from our initial visit is the walk in pantry. A highlight for Mariah and I, no more baking supplies in a Tupperware bin).

Naturally instead of packing I'm doing anything but. I have been a nomad since I moved back home, no sense in unpacking when I was just going to re pack it all up again in a few weeks. Thus, my belongings are everywhere. And my clothes? Well they are now spread across my bed waiting to be packed into a suitcase. Perhaps I'll do that, I would like to sleep at some point tonight.

Whenever I eat something S'mores-esq it brings me back to when It'ly came to America and we had a bon fire and introduced them to S'mores. To think someone doesn't know the goodness of how a S'mores tastes boggles my mind. But we fulfilled our civic duty and introduced the novelty we call S'mores to It'ly and all was well in the world.

S'mores Cookie Bars
source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups marshmallow topping (Fluff!)
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (or chunks in my case)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line a 9 x 13- inch pan with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhand on the 2 short sides. Grease the foil with cooking spray and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until light, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until well combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing until combined. Divide the dough in half. Press half into the bottom of the prepared pan until the dough is evenly flattened. Dollop the marshmallow topping on top of the cookie base and gently spread into an even layer. Sprinkle with chocolate chips on top.
3. Scatter the remaining dough over the top in clumps- you don't have to stress if you don't cover the top completely. Marshmallow and chocolate chips will peek through! Bake the bars until golden brown, about 30-32 minutes. Cool completely. Remove the bars from the pan and cut into bars.
4. Serve and enjoy!

Dinosaur BBQ Peanut Butter Pie

I got a little ambitious on Cinco de Mayo, figuring it'd be a cinch to whip up two pies and sangria in between a trip to Wegmans, our lunch outing to Alto Cinco in honor of the birthday girl and the million of other things that need to get done on any given Saturday.

Let me back up on how this peanut butter pie came to be, because anyone who knows me knows the closest relationship I have to peanut butter is when my father calls me peanut butter, ironically enough, it happens quite often. 

One Friday afternoon Jared and I took a nice little road trip home so he could meet my parents, bring a car load of belongings home, enjoy a home cooked meal and go to Moonlight. Obviously hitting up all the hot spots of Fairport (our kitchen and moons). Tay had requested a key lime pie for her birthday and my father and I have made Dinosaur's many times so I knew that was the recipe to use. As I'm thumbing through the Dinosaur book, J asks if the peanut butter pie recipe is in there, lo and behold it is. J and I run to Wegmans to grab some things for later that night and we come back and oh look, my mother printed out the recipe for it, looks like J was getting his peanut butter pie.

Thankfully, I had my trusty side kick E to help after lunch because I wasn't exactly looking forward to touching or smelling peanut butter for the next half hour. I'm probably one of the seldom few who hates the smell of peanut butter, I mean really, it's quite disgusting. But thanks to E's help and me sucking up the icky smell, J got his Dinosaur Peanut Butter Pie and was a happy, happy camper and all I made out with was itchy hands. Could have been much worse, I suppose.

(failure to take a nice picture, by the time we were ready to transport all the goodies for the evening to the boys we were a bit rushed and I just snapped a pic real quick)

Dinosaur BBQ Peanut Butter Pie
source: Dinosaur BBQ

Ingredients:
for the crust:
20 oreo sandwich cookies
3 tablespoons butter, melted
for the filling:
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups smooth peanut butter
1 cup confectioners' sugar
for the garnish(which naturally, I forgot):
1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Directions:
1. To make the crust, crumble cookies in a food processor then put them in a bowl with the melted butter. Press crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Chill while making the filling.
2. To make the filling, put the cream, vanilla, cream cheese, peanut butter and confectioners' sugar in a mixer bowl. Mix on low for 1 minute, until blended, then gradually increase the speed to high. Whip until light and fluffy, about 1 more minute.
3. Spoon the filling into the chilled pie shell. Even off the top and sprinkle with peanuts. Pop in the fridge and let chill until set, about 4 hours. Serve chilled, don't leave it out at room temperature for too long because it will soften too much!

Dinosaur BBQ Key Lime Pie and a Birthday

The end of the semester is without fail, always crazy. So much to do, so little time. Things get even crazier when there's a birthday the last real weekend everyone can go out, especially a 21st birthday! Tay was the first of us to turn 21, on cinco de mayo, none the less so that weekend was full of birthday celebrations starting Friday evening.

the birthday girl decked out in her birthday gear

Tay had requested a Key Lime Pie which was simple enough, naturally Mariah and I obliged. Everything was going great until we realize we don't own a pie pan, so half way through the process off I ran to Wegmans to get a pie pan..This little delay in the game caused us to forget half the ingredients in the crust..but like details..no one knows..until now. 

Dinosaur BBQ Key Lime Pie

source: Dinosaur BBQ

Ingredients:

for the crust:

About 18 graham crackers

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

5 tablespoons butter, melted

for the filling:

4 extra-large egg yolks, lightly beaten

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime zest

1/2 cup lime juice (3-4 limes)

the garnish:

Sweetened whipped cream

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. To make the crust, break the graham crackers into the bowl of a food processor and process until crumbs. Mix the crumbs, sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Pour on the butter and mix until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of an 8-inch pie pan. Set aside.

3. Make the filling by whisking together the yolks, condensed milk, zest and juice in a bowl. Pour the mixture into the crumb crust and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges and the center are just set.

4. Pull the pie out of the oven and cool to room temperature; then chill in the fridge. Slice into wedges and serve with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.

Crunchy Honey Chicken

My posts have been far and few between the month of May. This month has been one of the craziest months, I don't think if I had a day with nothing to do until today (minus Susie Sunshine hacking away at my teeth this morning at the dentist, lovely, really.)

Now I know you're probably all anticipating Italy in detail, but figuring I haven't even showed my parents pictures yet or gone in depth with them about my trip, I will catch up on all the recipes from May I've been withholding and then move on to Italy.

I usually planned out our meals for every week but I must admit towards the end of the year, menu planning and meals together became less and less as our lives became busier and busier. This meal is super easy and quick to make and a personal favorite. (Don't mind the bad picture..I was clearly in a rush to eat, per usual.....)



Crunchy Honey Chicken
source: How Sweet Eats

Ingredients:
1 pound chicken, thinly sliced
2 egg whites
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 cup broccoli florets
1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
3/4 cup sugar snap peas
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
salt and pepper, to taste

Serve with rice.


Directions:
1. Prepare and slice all vegetables.
2. In two separate bowls, add the egg whites (lightly beaten) and the cornstarch.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add veggies with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and saute for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add in soy sauce and garlic and stir until veggies are coated. Remove from skillet and set aside in a bowl.
4. Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces and season with salt and pepper. Heat the same skillet over medium-high heat and add remaining olive oil. Dip chicken in egg whites then dredge in cornstarch. Add to the skillet and let brown for 2-3 minutes, then flip.
5. Once chicken is cooked, add veggies back in the skillet. Add honey and thoroughly mix to combine. Taste and season with salt, pepper and additional honey or soy sauce, if needed. Serve over rice.

Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

Kinda sorta on a baking spree over here.

Since today was a test day, that meant no work tonight. T came over for so much needed girl time and we whipped up these bad boys. Lucky for her, the grahams needed a good smashing so she could get all her frustrations out.

I'm usually not really a big fan of cream cheese but like these are so good. And I'm a firm believer chocolate chunks make anything ten times better.

Hope the boys finished the cookies and cream bars I dropped off Sunday because their about to get another delivery!

Cooking Dough Cheesecake Bars
adapted from: My Baking Addiction


Ingredients:
For the Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons butter, melted


Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:
5 tablespoons butter, softened
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
1 cup chocolate chunks


For the Cheesecake Filling:
10 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla


Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325. Line an 8 inch square pan with tin foil then spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Mix the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture into the prepared pan and bake in oven for 6 minutes. Set aside.
3. Prepare the chocolate chip cookie dough by beating the butter, sugars, salt and vanilla with an electric mixture until smooth. Mix in the flour on low speed, just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment cream together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in egg and vanilla just until incorporated. Pour the cheesecake batter over the prepared crust. Form clumps of cookie dough and place on top the cheesecake batter. Flatten the clumps and distribute over the top. You will use all the dough and it should cover completely.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top feels dry and firm and the entire pan looks set if given a gentle shake.