Dipped Chai Cookies (★ ★ ★ ★ ☆)

If this comes off as a love letter, then I apologize.

I'm going to try really, really hard to contain my enthusiasm.

"Once Upon A Time" is back!

Ahem, correction:

My weekly dose of Regina is back!!!

How I love thee, oh, tortured character.

I. am. obsessed.

Let me count the ways...

The fourteen hundred times you snarl, "Miss Swan."

Being forced to obey Mr. Gold's every whim. 

That fateful poisonous apple turnover.

Seeking "magic" therapy.

How can someone be so sinister, so sexy, and so sympathetic at the same time?!  

Oh,  and add smart, sharp, and witty as heck:

Sure she's killed a few people - ripped out a few hearts.

Cursed the purest, truest lovers from ever finding each other.

She may have even kicked a dog. 

But deep down I see the girl with crushed dreams:

The one who watched as her mother killed her true love.

The one who realized her only ally had been the cause of her greatest pain.

The one who adopted a son so she could "feel something."

The one willing to die to save a town so she could be remembered as a person, not a villain.

Gah! Sniff

Cue the waaaaahhhmbulance! And strike up those violins! 

That's a tragic tale if I ever heard one.  

I forgive you, Regina!

You made me lasagna, Regina?

Of course, I'll eat it, Regina!

Why is no one else eating the lasagna, Regina?

Did anyone else feel a tinge when her peace offering was scorned?

Sure it's awkward that the Evil Queen who was hell bent on making everyone miserable is now bringing food to a potluck,

           

        ...why that even came up in the writer's room will never make sense to me...

But come on! Forgive and forget!

Stop harping on the past, fairy tale people! Seriously. 

I guess they are just blinded to her awesomeness.  

Or their past experiences are too traumatic to move on from.

But I, for one, can't get enough.

Give me Regina.  I want Regina!

What petty argument is going to tip her new found resolve to be good?  

What incident is going to trigger another devastating memory from her past?

This is good TV, ya'll!

What better motivation is there to keep tuning in, week after week?

It's not the "high-budget" CGI - I can tell you that much. 

It's the "will she"/"won't she" suspense.  

Am I watching good Regina or bad Regina?

Poisoned apple/peace-offering apple?

Chocolate or spicy chai?

Oh wait...those are my cookies.  

While I definitely did not intend to bake in honor of a television character, after this weeks episode I knew where this post was headed.

Using my absurdly addicting dough from the Dirty Chai Cookies I made last year, I just broke it down to the basics.

The spicy tanginess of chai mixed with the comforting richness of chocolate.   

A cookie with an identity disorder.  

And a delicious one at that. 

Dipped Chai Cookies

• 1 Cup (2 Sticks) Butter, Room Temperature
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 2 Packets Instant Chai Latte Powder (1/3 cup) (I found mine at Whole Foods)
• 2 tsp Chai Tea
• 1 Egg
• 2 tsp Vanilla
• 2 Cups Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Preheat Oven to 375F

Bake for 9-11 Minutes

Makes Approx. 30 Cookies

1) Preheat oven to 375F. 
2) In a medium sized bowl, beat butter, sugar, chai latte powder, and chai tea (Just cut

    open the bag and measure) until fluffy.  For this recipe I didn't have enough chai latte powder so I 

    just added a bit more tea and sugar to compensate. 

3) Add vanilla and egg.  Beat until well mixed.

4) In a small bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt together.

5) Add flour mixture to sugar mixture a little bit at a time until thoroughly combined. 
6) Place rounded teaspoons of dough onto a greased baking sheet about 2 inches apart.

7) Bake for 9-11 minutes or until dry to the touch.  

8) After cookies have cooled, melt cup of chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 sec increments.  Stir 

    in-between to avoid over heating.

9) Dip each cookie halfway into the melted chocolate and place on parchment paper to set or store in 

    the refrigerator until chocolate is thoroughly hardened again (30 min to 1 hour).  Enjoy!

Because sometimes the answer is "both."

This post was featured:

     

Deep Dark Chocolate Cupcakes {Rebake} w/Whipped Mascarpone Frosting (★ ★ ★ ★ ☆)

Some things are just not meant to be brought back.

Like...
Dinner, Circa 1950.

Sure, it was the golden age of domesticity, but what the heck were those housewives making?!

Vegetable and meat jello?

I'll be taking a rain check, thank you.
Stick me in a cryogenic freezer and ship me back to the land of deep fried oreos!

Or...
Village People's Y.M.C.A.

I know it's your wedding, but please, let's keep this macho-cheeseball of a song where it belongs. 
In 1978.

And...

Overalls!

Guys, overalls are coming back!  They're coming back???????!

This. is. a. travesty.

Of course, I'm guilty of wearing a pair or two everyday in the 90's.

But I was a kid!

I didn't know any better.

What I thought was the perfect solution to hiding my awkward teenage body was actually a fashion conspiracy to keep me looking like a large, lumpy sack of denim.

Why?

Because Junior High is about pain, people.



The truth of the matter is:
Everything comes around.

Everything.

Whether it looks exactly like it did before, is not the question.
The fact is...it's back.

Thankfully, for every terrible idea there is an equally wonderful one begging to be rediscovered.

Like jean jackets,

All forms of hair braids,

even "Sexy."


Oh, and these cupcakes.



I made these way back in the dark ages of this blog when I had no idea what I was doing.

I still don't really know what I'm doing, but at least now I'm organized about it.

Progress, people!

But even then, when everything was a complete mess, I still stumbled upon an amazing chocolate cake recipe.

We're talking I'm lookin' no further.  I'm plantin' my roots.  And unless someone asks me to try out their recipe because they guarantee that it is better, this is the chocolate cake I will be serving from here to kingdom come.

It's my chocolate cake "go-to."

The only problem was I hadn't made it since then.

That's the food blogger dilemma.  You find something amazing, but you can't ever make it again because you are supposed to be making "new" recipes, trying "new" things.

Well, you know what?

I'm breaking the rules.

Because this cake is too good to be forgotten.

...and mascarpone cheese is so absolutely divine, I needed it again too.

But in true blogger fashion, I've tweaked it.  (Don't shut me down, Google!)

Today, it's whipped!

See?  I'm still fit to be in the kitchen.

----------
I can't really explain this cake to you, other than it has the perfect balance of moist and denseness.
It's not too heavy, not too dry.  It's amazing.

Also, this frosting is very "whipped creamy."  Light and fluffy.  If you want something more solid, cut the cream in half.  Next time, I am going to do this.
----------

Deep Dark Chocolate Cake
copied from A Bloggable Life

• 2 Cups of Sugar
• 1 3/4 Cups of Flour
• 3/4 Cup of Cocoa (Hershey's Special Dark, if you want this coloring)
• 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Salt
• 2 Large Eggs
• 1 Cup Milk
• 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 2 tsp Vanilla
• 1 Cup Boiling Water

Whipped Vanilla Mascarpone Frosting
adapted from Martha Stewart

• 8oz Mascarpone Cheese, Room Temperature
• 1 tsp Vanilla Paste (or Extract)
• 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar (more or less to taste)
• 2 Cups of Heavy Cream
• Stabilizer: Unflavored Gelatin/Cornstarch (I did not do this and my frosting did not hold for longer than 30 minutes)

Makes 24 Frosted Cupcakes
Preheat Oven to 375F Degrees then lower to 350F Degrees
Bake for 15-20 minutes
Needed Muffin Tin & Cupcake Liners



Cupcakes:

1) In a large bowl, add sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Stir until combined.

2) Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla.  Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed. 

3) Mix in boiling water until combined.  Batter will be very thin and runny.  (See bottom righthand

    picture.  The batter doesn't even stick to the beaters).

4) Line muffin tin with cupcake liners.
5) Carefully pour batter into cups about 3/4 full.  I used a measuring cup to do this since the batter
    was so runny and I still managed to make a mess. 
6) Place pan into 375F Degree oven.  After 7 minutes lower oven temperature to 350F for the
    remaining 8-13 minutes.  Cupcakes are done when toothpick inserted into the center comes out
    clean.
7) Allow cupcakes to cool completely in the muffin tin before removing.

Frosting:
1) Place a medium sized bowl in the freezer to chill.
2) In another bowl, mix mascarpone, sugar, and vanilla until well combined.

3) Take bowl out of the freezer and beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form. This will take a few
    minutes so be patient (make sure you start with clean beaters for this!) {Here is where you would
    add your stabilizer...otherwise use immediately}
4) Fold cheese mixture into whipped cream.  I found this very difficult and ended up mixing with the
    beater very carefully and quickly.  Keep chilled.
5) Frost cupcakes and enjoy!

Blog police, you'll never get my pearls!

Chocolate Covered Bacon (★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆)

Today's post is brought to you by some men.

Well it was inspired by some men anyway...it's still brought to you by me.  

But you'll like it because it involves chocolate.

Oh, and bacon.

Yes, BACON!!

This Sunday, my house was graced with some carnivorous fellows.  

Not only did they hand-make the largest beef patties I have ever seen, but one ambitious male...*cough*, er, my Brother...decided that his should be composed of, what looked to me, to be a quarter pound of bacon.  

Now that's some raw, pure bacon love. 

I didn't want to bake this week.  Since Thanksgiving, I've been hard pressed to find an ounce on my body that actually craves sugar anymore.   It's the holidays, am I supposed to crave something before I shove my face full?  Oh, ya.  That's right.  Whooops.  

I thought these burgers were impressive enough to merit a post, so I just paparazzi'd these poor guys to my hearts content.  

...But that was before the smell of sizzling bacon began to waft through the house.

...and that still, small, ever present voice whispered to me - "chooocoolaaattteee." 

And it was cinched. 

Various stages of joy.  Devouring at it's finest.

Ladies and Gentlemen - The Half Pounder.  My Muse.  

I don't know what it is about bacon.

But it's amazing, isn't it?

What other breakfast food is worth mutilating your foot on a George Foreman grill for?

What other crispy delight can merit an entire comedy segment that rings so true it brings tears to your eyes?

And what other meat could possibly be smothered in chocolate?

Nary a one, I tell you!

Chocolate Covered Bacon

• 1 Package (16 oz.) of Bacon
• 1 - 2 Cups of Chocolate Chips
• 1 - 2 Tbsp of Vegetable Oil
• Optional Decorations (Sprinkles, White Chocolate, Sea Salt, Slivered Almonds)

Makes Approx. 15 pieces
Needed: A tall, microwave-proof cup
Needed: Parchment or Wax Paper

How to cook delicious bacon:
1) Preheat oven to 400F Degrees
2) Lay bacon side by side in roasting pan (or pan with edges).  The less they touch the better (they start
    to meld to one another), but just try your best.  As you can see, I started lining the sides.  The bacon
    will shrivel as it cooks so I moved them around when more space developed.
3) After 12 minutes, flip the pieces over with a fork or some tongs.  Continue baking in 3-5 minute
    increments until pieces are crisp and beginning to brown.  You may need to remove some sooner and
    cook others longer.
4) Place pieces on a paper towel to soak up any excess oil.

How to dip bacon in chocolate:

1) Start with throughly cooled bacon.  In the tallest, skinniest, microwave-safe cup you can muster up, 

    microwave 1 - 2 cups of chocolate chips.  Start with 1 minute and increase in 30 second increments.  

    Stirring well between each heating.  

2) Add 1 Tbsp of Veggie Oil to melted chocolate chips.  This will help thin out the mixture.  If it is still  

     too thick you can add another Tbsp.  

3) Tilt the cup sideways and dip in bacon.  Flip over to cover both sides.  With your finger scrape off 

    the excess chocolate back into the cup and help fill in any spots that didn't get covered.

4) Place bacon strips on parchment paper to harden.  Sprinkle with decorations as desired, before 

    chocolate is fully set.  You can refrigerate to speed up the process.

---

I thought these were pretty good. The mixture of salty and sweet with an added crunch is actually not bad. And definitely worth trying especially since they are so easy to make and will cost you $3 a slice at any candy store.

Bacon.  

It's for men, women, and children.  

The uniter of us all.  

Coconut Macaroons (★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆)

Today you are witnessing a seasonal miracle.  

Not only because this post happened at all (anyone else feel like they've relocated to the mall this month?  Hey, at least it's rent free!), but because these cookies fixed themselves...overnight. 

You were about to read, yet another "fail" post.

You were going to hear less about cookies an more about my adorable sister.  (It's her bday!  And you are still going to hear about her...because she's awesome!)

You were about to suffer through my spiel on how I made the wrong decision in the whole "egg whites vs. sweetened condensed milk" debate.

But not anymore.

Because after many...MANY...last minute additions and "tweaks" to salvage a poorly composed recipe, these turned out pretty dang good.  

You may not even like coconut.

That's okay.  Because I don't either.

So don't think of these as "coconut."

I agree, coconut is yucky.

It's slightly foamy and has the texture of hair. 

But that's before it is toasted to crispy perfection and smothered in chocolate.

Trust me.  If I can be won over.

So can you.

My sister made these several years back because she is a Co. Co. Nut. Fa. Na. Tic.

And I tentatively tasted one out of sisterly duty.  

But man, oh man.  

Flavor-wise.  Texture-wise.  These were A++ in this coconut haters book. 

And this week, was my amazing sister's birthday.

She's the type of sister everyone should have.

She gets giddy over the same things.  Disneyland at Christmas?  25th Anniversary of Phantom of the Opera?

She shares the same curly hair.  Swapping war stories. 

And anytime there's an awesome song that begs to be sung in harmony, I know who to call.  Ah, back before Glee turned to crap, she took all the Lea Micheles and I tackled the Idina Menzels.

So maybe these things don't seem all that exciting to you, but just imagine having someone get you in all the weird ways nobody else does.  

Clearly, macaroons were in order. 

Only problem.  

We couldn't track down that original recipe anywhere. 

So began the long journey through research and trial and error.

In the end it came down to one pivotal question:

To use sweetened condensed milk or to use egg yolks?

After much deliberation, meditation, and constructing pro/con lists, I decided the promise of chewy cookies was too enticing and went the milk route. 

But then I found Paula Deen.

And she used both.

Like a boss.

But I don't know what the heck she was smokin' at the time of this recipe's inception, but something here was off...way off.

My first batch was basically cooked sweetened condensed milk.

Not what I was going for at all.

I want a mouthful of coconut, not gooey sticky sweetness.

To each batch, I added progressively more and more coconut...until I was completely out.

But by that time I had tasted so many of these that the last thing I ever wanted to taste again was one of my coconut macaroons.

I wrapped them up, went to bed, and hoped my sister's love for coconut was deep.

But then something amazing happened.

I am convinced I was visited by some Christmas Elves.  The same ones that came to help that old shoemaker.  Remember them?  Ya, we're like totally buds now.

Anywho.  The next day, I was prepping them for pictures when I decided to absentmindedly pop one in my mouth.  

Glory, Hallelujah!  

These were yummy!

The chocolate, the coconutty crunch, it was all there.

It don't know if it was elves,

Or time needed for the flavors to meld,

Or air needed to dry them out a little bit,

Or, you know, elves...

But it was a Christmas, Seasonal, Birthday, Extravaganza miracle.

-----

Below is my "adjusted" recipe.

Coconut Macaroons
adapted from Paula Deen: The Food Network

1 - 14 oz Bag (6 Cups) Flaked Coconut
1 - 14 oz Can (1 Cup) of Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp Salt
2 Egg Whites
1 1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar
2 Cups of Chocolate Chips
1 Cup of White Chocolate Chips
Sprinkles (optional)
Parchment Paper

Preheat Oven to 325F
Bake 12-16 Minutes
Makes Approx. 30 cookies

How to Tint Coconut:
1) In a ziploc bag, add about 7 drops of desired food coloring.
2) Seal bag and give a good shake.
3) Add coconut.  Seal.  Shake.
4) Add more color as needed.  If you are just doing one color, then you can do this right beforehand.
    However, if you want to do two colors then you need to do this leaving plenty of time for the
    coconut to dry thoroughly.  I'm thinking overnight.  Or else you'll get purple coconut
    macaroons...like me. :)

Cookies:
1) Preheat oven to 325F degrees
2) To speed up the egg white process (you will beat them still stiff), stick a medium sized bowl in the
    freezer.  The egg whites need to be cold when whipped so to start off with a cold bowl helps.
3) In the meantime, you can mix coconut, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and salt in another bowl.
    Stir until well coated.
4) Take bowl out of freezer and add egg whites.  Beat until they form stiff peaks.  It'll be a few minutes.
    Be patient. To test, press beaters into eggs and pull up.  They should be firm and not runny.
5) Fold egg whites into the coconut mixture, until just combined.

6) Drop teaspoon fulls of coconut batter onto a greased baking sheet about an inch apart. You may 

    need to form them a little with your hand after dropping on cooking sheet as they tend to spread.

7) Bake for 12-16 minutes, until the coconut on the outside starts to turn golden-brown.

8) Take cookies out of the oven, and let them sit for 1 minute before placing them on a cooking rack.

Chocolate Dip:

1) Start with cookies that are thoroughly cooled.

2) In a microwave safe bowl, heat chocolate chips in 30 second increments until melted.  Stir well 

    between each heating.

3) Dip the bottom of each cookie into the bowl, scrape off any excess with a spoon and place on 

    parchment paper to cool.

4) Melt white chocolate in a similar fashion.  Transfer to a ziploc bag and cut a small piece out of one of 

    the corners.  Drizzle the tops as desired.

5) These will cool and harden on their own, but to speed up the process you can place in the 

    refrigerator. 

6) If you are going to use sprinkles, use before chocolate dries.  You can sprinkle them over the top, or 

    dip the bottoms into them. 

And the biggest miracle is that I only ate three, before remembering these were someone's present.

Happy Birthday Sister!

-----

And A Very Merry Christmas to you all!!

Simple Peppermint Bark (★ ★ ★ ★ ☆)

Today I'd like to talk about experimentation and making assumptions.

Because apparently, I have a major problem with both.  

Apparently, I think I'm the Baking Queen of the Universe.  

And that everything that develops in my pretty little head is sure to emerge from the oven to the sound of an angel's chorus.

And apparently, I assumed I knew enough baking basics to be able to double up a batch of brownies by simply adjusting the temperature and time.

Apparently, I was wrong. 

Here are just some of the sad pictures I took of the "Peppermint Bark Brownies," I concocted this week.
1) The obligatory "ingredients" shot
2) The artsy "look at my cool photo skills" shot of crushed candy cane pieces
3) The anticipatory "pre-oven" shot
4) The "I'm-such-a-dork-for-taking-all-of-these-photos-and-seriously-having-no-reservations-about-
    baking-two-batches-of-brownies-in-one-pan-or-mixing-up-a-mint-cream-cheese-layer-that-was-
    suspiciously-watery" photo

Needless to say, they did not turn out.

Unless, you consider a rock hard burned "crust" layer, an overly browned "cream" layer, and a goopey, soupy center, a delectable treat.

That'd be like that Gilmore Girls episode where Luke brings Lorelai a batch of brownies that he accidentally dumped triple the amount of cocoa in because he knew only she possessed such a superhuman chocolate tolerance...that, and he wanted her to let his punk nephew study with her angelic daughter...oh, ya, and he was secretly in love with her.

Ya, just like that.
Only not at all.
I'm just obsessed with the Gilmore Girls.

And with Peppermint Bark.

So obsessed that when my original idea failed, I switched to the tried and true.  

Simple.  Easy.  Plain ole'.  Peppermint Bark.

And ate half the sheet by myself.  In two days.  

Simple Peppermint Bark
adapted from Savory Sweet Life

1 Cup Chocolate Chips
1/2 tsp Peppermint extract
1 Cup White Chocolate Chips
3 Candy Canes, crushed

Makes one small 7x11 pan (Double the recipe for a 9x13)
Parchment or wax paper for lining the pan
Approx. 40 Minutes Chill Time

 1) In a microwave safe bowl, heat 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips in 30 second increments.  Stir
     well between heatings.  You want them to be just melted, not boiling hot.
2) Add 1/2 tsp of peppermint extract, stir well.
3) Line pan with parchment paper and spread chocolate evenly into the bottom.
*Tip: You can spray a spatula with Cooking Spray to keep the chocolate from sticking.
Note: I did not line my pan with parchment paper.  I paid the price.  Assumption #348: "I can make
          simple peppermint bark without thoroughly reading through the recipe."  Getting peppermint
          bark out of a greased-only pan has a 76% success rate.  Get parchment paper, wax paper, I don't
          care!  Line. that. sucker.
4) Place in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

5) In a ziploc bag, crush candy canes into very small pieces.  A meat tenderizer works well.

6) Heat 1 cup of white chocolate chips in the same manner as before and spread on top of the slightly 

    hardened chocolate layer.  Spread quickly as the bottom layer will begin melting and mixing.  

7) Sprinkle crushed candy cane pieces across the top and lightly press down to make sure they get in 

    the chocolate.  Do this quickly.  You'd be surprised how soon some areas harden because the pan 

    is cold.

8) Place pan in the freezer until completely set.  At least 30 minutes.

9) Once set, take the parchment paper out of the pan and peel off of the bark.  Break into pieces using a 

    large knife.  

 Because before you can build a fire, you learn to light a match.

And before you make boxed brownies you...

Oh.  Wow.  

Blame it on the hah hah hah hah hah holidays?

Muddy Buddy Cookies (★ ★ ★ ★ ☆)

I’ve been a bad blogger mommy. 

(Yes, I’m a nurturer by nature and this blog is my baby.  And no, that’s not weird.)

Yesterday, I was stricken with a terrible disease.  I caught a case of the procrastinations. 

Gasp!

Actually, it’s something I’ve always dealt with, but I haven’t had an episode in so long that when it flared up again yesterday, I just didn’t know how to handle it. 

Granted, I was also nursing a pretty substantial migraine, but that had subsided by 10pm with the help of some Advil and cozy pajamies.  Sure, I could’ve gotten back to work, but by then I was so exhausted that all I wanted to do was watch Parenthood and bawl my eyes out. 

So I did.

And it was gooooood.

-----

I should really be writing these things at least by Tuesday night, but I thrive on pressure.  Every Wednesday night is like a thrilling cramming session.  Can I finish in an hour or will I be up till 2am like that one time I had absolutely nothing interesting to say? 

I know.  I know. I’m ca-RAy-Zay!

But today I let you down.  I know you just wake up every Thursday morning and think to yourselves, “Thursday’s are the worst.  It’s life’s last sick “ah ha” tease before the weekend finally comes to save me.  Well, at least I know I can read Nat’s blog.  That gets me through the day.  Makes me remember why I keep going on.”

I am a bad, bad person.  I’m devastated that I did that to any of you.

So here’s to faking myself out and pretending that my blog entries actually post on Wednesdays.

Just a side note. 

Today’s post is out-of-this-world delicious. 

Definitely worth the wait.  Promise. 

I am like a big kid. 

And frankly, I don’t think I’ll ever grow out of it.

I still get excited about going to Disneyland.  No, like, embarrassingly excited.  Like, Ride-Pirates-of-the-Caribbean-10-times excited.

I always bite the heads off of any cookie shaped like a living being before eating the rest.  If it’s a gingerbread man it’s even more methodical.  It goes: head, arm, leg, arm, leg.  Yes, I torture my holiday treats. 

I love eating way too much Kraft Mac and Cheese – from the blue box.  And now that I’m an “adult” I can eat a whole half of a box and my mom can’t stop me! 

I carry a teenybopper sized torch for Zac Efron and Justin Bieber.  Thank God, they grow older each year too so the creepiness factor doesn’t increase the older I get…it just stays the same!

I get giddy every time TSwift comes out with a new album, hanging out the dirty laundry of all of Hollywood’s hunks. Oh Jake, Jake, Jake.  She got you good this time.  Deciphering which song is about whom is to little girls what crosswords are to old people.

But you know what else floats my boat?  

Muddy Buddies.

Those peanut buttery...

                                      choc-o-chocolatey...

                                                                        cereal-y covered goodness.

Anytime I see them, I'm instantly taken back to my childhood.  My strongest memories?  That we hardly ever made them because the adults deemed them "too messy" and that even one small morsel would instantly send me into a state of ravenous hunger.  There was never enough. 

So when I saw recipes going around for a cookie version of these...

Well, they had me at "hello."

Only, I discovered some issues:

1) People were using either peanut butter cookie mix, from a package, or a recipe that called for flour.  
    Um, if we want legitimate peanut butter flavor, we definitely have to go flourless.

2) And none, get this, none called for Chex cereal.  I'm sorry, but isn't that like the main ingredient in 
     a Muddy Buddy?  I mean if we're talking ratios, Chex is pretty vital.

So I made them.  

And I made them right.  

And guess what?  They were fantastic.

Muddy Buddy Cookies

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies with Chex Cereal

• 1 Cup of Peanut Butter
• 1 Cup of Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 tsp of Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1 cup Rice Chex Cereal (or Wheat/Corn)
• Pinch of Salt for sprinkling

Coating

• 1 Cup Chocolate Chips
• 1/4 Cup of Butter
• Approx. 1 Cup Powdered Sugar

Preheat oven to 350F

Bake for 9 minutes

Makes approximately 32 small cookies

For the cookies:

1) In a large bowl mix together peanut butter, sugar, egg, baking soda and vanilla.  Beat until well 

    blended.  Mixture will be crumbly. 

*Tip: If you spray the measuring cup with olive oil/cooking spray before measuring anything really sticky or gooey...like, just for arguments sake, say, peanut butter...then you will find that most of it slides right out and clean up is a breeze.  That's what my measuring cup looked like right after plopping the PB out of it.  No spatula, no scraping.

2) Lightly crush the Chex cereal into the PB mixture.  I just used my hand.  Using a hand beater
    blend until well combined.

3) Carefully fashion small (think teaspoon sized) peanut butter balls and place about an inch apart on a
    greased baking sheet. Dough will be very crumbly so getting a tight wad of is a little
    laborious, but doable.  Also, remember to think small.  You are going to be dipping these and
    shaking them up in a bag.  I feel like "smaller" can take more abuse.

4) Press balls of dough lightly with a fork.  Cross and press again.  Sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake for 9
    minutes in the oven until cookies are slightly golden.

5) Let cookies cool thoroughly before proceeding.

For the coating:
6) Melt chocolate chips and butter in a microwave safe bowl.  Start with 30 seconds and then stir. Heat
    in 15 second increments until smooth and melted.

7) Place cookies lightly, one at a time, into the bowl of chocolate. Using spoons to maneuver the cookie
    flip it over and coat any exposed areas.

8) Scrape as much excess chocolate off as you can. It's a messy process so don't freak out if it's not  
    perfect.

9) In a ziploc bag (quart or gallon size) add about a 1/2 cup of powdered sugar.  Start loading up the
    bag with the chocolate coated cookies.  Fill the bag with as many cookies as will fit comfortably, but
    still have some room to move around.  Close bag and shake. Make sure each cookie is thoroughly
    coated in powdered sugar.  They will be easily manageable and not sticky if coated properly.  Add
    more powdered sugar to bag as needed.  Repeat until all cookies are finished.

10) Store any uneaten cookies (if there are any) in the fridge.

The Bestie begged me to make these again for her birthday.

Ya, that's not till next June.  Can we say clingy? 

That's how good they are. 

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And I've been meaning to post a picture of my super cool photo set up.  

So I present to you my homemade lightbox:
Bringing you awesome pictures from my counter.

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