Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies

For those of you that know me well, you also know my love for carrot cake. I do not know what it is about this wonderful dessert but I am in love with it and couldn't resist making these when I found the recipe.

As I have stated in my prior blog, I am already in fall mode. When I made these cookies, my want and need for fall climbed even higher. The smells that come from this recipe will make your mouth water and your house smell of everything wonderful...cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg.

I have eaten four of these cookies in the last day and not only for mid day snacks.... for an early breakfast too!! These are sure to win over anyone and are easy to make! Have fun..

photo credit: Every Last Cookie

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups finely grated carrots, (about 3 large carrots)
1 cup raisins

Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Step One:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Step Two:
In a large mixing bowl, combine sugars and butter and mix on med/high for 3-4 mins. After combined, add eggs and vanilla. Beat on high until mixture becomes smooth.

Step Three:

Combine flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking powder and baking soda in a medium size mixing bowl. 

 Step Four:
Add flour to the butter mixture slowly, mix on med/low speed. Than add oats, carrots and raisins. Mix well. Place dough into the refrigerator for an hour to harden. 

Step Five:
While the dough is in the fridge, start making the cream cheese filling. Take the cream cheese and soften with a rubber spatula. Chop up the soften butter and mix with the cream cheese.

Step Six:
Add confectioners sugar and mix well. Next, add vanilla and finish mixing.

Step Seven:
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop dough and place onto baking sheets. Bake until golden and crispy, about 12-15 minutes.

Step Eight:
Let cookies cool by placing on a cooling rack for about 15 mins. Once cookies have completely cooled off, spread cream cheese onto one cookie and top with another cookie (like a sandwich). You have now made the most amazing dessert... ENJOY!!

Original Recipe:
http://everylastcookie.blogspot.com/2010/03/cookie-069-carrot-cake-sandwich-cookies.html

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I have gotten a little fall happy and I just can't help it. Sixty degree days feel like fall to me after the summer we have had! When I woke up the other day and I had to wear sweatpants and a sweatshirt to let the dog out, turn my A.C. off and snuggle up with a blanket to eat my breakfast, I knew it was time to make soup again!

One of Craig's favorite meals is Chicken Tortilla Soup. I thought I'd be a good girlfriend and attempt to make some. He doubted me all day by saying that he has only had one other person's homemade chicken tortilla soup, his mothers. You can about imagine the pressure I was under. Thank goodness for The Pioneer Woman, she saved my day with this awesome recipe and awarded me with a tying 1st place ribbon for best Chicken Tortilla Soup.

If you have never made a homemade soup before, please keep in mind that this is not a quick meal. You have to cut up all the veggies, pull apart the meat and sit around while the spices cook. Even though it is time consuming, it is incredibly easy and worth it!

photo credit: The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:

• 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts or one rotisserie chicken
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• (YOU CAN SUBSTITUTE A PACKAGE OF TACO SEASONING IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE INGREDIENTS IN BOLD)
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 cup Diced Onion
• 1/4 cup Diced Green Bell Pepper
• 1/2 cup Diced Yellow Bell Pepper
• 1/4 cup Diced Red Bell Pepper
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 can (10 Oz. Can) Rotel Tomatoes And Green Chilies
• 32 ounces, fluid Low Sodium Chicken Stock
• 3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
• 4 cups Hot Water
• 2 cans (15 Oz. Can) Black Beans, Drained
• 3 Tablespoons Cornmeal Or Masa
• 5 whole Corn Tortillas, Cut Into Uniform Strips Around 2 To 3 Inches
• _____
• FOR THE GARNISHES:
• Sour Cream
• Diced Avocado
• Diced Red Onion
• Salsa Or Pico De Gallo
• Grated Monterey Jack Cheese
• Cilantro

***If you are going to use chicken breasts, instead of rotisserie chicken, click on the website at the bottom of this post for the instructions about how to season and cook your meat. I do not have step by step directions for this process because I took the easy/cheap way out!***

Step One:

Chop up green, yellow and red peppers. I did not measure and just used 1/2 of a medium sized pepper. Also, chop up about 1/3 of the onion into small pieces. 

Step Two:

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat. Add peppers, onion, minced garlic and two tablespoons of spice mix (taco seasoning) to pan and begin the cooking process. 

 Step Two:
Pour rotel, tomato paste, 2 MORE tablespoons of taco seasoning/ spice mix, chicken stock, black beans, water and shredded chicken into pan and mix together.

Step Three:

Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for the next 45 mins uncovered.

Step Four:

Combine corn meal and a small amount of water in a bowl. Add to soup and stir. Let the soup cook for another 30 mins. You will see how thick the soup gets once the corn meal is added. Talk about magic!!

Step Five:

Let soup cool for about 15 mins. Ladle into bowls, top with preferred garnishments and ENJOY!

Original Recipe:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/01/chicken-tortilla-soup/

White Chocolate S'more Gooey Cake Bars (LONGEST NAME EVER!)

Has it really been almost a month since my last post!?!  I have been cooking and baking but I have also been crazy with life so I have not been updating! LUCKILY for you, I have some awesome new recipes that I know you will love.

I brought these bars to work and they were gone in about two seconds! They are super sweet and will help crave any sweet tooth! :) I do have a few pointers that I wish I would have known before making this recipe but since I am here to make the mistakes for you, consider yourself blessed and look for them below! Have fun baking....

Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix

1 large egg

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

4 1/2 full graham crackers

10 ounce bag white chocolate chips

2 cups mini marshmallows

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Step One: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line an 8×8 inch baking pan with tin foil.  Make sure to generously spray with cooking spray and that the foil goes all the way up and over the edges. This will make the cleaning process much easier!

Step Two: 

Place cake mix, butter and eggs into a large mixing bowl. With your hands, mix all the ingredients together. Once mixed, separate into two halves.

Step Three:

Press 1/2 the cake dough onto the bottom of the pan. It would have been easier for me to roll the dough out with a rolling pin and than apply to the bottom of the pan. Enjoy the tip. (Make sure if you are going to use a rolling pin that you flour the surface area)

Step Four:

Line the bottom of the pan with graham crackers. Once the bottom is completely covered, sprinkle chocolate chips and marshmallows on top.

Step Five:

Take the remaining cake dough and roll out flat. Place this on top of the marshmallows as good as you can. You can see in my picture that I did this step horribly! They always make it look sooooo easy! I am sure that yours will turn out much better because I did not roll mine out. I followed the website directions which were harder!! 

Step Six:

Drizzle the sweet and condense milk over the top of the bars and place in the oven for 25-33 mins. I would recommend covering the bars for the first 10-12 mins. I didn't do this and the marshmallows started to burn that were poking through the dough.

Step Seven:

I was so excited after pulling these out of the oven that I completely forgot to take more pictures! You will need to take a plastic knife and run it along the sides of the pan after about 15 mins of cooling. This will help make the bars easier to serve and cut down on the mess! Once cooled, cut into individual servings and ENJOY!! 

Original Recipe:

http://picky-palate.com/2011/07/25/white-chocolate-smores-gooey-cake-bars/

Chocolate-Coconut Bars

My life has been crazy lately so I must apologize for the lack of new updates/recipes! Since my time is short theses days I wanted a dessert that was quick and good! While "pinning" on Pintrest, I came across this recipe and knew I had to make it. Everyone was saying that it tastes like a Girl Scout Samoa cookie but homemade!! WHO WOULDN'T WANT TO MAKE THIS?!?!

This took me all of 15 mins to prep and about an hour total. SUPER EASY and SUPER GOOD!! Enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups finely ground cookies (12 ounces), such as graham crackers or chocolate wafers, or a combination
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup pecan pieces
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk (I used evaporated milk and it tasted just the same. If you do this though, sprinkle sugar on top of coconut before cooking.)
• 1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

STEP ONE:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and either spray pan with PAM or line with parchment paper. Smash graham crackers into fine pieces. (You can use either a food processor or a bowl and a glass cup. See below.) You will need 3 cups or about 2 packages of crackers.

STEP TWO:

Combine graham cracker, sugar and melted butter until well mixed! Spread onto your greased pan and press evenly across and up the sides.

STEP THREE:
Place crust into oven for a total of 8-10 mins. Rotate the pan half way through. Take out and let the pan cool for 10 mins on a metal cooling rack.

STEP FOUR: 

Sprinkle pecans and chocolate chips on top of crust. Next spread/ pour your condensed milk evenly across the top. Top with coconut and bake until coconut is golden. (About 10-15 mins) If you used evaporated milk, make sure to sprinkle sugar on top of the coconut before baking!

STEP FIVE:

Remove from oven, let cool for about 20 mins and serve!! 

Original Recipe:

http://www.marthastewart.com/313038/chocolate-coconut-bars#slide_17