homemade girl scout do-si-dos party!

 
I was shocked to discover a recent Girl Scout poll that showed Samoas are America's favorite Girl Scout cookies, followed by Thin Mints and then Tag A Longs! Where is the love for MY favorite...Do-Si-Dos?!? When I saw that they were ranked #6, I couldn't believe it. What could be better than two peanut butter oatmeal cookies sandwiched with peanut butter frosting? Seriously, America? The lemon cookies ranked higher than Do-Si-Dos? That's crazy!

And I have THE cutest girl scouts in my neighborhood. Two adorable sisters who are dedicated to the Girl Scout mission & EXCELLENT cookie salesgirls. I think they sell around 3,000 boxes every year. We're always excited when they make the rounds to take our order.

Since I found out Do-Si-Dos are SO under-rated I decided to spread the love by making a homemade version and sharing it with you. This is my take & they are my new favorite cookies! I made them twice this weekend. The recipe is almost identical to my PB Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies MINUS the chocolate chips PLUS peanut butter frosting. GO Do-Si-Dos!

Do -Si-Dos
adapted from allrecipes.com
Click HERE to print recipe only

makes 2 dozen sandwich cookies

cookies:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup old fashioned or quick oats

frosting:
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream or milk

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and peanut butter. Add in sugar & brown sugar & mix. Add egg and vanilla and blend. Mix in flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in oats.

2. Lightly spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and drop cookie dough by tablespoon onto pan. I use my small Pampered Chef scoop to measure the cookie dough. You can flatten the cookies a bit before baking but I didn't because I like fat cookies.

3. Bake 8 minutes or until cookies are barely set & barely browned on the bottom. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes then remove to cooling rack.

4. For frosting: Cream butter & peanut butter. Mix in powdered sugar. Add whipping cream & beat until creamy. Spread the frosting between two cooled cookies. I used 1 cookie scoopful of frosting on each sandwiched cookie.

 5. Totally unnecessary but if you want to jazz them up you can roll the edges in mini chocolate chips, crushed peanuts, chocolate sprinkles or mini m&m's.

frosted peanut butter cookies and a giveaway party!

Are you a certified peanut butter lover like my husband? He lives in fear of running out of PEANUT BUTTER. He likes it EXTRA crunchy and he eats it everyday.  He seriously gets upset if he thinks someone has touched his peanut butter. Trust me, I wouldn’t dare even think of getting between him and his pb! My main grocery duty is keeping the man in peanut butter and I do it well.

These cookies make him very happy even though, believe it or not, the cookies don’t have any actual peanut butter in them.  They are bursting with Reese’s peanut butter chips, plus frosted with creamy homemade peanut butter frosting and sprinkled with chopped peanuts.

 I adapted the recipe from a YUMMY bakery in Bountiful, Utah called Cutler’s Cookies. They teach cookie classes occasionally and very generously share their recipes.  All of their cookies are SO delicious! Two cookie baking tips I learned from the owner of Cutler’s is 1. They ALWAYS use cake flour. It makes their cookies SUPER soft and light. 2. They scoop the cookie dough onto parchment paper and freeze the cookie dough balls so they are always ready to bake a fresh batch at a moment’s notice. If they run out of cookies in the bakery case they can have more ready to sell in about 15 minutes. This cookie dough freezes perfectly & if you have it in an airtight container it will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months.

If you ever get a chance to go to Cutler’s they have three locations in Davis County, Utah. Besides cookies, they have gourmet sandwiches, homemade bread and delicious soups.

Frosted Peanut Butter Cookies
click HERE to print recipe only

Cutler's Cookies

makes about 20 large cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs

3 ¼ cups cake flour

1 12 ounce bag Reese’s Peanut Butter chips

Peanut butter frosting, recipe below

Chopped peanuts or mini chocolate chips to garnish, if desired

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.    Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, salt, baking powder and baking soda until creamy.

3.    Add eggs and beat well.

4.     Mix in flour until just blended together. Stir in peanut butter chips.

5.    Using an ice cream scoop, drop on parchment-lined cookie sheet about 4 inches apart. They are large cookies so I only bake 6 at a time. 

     **Note: To freeze cookie dough to bake later: after scooping onto parchment lined cookie sheet and before baking, I stick the pan in the freezer for a few hours so they are individually frozen. Then I put the frozen cookie dough balls in a zip lock bag so I've got fresh cookies ready to pop in the oven at a moment's notice. Here is a batch going in the freezer to bake later.

6. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until set. I always slightly underbake my cookies because I like them soft & gooey. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes; remove to wire rack to cool completely.

      7. Spread peanut butter frosting on cooled cookies & sprinkle with chopped

           peanuts or mini chocolate chips, if desired.

 

 Peanut Butter Frosting

½  cup butter, softened

½ cup peanut butter

3 cups powdered sugar

1-2 tablespoons milk to thin for desired consistency

1.    Cream together butter and peanut butter.

2.    Beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until smooth.

3.    Add milk a tablespoon at a time, until frosting is smooth and creamy.

                                                        *GIVEAWAY*
AND...for those celebrating back to school or to cheer up those who aren't celebrating (like me), I'm giving away this SWEET handmade apron. My friend, Kim, made this and she is a VERY talented seamstress. The apron is ADORABLE! It is generously cut to fit all sizes; it's reversible with a deep pocket on both sides, has a cute ruffle at the bottom and coordinating ties at the neck and waist. Everyone is eligible for TWO entries, see directions below. Contest ends Saturday night, September 7 at midnight.

Contest is
OVER
26 total entries
And the winner is...
results powered by Random.org
Entry #9Lisa J.
THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR PLAYING! CONGRATS LISA J.! Enjoy your new apron! I'm emailing you now.

pumpkin chocolate chip cookies party!

If you like my pumpkin chocolate chip muffins you MUST try these cookies! This one is the recipe jackpot for pumpkin lovers!

The recipe is from Cutler's Cookies, a much loved sandwich shop & bakery in Utah. When I worked downtown Salt Lake City, Cutler's was my favorite place to eat lunch. 1/2 a turkey avocado sandwich on their homemade honey wheat bread & one of their famously SOFT cookies was such a treat! Cutler's very generously shared their recipe with A Bountiful Kitchen & Si shared it on her blog. Thanks to both of you! Cutler's moved their downtown location to Davis County so if you are ever in Bountiful, Centerville or Layton, UT stop by Cutler's, you'll be SO glad you did! I also love their chicken salad sandwich with cashews and sprouts!

Here is the secret to Cutler's SUPER SOFT cookies: They always use CAKE FLOUR. It has less gluten and less protein and creates a lighter texture than all-purpose flour.

 

Cake flour is sold in a box & can be found by the cake mixes or the baking supplies in your grocery store. I was skeptical that it would make a difference but wow, these cookies are so soft & light & yummy! I'm sure these would be great with all-purpose flour too but try cake flour if you can.

Cutler's Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
recipe from A Bountiful Kitchen

makes 36 large cookies-recipe can easily be halved

1 cup softened butter
3 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 cups pumpkin
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
5 cups CAKE flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together for about 2 minutes or until smooth. Add eggs, pumpkin, vanilla and spices. Continue beating for an 2 additional minutes.

3. Add flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda to the bowl & mix just until flour disappears and all ingredients are combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

4. Using a large cookie or ice cream scoop (mine holds 1/4 cup) place dough onto parchment lined baking sheets or lightly greased cookie sheets. These are large cookies. I only fit 6 cookies at a time on my cookie sheets 

 5. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Let cool completely on baking sheet before transferring to cooling rack.

P.S. The original recipe says to bake at 350 degrees but I needed to raise it to 375.

no-bake oatmeal cookies and cookbook talk party!

 
As much as I love the thousands of food blogs & online recipe sights, there is nothing like cracking open a new AMAZINGLY written, published & printed cookbook! I'm a cookbook junkie! I love to read them like novels, cover to cover. I also love my local library. They have a great selection of cookbooks, almost always have the newest releases & anything on the best sellers lists. I almost always have a cookbook on hold at the library & I currently have 4 cookbooks checked out, 1 overdue.

Baked Explorations by Matt Lewis & Renato Poliafito is one of my current favorites! The subtitle is "Classic American Desserts Reinvented", which is right up my alley. I LOVE Classic Desserts! What's more classic than peanut butter, chocolate & oats?

When I begin reading a new cookbook I get a piece of paper to use as a bookmark. As I read the book, I write down the recipes that I want to make. I gathered a long list from this book, which explains why it is past due.

The first recipe I made from this book is the classic No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies, page 185. I grew up on these & often came home from school to find a batch of them on the kitchen counter. My mom is THE expert on these sweet treats!

No-Bake Oatmeal Cookies
makes 48 cookies (recipe can be halved)

ingredients

1/2 cup whole milk (I used 1%)
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)
3 cups old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

directions

1. Line counter top area with waxed paper or parchment paper.

2. Cut the softened butter into 1/2 inch cubes.

3. In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stir together the milk, sugar, cocoa & butter until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved.

4. Bring mixture to a boil, stop stirring, and boil for a full 90 seconds. Don't overcook or cookies will be overly dry & crumbly.

 5. Remove from heat and add the peanut butter, oats & vanilla. Quickly stir until the mixture is combined.

6. Use a small scoop or a tablespoon to drop the no-bake cookies on to the waxed paper.  If you do this very quickly the cookies will spread a bit on the wax paper while the mixture is still hot, which most people prefer. I took my time, snapping a picture, so my cookies didn't spread since they set up very quickly. Allow to cool. Can be stored in tightly sealed container for 3 days.

 P.S. My mom sometimes did this & so do I: Make the exact recipe MINUS the cocoa powder for a yummy No-Bake PEANUT BUTTER cookie treat!

 Next on the list is this GORGEOUS Mississippi Mud Pie, page 156.

watermelon rice krispies treats party!

I feel very blessed to be part of the organization, Desserts for the Deserving. Desserts for the Deserving was established in 2011 with the sole purpose of bringing a little bit of sunshine to the lives of strangers. Bloggers, bakers & crafters offer their time and resources and are matched up with a family or individual who has been nominated for a random act of kindness.

The family I have been matched up with is Derrick & Ruth & their children. I know a batch of cookies will not ease the pain they are suffering from the very recent loss of their beautiful sweet baby. I have been praying for them since the day I received their nomination. I hope they know that people care about them & love them, even strangers.

Today I spent several hours thinking of Derrick & Ruth while I prepared cinnamon rolls, peanut butter-chocolate chip-oatmeal cookies (minus the m&ms) and these Rice Krispies treats! I packaged them up & shipped them off. I think these would brighten your day too! They are a snap to make & would be a fun no-bake treat for a Summer BBQ or kid's birthday party.

I saw these ADORABLE rice krispies treats from last year at Dine & Dish and couldn't wait to make them. Their recipe calls for strawberry flavored marshmallows and lime Kool-Aid but I just couldn't adulterate the scrumptious classic Rice Krispies Treats recipe. So I used food coloring to make my watermelon & rind.

Watermelon Shaped Rice Krispy Treats

ingredients

6 Tablespoons butter, divided in 2
6 cups mini marshmallows, divided in 2
8 cups Rice Krispies, divided in 2
Green & red food coloring
chocolate chips or raisins for "seeds"

1. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add 3 cups mini marshmallows & stir until melted. Remove from heat & stir in some green food coloring until its the color you want. I just poured a bit from the bottle. I didn't measure but it was probably about 1/2 teaspoon. Stir in 4 cups Rice Krispies until completely coated.

2. Scoop green Krispies mixture into a well buttered 9 inch round cake pan. Butter your hands or a spoon and press it around the outer edge of the cake pan to form a ring. Set aside. Wash your large saucepan so you can reuse it for the red.

3. Repeat step 1 except add red food coloring. At this point my teenager came in the kitchen & said, "Why in the world are you making a Christmas wreath in July?" I said, "You'll see."

4. Scoop red Krispies mixture into the center of the cake pan. Press to be level with the green outer ring.

5. After mixture completely cools place a few raisins or chocolate chips on top as seeds. Turn pan upside down to remove from pan. Slice into wedges & serve or put them on lollipop sticks & package for gifts! I cut mine into 8 large wedges but you could definitely cut it smaller. I promise no one will mistake them for Christmas wreaths!

peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookies with m&m's party!

Shown above with multi-colored m&m's! 

Shown below with school colors...GO Hawks!

This is a beloved recipe from our extended family cookbook we put together about 12 years ago. The recipe is an original from my mom. The peanut butter, chocolate chips & oatmeal combination is the golden key to cookie perfection! Thanks, Mom!

I like to add m&m's for a double dose of chocolate. You can definitely make these without the m&ms and they are just as yummy. I made these today in school colors for some awesome 2012 Alta High School graduates.

I like to make these cookies small, almost bite sized. They don't spread much and they are thick & chewy in the middle. I always slightly under bake my cookies because I like them soft with only a teensy crunch on the edges.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Oatmeal M&M Cookies
makes 90 small cookies

ingredients:

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup peanut butter (I use smooth, Mom uses chunky)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 oz. chocolate chips (I use mini, Mom uses mega)
1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional
1 cup m&m's, optional

directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter, peanut butter, sugar & brown sugar together. Add eggs and vanilla and blend. Mix in flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda & salt. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

2. Lightly spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and drop cookie dough by tablespoon onto pan. I use my small Pampered Chef scoop to measure the cookie dough.

3. Bake 5-6 minutes. (mine were perfect at 5 minutes) Remove cookie sheet from oven & press m&m's into the tops of the cookies. Place back in oven & bake an additional 2 minutes.

4. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes then remove to cooling rack.

Congratulations class of 2012!

Cookie tip: If you are making cookies & they go flat when baked and you don't want them to, your butter may be too soft. You can try adding an extra 1/4 cup of flour or refrigerate your cookie dough for about 45 minutes & between batches.