Chocolate Almond Monster Cookies

I'm baaaackkk!  It's been a crazy, fun, adventure filled year; but I miss being able to share great recipes that I've come across.  So, I'm back....and hopefully for good. I've been wanting to return to blogland for some time now, but I have to admit that the thought holding me back was finding time to cook and take all of those pictures.  I've decided to streamline a bit and go back to one or two pictures per recipe.  I'm hoping it will take my self-imposed pressure off and give me more opportunity to share all the recipes I've been wanting to blog.

Because we're in full holiday swing, I thought I'd start back with some of my old and new favorite cookie recipes.  Monster cookies have always been a favorite in our house.  Our cookies are a tad off standard though; we don't add M&M's!  I know that sounds almost sacrilegious and I have to agree.  It seems my dear husband doesn't like M&M's in his cookies.  He did keep this to himself until after I said "I do" though, and it's probably a good thing.  The no M&M clause could have been a deal breaker. 

Instead, we add extra nuts and chocolate chips to ours.  I'd like to add in dried cherries or apricots as well.  I think it would add a nice tartness to counter the sweet.  You could also add chopped pretzels, coconut, or butterscotch chips.  Really, if you think about it, monster cookies are kind of like stir fry:  You can toss in whatever tidbits of goodness you have left and come out with something really tasty.  So go crazy and find your family's favorite combo.  Enjoy!!

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon corn syrup
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cup peanut butter
4 1/2 cups oats
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
3/4 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350.  In a large mixing bowl combine eggs, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and corn syrup.  Add melted butter and peanut butter and mix well to combine.  Stir in oats, flour, baking soda, and salt.  Finally add in chocolate chips and sliced almonds and stir well.  Give your dough about 15 minutes to rest.  For each cookie use about 1/4 cup dough and flatten a bit with your fingers on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. 

Coconut Crab Cakes

This delectable appetizer is a variation of an old Pampered Chef recipe.  Oh. My. Goodness.  I have to tell you...I'm not a big crab fan, but these are tasty little guys!  They've come to be one of the most requested appetizers in my house and for good reason.  They have a little kick to them thanks to the addition of the cayenne pepper, but it's balanced out by the sweetness of the coconut.  I cannot recommend these enough!  Even if you've never been good friends with crab, please try this out.  I think you'll find yourself pleasantly surprised!

Here's what you'll need to gather for these savory sensations: 

Crab, coconut, green onions, carrot, red pepper, ginger, garlic, a lemon (or lemon juice), mayonnaise, rice vinegar, an egg, bread crumbs, and cayenne pepper.

First, you'll want to toast your coconut.  You can do this in a pan on the stove, but I prefer to do mine in the microwave.

Place the coconut into a microwave proof container with a large bottom.  I find a pie plate works quite well.  Heat the coconut in the microwave on high for 1 minute.  Stir.  Continue at 30 second intervals until your coconut looks like this:

Beautiful, isn't it?  It may take 3-4 minutes, but keep on it for 30 second intervals.  Once it starts toasting, it can go from a beautiful light brown to a burnt mess quickly.

Next finely dice the red pepper, thinly slice the green peppers and shred the carrot.

I love nice, neat little piles of things I've cut.  I think I'm become compulsive in my old age.

Also give your crabmeat a chop.

I know what you're thinking.  No, this is not technically crab meat (gasp).  However, it is much cheaper than real crab meat, and in this recipe it's a perfectly acceptable substitute.  If you are dead set against ever allowing surimi (the technical name for the crab flavored pollock) to pass through your threshold, you can absolutely use whatever form of crab you most prefer and chop it into smithereens.  My family requests this quite often, so to avoid being put in the poor house via crab debts, I stick with the surimi.  Really, you'll be surprised at how you can't tell the difference.

When you've finished all of the slicing, dicing, and hacking, dig out your favorite mixing bowl.

Add in the crab, bell pepper, green onion, carrots, ginger, egg, garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, mayonnaise, and lemon juice.  Give it a good mix.

In a small bowl, mix together the bread crumbs and cayenne.

Add that to your crab mixture and combine well.

Now you're ready to scoop it out for baking.  I use a medium size scoop when I'm making this for my family for our "appetizer meals".  If I'm making this as an actually appetizer for a function, I tend to use my small scoop.  It will give you a nice two-bite crab cake, perfect for a holiday party.

Scoop the mixture out and onto the toasted coconut. 

Sprinkle the top of your crab scoop with a little more of the toasted coconut, then gently smoosh a bit with the back of a small spatula.

Using your spatula, carefully move the flattened ball from the coconut and onto the baking sheet. 

Continue with the rest of the crab mixture.  You can place these fairly close together on the baking sheet because they will not spread any more than they are now.

Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes until they are firm and a tad more golden.  You can eat this alone or dip them in a plum, mustard, or curry sauce for a more asian flavor.  Enjoy!

Coconut Crab Cakes

1 cup sweetened, flaked coconut, toasted

8 ounces crab meat (really, artificial works quite well!)

1 Tablespoon peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger

2-3 garlic cloves, pressed

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper

1/4 cup shredded carrot

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 cup mayonnaise,

1 egg

2 teaspoons rice vinegar

1/3 cup dry bread crumbs

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Toast coconut in microwave.  In a bowl combine crab, ginger, garlic, onion, red pepper, carrot, lemon juice, mayonnaise, egg and rice vinegar.  Mix well.  Combine bread crumbs and cayenne, then add to crab mixture.  Scoop mounds of crab mixture onto coconut.  Sprinkle with extra coconut.  Flatten cakes slightly with small spatula and carefully transfer to baking sheet.  Bake at 375 18-20 minutes until coconut is slightly browner than before.  Enjoy!

Flying Biscut Cafe Cookbook

Congratulations to #4, Diana Akiko!  You've won the Flying Cafe Cookbook.  Thanks for all of the comments, and stay tuned for some yummy appetizer recipes just in time for holiday parties. 

**Random drawing conducted at random.org. 

Blueberry Buckle...and a Giveaway!!

It's really looking like winter in the Pacific Northwest around here now.  The wind starts blowing; the rain starts spitting; the skies take on more shades of grey than I knew even existed.  It's on those days that I need a little pick me up; something that reminds me of the warm, lovely summer days that will come around again before I know it.  That's usually when I grab some of the berries we froze the past summer and find something warm and tasty to bake.

This time, it's blueberry buckle.  Blueberry buckle is kind of  a joke in my family; my husband loved it when he was little and when my sons were small, I'd have to make sure to buy extra jars of Gerber Blueberry Buckle baby food because I knew he would want to share.  I found this recipe for Blueberry Buckle in a great cookbook I'll tell you about at the end of this post.  My family took out a whole pan of this in no time, and has asked that it become a regular staple in our home.  It's really that yummy...and it uses ingredients you probably have hanging around your house already.

Here's the skinny on what you need:

Gather up flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, butter, egg, milk, lemon juice, and blueberries.

First toss your butter and sugar into your mixer bowl.

Give it a good beating to get it all creamed together.

Once that's well blended, throw your egg into the mix.

Whip it up until the mixture turns a light yellow and is nice and fluffy.

In another bowl, give your flour, baking powder and salt a quick mix.

Add the flour mix, milk, and lemon juice to the creamed mixture. 

Mix until well combined.

With your hands, gently fold in blueberries.

Spread batter into a greased 9x9 pan.

In the bowl you stirred your dry ingredients in, mix together the sugar, flour and cinnamon for the topping.

Using your fingers, cut in the butter until the mixture looks like crumbs.

Sprinkle the topping mixture over the batter to cover.


Pop this bad boy in the oven at 375 for about 45 minutes until it looks like this:

The smell.  Oh the smell.  The topping turns into a nice crispy cover for the warm, tender cake hiding underneath.  Perfection in a pan.

This is very much like a coffee cake and is so good in the morning with a nice cup of coffee or hot tea. It's also good as a mid afternoon snack with a tall glass of milk.  Reheated or cold, it really doesn't matter.  Just make this.

I got this recipe from The Flying Biscuit Cafe cookbook.  It's a well known and well loved restaurant in Atlanta serving way more than just biscuits and breakfast.  If I ever get to Atlanta, this will be the first place that I go to.

Because I think this cookbook is SO cool, and because I love that people actually read my blog occasionally in spite of my lapses between posts, I'm giving one of these cookbooks away.  You can keep it, give it to your mom/sister/secret pal, or donate it to your local library if you decide it's not your thing.  Either way, someone is bound to love this little gem.

To enter to win this cookbook (and let me just say that The Flying Biscuit Cafe doesn't know me from Adam...and may never know of my devotion to their cookbook until I actually make it to Atlanta someday) leave me a comment and tell me what YOUR favorite cookbook is.  Is it the classic Better Homes and Garden Red book?  Maybe Julia Child's fare is your taste.  Whatever it is, let me in on your secret so I can check it out too.  One can never see too many cookbooks!  If you don't have a favorite cookbook, just shout out your favorite thing to eat.  This contest will be open through Friday evening (December 10) at midnight P.S.T.  Winner will be posted on Saturday, December 11.  Tell your girlfriends/moms/dads/uncles/ex-boyfriend's cousins to get over here and enter the contest.  They'll thank you---and I will too...I LOVE getting new cookbook ideas!


Blueberry Buckle

For the buckle:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

For the Crumble:
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tablespoons butter

To make buckle:
Sift flour, baking powder and salt into bowl; set aside.  In another mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together.  Add the egg to butter mixture and whip until light and fluffy.  Add flour mixture, milk, and juice to the creamed mixture.  Use your hands to gently fold in blueberries.  Place in greased 9x9 pan.

To make crumble:
In a bowl, mix sugar, flour, and cinnamon together.  Cut in butter with hands until crumbly.  Sprinkle over batter.  Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minute.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pizza

When I was in the sixth grade, the mom of a classmate brought this in for a special snack one day.  (Yes, I grew up in a time when sixth graders weren't too cool for a "special snack".  Yay for us!)  Anyway, from the first bite, I became addicted and I've been making it ever since.  I'm pretty sure this is like cookie crack, so I feel compelled to share.

It's a super easy and quick recipe that calls for ingredients you probably have on hand already.  And while it won't impress the gourmet food connoisseurs in your life, the rest of your normal friends and family will thank you and bless your name. 

Here's what you need to gather up:

Sugar, brown sugar, butter, peanut butter, vanilla, egg, flour, chocolate chips, and mini marshmallows.

In a large bowl combine the sugar, brown sugar, butter, peanut butter, vanilla and egg.  You can use a mixer, but it's just as easy to grab your favorite wooden spoon and start stirring. 

Mix it up well to combine into a creamy mixture.

Add the flour and stir until combined.

Once it's all stirred up, dump it out onto your baking sheet.  I like to use my rectangular Pampered Chef stone, but you could also use a pizza pan.

Now comes the fun part.  Grab the nearest child and allow him to use his scrupulously clean hands to spread the dough out to the sides. 

If your pan doesn't have a rim, leave a little around the edges.  The cookie dough will spread and make a mess if you don't.

Stick that dough in an oven preheated to 375 and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Take it out of the oven and sprinkle on a layer of chocolate chips.  Try and get them to the edges and as evenly as possible.

Next add your layer marshmallows.

Pop it back in the oven for another 5 minutes to allow the marshmallows to get toasty.

Voila!  It's like smores meets peanut butter cookie.  Serve up with a big glass of milk and you will be in a cookie lovers paradise!  Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pizza

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

1 1/2 cups flour

2 cups mini marshmallows

1 (6 ounce) package chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.  In a large bowl combine sugar, brown sugar, butter, peanut butter, vanilla, and egg.  Add flour and mix well.  Press dough evenly over bottom of 12 to 14 inch pizza pan forming a ridge along the edge.  Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips and marshmallows.  Continue to bake for 5 minutes or until marshmallows are lightly browned.  Cool.  Cut into wedges and store in an airtight container.  Enjoy!

Apple Cheddar Turkey Meatballs

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my Canadian friends! :)

Although I'm not quite ready to roast the big bird yet, I felt like making a Thanksgiving-ish dinner in honor of Thanksgiving in Canada.  These meatballs were a perfect choice!

We've been making these for some time now...ever since I found them here at the Crockpot 365 site.  I confess I've yet to make them in the crockpot, but they come together and bake so quickly that I haven't felt the need to pull out the beast for them yet.

You really, really, really need to try these.  It's a super easy dish that appeals to kids and adults alike.  Pair it up with some dressing, green beans, and cranberry sauce and it's a mini Thanksgiving dinner!

Here's what you need to gather up:

Ground turkey, sharp cheddar, dried cranberries, green apple, an egg, garlic, salt, and pepper.

First give your cheese a grate.  While you're there, peel and grate the apple as well.

Next toss all of the ingredients in a large bowl.  (Seriously, it's that easy.)

Give it all a good mix.  I find that my hands work best, but you could try a large spatula if you have an aversion to playing with the raw meat.

Then scoop and shape it into meatballs.  Place on a greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 for about 15-20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 170 and no pink remains.

It's that simple and so tasty!  Try these sometimes when you feel like a Thanksgiving feaxt without all the work!


Apple Cheddar Turkey Meatballs

20 ounce package of ground turkey breast
1 green apple, peeled and shredded
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. minced garlic
3/4 cup sharp cheddar, shredded
1/2 cup dried cranberries

In a large bowl, mix ingredients together.  Scoop out and shape into meatballs.  Place on greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 170 and juices run clear.

Enjoy!!