NUTELLA cookies....need I say more??

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1-1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 2/3 cup Nutella
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Mix together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and set aside.
2. Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in Nutella and vanilla extract. Add in egg and mix until combined.
3. Add flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. *Optional step: Chill dough for 1/2-1 hour. (It can make a big difference in the cookies)
5. Drop tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes until the edges look set. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then carefully remove to cooling racks. ENJOY! 

Frosting

Two delicious frosting recipes I thought REALLY needed to be shared:
Ice Cream Frosting

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter, softened
4 oz, cream cheese, softened
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup vanilla ice cream
2-4 tbsp milk*
5-1/2 cups confectioners sugar
Directions:

Allow 1/4 cup of ice cream to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Beat butter and cream cheese with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and mix to combine. Gradually add powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Mix in ice cream and gradually add milk until you reach your desired consistency.

*I didn’t measure the amount of milk I used, but this is probably close. Just remember to use a tiny bit at a time

Peanut Butter Frosting

(Enough to frost 24 cupcakes or 12 jumbo cupcakes)

-1/3 cup smooth natural peanut butter

-3 cups powdered sugar

-1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

-1/4 cup milk (plus more to achieve desired consistency)

Directions:

Blend peanut butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar until combined. Add milk and mix on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Continue to add milk until you get the desired consistency.

Bacon and Chicken

Sweet Chicken Bacon Wraps

http://www.othersideoffifty.com/2009/12/sweet-chicken-bacon-wraps.html

1 1/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 4 breasts)
1 pound sliced bacon
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 TBSP chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes. Cut each bacon slice into thirds. Wrap each chicken cube with bacon and secure with a wooden pick. Stir together brown sugar, chili powder and cayenne pepper, if using. Dredge wrapped chicken in mixture. Coat a rack and broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place chicken wrap on rack in broiler pan. Bake 350 for 30 to 35 minutes or until bacon is crisp.


TIPS: Do yourself a favor and line your pan with aluminum foil. It makes for much easier cleanup. Also, spray the baking rack thoroughly with cooking spray to help with the cleanup as well.

Outback Steakhouse's Sweet Brown Appetizer Bread

Outback Steakhouse Sweet Brown Bread

Ingredients

2 packages dry yest

1/2 cup warm water

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup warm water

1/2 cup dark molasses

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon oil

2 cups rye flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

shortening (to grease the pan)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 374 F degrees

2. Soften yeast in the 1/2 cup of warm water 

3. Stir sugar into yeast mixture and let stand until bubbles (about 6 minutes)

4. In large mixing bowl, mix together the yeast/water combo with another 1 cup of warm water. Add in the molasses, salt, oil and rye flour

5. Mix until it is a soft batter consistency

6. Slowly work in flour until the batter is a non sticky dough (it should be "estasticy"...)

7. Knead the dough for a few minutes

8. Set dough aside in a greased bowl to rise until it doubles its size

9. punch the dough down and shape into 2 loaves

10. place the loaves a few inches apart on a greased and cornmeal dusted cookie sheet (sprinkle a bit of the cornmeal on the top of each loaf too)

11. Let loaved rise again until doubled

12. Bake loaves at 375 F for about 30 minutes (until crust sounds hollow when tapped)

*tastes great when eaten with a honey butter spread....here's a quick recipe for it:

Honey Butter

3/4 cup butter

1/4 cup honey

mix them up and add brown sugar according to your taste preference! :) 

Panera Breakfast Souffle

St. Louis Panera Bread Co. 

Baked Egg Souffle

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Recipes/story?id=4310959&page=1

Ingredients

3 tablespoons frozen spinach, thawed
 3 tablespoons minced artichoke hearts
 2 teaspoons minced onion
 1 teaspoon minced red bell pepper
 5 eggs
 2 tablespoons milk
 2 tablespoons heavy cream
 ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
 ¼ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
 1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese
 ¼ teaspoon salt
 1 8-ounce tube Pillsbury Crescent butter flake dough
 melted butter
 ¼ cup shredded Asiago cheese

Directions:

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

 Combine spinach, artichoke hearts, onion, and red bell pepper in a small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of water, cover bowl with plastic wrap and poke a few holes in the plastic. Microwave on high for 3 minutes.

 Beat 4 eggs. Mix in milk, cream, cheddar cheese, Jack cheese, Parmesan, and salt. Stir in spinach, artichoke, onion, and bell pepper.

 Microwave egg mixture for 30 seconds on high, and then stir it. Do this 4 to 5 more times or until you have a very runny scrambled egg mixture. This process will tighten up the eggs enough so that the dough won't sink into the eggs when it's folded over.

 Unroll and separate the crescent dough into four rectangles. In other words, don't tear the dough along the perforations that make triangles. Instead, pinch the dough together along those diagonal perforations so that you have four rectangles. Use some flour on the dough and roll across the width of the rectangle with a rolling pin so that each piece of dough stretches out into a square that is approximately 6 inches by 6 inches.

 Brush melted butter inside four 4-inch baking dishes or ramekins. Line each ramekin with the dough, then spoon equal amounts of egg mixture into each ramekin. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of asiago cheese on top of the egg mixture in each ramekin, and then gently fold the dough over the mixture.

 Beat the last egg in a small bowl, then brush beaten egg over the top of the dough in each ramekin.

 Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until dough is brown. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes, then carefully remove the soufflés from each ramekin and serve hot.

Blueberry and lemon cupcakes

Blueberry and Lemon cupcakes

http://naturallyella.com/2010/02/15/blueberry-and-lemon-cupcakes-the-perfect-birthday-cake/

Vanilla Cupcakes

Recipe Type: Desserts

Author: Erin Alderson

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 35 mins

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• Lemon buttercream frosting:
• 1 cup butter
• 4 cup powdered sugar
• none zest from one lemon
• 2 tablespoon whipping cream
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• Blueberry Filling:
• 2 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoon corn starch

Instructions

1. To make blueberry filling, place blueberries in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Let heat until juice begin to extract from blueberries and fill the bottom of the pan. Stir frequently, add in sugar and cornstarch. The sauce will begin to thicken and if should be consistency of pudding (the sauce will thicken as it cools.) If the sauce is too thick before cooling, add a spoonful of sugar. Scrap into a separate bowl and set aside to cool.
2. Preheat oven to 350˚
3. In a small bowl, sift dry ingredients and set aside.
4. In a medium bowl (or a bowl of a stand mixer) combine butter and sugar, beat until light and fluffy- about 3 minutes. Add in egg and vanilla, continue to beat until incorporated. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients followed by half of the milk. Beat until just combined. Scrap down sides and repeat. Add remaining flour and mix until batter is combined- don\’t over mix.
5. Divide batter into 12 cupcakes and bake for 18-20 minutes or until cupcake springs back when pressed. Remove from pan and let cool.
6. Once cupcakes are cool, combine butter, powdered sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a bowl. Using a paddle attachment, beat frosting, adding enough of the whipping cream to achieve a spreadable consistency (you don\’t want the butter cream too soft or too firm.)
7. To fill the cupcakes, scoop filling into large piping bag with a coupler on the end. Cut an X into the cupcake and place the end of the coupler- squeeze until blueberry filling comes out of the top of the cupcake (cupcake will hold together as long as you don\’t over fill it!)
8. Swirl with frosting as desired!