May '10 Cookie Carnival Round Up!

Welcome to the Cookie Carnival's May Cookie Round Up!
(no, I'm not crazy...I know that it's June but I'm running behind again.)

Cookie Carnival members had a choice of making 1 or 2 cookies for May:

Martha Stewart's Outrageous Chocolate Cookies
and/or  
Berry Cream Cookie Snaps from Taste of Home.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

There was a fabulous turn out this month!

Please take a couple of minutes to check out everyone's goodies. Every one of them look delicious!

Katrina@BakingandBoys said "If you’re looking for an easy cookie that is super chocolaty, this could just be it."

Rebecca@Beurrista said "A special feature of The Cookie Carnival is that one needs to bake just once a month, and only if one wishes! A low-key and no pressure type of group is just my cup of tea."  - I'm glad you've chosen to bake with us, Rebecca! ~ Tami 

 
Carol@NoReasonNeeded didn't fair well with this cookie recipe. Hang in there, Carol! Better luck with June's cookie recipe! Be sure to read about her mishap...she's such a good sport!

Krista@IntheKitchenwithKrista made both cookies! Here's what she had to say.....

"These cookies are soft and chewy and chocolaty!"

"With strawberries in season right now, this is the perfect "seasonal" recipe for those of us who are Mid-Westerners."

Cristine@CookingwithCristine made both cookies, too! Here's what she had to say....

"The chocolate cookies definately are outrageous. I am glad I quartered the recipe (which yielded 4 cookies) because I would've definitely eaten the whole batch given the opportunity!"

"It looks more like a cannoli than a cookie! The cookie itself isn't very fancy... the inside is what gives it the most flavor. Inside the cookie is a delicious strawberry/cream cheese mixture."

Chaya@MySweetandSavory said "I am not sure the pictures will do justice to this cookie.  Look at the one, split in half and see the chocolate oozing out!"

Stephanie@ConfessionsofaCityEater said "The cookies just scream,"Eat me with milk!" - Welcome back to the Cookie Carnival, Stephanie! ~ Tami 

Juliana@HorneandoAlgo said "Can you imagine? Chocolate overflowing everywhere!" -Welcome back to the Cookie Carnival, Juliana! ~ Tami 

and my cookies.....

Tami@TamisKitchenTableTalk said "My daughter and I had a great time baking the chocolate cookies. In under 1 hour you can have warm, gooey super chocolaty cookies from start to finish!"

Adding in one more!

Hollly@Phe*Mom*enon said "If you are like me and love pretty much all types of brownies and have ever wondered what it would be like to have one with all your favorite aspects rolled in to one - this is your cookie."

Thank you! Thank you! to everyone who participated this month! 

If you aren't already a member of the Cookie Carnival, I would love for you to join us!!

 For more information on how to join in on the fun!


****Exciting News for Summer!***

Since many of us have kids who love to bake with us, I've decided to include a "kid friendly" recipe, along with a regular monthly cookie recipe, during the months of June, July and August! If you would like to include a picture of your child with their cookies, I will include it, too!

I realize that not everyone is celebrating summer vacation in their parts of the world like we are here in the US, but I hope that you will join in on the fun with us anyway!

Even if you're just a kid at heart, everyone is welcome to make one or both cookies each month!

Keep an eye out in your inbox....  June's cookie recipes are on the way!!


Happy Baking!

Tami

May '10 Cookie Carnival - Outrageous Chocolate Cookies

 Calling all chocolate lovers!!

Cookie Carnival members had a choice of making 1 or 2 cookies during May - Martha Stewart's Outrageous Chocolate Cookies and/or Berry Cream Cookie Snaps from Taste of Home.

My daughter and I had a great time baking the chocolate cookies. I taught her how to chop the chocolate and she had a blast using the hand mixer to mix up the cookie batter. This recipe comes together very quickly - in less than 10 minutes. In under 1 hour you can have warm, gooey super chocolately cookies from start to finish!

I've read several Cookie Carnival member's comments on these cookies and I agree that they are "brownie-like" in texture. Our cookies were firm on the outside (but not crispy) and then on the inside they were moist and filled with creamy chocolate bites...yum!!  I used a large cookie scoop and ended up with 15 large cookies. The next time I will definitely use a small scoop because just one of these cookies was enough to fulfill my sweet tooth. It was very rich -- (Gasp!) dare I say that it was almost too chocolatey?!? I bet that peanut butter, butterscotch or mint chips would make great subs for some of the chocolate chunks. I'm sure the kids would love M&Ms in there, too!

We give this recipe two thumbs up!

Outrageous Chocolate Cookies
by Martha Stewart

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chunks

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat chopped chocolate and butter in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second increments, stirring in between, until almost melted; do not overheat. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla on high speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; beat in melted chocolate. Mix in flour mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate chunks.
 
3. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough 2 to 3 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are shiny and crackly yet soft in centers, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on sheets 10 minutes; with a thin metal spatula, transfer to racks to cool completely.

**Notes**

Our cookies baked for 13 1/2 minutes per tray. Keep a close eye on them after 12 minutes to make sure that they don't burn.

I allowed the first tray of cookies to cool for almost 10 minutes but then I found that some of the cookies were hard to remove without breaking. I removed the cookies from the second tray after only 5 minutes and they came off of the tray with no problem.

I'd love for you to join us in the Cookie Carnival! 
Click here for more info. on how to join.


May's Cookie Carnival Roundup showcasing everyone's delicious work will be posted tomorrow! Be sure to stop back here to check it out!

Granola on a Stick

These granola bars can be cut into bars or molded onto "sticks" like I have done. Either way they are the perfect snack for your family's camping or hiking trip. They're a great accompaniment for a bonfire and a ghost story!

**Note** - Unless you have access to an oven while camping (in an RV or elsewhere) you will want to prepare these treats at home ahead of time.

What You Need:

1/2 C. Light Corn Syrup
1 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 C. Butter, Melted
2 Tsp Vanilla
3 C. Quick Cooking Oats
1 1/2 C. Fruit, Seed & Nut Trail Mix
3/4 Mini Chocolate Chips
Large Pretzel Rods

Additions might be: shredded coconut, M&Ms, marshmallows, etc

 What You Do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl mix corn syrup, brown sugar, butter and vanilla until well blended. Stir in oats. Add trail mix and chocolate chips. Stir in additional goodies 1/4 C. at a time, making sure that the mix is still sticky enough to mold around the sticks. Marshmallows are not recommended for the granola sticks but may be added if you are going to cut the granola into bars.

To Make Granola Sticks:

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Measure out 1/2 C. of granola and shape into a log. Starting from the bottom of the log, stick the pretzel into the granola, shaping it around the pretzel. Do not worry about the shape because you will be reshaping it after it bakes. Fill the baking sheet side by side with 5 granola pretzel rods. Make sure you leave ample room between each one. Bake for 14-15 minutes or until light brown. Do not panic when you see that the granola has melted away from the pretzel rod. Once the sticks have baked for the required time, removed the tray from the oven and working quickly with two knives simply mold and shape the granola back around the pretzel sticks. As the granola cools, it will harden around the pretzel stick.

This recipe makes about 10 granola sticks depending on how much granola mix you measure out for each pretzel rod.

 To Make Bars:

Lightly spray a 9x13 baking dish. Firmly press granola mixture into the pan. Bake for 15 - 18 minutes or until golden brown. It is very important to allow the bars to cool completely before cutting them with a sharp knife.

Cherry Delight Breakfast Cake

This cherry cake is great for breakfast or dessert. It will make a nice surprise breakfast for Mom on Mother's Day. Don't forget a cup of coffee or tea to go along with it.

Ingredients for Cake:
 
3 C. flour
1/4 C Sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 C. milk
1/2 C water
1/2 C butter
2 eggs
1- 21 oz can Cherry Pie Filling

Ingredients for Cake Glaze:
 
1/2 C confectioner's sugar
2-4 tsp milk


To Make Cake:

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, sugar & yeast and mix well. Heat 1/2 cup milk, water and butter until very warm and then add to flour mixture, along with eggs. Beat at low speed with hand mixer until all ingredients are wet; beat 3 minutes at medium speed. Stir in an additional 1 to 1 1/2 cup flour until a stiff batter forms. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and a towel. Let rise about 45 to 60 minutes or until doubled in size.

Grease a 13 x 9 pan. Stir batter; Pour 3/4 batter into pan and top with cherry filling. Spoon remaining batter by tablespoons over batter. Cover again and let rise until light, approximately 20 - 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover dough mixture. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.


Meanwhile make glaze:

Mix sugar and 2 tsp milk. Continue adding a little milk until a thick glaze consistency is created.

Drizzle over cake while it's still warm.


For different variations of this cake: try blueberry, apple or mixed berry pie filling in place of the cherry pie filling in this recipe.

Cookie Carnival - April Roundup!

I apologize for the long delay in posting the roundup again this month.

April's Cookie Carnival cookie recipe was Toasted Coconut and Orange Icebox Cookies from Aida Mollenkamp at the Food Network.

Check out these beauties:

Katrina @ Baking and Boys said "The cookies are definitely very orange flavored and had a great coconut chew to them.  The chocolate covered bites were better than the plain halves.  Overall a really good cookie!"

Cristine @ Cooking with Cristine loved these cookies plain, without dipping them in chocolate.

I want to welcome Krista @ In the Kitchen with Krista to the Cookie Carnival!  This is her first time participating with us! 

Chaya @ My Sweet and Savory decorated her cookies with colored sugars.

Amanda @ Amanda's Cookin' took the time to rewrite this recipe so that it was easier to understand. She said that her family loved the cookies!

Thanks, ladies, for another great round up! 

Your cookies look fabulous!


I hope to see you at the May round up.

Keep an eye on your inbox for the cookie recipe fojavascript:void(0)r May!  


For more info. on how YOU can join the Cookie Carnival, click here.  I'd love for you to join us! 


Happy Baking!
Tami