the last couple weeks have been so busy i can't believe it has been almost a week and a half since i last posted. is there someone out there that can get me at least 8 more hours in a day? anyone? yea that is what i figured.
owning your own business is great - you can go to work in your pajamas, you don't have to pack a lunch and countless other things i love. the only hard part for me is being done with my day. there just doesn't seem to be a finite end to the day. there is always more work to do. by the time i have a moment to think about posting - all i want to do is go to bed.
enough complaining ...
these cookies were a highlight of the last couple weeks. i made them twice this month. yes - twice - and i am not ashamed to admit that.
they are amazing - quite possibly the greatest and most wonderful cookies i have ever baked. there is something for everyone. there is no flour so that makes "flour haters" happy. there are peanut butter chips and chunky peanut butter - but wait it gets better - there is chocolate too! there are oats for the "good for you" crowd and toffee bits because my honey loves toffee. these monster cookies are thick & chewy perfection. seriously - greatest cookies ever.
you must make them today. walk away from the computer - and go make them! you will thank me.
flourless monster cookies3 large eggs
1 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter - softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup peanut butter - chunk or smooth
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups old fashioned oats - not instant
1 1/2 cups of stuff*
* I used 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, 1/4 cup peanut butter chips & 1/4 cup toffee bits. The possibilities are endless.
I also sprinkle the tops of the cookies with fleur de sel before baking. You could also use flaked sea salt.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpats.
Cream butter, peanut butter and sugars together in mixer (about 3 minutes).
In a large bowl, toss oats, cinnamon and baking soda together.
Add eggs to butter & sugar mixture one at a time. Make sure the eggs are mixed in well. Add vanilla and salt. Mix to combine.
Add the oat mixture to the bowl and then slowly add the "stuff" and mix until it is incorporated. No need to worry about over-mixing because there is no flour.
Using a small ice cream scoop or spoon, scoop the cookie dough onto the lined baking sheets. Space them about two inches apart. Flatten the tops a bit with the bottom of a glass. Sprinkle with fleur de sel if you wish.
Bake for 10 minutes - turning halfway through the baking time. Cool on a rack but sneak at least one while they are warm.
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these carrot cake cookies almost converted me from a pumpkin lover to a
carrot cake lover. yes, they are that good. the cookie itself is soft
and moist - yet strong enough to hold up as a sandwich cookie. i added
more spice to the mix because that is how i roll. i think it is a major
improvement over the original recipe. i usually could leave the frosting
out of the equation but in this case - the frosting makes these
cookies. the cookie itself is not very sweet and the creamy sweetness of
the cream cheese frosting balances out the cookie with the perfect
amount of sweetness to compliment the spices in the cookie. these carrot
cake cookies would be the perfect picnic or backyard barbecue dessert. 
i love the idea of using rice krispies in a cookie. i have adapted the
recipe a bit by adding toffee and cinnamon but i think the rice krispies
are what make them special. the cookie itself is crisp but the middle
is still chewy. the toffee melts the perfect amount to be chewy but
still hold that toffee texture i love. ever since i made 
these cookies are INCREDIBLE! i am not exaggerating - they are
perfection. the crispy cookie and the white chocolate would be amazing
on their own but the addition of the sea salt - oh my! the salty crunch
on top makes these cookies one of the best i have ever made.Session dataSession data 
these peanut butter and jelly bars fit the bill perfectly. not only are
they simple to make - you can easily double the recipe for a large
crowd. i need my peanut butter to be chunky - the smooth stuff just
doesn't feel like peanut butter to me - so i substituted chunky for
smooth. any kind of berry jam will work great and for those of you
grape jelly fans - that would work as well. i added a bit on honey to
the batter and honey roasted peanuts to the top because i think peanut
butter and honey are naturals together. 
the mixed apple pie was probably one of my favorite pies i have
made because each apple was so different - different flavor and
texture. they combined perfectly. the all butter pastry crust was flaky
and i had a lot of fun making up the top crust. i have done lattice - i
have done full crust - i have done crumble topping. i wanted something
special this time. i took the top crust and cut out circles with a
biscuit cutter and overlapped the circles. it looked like a flower. i
will be using that one again - it makes a traditional pie new again. 
this cake met every expectation i had and then some. i used a different
recipe for the cake because i have one i love and the baked recipe makes
a three layer cake which i thought was overkill. i made everything else
from the baked recipe. this was not an easy cake for me to make as i
seem to be cursed when it comes to caramel but it was worth all the
effort. the balance of the sweet & salty flavors is perfection. the
cake itself is pure decadence but with fleur de sel and caramel it puts
it into a whole other world.
i get why people love these brownies and i am sure they are equally
fabulous on their own but i am telling you they are a little slice of
heaven when marbled with a cream cheese swirl. i upped the amount of
espresso powder and decreased the sugar by a bit because i do that in
most recipes. both adaptations worked really well and i think they
enhanced the deep chocolate flavor in these brownies. 
