Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Posted by: Maggie

I have baked these cookies several times for coworkers before, but decided to whip up a batch tonight for my boyfriend who has yet to taste them. There's not much to say about these that the 2,487 glowing reviews on AllRecipes.com don't already say, but I will add that even the most die hard chocolate lovers tend to enjoy these. The only changes I made were to add an extra 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon (included in recipe below), and to chill the dough for about 20 minutes before attempting to roll into balls.

Make these as soon as possible if you know what's good for you (and bad for your jiggly thighs). All of the ingredients are pantry staples, so no excuses!

Side note: You'll notice that this recipe calls for shortening AND butter. Don't be one of those Crisco-haters and sub all butter. The shortening keeps the cookies soft for days, and probably won't clog your arteries til you're about 90 anyway!

What you'll need:

1/2 c salted butter, softened

1/2 c butter flavored shortening (aka Crisco)

1 c packed light brown sugar

1/2 c white sugar

2 eggs

1 t vanilla extract

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

1 t baking soda

1 1/2 t cinnamon

1/2 t ground cloves

1/2 t salt

3 c rolled oats

1 c raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream together butter, shortening, brown and white sugar, eggs, and vanilla.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and spices. Beat dry mixture into butter mixture until well blended.

Stir in oats and raisins, and chill for 20 minutes.

Roll dough into golf ball sized mounds, and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are just turning brown. Let cool on cookie sheet for several minutes or they will fall apart.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Fudge Brownies

Posted by: Maggie

Adapted from AllRecipes.com

The first time I made these brownies for coworkers a couple years ago, people were practically offering me their first born in exchange for the recipe. I politely declined, but passed along the recipe anyway.

I always made boxed brownie mixes before trying this recipe, and NEVER will again. These are the fudgiest, densest, most indulgent brownies I've ever tasted, and everyone who has tried them has raved. Best of all is that the ingredient list is incredibly simple, and comprised of ingredients you probably already have in your pantry and fridge.

These are dessert for New Years Eve dinner with my boyfriend tomorrow night, and I'm hoping I have the willpower to leave them alone until then!

Here's what you'll need:

1 cup salted butter, melted
1 1/2 c white sugar
1 1/2 c dark brown sugar
1 T vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t salt
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and spray a 9x13 baking dish lightly with cooking spray.

Combine the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each until thoroughly blended.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. (The original recipe says to sift, but I don't believe in sifting. Mainly because I don't have a sifter.)

Gradually beat in flour mixture until thoroughly blended. Stir in chocolate chips, and spread evenly in prepared pan. Bake 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. (Mine were perfect after 35 minutes).

Remove from oven, and cool pan on wire rack for 1 hour before cutting.

Blue Cheese and Caramelized Onion Burger

Posted by: Maggie

I didn't eat red meat from approximately 2001-2008. Occasionally, I'll eat something now, and smack my forehead and ask myself...why??? Today was one of those times.

I slightly adapted The Pioneer Woman's recipe, and was rewarded with a flavorful, juicy burger that will probably keep me full for the rest of the week.

The original recipe suggests using two pounds of ground beef to make two burgers. I have a hearty appetite and cannot imagine consuming a one pound burger. I used a little over a pound of ground beef to form two burgers, and could still hardly finish one despite it's deliciousness.

Here's what you'll need for two burgers:

1 pound 85% lean ground beef
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 t Worcestershire sauce
2 T butter
1 sweet onion, sliced
1 T brown sugar
Blue cheese
Mayonnaise
Kaiser rolls (don't even try to use regular hamburger rolls, they're to weak for this burger)
Lettuce
Cooking spray (not pictured)

Place the ground beef into a mixing bowl. Using your hands, mix in salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Form into two patties, cover with plastic wrap and set aside in fridge.

Next, prepare the onions. Melt butter over low to medium low heat, and stir in onions and brown sugar. Stir to combine all ingredients, and allow onions to caramelize for about 40 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Now is where you might have to tweak your timing, depending on how well you like your burger cooked. I only had one large skillet, so I had to wait for the onions to be done before making the burgers. If you like your burgers well done, and happen to have an extra pan, I would suggest starting to cook the burgers when the onions are about halfway done.

Before making the burgers, preheat broiler for the buns.

To cook the burgers, spray skillet with cooking spray, and cook burgers over medium for about 12-14 minutes each side (trust me, these burgers were enormous) until burgers are done.

When the burgers are almost done, spray both sides of bun with cooking spray, and toast under the broiler until golden (about three minutes).

To assemble burger, spread mayonnaise on top bun, and layer burger, onions, blue cheese, and lettuce. Sandwich halves together, and enjoy!