Saturday, November 7, 2015

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

I never thought one could make a peanut butter cookie without flour, but you actually can, and they taste pretty darn good!  These little gems are packed with lots of flavor, plus they aren't overly sweet, and they do freeze well.  Whenever I make these petite cookies, I like to make them with a mixture of creamy and super chunky peanut butter, plus I like to bake these cookies on Pampered Chef Baking Stones.




Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup creamy peanut butter (I used Skippy)

1 cup chunky peanut butter (I used Skippy Super Chunk)

1-1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed, optional (See *Note)


1.)  In a bowl, add the creamy and chunky peanut butter, plus the granulated sugar; beat together until smooth.  (I used a hand-held mixer to cream the mixture together.)

2.)  Add the eggs and vanilla extract; beat until well combined.

3.)  Using a spoon; stir in the flaxseed.

4.)  Take a tablespoon of the dough, and shape by hand into a ball.  (I used a small Pampered Chef Scoop, which is equal to 1-Tablespoon.)

5.)  Slightly flatten the dough balls with the palms of your hands, and then place them onto Pampered Chef Baking Stones.  (I place 12 onto each baking stone 2-inches apart.)

6.)  Press the top of each cookie down "gently" with a fork.

7.)  Bake in a 350ΒΊF oven for 12 minutes, then remove, and let the cookies set on baking stone(s) for 5 minutes, before removing to a wire rack and allowing the cookies to cool completely.

8.)  Yields: 53 cookies (Each cookie about 2-inches in diameter.)

9.)  *Note: Adding flaxseed to this recipe is optional, but if you decide not to add the flaxseed, you may need to chill the dough in the refrigerator for a couple hours before baking the cookies.  This helps to firm up the cookie dough, plus it makes it a lot easier for handling the dough.

10.)  Additional Note: I like to freeze these cookies in a Tupperware container, and just take out what I want to eat for later. 
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Below is a photo of the flaxseed I used when preparing the cookies;
it's Stober Farms Organic Golden Flax Seed, in a (48-oz.) bags.


Friday, October 30, 2015

Witches Hat Cookies πŸŽƒ

These are such cute cookies to make for Halloween!  



Witches Hat Cookies πŸŽƒ

1 (13-oz.) pkg. fudge striped shortbread cookies
 
32 Hershey Milk Chocolate Kisses

1 (16-oz.) container vanilla frosting (See *Note)

8 drops red food coloring

8 drops yellow food coloring

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1.)  Unwrap the Hershey Kisses, and set them aside.


2.)  Add the entire container of vanilla frosting into a bowl, and stir it with a spoon.


3.)  Add the 8 drops of food coloring to the frosting, and mix it in well with the spoon, then add the 8 drops of yellow food coloring, and mix it in well with the spoon.  You will have a pretty orange colored frosting.


4.)  Unwrap cookies in package, and taking one cookie at a time, hold the chocolate flat side of the cookie (facing upward) in hand.

5.)  Using a small spoon or the tip of a butter knife, apply a small amount of frosting in the middle of the cookie.  (The frosting should cover the center hole of the cookie.)  A tiny bit of the frosting will poke through the other side of the cookie, but that's ok, you won't really noticed that little bit of frosting peeking through.


6.)  Apply the chocolate kiss in the center of the frosting, and push it down lightly onto the flat side of the cookie, just till you see the frosting spreading out just a bit underneath the chocolate kiss.


7.)  I placed the cookies onto a large jelly roll pan for several hours, so the frosting will become a bit more dry, and to allow the chocolate kiss to adhere to the frosting.  (If desired, you could line the jelly roll pan with wax paper before placing cookies onto pan.  It also makes it easier for cleaning up afterwards.)


8.)  Store cookies side-by-side in a container, and cover with a lid. 
 (There's no need to refrigerate the cookies.)


9.)  Yields: 32 cookies


10.) *Note: You may have noticed there will be plenty of the orange frosting leftover.  You can either double the above recipe (except for the frosting), to make 64 witch hat cookies, or apply the frosting between graham crackers to make another kind of cookie, or use it to frost a one layer cake or some cupcakes. 

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Whenever I make these cookies, I think of the TV show Bewitched.


                                                                                         
                                                                                
               
                                               Halloween Witches Hats | Just A Pinch Recipes
                                                                                      
                                                                                      -

Monday, September 14, 2015

Spaghetti Salad

I love this salad, and while the recipe does make a lot, this pasta salad is sure to please your guests.  I do make this salad one day prior to serving, and that's so I can incorporate a bit more of the Italian dressing into the salad.



Spaghetti Salad 

1 pound of uncooked spaghetti (broken into 3rd's) 
 
1 (16-oz.) bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Fat-Free Dressing
 
2/3 cup Kraft Zesty Italian Fat-Free Bottled Dressing   
 
3 Tablespoons McCormick Perfect Pinch Salad Supreme Seasoning
 
Half of 1 red bell pepper, chopped
 
1 cucumber, seeded and chopped

 2 large Roma Tomatoes, seeded and cut-up
 
1 cup each, broccoli and cauliflower, cut into small pieces
 
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
 
1 (8-oz.) package Colby-Jack Marbled Cheese, cubed small

1 can (2.25-oz.) sliced black olives, drained

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1.)  Cook the spaghetti, then drain under cold water till the spaghetti is cool.  Drain well.  (I cooked my spaghetti exactly for 12 minutes.)
 

2.)  Marinate the spaghetti over night with the 16-ounces of Italian dressing. 
 

3.)  The next day (or morning), add the remaining ingredients, plus the 2/3's cup of Italian dressing.
 

4.)  Chill the salad several hours in the refrigerator before serving.  4.)  


5.)  Yields: 7 pounds of spaghetti salad  
 

6.) Note: Another really tasty Italian Dressing you can use in place of the Kraft Dressing... Fit & Active Fat Free Zesty Italian Dressing (which is sold at Aldi's).

 
........... An additional up-close photo of the salad ...........



An additional photo of McCormick Perfect Pinch Salad Supreme Seasoning.  That I used when preparing this delicious salad.

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Photo of 1 (16-oz.) bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Fat-Free Dressing. 
(I also purchased an additional bottle of the dressing, as I did add an extra 2/3 cup when preparing this delicious salad.)


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Banana Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed these moist Banana Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars. Especially since my husband enjoys bananas, and I enjoy ...