Cornflake Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies have some wonderful flavors and texture.  Cornflakes to make them crunchy, chocolate and marshmallows to add extra jazz to these cookies. As they come out of the oven the centers are just a little soft and the chocolate and the marshmallows are slightly gooey.  A wonderfully tasty cookie to present to your family and/or guests.  My family loved these cookies. They were gone within an hour and they were asking for more.

Cornflake Chocolate Chip Cookies
From Family Circle Magazine Adapted Slightly by From My Southwest Kitchen

Ingredients:


1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Cornflake Crunch (recipe follows)
2/3 cup mini chocolate chips
1 1/4 cup mini marshmallows

Directions:
1. With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes.  Scrape down bowl, add egg and vanilla extract, and beat 7 to 8 minutes.
2. Reduce speed to low and add next 4 ingredients;  beat until well combined.  Beat in Cornflake Crunch and chocolate chips.  Beat in marshmallows until just incorporated.
3. Using a 1/3-cup measure, drop  dough onto a baking sheet. Pat dough flat and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours, until chilled.
4.  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Place chilled cookies at least 4 inches apart on prepared baking sheets (no more that 4 cookies per sheet).  Bake 1 or 2 sheets at a time, 18 minutes per batch.  Cookies will crackle and spread.  Cool completely on sheets.  Repeat with remaining dough and cooled baking sheets.

Cornflake Crunch
Crush 5 cups cornflakes in a medium blow until they're one-fourth their original size.  Add 1/2 cup milk powder, 3 tablespoons sugar, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt; toss to mix.  Melt 9 tablespoons unsalted butter; add to cereal mixture and toss to coat, creating small clusters.  Spread clusters on a parchment-paper lined rimmed sheet pan and bake at 275 degrees F for 20 minutes.  Clusters should look toasted, smell buttery and crunch gently when cooled slightly.  Cool completely before using.  If not using right away, Cornflake Crunch will keep  for 1 week in an airtight container at room temperature or for 1 month in the fridge or freezer.

Makes 18 cookies

Christmas: Thumbprint Cookies

Thumbprint cookies are one of my favorite Christmas cookies.  The delicate buttery cookie  dipped in chopped nuts with a touch of jam in the center is truly delicious.  They are also a great cookie to have the kids help with.  My kids love making the thumbprint and dropping the jam in the center.

This recipe from Simply Recipes is one of the best recipes I have found for Thumbprint cookies.  They were a hit with family and friends.  I made half with nuts and half without.  They were both delicious.

Thumbprint Cookies
From Simply Recipes

INGREDIENts:

1 cup of butter (2 sticks or 8 ounces), room temperature
1/2 cup of sugar
2 eggs, room temperature - separated
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 cups of flour
1 cup of chopped nuts (optional)
3/4 cup of your favorite jam
Parchment paper

Directions:

1 Cream the butter and sugar.  In a medium bowl whisk together the flour and salt.  Set aside.

2 Add the yolks and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. 

3 Add the flour and salt. Mix until just combined. Chill dough in the fridge for 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 350F.  While dough is chilling whisk the egg whites until frothy.  If you are not using nuts, save the egg whites for a later use.

4 Roll the dough into balls about 1 inch in diameter. If using nuts, dip the balls into the egg whites then roll them into the nuts until covered. Place the balls on parchment lined cookie sheets or on cookie sheets with silicon baking sheets.

5 Press down with your thumb to make a small well in the center of the cookie.  Caution: Do not press too hard or the cookie will fall apart. Fill with 1/2 teaspoon of jam.

6 Bake for 12-15 minutes or until slightly firm rotating halfway thru baking. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet to firm up before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes 2 dozen

Christmas:Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

Don't these cookies get you in the holiday spirit?  They are so pretty and  they remind me of Christmas.  And the taste is absolutely delicious.  You cannot eat just one.

I first saw these cookies when the kids and I were eating lunch at Panera Bread.  They looked so inviting.  I already had a cookie with my lunch, so I decided to go home and find a recipe for these holiday cookies.

I found several recipes, but the one I loved was from Chelsea's Culinary Indulgence.  This recipe is very easy.  Start by getting a box of red velvet cake mix (the recipe suggested Duncan Hines), some flour, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.  Mix them together with a stand mixer until the batter is smooth.  You then stir in 1 cup of white chocolate chips.  Roll about 1 tablespoon of the dough into a ball and roll the ball in powdered sugar.  Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake the cookies for 10 minutes or until the cookies begin to crack.  Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

That's all there is to it.  The cookies are ready to enjoy.  For my family it was love at first bite.  These cookies are going to be made many times over at the Saucier House.

This recipe makes about 2 dozen cookies

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
From Chelsea's Culinary Indulgence

Ingredients:
1 box Duncan Hines red velvet cake mix
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup white chocolate chips
Powdered sugar for rolling the cookies

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line your baking sheets with parchment  paper and set aside.
2.  Over a large bowl, sift cake mix and flour.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the cake mix, flour, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract.  Mix well until smooth.  Stir in white chocolate chips until combined.
3. Take about 1 tablespoon of the dough and roll into  a ball.  Roll the ball in powdered sugar until fully coated.  Place the cookie balls on the prepared baking sheets.  Bake for 10 minutes, or until edges are set and the cookies begin to crack.  Note: Even if the cookies don't look completely done take them out of the oven after about 10 minutes.  Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Valentine Magic Cookie Bars

Don't these cookies look delectable? Chocolate, coconut, M&M's sprinkles, condensed milk - mmm, all this goodness in one great bar.  I used to make a version of this recipe known as Seven Layer Cookies.  These cousins to the original bars have most of the same ingredients only they are kicked up a bit with M&M's and Sprinkles.

These cookies starts with a crust made from butter and graham cracker crumbs.  Next, and I must say my favorite ingredient, sweetened condensed milk is poured on top of the crust.  Some coconut is sprinkled over the milk followed by some chocolate chips, M&M's, and finally some sprinkles or nuts.  I used the sprinkles.

These bars are then baked in a 350 degree F oven for 25-30 minutes or until the bars are lightly browned.

These cookies are great for kids to make with minimal adult supervision.

Valentine Magic Cookie Bars
From "Love From The Oven" adapted by "From My Southwest Kitchen"

Ingredients:
Cooking Spray
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 (14-ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup plain M&M's
Sprinkles

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine the graham cracker crumbs and butter in a small bowl.  Press the crumbs into the prepared baking dish.
3. Pour the Sweetened Condensed Milk evenly over the graham crackers.
4. Sprinkle the coconut over the milk, followed by the chocolate chips, M&M's and the sprinkles.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until lightly brown.  Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
6. Cut into squares and enjoy.