Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookie

2/3 c. butter or margarine softened

2/3 c. brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

1 1/2 flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 six oz. package of Craisins

2/3 c. white chocolate chunks...or chips



Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using an electric mixer to beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. The recipe says to combine oats, flour, baking soad and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. (I simply dumped all the dry ingredients into the wet and it turned out fabulous.) Stir in Craisings and white chocolate. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. (Mine took just over 6 minutes. I took them out when they looked just barely done if not under done...PERFECT.) Cool on wire rack. Makes 2 1/2 dozen. (Yep...I got that many cookies!)

For more information on my 2011 New Year's Resolution, head on over to my personal bloggaroo!

2010 Holiday RS Soiree Recipes---held at 3830

Regina Cole's Chicken Dip
2 8oz blocks of cream cheese
1 c. Ranch dressing
2 - 12.5oz cans cooked chicken
2 c. cheddar cheese.
3/4 c. Buffalo Hot wing Sauce
Combine ingredients and place in crock pot on low until melted and slightly bubbly....takes about an hour.

Jan Wolf's Cucumber Sandwiches
1 8 oz block cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 .7 package dry Italian salad dressing mix
1-2 cucumbers

Cream together the cream cheese, mayonnaise and salad dressing mix. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or preferably over night. Spread the cream cheese mixture onto slices of bread and top with a sliced cucumber.

Chewy Sugar cookies - 2 dozen

I made these 2 weeks ago. Straight from Cook's Illustrated magazine. Excellent cookies. But here's what makes it so:

Dynamic Duo: Baking Powder + Baking Soda
Many cookie recipes contain both baking soda and baking powder. Since each is a leavening agent, why do you need both? The answer is that the two work n tandem to create cookies that not only rise--but spread--to the right degree. Plus in this recipe, baking soda has one more purely aesthetic effect: It creates cookies with an appealingly crackly top.
Baking powder is responsible for the lift, since it is engineered to produce most of its gas after the cookies go into the oven, where the dough sets before these bubbles can burst.
But too much lift can mean cookies that turn out humped. Here's where baking soda comes in: As long as there's an acidic ingredient in the dough for it to reach with, a small amount of baking soda can even things out. Baking soda raises the pH of dough, weakening gluten. Weaker gluten means less structure and cookies that spread, Goodbye, Humped shapes.
As for the crackly tops, baking soda reacts immediately in the wet dough to produce large bubbles of carbon dioxide that can't all be contained by the weakened dough Before the cookies can set in the oven, the bubbles rise to the top and bust, leaving fissures in their wake
The bottom line: For a baker who likes her cookies just so, the use of both baking powder an baking soda can be a potent combo.

2-1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. table salt
1-1/2 cups sugar, plus 1/3 cup for rolling
2 ounces cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces
6 T. unsalted butter, melted and still warm
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 T. milk
2 t. vanilla extract

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour,baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. Set aside.

2. Place 1-1/2 cups sugar and cream cheese in large bowl. Place remaining 1/3 cup sugar in shallow baking dish or pie plate and set aside. Pour warm butter over sugar and cream cheese and whisk to combine (some small lumps of cream cheese will remain but will smooth out later). Whisk in oil until incorporated. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; continue to whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture and mix with rubber spatula until soft homogeneous dough forms.

3. Divide dough into 24 equal pieces, about 2 T. each. Use hands, roll dough into balls. Working in batches, roll balls in reserved sugar to coat and evenly space on prepared baking sheet, 12 dough balls per sheet. Using bottom of drinking glass, flatten dough balls until 2" in diameter. Sprinkle tops evenly with 4 t. sugar remaining in shall dish, discarding any remaining sugar.

4. Bake 1 tray at a time, until edges are set and just beginning to brown, 11-13 minutes, rotating tray after 7 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. Using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

OTHER WORLDLY STICKY BUNS

You guys are gonna so want this recipe. It was superb. Be aware that you will need 5 hours to make this so plan it for a day when you are going to be home. And when it says it's gonna be sticky, it is....so you will be adding more flour as you knead by hand...just make sure you keep it soft. And allow it to rise the 2.5 hours initially. and if you don't want to make royal icing, you can just make the normal one and pour it on the warm rolls after baking. Holy Moly...this is other worldly.

OTHER WORLDLY STICKY BUNS W/ICING..ANNE THORNTON of Desserts First…on .the FoodNetwork

Dough:

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees F)
• 2 tablespoons dry yeast
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup dry nonfat milk powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 2 large eggs
• 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

Glaze:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans, plus 1/4 cup, melted
• 1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup dark corn syrup
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups pecan halves
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• Royal Icing, r ecipe follows

Directions

Dough: In a small bowl mix 1/2 cup warm water, yeast, and pinch of sugar. Allow it to stand until foamy, about 8 minutes. Using a standing mixer with a paddle attachment or an electric mixer, mix the remaining sugar, butter, milk powder, and salt until well blended. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time. Mix in the remaining 1 cup of warm water, and the yeast mixture, then 3 cups flour, 1 cup at a time. Using a rubber spatula, mix in another 1 cup of flour, scraping down the sides of the bowl frequently (dough will be soft and sticky). Sprinkle 1/4 cup of flour onto a work surface and knead the dough until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, about 8 minutes.

Butter a large bowl, add the dough, and turn to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm area until doubled, about 2 1/2 hours.

Glaze: Butter 2 (10-inch) round cake pans with 2-inch high sides. Beat the brown sugar, 1/2 cup butter, honey, corn syrup, and water in a medium bowl to blend. Spread half of the glaze in the bottom of each prepared pan. Equally divide the pecans into each pan.

Punch the dough down and divide it in half. Roll each piece of dough out on a floured work surface to a 12 by 10-inch rectangle. Brush any excess flour off the dough. In a small bowl mix the sugar, and cinnamon. Brush the melted butter over the dough rectangles and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar, dividing equally. Starting at 1 long side, tightly roll up each rectangle into a log. Cut each log into 12 rounds. Arrange the 12 rounds, cut side down, in each prepared pan, spacing evenly. Cover with plastic wrap. At this point the buns can be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Let the buns rise in a warm area until almost doubled, about 1 hour (or 1 hour 25 minutes if refrigerated).

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake the buns until deep golden brown, about 30 minutes. Run a small knife around the pan sides to loosen the sticky buns. Turn the hot buns out onto a platter. Cool about 30 minutes and then drizzle with royal icing.

Royal Icing:

• *2 large egg whites
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the egg whites with the lemon juice until they are combined. Add the sifted confectioners' sugar and beat on low speed until smooth. The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container. Royal icing hardens when it is exposed to air.