Chocolate Caramel Apple Cookies

Warning: Upon completion of reading this recipe, you may feel a strong urge to run to your car and go immediately to the grocery store to buy the ingredients for this recipe...Follow your instincts.

Warning 2: Once these are made, you may want to have a plan to share some with others or you will find yourself eating one after the other until before you know it, you have consumed 3 1/2 dozen cookies

Ok, now that that is out of the way....

A friend of mine found this recipe and posted it on facebook yesterday evening. I read the title and thought it sounded like an odd combination. Then I read the recipe. Next thing you know, I am texting my husband, bribing him to pick up the candy bars on his lunch break and bring them home to me. Thankfully, it worked!

I'm pregnant right now and am pretty relaxed when it comes to food choices and don't really cut anything out of my diet, just use good judgement and moderation. However, in my last pregnancy and this one, my one rule has been NO RAW EGGS. This is VERY hard for me because I have a downfall for cookie dough, cake batter, brownie batter... Well, I caved last night and couldn't resist trying this dough. It was just too tempting and was SO good. When the cookies came out of the oven, I burned my mouth on the caramel but I would say it was well worth it.

If you are the type of person who prefers to see pictures of each step of a recipe, then check out the original post where this recipe is located: http://www.hostessblog.com/2011/10/recipe-chocolate-caramel-apple-cookies/

I have not checked out the rest of that site, but after trying these cookies, I definitely will.

So, onto the recipe.

• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 10 caramels, unwrapped
• 1 tbsp milk
• 1 large apple OR 2 small apples, peeled & diced
• 6 Fun Size MILKY WAY® Simply Caramel Bars, chilled & chopped
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line baking sheets with parchment or wax paper.

Sift the flour, baking soda and salt together and set aside. In a large bowl, beat melted butter, brown sugar, white sugar and vanilla extract, then beat in the egg and egg yolk until the mixture is well blended.

In a small, microwave-safe bowl, heat unwrapped caramels & milk until smooth and creamy, starting with 1-1/2 to 2 minutes, stirring once. If necessary, continue microwaving the caramel in 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until completely smooth. Allow the melted caramel to cool for about 10 minutes, then pour it into the wet ingredients.

Fold in the diced apples, followed by the dry ingredients. Add chopped candy bars and chocolate chips and stir until combined.

Drop cookie dough by rounded tablespoon onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes, or until the edges are a light golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Note: My husband could not find the fun-size Milky Way Simply Caramel bars. Luckily, they had the full size bars in the check-out line. I used 2 full size (well, 2 full size packages. Each package contained 2 bars that were just a little smaller than a normal candy bar, but larger than a fun-size). I also did not chill mine first and had no problem cutting them. If you do want to chill them, do NOT put them in the freezer or the caramel will be rock hard (don't ask how I know this...)

Are you still reading? Or are you already searching your cupboards to find out which ingredients you need to go pick up?

Enjoy!

Peppermint Marshmallows

These take a little bit of work, but are well worth it. They make great Christmas presents. I like them in a cup of hot cocoa. My husband likes them in a cup of coffee. Friends like to just eat them plain. I also might sneak some of the mixture while it is still gooey, before it sets. No matter how you eat them, they're excellent!

1/2 c. Powdered sugar
1/3 c. cornstarch
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 1/3 c. white sugar
2/3 c. light corn syrup
1/2 c. crushed candy canes or mint candies
1/8 tsp. salt

In a small bowl, sift together powdered sugar and cornstarch. Line a 9x13" pan with nonstick foil. Coat with nonstick cooking spray. Sift 2 Tbs. of the sugar/cornstarch mixutre into the pan, tilting to coat sides. Leave any excess in the pan.

Place 2/3 c. water in a large bowl. Sprinkle with gelatin. Let soften for 5 minutes.

In a medium size heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat white sugar, corn syrup, candy cane pieces and salt over medium heat about 7 minutes until sugar and candy are dissolved, stirring occasionally. Pour into bowl with gelatin, removing any larger chunks of candy cane that did not melt.

Beat on high speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 10-15 minutes. Spread into prepared pan and smooth top. Dust with 2 Tbs of sugar/cornstarch mixture. Let set at room temperature for 2 hours.

Lift marshmallow from pan using foil. With a wet knife, cut into 6 squares. Spread remaining sugar/cornstarch mixture onto a baking sheet. Invert marshmallow block onto sheet; cut each square into 9 pieces. Toss marshmallows in sugar/cornstarch mixture, and set on a pan to set an additional hour. Store, loosely covered, at room temperature.

Enjoy!!

Morning Glory Muffins

I had someone ask about muffin or bread recipes that are low in sugar and have lots of vegetables in them. These still have 1 1/4 c. of sugar, but have lots of good for you things in them. And I'm sure you could reduce the sugar if you wanted. I think I may make a batch of these tonight. I haven't had them in years and used to have them at my grandma's house. They freeze very well.

2 c. Flour
1 1/4 c. Sugar
2 tsp. Baking Soda
2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 c. Grated Carrots
2 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 c. Raisins
1/2 c. Coconut
1/2 c. Chopped Pecans
3 Eggs
1 c. Vegetable Oil
1 Apple, peeled and shredded

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the carrots, raisins, coconut, and pecans. In another bowl, beat the eggs, add oil, apple, and vanilla. Stir into flour mixture only until combined. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes or until muffins test done.

Enjoy!

Cheesy Ranch Potatoes

This is another recipe that gets credit from my friend Shelley. These are wonderful, easy to make, and feed a lot of people. They are also wonderful reheated.

4 lbs sliced potatoes
2 tsp. chili pepper
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup diced onion (optional)

mix in greased 9 x 13 pan.

add 2-3 tbsp. melted butter.

bake covered with aluminum foil at 400 degrees for 1-hour, or until potatoes are tender.

mix in 1 c. ranch dressing

add 2-cups shredded monterey jack cheddar cheese.

cook uncovered for 10-minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Enjoy!

Zucchini Bread

This is my favorite Zucchini Bread recipe. I haven't had a chance to get any zucchini this year to make some, but hopefully soon. This also freezes amazingly well. To freeze, wrap cooled loaves first in saran wrap, and then in aluminum foil.

3 c. Flour
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Baking Powder
3 tsp. Cinnamon
3 Eggs
1 c. Vegetable Oil
2 1/4 c. Sugar
3 tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 c. Grated Zucchini
1 c. Chopped Walnuts, optional

Grease and flour two 8x4 in bread pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon in a bowl. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared bowls. Bake for 40-60 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan on cooling rack for 20 minutes. Remove from pan and completely cool on racks before storing.

I also made this adding a brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, rolled oats topping. Unfortunately, I don't have an exact recipe for it. I just combined the ingredients together to my liking and sprinkled on top before baking.

Enjoy!

Pork Tenderloin Marinade

This is a marinade my husband created. He started off with a recipe he found online, but changed several ingredients to what we had in the house (some not even close to what the original recipe called for). The results: amazing!

2 Tbs. Soy Sauce
2 Tbs. Sesame Ginger marinade
1 Tbs. Peach Juice
1/2 Tbs Cointreau
1/2 Tbs. Lemon Vodke
1 Tbs. Brown Sugar
1 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 1/2 tsp. Honey
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
2-3 lbs Pork Tenderloin

Mix together all ingredients. Pour over pork and marinate in refrigerator for 6-8 hours, or overnight. Cook on low in crockpot for 6-8 hours or until tenderloin is cooked through. You can also remove from the marinade and grill for 35 minutes, basting with the remaining marinade.

Enjoy!

Gluten Free Brownies

These are some of the best brownies I have ever made. They do take a little extra work, but in the end it is totally worth every second. I have to give credit for these to Gluten Free Girl. Her blog is amazing. If you or someone in your family is on a gluten free diet, you MUST check out her recipes. www.glutenfreegirl.com

8 Tbs. Unsalted Butter
4 oz. Bittersweet Chocolate
1 c. Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 c. Brown Rice Flour
1/4 c. Tapioca Flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease and 8in square pan. Chop the chocolate into small slivers. Slice the butter into one-inch pieces. Combine the two flours together.

Bring a saucepan of water to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer. Place a large metal bowl over the top of the saucepan. Put the chocolate and butter into the bowl and stir, occasionally, as they both begin to melt. As they come to a full melt, stir vigorously until you have a cohesive mixture.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the sugar and eggs, whisking vigorously until they are creamed together, with a silky consistency. Add the vanilla extract and alt and stir well. Add in the gluten-free flours and stir. Finally, pour in the melted chocolate-butter mixture and stir, carefully, with a rubber spatula until the mixture has become smooth.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Smooth the top with the spatula. Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes.

While the brownies are baking, fill the sink with ice cubes and 1 inch of water. When the brownies are finished baking, remove the pan from the oven and place it immediately into the ice-water bath, being careful not to splash any water onto the brownies. Leave in water until completely cooled. Refrigeration. These taste great right away but truly are better after sitting in the fridge for a night.

Enjoy!