Chocolate/Peanut Butter Candy Cookies

Besides chocolate and peanut butter, this candy "cookie," has an unusual third ingredient. If you can believe it, cornflakes! Yep. Cornflakes are one of Lauren's favorite kinds of cereal and she is pretty much the only one that eats that kind in this house. The last time she was home before Thanksgiving was in the middle of September! Somehow, the box of cornflakes got shoved to the side and back of our pantry. These candy "cookies" are not baked in the oven, they firm up in the fridge. I asked the hubby what he thought these tasted like. He said, "corn flakes with peanut butter and chocolate!" Personally, I can't taste the corn flakes at all, I think they add a certain "crunch," that will keep your friends and family guessing!!!

 

12-ounce package semi-sweet chocolate morsels

1 cup smooth peanut butter

2 1/2 cups cornflakes, crushed

 

In a large gallon-sized zipper top plastic bag, crush enough cornflakes to make 2 1/2 cups. Set aside. In medium saucepan, melt the morsels and peanut butter over low heat until smooth and all the morsels are melted. Remove from heat and add the crushed cornflakes with a large spoon. Combine well.  Put a piece of wax paper on a jelly roll pan. Drop onto the wax paper using two tablespoons. I made my cookies kind of  big, so it made 18. Please feel free to make as big or small as you want.  Put in the fridge for a minimum of two hours or until set. Keep covered in a container in the fridge for up to one week.



 

Vanilla Kipferl (Crescents)

 

Ah, now that Halloween is over and we are heading towards Thanksgiving, the holiday cookie baking season has begun!! My goal this holiday season, is to go out of my comfort "zone," and try and make cookies I've never made before. My mother-in-law who passed away in 2011, was a fabulous baker. I loved how when my family would visit my in-law's in Cleveland, after every meal (even breakfast), a tin of "bakery" would appear on the table. There would be potica, kolache and chocolate chip cookies. I don't remember these vanilla crescents ever making an appearance though. I found a recipe for vanilla "kipferlin" or "crescents" in an American Slovene Club cookbook that is falling apart and looks like it was used frequently. It is part of the treasure "trove" of recipes and cookbooks that we found in my in-law's house.  After a lot of researching on the Internet, I think they really should be called "kipferl." Anyways, I made a dozen or so of these crescents last night and the hubby had a "sample."  He said, "oh, I remember my mom making these!" When he said that, I thought that was pretty cool. Well, this afternoon, when he saw me making up the rest of the dough, he said, "your cookies are just as good as the ones my mom used to make!" Yahoo, now that made me smile :)  

 

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 3/4 cups white flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup powdered sugar (reserved)

In a large bowl, put the butter, flour, white sugar, vanilla extract and pecans. Mix well with spoon or with your hands until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for a minimum of one hour. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. In small bowl, put the reserved powdered sugar and set aside. Roll batter into 3 1/2 dozen equal sized balls with the palms of your hands. With your fingertips, press each ball into a "crescent" shape. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for approximately 15 minutes or until the cookies are just starting to turn brown. Remove to wire rack and let them cool just a bit. While still slightly warm, roll each cookie into the reserved powdered sugar. Keep covered at room temperature.

Swedish Tea Rolls

I have just as much passion now for baking as I did when I was little and used to whip up desserts for my dad in my Easy-Bake Oven. I still haven't figured out how a light bulb did all the work, but maybe that is a mystery I'll never solve. What's cool about my relationship with my dad now, (besides becoming incredibly close), is that since my mom is in a skilled nursing facility, when I fly back by myself, I get to bake again for him!  My dad is very diplomatic and even though I slightly burned the bottom of the meatloaf  I made for him last month, he still told me it was good :) Anyways, I don't know of any Swedish in my background, but when I found a recipe from 1933 AND it used cinnamon and sugar, my "radar," went up!!  Oh my goodness, these are so crispy since I used shortening! I will be seeing my dad over the upcoming holidays and I know I'm going to make him these. I wonder what he would say if I told him the recipe was just a few years older than him? LOL.

Ingredients

1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
2 cups white flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
2/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In small bowl, put the white sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Stir with small spoon until well combined and set aside. In a large bowl, put the flour, baking powder and salt. With two knives, "cut" in the shortening. Pour the milk in and with a large spoon, mix until the dough is just starting to form a soft ball. Place on a slightly floured board and knead about 30 times. Roll out to approximately 12 inches in length and six inches in width. Cut into 10 equal-sized squares. Fold each square in half and press gently. Dip each roll into the ingredients in the small bowl and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the bottom of the rolls are just starting to turn slightly brown. Remove from oven and let cool for five minutes before removing to wire rack to continue cooling.