Barbie's Made Up Milanos!

This great recipe and the pictures are courtesy of one of my bestest friends Barbie!!!  She did such an awsome job! I cannot wait to try and make these too!!

I love Pepperidge Farm Milanos, I just hate paying all that money for such a simple cookie.

So in my quest to simplify life and save some pennies I put this simple recipe together.


The best part is that there are only 5 ingredients!!

YOU WILL NEED:
1 cup flour

¼ cup butter (melted) unsalted

1 egg

¼ sugar

Nutella

Combine the above ingrediants and mix till forms a somewhat crumbly dough.

Preheat oven to 350 F

Take a small bit of the mix and roll the dough in your hands until a small ball is formed

Use the palm of your hand to flatten the dough balls on your baking sheet

Place in oven

Bake at 350 F for 6 minuets

After 6 minuets flip the cookies over, and bake for another 6 minuets

The cookies wil be slightly golden.

Let cool completely. Once the cookies are room temp, the fun begins!
Use a table spoon to dollop some of the nutella on half the cookies. Now take the ones that do not have nutella on them and sandwich them together. Let the nutella set and VOILA yummy Milanos!!

Irish Soda Bread.

Mmmm,

This post is dedicated to my Irish friend Colleen who requested an Irish recipe for St. Patty's day :) I volunteer at a legal aid clinic about once or twice per month. The clinic is located in the rectory of an Irish Catholic Church. Every year around St. Patricks day they have Soda Bread from an Irish Bakery that is located in a suburb of Detroit. I tasted it for the first time about 3 years ago and fell in LOVE. It's dense and chewy and crumbly and sweet but salty at the same time. It is heaven. HEAVEN. I finally decided to make some from myself and found an awsome recipe here:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/marilyn-oreillys-irish-soda-bread-recipe/index.html

Special thanks to my friend Cybelle for the amazing photos!!! You can see all her amazing photography at http://www.cybellecodish.blogspot.com/

Wow it is so good. And! SOOO easy. Make this. Immediately!! YUMMMMM!!!
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons caraway seeds, optional (i didn't use these)
1 cup currants (the recipe called for raisins but, i dont like them so i used currants and a bit of dried cranberries)
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg

Directions

Set a rack in the middle level of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt and stir well to mix.
Add the butter and rub in until the butter disappears into the dry ingredients.
Stir in the currants and cranberries.
In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk and egg together and mix into the dough mixture with a rubber spatula.

Turn the dough out on a floured work surface and fold it over on itself several times, shaping it into a round loaf. Transfer the loaf to one cookie sheet or jelly roll pan covered with parchment or foil and cut a cross in the top. Bake for 15 minutes then reduce heat to 350 and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes more, until well colored and a toothpick plunged into the center emerges clean.

Cool the soda bread on a rack. Serve this slathered in TONS of butter to your lovely friends. It is sooo good.

smooches!
gigi

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

So, i get TONS of requests for these cookies. However, the problem is that i HATE white chocolate. I cannot stand the stuff. It never did anything to me, but, its just not my thing. I'm a milk chocolate kinda girl.

However! These cookies are PHENOM! They are so pretty, sooo moist and bursting with nuts and chocolate. This is by FAR the best white chocolate macadamia nut cookie recipe that exists. Trust me on this one. You must try these. I still hate white chocolate, but it certainly didn't keep me from sneaking a few of these to put under my pillow ;)


Ingrediants:
1 cup of butter (softened)
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar (feel free to use less, these cookies are uber sweet)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2.5 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until smooth.
3. Beat in eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla.
4. Combine flour, baking soda and salt and gradually stir into the mixture *DO NOT OVERMIX!
6. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookies sheets
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Wrap them up in pretty packages and pass them out to all of your fabulous friends!
Smooches!
gigi