Sweet Blessings Counted

In these times it can be hard to find the good, but by focusing on the little things we can rely on makes a big difference. Target deliveries, family togetherness, and a Saturday each week are all blessings we’re counting at the moment. It’s even better when all of these line up just right! Thanks Target for keeping us stocked with baking supplies. Thanks family for loving our sweet treats. And thanks Saturday for showing up every week for our much needed cheat day! Oatmeal Cream Pies are the perfect way to celebrate all of life’s blessings right now!

Sister Sweetly’s Oatmeal Cream Pies Recipe

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Extra Sweet Learning

Hmmm…what to do with extra pumpkin leftover from last week’s treat? Tossing it would be a crime! We have just enough to try our hands at Brown Butter Pumpkin Toffee Oatmeal Scotchies. And as avid bakers (we think baking every Saturday qualifies us for this!) we’ve never made brown butter. This yummy recipe is not only a great way to be resourceful, but also a way to learn a new technique. It’s a win all around!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces

1 1/4 cup cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin spice

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large egg whites

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

3/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

3 cups old-fashioned oats

1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips

1 cup Heath Butter Brickle

Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting recipe

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with Silpat baking mats or parchment paper and set aside.

Place butter pieces in a medium skillet. Melt the butter over medium heat, swirling it in the pan occasionally. The butter will foam and pop, so be careful. Continue to swirl the pan often. Remove pan from heat once the butter starts to brown and smells nutty. There will be small brown bits on the bottom. The butter should be an amber color. Pour butter into a small bowl and cool to room temperature. You can put it in the fridge to speed up the process, that is what I do.

While the brown butter is cooling, whisk together the flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the browned butter with brown sugar and granulated sugar. Beat until creamy and smooth, about 3-4 minutes.

Add the egg whites and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Beat in the pumpkin and mix until combined.

Turn the mixer to low speed and slowly mix in the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Stir in the oats and butterscotch chips and Heath. Chill dough in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.

When dough is chilled, form cookie dough into 2 tablespoon sized cookie dough balls. Place on prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies for 12 minutes or until slightly brown around the edges. Remove from oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool completely. Top with cream cheese frosting. YUM!

*recipe inspired by Two Peas & Their Pod

So Over Sweets

If you’ve ever had a week like we’ve had then you know what we mean when we say we feel OVERLOADED, like over-the-top overwhelmed! From being overscheduled to overcommitted, we feel overworked! Good thing it’s Saturday because we’re overjoyed we can overachieve in the one department that’s been overlooked all week – dessert! We’re over-the-moon for Overloaded Oatmeal Bars! And we’re overconfident you will be too! But be warned! We know you’re gonna love them that you’ll likely overeat and overstuff yourself! Over and out until next week!

 
Overloaded Oatmeal Bars

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups quick oats

1½ cups flour

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1 cup butter flavored Crisco 

1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1 bag milk chocolate chips

2 TB butter softened

1 cup of various kinds of M&Ms

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, mix oats, flour, brown sugar, salt and Crisco with a spoon. Remove 1 cup and set aside.

Press remaining mixture into the bottom of a greased 9×13 pan.

In a small pot, melt condensed milk, chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons of butter over low-medium heat. Stir constantly until chips are melted and everything is mixed well.

Pour chocolate chip mixture over the bottom layer and spread evenly. Sprinkle leftover cup of oat mixture over the chocolate.

Top with M&Ms and bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting. Overenjoy!

Out Of This World Sweetness

Today we’re going to outer space without even leaving the kitchen!  No, our heads aren’t in the clouds. However, we are seeing stars with Milky Way Espresso Cookies ! Celebrate National Milky Way Day and you too will get taken to a new dimension!   Milky Way Espresso Cookies

Ingredients

3/4 cup Crisco Butter Sticks

1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons almond milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 large egg white 

1 3/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup dark chocolate chips 

1 teaspoon instant coffee granuals 

1 large bag of mini Milky Ways

Directions
HEAT oven to 350 F.
COMBINE shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Beat in egg. Combine flour, salt, instant coffee granuals, and baking soda. Mix into shortening mixture until just blended. Stir in dark chocolate chips.

DROP by rounded measuring tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet.

BAKE 8 to 10 minutes. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet on a cooling rack. Add a mini Milky Way to the top of each cookie. Allow to cool just a little before soaring to a sweet galaxy far, far away! 

Sweet Celebration

Well hello Saturday! It’s nice to see you. We could not wait for you to be here. This week our sweet tooth was kicking in extra hard but we managed to refrain from indulging until you arrived. Today we are not only sweeting it up, we are getting our craft on too. First, we are creating Jolly Rancher Cross Lollipops. Tina’s daughter is getting confirmed in our church on Sunday so we thought these would be a great addition to our brunch. They fit perfectly with the theme of our celebration and are a fun little goody for kids of any age. 

Secondly, as you know by now, our preferred treat usually consists of something gooey and chocolaty. So…we are whipping up a batch of our favorite Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies to have on the side. Having chocolate on the side is very important to us! 

We’re looking forward to our day of baking and creating and celebrating Tina’s daughter’s accomplishment tomorrow. Way to go girl!

  Jolly Rancher Cross Lollipops

The supplies you will need:

1 bag of Regular Jolly Ranchers

Wooden Kitchen Skewers

Parchment

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit.

Unwrap the jolly ranchers and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. 

The Jolly Rancher in the middle of the cross needs extra oven time, so put it on the cookie sheet and in the oven on the center rack for 1 minute. 

Remove the tray from the oven and arrange the rest of the Jolly Ranchers around the middle one in a cross shape. Put them as closely together as possible. 

Put the tray back in the oven, and heat for about 5 minutes, or until the Jolly Ranchers melt together.

Take the tray out of the oven, immediately place the stick on the cross, and roll until the candy surrounds the stick. 

Allow the candy to cool and harden, then lift off the parchment. 

Sister Sweetly’s Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Sweet Perks

The ho-hum days of winter are taking their toll on us. The only relief in sight has to be this Saturday’s treat that does double duty. Coffee Toffee Cookies are full of sweetness and loaded with caffeine! Rich in flavor with a much needed perk-me-up. They’re sure to bring some sunshine to even the dreariest day! 

  
Coffee Toffee Cookies

Ingredients

3/4 stick Crisco  Baking Sticks Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening

1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons almond milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

1 3/4 cups  All Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips 

1 cup Heath Bits

1 tsp instant coffee granuals 

Directions

HEAT oven to 375ºF.
COMBINE shortening, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Beat in egg. Combine flour, salt, instant coffee granuals, and baking soda. Mix into shortening mixture until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips. 

DROP by rounded measuring tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle with Heath bits. 

BAKE 8 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet on a cooling rack. Remove cookies to rack to cool completely.

*dough recipe adapted from Crisco

Holiday Sweet Holiday

You know you’re blessed when your challenges this time of year include what to bake for a holiday bake sale or cookie exchange, what gift to give the person who has everything, and what dessert to bring to a Christmas party tonight? We have the answer to all of these questions! Brownie Crinkles are ridiculously easy, delicious, and won’t disappoint. Definitely Chris Kringle worthy! 

  

Brownie Crinkles

Ingredients:

Nonstick spray

1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips 

3 large egg whites, room temperature

 2 cups powdered sugar, divided (plus 1/2 cup for cookie coating)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 2 large baking sheets with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Melt 1 cup chocolate chips in glass bowl in microwave, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes. Set aside and let cool slightly.

Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl to soft peaks. Gradually beat in 1 cup sugar. Continue beating until mixture resembles soft marshmallow cream.

Whisk 1 cup sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Then, on a low speed, add these dry ingredients into the marshmallow cream mixture.

Next, add remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips to lukewarm chocolate mixture (dough will become very stiff).

Add chocolate mixture to cream mixture and blend well.

Place remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar in bowl. Roll 1 rounded tablespoon dough into ball; roll in sugar, coating thickly. Place on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing 2 inches apart.

Bake until puffed and tops crack, about 10 minutes. Cool on sheets on rack 10 minutes.

Transfer to rack, cool.

*recipe adapted from Picklee

Sweet Smell of Success

Woo Hoo! We did it! We completed our 3 week clean eating cleanse. Now it’s time to celebrate. And boy are we gonna! This Saturday we’re goin back to the basics, old school if you will. We’ll be treating and cheating with our favorite cookie recipes. Both Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies and Oatmeal Scotchies are just what our tummies ordered. Let the baking festivities begin! 

  
Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

  
Oatmeal Scotchies

Love Sweet Love

Seven years of wedded bliss are being celebrated by Tina and her husband, Greg, this weekend. Check out these adorable mini wedding cake cookies that are absolutely ideal for this special occasion. Downright perfect! And downright delicious!!!

Wedding Cake Cookies
  
Ingredients

1 stick Crisco® Butter Baking Sticks

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 tablespoons almond milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 cups All Purpose Flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tub buttercream frosting

 Directions

BEAT Crisco and sugar in large bowl, with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Beat in egg, almond milk and vanilla until well blended.

COMBINE flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Gradually add flour mixture to shortening mixture at low speed until well blended. Wrap dough in plastic wrap; refrigerate 1 hour for easier handling.

HEAT oven to 375ºF. Roll 1/3 of dough at a time on lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut dough with 1, 2, and 3 inch floured circle cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Sprinkle with sugar, if desired.

BAKE 5 to 9 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Transfer cookies to cooling rack. Stack 3 cookies largest to smallest.  Spread buttercream frosting between each cookie to create a wedding cake cookie. 

*recipe adapted from Crisco

The Motherload of all Sweet Treats

Around here we’re all about fitness. However, lately we’ve been nursing some injuries and not feeling so willing to over-indulge. But after some time of tightening our calorie belts we’re ready to spoil ourselves. Prepare yourself people for the supreme, the outrageous, dare we say, the motherload of all sweet treats! We present to you The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie n’ Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar! Leave it to chocolate to make us feel much, much better! 

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie n’ Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar

  
Ingredients

Cookie Dough

3/4 stick Crisco® Baking Sticks Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening 

1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons almond milk

1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 large egg

1 3/4 cups  All Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups chocolate chips

Directions

HEAT oven to 375ºF.
COMBINE shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Beat in egg. Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Mix into shortening mixture until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips. 

* recipe adapted from Crisco
1 pkg Oreos

1 Family Size (9×13) Brownie mix + eggs and oil as called for on the back of the box

¼ cup hot fudge topping

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×13-inch baking dish with foil. Coat generously with nonstick cooking spray.

For the Cookie Dough
Spread the cookie dough in the bottom of prepared pan. Top with a layer of Oreos. Mix together brownie mix according to directions, adding an optional ¼ cup of hot fudge topping to the mix. Pour the brownie batter over the cookie dough and Oreos. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-55 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting. Brownies may still be gooey in the middle when still warm, but will set up perfectly once cooled. Enjoy!!
* recipe adapted from Kevin and Amanda