A to Z Everything but the Kitchen Sink Chocolate Chip Cookies

Happy Leap Day!! While this may be just another day of the year of some people, others may be celebrating a birthday! (Happy birthday to all the Leap Day babies out there!) SO, in honor of Leap Day, a lot of stores have been advertising special sales and Subway has declared it Free Cookie Day. So, I thought I would post a crazy cookie recipe in honor of this once in four years day.

A to Z Everything but the Kitchen Sink Chocolate Chip Cookies

Nuts, chocolate, coconut, crunchy cereal and oats all rolled into one cookie! They’re chewy, crispy, crunchy and fabulous!

**NOTE: This recipe is for 5 dozen cookies so scale down (or up if you’re baking for a party, bake sale or a large crowd)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose gluten free flour (Better Batter is a wonderful flour)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mace
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup vegan butter, softened (Earth Balance)
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon coconut milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup gluten free Cinnamon Chex cereal, crumbled
• 3 cups gluten free rolled oats
• 1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 2 cups gluten free semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (or nuts of your choice) – or omit the nuts if you are allergic

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease cookie sheets. Sift together gluten free flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, and cloves; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together vegan butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in coconut milk and vanilla. Gradually mix in the sifted ingredients until well blended. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the cornflakes, oats, coconut, chocolate chips, and walnuts (or other nut). Roll the dough into walnut sized balls, and place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets; flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Slightly under baking these yields wonderfully chewy cookies!

Make these Loaded Candy cookies by adding your favorite candy like Miniature Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and crumbled Homemade Oreos instead of the cereal and oats.

ENJOY!

Kwegyirba Croffie is a freelance Associate Producer at News 12 Connecticut and a Special Events/Event Planning and Social Media Intern at College Lifestyles (TM). She is a Quinnipiac University alumni and a sister of Alpha Delta Pi. She enjoy cupcakes,Broadway musicals, Forever 21 ,giraffes, peacock feathers, orchids, lillies and anything Disney.

Frozen Reese’s Peanut Butter Pie

Frozen Reese’s Peanut Butter Pie

You’ll need those Homemade Oreos for this tasty treat!

Makes one 9 inch pie or three 4 inch mini pies. Preparation: Lightly butter springform pan if it is not non-stick. If you do not have a springform pan line a cake pan with a piece of lightly buttered foil leaving a one inch over hang around the edges for easy pie removal or alternately use a traditional pie pan.

Ingredients 

• 24 homemade Oreo cookies, crushed
• 4 tablespoon unsalted vegan butter, melted (Earth Balance)
• 2 ½ cups Cool Whip or Rice Whipped Cream
• ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
• ½ cup confectioner sugar
• ½ cup crushed Reeses Peanut Butter Cups

Oreo Crust:

1. Place Oreos in a food processor or blender and pulse until cookies are finely crumbed. Alternatively, place Oreos in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin.  Mix in the melted butter and then firmly press crumbs into pan to create a crust. Bake crust at 350 degrees F for 7-10 minutes.

Reese Peanut Butter Pie Filling:

1. Place peanut butter and confectioner sugar in a pan over low heat and stir until combined and peanut butter is melted. Set aside for five minutes to cool. Gently fold in peanut butter mixture into Cool Whip until combined. Gently fold in crushed Reese’s pieces into peanut butter Cool Whip mixture.
2. Pour mixture into Oreo crust and freeze for 3 hours. Garnish with caramel and chocolate drizzle (for added decadence rim with chopped Reese’s pieces).

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pound Cake with Peanut Butter Glaze

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pound Cake with Peanut Butter Glaze. Definitely a mouthful, a mouthful of goodness! Yes I know I’ve done a pound cake before but those didn’t have peanut butter and chocolate!

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Pound Cake with Peanut Butter Glaze

This pound cake is dense and wonderful and lovely to slice and have with a cup of your favorite tea, coffee, latte or a delicious glass of almond milk

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• 3 cups all-purpose gluten free flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup vegan butter, at room temperature
• 3 cups granulated white sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

For the Glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup coconut or almond milk
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF. Spray 10-cup tube pan generously with nonstick spray. Very generously. You don’t want to have any cake stick when you flip it over.
2. Prepare cake: In a medium bowl, whisk together gluten free flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together peanut butter and vegan butter. Add sugar and beat an additional 5 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add dry ingredients a little at a time, beating just until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Scrape batter into prepared tube pan. Tap it a couple of times on the counter to shake out any hidden air pockets.
3. Bake 1 hour and 20 minutes, checking on the cake at 1 hour to make sure it’s not browning too quickly on top. If browning too quickly, just place a piece of foil loosely over the top of the pan. When a toothpick is inserted into the center of the cake and comes out clean, your cake is done. Let cool for 20 minutes, then flip it onto a rack or platter and let it cool completely.
4. Prepare glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk, peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle glaze over the top of the cooled cake, letting it drizzle down the sides. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top. The glaze will set eventually- if you’d like to quicken the setting process, just place it into the refrigerator for a bit.

Try this for variation! It might be nice to chop a bunch of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups and swirl those into the cake instead of the chocolate chips. Then you can add chunks on top as well! Before you know it, you’ll have a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Peanut Butter Pound Cake with Peanut Butter Glaze. MMMM!

Good Lovin’ Chex Mix

The countdown to Valentine’s Day continues!

Chocolate and Valentine’s Day go hand in hand. Betty Crocker has gluten-free CHOCOLATE Chex that are great as a breakfast cereal and PHENOMENAL in this chex mix recipe. It’s Better than Sex Chex Mix but for everyone we will call it Good Lovin’ Chex Mix.

Good Lovin’ Chex Mix (Better than Sex Chex Mix)

The name really says it all.

Ingredients

• 8  cups Gluten Free Chocolate Chex cereal
• 3/4  cup packed brown sugar
• 6  tablespoons vegan butter
• 3  tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/4  teaspoon baking soda
• 1  cup Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, mini size
• 1 cup miniature marshmallows
• 1/2 cup caramel bits (found by the chocolate chips in the baking aisle — or chop up regular caramels)
• 1 tablespoon coconut milk
• 1/2 cup gluten free milk chocolate baking chips
• 1/2 cup vanilla (white) chocolate baking chips
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1. Into large microwavable bowl, measure cereal; set aside. Line cookie sheet with waxed paper or foil.
2. In 2-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave brown sugar, vegan butter and corn syrup uncovered on high 1 to 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute, until melted and smooth. Stir in baking soda until dissolved. Pour caramel mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Microwave on high 3 minutes, stirring every minute. Spread on cookie sheet. Cool 10 minutes. Break into bite-sized pieces.
3. Make sure Chex mixture is cool to the touch (You need it to be cool so that the candy doesn’t melt.) Evenly sprinkle mini peanut butter cups candy and miniature marshmallows over Chex mixture.
4. In small microwavable bowl, microwave caramel baking bits and coconut milk uncovered on high about 1 minute or until chips can be stirred smooth. Use a spoon or fork to drizzle over snack. Repeat with milk chocolate baking chips. Repeat again with vanilla (white) baking chips. Quickly sprinkle coarse salt over all while candy drizzles are still wet.
5. Refrigerate until set. Break apart and store in tightly covered container. 

If  you wanna make an extra special dessert with this wonderful sinfully sweet treat, try creating a parfait desserts by layering the cooled Good Lovin’ Chex Mix and lightly sweetened rice whipped cream!

ENJOY!

Kwegyirba Croffie is a freelance Associate Producer at News 12 Connecticut and a Special Events/Event Planning and Social Media Intern at College Lifestyles (TM). She is a Quinnipiac University alumni and a sister of Alpha Delta Pi. She enjoy cupcakes,Broadway musicals, Forever 21 ,giraffes, peacock feathers, orchids, lillies and anything Disney.

Peanut Butter Cup Blondies

My blondies are a HIT! and on this National Peanut Butter Day, we are going to jazz it up for all you peanut butter lovers out there. Peanut Butter Cup Blondies for Peanut Butter Lovers! Once again, using Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. (Seriously cannot get enough peanut butter chocolate goodness)

Peanut Butter Cup Blondies

Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose gluten freeflour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup unsalted vegan butter, melted (Earth Balance)
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 9 regular size Peanut Butter Cups (chop each peanut butter cup into 4 pieces) (6 will be mixed into batter and 3 will be pressed into the top of the blondies)

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Lightly grease an 8×8 inch baking pan.
2. Sift together the gluten free flour, baking powder, kosher salt and baking soda.Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (a handheld mixer works fine) mix together the light brown sugar, melted unsalted vegan butter and pure vanilla extract.
4. Add in 1 large egg and mix to combine.
5. Slowly add in the dry ingredients and mix until the ingredients are almost combined. Take a spatula and fold the ingredients together.
6. Chop up 6 regular size peanut butter cups into 4 pieces each. Throw the chopped peanut butter cups into the blondie batter and fold them in.
7. Spread the batter evenly in the lightly greased baking pan.
8. Bake for a total of 25 minutes at 350ºF. While the blondies are baking, chop up 3 more regular size peanut butter cups into 4 pieces each. During the last 5 minutes of baking, press the chopped up peanut butter cups into the blondies.
9. Then continue baking the blondies for 5 more minutes, the baking time will total 25 minutes.
10. Once the blondies are done baking, cool completely on a cooling rack and then cut into squares.

Your welcome. 🙂

ENJOY!!

Kwegyirba Croffie is a freelance Associate Producer at News 12 Connecticut and a Special Events/Event Planning and Social Media Intern at College Lifestyles (TM). She is a Quinnipiac University alumni and a sister of Alpha Delta Pi. She enjoy cupcakes, Broadway musicals, Forever 21 ,giraffes, peacock feathers, orchids, lillies and anything Disney.

National Peanut Butter Day

January 24th is National Peanut Butter Day! (thank you Twitter for letting me know) So on this day, I bring you a sweet and salty snack that uses Reese’s Peanut Butter cups (a favorite candy of mine – and still able to enjoy because it is gluten free)

Reese’s Peanut Butter Popcorn

This popcorn is a twist on the delicious caramel popcorn but this treat has a peanut butter honey coating instead of the caramel. Drizzled with chocolate and mini Reese’s Peanut Butter cups this treat is great for game time, snack time, party time or anytime! 

Ingredients

• 8 cups plain popcorn
• Fine salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips, melted
• 1 1/2 cups Mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

1. Place the popped popcorn in a large bowl and salt to taste. Set aside.
2. Mix the honey and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for about 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and add the peanut butter. Stir vigorously until all the peanut butter is melted, then mix in the vanilla extract.
3. Immediately pour the peanut butter caramel over the popcorn and gently stir with a long-handled wooden spoon until it’s all coated. Spread popcorn on a large baking sheet. Drizzle popcorn with melted chocolate and let sit until chocolate hardens. Stir in the Mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

HOW EASY IS THAT! Peanut, chocolate and popcorn. Now that is a winning combination. You can also do this with mini Snickers. Any chocolate candy you choose to use is sure to be delicious! Enjoy your National Peanut Butter Day. (or almond butter if you’re allergic to peanut butter, I definitely do discriminate almond butter. It is DELICIOUS and nutritious.