Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Chocolate Crinkles, or according to Uncle Bret "choc-ey crinks". These cookies have been I'm the Crandall family cookbook since as long as I can remember. When I was little, my mom would always mix up the dough for me and my brother Mitch and we would eat it by the spoonful. Probably not the most nutritious after school snack, but definitely a delicious one!

These gooey chocolate cookies are so soft and the powdered sugar coating really adds that extra sweetness. You start off making these cookies by combining sugar, cocoa, oil, butter, and vanilla. Once that's mixed then add the eggs one at a time. Then add your dry ingredients and mix until the dough really comes together.

 This is a very moist, sticky dough. And depending on the altitude and amount of moisture in the air the amount of flour will differ. My mom would always do a test cookie then add more depending on it's results. 

After the dough is completed, roll into balls (or use a cookie scoop) and drop it into a bowl of powdered sugar. Roll the dough around until it is completely coated. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 8-12 minutes depending on the size!

Voila!!

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 eggs

2-3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Blend the first five ingredients until comes together. Then add in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour, powder, and salt. Roll into balls and coat with powdered sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes 



Scotcheroo Bars

These gluten free treats go by so many various names. My family calls them Scotcheroos or Rice Crispy Oh Henry Bars, but you could have known these as something else.

They are super simple to whip up. I like making them because they make a whole cookie sheet worth with only a little effort. These are my go to treats when I'm feeding larger quantities of people.

These ones that are pictured were made for a kid in my Calculus class's birthday. Hence the festive rainbow sprinkles (;

The Recipe is all follows :

8 cups crisp rice cereal

1 cup corn syrup

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup peanut butter

12 ounces milk chocolate chips

12 ounces butterscotch chips

Start by boiling the corn syrup and sugar until all the sugar dissolves. Then remove from heat and mix in the peanut butter till completely melted and smooth. Pour over crisp rice cereal and mix until completely coated. Press into cookie sheet pan.

Then while it cools, melt both chocolate chips in the microwave (using 30 second increments) and spread over the top of mixture in the cookie sheet. 

Place in the refrigerator until the chocolate sets and becomes firm. Cut into squares and enjoy(:





Have you made these before? What are your thoughts on this recipe? Comment Below!!(:

Oreo Truffles

Out of everything that I make, These little balls of heaven are what people always request. They are ridiculously easy, far from nutritious, and insanely addictive. If you share them with anyone, just be prepared because they most likely will ask you for more.

These are made up of only three ingredients, Oreos, cream cheese, and white chocolate for dipping. When you first bite into this little hand dipped Oreo Ball the hardened white chocolate flakes off into your mouth. Followed by a burst of chocolate. The inside dough is rich and soft. The combination of these ingredients produces a very sweet end product and the cream cheese blends it all perfectly together, adding a small amount savor.

The easiest way to make this, and I highly recommend using a food processor. That way you don't get stuck crushing it all by hand.  First add all the Oreo's and blend them into crumbs. Then add the cream cheese in small chunks. The temperature of the cream cheese is a great contributing factor that determines how much you need to add. So I usually add half of the block, and then drop it in by the spoonful until it all comes together to form a soft dough.

After it's well blended and no Oreo cookie clumps remain, roll into small, quarter sized balls. At this point you can freeze them before you dip them, or if they are firm enough you can just dip them right then.



Once they are hardened, you can help yourself & indulge(:

Oreo Balls/ Oreo Truffles/ Oreo Cake Balls

1 package Nabisco Oreo cookies
8 oz. Cream Cheese
2 pkgs. white chocolate morsels

Blend Oreos and cream cheese together until a dough forms. Roll into quarter sized balls and place on a cookie sheet. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave (30 second increments) Dip the balls into the white chocolate and sprinkle with Oreo crumbs, or drizzle with milk chocolate. Let harden before serving.

Ice Cream Roll

Depending on which Crandall you talk to, this dessert is highly favored and one of the very best family recipes. Next to Grandma's Cinnamon Rolls and Steamed Chocolate Pudding, of course. Ice Cream Roll is a heavenly, soft, spongy chocolate cake rolled up with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with hot fudge sauce. Does food get any better than that? Nope!

To make this delectable frozen treat start by separating five eggs, and whipping the whites with cream of tarter till stiff peaks.

You can determine if the whites are to stiff peak by immersing the beaters in the whipped whites and slowly pulling them straight out. The whites that separate from the beaters should form peaks that do not fall over or collapse.

Next in a separate bowl, mix the yolks till thick and lemon colored.

Next, add in flour, cocoa, salt, and sugar to the egg yolks.

Mix this well. It should form a thick chocolate batter. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure it's mixed evenly.

Fold together the whites and chocolate mixture. Be sure to use gentle motions so that you don't remove the air you just whipped into the whites. This is an important step because it's what gives the roll its fluffy, pliable texture.



The folded batter should look like this after it has been completely

incorporated.

Pour out onto a wax paper greased and floured jelly roll pan. If you do not have a jelly roll pan a cookie sheet will work!



After baking the cake turn out onto a powdered sugar coated towel

 Loosely roll up and allow to cool. This step helps the cake take its rolled form and helps it not crumble and break when the ice cream is added to it.

I take a whole carton of Vanilla ice cream and slice it with a knife to place the pieces on top of the cake. Yup, you read that right, the WHOLE thing(:

Roll up the cake and ice cream and then wrap in wax paper and plastic. Make sure to seal it tightly to avoid freezer burn. Place in the freezer to harden and cool completely before slicing.

Top with hot fudge sauce, and enjoy(:

Ice Cream Roll

5 eggs, separated

1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tartar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup flour

3 tablespoons Cocoa Powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 gallon Vanilla Ice Cream

Separate eggs. Combine the whites and cream of tartar and beat till stiff peaks. Beat the yolks until thick in consistency and lemon colored. Add sugar, flour, cocoa, and salt and mix well. Fold the whites into the chocolate mixture. Pour onto prepared jelly roll sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes

Flip cake out onto powdered sugar coated towel and loosely roll up. When cooled add vanilla ice cream. Roll up and securely cover the roll with wax paper and set in freezer. Slice and drizzle with chocolate syrup or hot fudge. Serve immediately.

The Perfect M&M Cookie

       I am a pinterest addict. Or maybe I am just a recipe addict and that website is my dealer. It's still undecided. A while back I happened to stumble upon Picky-Palate's How To post on ..."The Perfect M&M cookies". 

    She has a secret ingredient of dry vanilla pudding and it really does make all the difference. It not only makes the cookies moist, but it makes them puffy and soft. Ahhh this cookie is nothing far from Heaven.
      I like to make them in bulk so I usually double the recipe and freeze the extra dough. It's so easy to just grab some dough out of the freezer and bake it for quick treats. 

Here's the link to the recipe and she has a really good step by step, picture tutorial of how to make them. This is definitely a recipe to bookmark.



http://picky-palate.com/2013/04/03/how-to-make-perfect-m-and-m-cookies/

Chex Mix Muddy Buddies

I've been super busy lately with cosmetology school, so on my day off I quickly whipped up a batch of these for some friends and family. Only to come home today and find a note on my fridge from my siblings begging for more. I felt pretty special.

I figured most people have this recipe, but I might as well share it still! (: This may just be about the easiest treat out there. Its a definite crowd-pleaser and its hard to resist the beautiful pair of peanut butter and chocolate. Whenever I make this I hate myself for the next two days because I can't help but sit and snack on it. Its highly addictive.

This chex mix has been made in my family for the longest time. My cousin would always take it to Lake Powell, so for me this is a recipe that carries childhood memories with it! Super precious, right?

I usually tend to double the recipe whenever I make this. Eight cups is just never enough!

Start off by melting the chocolate chips & peanut butter. You can melt it in the microwave stirring every 45 seconds, however, I just melt it on the stove because its easier for me.

The recipe calls for semi-sweet chips, but I have a big sweet tooth so I prefer milk chocolate chips. Its really personal preference on this one. The semi-sweet chips create a good balance from the richness of the chocolate, the nutty aroma of the peanut butter, and the sweetness of the powdered sugar its coated in.

After the chocolate is melted and smooth, pour over the chex mix cereal and mix until it is all covered in chocolate. After that transfer it to a large ziplock bag with the powdered sugar in it. Seal the bag tight and shake it to coat the cereal in powdered sugar.

Lay it out on wax paper, then store it in an airtight container.

happy snacking!!(:

Chex Mix Muddy Buddies

8 cups chex cereal

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2/3 cup peanut butter

2 cups powdered sugar

Measure cereal into large bowl. Set aside. Melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter until smooth. Pour over cereal and stir to coat. Then place in a large ziplock back containing powdered sugar and shake to coat once more. Lay on wax paper and let cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Raspberry Streusel Muffins

Breakfast is easily my favorite meal, & this muffin recipe is nothing short of brilliant. I invited some friends and family over this lovely Saturday morning and they were all raving over these muffins. My brother even said they were "astounding". We couldn't stop eating them.

They are moist with the perfect amount of sweetness. You get this warm rush followed by a crunch of the streusel topping the moment you bite into them. The raspberries add the perfect fresh flavor to contrast the soft crumble of the muffin. This was most definitely the best way to start off the day.

I took the recipe from my little sister's cookbook that she adds to whenever she goes to cooking class. So as far as I know, the source of this delicacy is her cooking instructor. Its a simple recipe that can be thrown together with whats in your pantry. You can substitute raspberry jam, or really any fruit of your preference for these. They are really versatile and a definite crowd pleaser. 

Raspberry Streusel Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 milk

1 egg, slightly beaten

fresh raspberries

Streusel topping:

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tsp. butter, melted

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and baking powder. In a seperate bowl, combine the butter, milk, and egg and mix until combined. Then, add the wet and dry ingredients together, mixing till just combined. 

DO NOT OVER MIX

Over-mixing your muffins causes them to come out with a cone-shaped top, It will also make them very tough and you will not get the soft, melt in your mouth muffin that you would if you mixed them as little as possible.

Fill the muffin tins 1/3 cup full, place 2-3 raspberries on top, then cover with the remaining dough. Top with the streusel topping. To make that, just mix all the ingredients in a bowl until combined.

Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes until toothpick is inserted and they come out clean.

Homemade Oreo Cookies

Nothing is better than America's favorite cookie, baked right in your own oven! This homemade Oreo cookie recipe has been in my family for years and is so simple. It goes as follows:

1 box Devil's Food cake mix
2 eggs
2/3 cup shortening

Dump all the ingredients into a Kitchen Aid with the paddle attachment, and mix until it comes together and forms a dough. Then roll dough into 1 inch balls and place them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. (time will vary depending on the size of the rolled balls)

After the cookies are done, I move them onto a clean kitchen towel, however a cooling rack would be fine. Let them cool COMPLETELY before frosting.

I never use a specific frosting recipe, I just throw things in and blend it, adding more things as I go. (or as Jacob Buhler would call it, making it with love) A basic cream cheese frosting works. I found a good one on allrecipes.com & I attached the link below! Anyways, spread a generous amount of this frosting between 2 cooled cookies, and enjoy!!(:

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe