Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup  packed light brown sugar 
1 cup  granulated sugar 
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
2- ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats 
2 cups chocolate chips or chocolate chunks (butterscotch chips are delicious, too)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, silicone liners or lightly grease with cooking spray.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. 

3. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until creamy and well-combined, 1-2 minutes. Add baking soda, baking powder, salt and mix well. Add flour, oatmeal and chocolate chips. Mix until no dry streaks remain (don’t go crazy; just mix until evenly combined).

4. Scoop the cookies into balls (about 2 tablespoons each) and place a couple inches apart on the baking sheets.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes.

 from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Toffee Doodle Cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1/2 cup margarine, softened. (I used all butter so 1 cup)
1- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 TBS corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
2- 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz bag toffee bits

Cinnamon- sugar mixture

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer, cream together the margarine, butter and sugar until well combined.

3. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add in the egg, corn syrup, and vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
Add the flour, baking soda and salt, mix until the dough forms.

4. Add the toffee bits to the dough and mix until evenly distributed.
Portion the dough out into your desired size. Like a #24 scoop that uses 3 TBS of dough or make them smaller.

5. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon sugar mixture.

6. Roll each ball of dough into the cinnamon sugar, pressing the mixture onto the cookie dough. Repeat with remaining dough.

7. Bake at 350° F for 11-13 minutes. (I did smaller and baked 9 minutes) The cookie will flatten, spread and the edges should start to turn golden brown when they are ready to come out of the oven.

8. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

 from Cookies for Days

Salted Caramel Toffee Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup salted butte,r softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup thick caramel dip/sauce (like Mrs Richardson's brand)
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup crushed pretzels
1 cup toffee bits
flaky sea salt for garnish

Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 375°F.

2. Using either a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until light in color and fluffy in texture.

3. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add in the egg, caramel and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
Add in the flour, salt and baking soda. Mix until a sticky dough forms.

4. Add the white chocolate chips, crushed pretzels and toffee bits. Mix until combined.
Portion out your dough into 3 TBS portions (using a #24 scoop) and arrange on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Sprinkle some flaky sea salt on top if desired.

5. Bake at 375° F for 9-11 minutes. The cookies will spread and the edges and top of the cookies will turn golden brown when they are ready to come out of the oven. Add more sea salt to the top, if desired.
Allow the cookies to cool completely on the pan before transferring to a wire rack.

 from Cookies for Days

Onion Rings

2 large yellow onions (about 12 oz each), sliced 1/3 inch thick, separated into individual rings
1 cup (5 oz) all-purpose flour (scoop an level to measure)
1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper (or to taste)
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
2 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs, or more if needed
6 cups vegetable oil or peanut oil, for frying


Instructions
1. Pour vegetable oil into a pot. Heat to 365 degrees over medium heat (and monitor temperature). Meanwhile prepare onion rings.

2. In a shallow dish whisk together flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and baking powder.

3. Dredge onion rings in flour mixture, shake off excess (I just do two at a time and tap together to remove extra flour back into dish). Transfer onion rings to a baking sheet, reserve remaining flour mixture.

4. In liquid measuring cup whisk together buttermilk and egg. Pour mixture into remaining flour mixture and whisk to blend (mixture should be similar to the consistency of pancake batter, if needed add a little more flour to thicken or buttermilk to thin).

5. Pour panko into a separate shallow dish.

6. Working with a few onion rings at a time, dip into batter mixture coating each side, shake excess batter back into dish, then transfer to panko and press and coat each side in panko.

7. Transfer to preheated oil and fry until golden brown, turning halfway through frying (they should only take about 20 to 30 seconds per side). Fry in batches no more than 10 at a time to not overcrowd.

8. Drain on paper towel lined baking dish. Repeat process until all of the onion rings have been used up.
Serve warm with ketchup or fry sauce if desired.


Serve with ketchup, fry sauce, ranch, or bbq sauce.

Baked Onion Rings:If you are looking for a healthier alternative to oil frying baking is a great option.
Omit baking powder from recipe.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Prepare the onion rings as directed to cover with mixtures then spray with olive oil or vegetable oil cooking spray.
Place on greased baking sheet, spray with olive oil or vegetable oil cooking spray.
Bake until golden brown and crisp, turning halfway through, about 13 – 16 minutes.
Air Fryer Onion RingsOnion rings can also be cooked in the air fry rather than deep frying.
To do so preheated an air fryer to 375 degrees. Omit baking powder from recipe.
Dredge the onion rings in mixtures as directed then spray with olive oil or vegetable oil cooking spray.
Air fry in batches until golden brown and crips, about 11 to 14 minutes.

 from Cooking Classy

Peaches and Cream Dessert

Crust:

3 cups graham cracker crumbs
2-3 TBS granulated sugar
¾ cup butter, melted

Creamy Filling:

1 ½ cups powdered sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 cups cold heavy whipping cream (see note)
5-6 medium fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced thinly (see note)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar. Stir in the melted butter until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Remove 1/3 cup of the crumbs and set aside for later.
Press the remaining crumb mixture on the bottom of a 9x13-inch pan. Refrigerate the crust while preparing the rest of the dessert.

2. In a large bowl using an electric handheld mixer or in the bowl of an electric stand mixer, mix the powdered sugar and cream cheese together until light and smooth, 1-2 minutes. Mix in the vanilla.
Pour in the cold heavy cream and mix on low (to avoid spatters) until the mixture starts to come together. Increase the speed to medium-high and mix until the mixture is thick and fluffy.
Spread a little less than half of the cream filling over the chilled crust. Layer the sliced peaches over the top of the cream.

3. Dollop the remaining cream over the top of the peaches in large spoonfuls and spread carefully to the edges of the pan cover the peaches completely. Sprinkle the reserved graham cracker mixture over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours before serving.

NOTES
Sweetness: if the peaches you are using are very ripe/very sweet, you may want to decrease the powdered sugar a bit in the filling.
Peaches: I haven’t made this with frozen or canned peaches but it will probably work. For frozen peaches, thaw and drain excess liquid. For canned peaches, drain and lightly pat dry.
Heavy Cream: Using a high fat heavy whipping cream is important because we aren’t whipping it separately before adding to the cream cheese. I use 40% heavy whipping cream (Darigold brand). If you are using a lighter/less milkfat heavy whipping cream, you might want to whip it to soft peaks before gradually mixing it in with the cream cheese mixture (otherwise, it may not thicken).


from Mels Kitchen Cafe