Soft peanut butter cookies

10/10. These are perfectly soft, peanut butter-y and tasty. Yield was about 2 dozen.

Link to original recipe: https://www.katiebirdbakes.com/easiest-peanut-butter-cookies/

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

6 T. unsalted butter

1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

3/4 c. brown sugar (packed)

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

150g (1 1/4 c.) all-purpose flour (you may need just a tad more, depending on the peanut butter used)

sugar, for coating

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment and set aside.

2. In a large, microwave-safe bowl. melt the butter and peanut butter together (watch carefully to not overheat).

3. Stir until mixture is combined/homogenous. Whisk in the brown sugar.

4. Whisk in the egg and vanilla until well-combined, followed by the salt and baking soda.

5. Stir in the flour until stiff dough forms. Add a tsp. or two more of flour if needed to achieve dough texture (I had to do this).

6. Place some sugar in a small bowl. Form small dough balls, then toss in the sugar to coat. Place dough balls on prepared baking sheets. Use a fork to flatten dough balls (I make a criss-cross pattern).

7. Bake for 10-12 min. Cookies will be slightly puffy when ready to remove from oven. Let cool for 8 min on baking sheets before transferring to cooling rack. Enjoy!

Cajun Garlic Lemon Parmesan Salmon

10+/10, so very very good. Could have eaten way too much of this!

Link to original recipe: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a54432/cajun-parmesan-salmon-recipe/

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

1 T. olive oil

3 (4 oz. each) salmon filets

2 tsp. Cajun seasoning, divided

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 T. butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 c. low-sodium chicken broth

juice from 1 lemon

1 T. honey

1 T. freshly chopped parsley

2 T. freshly grated Parmesan

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high hear. Season salmon filets with 1 tsp. of the Cajun seasoning, then pepper to taste. Add to the skillet, skin side up. Cook until deeply golden (around 6 min), then turn and cook 2 additional minutes on other side. Transfer to a plate.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Add the butter and garlic to skillet. Once the butter has melted, stir in the broth, lemon juice, honey, parsley, Parmesan, and the remaining 1 tsp. of Cajun seasoning. Bring mixture to simmer.

3. Return salmon to skillet, coat in the sauce. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until salmon is cooked through. Serve with desired side and enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Pizza-Sized Cookie

A few years back, I tried to make a cake for my son's birthday, which usually is not an issue for me. For whatever reason, I failed on the frosting and the thing turned into a but of a disaster. Plan B went into action: cookie-pizza! And he was just as happy, thankfully :)

Link to original recipe: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/chocolate-chip-cookie-pizza/

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

240g (2 c.) all=purpose flour

2 tsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 c. light (or dark) brown sugar (packed)

1/4 c. sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 12-13" round pizza pan with parchment.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter, brown sugar, and sugar until light and fluffy.

4. Add the egg and beat until combined (around 1 min.), then beat in the vanilla extract.

5. Add the reserved dry mixture and mix on low until combined.

6. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.

7. Turn out cookie dough onto the prepared pizza pan. Flatten out using your hands (or a rubber spatula), until dough reaches/comes close to the edge all around the pan.

8. Bake fo 22-25 min (I went 25), until puffed and light brown on top. After removing from oven, let rest on pan until cooled. Frost if desired and enjoy!

Cedar Planked Wings

These should be called Fire Cedar Planked Wings, to be honest--quite warm! Needed salt, would add to part where they are tossed in the sauce at end. Also did not bother with doing the "indirect" side of grill thing, just melted it in microwave and stirred together.  It doesn't say to, but I tossed them in the sauce at the end, might be the fire content! I also left the lid "cracked" open to make sure the fire stayed very hot until the last 5 min.

Link to original recipe: https://www.weber.com/US/en/blog/grilling-inspiration/cedar-planked-wings/weber-30752.html

Ingredients:

2 oz. tequila

3/4 c. olive oil

4 tsp. ancho chili powder, divided

2 lbs. chicken wings (or drumettes)

1/3 c. butter

1/2 c. hot sauce

1 cedar plank, soaked in water for at least an hour.

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the tequila, olive oil, and 2 tsp. of the ancho chili powder. Toss the chicken wings in this mixture, coating well. Cover and place in fridge to marinate for at least 1 hour.

2. Heat your grill (if using one with a temperature setting, 350-450°F). Take wings from marinade and arrange on the soaked plank. Once the grill has heated, place the plank directly over the coals.

3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl or pan, melt the butter (I used a bowl/microwave, as stated above). Stir in the hot sauce and the remaining 2 tsp. ancho powder.

4. After 20 min, turn the wings over on the plank. Baste with the butter sauce. Let grill for 5 more minutes, then turn back to other side. Grill for 5 additional min.

5. If desired, toss in the sauce again after finishing on the grill. Enjoy!

Frozmopolitan

This is really tasty! Have made this twice now with my mom. We halved the recipe, as we only have a normal sized blender and didn't need so many servings. Highly recommend using the Grand Marnier; we tried Triple Sec instead and it isn't as nice. Also, about that ingredient--in the original recipe, 1/4 c. is a misprint, as 1/4 c. does NOT equal 4 oz. We found that 4 oz (halved to 2 oz) is the right flavor. Lastly, we also added a bit more simple syrup to make it a little sweeter.

Original recipe credit: https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/frozmopolitan

Recipe below contains my modifications, amounts are for a regular-sized blender.

Ingredients:

for the simple syrup--

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. water

for the drink--

4 c. ice cubes

3 oz. cranberry juice cocktail

~3 oz. simple syrup (depending on how sweet you prefer)

2 oz. Absolut Citron

8 tsp. fresh lime juice

2 oz. Grand Marnier

2 T. fresh lemon juice

2 T. fresh orange juice

Directions:

1. For the simple syrup: Stir together the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves (around 2 min). Let cool completely (around 30 min).

2. For the drink: Place all drink ingredients in a blender. Blend until completely smooth/slushy (will be a bit thick/can hold small amount of shape). Pour into cocktail glass and enjoy!

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

Oh yeahhhhh. My hubby is not a big cupcake person, yet he has declared these are the best cupcakes ever and wants me to make them for his birthday next year! So yes, these are a 10+/10 :)

Link to original recipe: https://www.goldmedalflour.com/recipes/snickerdoodle-cupcakes/c9ad9635-e710-45bb-a795-5a5ae0060ee8

I halved this recipe when I made it; to achieve half of 5 egg whites, I measured them by weight, then halved. Also had to bake mine a couple min longer than called for, as the batter filled the cups pretty full.

Amounts below are for full recipe. Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

for the cupcake batter--

330g  (2 3/4 c.) all-purpose flour

1 T. baking powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 c. butter-flavored Crisco

1 2/3 c. sugar

5 egg whites

2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/4 c. milk

for the frosting--

6 c. powdered sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2/3 c. butter, softened

1 T. vanilla extract

2-4 T. milk

for the topping--

2 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 24-cup cupcake/muffin tins with cupcake paper liners.

2. For the cupcake batter: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the Crisco on medium speed for 30 sec.

4. Gradually mix in the sugar, around a 1/3 c. at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat 2 min. after the final addition, then beat in the vanilla.

5. On low speed, alternately add some of the flour mixture, then some of the milk, and continue until all of both are mixed in and well combined.

6. Divide batter as evenly as possible among the 24 lined cupcake cavities (around 2/3 full each).

7. Bake 18-20 min, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 min in pan before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

8. For the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together powdered sugar, cinnamon, and butter on low speed. Beat in the vanilla and 2 T. of the milk. Beat in additional milk until spreadable consistency is reached.

9. For the topping: combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Frost the cupcakes, then sprinkle with the topping. Enjoy!

Easy Mini Chocolate Almond Tarts

These are incredibly good! Made them as part of the Christmas Goodies Countdown 2023, will be making again for sure, as they stay fresh for a long time, doesn't make a huge batch. Was my first time making a ganache with almond milk, was pleasantly surprised at how great it was!

Link to my YouTube short of preparation: https://youtube.com/shorts/f_SD9od-Wwg

Original recipe credit: https://www.imperialsugar.com/recipes/chocolate-almond-tarts

Recipe below contains my modifications.

Ingredients:

for the crust--

1 c. lightly salted almonds

60g (1/2 c.) all-purpose flour

1 T. superfine sugar

4 T. unsalted butter, melted

for the ganache--

1/3 c. chocolate almond milk

6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate (I used Ghirardelli Semisweet Baking Chocolate Bars), finely chopped

Directions:

1. for the crust-- Heat oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake/muffin pan with 12 paper liners and set aside.

2. Add the almonds, flour, and sugar to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until almonds are very finely chopped.

3. Pour in melted butter and pulse until well blended. (I think I accidentally added this is previous step in the video--still worked out just fine!)

4. Divide mixture as evenly as possible amongst the 12 paper liners in the pan (around 1.5 T. each). Press mixture to flatten/even out in each liner.

5. Bake for 8-10 min, or until fragrant and edges starting to turn golden. Let cool in pan for 30 min.

6. for the ganache-- Using a clean food processor bowl, process chopped chocolate until fine crumbs are obtained.

7. Heat the chocolate almond milk in a small saucepan over medium-low to medium heat, until it just comes to simmer (bubbles start to form).

8. Immediately pour the hot milk all over chocolate in the food processor. Place lid on the bowl/lock in place, let sit for 1 min.

9. Process for 3 seconds. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl. Place lid back on and process for 2 more seconds.

10. Spoon ganache, dividing as evenly as possible, into the 12 prepared almond crusts.

11. Lay a long paper towel over the paper liners (should not touch ganache!). Let sit on counter at room temp for 6-8 hrs, or until filling is set. Enjoy! (note: I topped with a maraschino cherry in the video for appearance; this is not necessary, they are fabulous on their own)