Pioneer Woman's Monster Cookies with M&Ms, Chocolate Chips, Oatmeal, Nuts and Rice Krispies

Monster Cookies from the Pioneer Woman

Every Sunday morning, I make breakfast for my dad. If you follow my instagram, you'll see photos. We have a routine. 8 am - watch the news (KTLA, Channel 5) until 9 am, then Pioneer Woman and Trisha Yearwood on the Food Network (unless there is baseball, then baseball always wins).

I'm always interested in what Ree is cooking up on the ranch. Last Sunday, it was Monster Cookies! I decided to take them for a spin and bring them into my meeting today.

You might be thinking, "Those cookies aren't very "monster" sized." Ree makes these MONSTER with only 6 cookies per sheet. I didn't make them as big as hers and got 48 cookies (baking 9 per sheet).

These cookies have oatmeal, mini M&Ms, chocolate chips, cashews and rice krispies! Everything you need in life, no?


I'm ready for the morning meeting!

Recipe:
Monster Cookies
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
2 whole large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt (I used 1 teaspoon kosher salt because I was using salted cashews)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cup oats (either quick or regular, I used regular)
1 cup chocolate coated candies, such as M&M's (I used mini M&Ms)
3/4 cup chocolate chips (milk or semisweet) (I used Nestle semi sweet chips)
1/2 cup pecans, chopped (I used salted and roasted cashews (I had a sleeve from a Costco variety pack of nuts!)
2 1/4 cups Rice Krispies cereal

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (Pioneer Woman used 375 degrees but I liked the batch I made at 350 degrees).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda to combine.
3. Using a mixer with paddle attachment, ream butter with white and brown sugars in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Add the vanilla and beat to combine.
6. On low speed, add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until just combined (don't worry if you have some flour, you'll be continuing to mix it.)
7. Add in the oatmeal, M&Ms, chocolate chips and nuts and mix at low speed. Then, add the cereal and mix until just combined.
8. Use a cookie scoop or disher to scoop balls of dough onto a cookie sheet.
9. Depending on the size of your cookies, it could take 12-25 minutes to bake so remove them when they are golden brown.
10. Cool on a cookie rack and enjoy!

Brownie Batter Cookies - Trisha Yearwood recipe

Brownie Batter Cookies

Every Sunday, I go to my parent's house so I can hang out with my dad while my mom goes to church. I make Dad breakfast, push him in his wheelchair around the block with Cidney the Girl Dog and currently, watch some football or baseball.

Since the games don't begin til 10 am, we watch the Food Network in the morning. 9 am is The Pioneer Woman and 9:30 am is Trisha Yearwood. On a recent show, she made these Brownie Batter Cookies along with her college girlfriends. It was a sweet show and reminds me of my longtime college friends. Note to self: Need to get together with them and make them cookies!

Whether you are getting together with college friends or hanging out with the family, you can make these brownie cookies! They bake faster than brownies and everyone can have a few.

I made half the recipe and scooped smaller cookies (because I got 2 dozen cookies when it should have only made 1 dozen). Here are my measurements and instructions; you can find the original recipe from The Food Network here.

Brownie Batter Cookies
Adapted from Trisha Yearwood's recipe

Makes 24 small cookies (I mostly halved Trisha Yearwood's recipe)

1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons (125 grams) granulated sugar
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons (75 grams) dark brown sugar
1/2 ounce unsweetened baking chocolate
1 egg, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups (175 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2  teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Nestle)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat.
2. Melt the unsweetened baking chocolate bar in the microwave and let cool slightly. Or melt over a double boiler (it isn't much so the microwave is easier).
3. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt into a bowl or piece of parchment and set aside.
4. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and melted chocolate until smooth.
5. Add egg and mix until fully combined.
6. Add the flour mixture slowly until just mixed. Then add the vanilla extract.
7. Use a spatula and fold in the chocolate chips to the batter. Batter will be thick.
8. Drop cookies onto sheet and bake for 13-16 minutes, depending on your oven and the size of your cookies.
See the original recipe on the Food Network's website here.

Nigella's Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

I can't find my digital scale. Eeck.

Due to some home improvements, things were moved around and crammed in other areas of the house and the garage. And I don't know where the digital scale went! Eeck. I use it all the time and feel like my arm is cut off when baking without it. Oh, and I can't find my camera too. It's kinda a disaster in the making. I'm lucky to have gotten these muffins out the door. I'll keep you posted on the lost and found that is the house.

These are Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins. They have some cocoa powder and chocolate chips. I switched regular chocolate chips for mini chips because mini chips are cuter.

I really liked this recipe. Super easy to make and the texture was very good. I made them two days in a row and will definitely make them again in the future!

Let's hope my scale and camera show up soon!
(These photos were taken on my Samsung 4S phone with the VSCOcam app)

I slightly adapted Nigella's recipe from the Food Network

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons good quality cocoa powder (I used Callebaut dutch chocolate)
3/4 cup superfine sugar (one time, I used granulated sugar and it turned out fine)
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling on top (1 cup total chips - I used mini semi-sweet chocolate chips)
1 cup milk (I used whole milk)
1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Line a muffin tin with liners.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, sugar, and 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips.
4. In a measuring cup, mix together the oil, milk, egg and vanilla together.
5. Pour the liquids over the dry ingredients and mix together. Don't overmix - it's fine if it's lumpy.
6. Scoop into muffin tin.
7. Sprinkle the 1/4 cup of chocolate chips on top.
8. Bake for 20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Makes 12 muffins.

Tyler Florence "My Big, Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies"

Tyler Florence's

My Big, Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm typing this up on Sunday night. It was a really beautiful day in Los Angeles. I hope you had really nice weather too!

Um, I have about 2 minutes to get this done...because it's a crazy good TV night! So, what's on your DVR? I'm watching:
The Killing on AMC  - So good. They better tell me who killed Rosie Larsen this season.
Mad Men - Don. Draper. Joan. Peggy. Awesome.
Good Wife - Still love Julianna from ER days. And Chris Noth...sweet.
The Closer - The last season of this show. I've seen every. single. episode. It's light and easy to watch re-runs. I've written lots of blog posts while watching! :)
White Collar - On hiatus now, but it's a great show. Matt Bomer? Oh my goodness, I can watch the show on mute.
Modern Family - I think this is on everyone's DVR.
60 Minutes, CBS Sunday Morning, and Frontline - Getting my news fill.


Back to the cookies... I chopped a block of dark chocolate for these cookies. They were a soft chocolate chip cookies - I prefer that to a crunchy cookie.


Yummy!

Tyler Florence
My Big, Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe on the Food Network

Olive Oil Muffins - Giada De Laurentiis

Olive Oil Muffins

Sorry I've been MIA lately. A few things came up, but I hope to get back to blogging and baking. Wishing you a great Memorial Day weekend! :)

Here is fellow UCLA Bruin Giada's Olive Oil Muffins. Giada has a BA in Anthropology - just like me! Goooo Bruins!!!!

Easy to make, they include extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar! Give them a try with a nice espresso or coffee.

Recipe:
Click here for printable recipe
Adapted from Olive Oil Muffin recipe from Food Network - Giada De Laurentiis

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons whole milk
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Powdered sugar, for sifting

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare 12-muffin tin.
2. Mix together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Beat the sugar, eggs, and zests in a large bowl until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes (I used the whisk attachment of my KitchenAid mixer)
4. Beat in the vinegar and milk.
5. Gradually beat in the oil.
6. Add the flour mixture and stir just until blended (I did this with a rubber spatula).
7. Crush the almonds with your hands as you add them to the batter and stir until mixed.
8. Fill the muffin tin almost to the top of the paper liners.
9. Bake until golden on top and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 20 to 25 minutes.
10. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes. Remove the muffins onto a platter and let cool for 5 more minutes.
11. Sift powdered sugar over the muffins and serve.

Nigella's Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Muffins

Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Muffins
It's chocolate for breakfast!

Oh Nigella! She's so one of my favorites! Always calm, fun and nice to others, I just want to hang out at her house. I especially want her midnight snacks. Whenever I watch her show, she is always making a midnight snack...or I just keep watching the same episode.

I wanted to make a muffin. I wanted chocolate. And wow. Nigella's recipe came up on the Food Network website!

This is super easy to throw together in the morning. I used 3/4 c of regular size Nestle semi-sweet morsels in the batter and 1/4 c mini morsels for the topping.

I got 15 muffins (her yield is 12). I think the 400 degree was too hot and the bottoms were a bit dry. I would lower the temperature to 350 or 375 next time.

Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Muffins...
Click here for the recipe on the Food Network website!

Homemade Granola

Homemade granola, organic yogurt and fresh strawberries and bananas. Serious great breakfast (or anytime snack)

My co-worker Jessica recently made some homemade granola and it was delicious. And since I have no original ideas, I decided to copy her :)

Using Ellie Krieger's recipe from the Food Network as a base, I combined some yummy ingredients together and baked it. I'm sure it is less expensive than regular granola and I can pronounce all the ingredients! It's super easy to make and very adaptable.

Although I baked it for 40 minutes (stirring every 10 minutes or so) at 300 degrees, the granola didn't brown as much as Jessica's. Turns out she baked hers at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. I'm going to try that with my next batch (and add some crystallized ginger and more ground ginger - but of course!)

Because this is a lower-fat recipe, it doesn't make "clusters" (you need more oil for that I think). I've tried it with soy milk and yogurt, and it gets a big thumbs up!

- click to enlarge -

Ingredients (most from Trader Joe's):
Raw nuts: 1/2 c each - pecans, walnuts and sunflower seeds
Dried fruits: 1/2 c each - raisins and apricots
Grains: 3 cups of rolled oats
Sweetness: 1/2 c organic maple syrup
Spices: cinnamon, salt and ground ginger