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!

Spreads Cookies by Pioneer Woman

Spreads by The Pioneer Woman

On Saturday morning, I turned on the DVR and found a new episode of Ree Drummond in The Pioneer Woman Food Network show. It was all about football camp with her making 120 sandwiches and these "Spreads" cookies for the football camp boys.

Spreads are the often requested treat of Ree's older brother and it's basically a cookie dough topped with melted chocolate chips. In her 2009 post on her blog, she doesn't top it with extra stuff, but on the show, she went crazy and filled it with toppings.

On this spread, I topped it with two types of candy sprinkles.

This was topped with Heath English Toffee Bits. I just love these. They go great in scones too (see this recipe)

The dough is very close to a cookie dough and you simply spread it on a baking sheet. After it bakes for 15-20 minutes, you take it out and place chocolate chips on top. Then it goes back in the oven for 1 more minute (just long enough to soften the chips) and then you spread them out with your offset spatula. Seriously easy peasy.

After they chill out, you can cut the spreads into any size pieces. I found it helpful to refrigerate them for 15 minutes before cutting.

I made one batch and split it between two quarter-sheet pans. You can make one big spread, or smaller individual ones too. On the show, she topped one with this crazy s'mores gone wild: crushed graham crackers, mini marshmallows, M&Ms and caramel sauce.

Cidney the Girl Dog was hanging out on her Costco doggie bed (the cover was in the wash) while I made the Spreads. I'm not sure she liked me interrupting her rest. :)

Spreads by The Pioneer Woman
See her original recipe (2009) and from the Food Network

1 cup (200 grams) light brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 large egg
2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda (I added this, not in the original recipe)
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 - 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used 8 ounces, but I think 6 ounces would be fine)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place parchment paper on a half-sheet or quarter-sheet pan. The Pioneer Woman does not use parchment, but I find the clean up easier with parchment.
3a. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda.
3b. With an electric mixer and paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add the egg and blend together, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
5. Add the vanilla and blend.
6. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour and salt and blend until just combined.
7. With an offset spatula, spread dough on the baking pan to a thickness of 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Don't spread it the edges of the pan.
8. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown on the edges.
9. Pull out of the oven (leave the oven on) and sprinkle the chocolate chips on the cookie.
10. Return to the oven and for 1 minute. Remove and spread the chips over the top with the offset spatula.
11. Spread your selected toppings on top.
12. Let cool before cutting into squares. Enjoy!

From @instagram - My account is @foodlibrarian - follow along! (it's 85% food, 10% dog and 5% more ridiculousness).

Apricot Jam Oatmeal Bars (Pioneer Woman)

Apricot Jam Oatmeal Bars

Photo taken with cell phone

These were really expensive apricot jam oatmeal bars (adapted from  The Pioneer Woman's Strawberry Oatmeal Bars from her Food Network show). 

 Here's the story:
1. Get up super early.
2. Wipe the sleep from my eyes.
3. Stumble to kitchen.
4. Make these simple jam bars from the Pioneer Woman.
5. Toss them into the oven.
6. Start to clean up the kitchen. (I think I should mention here that my camera is on the countertop.)
7. Move the flour container...and knock off my camera from the countertop...and see it nose dive onto the hardwood floor.

It was horrible! I saw it in that slo-mo action...where you want to yell, "Noooooo..." but it happens so fast you are only able to yelp, "n...."

The lens came apart and I found a piece of it on the floor. Darn.

I've been wanting a new camera recently so this forced my hand. I purchased this combo:

Canon EOS Rebel T3i (body)
Canon EF 50 mm f1.4 (lens) (I upgraded from the f1.8 lens that crashed)

 

I love the new camera! It is much faster than my old one (which I bought in 2008). I'll be updating the camera page soon! 

This recipe is super simple. Just mix together most of the ingredients and press 1/2 on the bottom, and 1/2 over the jam layer. (These are the last photos taken with my old camera!)

Make these bars. Kids and librarians alike will love them! And hang onto your camera! :) - mary

Recipe:
Apricot Jam Oatmeal Bars

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman (shown on her Food Network show). Her recipe here.
1 3/4 sticks salted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for greasing pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup oats (I used old fashioned oatmeal)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
One 10 to 12-ounce jar apricot jam (Pioneer Woman used homemade Strawberry Jam...I used Trader Joe's Apricot Jam)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch pan.
2. Mix together flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Using a pastry cutter/blender, cut in the butter.
3. Press half the oat mixture into the prepared pan.
4. Spread jam on top of the oat mixture.
5. Sprinkle the other half of the oat mixture over the top and pat lightly.
6. Bake until light brown, 30 to 40 minutes.
7. Let cool completely, and then cut into squares.

Texas Sheet Cake or The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake (Pioneer Woman)

Texas Sheet Cake or Pioneer Woman's The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake. Ever.

If you are a blogger, do you have orphan posts? Electronic files of photos in your Flickr account with no home? Half finished posts because you may not remember what recipe you even used? Not saying that has happened to me or anything :) ... but here is something I made back in July. Seems like forever ago. I do remember that my co-worker, Kathy loved this cake. So there. That's all you need to know. And Pioneer Woman herself calls it "The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake. Ever."

This recipe is ridiculously simple. Boil a bit of stuff and pour it into a half-sheet pan. Bake for only 20 minutes and then top with a heated frosting. Seriously easy. I skipped the pecans.

The result? A cakey, moist chocolate cake, not as dense as a brownie, with a simple cocoa frosting. Delicious.

Recipe:

Pioneer Woman's The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake. Ever.

On her site with hella photos here and on her Tasty Kitchen site here.