recipes

snickerdoodle cake balls?! or as my kids like to point out, they really should be called snickerdoodle cookie balls.

whatever you call them, they are delicious. (& the perfect way to carbo load for a 20  mile run, if you have a sweet tooth like me!)

snickerdoodle cake balls

ingredients
2 1/2 cups crumbled soft snickerdoodle cookies (about 10 cookies)
2 tbsp plus 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup prepared vanilla frosting
1/4 cup granulated sugar
12 oz white chocolate or candy melts
1 cup crispy rice cereal (optional)

directions
1. crumble the snickerdoodles into very fine pieces (the food processor works great)

2. add 1 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon and the frosting to the cookie crumbs, and mix everything together (i used my hands). i usually add the frosting slowly. you want it moist enough to hold together when you press it into a ball, but not too frosting-rich that you lose the cookie taste.

3. use a small ice cream scooper to form 1-inch cookie balls. roll each cookie bal between your hands to make it perfectly round, & place it on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. refrigerate the cookie balls while you prepare the chocolate.

4. in your food processor, combine the granulated sugar, remaining 2 tablespoons of cinnamon, & optional crispy rice cereal (it gives a little crunch to the cookie ball coating), & mix until everything is nicely crumbled.

5. in a microwave-safe bowl (i prefer to use a glass bowl, plastic seems to retain heat & always burns my chocolate), melt the white chocolate or candy melts, and stir until it is smooth and free of lumps. pour the cinnamon-sugar topping into a shallow bowl.

6. using a toothpick, dip a cookie ball into the melted chocolate & cover the entire ball with chocolate. or, spoon a small amount of melted chocolate into the palm of your hand & roll the cookie ball in between the palms of your hands. however you do it, you want to cover the entire cookie ball with a thin layer of chocolate, & then immediately rolling the balls in the cinnamon-sugar bowl.

7. repeat this process until all of the cookie balls have been covered in white chocolate & rolled in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

8. store snickerdoodle cookie balls the refrigerator & allow the chocolate to harden. however, before devouring them, be sure to bring them to room temperature – they taste better that way!

if your house is anything like mine, the snickerdoodle cake balls won’t last long. who could possibly resist soft & chewy snickerdoodles mixed with frosting, dipped in white chocolate & coated with cinnamon sugar?! i know i can’t!

{ 5 comments }

any recipe that calls for two entire bags of caramels, is bound to be delicious.

you can’t help but love ooey-gooey caramel sandwiched between layers of shortbread.

trust me when i say this stuff is addicting.

so addicting i would have called it caramel crack, but i already have a recipe for that – so caramel ecstasy it is.

& believe me, one bite & you will definitely be in ecstasy.

caramel ecstasy

crust ingredients:
1 lb. unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cups all-purpose flour

filling ingredients:
2 bags (14-ounces each) caramel candies, unwrapped
2/3 cup half & half, or heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup chopped peanuts (optional)

crust directions:
1. pre-heat oven to 325 degrees
2. line a 9×13 inch baking pan with a sheet of parchment paper. allow the sides of the parchment to “hang over”, making it easy for “easy removal.”
3. in a large bowl: cream the butter & both sugars until creamy.
4. add the vanilla and salt and beat until combined.
5. add the flour and beat on low speed until a smooth, soft dough forms.
6. pres 1/3 of teh dough evenly into the pan to form a bottom crust.
7. pat the remaining dough into a flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap & refrigerate until firm (approximately 30 minutes).
8. bake until the edges are a pale golden brown, approximately 20 minutes.

filling directions:
1. place the unwrapped caramels in a microwave-safe bowl. add the half & half/heavy cream, vanilla & salt.
2. microwave on high for 1 minute.
3. remove from microwave & stir until smooth.
4. continue microwaving in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until smooth.
5. sprinkle nuts (if using) over the bottom crust.
6. pour the caramel filling over the nuts/ crust & use a spatula to spread the filling evenly.
7. remove the remaining dough from the refrigerator and crumble it evenly over the caramel.
8. return the pan to the oven and bake until the filling is bubbly and the crumbled shortbread topping is firm and lightly golden, approximate 30 minutes.
9. transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
10. using the parchment overhang, remove the bars and transfer to a cutting surface. using a sharp knife cut the bars into small squares.

now you’re ready to enjoy! one bite & you’ll understand why i call it caramel ecstasty. although, according to my friend desiree’s recipe, the official name is gooey caramel butter bars.

whatever you call them – i’m sure you’ll aggre, they’re delicious. just be careful, if you turn your back, you might return to find the pan empty, just like i did…

{ 2 comments }

when you’re carbo loading you want that perfect mixture of carbs, protein – without it being too heavy.

i’ve never been a huge fan of spaghetti (it’s not that it’s not good – it is. spaghetti is just so boring – you know what i mean?).

so when i stumbled upon the recipe for fast food inspired thai noodle salad (that i totally stole borrowed from fresh & easy), i knew it would be the perfect “last meal” before i hit the pavement running the ragnar relay.

& let me tell you, it was the perfect choice. a little bit of thai – in all the right places. it was sweet & had a little crunch (that i loved), not to mention it tasted just as good this morning, if not better.

fast food inspired thai noodle salad

ingredients:
thin spaghetti
broccoli slaw
bean sprouts
cooked chicken
peanut butter
slivered almonds
fresh & easy thai chili lime sauce

directions:
1. boil a pot of water and cook your pasta – the pasta takes just about 5 minutes once the water’s ready.
2. meanwhile, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
3. once the pasta’s ready and drained, add a bit of peanut butter (to suit your taste) & stir through the warm noodles so it melts nicely and distributes evenly. (just be careful not to add too much peanut butter or it thickens up quite a bit. you just want that light peanutty taste.)
4. then, mix in your cut-up chicken and as much (or as little) of the broccoli slaw, bean sprouts & slivered almonds as you choose, and finish by pouring a tablespoon or two of the thai chili lime sauce per serving and dinner is done!

it can be served room temperature, or warm – either way it’s delicious!

{ 4 comments }

trust me, these cookies won’t last long – they WILL be gone in a matter of hours.

i carbo load on them, we celebrate with them, & they are a perfect midnight snack.

my kids ask for them on a daily basis, & i crave them even more often.

& every time i bake them, i thank my lucky stars that my friends passed the recipe along.

choco rama chocolate chip cookies

ingredients:
2 sticks of room temperature unsalted sweet cream butter
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup of each: white chocolate, milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, dark chocolate & butterscotch chips

directions:
1. cream butter & sugars
2. mix in eggs, vanilla, baking soda
3. slowly add flour, salt, baking powder & chocolate chips

bake at 375 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until slightly browned on the edges

notes:
* i used both unsalted & salted butter & haven’t noticed much of difference – so i usually use whatever butter i have on hand

* the recipe calls 2 1/2 cups of flour, but in my experience the cookies need more flour. i usually add at least a 1/4 cup more… you want your dough “tacky” not soft

* there’s alot of chocolate chips involved in this recipe (hence the name choco ram chocolate chip cookies) – i usually just add whatever i have on hand (because i’m lazy like that). but, then again – i make sure to always have alot of chocolate on hand, so it’s usually there when i’m ready to bake.

* i always bake these cookies on a silpat or parchment paper at 350 degrees or at 325 degrees when i’m using a convection oven – 375 degrees seemed to “bake” them too much. you want to take them out of the oven when they are just barely browned on the edges & still soft.

* just like any other cookie, keep these in an air-tight container. because of all the sugar, they seem to harden up a wee bit faster than other cookies – but no worries, they usually don’t last long enough for anyone to notice.

choco rama chocolate chip cookies are best served with an ice cold glass of milk (or chocolate milk, if you want to live on the wild side). be careful though, they are addicting – just giving you fair warning. i don’t want to hear any complaints when you can’t stop eating them.

{ 2 comments }