holidays

York Peppermint Patty Brownies

December 15, 2014

These brownies are awesome.

They make crummy days better and good days magnificent.

I needed one of these bad boys this past Friday. I needed a little pick me up! oomph!

Our babe had to go back to the orthopedic doctor on Friday to determine if her hips were in proper alignment yet (a complication from her legs being up from being Frank Breech), which would mean she could stop wearing her hip brace at night. Unfortunately, her x-ray revealed that she still needs to wear it as her right hip is not yet growing properly. It’s such a bummer as it means 6 more months in the brace for her. She has grown accustomed to wearing it but I still feel bad that she has to. Wahhh!!

At least we are dealing with it now as it can result in arthritis and she could need surgery later on. AHHH!!! where is my tray of brownies?!?!?!

For real, I definitely needed one of these York Peppermint Patty Brownies on Friday. Too bad I made these guys a few weeks ago. wahhh again.

Ah mint, how I love thee. Thee, I love thee. I love that word.

But really, mint is great. And the chocolate and mint combo is thee best.

I had a bag of York Peppermint Pattys taunting me. Those little patty’s were begging to be eaten. I was yelling at them back ‘NOOO!!’ I couldn’t open that bag since once I snagged one of those wrapped patties I would grab another and another. And another.

So I figured that using a bunch of them in brownies would help me not shovel them in my mouth as fast as possible. At least I could potentially resist shoveling brownies in my mouth a bit more than just the candies. Plus, sharing is caring so I was able to share with my coworkers. Brownies for everyone!

Grab a bowl, some peppermint patties, and you’ll soon be on your way to some mouth watering brownies. Okay, sure, you’ll need some more ingredients than just peppermint patties, but it will be worth a trip to the grocery store to make these brownies. I pinky swear ya!

York Peppermint Patty Brownies

Makes 24 brownies

Ingredients

12 ounces dark chocolate
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoon peppermint extract
6 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
20 snack sized York Peppermint Patty candies, chopped

Process

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9×13 baking pan by buttering/spraying with non-stick cooking spray the bottom and sides and lining the bottom with parchment paper or tin foil.
In a large microwavable safe bowl, melt the chocolate and the butter together, stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted and combined.
Add the cocoa powder and sugar, mixing completely.
Add in the beaten eggs and vanilla extract.
Stir in the flour and salt to gently incorporate.
Pour into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the chopped up candy pieces on top of the brownies.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center is clean upon removal. Do not over bake. Let cool prior to cutting into 24 pieces.

Thirsty Thursday: Hot Chocolate Mix

December 6, 2012

Do you know what you should not do? You shouldn’t forget about the hot chocolate you are making on the stove and then be utterly surprised when it overflows burning on your new glass top stove. yep, that’s happened… twice…

Well, you should totally make hot chocolate (and pay attention to it) and to do so you should mix up this hot chocolate mix. It’s great to enjoy snuggled up under a cozy blanket while watching a movie or RHofsomewhere. It also makes for a fantastic gift. It is quick to mix up, packages easily, and is so yummy.

I made this basic hot chocolate mix to get things started. Not basic in being ‘meh’, but basic in that it is a great base for you to create specialty flavored hot chocolate. I love starting with one recipe and making some modifications to create something fun and different.

Swap out the semi- sweet chocolate chips for some peppermint chips for a peppermint hot chocolate.
You can use peanut butter chips instead of the semi-sweet chocolate chips. Awesome.
Or you can use caramel chips and triple the salt for a salted caramel cocoa.

But wait, there’s more! Amanda has flipped hot chocolate on it’s head with a Frozen Hot Chocolate. I’ve always wanted to try Frozen Hot Chocolate from Serendipity 3 in NYC but have never made it there so this is the perfect chance to make it at home myself! If you can’t get to the frozen hot chocolate, bring the frozen hot chocolate to you!

Hot Chocolate Mix

Fills 8 1/2 pint mason jars

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
3 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon salt
10.5 oz package of mini marshmallow
8 oz of semi sweet chocolate chips, mini is preferred

Process

Combine all of the ingredients together in a very large mixing bowl. Divide the mix up in bags or air-tight containers.
To make hot chocolate- in an medium sized sauce pan, combine 8 oz of milk with 3 tablespoons mix. Heat gently to warm and melt the chocolate chips. Stir occasionally so the milk and chocolate do not burn on the bottom. Top off with more marshmallows or whipped cream and sprinkles. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chocolate Mint Cookies

December 20, 2011

During some recent shopping trips, I have come across M&M’s holiday flavored candies. I picked up all the varieties I saw and started to look up different recipes that I could use with the M&M’s candies. So far my favorites are the cheery cordials to eat and the mint to bake with, but i’m just getting started.

One of my coworkers makes the most unbelievable chocolate chocolate chip cookies. I decided that I would make something similar but instead of loading it up with chocolate chips I would add in the mint m&m’s. Having made chocolate chocolate chip cookies in the past I decided that could wing it and see how it would come out. The first time worked out well but I did not add any chocolate chips, only the m&m’s and I didn’t feel that was enough so I made them again and added in some chips. Much better! I love the mint and chocolate combo so these cookies are ones I would actually eat. I ate 2- very usual for me!

Chocolate Chocolate Mint Cookies

*makes 2 dozen 2 1/2″ cookies*

Ingredients

2 1/2 Cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon backing soda
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips
1 9.9 oz bag of mint m&m’s

Process Ingredients

Preheat oven to 375 and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Wisk the flour, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder in a bowl to combine. Set aside.
Combine the butter and sugars in bowl and beat until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the sugar mixture and beat until combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix until a dough as formed.
Once the dough has combined add in the chocolate chips and continue to mix.
Using a spoon, gently mix in the m&m’s until evenly combined.
Scoop the dough out and mix into 1 1/4″ balls by hand.
Place the balls on the cookie sheets with plenty of room to allow spread.
Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove cookie sheets from oven when the center of the cookie is still soft to the touch. Let cool and set up for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet prior to removing.

Cheesy Pigs in a Blanket

December 30, 2010

Pigs in a Blanket are a classic hor dourves. They commonly grace plates at parties because they are easy to make, can be dressed up, and are loved by all. I felt that with New Years quickly approaching! that I had to whip of a few to celebrate a bit early since we will be traveling for New Years.

I, being a cheese lover, added cheese to my pigs in a blanket. I used Swiss cheese because it has a great flavor to stand up to the buttery crescent roll. Using sliced cheese is better than using shredded cheese because it is easier to work with and evenly portion.

Enjoy the Piggies with a dipping sauce. I prefer mustard because it goes so well with hot dogs. Since I used swiss cheese in the recipe, I suggest a Dijon mustard because it is fairly acidic and it holds up against the strong swiss.

Cheesy Pigs in a Blanket

Makes 24

Ingredients

1 package of cresent rolls (8 rolls)
6 hot dogs
2 slices of cheese, I suggest swiss

Process

Preheat oven to 375.
Cut each crescent piece into 3 triangles, cut each hot dog into 4 pieces, and each slice of cheese into 12 slices. This results in 24 pieces of each ingredient.
To assemble the pigs in a blanket, lay out a piece of crescent roll, then a piece of cheese, and then a piece of hot dog. Roll the crescent to seal.
Arrange all pieces on baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
Serve with mustard.

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Fundays- December

December 4, 2009

Everyday should be a holiday.

Boston thinks this. They have so many holidays, and so many parades. No joke. In 2009 there were over 25 parades that celebrated everything from St Patrick’s Day, Independence Day (even Greek), Gay Pride, neighborhoods, revolutionary war battles, pets, nationalities, etc. So if the city of Boston can have Evacuation Day, Patriots’ Day, or Bunker Hill Day there can be National Cookie Day.

December- National Tie Month

12/1- National Pie Day

12/2- National Fritters Day

12/3- Jazz Day

12/4- National Cookie Day & Wear a Beard of Bees Today Day

12/5- International Volunteer Day & Walt Disney’s Birthday

12/6- National Gazpacho Day (seems out of season to me)

12/7- Cotton Candy Day & Anniversary of Pearl Harbor (1941)

12/8- National Brownie Day

12/9- National Pastry Day

12/10- Human Rights Day

12/11- National Noodle Ring Day

12/12- Poinsettia Day

12/13- Violin Day

12/14- National Bouillabaisse Day

12/15- National Lemon Cupcake Day

12/16- National Chocolate Covered Anything Day

12/17- National Maple Syrup Day

12/18- Bake Cookies Day

12/19- National Oatmeal Muffin Day

12/20- National Sangria Day (the 21st must be the unofficial hangover day!)

12/21- Look At the Bright Side Day & National Flashlight Day (check your batteries)

12/22- International Arbor Day & Winter Solstice

12/23- Fools Day

12/24- National Egg Nog Day

12/25- Christmas and Pumpkin Pie Day

12/26- National Candy Cane Day

12/27- Visit the Zoo Day and & National Fruitcake Day (confession: I love fruitcake!)

12/28- Card Playing Day, Eat Vegetarian Day

12/29- Broadway Day

12/30- National Bicarbonate of Soda Day (baking soda)

12/31- National Champagne Day & Check Smoke Alarms Day

Have Fun this Month!

Mini Book- 4th of July

September 7, 2009

I have been on a mini book crazy lately. First with Kaylie’s 4th Birthday Book and now one for the 4th of July, and I have others planned!

I did not take to many photos at the 4th… too busy falling asleep on the front of the boat while laying out! So when I came across a mini book kit for $1 at Michaels I knew that it would work perfectly. This is similar to what I got.

I first started by painting all chip board pieces- red, white and blue, of course! I added some lettering that I cut out with my Cricut and some rub-ons from SU! Then I sponged all pieces with Sahara Sand classic ink from SU! to distress the book a bit. (I liked it on the White pieces the most- not as impressive on the red & blue)

I used Maggie Holmes’ photoshop actions to edit my photos. I love her actions because they are so easy to use and have a great outcome.

Then assembly, emblishments, and journaling!