What to do with a Butterfinger......

I saw this recipe and knew I had to try it. As a kid, I loved Butterfingers, except they always managed to stick to my molars. I was always using my tongue to get out that praline goodness an hour later. They are one of those candy bars that last a while. Be sure not to let these gems over bake or they will be crispy. Ten minutes is just enough time. And to chop your candy bars, just place in a ziploc bag and go over with a rolling pin. You should have everything on hand, just need to run down to the corner store and load up on the bars. I picked up mine in a 6 pack at Walmart. BUTTERFINGER COOKIES INGREDIENTS

1/2 c. butter, softened

3/4 c. sugar

2/3 c. brown sugar

2 egg whites

1 1/4 c. chunky peanut butter

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

5 Butterfinger candy bars (2.1 ounces each), chopped

DIRECTIONS **Cream butter and sugars. Add egg whites; beat well.

**Blend in peanut butter and vanilla.

**Combine flour, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in candy bars.

**Shape into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on greased baking sheets. I use parchment paper instead and highly recommend it over greasing the pan. The cookies come off the paper without any problem and you don't have to wash crusted on cookie bits from the baking sheets.

**Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

Honey Nut Brownies

Well, it is my turn finally........ after all these months. Boy has time flew by! Seems like it was just yesterday when I joined in to bake with this great group of people, and follow our Baking Guru Dorie through her book"Baking from My Home to Yours".

There are not too many recipes left to choose from. So by process of elimination I ended up with these Honey Nut Brownies. And as Dorie describes in her book with just enough hint of chocolate to make these brownies, it is the honey which steals the show. I agree with her! I added walnuts to mine, which made them taste like a cross between baklava and brownies. I know....a little strange but true. I think if I had drizzled honey on top instead of sprinkling cocoa powder, it really would have been a cross.

If you think these are the chocolatey, ooey, gooey brownies that you are usually craving, you may have to look elsewhere. They're soft, but not gooey, and not overly chocolatey for my taste. But they are so darn easy and quite a change from my go to brownie. So go ahead give them a chance....what are you waiting for!

Honey Nut Brownies

1 stick unsalted butter

4 oz. chopped bittersweet chocolate

4 large eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1 c. honey

2/3 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. all purpose flour

1 c. coursely chopped nuts

DIRECTIONS-

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. And line a 9 x9 pan with foil. Butter the foil, place pan on baking sheet.

*Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler, until smooth. Set aside

* In a mixer, combine eggs and salt, beating until foamy. Add honey, sugar, and vanilla, and beat 2 minutes on medium speed.

* Reduce the speed and add in melted chocolate until incorporated. Then add in flour until the flour disappears. Take the bowl off the mixer and fold in nuts.

* Pour batter into prepared pan, place in oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until knife comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes, before turning over and peeling off foil. Then invert on to a cooling rack. Cut into 16 squares and dust with confectionary sugar or cocoa powder before serving.

We give this 4 glasses of milk,

for utter goodness!

******Thanks fellow TWDers for baking along!******

The Little King Turns Six.....

Super busy today, because the littlest King turns 7!!

He is now attending First Grade this year.

Wow, have these seven years flown by fast!

I remember the night my water broke at 6:30 pm,

we rushed to the hospital and he was born at 9:35pm.

The same day as my grandfather was born....

Here he sits at the thrown on his first birthday.

This should have gave us a hint of what was to come....

a demanding King indeed!

Happy St. Patty's Day!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day friends in Blogland.

Are you wearing the GREEN?

Things are a bustling here in Boston,

the big parade was on Sunday.

Thousands of people everywhere.

Maybe tonight you'll have the chance to stop by

a wonderful Pub, such as this,

and have a green beer and corn beef & cabbage.

Say hello to our relatives....

Or maybe bake up some irish soda bread or

shamrock cookies, such as these.

We made a bunch to give out to our fellow leprechauns today!

Recipe is here.

What ever you may do, enjoy the day!

And remember that you'll be pinched

if not wearing the GREEN!

I'm off to kiss the Blarney Stone.....

Cooking 101 - Molasses Ginger Cookies

Sorry for the fact the my posts have been fewer these days. Work has kept me pretty busy, along with my children and all the skiing we have been doing before the season ends. I thought I would repost this great Molasses Cookie recipe. The key to a great Molasses cookies is the Ginger. And these cookies are awesome!

MOLASSES GINGER COOKIES

INGREDIENTS

1 c. granulated sugar

1c. brown sugar

1 1/2 c. margarine or shortening

1/2 c. molasses

2 egg

4 c. AP Flour

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. allspice

1 Tlb. ginger

1/2 tsp. salt

5 tsp. baking powder

DIRECTIONS

**Preheat oven to 350 degrees

**Cream together the sugars, margarine, molasses until light and fluff. Add egg and continue to beat.

**Combine all of the dry ingredients together, and add them in slowly to the creamed mixture, and continue to mix.

**Chill the dough in the refrigerator for about an hour, before rolling into walnut sized balls.

**Coat each ball with granulated sugar before placing on sheet pan. Press the ball down slightly.

**Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until the tops begin to crack. Allow to cool before serving.

yield: 5 to 6 dozen, depending on ball size

Cheddar Cheese Soup with Guinness...

Well, St. Patrick's Day is almost upon us. Have you stocked up on your Guinness?.... Last year, I represented Guinness, doing a cooking demo in a Supermarket. I occasionally do these cooking demos for a Marketing firm from Minnesota. They always involve a beer or wine of some kind. The recipes are quick and easy to do, and the customers enjoy them. And of course, they love the idea that they get to wet sample the product too! This week I'll be representing Hieneken with Cabbage mix. We'll see what the customers think of that.....

This demo choice was Cheddar Cheese Soup, made with Guinness. Guinness is a very dark beer with a distinctive taste. They have an amazing history of 250 years that they share on a wonderful website here. There is even a video on how to pour the perfect glass of beer.

They prefer that we keep the beer ice cold when sampling. But, here in our Irish household we prefer it room temperature. This soup is wonderfully cheesy and would serve well in one of those bread bowls. Super easy to do, just a Crockpot meal....

GUINNESS CHEDDAR CHEESE SOUP

INGREDIENTS

2 - 10 oz. cans of Campbell's Cheddar Soup

2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 - 12 oz. bottle of Guinness Stout or Draught

4 c. of shredded Cheddar Cheese

DIRECTIONS
**In a crockpot, combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly
**Cover and cook on low for 30 to 45 minutes, stir occasionally

Chocolate Pot de Creme

Just gotta say......Rich , delish, and utterly smooth! This is always a decadent dessert, a perfect ending to a great meal. And super easy to make, and much better than instant pudding.....

They make pot de creme ceramic pots, but since I don't have them I used my lovely white ramekins. Readily available at Pier One for $1. And with the whip cream garnish and shaved chocolate...they were all gone in no time.

Check out what the other Tuesdays with Dorie bakers thought here. And please visit Christine of Black Cat Cooking for the recipe. She's our host this week and I have her to thank for finding this week's best pudding recipe!

We give this 5 glasses of milk,

for utter goodness!

Your going to need it!