Archive | December, 2011

Peanut Butter Rice Crispies – Christmas Style!

26 Dec

Merry Christmas!

I’ve been home in Jersey hanging out with my mom for the past few days, enjoying lots of mother-daughter time. Last night we ate our Christmas Eve dinner out at Marea (which was delicious), so today we decided to stay in. As I was menu planning, I obviously had to incorporate some type of dessert. However, the apartment had no baking supplies! No flour, no measuring spoons, no measuring cups, no baking soda, etc. etc. The only thing I found was a disposable lasagna pan, which could be substituted for a baking pan. So I had to think of a dessert where I didn’t need any baking tools, and I came up with Rice Krispie treats – a very easy recipe that doesn’t even need to be baked. These Rice Krispie treats were extremely easy to make, and I added a little twist by adding some peanut butter. And the best part of it all was that we had a blast decorating these treats together!

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Chocolate Chip Cookies

18 Dec

Last night my roommates and I had our annual holiday party. Every year since my roommate Cici and I moved to Manhattan from Philly in the summer of 2008, we’ve loved hosting parties, and every December we’ve thrown a big bash to celebrate the holidays. Last year we were joined by a new roommate Svetlana as we moved into a slightly bigger apartment, which just meant that the tradition has continued with more decorations, more guests, and more hilarity.

I got a request to bake my WCMN cookies for our holiday party, which I thought was a great idea. But I also wanted to change things up a bit. So in addition to the WCMN cookies, I decided to bake America’s favorite cookie, the Chocolate Chip Cookie, too. And both cookies were major hits at the party! I didn’t get enough compliments about how they were so delicious, soft, and moist. I made over 60 cookies, and they were gone in a few short hours. People kept asking for more cookies, but I definitely was not going to continue baking in my red dress! (Plus, I was too busy passing out jello shots!)

These chocolate chip cookies follow the same recipe as my WCMN recipe, but I just added semi-sweet chocolate chips and a little bit of pecans (which is completely optional) instead of white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.

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White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

12 Dec

White chocolate macadamia nut cookies are my favorite cookies. As a little girl, I would beg my mom to go to Mrs. Fields at the mall and I’d always get the white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. They were so chewy and rich, and just so delectable. So here’s my own version of the WCMN cookie. These cookies are extremely easy to make, and you can also put your own spin to them. I’ve made these cookies with dried cranberries and my roommate Svet likes them with sour cherries.

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Apple Crisp

3 Dec

My favorite types of desserts are baked apple desserts. Just something about the simple sweetness of the warm apples is so comforting. I think my love for apple desserts started when I was a little girl, when my mom would take me and my brother to McDonalds as a treat once in a while. I didn’t mind not always getting the fries or the chicken nuggets, but I always had to order the fish filet as my main meal, and I HAD to get the apple pie for dessert. I thought it was the best thing ever back then. And I still do. Once in a while at an airport or whenever I get apple pie cravings on the go, I duck into a McDonalds and order the apple pie – and most of the time it’s 2 for $1! What a heavenly surprise.

I have no idea what McDonald’s puts in their apple pie, so I feel much less guilty when I make my own and I know exactly what I’m eating – much healthier this way. I’ve yet to adventure into the pie world (that will come soon!), but I love making apple crisp. They are so simple to make and so delicious, especially with some vanilla ice cream!

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