Monster Cookies

 

Ingredients

• 16-ounce jar creamy peanut butter
• 1 stick + 2-2/3 TBSP butter, softened
• 1-1/3 cups sugar
• 1-1/3 cups packed brown sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 2-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
• 6 cups (600 g) old-fashioned oats
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 10-ounce bag milk chocolate M&M's (or 3 3.1-ounce theater boxes M&M's)
• 4-ounce theater box Reese’s Pieces (optional)

Directions

• 1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream peanut butter*, butter, sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in eggs, baking soda, vanilla and corn syrup. Add oats and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and M&M's. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
• 2. Preheat oven to 350°**. Drop by 1/8 cupfuls (or medium-sized cookie scoop) onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake 12-14 minutes (or 10-12 minutes in the Breville***) or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
• YES IT ALL FITS IN THE MIXER! JUST BARELY, BUT IT FITS! Keep the mixer on low because the thick dough is tough on the motor.
• * Serving spoon from Target works perfectly to get the PB out of the jar; also, a glove on your left hand lets you easily remove the PB from the spoon with your finger.
• **Make the dough a day ahead. Portion out dough balls in the container with handles and place in the fridge.
• ***You can fit 5 cookies on the 1/4 sheet pan: one in each corner and one in the middle.

Candy Cane Cookies, Vanilla

Ingredients

• 10 Tablespoons (145g) unsalted butter, room temperature 
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 2 egg yolks, room temperature 
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• sprinkles
• 24 Candy Cane Hershey Kisses

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside. 
2. Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed for 5 full minutes, scraping down the sides and the bottom as necessary. Add the egg yolks and vanilla, beating on medium-high until fully combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. 
3. In a medium bowl, toss the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients on low speed until fully combined. The dough will be very thick. If the dough is extremely sticky, chill for at least 45 minutes.
4. Roll dough into balls, a little less than 1 Tablespoon of dough each. The dough may seem dry, but the warmth of your hands will allow it to come together in a ball. Roll into assorted sprinkles and bake for 8-10 minutes. The cookies will look very, very under baked. That’s what you need. Do not over bake. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. Press a Hershey Kiss into the center.

Notes

Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Cookies may be frozen up to 2-3 months. Cookie dough balls may be frozen up to 2-3 months. Roll into sprinkles right before baking. Do not thaw; simply bake for an extra minute or two.

Pumpkin Banana Bread

 Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)
• 2 cups granulated white sugar
• 4 eggs (room temperature)
• 15 oz pumpkin purée 
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• spice blend (1 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp cloves)
• 5 ripe bananas
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment. Cream together until combined. 
3. Add in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla.
4. Add in pumpkin purée and mix until combined. 
5. Add in flour, baking soda, and spice blend. Stir until combined. 
6. Stir in ripe bananas (mashed). 
7. Pour into two regular-sized bread loaf pans. 
8. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes (tested in my oven).

Cranberry Christmas Cake

 

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1.5 sticks butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• zest of an orange
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 12 oz fresh cranberries

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar until slightly thickened and light in color, about 5-7 minutes. The mixture should almost double in size. The eggs work as your leavening agent in this recipe, so do not skip this step. This mixture should form a ribbon when you lift the beaters out of the bowl. 
• Add the butter, vanilla, and zest; mix two more minutes. Stir in the flour until just combined. Add the cranberries and stir to mix throughout.
• Spread in a buttered 9x13 pan. Bake for 40-50 (45 does the trick in our current oven) minutes, or until very lightly browned and a toothpick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Let cool completely before cutting into small slices. Store uncovered or just loosely wrapped so it maintains its crusty top.