Caramel Apple Rice Krispie Treats

Hello friends!

So last week I know I told you there would be whoopie pies...but they ended up being such a massive failure that I swiftly spiraled into "woe is me" world and trust me, it was not pretty.

I am saving you from what was the worst pity party blog post ever.

So when life gives you the whoopie pie blues, it means it's time to get back to basics with one of my favorite fixes: rice krispie treats

Boring, you say? Too basic perhaps? But these are awesome and covered in caramel and taste like apple cake.

So, let's call it back to basics but with an upgrade. :)

I first realized you could mix cake mix into rice krispie treats when Rutgers Student Bakers held the biggest, most badass bake sale Rutgers University has ever seen. For detials check it out here. One of the more exciting items we had were red velvet rice krispie treats, courtesy of cocoa krispies and some red velvet cake mix.

But these are warm, spicy, cozy, all those wonderful adjectives I keep utilizing in my October posts.

It took a whole lot of self restraint to not eat this entire gooey caramel hot mess straight out of the pot. But patience is a virtue, and one that was happily rewarded in a few hours. Not to mention the treats doubled as a fragrance enhancer for my entire apartment.

I get to stuff my face AND my apartment smells like caramel cake. I'm feeling better already.

So if you're having a tough day, or this week appears to be a longer one than usual, spend a few minutes mixing these up. Take your mind off you work for a few moments, and reward yourself for all the hard work you do with a little Caramel Apple Rice Krispie Treat.

Happy Baking!

Caramel Apple Rice Krispie Treats Via Mother Thyme

12 tbsp butter
1 10oz bag mini marshmallows
1 1/2 cups Caramel Apple Cake Mix
1 tsp vanilla
6 cups rice krispies cereal

caramel sauce, prepared as per back of package instructions (comes with cake mix)

1. Melt butter in large pot over medium/high heat. Add marshmallows and cook until smooth.
2. Whisk in vanilla and cake mix until well incorporated. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in rice krispies cereal.
4. Pour half of mixture into a foiled and greased 9x13 inch cake pan. Drizzle half the prepared caramel sauce over top. Cover with rest of rice krispie mixture. Drizzle rest of caramel sauce over top.
5. Let cool for approximately 2 hours, then cut into squares and serve.

Salted Caramel Kiss Cookies

Hello friends!

So I survived the first week of classes; I cannot tell you how glad I am that is over. Slowly but surely I am getting back into the groove here at Rutgers, and for those moments when a long hot shower won't cut it in terms of stress-relief, there are always these cookies to fall back on....

Salted. Caramel. Cookies.

Seriously.  Do not be intimidated by the whole "browning butter" deal. I waited far too long to attempt a recipe that included this step, and I now regret it. It is simple yet oh so satisfying and, of course, you can impress all your friends. ;)

See? If I can manage to brown butter without turning it into a black, burnt-out mess, so can you. The key is to stir constantly once all of the butter has melted to keep it from burning on the bottom. Oh and the smell? Slightly nutty, slightly caramel-y, all delicious.

Once it cools you mix in some brown sugar, eggs, and the typical flour and baking soda/powder elements. The dough is a tad soft so you may want to store it in the fridge for 30 minutes, unless you like your cookies thinner. If you like the look of mine, 30 minutes is perfect.

Another simple way that this recipe steps it up? By rolling the cookie dough in a brown sugar/white sugar mixture. Pure genius. The molasses flavor in the brown sugar really brings out the browned butter in the dough. Add a caramel-filled kiss in the center and a few flecks of sea salt, and you have one cookie that is sure to take away the stress of the day in every bite.

Impressively adorable, yet simple to make. Not to mention sharing them with my co-workers brightened up everyone's day.

I think this is going to be the new mantra of "On Sugar Mountain". The semester is going to be full of exciting, yet often stressful moments, and I am determined to show how just a little bit of love and effort in the kitchen can really pay off. Stress-reducing is not the only thing these cookies are great for; perhaps you're a freshman and want to make some friends? Or a transfer student? Or maybe you just want to make people smile? There is no better way to make friends than by sharing food, especially if it's food you made. The thought makes people smile, and it's a great way to get your "foot in the door" so to speak. New acquaintances will have something to remember you by, and who knows, maybe they will make something in return. I have said it before and I'll say it again: world peace can be achieved through cookies. Or cake. If we all take a moment to think of making others, as well as ourselves happy, we can do a lot of good with just a little bit of sweetness.

I shall go now, before I wax sentimental (though I think I already have!) but check back soon for more deliciously inspiring sweets to make, bake, and share with your friends!

Happy Baking!

 Salted Caramel Kiss Cookies Via Cookies&Cups

14 tbsp butter, preferably salted, cut into slices
1 3/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups + 2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1 1/2 tbsp vanilla
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
roughly 24 Caramel Kisses, or caramel filled chocolate candies

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line your baking sheets with parchment paper
2. Put butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Let butter melt and then stir constantly until butter turns a caramel/brown color. Let cool 15 minutes.
3. Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in bowl. Set aside.
4. Pour cooled butter into a medium-sized mixing bowl and add 1 3/4 cup brown sugar. Mix with hand mixer until no lumps remain. Then beat in egg, yolk and vanilla.
5. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and mix until dough comes together. At this point you can let the dough chill in the fridge for 30 minutes or just continue making cookies.
6. Mix together white sugar and brown sugar in small bowl. Roll dough into heaping tablespoon-sized balls and then roll ball in sugar mixture. Place on prepared baking sheet, leaving room for spreading.
7. Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes or until edges just begin to brown. DO NOT overbake.
8. As soon as cookies come out of oven, place a caramel kiss in the center, pushing down slightly. Dust cookies with sea salt. Then let cool on wire rack.

Nutella Stuffed Sugar Cookies

....Are you ready?

For what you might ask?

For the amazing idea that is...Nutella Stuffed Sugar Cookies (major applause)

Yes, apparently you can now stuff your sugar cookies with wonderful fillings, such as Nutella. Mind blowing right? It was for me anyway.

After the overwhleming success with the Nutella Brownies earlier in the week, I just knew these would be a smash hit.

Now you might be saying "wouldn't stuffing a sugar cookie with ooey, gooey, yummy Nutella be difficult?"

Not at all! Well, maybe, but you need to push through it because your tummy (and any nearby friends) will be thanking you for the rest of your life.

So first semi-tedious process: scooping out teaspoonfuls of Nutella onto a baking sheet. This ensures that the filling is a good size in ratio with the amount of cookie dough, but man is Nutella stubborn. It took me quite awhile (and many expletives later) to get all 20 little dollops onto the sheet, but I did it, and into the freezer they went.

So now we move from tedious to just plain frantic. Well, if you're me it was frantic; maybe if you are more coordinated than I am this will be a breeze. You need to split the cookie dough ball in half, flatten one side, and quickly place the dollop of frozen Nutella in the center and cover with the remaining half of dough before the Nutella melts. Hint: do NOT touch the Nutella with your fingers whatsoever: a spatula and a spoon will save you the issue I soon encountered with the Nutella melting by the mere poke of an index finger.

But, after all this, if you choose to continue, you wind up with these:

Worth. Every. Second.

I also had the thought that if this works with Nutella, why stop there? I mean, I don't care for peanut butter but I am sure that a chocolate cookie stuffed with peanut butter (maybe even jelly too!) would go over quite well with oh, say, everyone?

Everyone that likes peanut butter anyway. But regardless, this is a whole new way to look at (and enjoy) cookies, and I hope you decide to try it out for yourself.

Next time On Sugar Mountain will be Lemon Muffins. Simple yet satisfying.

As always, Happy Baking!

Nutella Stuffed Sugar Cookies Via CookinCanuck

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups sugar + 1/3 cup sugar, divided
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup Nutella

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper
2. Scoop out 1 teaspoon-sized dollops of Nutella onto one of the cookie sheets (you need about 20-24). Place cookie sheet in freezer for 15 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. In a separate larger bowl, beat together butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light and fluffy; then beat in each egg followed by the vanilla extract.
5. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and stir/mix until well combined.
6. Roll 2 tbsp of cookie dough into a ball. (I suggest rolling all your cookie dough before pulling the Nutella out of the freezer).
7. Split dough in half and place (using a spatula) a dollop of Nutella in the center. Cover with other half of dough and roll back into a ball, pinching the seams closed. Roll in 1/3 cup remaining sugar and place on baking sheet. Repeat with all.
8. Bake at 350 for 10-13 minutes or until edges are just beginning to brown. Rotate pan halfway through baking to ensure even heating. Cookies will still look puffy in the center because of the filling.
9. Let cool on sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Makes 20-24 cookies

Strawberry Shortcake Muffins

Muffins Again?!
Yes. I know. I have a problem, but after you try this recipe you too will share in my obsession with the so-called "ugly cupcake".
I apologize for the lack of posting, but with the end of the semester and flying down to Florida to visit the parents, I didn't have as much time as I would've liked to whip up more sweet treats. Though, now that I'm settled in and my papers are done, I can finally share this amazing recipe with you all.

Strawberries are not quite in season just yet, but for some reason I had a really strong craving for them. One could blame it on this strangely beautiful Florida weather, or as I'd like to think the over abundance of holiday recipes on FoodGawker has got me searching for goodies that don't involve peppermint or eggnog. Tis The Season to be sure - but strawberries can be festive too...in Florida anyway.

Oh and for that saying "muffins are just ugly cupcakes" ? I present these lovely beauties as evidence that muffins are downright awesome in their own right - and don't need to "lower" themselves to cupcake level by being smothered with frosting.

Note: I do love cupcakes, and I'm not suggesting that it's wrong to enjoy frosting, since I can pretty much polish off a can of Duncan Hines on my own. I'm just suggesting that muffins and cupcakes are completely different baked goods and are both awesome in their own ways. And there you have it - political correctness and equality for all even in the world of baking, who knew.

These are absolutely fabulous. The muffin itself is dense and holds up well with the fruit juices that come oozing out of the ripe berries, and is truly reminiscent of a strawberry shortcake. I think this recipe could be great with any fruit actually, and I plan on testing it out with blueberries or perhaps adding kiwis along with the strawberries. Hmm...I feel the beginnings of some wonderful fruit focused baking in the future!

I hope you all are having a splendid holiday season and spending plenty of time in the kitchen, whipping up delicious eats with loved ones. Maybe you will even give this one a try. Happy Baking!

Strawberry Shortcake Muffins via SeasonsandSuppers
yield: 12 muffins

2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter
1 1/2 cups strawberries, quartered

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line/spray a 12-cup muffin pan
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and sugar in a large bowl.
3. Whisk together the milk, egg and vanilla in a medium bowl.
4. Cut butter into small pats. Drop into the flour mixture and then using a pastry cutter (I used my whisk) cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles small- pea sized balls.
5. Add liquid mixture to flour mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in strawberries.
6. Fill muffin cups 3/4 of the way full and bake at 350 for roughly 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Be sure to let them cool completely in the pan before removing to a wire rack.