Power Restored: A Return to Normalcy

Hello friends,

It has been roughly a week since Hurricane Sandy tore through the Northeast, and it took until this past Sunday for my apartment to regain power. My heart goes out to all those affected and still struggling through the aftermath. My thoughts and prayers are with you and I hope you stay safe and warm.

I have to say though, that as devastating as the storm was, it showed me how people can come together as a community to help one another in times of crisis. First, a manager at a local Stop and Shop allowed me to charge my phone so that I could call my parents and let them know I was okay. I know that doesn't sound like much, but it meant everything to me to let my family know I was safe.

Then, after attempting to hold out at my apartment for three days without power, my boyfriend and I drove back to his parents' house in North Jersey. We showed up to a house full of candles, a warm wood-burning stove, and a hot meal. Neighbors were invited over to warm up, have a bite to eat, and even get in on a surprisingly relaxing game of charades.

So thank you, to everyone who helped me and my loved ones during this past week. You all made me feel loved and it meant the world to me.

Getting the apartment back into a normal state is still taking some time though, so the most I can do is show you the super cool candy corn cookies I made before the storm and then couldn't share with you after losing power (grumble):

and then share this recipe for Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bread, which also managed to get baked before the storm, and helped me and my boyfriend through many a cold, dreary morning with nothing else to eat.

Hopefully I will be back later this week with a fresh batch of warm, homemade goodies to share with you all.

Wishing everyone the best,

Jess

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bread  
Via HowSweetEats

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp vanilla
1 3/4 cup flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup chocolate chunks/chips



1. Preheat oven to 375 and grease a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan with butter or cooking spray. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
2. Cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg and vanilla.
3. Stir in half of the flour mixture, then add the buttermilk. Stir until just combined. Add in rest of flour mixture and stir until well incorporated, being sure to scrap down the sides of the bowl as needed. Fold in chocolate chips.
4. Pour into prepared pan and bake at 375 for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool in pan for 15 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

Deep Dish Microwave Chocolate Chip Cookie

Hello friends,

Today is one of the most aggravating days known to man. The dark, dreary, rainy yet still warm Thursday that suddenly breaks into sunshine. This is after I've officially dressed like the laziest college student ever in my big baggy Rutgers sweats. Ugh.

But I have a treat that will get you through these kind of days, or any day for that matter,' where you crave something cozy, gooey, chewy, and deliciously sweet.

And fear not my college companions! Are you armed with only a microwave? This recipe is dedicated to you:

Meet the Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookie for One

(gasps, ooohs, aaahs)

I know, I KNOW. How could we have not all stumbled upon this sooner? It's so freaking easy I almost didn't include step-by-step photos. Almost.

But I love you all so much, I wanted you to see that this recipe is tried, true, and totally addicting.

Here is all you need in terms of "equipment". You'll also want tablespoonfuls of butter, flour, white sugar, brown sugar, an egg yolk, a few drops of vanilla and a pinch of salt. Oh and a healthy portion of chocolate chips.

Melt butter.

Stir in sugars, vanilla, egg yolk and salt.

Stir in flour. Stir or just plain old cover with chocolate chips.

Microwave for 60 seconds.

Done.

I think I could get used to weather like this with a cookie like that.

Enjoy plain or with a healthy scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Happy Baking!

Deep Dish Microwave Chocolate Chip Cookie
via MyHappyPlace

1 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp white sugar
1 tbsp brown sugar
3 drops vanilla
1 egg yolk
pinch of salt
1/4 cup (4 tbsp) flour
2 tbsp chocolate chips

1. Stir melted butter, sugars, vanilla and salt in a small ramekin or mug
2. Stir in flour and then chocolate chips
3. Microwave for 40-60 seconds

Serve Warm

Nutella Fudge with Sea Salt

Hello friends!

With being back at school, work, running two blogs and the baking club, I find myself more and more intrigued by simply prepared yet superbly delicious recipes. Though this could be in part due to the Brownie Banana Bread Cupcake Blunder of last week (I have mentioned I have a fragile ego have I not?).

So today I am happy to share with you this gem of a recipe from CookinCanuck for Nutella Fudge with Sea Salt.

Fudge is one of those wonderful treats that sounds like it's too much work when in reality you can have the whole batch done and in the fridge in less than twenty minutes. It's a crowd-pleaser every time and you get the satisfaction of hearing everyone go "mmmm" while mentally patting yourself on the back for a job well done with minimal effort and time.

First trick though that is crucial to successful, stress-free fudge: lining your pan with parchment paper. The key is to have the paper longer than the pan, so that after you pour the fudge in and let it cool, you can easily grab the excess paper to lift the fudge out of the pan in one piece.

One of the best bits of knowledge ever that I picked up while roaming through fudge recipes online.

And here's your main lineup for the fudge. Note that I don't have the actual "Nutella-brand" Nutella. The ShopRite brand tastes exactly like it and is half the price. College Savings FTW. Now take these plus a tad bit of butter...

and melt 'em all down in a big pot. Technically you should use a double boiler system, but that would take away the whole minimal-effort deal I am trying to achieve here. If you have a double boiler, then super. If not, no worries.

Keep the heat low and stir the mixture constantly so that the chocolate doesn't burn. It doesn't take very long for everything to melt anyway, so if you keep it low and slow, you should be good. I did it this way and my fudge came out fabulous.

Once you pour it into your pan, wait a minute or two before sprinkling on your sea salt. I found that some of it melts if you apply it too soon, and though it still tastes great, it won't look quite as neat if all your salt melts into the chocolate.

Then into the fridge it goes for 2-3 hours, or overnight if you are want to do this the night before a party or event.

See? Parchment paper is a god-send in these situations. I like clean, straight edges on my fudge (I'm a little type-A I know) and it makes it so much easier to cut when you haven't spent the last half hour fighting to get it out of the pan.

Yum! How pretty are these? Simple, Sweet, Satisfying.

There are so many good fudge recipes out there too so don't shy away if you're not a fan of sea salt or Nutella. For some inspiration check out my Pinterest Board on Fudge, Brownies and Bars.

That's all for now my friends. I hope you are all having a wonderful week and, as always,

Happy Baking!

Nutella Fudge with Sea Salt Via CookinCanuck

1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
8 oz dark chocolate (I used milk chocolate chips)
1 cup Nutella
3 tbsp butter, softened, cut into slices

sea salt, for sprinkling

1. Spray a 8x8 in pan with cooking spray, and then line the pan with parchemnt paper, being sure to leave extra hanging off the pan (to pull the fudge out later)
2. Combine all ingredients except sea salt in a deep-rimmed pan set over low/medium heat. Heat until everything melts, stirring constantly, and consistency is smooth. Remove from heat.
3. Pour into prepared pan and smooth top with spatula. Wait a minute or two and then sprinkle sea salt (as much as you like) over the top of the fudge, pressing down slightly if needed to secure the salt.
4. Place in fridge for 2-3 hours or until firm, or overnight.
5. Remove fudge from pan by grabbing parchment paper and lifting gently. Using a long sharp knife, cut fudge into small squares. Keep in airtight container in fridge.

My 100th Blog Post & Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Hello friends!

I still can't quite wrap my head around the idea that this is my 100th post on OnSugarMountain. It's been a little over a year since I started this baking blog, and it's taught me so much.

Some quick tidbits I've learned about baking:

1. Cupcakes are not always easy. Do not look down upon a cupcake. They can be quite awesome and take more work than you might imagine. See Banana Split Cupcakes & Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

2. Stuffing anything with nutella is an AWESOME idea and we should all try to do it as often as we can. See Nutella Stuffed Sugar Cookies & Nutella Stuffed Cupcakes

3 .Muffins are NOT just ugly cupcakes. Muffins can be sweet little mouthfuls of heaven without any frosting. See Strawberries & Cream Muffins

4. Eggless Cookie dough exists, can be eaten without getting sick, and is freaking fantastic. See Cookie Dough Topped Brownies

5. Baking can bring people together in ways that nothing else can. We can make friends, stuff our faces, and do it all while helping out those less fortunate than us.

On a larger scale and with the risk of sounding philosophical, this blog and all the adventures that accompany it led me to learn a great deal about myself. I know I said this blog was to document my adventures in baking until I opened up a bakery of my own, but I've realized something; the part I love the most about baking, eating, food, all of it, is the experience, and I could never turn it into a job that I'll eventually resent. Seeing people's faces light up when I bring in brownies to work, or hearing a collective "mmmm" as everyone takes a bite, I know I've brightened up their day, if only for a moment. I love that.

I love it so much that turning into something I will stress about is not an option. I could never risk turning baking into an activity I look at with exhausted eyes and think "I so do not want to bake today." Food, for me, will always be about the experience, about enjoying every single morsel of a meal and most importantly, sharing it with friends and family.

So opening my own bakery may not happen, but that doesn't mean I can't change the way we all have come to see food. How can I do this you ask? By doing exactly what I am doing right now. Blogging. Writing. Sharing. Doing. Food is such an intrical part of our lives but we've let it fall to the wayside in lieu of other "more important" things to stress about, such as our jobs, the economy etc etc. OR we stress about food too much and jump on every dietary bandwagon that rears its ugly head.

I want to remedy this. I want people to experience the love that can come from food. Our lives, now more than ever before, need balance. What better way to balance the stresses of our everyday lives than relaxing to come together around a table?

And so, drumroll please....

I'm starting a new blog this September!

On Sugar Mountain will still be up and running twice a week, but I hope that you will will come check out my new blog, The Foodie Files, where I hope to show people just how important food is to each and every one of us.

Phew. Lots of sharing going on in this post. Now it's finally time for the food!


Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cupcakes. Make them. You'll love them. I promise. It's like a chewy oatmeal cookie, riddled with chocolate chips, baked into tiny cakes then covered with a mind-blowing cinnamon sugar frosting. Give one of these to a new acquaintance and I'm betting you two will be bffls in no time.

Lastly, I want to thank each and every one of you who read my blog. It makes my day to see comments posted about what I bake or a new follower pop up on my Dashboard. I've met wonderful people in creating this blog and I hope to meet so many more.

Until next time,

Happy Baking!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies Via HowSweetEats

3/4 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
1 egg
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup oats
1 1/4 cup flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp milk
1/2 cup chocolate chips tossed in a sprinkle of flour

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line one 12-cup muffin pan with liners.
2. Beat egg and sugar until smooth, then beat in melted butter and vanilla.
3. Add oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt to egg mixture and stir until incorporated. Stir in milk then fold in chocolate chips.
4. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into cups then bake at 350 for 16-18 minutes or until tops spring back lightly when touched. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

Cinnamon Sugar Chip Frosting

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, loosely packed
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp vanilla
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1 tbsp milk (optional)

1. Beat butter until light and creamy, then slowly beat in powdered sugar.
2. Add brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla and beat until fluffy. Add milk if frosting is too thick.
3. Fold in chocolate chips.

S'mores Cookies

Hello friends,

Can you believe that I am having even more ingredient mishaps? Though truth be told, the molasses ended up being an ingenious addition to the Oatmeal Creme Pies. But this is another matter entirely. Why is it that as soon as I want to make these S'mores Cookies from Kevin&Amanda that I've had pinned for weeks, all of a sudden these Mallow Bits are absolutely nowhere to be found?!

Thank goodness my Mom had bought them awhile back, but there was barely any left of the entire container by the time I got my hands on it. Naturally I needed a whole cup of these adorably tiny marshmallows, which was most certainly not how much was left. Luckily, I managed to split the recipe in half, though it sadly yielded only one dozen cookies. Seriously, when are 12 cookies enough for anyone? But I guess it's better than the horror that would be no cookies.

I've become quite good at halving recipes, usually with positive results, though I am always a bit wary of measuring out half an egg. If you are too, InKatrina'sKitchen has some lovely tips and tricks that will help you halve any of your favorite recipes that only call for one egg. The other ingredients were easy enough to cut down and included what one would expect for a S'mores Cookie: crushed graham crackers and lots of chocolate chips. Brown sugar is always a nice touch too.

So I have to come clean. I do love s'mores, but a lot of the desire for making these cookies came from the image of the cookie dough I pinned to Pinterest. Case and Point: Don't you just want to reach in and eat all of that beautiful marshmallowy mess as is? I really really wanted to, but remember I had to cut the recipe in half because of those blasted marshmallows. So no dough could be snatched by frivolous fingers and eaten happily by yours truly. Better luck next time I guess.

I'm glad I waited. My only complaint is that my cookies did not spread anywhere near as much as the original recipe appeared to, but regardless they are chewy, wholesome cookies with marshmallows and chocolate in every bite. It's like the chocolate chip cookie got jealous of s'mores and decided they should team up to make one awesome super cookie. Oh and the other complaint (I'm sorry I know I said I only had one) is that there weren't enough!! I better see those Mallow Bits back on the shelves ASAP because these cookies will not last long.

Until next time,

Happy Baking!

S'Mores Cookies Via Kevin&Amanda

1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cups flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs, finely processed
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup mini (or regular) chocolate chips
1 cup Mallow Bits

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Spray parchment paper with cooking spray.
2. Cream butter and both sugar until well incorporated. Beat in egg and vanilla. Meanwhile in a separate bowl sift together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add dry ingredient mixture to wet ingredient mixture and stir until dough comes together. Stir in chocolate chips and mallow bits.
4. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough onto prepared baking sheets, leaving space between for spreading.
5. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Let cool on pan for 2 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: roughly 2 dozen cookies

Oreo Explosion Cupcakes

Hello friends,

What is it about Oreos that makes us all smile? Of course they're yummy, chocolatey (shockingly even vegan) but this little cookie manages to make my day that much better no matter how I am feeling. Example number one: The Oreo Cheesecake Cookies from last Friday. Stress + Jess = cranky mess. Stress + Jess + OREOS = no more stress. It's like magic, except if it were truly magic there would be no calories involved either. Maybe if I only eat six it won't matter...

or maybe I just won't look at the nutrional facts on the box for awhile.

Today brings about example number two in the Oreos for a Less Stressful You project. Yes, I just came up with that right now as an excuse to eat way more Oreos than is nutritionally suggested. Don't judge me; I know you're all thinking it sounds like a great idea that should be supported nationwide.

Now these aren't just any Oreo Cupcakes. These are cupcakes with:

a) half an oreo on the bottom
b) oreo chunks suspended throughout vanilla cake
c) cream cheese frosting
d) oreo crumb topping
e) all of the above

I will admit I was just a tad worried that the ratio of Oreo to Cake was too high, but then I reminded myself that there is no such thing as too many Oreos. Ever. I can feel the stress floating away already. Do you have a favorite Oreo recipe? Does it help you de-stress on those day when nothing else can? If not, find one! I promise you, nothing can ease a stressful mind like an Oreo, or more accurately a cupcake overflowing with Oreos

Happy Baking!

Oreo Explosion Cupcakes Via Annie'sEats

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 2/3 cup sugar
3 egg whites
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
24 oreo halves
20 coarsely chopped oreos

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 cupcake pans with paper liners. Place one side of an Oreo cookie (preferably with the cream still attached) in the bottom of each liner.
2. In medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In large bowl cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in egg whites, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Beat in vanilla.
4. Beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture on lowest speed until just incorporated, followed by 1/2 of the milk. Repeat, beginning and ending with the flour, beating until you reach a uniform consistency.
5. Gently fold in chopped Oreos.
6. Equally divide batter amongst cupcake lined pans and bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean
7. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on wire rack.

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz cream cheese
6 tbsp butter
1 tbsp vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp heavy cream
Oreo Crumbs
1. Cream butter and cream cheese until well blended. Beat in vanilla, followed by powdered sugar.
2. Beat in heavy cream on low at first until fully incorporated then on medium/high for roughly 3-4 mintues until frosting is light and fluffy.
3. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes, then sprinkle with Oreo Crumbs.

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies

Hello again,

So after the disastrous donuts of earlier this week, I really want to whip something up that was simple, yummy, and stress-free. I've been thinking these past few weeks, as I near my 100th post on this blog, how much stress I've created in publishing on this. It shouldn't be that way. I shouldn't be freaking over how each cookie looks, how the lighting is crappy in my college apartment, how a kitchen experiment of my own creation seems to always go horribly wrong.

It should be, above all else, a stress reliever. I love baking, and I've unfortunately done a terrible deed in turning into something to stress about. Because I've had these dreams of opening a bakery...because I'm a perfectionist...whatever the reason, the reason no longer stands to justify the stress. It's time to de-stress some parts of my life. I wish I could de-stress all of it, but somehow I feel as though total de-stress would result in my gallavanting off to Europe to eat French bread and read novels all day every day.

Would you like to know a great recipe for de-stressing?

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies.

Yes, the name may sound intimidating, what with cheesecake being a dessert I never go near in my own kitchen, but these cookies are merely inspired by the creamy, decadent flavors of cheesecake and the crunchy, chewy cookie we've all come to know and love: the Oreo. So it's a wonderful de-stresser for numerous reasons. For starters, it only has about six ingredients. I like it already.

Two: the cookie dough is egg free. Translate: Though it may not be nutritious, the dough is absolutely safe to eat raw. Woohoo! I do offer a cautionary word though; this dough tastes very much like cheesecake, so sticking a finger in or two before getting the cookies onto the pan may be a bad idea. You could soon end up with a huge amount of cookie dough in your stomach, only to cause a considerable stomachache in a few short moments, and no cookies on the pan. So try to restrain yourself. Hopefully you are stronger than I am. My stomach ache wasn't huge but, well, I did need to let loose after all.

Destressing Moment Number 3: Pulverizing Oreo Cookies with a mallet. Do I even need to explain why this would be loads of fun?

And of course, the final stress-free moment: the glorious first bite into a chewy, Oreo covered cheesecake cookie. Friends, do you remember the Banana Bread Snickerdoodles? How I said we could achieve world peace with those cookies? Let's do care packages of those AND these, and I promise you we can make it happen. I think it's high time everyone in the world got a little moment of stress-free enjoyment.

So if you need a breather from the frantic mess of everyday life, why not whip up some of these to take the edge off? I know most people do that with a glass of wine (or three) at the end of the day, but I prefer a cookie...let's make that a cookie and an inappropriate amount of cookie dough.

Happy Baking!

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies Via PassthePlate

3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 cup oreos, crushed

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl cream together butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Then beat iin sugar and vanilla.
3. Stir in flour until soft dough forms (it will be sticky, this is ok!). Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Scoop out tablespoonfuls of dough, form into ball and roll in oreo cookie crumbs.
5. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes or until edges are just slightly browned and the center is puffy.
6. Let cool for 2 minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to wire cooling rack.