Apple Pie Caramel Apple

I know this recipe isn't complicated or even a recipe really but it's that time of year and this caramel apple deserves to be made. These remind me of Disneyworld...you can find the most delicious apple pie caramel apples on Main Street in the Magical Kingdom for a whopping $8. They taste like an apple pie on a stick. They were so good they even trumped my beloved churros at Disney.

Apple Pie Caramel Apples

1 bag Kraft caramels
4-5 large, tart apples (You can use red apples too but I like the contrast of the tart apple with the caramel)

1 bag white chocolate chips or white chocolate candy melts

cinnamon sugar

1. Wash, scrub, and dry apples. This is important or your caramel won't stick because of the coating stores put on apples.
2. In a medium saucepan, melt caramel according to package directions.

3. Put popsicle stick in the apple. Dip in melted caramel making sure to fully coat it.

4. Place on parchment or wax paper that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

5. Cool in the fridge until caramel is set up. If you want a thick caramel layer, add another layer of caramel here and let it set up again.

6. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals. You can add a little shortening if the mixture is too thick.

7. Coat the apple with the chocolate.

8. Let it set up a little bit before sprinkling it with the cinnamon sugar mixture.

9. Cool completely in the fridge.

10. Cut into slices and serve.

Can be made up to one day ahead of time. Store in the refrigerator.

...Or wrap them in cellophane and give them to your friends.

"Empty Tomb" Marshmallow Delights

The generosity shown to me after I had Wes was unbelievable. Not only did my church friends bring in meals for 5 days but my friends brought in 4 meals after that. Usually I have food issues. I'm not sure where it stemmed from. Maybe it's just that I have found one too many hairs in food. Anyway, unless I know you well...and know that you are a clean cook I am wary of your food. A bit snobbish, but it's the truth. After I had the baby, however, I didn't even think about any of that. I was humbled and truly grateful for everyones willingness to help make a meal.

My friend Wendy is an amazing cook and brought in these babies as dessert with her meal. The marshmallow melts inside the roll creating a juicy sauce. It's like an inside out cinnamon roll. I have heard these referred to as "Empty Tomb" rolls that can be made at Easter. They are easy to make with kids and they invite the opportunity to explain about the ressurection because the disappearing marshmallow is supposed to represent Jesus being risen.

Here's a breakdown of the symbolism:

• Large Marshmallows - body of Jesus
• Melted Butter - oils of embalming
• Cinnamon & Sugar Mix- spices used to annoint the body.
• Crescent Roll - the wrapping of Jesus’ body or the tomb.
• Oven – the tomb
• Cavity in bun – the empty tomb or the empty cloths

Marshmallow Delights

by Wendy Weisenburger and found on allrecipes

1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
8 large marshmallows
1/4 cup butter, melted

Separate rolls into eight triangles. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Dip each marshmallow into butter, roll in cinnamon-sugar and place on a triangle. Pinch dough around marshmallow, sealing all edges. *Make sure to seal well or all the marshmallow will escape.

Dip tops of dough into remaining butter and cinnamon-sugar. Place with sugar side up in greased muffin cups. It helps to use jumbo muffin tins so that the juice doesn't overflow.

Bake at 375 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes. Eat warm.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

Just the name of these make your mouth water. A graham cracker crust with mini-chocolate chips in it topped with a layer of cheesecake and then loaded with drops of cookie dough. A drizzle of chocolate on top makes it out of this world. You'll have to thank Bake or Break for introducing us to this thigh expanding treat. It has a lot of components and sometimes less is more, but not in this case. Heaven.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

by The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook

Crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325°. Butter a 9″-square baking pan (*I used an 8x11 pan). Line pan with parchment paper, leaving enough to extend over the sides. Butter the parchment paper. Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter until crumbs are moistened. Make sure you mix it well so that the crust isn't too crumbly. Stir in chocolate chips.

Press crust mixture into bottom of pan and 1 inch up sides. Bake for 6 minutes. Set pan on wire rack to cool.

Cookie Dough
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Using an electric mixer , mix butter, brown sugar, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract at medium speed until smooth. Decrease mixer speed to low and add flour (Add a little at a time. You might not need all the flour. Just add it until the mixture sticks together). Mix just until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside.

Filling
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar just until smooth. Add egg and vanilla extract, beating just until blended. Pour batter into baked crust. Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls over the top of the filling. It will seem like a lot of cookie dough but you want some in every piece. Bake about 30 minutes at 325 degrees, or until set. Transfer to wire rack.

For chocolate topping, melt 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips in a double boiler or in the microwave. *I think it's easier in the microwave. Put in a ziplock bag in a microwave safe bowl and cook for 30 seconds at a time, mixing within the bag after each interval. Snip off the corner of the bag and drizzle. Add about 1/2 tablespoon of butter if necessary to make chocolate smooth. Drizzle over top of bars.

Cool bars in pan completely, about an hour.

Using the edges of the parchment paper, remove bars from pan. Cut into bars, keep cool in the refrigerator and serve.

The Infamous Neiman Marcus Cookie...

Last week a bunch of us girls were invited to an event at Neiman Marcus by one of our friends that works there. There were free massages, drinks, food, facials, and a $50 gift card for going. It was my first time at Neiman Marcus. We even dragged our poor husbands along so we could get an extra $50 gift card.

Anyway, being there reminded me of an email that I have gotten repeatedly over the years about the Neiman Marcus cookie story. I am not sure if this is true or just a myth but...

...supposedly a lady ordered a cookie at Neiman Marcus and enjoyed it so much she asked to buy the recipe. The waitress said she could if she paid "two fifty". She assumed it meant $2.50 but she was charged $250. She called the account office at Neiman Marcus after receiving the bill and they refused to refund her. So, she told them that she was going to have $250 dollars worth of fun with the recipe. She gave the recipe out to everyone she could think of and told them to give it out to others.

So I have to say with all the hype about the cookie, I was afraid I would be let down but I wasn't. They are almost better after they have been sitting for a while. They have a crisp outside with a soft middle. The blended oats add a fabulous chewy texture. I definitely will be adding them to my cookie repertoire. Enjoy!
Neiman-Marcus Cookies
by Neiman Marcus (this is the original recipe halved)

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups uncooked regular oats
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
4 ounces milk chocolate candy bar, coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375°.
*This is a thick dough. If you have a KitchenAid, use it.

Measure oatmeal, and blend in a blender or food processor to a fine powder. Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Stir in chocolate chips, milk chocolate bar, and pecans.

Roll into balls, and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet. *I always use parchment paper. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly on baking sheets. Then, remove to wire racks to cool completely. Yields 4 dozen cookies

Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies

I normally wouldn't give these cookies a chance because 1) there wasn't a picture with the recipe and 2) cherries aren't really something that get me salivating. The only reason I tried these cookies was because my mother-in-law Sheri loves anything with cherries and chocolate and I thought I should try them for her sake. I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked them. So here's to trying something new...

Double Chocolate Cherry Cookies

by Eagle Brand's Classic Recipes cookbook

1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) butter, softened

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 (6 ounce) jars maraschino cherries, well drained

1 (6 ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 (14 ounce) can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, bear butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well.

2. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients; stir into butter mixture (dough will be stiff). Shape into 1-inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Press cherry into center of each cookie. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Cool. *To make these cookies fabulous make sure to not make them too big so the cherry/chocolate ration is good and do not overbake! Start with 8 minutes. Remove from pan right after they come out of the oven.

3. In heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt chips with condensed milk. Cook until mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Frost each cookie, covering cherry. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

Football Kickoff - Buffalo Chicken Dip

Any given Sunday during football season if you show up at our house we will be eating this. John doesn't like to eat a lot before games so when we come home after the game he's starving. I always fix this quick dip to take the edge off while I finish up making dinner. Don't be turned off by the picture...it's hard to make this dip look pretty. I have heard this referred to as "Crack Dip" because it's so addicting. This is not for the faint of heart; it has some heat! My sister-in-law Kim introduced this to the Denney family since they love Buffalo chicken flavored anything. We couldn't wait until John's first home game so we made it to take to our friend's house to watch the BYU. Go Cougars. What a great game!

John was sneaking bites so I made his hand be in the shot.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

by Kim Denney

1 1/2 cups cooked and shredded chicken or 1 (12 ounce) can chunk chicken, drained

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup Ranch dressing

1/2 cup Buffalo wing sauce (such as Frank's Red Hot, not to be confused with their pepper sauce. Start with less if you want and add more to your desired hotness.)

3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

blue cheese crumbles (optional)

Heat chicken and Buffalo sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Make sure to break up the chicken so there are no big chunks. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in shredded cheese.  Pour into a shallow dish or pie pan and sprinkle with blue cheese crumbles and microwave it until the cheese melts. We usually only sprinkle blue cheese on half of it for those who aren’t blue cheese fans. Serve with chips for dipping.