Butterscotch Potato Chip Cookies

Sounds weird, I know! Trust me though, everyone that tried these cookies loved them. Buttery, soft, and loaded with the tastes of salty and sweet, these cookies are a must try. The overly sweet butterscotch is toned down by the salty potato chips for a perfect cookie that everyone will love!

Butterscotch Potato Chip Cookies from with sprinkles on top

1 c. butter flavored shortening
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 c. crushed potato chips
1 c. butterscotch morsels

1. Cream shortening and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Combine flour and baking soda; gradually beat into the mixture. Stir in the chips and butterscotch morsels.
2. Place tablespoon-sized balls on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 375F.

Suggestion: Try different kinds of chocolate chips. They come in so many different flavors. Dark chocolate and cinnamon chips are just a couple of my favorites!

White chocolate pretzel peanut butter cookies

I'm really not a fan of white chocolate. I've always found it to be overly rich and too much for me. For some reason though, when I stumbled across this recipe, I was immediately intrigued and knew that I would be baking it. A loaded cookie; the base a rich peanut butter, it's filled with creamy sweet white chocolate and is balanced with crushed pretzels. The finishing touch that makes this cookie truly special is the sprinkle of sea salt that goes on top. If that sounds weird, give it a chance! That sprinkle of salt on top is magical and helps all of the different flavors to stand out on their own. If you're looking for something different, fun, and deliciously yummy, try this one tonight!

White chocolate pretzel peanut butter cookies by Picky Palate

1 stick softened butter, 8 tablespoons

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup white chocolate chips, to melt

1 1/4 cups creamy peanut butter (reserve 2 tablespoons to add to melting white chips)

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup broken pretzel pieces

1 Cup additional white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Melt white chocolate chips and 2 Tablespoons peanut butter over a double boiler until melted. Add melted chocolate chips and remaining peanut butter to beaten butter and sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla.

2. Place flour, baking soda and salt in bowl; mix to combine. Add to wet ingredients until just combined then pour in pretzels and additional white chocolate chips. With a cookie scoop, scoop dough onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet. With the palms of your hand, gently press down each cookie to about 1/2 inch in thickness. Sprinkle each cookie with a touch of sea salt. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until edges become golden and slightly crisp. Let cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet before removing.

3 dozen cookies

Suggestion: Try mixing it up with different kinds of chocolate chips or cookie bases. Make this your own and have fun with it!

Cinnamon brie and apple grilled cheese

Last week I bought brie to make a panini with cheese, chocolate, and basil. Everyone told me that it sounded terrible, but being the stubborn person that I am, I really wanted to try it. Well, everyone was right and it wasn't so great. So this week, I thought I would make a sandwich that I knew would be amazing! Feel like surprising your palate? Want to try something different and delicious? Try this grilled cheese recipe. Sweet cinnamon bread, paired with tart granny smith apple, and creamy tangy brie leave your mouth happy and wishing for more. This dish is a crowd pleaser any time of day. Satisfying, flavorful, and something outside of the box, make this sandwich when you want to shake up your palate!

Cinnamon Brie and Apple Grilled Cheese adapted from USA Today

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 ounces Brie cheese, white rind trimmed, or other cheese, at room temperature

• 2 slices whole wheat bread

• 2 to 3 thin slices peeled Granny Smith or other apple

• 1 teaspoon butter, softened

• a sprinkle of cinnamon

Directions:

1. Spread the Brie on one side of each piece of bread. Place apple on top of one slice and top with the other slice, cheese side down. Spread the butter on the other sides of the bread. Sprinkle cinnamon on top of the bread with the butter.

2. Place in a skillet over medium heat. Cook until the bottom is golden and the cheese begins to melt. Carefully turn the sandwich and cook until golden and the cheese has melted completely.

Suggestion: Try mixing it up and playing around with different breads. Try sourdough to tone down the sweetness or cinnamon raisin bread to play it up! I don't think you can really go wrong here.... Enjoy! :)

Applesauce

Most kids grow up eating Mott's or other brands of applesauce, but I was a lucky one. At a young age, my mom exposed me to the real deal, homemade applesauce. I remember watching her peel, core, and delicately slice apple after apple. Then she would throw them in a pot with cinnamon and POOF, almost like magic, deliciously chunky, perfectly cinnamon applesauce would appear.

This was my first time making it on my own, and it tastes just like moms. It's apple season, so go to the store, pick the prettiest apples, and whip up a batch of this. Trust me, it's one-of-a-kind, and such a special treat.

Applesauce

6 large McIntosh Apples

1/4 to 1/3 c. sugar

1T. lemon juice

1/4 t. salt

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

1/2 to 3/4 c. water

Peel, core, and coarsely chop the apples. Toss with sugar, lemon juice, salt, cinnamon, and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Stir frequently and simmer for 8 to 10 min. until apples are tender. Mash lightly with back of large fork. Add water to reach desired texture and sugar to adjust flavor. Allow to cool and then enjoy!

Suggestion: Go easy on the sugar! The beauty of making your own applesauce is that you're in control and can make it as healthy as you want it to be. :)

Hot Chocolate Marshmallow Cupcakes

Heaven. Pure bliss. Pretty much enough said.

These cupcakes, texturally a cross between a brownie and cake are incredible. Moist, chocolaty, and rich from the delicious dark chocolate, paired with the broiled marshmallow on top, these cupcakes are a hit. This is the perfect bite of indulgence to welcome in fall. Who needs a cup of hot chocolate when you can have one of these little delights? Seriously, these are so worth trying tonight.

Hot Chocolate Marshmallow Cupcakes from Cupcakes Galore by Gail Wagman

Makes 12 cupcakes

8 ounces dark chocolate

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup mini-chocolate chips or grated chocolate

Marshmallows for decoration

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler or microwave until JUST melted. Set aside until just warm.

Cream the eggs and sugar together until light and foamy. Add flour and salt and mix. Pour in the chocolate mixture and beat until batter is smooth.

Spoon batter into 12 cupcake papers. Sprinkle a scant teaspoon of mini-chocolate chips or grated chocolate over each cupcake and bake for 15 minutes. Remove cupcakes from oven. They will be very moist inside.

Place a marshmallow or several mini-marshmallows on each cupcake. Put cupcakes under broiler for a few seconds until marshmallows start to brown. This will take only a second so be very careful. Remove form oven and wait for about 5 minutes before eating since marshmallows will be very hot. These cupcakes are best eaten still warm.

Suggestion: I've made these cupcakes with no butter and with only 1 stick of butter (instead of the 2 sticks the recipe calls for). They are delicious either way, so feel free to use whatever amount of butter you're comfortable with.

Caramel- ooh la la

I don't even know why, because I don't eat caramel, but for some reason I had this need to make it, to say that I conquered the caramel. So finally after putting it off for a few weeks, I decided to make it. That night however, I realized that I didn't have any cream. After a mini food-tantrum, I went to sleep and was pleasantly surprised the next day when my roommate presented me with a beautiful carton of cream, essentially the magic to caramel. Throughout the process of cooking this, I was squealing with delight. I felt like a chemist hard at work in the lab, as each ingredient helped to elevate the dish and change the texture, color, and ultimately taste. This is a fun one to try, and deliciously creamy too. Try it out so that you too can squeal with delight.

Caramel Sauce Recipe by Elise on Simply Recipes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup of sugar
• 6 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

METHOD

1 First, before you begin, make sure you have everything ready to go - the cream and the butter next to the pan, ready to put in. Making caramel is a fast process that cannot wait for hunting around for ingredients. If you don't work fast, the sugar will burn. Safety first - make sure there are no children under foot and you may want to wear oven mitts; the caramelized sugar will be much hotter than boiling water.

2 Heat sugar on moderately high heat in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart or 3-quart saucepan. As the sugar begins to melt, stir vigorously with a whisk or wooden spoon. As soon as the sugar comes to a boil, stop stirring. You can swirl the pan a bit if you want, from this point on. Note that this recipe works best if you are using a thick-bottomed pan. If you find that you end up burning some of the sugar before the rest of it is melted, the next time you attempt it, add a half cup of water to the sugar at the beginning of the process, this will help the sugar to cook more evenly, though it will take longer as the water will need to evaporate before the sugar will caramelize.

3 As soon as all of the sugar crystals have melted (the liquid sugar should be dark amber in color), immediately add the butter to the pan. Whisk until the butter has melted.

4 Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat. Count to three, then slowly add the cream to the pan and continue to whisk to incorporate. Note than when you add the butter and the cream, the mixture will foam up considerably. This is why you must use a pan that is at least 2-quarts (preferably 3-quarts) big.

5 Whisk until caramel sauce is smooth. Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes, then pour into a glass mason jar and let sit to cool to room temperature. (Remember to use pot holders when handling the jar filled with hot caramel sauce.) Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Warm before serving.

Makes a little over one cup of sauce.

Suggestion: Caramel is so versatile. Try it on everything from cereal, graham crackers, pretzels, chips, even popcorn. The sky is the limit!

Pucker Up

This dessert is such a classic for me. Growing up, my mom baked it all the time, and while I must admit I wasn't such a fan when I was younger (I had a thing against lemons), it's now one of my favorites. The flaky buttery crust paired with the not too lemony, not too sweet combination is perfect. This is one of those desserts to make for a dinner party because you know that it will always be a hit. Add this to your repertoire and you'll be sure to WOW all of your friends. So go cut those lemons and Pucker Up!

Lemon Squares

1 cup butter/margarine
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 c. flour
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
6 T. lemon juice
1 T. flour
1/2 t. baking powder

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix butter, powdered sugar, and 2 cups flour. Press into a 10x14 inch pan (jelly roll pan). Bake 15 min. Beat eggs. Add 2 cups sugar, lemon juice, 1 T. flour, baking powder. Pour over pastry. Bake 40-50 minutes more. Dust with additional powdered sugar.

Suggestion: Taste the liquid batter before you pour it over the crust. Depending on the lemons you picked, they might be too sweet or not bitter enough. Adjust the recipe as needed by adding more lemon juice or sugar.