9.03.2013

a trio of culinary sins

I found a very sinful recipe via pinterest for candied bacon chocolate chip cookies - which you know I just HAD to try.  I call it my trio of sins with bacon, chocolate, and sugar being in the mix.  Actually I should make that 4 sins because it's got a lot of butter in it too.  I will also say the candied bacon by itself it divine! =)

As I was making the dough, something seemed off to me with the original recipe.  From my mies en place I realized that there was not enough bacon (thank goodness I made way more than the recipe called for) and way too much chocolate.  Not only that, but I also felt that the chips should be milk chocolate, not semi-sweet to further balance the flavors.  The end result of my concoction?  My official taste tester who is NOT a fan of sweets said that they were *THE* best chocolate chip cookies he's ever had.  I have to agree, although I must say I am a bit biased...


















candied bacon chocolate chip cookies

For the candied bacon:
12 slices of good thick center cut bacon (from your butcher would be best)
3/4 cup brown sugar

for the cookie dough:
2-1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tbs pure vanilla extract
1 whole egg + 1 egg yolk
1-1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Arrange bacon in a single layer on a foil lined cookie sheet with a rim. Sprinkle brown sugar over the top of the bacon.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from over and flip pieces over.  Bake an additional 10-15 minutes, or until crispy.  You may have to do this step twice to accommodate all the bacon.
3. Remove from over and place on a wire rack to cool.  DO NOT put bacon on a paper towel or anything of the sort.  The melted sugars will stick a bit to whatever you put it on so make sure it's something you're not going to be picking off it later.  Dice bacon to around chocolate chip size once fully cooled.
4. Reduce your oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
5. In a large bowl, cream the butter with both the white and light brown sugars.
6. Add the vanilla, egg and egg yolk to the bowl and beat until light and creamy.
7. Add the flour and baking soda, mix well.
8. Add the candied bacon and chocolate chips.  Stir by hand until combined.
9. Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Make golf ball sized balls of the cookie dough and place on the cookie sheet about 2" apart.  Bake for 13-15 minutes or until edges are brown.  Remove from oven.  lLt the cookies sit in the pan for about a minute before removing to a wire rack.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.  Enjoy! =)

3.16.2013

sweet, salty, buttery goodness

i am a pretty regular watcher of ABC's "The Chew" and a while back Carla Hall made some potato chip cookies which i have been DYING to try for quite some time.  finally i decided i was going to make them this weekend, mainly as a treat for sticking to my half-marathon training program for 5 weeks now.   these cookies are fantastic in all forms - as raw dough, as a plain cookie, or with the chocolate and potato chip toppings.  they remind me of salerno butter cookies when plain, something i ate a lot of as a kid.  but enough already, i know your mouth is probably watering.  here's the recipe as i made it:


















potato chip cookies

1 cup butter, partially melted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1-1/2 cup crushed kettle cooked potato chips, divided
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
confectioners sugar
1 bag hershey's milk chocolate chocolate chips

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. mix together with a mixer the butter and sugar til well blended.  change to a low speed and blend in 3/4 cup of the crushed potato chips.  add in the vanilla extract and mix til combined.  add the flour and use the mixer just a bit to get it somewhat blended.  finish by hand with a spatula as you do not want to overwork the dough.
3. make 1" balls and place them on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper about 2" apart.  flatten them with your fingers.  dust with confectioners sugar.
4. bake cookies for 10 - 15 minutes (mine took about 12 minutes) or until golden brown.  allow to cool.
5. melt the chocolate chips, but not all the way.  with a small spatula, "frost" the cookies with the melted chocolate.  while chocolate is still soft, sprinkle more crushed potato chips on top.

makes about 3 dozen cookies.  enjoy! =)

♠ ♠ ♠

download a printable copy of this recipe at...
http://www.oncupcakemoon.com/recipes/potatochipcookies.pdf

2.06.2013

a trip to robotland

my next big project is going to be a series of little monsters...  i'm very excited to get those designs done as they have been in my sketchbook for years, but in the meantime a design i have had sitting around since june of 2010 was nagging at me.

i really liked these robots a lot when i first drew them, but they just weren't right to me.  they weren't original enough and i really wasn't sold on the shapes i used.  the one thing i knew for sure is that i wasn't going to change the feet.

















after sitting down and reworking them this past week, i came up with this design and i couldn't be happier with it.

right now they can be purchased as cards in my etsy shop but will soon be turned into many coordinating items such as invitations and cupcake toppers.

with no more old designs calling my name, it is time to start making all my monster sketches a reality!