Salted Caramel Brownie Cookies and Orange Food

The picture is missing a glass of milk, I am told. Recipe is below, after I show you how ORANGE my lunch was!

Along with my hubby’s famous mac n cheese (sorry, no pic), here are the sides I had with lunch. I couldn’t believe how orange everything was. Luckily it didn’t turn me off and I actually ate (almost) everything. Going for those healthy sides/snacks (I realized I was missing my cheddar and sour cream Ruffles with French Onion dip! Those are orange… right?).

Gotta share the recipe for these divine cookies! Thank you, Hungry Runner Girl, for the tip about the recipe! I made these babies for the Superbowl and received good reviews. The recipe is a keeper and I’ve already had a few requests for the recipe! I also made chocolate cupcakes and used the leftover salted caramel filling as a frosting. I must say that I prefer the cupcakes to the cookies, but only because they are a lighter version. The cookies are delicious, but SUPER rich and I could barely finish one of them.

Salted Caramel Brownie Cookies

Copied direcetly from Lucy Jane’s Best, plus my notes in pink

For the Cookie:

• 12 ounces dark chocolate, chopped <<<I used chocolate chips w/ 60% cacao
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼  cup flour, sifted
• ¼  teaspoon baking powder, sifted

For the salted caramel creme filling

• 1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• ¼ cup caramel sauce (I used Nestle’s La Lechera-Dulce de Leche) <<<I used Trader Joe's Caramel with Fleur de Sel

½  teaspoon sea salt <<<Did not use since TJ caramel was already salted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place butter in a saucepan over low heat and gently stir until melted. Add 7 ounces of chocolate and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
3. In a stand up mixer, combine, eggs, sugar and vanilla and beat for 15 minutes or until pale and creamy. (The extreme beating gives this cookie its great texture! So set your timer!) Add in flour, baking powder, melted chocolate mixture, remaining 5 ounces of chocolate and mix just to combine. (Don’t over mix.)  Chill batter for 10 minutes. Dough should still be slightly gooey, but not watery.
4. Spoon 2 tablespoonful of the mixture, onto parchment lined jelly roll pan. Bake for 8–10 minutes or until puffed and cracked. Allow to cool completely on pans before transferring to a wire rack.
5. Caramel creme filling and assembly:
6. Place butter in a bowl and beat until fluffy., about 4 minutes. Mix in powdered sugar and salt, add in caramel and beat until smooth and creamy.
7. Spread or pipe the frosting in between two cookies. Sandwich them together.
8. Yields 12 large cookies

***My note to self: Next time, reduce the amount of dark chocolate (an additional 5 oz isn’t necessary to add to the batter) and make smaller cookies (yielding 24 instead of just 12). Also, consider making half of the creme filling as this recipe yielded plenty!

The Niner game and roasted brussel sprouts

I did it! I went for a run this morning. One down, one to go for the weekend. What a b-e-a-utiful day. I wish I could run at this time everyday. It's very nice when the sun is out. =) It was a slow run, only 2 miles at 27 minutes total. 

Went to a friend's house to watch the Niner game. We're going to the Super Bowl!!! Check out the intensity and focus of the boys: 

Here was my potluck item. Believe it or not, I am eating brussel sprouts. I thought this day would never come. But someone made this for us during Xmas and they were so delicious. They are first roasted and then tossed in a sweet chili vinegar mix. They were a hit at the party! (Sorry the picture quality is not that great. I took this when half of the batch was already eaten!) 

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Serves 4-6

2 lbs brussel sprouts, halved

4 T olive oil

Juice and zest of one lemon

Kosher salt

6 basil leaves, torn (optional)

1/2 chili pepper, chopped (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. On a baking sheet, toss sprouts with olive oil and 1 tsp. salt. Roast for 35-40 minutes. Outer leaves should be crispy.

3. While hot, place sprouts in a mixing bowl. Stir in 1/2 to 1/4 cup sweet chili vinegar (see below). 

Stir in lemon juice and zest. Add salt to taste. Garnish with basi leaves and chili pepper if desired. 

Sweet Chili Vinegar

1 c sugar

1 c white vinegar

1/2 t black pepper

1 1/2 t crushed dried red pepper

1/2 head garlic, minced

Mix ingredients in a sauce pan, and cook over low heat until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. 

Sweet Tooth

TheHungryRunnerGirl is influencing me to eat sweets galore. Here are some delicious treats added to my life this past weekend.

#1: Hot chocolate cookies. HungryRunnerGirl told her readers we had to make them, so make them I did (you can find recipe on the link). YUM! Although they are super rich, so I can't have so many. The hubby on the other hand would have probably eaten them all if he didn't have to share with me and my sister.

#2: BJ's Red Velvet Pazookie. Picture says it all. I've had pazookies before, but thank you, G & M, for introducing me to this flavor!



#3: Cocoa Drizzled Kettle Corn. Bought this from Trader Joe's. Super addicting and tasting, although note to self: I can make this myself! My mom usually gets us kettle corn (tastes exactly the same) from the farmer's market and I can just drizzle melted chocolate myself. But thank you, TJ's, for the idea :)

Sesame Chicken

Tonight's menu: sesame chicken with roasted broccoli and brown rice. Dinner is served! Recipe below.

Lighter Sesame Chicken

Modified from Iowa Girl Eats

Serves 2

Ingredients

·         1/2 cup brown rice

·         2 cups broccoli florets

·         1 egg white

·         2 Tablespoons cornstarch

·         2 small chicken breasts (12oz), cut into 2″ pieces

·         salt & pepper

·         1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

·         2 Tablespoons sesame seeds

·         2-1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce

·         1/4 cup honey

·         1 garlic clove, minced

·         2 green onions, chopped

Instructions

·         Roast or steam broccoli until crisp tender, then set aside (directions for roasting from Can You Stay for Dinner?).

·         Prepare rice according to package directions.

·         In a large bowl, whisk together egg white and cornstarch until smooth.

·         Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper then add to egg white mixture and toss to evenly coat.

·         Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then carefully add chicken. Cook for 3-4 minutes a side, or until cooked through.

·         Meanwhile, combine sesame seeds, soy sauce, honey, and garlic together in a small bowl then set aside.

·         Turn off heat and remove skillet from burner. Add prepared sauce and green onions then toss to combine. Stir in broccoli, then scoop mixture into bowls over cooked rice.

Baked Egg Cups

In honor of hosting Sarah & Aaron... Baked egg cups! Recipe from Simple Delights.

It's fun to take pictures of the set-up :)