M&M Cookies

Loving sweets as I do, this is one of my favorites quick cookie recipes. 

½ cup butter 

½ cup sugar 

¼ cup brown sugar 

1 large egg 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 cup flour 

½ teaspoon baking powder 

1 cup (6 ounces) M&M original semi-sweet candies 

1) Place oven rack on middle run setting. Preheat oven to 375 degrees farenheit. 

2) In medium to large microwave safe bowl melt butter. 

3) Stir in sugars, eggs and vanilla extract by hand lightly until combined. 

4) Stir in flour and baking powder until well blended. 

5) Add M&M candies and gently mix until incorporated in batter (about 10 – 25 strokes if mixing by hand). 

6) Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto non-stick cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. 

7) Bake 10 – 12 minutes or until edges of cookies start to brown. 

8) Remove from pan immediately to cooling rack. 

9) Cool completely before serving. Store any leftovers in air tight container.

Baked Kabocha Squash (whole and pieces)

According to Wikipedia, Kabocha squash “is hard on the outside with knobbly-looking skin … shaped like a squat pumpkin” but differs from Buttercup squash as it doesn't have a protruding cup or “turban” on the bottom. It has a very sweet flavor and a texture similar to a sweet potato. 

Cooked Kabocha squash can be used and eaten like other winter squashes such as butternut or acorn squash. 

If you've never had Kabocha squash (or cooked whole one) I suggest looking for pieces or quarters as a way to start/try this since the pieces are smaller, lighter and easier to handle due to how large this whole squash can be and how tough the skin is. 

Recipes for cooking both a whole and pieces of Kabocha are presented here. For both recipes, I recommend using a turkey roaster or like roasting pan as I found it helped getting the squash in and out of the oven. 

Baked Kabocha Squash Pieces 

1) Place oven rack on middle rung. 

2) Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees farenheit. 

3) Place squash, skin side down in deep baking dish/roasting pan. 

4) Fill baking dish/roasting pan with 1/8” water. 

5) Loosely cover (tent) baking dish/roasting pan with aluminum foil. 

6) Place in oven and cook 35 minutes - 1 hour 15 minutes or until squash in center of dish/pan is easily pierced with a fork. 

7) When squash is cooked to desired tenderness, remove from oven and let cool uncovered in dish/pan for 5 minutes. 

8) Transfer squash to cutting board and let cool until it can be comfortably touched with your fingers. 

9) Remove the cooked squash from the skin. 

10) Serve or use as you would other winter squashes. Store any unused cooked squash in airtight container in refrigerator. 

Baked KabochaSquash (Whole Squash) 

1) Place oven rack on middle rung. 

2) Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees farenheit. 

3) Rinse squash with water. Pat dry. 

4) Place wash and dried squash on flat surface. Using a paring knife, pierce squash 10 times in multiple places as this will prevent squash from exploding while it's in the oven. 

5) Place squash deep baking dish/roasting pan. 

6) Fill baking dish/roasting pan with 1/8” water. 

7) Place in oven and cook 35 minutes - 1 hour 15 minutes or until squash is easily pierced with fork in three places. Skin of the squash may brown or bubble from baking. 

8) When squash is cooked to desired tenderness, remove from oven and let cool uncovered in dish/pan for 15 minutes or until it can be comfortably touched with your fingers. 

9) Carefully cut the squash, removing the skin and scooping out the seeds. (Note, the same paring knife used to pierce squash in step 4 can be used for cutting.) 

10) Serve or use as squash as you would other winter squashes. Store any unused cooked squash in airtight container in refrigerator. 

11) If any part of the squash didn't cook to desired tenderness, follow recipe above to bake Kabocha Squash Pieces to get desired tenderness.

Polka Dot or White Chocolate Chip Brownie Recipe

In an attempt to “do something different”, I decided to add white chocolate baking chips to my brownies to create a polka dot look. If you find yourself in this same mood, I've provided both my quick fudgy brownie and slow fudgy brownie recipes here. 

Polka Dot Brownies, quick version 

One box, Duncan Hines Chewy Fudge Family Size Brownie mix 

½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened or melted

2 large eggs 

¼ cup water

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ cup white chocolate chips

Place oven rack on middle run setting. Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit.  

Grease 8-inch x 8-inch pan. 

In medium to large bowl add butter, brownie mix, eggs and water. Stir until well blended (about 50 strokes by hand).

Add semi-sweet and white chocolate chips until blended (about 10-15 strokes by hand).

Spread brownie mixture evenly into greased pan. 

Place brownies in middle of oven rack and bake for 31 – 34 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 

Cool completely in pan until cutting and serving. Store any leftovers in air tight container. 

Polka Dot Brownies, slow version

½ cup (1 stick) and 2 tablespoons margarine or butter

6 tablespoons cocoa or carob powder

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup white chocolate chips

Place oven rack on middle run setting. Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit. 

Grease 8-inch x 8-inch pan. 

In a small medium saucepan or medium to large microwave safe bowl melt margarine or butter. Stir in sugar, eggs and vanilla extract by hand lightly until just combined. 

Stir in flour and cocoa or carob powder. Add white chocolate chips until blended (about 10-15 strokes by hand).

Spread brownie mixture evenly into greased pan. Place brownies in middle of oven rack and bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan until cutting and serving. Store any leftovers in air tight container.

Oreo Cookie Truffles in 3 – 4 ingredients (makes about 36 truffles)

It's been on my list for a while to write-up this recipe which I was introduced to many years ago by a good friend. In starting this write-up, I ran a search for other recipes like this and found quite a few. This is a versatile recipe, especially when it comes to covering or dipping. 

Oreo Cookie Truffles (makes about 36 truffles) 

33 original oreo cookies (this is one 13.29 – 13.3 ounce package) 

One 8 ounce package cream cheese 

One 10 – 12 ounce package white chocolate chips 

2 – 3 ounces baking chocolate (optional, for decorating) 

Line a large cookie sheet with wax paper. Set aside. 

Crush oreo cookies into crumbs by either using a food processor or putting cookies in resealable plastic bag and crushing them with a rolling pin.  If using a small to medium food processor, do this 10 – 12 cookies at a time until all cookies have been crushed. 

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix the cookie crumbs and cream cheese using a pastry blender. Refrigerate mixture for 30 minutes – 1 hour. 

Remove mixture from refrigerator.  Roll into 1-inch balls and place on lined large cookie sheet. 

Melt white chocolate chips in top of double boiler. 

Dip truffles in white chocolate, returning to lined cooking sheet. 

(Optional) Melt baking chocolate. Using a small spoon, drizzle small amount of chocolate over each truffle to decorate. 

Chill truffles in refrigerator approximately 1 ½ – 2 hours or until set. 

Store truffles in airtight container in refrigerator until ready to serve.

No Sugar Added Homemade Applesauce

I detailed my love for homemade applesauce in my Applesauce with a Rosy Glow post. As my tastes have changed since that post many years ago, I've come to prefer a no sugar added homemade applesauce which I make every fall with locally picked apples. It's this applesauce I now use in my vegan whoopie pie, applesauce nut bread and no sugar added apple crisp recipes. 

This is my Applesauce with a Rosy Glow without the sugar and cinnamon,--a recipe I originally in the Boston Herald sometime in the 1990s. 

No Sugar Added Rosy Applesauce (yield: approximately 6 – 9 pints)  

5-6 pounds red-skinned applesauce (this is a ½ peck of apples) 

½ cup water 

To make “mash” on stovetop: 

1. Wash, quarter and core the apples. 
2. Place them in large saucepan with the water. 
3. Cook over very low heat until the pulp softens and separates from the peel – from 30 minutes to an hour. Stir occasionally to avoid scorching. 

To make “mash” in the oven: 

1. Place oven rack on lowest setting. 
2. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees farenheit. 
3. Wash, quarter and core the apples placing them in a turkey roasting pan designed to hold 12 – 15 pound turkey. 
4. Add water to apples in pan. 
5. Tent/loosely cover top of roasting pan with aluminum foil, making certain reflective side of foil faces apples. 
6. Carefully place tented roasting pan with apples and water in oven on rack on lowest setting. 
7. Bake until pulp softens and separates from the peel without effort – from 30 minutes to just over an hour. 

Once “mash” is made: 

1. Press “mash” through a food mill or colander. 
2. Serve either warm or chilled. Refrigerate any unused portion for up to 5 days, freeze for up to 3 months or can the applesauce using the boiling-water method in steps 4 and 5. 
3. Heat the applesauce until it boils. Ladle into clean, hot canning jars, leaving ½ inch of headspace at the top of each. 
4. Close the jars and process in a water-bath canner with a rack for 20 minutes.

Canned unsweetened applesauce 

in the process of being

Labelled

Onion Burgers, Julie's version (makes 5 – 6 burgers)

After reading an article on the Depression Burger of Route 66, I decided to make one. I didn't search for any recipes but used the information in this article to figure it out. It took a couple of tries, and if you like carmelized onions with your hamburger then I recommend trying this recipe. 

In my experimenting with recipe, I found a successful onion burger requires five things: thinly sliced onions, thin hamburger patties, a wide blade spatula like those used to flip homemade pancakes, a flat, smooth and sided cooking surface with a cover like a fry pan or electric skillet, and cooking burger to medium-well/well doneness. 

Onion Burgers (makes 5-6 burgers) 

One large onion, thinly sliced 

One pound ground beef 

Non-stick cooking spray if using non-stick fry pan or cooking surface 

1) Peel and thinly slice onion. 

2) If using non-stick fry pan or cooking surface, spray with non-stick cooking spray. 

3) Arrange onion slices into 5 – 6 circles on cooking surface. 

4) Bring cooking surface to medium heat level. 

5) Shape hamburger into 5-6 very thin patties approximately the same size of the onion circles on the cooking surface. Once each patty is shaped, place it atop corresponding onion circle. 

6) Using wide blade spatula, gently press each patty.  

7) Cover cooking surface and let burgers cook for 25-45 minutes or until there is no more grease/fat. 

8) Remove patties from cooking surface. Serve. 

9) Store any leftovers in airtight container in refrigerator.

Two onion burgers, cooked and 

ready to be served

No Sugar Added Apple Crisp (makes 2-4 servings)

The original recipe was given to me verbally last September while I picked apples for homemade applesauce. I don't remember the ingredients but I know sugar, honey, maple syrup weren't amongst them. When I decided to try this recipe for the first time, I used Opal apples (which I didn't bother to peel as I was pressed time) and chose a variation of my No Sugar Added Granola Recipe for the topping. Second time, I used Cortland apples (which I peeled) and the same topping.  Sadly, this is not another “What to do with One Ripe Banana” recipe.

I recommend using a good baking apple such as a Cortland if you like sweet or a Granny Smith if you prefer tart. 

No Sugar Added Apple Crisp (makes 2-4 servings) 

2-3 medium apples or 2 large apples (this is about 1 pound of apples), peeled, cored and diced into large chunks 

3/4 cup quick cook old-fashioned rolled oats 

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds 

1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut 

1/4 cup chopped walnuts 

3 ½ tablespoons unsweetened applesauce 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

pinch kosher salt (optional) 

pinch ground nutmeg (optional) 

¼ cup raisins (optional) 

1) Place oven rack on middle run setting and preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit. 

2) In medium bowl, mix oats, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut, nuts, salt (optional), cinnamon, nutmeg (optional), applesauce, olive oil. Mix until dry ingredients are coated.  Set aside.

3) Peel, core and dice apples into large chunks. Place apples in bottom of 8-inch by 8-inch baking dish. Evenly top apples with oatmeal mixture. 

4) If you like a sweet apple crisp, top oatmeal mixture with raisins. 

5) Bake 35-45 minutes or until majority of topping is golden to toasty brown. 

6) Remove crisp from oven and let cool 30 minutes before serving. 

7) Store any leftovers in airtight container in refrigerator.

First version of this recipe, waiting to cool

before tasting