Girl Scout Dog (& Chicken) Cookies

**EDIT** I am in the TOP 5 for the WW Girl Scout DOG Cookie Contest for this recipe! I'd love your vote! Vote HERE: http://www.girlscoutsww.org/en/cookies/about-girl-scout-cookies/girl-scout-cookie-recipe-contest.html

The Girl Scouts of Western Washington hold a recipe contest every year. I've been participating in it for the past few years and love the yearly challenge. I may not have placed in the top 5 this year but I did get in the top 10 which is HUGE. I was thrilled when they announced that this year they would also be holding a DOG cookie contest. Before I met Scott, I was a crazy dog-sitter. I watched everyone's dogs. I LOVED dog sitting and while I don't currently have a dog, I am plotting for when we get a dog. Scott is such a kind man and has slowly watched me fill up his life with critters. We now have chickens that he was dead set against because I convinced him that it was a good idea. He is still not 100% convinced by I know that he likes them. He even takes care of them for me when I'm out of town or not home to put them away. He asks about them every day and loves eating their eggs. 

So when I decided to take on this dog cookie challenge, I knew I wanted to make something that could be eaten by the critters around my house which meant I made a cookie that works for both dogs and chickens. Dogs and Chickens both love peanut butter and pumpkin which made the base of my cookie along with oats. My chickens go nuts for oats. As I was thinking about this recipe, I was inspired by the Rah-Rah Raisins which are so good! But remember, no raisins for our canine friends. I decided the string the cookies up because honestly my chickens have gotten a bit bored over the winter. They've spent many a day in their coop looking out at the drenching rain and clucking in misery. 

These cookies not only provided some great nutrition for my birds (and would do the same for my pretend dog) but also gave them a bit of excitement. And when you have the brain the size of a pebble, cookies on some kitchen twine can be the highlight of your day. 

The Girl Scout Dog Cookie Contest spotlights the work of the Seattle Humane Society which is a charity supported by many Girl Scouts on a personal level. Sadly pets can not consume Girl Scout Cookies but who says they need to be left out of the fun? Many local Girl Scouts use their cookie money to donate to Seattle Humane, and share their time and resources to help give pets a chance to find forever homes and to provide their owners with the best support possible. Girls get to decide where to use the money they earn by selling cookies. Seattle Humane is an important recipient of that generosity. Now get out there and bake for your furry (and clucky) friends! 

Peanut Butter & Pumpkin Cookies for Chickens and Dogs



by Rebecca Mongrain

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes




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Ingredients (50 cookies)

3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 Tablespoons peanut butter
1 cup pureed pumpkin
3 eggs
1 Tablespoon molasses
3 teaspoons honey




Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk whole wheat pastry flour, rolled oats and dried basil together in a large mixing bowl.

Mix the peanut butter, pureed pumpkin, eggs, molasses and honey together in a small bowl.

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.

Roll out dough on a floured surface to 1/2" thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes.

Place on a cookie sheet with a silipat mat and bake for 30 minutes.

Cool completely.

If serving to chickens, string on some kitchen twine and hang in their coop.

For dogs, store extra treats in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.


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Girl Scout Cookie Millionaire's Shortbread

It's Girl Scout Cookie Contest season and once again I collaborated with my Best Dessert baking friend for ideas.  I messaged her in January and said it's that time again and told her which cookies I wanted to use and what some of my ideas were. She was brief and wrote back to say, I see Millionaire's Shortbread in your future with a link to the BBC Food site. I checked out her idea and immediately wanted to start baking even though it was 10 p.m. I had ideas churning in my head and knew exactly how I would make Girl Scout Cookie Millionaire's Shortbread. 

One ingredient that stumped me for awhile was Golden Syrup. It's this delightful and simple British syrup that is used in so many of their baking recipes. The US does not have a good equivalent and I really didn't want to sub it out when it is such a great ingredient. I found Todd's Kitchen's YouTub channel where he describes how to make Golden Syrup and decided to make my own. He claims that it is simple to make and he is right. You do need to watch the syrup when it gets to the boiling point or else your smoke alarm will go off and you'll wake up your husband. Oops! At least the kids found the smoke alarm to be hilarious. My husband, not so much. 

This year the Girl Scouts are hosting TWO contests and because I am a joiner, I'm doing both. Today's entry is all about the Girl Scout Cookies but I'm also super excited about the Dog cookie contest which I will post about later this week. But for today, let's get down to business on this Girl Scout Cookie Millionaire's Shortbread. 

I started by using the food processor to crush a box of do-si-dos cookies and then pressed them into a square baking pan lined with parchment paper. I baked the first layer for about 15 minutes while making the caramel layer. This is where I used the Golden Syrup. After baking and cooling the crushed cookie layer, I spread the caramel on top and let that cool. Next I melted some roughly chopped tagalongs into dark and milk chocolate and spread that on top of the caramel before placing the whole pan in the fridge to cool. This is serious sweet flavor and so good. My kids were clamoring for seconds and thirds but I had to put a stop to that potential sugar high. They already have enough energy. 

Looking to score your own Girl Scout Cookies? You can find the Girl Scout Cookie Locator here.

Girl Scout Cookie Millionaire's Shortbread

by Rebecca Mongrain

Cook Time: 30 minutes




6077309



Ingredients (18 squares)

For the cookie layer

1 box do-si-dos cookies, crushed in the food processor

For the topping

5oz butter
1 can condensed milk
3½oz golden syrup
12oz mixture of dark and milk chocolate, chopped into small pieces
8 tagalongs cookies, roughly chopped




Instructions

Preheat the oven to 300F.

Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper

Crush the do-si-dos in a food processor until they resemble fine breadcrumbs.

Press the cookie crumbs into the baking pan, evenly.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until light golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Make the caramel topping next.

Place the butter, condensed milk and golden syrup in a saucepan. Stir occasionally until the butter is melted.

Bring the mixture to a boil by increasing the temperature, stirring frequently. The caramel will thicken and turn golden. Set aside to slightly cool before spreading over the cooled shortbread. Allow the two layers to cool completely.

Using a double boiler, melt the chocolate and crushed cookies. Once melted, pour over the caramel and place inside the fridge to cool completely.

Cut into squares to enjoy.


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Halloween Rice Krispy Bark

We have a love for Rice Krispy treats around here. They are quick and simple to make. You can dress them up or keep them simple. We love them! I thought it would be fun to make a Halloween version and so I did. It was such a tasty experiment, I decided that I had to share them. I think they'd make a delightful addition to any Halloween celebration.

Halloween Rice Krispy Bark



by Rebecca Mongrain

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes




6075529



Ingredients (Makes 24 Treats)

3 tablespoons butter
4 cups Miniature Marshmallows
6 cups Kellogg's® Rice Krispies® cereal
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package White Chocolate Baking Chips, 11 oz
1 package Milk Chocolate Baking Chips, 11 oz
Pretzel Sticks, Broken In Half
Mini Oreo's, Chopped
Brach's Autumn Mix - Candy Corn, Candy Pumpkins, etc.
Optional: Misc Ingredients such as Mini Marshmallows, M & M's, Colored Sprinkles, Nuts




Instructions

In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add miniature marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Add in the vanilla extract. Remove from heat.

Add Rice Krispies cereal cereal. Stir until well coated.

Press evening into a greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan and allow to cool.

While the rice krispy treats are cooling, make the Halloween Bark.

Melt the white chocolate and milk chocolate chips separately over a double boiler. Stir until smooth and then pour over the rice krispy treats. I poured the white chocolate in first and then placed big spoonfuls of the milk chocolate over the white chocolate before dragging a knife through the chocolate to swirl it.

Sprinkle on pretzels, mini oreos, halloween candy, etc. Lightly press the ingredients with your fingertips to make sure they're all on.

Place the pan in the fridge and allow it to set completely. Cut the pan into bars and enjoy!



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Pumpkin Coconut Flour Muffins

It's totally not the season for Pumpkin Muffins but sometimes I start craving a good Pumpkin Muffin. What happened was one of Molly's little friends asked his Mom for a pumpkin muffin and that is when my craving started. I had also been presented a challenge to make something using coconut flour.  Coconut Flour is a great wheat flour alternative with the added bonus of being gluten free and high in fiber and protein. I wasn't ready to bake pumpkin muffins completely gluten free but I was interested to see how substituting some of the all-purpose flour for coconut four would taste. 

Verdict! DELICIOUS! The kids and I both loved the bit of extra texture that was added to the muffins. All of the muffins were gone in such a short time that I quickly made another batch and those also disappeared quickly. 

Want to learn more about baking with Coconut Flour? Click here!

Pumpkin Coconut Flour Muffins



by Rebecca Mongrain

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes




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Ingredients (16 muffins)

3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup coconut cream
3 large eggs
1 cup brown sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1 cup chocolate chips




Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease muffin tin.

In a medium bowl, sift flours, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and baking soda together.

In a separate bowl, mix oil, pumpkin puree, sour cream, coconut cream, eggs, and 1 cup brown sugar together.

Add chocolate chips and dry ingredients to mixture. Mix until moistened.

Spoon batter into muffin tins and sprinkle with brown sugar.

Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool in pan.


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Final Day to Vote!

Today is the last day you can get your vote in for my Girl Scout Samoas No-Churn Ice Cream recipe! This means today is the last day I'll be harassing you to vote for me. I'm one of five finalists in the Western Washington Girl Scout Cookie Contest! I'd love it if you voted for me - HERE.

Pancake (Shrove) Tuesday!

Today is Shrove Tuesday, the day before the Lenten season begins. In England, they feast on pancakes on Pancake Tuesday, a tradition I much enjoy. In honor of Pancake Tuesday, the girls and I devoured pancakes this morning. I thought I'd share my favorite pancake recipe with blueberry compote. 

I can't wait for blueberry picking season to come around again this year. I'm hoping Maggie will be up for visiting the blueberry picking farm with Molly & I. Until then, our leftover frozen blueberries are keeping summer alive at our breakfast table. 

Happy Shrove Tuesday! 

Favorite Pancakes



by Rebecca Mongrain

Prep Time: 8 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes




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Ingredients (Nine 4-inch pancakes)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
3 Tablespoons butter, melted




Instructions

1. In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

2. In another small bowl, mix together sour cream and whole milk.

3. Using an electric mixer and a large blow, beat eggs at high speed until light and fluffy.

4. Slowly add in flour mixture and sour cream mixture, alternatively to the eggs. Slowly blend in the melted butter once everything else is combined.

5. Using a hot griddle, add a 1/4 cup of pancake batter and cook until bubbles form on the surface. Flip and cook for approximately 2 1/2 minutes until nicely browned. Serve with blueberry compote, butter and maple syrup.


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The Blueberry Compote Recipe can be found on my Recipe page. (PS Photographing blueberry compote is hard!) 

Christmas Traditions - Christmas Sugar Cookies

As a child, my Mom made these delicious and buttery sugar cookies every year at Christmas. She'd take out her red Christmas book and flip through the pages to this one recipe. She'd use her hands to mix the dough and when I was old enough, recruited me to mix the dough with my hands. I'd feel the texture between my little fingers and smell the sugar, that is how I identified Christmas.

I loved her Christmas book. The dust cover is long gone and the spine reads, Take Joy! I used to sit and stare at the illustrations in the book. I dreamed of doing all the Christmas things that they were doing. This book is long out of print but remains a favorite in my heart. This year I liberated the book from her bookshelf so I could make sugar cookies with my girls.

I gathered all the ingredients and laid them out so Molly could easily combine them. The great thing about about this recipe is that you literally dump all the ingredients in a bowl and start mixing them with your hands. I thought I was smarter than the recipe and tried using my KitchenAid Stand Mixer to mix the dough. That was a mistake! My poor mixer could not handle it and I ended up finishing the job by hand mixing the dough.

I'm pretty sure the girls and I are going to adopt the tradition of making Christmas Sugar Cookies. As they grow, they too can have the dreaded task of mixing the dough by hand which I hope they eventually learn to love and eventually pass onto their little ones.  

Christmas Sugar Cookies
by Rebecca Mongrain


Cook Time: 10-12 minutes




6068453



Ingredients (5 dozen cookies)

1 pound unsalted butter
2 whole eggs
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 3 Tablespoons milk
Nutmeg for dusting cookies




Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix with hands until smooth. The great thing about this dough is that you can mix, mix, mix without repercussions.

3. Form into a ball, dust with flour and chill throughly. Break into smaller pieces and roll as thin as possible. Dust with granulated sugar and nutmeg. Using cookie cutters or round glasses, cut into shapes.

4. Bake until the top of the cookies are light brown on top, about 10-12 minutes. Place on cookie racks to cool.


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Oatmeal Granola Cookies

Molly has been resisting naps lately which means our afternoons can feel long. Earlier this week, I decided we needed a diversion from our no-nap afternoon and since Molly loves baking, I thought it would be fun to make cookies with her.

Oatmeal cookies are a favorite around here because we like to pretend that they have some nutritional value. I also had some granola leftover from my granola-fest in May that needed to be used up before it went bad. I decided to mix in the granola along with some dried fruit to my favorite oatmeal cookie recipe. The end result was delicious! My recipe tester couldn't keep her hands off them. 

Oatmeal Granola Cookies



by Rebecca Mongrain

Cook Time: 10 minutes




6061147



Ingredients (makes 2 dozen)

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup granola
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup dried fruit




Instructions


1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. Cream the butter, oil and sugar together until fluffy and smooth. Slowly add in milk and vanilla extract and mix together.

3. Sift together whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add the rolled oats and granola to the dry mixture.

4. Add the dry mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined.

5. Stir in the peanut butter chips, chocolate chips and dried fruit.

6. Place the dough by the tablespoon on a greased baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

7. Cool for 5 minutes before enjoying.


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Cookie Butter Cocoa Crispy Rice Treats

My sweet tooth has been raging out of control lately. I'd like to blame it on my 5 month vacation from sweets during Maggie's pregnancy but let's be honest, my sweet tooth has always been a bit of a rager. 

I went on a Pinterest bender while feeding Maggie earlier this week which led me to a fierce craving for Rice Krispy treats with a twist. When I spotted Cookie Butter & Cocoa spread at Trader Joe's, I had this treat lurking at the forefront of my mind. I grabbed a jar and headed home to create a sugary, crunchy treat. 

I served these at my PEPS Happy Hour last night and my friends raved about them. They also asked how I had time to make these treats with a toddler and a newborn. Well let me tell you, you can totally whip these up in less than 15 minutes and it's a great cookie to make with your toddler. Mine especially loved stirring the melted butter and marshmallows. 

Cookie Butter Cocoa Crispy Rice Treats



by Rebecca Mongrain

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes




6060841



Ingredients (Yield: One 9X13-inch Pan)

3/4 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups miniature marshmallows
7 cups crispy rice cereal
1 jar Speculoos Cookie & Cocoa Swirl




Instructions

Grease two 9x13-inch pans.

In a large saucepan, melt butter and marshmallows over low heat. Stir occasionally.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla

In a large bowl, add melted marshmallow mixture to cereal and stir. Make sure the cereal is coated evenly and throughly.

Spread 2/3 of the cereal into one of the greased 9x13-inch pans. Press the remaining into the other pan. It will not fully cover the pan but this is ok as you want holes.

Spread the Speculoos Cookie & Cocoa Swirl over the fuller pan before placing the other pan of cereal on top of the spread. Press down so some of the swirl oozes out. Let sit until completely firm.


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Trefoils Salted Caramel Meringue Tart

Last year, I participated in the Girl Scouts of Western Washington Cooking Contest and had so much fun creating Thin Mint Grasshopper Cheesecake in a Jar. Scott enjoyed being my taste tester and Molly had her first taste of Thin Mint cookies. This year though when they contacted me to participate again, I hesitated. I have a newborn and a toddler and very little time to cook BUT I have the desire to bake everything! After thinking it over, I decided I needed the challenge. I put in my request for cookies and started thinking and plotting. 

Scott loves, loves, loves Salted Caramel so I decided it would be fun to create a dessert around that flavor. I love making tarts so I decided to combine the two ideas. While perusing my cookbooks for inspiration, I found a recipe in Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours for Lemon Meringue Tarts. I thought it would be tasty to combine the meringue idea with the salted caramel idea. 

In the end, I came up with this delicious dessert which is not really a tart but is a tart, piled high with meringue layered over a sweet, yet salty caramel. 

Trefoils Salted Caramel Meringue Tart

Trefoils Cookie Crust Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup finely ground Trefoils (about 1 1/2 sleeves)
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 3 Tablespoons melted butter

Caramel Ingredients

• Scant 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• Pinch of Fleur del Sel 

Meringue Ingredients

• 5 egg whites
• 1/4 cup superfine sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. 
2. Make Crust: Mix the Trefoils cookie crust ingredients together and press into the bottom of a 6-inch springform pan. Bake for 15-18 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Cool to room temperature and set aside. Raise the oven temp to 350F. 
3. Make Caramel: Bring heavy cream to a boil, set aside and keep warm. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add 3 Tablespoons of sugar and stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar melts. Add 3 more Tablespoons of sugar and stir until melted. Add remaining sugar and continue stirring until melted. Add corn syrup and bring to a boil while stirring. Add butter and salt while stirring. Place caramel sauce in a heat proof bowl and place aside. 
4. Make Meringue: Whisk the egg whites and sugar together until the sugar dissolves in a mixing bowl. Using a double-boiler, stirring constantly, stir the egg whites and sugar until the mixture is hot and opaque for about 5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the egg mixture. Place the mixing bowl on your stand mixer, add the vanilla and whip the whites with the whisk attachment until the whites form stiff shiny peaks. 
5. Assemble the Tart: Pour the caramel into the Trefoils cookie crust. Pipe the meringue into the tart using a 3/8-inch-diameter open-star tip. Bake at 350F until the meringue is tinged golden brown, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely before serving. 

Oatmeal Muffins

During the lactation period, I start thinking a lot about oatmeal while trying to cram it into almost all of my meals. I make lots of lactation cookies, I eat oatmeal for breakfast, I consider ways to add oatmeal to almost every dish. I, sometimes, ok often get tired of oatmeal even though I really enjoy oatmeal.

Orangette recently shared her recipe for Leftover Oatmeal Muffins and I got excited to try them out. I decided to add some brewer's yeast and ground flaxseed as both ingredients are good for lactation. 

These muffins came out smelling delicious and we gobbled up half of them before they had even cooled. I saved the rest for breakfast the next day and they were just as delicious. I've made two more batches of these muffins since I made the initial batch. 

Leftover Oatmeal Muffins
Adapted from Orangette


Ingredients

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter chips
1/4 cup brewer's yeast
2 Tablespoon ground flaxseed
1 large egg
1 cup cooked steel-cut oatmeal
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F and grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
2. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, walnuts, chocolate and peanut butter chips, brewer's yeast and ground flaxseed. 
3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg before adding oatmeal. Mash together and slowly add in the milk and butter. Stir to combine. 
4. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir to combine. 
5. Divide the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin. Sprinkle the muffins with a light dusting of sugar. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve warm.