Chocolate Mint Crinkle Cookies

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Crinkle-Cookies4Okay, so I very much realize that it is halfway through January and many of you may be trying to eat healthy or exercise or do something good for yourself as a New Year’s resolution. Way to go! I’d like to think that these chocolate mint crinkle cookies fall into that “do something good for yourself” category. If you’re not with me on that one, maybe stop reading here because I certainly don’t want to be to blame for a failed diet attempt. I am declaring no responsibility. 

Crinkle-Cookies1/Whew/ With that off my conscience I can start to talk about why I believe this is doing something good for yourself. Ummm…chocolate. Cookie. Mint. Covered in powdered sugar. Chocolate chips. Baked to chewy perfection. 

Seriously, is this even a question why these are good for you? I’m not talking about the nutrition facts here. If that’s the case, no. No, these are probably not good for you one bit. I’m talking about the fact that maybe a little powdered sugar-covered, chocolate chip filled, chewy, minty, chocolate cookie could make your day 1006% better. Even if you’re day is already spot on. 

Crinkle-Cookies2These cookies are almost like little brownies. Like think of that section of the brownie that’s between the edge and the middle. Not too soft, not too chewy. Just perfect. Yes, that’s a good word for this cookie. Perfect. That’s not even taking into account the fact that they are beautiful! You can totally impress whoever you want with these things. 

Crinkle-Cookies3Crinkle cookies are definitely are not hard to make but make sure to leave yourself a good amount of time because they are refrigerated before you bake them! I actually made the dough the night before I baked them, but you really only need a couple of hours to refrigerate. When I made them ahead though it was a breeze to roll, coat in powdered sugar, and bake. Give it a try!

Chocolate Mint Crinkle Cookies
Yields 42
Delicious, chewy chocolate mint crinkle cookies.
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Prep Time
20 min
Total Time
3 hr
Prep Time
20 min
Total Time
3 hr
Ingredients
  1. 2 cups flour
  2. 1 cup cocoa powder
  3. 2 teaspoons baking powder
  4. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  5. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  6. 1 cup sugar
  7. 1 cup brown sugar
  8. 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  9. 4 eggs
  10. 2 teaspoons peppermint extract
  11. 1 bag of dark chocolate chips (10-ounce bag)
  12. 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
  1. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
  2. In a separate bowl, beat sugar, brown sugar, oil, and eggs until combined. Beat in mint extract.
  3. Stir dry ingredients and chocolate chips into wet ingredients using a spatula or spoon until just combined.
  4. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
  5. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cover baking sheets with parchment paper.
  6. Pour powdered sugar into a small bowl. Roll cookie dough into 1-inch balls and roll in powdered sugar before placing on baking sheet, 1 1/2 inches apart.
  7. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until the edges begin to set. Let rest on cookie sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Notes
  1. You can make the cookie dough a day before baking. I did this and the cookies turned out great!
  2. If the dough is too soft while working with it, return it to the refrigerator and let set until it is easier to work with.
Adapted from Betty Crocker
Adapted from Betty Crocker
Flavor From Scratch https://www.flavorfromscratch.com/

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese

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butternut squash mac & cheeseI’M BACK! *Finally*, after lots of holiday traveling (and fun!), website rearrangement/launching, and the craziness of going back to work after a couple weeks off, I am back and ready to keep on cooking and sharing more delicious recipes! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. We certainly did here!

Back to the serious business at hand…cooking! I made this butternut squash mac & cheese with a little caution. Yes, I was confident that I could make something edible, but I wasn’t looking for edible. I was looking for DELICIOUS! Luckily, with a little finagling this dish DID turn out delicious!

butternut squash mac & cheese
If you’ve ever worked with butternut squash, you know that it’s not necessarily scary or even hard to work with but that it takes a little bit of effort to peel and cut into pieces. You can always use pre-cut cubes that are often sold in the store, but where’s the fun in that?? Plus, you pay way more for the pre-cut stuff so I tend to take on the challenge of an extra few steps instead of forking out the money. Take a look at the notes in the recipe to learn how to cube a squash!

butternut squash mac & cheese
This mac and cheese ends up ooey and gooey just like any mac and cheese. The butternut squash just adds a fresh and unique flavor to an ordinary dish. Plus, for those of you with kids, the butternut squash is basically the same color as typical mac and cheese so it’s easy to slip it in there for some extra nutrition without anyone noticing. I wouldn’t call that sneaky, just…creative. Yeah, we’ll go with creative.

butternut squash mac & cheese
So if you’re ready for a different take on mac and cheese that will make you feel not-as-guilty about that New Year’s resolution that has been broken way too many times for the 2nd week of the year, this is the dish for you! I’m not saying that this dish is the most figure friendly dish out there, but it sure beats some other mac and cheese dishes!

Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese
Serves 6
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Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
50 min
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
50 min
Ingredients for the pasta
  1. 5 cups cubed butternut squash (about 1 squash)
  2. 1 1/4 cups chicken stock
  3. 1 1/2 cups milk
  4. 2 cloves garlic
  5. 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  6. 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (about 1, 5.3 oz containter)
  7. 2.5 cups shredded Gouda
  8. 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  9. 1 pound rotini, cooked
  10. salt & pepper, to taste
Ingredients for the topping
  1. 1 tablespoon butter
  2. 1 cup breadcrumbs
  3. salt & pepper, to taste
  4. 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, to garnish
Directions for the pasta
  1. In a medium to large sauce pan, add cubed squash, chicken stock, milk, garlic and nutmeg. Heat over medium-high heat until it begins to simmer. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes, or until the squash is fork tender.
  2. Add Greek yogurt, salt and pepper to pan. Use immersion (hand) blender to bend until smooth. Alternatively, you can transfer the squash mixture to a blender, add the Greek yogurt, salt, and pepper and blend until smooth.
  3. Fold in Gouda cheese and Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
  4. Pour squash and cheese mixture into a large bowl or pot with the cooked pasta. Stir to blend.
Directions for the breadcrumb topping
  1. Melt butter in a small sauté pan.
  2. Add breadcrumbs and stir until breadcrumbs are crispy.
  3. Sprinkle breadcrumbs and parsley over mac and cheese to garnish.
Notes
  1. To cut the butternut squash into cubes, use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin. Cut a small piece off the side to help stabilize the squash when turned on its side. Place the squash on the flat surface you just cut and cut the squash in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the stringy flesh and seeds. Finally, cut into strips then cubes.
  2. You can make the sauce beforehand then heat it up when you are ready to serve!
  3. You can use any kind of melting cheese in place of the Gouda. Simple cheddar would be delicious as well!
Adapted from The Chew
Adapted from The Chew
Flavor From Scratch https://www.flavorfromscratch.com/

Asian Marinated Salmon

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Asian SalmonI’ve been on an Asian and Mexican food kick lately and this salmon recipe certainly does the trick. The strong flavors of the marinade help to make the salmon taste less salmon-y. Since I’m not a huge fan of fish just yet I love the fact that the flavors all blend to make something delicious! And yes, salmon-y is now a word if you were still stuck on that.

Asian SalmonMy sister, Liz, originally made this for my family awhile back when I was even less of a fish fan. I’ve been meaning to make it ever since (which has been a LONG time) because it was *delicious* the first time. Way to go, sister, for making me like things I didn’t think I liked!

Asian SalmonI served mine up with some rice and vegetables. YUM! There are certainly other ways to serve it up as well but the rice is nice because it soaks up all the marinade. Then you have delicious fish on top of delicious rice. That’s pretty awesome, right? The answer to my rhetorical question is YES! It it is very awesome.

Asian Salmon

Asian Marinated Salmon
Serves 6
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Prep Time
1 hr 10 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
1 hr 30 min
Prep Time
1 hr 10 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
1 hr 30 min
Ingredients
  1. 2.5 to 3 pounds fresh salmon fillets, cleaned
  2. 1/2 cup soy sauce
  3. 2 tablespoons Sriracha (chili sauce)
  4. 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
  5. 4 cloves garlic, minced
  6. 1/2 lime, zested and juiced
  7. 2 tablespoons honey
  8. 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  9. 3 green onions, finely chopped
  10. sesame seeds and chopped green onions to garnish, optional
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, Sriracha, ginger, garlic, lime zest and juice, honey, red pepper flakes, and 3 green onions.
  2. Cover bottom of glass baking pan with parchment paper and place the salmon fillets in the pan, skin side down. Pour the marinade on top of fillets and lift the salmon slightly to make sure the marinade reaches all sides of the salmon. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate about 1 hour to marinade.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the plastic wrap from the salmon and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the fish turns opaque and flaky.
  4. Serve with sesame seeds and green onions to garnish, optional.
Adapted from A Chookie Chookie
Adapted from A Chookie Chookie
Flavor From Scratch https://www.flavorfromscratch.com/

Creamy Chocolate Pudding

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Chocolate PuddingI hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with joy and happiness. And turkey. And mashed potatoes. And pie…certainly can’t forget the pie! Since we’re already on the topic of dessert, let’s talk pudding.

Boxed pudding is one of those mysterious things in life. Just about everyone who has made pudding in the past 50 years or so is bound to have made the stuff. It’s ridiculously simple to make…add some milk, mix, and refrigerate. Voilà! It’s done and ready to eat. Way too simple to even *think* about making your own. That’s where you’re wrong! I thought the same thing! It’s definitely not hard from what I have experienced.

Chocolate PuddingWhile my husband and I were devouring this pudding, he asked why we never made pudding from scratch before because it was so simple. Seriously…why hadn’t we? Besides just defaulting to the boxed stuff, probably because I had been brainwashed into thinking it would be the hardest thing in the world to make…that’s why. So stop being brainwashed by horror stories of homemade pudding gone wrong and give it a try.

Chocolate PuddingYou’re not convinced yet, are you? Well take a look at the ingredients. Nothing in there is the slightest bit scary. Sugar. Cocoa powder. Milk. Eggs. Butter. Need I continue?? I even had most everything in my pantry or refrigerator already! WIN!

For those of you that are on board with me, great. For those of you that are STILL not convinced, let me tell you how rich and creamy and smooth this pudding is. Not only that, but it has so much depth of flavor that the boxed stuff covers up with who knows what. You will be shocked and amazed at the deep chocolate flavor. Shocked and amazed. Doesn’t that sound awesome?

Chocolate PuddingThat’s all I have, folks. If you aren’t convinced, I am sorry for your loss of delicious pudding in your life. At least I can say I tried.

Creamy Chocolate Pudding
Serves 4
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Prep Time
20 min
Total Time
3 hr 30 min
Prep Time
20 min
Total Time
3 hr 30 min
Ingredients
  1. 2/3 cup sugar
  2. 1/4 cup cornstarch
  3. 1/4 teaspoon salt
  4. 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  5. 2 1/2 cups whole milk
  6. 3 large egg yolks
  7. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  8. 1 teaspoon vanilla
  9. whipped cream, optional
Instructions
  1. Whisk sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cocoa in a saucepan, off heat. Very gradually add the milk, whisking continuously, until the dry mixture is completely incorporated. Whisk in the egg yolks.
  2. Heat over medium heat, whisking continuously, until the first large bubble forms and pops. Reduce the heat to low and whisk for 1 more minute.
  3. Remove from heat and immediately pour through sieve into medium sized bowl. Stir in butter and vanilla until incorporated.
  4. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface (to prevent a skin from forming) and chill for 3 hours to 3 days.
  5. Whisk before serving. Serve with whipped cream.
Notes
  1. I topped my pudding with whipped cream. Pretty much a must. I also shaved a little bit of chocolate on top then chopped up some leftover mint chocolate patty Halloween candy to garnish. YUM!
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Flavor From Scratch https://www.flavorfromscratch.com/

Sour Cream Banana Bread

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Banana BreadIt’s not Christmas yet. In fact, it’s not even Thanksgiving. However, it snowed so much yesterday in Michigan that it sure feels more like Christmas than Thanksgiving. I’m talking multiple inches of snow, not just a dusting. Yes, I’m from the Midwest and am used to snow. No, we don’t usually get that much here this early.

Since it feels and looks like Christmas, I think it’s okay for me to talk about Christmas. **But for the record, I’m not a fan of the whole Christmas decoration thing immediately after Halloween**. Too soon. Too soon.

Banana BreadEvery Christmas Eve my extended family usually gathers together for dinner and fun. We tend to make and bring WAY too many cookies as a group to this celebration. We always end up with WAY too many leftover cookies that most of us cannot eat. However, I’m pretty sure my husband is a cookie eating machine at Christmas time so he helps the situation slightly.

Anyways, to help with the cookie overload, a few years back my mom started making mini loaves of bread for everyone to take home instead of sending them home with extra cookies. Not only delicious, but they are also perfect for a Christmas morning breakfast or brunch! When I asked my mom for the banana bread recipe she uses, she couldn’t find it!! Panic!! It’s possible she is hiding her recipe so she’s the only one that can make it but I’m pretty sure she probably just left the recipe with her mini loaf pans somewhere in the Christmas boxes. She’ll probably call me in a week with her recipe.

Banana BreadRegardless of whether this is THE banana bread recipe or not, this is sure to make your stomach happy. The cinnamon sugar coating on the pan is GENIUS! So much better than a flour coating. I made mine as full loaf pans but you can also reduce the cooking time to make smaller pans! Wrap them up and hand them out at Christmas. Everyone will love it!

Banana Bread

Sour Cream Banana Bread
Yields 2
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
1 hr 30 min
Total Time
1 hr 40 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
1 hr 30 min
Total Time
1 hr 40 min
To coat the pans
  1. 1/4 cup sugar
  2. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  3. cooking spray
For the banana bread
  1. 3/4 cup butter
  2. 2 cups white sugar
  3. 1 cup brown sugar
  4. 3 eggs
  5. 6 ripe bananas, mashed
  6. 1 container sour cream (16 ounces)
  7. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  8. 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  9. 4 1/2 cups flour
  10. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  11. 3 teaspoons baking soda
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Spray 2 loaf pans (mine were 9" x 5") with cooking spray. Mix together 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl. Dust the loaf pans with the cinnamon and sugar mixture, making sure to cover the bottom and sides.
  3. Cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the eggs, bananas, sour cream, vanilla, and cinnamon.
  4. Stir in the flour, salt, and baking soda until just incorporated.
  5. Divide batter into the 2 loaf pans. *Optional: sprinkle a little white sugar on top to give a slight crunch to the top.
  6. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of the loaf.
  7. Remove bread from loaf pans and let cool on wire rack. To store, wrap in aluminum foil.
Notes
  1. I froze one of my loafs because they are so large. They freeze and thaw very well! You can also make this recipe with 4 smaller loaf pans (7" x 3"). If you use smaller pans, adjust the baking time to about an hour, then check with a toothpick to see if they are done.
Adapted from All Recipes | Banana Sour Cream Bread
Adapted from All Recipes | Banana Sour Cream Bread
Flavor From Scratch https://www.flavorfromscratch.com/
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