Monster Cookies

My girls were in the mood for homemade cookies today. I took a quick inventory of what we had on hand and went to my cookbook pile to find something new to try. I had seen recipes for "Monster Cookies" for a long time, but whenever I wanted to make them we seemed to be missing one ingredient or another. Today was finally our day to try them. I'll be honest, I still prefer plain old oatmeal raisin cookies, but all in all these were very good and not nearly as rich as you'd think by the ingredient list. I got this recipe from Penzeys "ONE" Magazine. The original recipe makes 4 times as many cookies but we had to cut in fourths to make a manageable sized recipe. If you like M & M's this is a must try recipe!

Monster Cookies
(adapted from Penzeys "ONE" Magazine)

3 eggs
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 1/8 c. peanut butter
2 tsp. baking soda
4 1/2 c. quick oats
1/2 c. chocolate chips
1/2 c. M&M's

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream together eggs, butter, sugars and vanilla extract. Mix in the other ingredients by hand to form a stiff dough. Make sure the oats are the quick cooking variety, as they make the cookies fluffier than regular oats. Bake tablespoons full of dough on a greased cookie sheet for about 10 - 12 minutes.

Skillet Bread

With our new baby due so soon I have been really tired and my back has been aching so I haven't felt much like cooking. This morning was no exception. Then I remembered a quick recipe I knew my girls would enjoy. My grandmother used to make this bread for me when I was growing up. These are kind of like fried biscuits. They are really soft inside and go wonderfully with butter and jam or honey. They were such a hit today and I didn't even get an opportunity to take a picture :0)

Skillet Bread

2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 c. milk
1 c. water

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until well combined. Heat 3 Tbsp. oil or butter in a skillet over medium - medium high heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls into the skillet. As soon as bread begins to set enough that you are able, turn them with a spatula and press down on them to flatten a bit. Lower the heat and cover the skillet and allow them to steam to cook the inside. Keep a close eye on these, the outsides will burn easily!

Pina Colada Bread Pudding

I always save the ends of bread in a freezer bag for bread pudding. The difference this time is that all the bread I have saved lately is from fresh, homemade bread... yum! So in honor of the "special bread ends" I decided to make a special pudding. This recipe is adapted from a few I found on-line. I just tweaked it a bit to fit what I had on hand. It's cooling right now and smells wonderful!



PINA COLADA BREAD PUDDING

12 thick slices day-old bread
1/4 c. softened butter
6 eggs
1 box banana pudding mix
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 (15 oz.) can crushed pineapple in juice
1 c. grated coconut
1 cup coconut milk
2 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. sliced almonds

Spread butter on bread slices. Place in a 9 x 13 in. dish, overlapping slices. Beat eggs with brown sugar in bowl. Add pineapple, coconut, coconut milk and milk. Blend well. Add vanilla extract and pudding mix. Blend well again. Pour over and in between bread slices. Sprinkle with almonds. Allow to soak 15 minutes. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow to cool before serving. This would be wonderful served with whipped cream or ice cream on top!