Monster Cookies

Monster Cookies!!!

These are AMAZING cookies!!! They are sooo good and peanut-buttery and yummy!  They were quick to make and very delicious.  They also smelled really good when we were making them! :)

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 3 cups brown sugar
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon white Karo syrup
• 1 cup (2 sticks) margarine or butter
• 3 cups peanut butter
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla
• 4 teaspoons baking soda
• 9 cups oatmeal
• 1/2 pound bag of M&M's
• 1 bag chocolate chips (2 cups)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine eggs, Karo syrup, margarine, peanut butter and vanilla in a LARGE bowl until well blended.  Stir in sugar, brown sugar and baking soda.  Then stir in the oatmeal until mixed well.  When all that is blended well, stir in the M&M's being careful not to crush them.

Scoop with a cookie scoop and drop onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes: Approximately 7 dozen.

Apple Tart

Apple Tart

This is a heavenly dessert. The granny smith apples make it very tart and DELICIOUS!  It is not overly sweet, and it is very refreshing when served cold.  It is a perfect dessert for fall.

Crust:
(Sweet Short Paste from the "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" cookbook.)

• 1 1/3 cup flour
• 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick chilled butter (8 tablespoons)
• 3 tablespoons chilled vegetable shortening
• 5-6 tablespoons cold water

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients until well blended and until there are no butter chunks left.  On a floured surface, knead the dough into a ball.

Lightly flour top of the dough and rolling pin.  Roll it into a circle 1/8 inch thick and about 3 inches larger than your flan ring.

We trimmed the dough before we put it the pan
 but you could do it either way. :)

Take the bottom of a spring-form pan out.  Set the ring on a baking sheet.  Place the rolled-out dough over the ring and fit.  Trim off excess dough by rolling the pin over the top of the ring.  Push the dough 1/8 inch above the edge of the mold, to make an even, rounded rim of dough all around the inside circumference of the mold.  If you would like, you may press a decorative edge around the rim of the pastry with the dull edge of a knife.  With a fork, poke bottom of pastry at 1/2 inch intervals.

To keep the shell from collapsing and the bottom from puffing up, place foil inside and press in to mold it to the sides and bottom.  Put a handful of dry beans in the bottom to weigh it down.

Bake at the medium level of a 400 degree oven for 8 minutes.  After 8 minutes, take foil with beans out and prick bottom again with the fork.  Bake for 2 more minutes.  Do not remove the ring until the tart is filled and baked again. Set aside.

Apples for the top:

• 41 pound of any baking apple (we used granny smith)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Half, core, and peel the apples.  Cut into 1/8 inch lengthwise slices and toss them into a bowl with the lemon juice and sugar.  Evenly coat the apples in the lemon juice.  This will keep them from browning.  Set aside.

Apple-Sauce Filling:

• 3 pounds apples
• 1/3 cup apricot preserves
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter

Peel and dice apples.  Place in a skillet and cook covered, over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.  Then stir in the rest of the ingredients.  Raise heat and boil, stirring, until apple-sauce is thick enough to hold in a mass in the spoon.

Finishing the Tart:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  And spread the apple-sauce in the partially cooked crust.  Cover with apples in a neat, pretty design.

Bake in upper third of preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until sliced apples have browned lightly and are tender.  Serve warm or cold.

Enjoy! :)

Serves 8.

Oreo Triple Layer Chocolate Pie

Oreo Triple Layer Chocolate Pie

Crust:

The crust in this recipe is a oreo cookie crumb crust.  Instead of buying the oreos for the crust, we decided to just buy the pre-made oreo crust from the grocery store.  Here is the recipe for the crust just in case you would rather make it.

• 24 oreo cookies, divided and finely crushed
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

    1. Mix the cookies with the butter.  Firmly press into the bottom of the and sides of a 9-inch pie plate.

Pudding Layer:

For the pudding layer, we made pudding from scratch.  However, if you don't want to mess around with making it from scratch, you could just use 2 packages (4 serving size boxes) of JELL-O brand chocolate flavored pudding mix combined with 2 cups of milk, and stirred until will blended.

Here is the recipe for the "made from scratch" pudding.

• 3 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

     1. Stir in a saucepan over medium heat until chocolate is melted (The chocolate took FOREVER for it to melt for us!  So you have to be REALLY REALLY patient! :) ).

     2. Add cornstarch to the milk mixture.  Bring to a simmer and stir briskly.  Cook for another minute.

     3. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

     4. Measure 1 1/2 cups of the pudding and pour into the crust.  Spread to the edges of the crust.

     5. Mix the remaining pudding with half of an 8 ounce tub COOL WHIP brand whipped topping (you will use the other half for the third, COOL WHIP layer of your pie).

COOL WHIP Layer:

• 8 oreo cookies, crushed
• 1/2 (8 ounce) tub COOL WHIP

     1. Whip crushed oreos with the other half of the tub of COOL WHIP.

     2. Spread over the pie.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.


     Serves 10 people.