Chocolate Hazelnut No-Bake Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup toasted chopped hazelnuts
• 2-1/3 cups quick oatmeal
• 1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1-1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup chocolate hazelnut spread
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

Line baking sheets with waxed or parchment paper. Place the oats and chopped toasted hazelnuts in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

Combine the condensed milk and chocolate chips in a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate hazelnut spread and vanilla, and stir until completely incorporated. Add the oats and chopped hazelnuts to the chocolate mixture and mix until the oats are fully coated with chocolate.

Drop the mixture (2 Tbsp for each cookie) onto the lined baking sheets. Let the cookies set until cooled and hardened.

While these cookies are certainly sweet (travel-friendly) treats, they do offer some nutritional benefits thanks to all those oats and the hazelnuts. Before the kids go off fishing, kayaking, or hiking, have them eat a few cookies. They’ll be happy to! My only word of caution is watch how you pack these. Instead of piling them up in a big container like your average cookie, you’ll need to arrange these cookies in layers. In fact, I never take the cookies off the parchment paper (where you place them to set). I layer the cookies (on the paper) on top of each other, and that prevents them from sticking to one another…which is bound to happen in the summer!

Toffee Chocolate Bars


Ingredients:

Base:

• 3/4 c margarine,softened
• 3/4 c packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 c flour

Topping:

• 10 oz tin sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tbsp margarine
• 1 3/4 cups milk chocolate chips
• 1 1/3 c toffee bits

Instructions:

Base..cream together margarine,brown sugar and flour until well blended and mixture sticks together. Press into 9x13 pan. Bake at 350* for 20-25 min or until light golden. Cool while preparing filling.

filling...Heat sweetened condensed milk and margarine in heavy pan,stirring constantly over med heat for 5-10 min or until thickened. Spread over cooled base. Bake at 350* for 12-15 min or until golden. Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over the top. Bake for 2 min longer or until chocolate is shiny and soft. Remove from oven. Spread chocolate evenly. Sprinkle toffee bits on top,pressing lightly into chocolate. Cool completely and cut into bars.

Easy Garlic Chicken

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• additional herbs and spices, as desired

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F Line a baking dish or cookie sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat with cooking spray or lightly brush with oil.
2. In small sauté pan, sauté garlic with the oil until tender.
3. Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar. Add additional herbs and spices as desired.
4. Place chicken breasts in a prepared baking dish and cover with the garlic and brown sugar mixture.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Bake uncovered for 15-30 minutes, or until juices run clear. Cooking time will depend on the size and thickness of your chicken

Butter Brickle Frozen Delight

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup white sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup quick cooking oats

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup chopped pecans

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 (12 ounce) jar caramel topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, 1/3 cup melted butter and white sugar until well mixed. Press into bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.

Bake 6 minutes, until set. Cool completely.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, 1/2 cup melted butter and pecans until well mixed. Lightly pat onto a baking sheet.

Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until light brown. Crumble while still hot. Cool completely.

In large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in condensed milk until well blended. Fold in whipped topping.

Spread half of the cheese mixture over the crust in the springform pan. Sprinkle half of the oat crumbles over the cheese mixture, and spread half of the caramel sauce over that. Repeat layers. Freeze until firm, remove pan sides and serve cold.

Crème Brulèe Doughnuts

Ingredients:

For the doughnuts:

• 50g caster sugar
• 1 sachet dried active yeast
• ½ tsp salt
• 30ml warm water
• 175ml lukewarm milk
• 1l vegetable oil for frying
• 45g unsalted butter
• 1 egg
• 350g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

For the custard filling:

• 30g caster sugar
• 140ml milk
• 1 egg yolk
• 140ml double cream, whipped
• 10g flour
• 10g cornflour
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

For the topping:

• 250g icing sugar

Directions:

1. For the doughnuts, in a small bowl sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and let stand for five minutes or until foamy.

2. In a large bowl, gently mix the yeast mixture, milk, 50 grams caster sugar, salt, eggs, butter and flour until the ingredients come together. Remove from the bowl and knead the dough for about five minutes, or until smooth and elastic.

3. Place the dough into a greased bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Leave in a warm place for 15 minutes to rise until doubled. Dough is ready if you touch it and an indentation remains.

4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Gently roll out to one centimetre thickness. Cut seven centimetres rounds with a floured cutter and place the doughnuts on a tray to sit out and rise until doubled.

5. Heat oil in a deep fryer or heavy pan, using a kitchen thermometer until the oil reaches a temperature of 175 C/gas mark 3. Carefully slide doughnuts into the oil using a spatula. Fry doughnuts about three minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on a wire rack.

6. To make the filling, pour the milk into a medium saucepan and add the vanilla extract. Bring the milk almost to the boil (so it starts to bubble lightly), take off the heat and allow to infuse for at least half an hour.

7. Beat the egg yolks and sugar until very pale, mix in the flour and cornflour. Stir in the infused milk and pour back in the pan.

8. Bring gently to the boil, stirring continuously and continue cooking until the mixture has thickened and the flour is fully cooked out. Pass through a sieve and leave to cool.

9. Once cooled, beat in the whipped double cream until the custard is smooth.

10. Spoon the filling into a piping bag fitted with a wide nozzle. Use the nozzle to make a hole in the side of each doughnut and pipe a generous amount of filling into the centre.

11. For the topping, place a heaped tablespoon of sugar over the top of each doughnut. Use the blowtorch to gently heat and melt the sugar until caramelized (about three minutes).

Buttermilk Ranch Cheeseball

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 tablespoon sour cream
• 1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix (such as Hidden Valley Ranch ®)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

Directions:

1. Mix the sour cream with ranch dressing mix in a bowl until smoothly combined. Add the cream cheese and Cheddar cheese to the bowl, and mix together with your hands until thoroughly blended. Chill the mixture for 5 minutes, then shape into a ball.
2. Place the pecans into a shallow bowl, and roll all sides of the cheese ball in the pecans to coat. Serve immediately.

Easy Cheesy Breadsticks

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1/2 cup provolone cheese, shredded
• 1 (10 ounce) can prepared pizza crust
• 1 tablespoon dried basil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Unroll pizza dough onto a greased cookie sheet and brush with butter.
3. Sprinkle cheeses and spices evenly over the dough.
4. With a pizza cutter, cut dough lengthwise into 12 long strips. Then cut those in half to make 24 strips.
5. Do not seperate strips.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown.
7. Recut along each strip and remove from cooking sheet.
8. Serve sticks warm with marinara sauce.