Monkey Bread

This morning I made one of the easiest "breads", Monkey Bread! I bought a value pack of Grands buttermilk biscuits from Giant for this recipe and used walnuts in it too. The value pack is four 7.5-ounce cans of biscuits (40 smaller biscuits) that are bundled together rather than two 16.3 cans of biscuits. This pack had the Monkey Bread recipe on the package and the ingredient quantities varied a little from the recipe below. The recipe was 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, 3/4 cup packed brown sugar and 1/2 cup butter and it said to bake it for 40-45 minutes, which would have been way too long. 28 minutes was perfect, so I am glad I looked at both recipes! Using the smaller cans does require more cutting since there are more biscuits so if you are in a hurry I would get the larger cans. I was not so I didn't mind! Other than that the two are pretty much the same. This is a great, simple recipe to make when you want a warm breakfast treat on a cold winter day!

Grands!®  Monkey Bread

½ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cans (16.3 ounces each) Pillsbury® Grands!® Homestyle refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

½ cup chopped walnuts, if desired

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

¾ cup butter or margarine, melted

Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 12-cup fluted tube pan with shortening or cooking spray. In a large storage plastic food bag, mix granulated sugar and cinnamon.

Separate dough into 16 biscuits; cut each into quarters. Shake in bag with sugar and cinnamon to coat. Arrange in pan, adding walnuts among the biscuit pieces.

In small bowl, mix brown sugar and butter; pour over biscuit pieces.

Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn upside down onto serving plate; pull apart to serve. Serve warm.

Makes 12 servings.

Buttermilk biscuits

Cut biscuits into quarters & coat with cinnamon & sugar

Place coated biscuits & walnuts in a greased bundt pan

Pour butter/brown sugar mixture over coated biscuits & chopped walnuts

Bake for 28-30 minutes

Cool in pan for 10 minutes

Turn upside down onto a serving plate & enjoy!

Photos by JoJo

Chewy Double Chocolate Cookies

Tonight I made my last batch of Christmas cookies! I asked my friend Chas a while ago what kind of cookies she liked so I could send her some in Afghanistan, and she said chocolate, so I decided to make some double chocolate chip cookies for her. My grandma makes these every year so I knew the recipe would be good. I only made one recipe, which made plenty of cookies. I used a small cookie scoop to measure the dough. They were very easy to make and tasted delicious.

Update: My cousin Tony makes these and uses baking powder instead of baking soda. He said they were coming out flat otherwise. It's also easy to make half a recipe if you don't need so many.

Chewy Double Chocolate Cookies

1 1/3 cups Crisco

3 cups brown sugar

2 Tablespoons water

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup Hershey’s cocoa

1½ teaspoons baking soda OR 1½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt (optional)

2 cups chocolate chips

 

Beat Crisco, sugar, water and vanilla. Add eggs, beat until well blended. Add flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Add chocolate chips.

 

Drop by teaspoons on baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 7 to 9 minutes. Do not overbake. Remove right after baking. Cool and store in freezer or eat them.

 

Makes about 8 dozen cookies.

 

Note: The original recipe calls for baking soda, but using baking powder instead makes the cookies come out less flat.

Crisco, sugar, water and vanilla

Eggs added

Rest of dry ingredients added

Chocolate chips added

Drop by teaspoons on baking sheet

Bake 7-9 minutes

Photos by JoJo

Andes Crème De Menthe Cookies

My older sister Maria used to make Andes mint cookies for Christmas. I made them for the first time this year. They were pretty easy to make. I have found the Andes Mint baking chips at Target and Walmart. I used a small cookie scoop and overfilled it a little to make all the cookies the same size. These have a strong mint taste from the Andes Mint baking chips, so if you like mint, you will love them!

Andes Crème De Menthe Cookies

½ cup salted butter, softened

¾ cup dark brown sugar

½ cup white granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 package (10-ounce) Andes Baking Chips

2 2/3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

Blend butter, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, and eggs until mixed.  Stir in Andes Baking Chips and then flour.  Chill for approximately 1 hour in refrigerator.  Measure out approximately 1 ounce of dough – form ball and slightly flatten.  Raise oven rack one level above middle and bake on non-stick baking pans.

Bake at 350º for approximately 8-10 minutes.  Cool on pans for 2 minutes before removing.

Makes about 3½ dozen cookies.

Note: If you cannot find Andes Baking Chips, purchase Andes Mints and chop in chopper.

Butter, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, and eggs

Add mint baking chips

Add flour

Roll into balls

Slightly flatten

Right out of the oven

Photos by JoJo