There’s no real recipe here, just a list of the usual ingredients I throw together.  Just use what you have on hand, and mix it to suit your personal tastes!  Like it sweet?  Add more dried fruit.  Like it salty?  Use salted nuts or seeds.  (I typically use unsalted).  Need your chocolate fix?  Add some chocolate chips.  I either use the highest quality chocolate chips I can find or I roughly chop a bar of 85% chocolate.

Trail Mix

Ingredients:

• Almonds
• Macadamia nuts
• Hazelnuts
• Walnuts
• Dried cranberries
• Dried apricots
• Dried cherries
• Sunflower seeds
• Pumpkin seeds
• Coconut flakes (unsweetened, you can toast it or not)
• Chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

Combine in a jar and enjoy!

What are your favorite trail mix ingredients?

As for the Reindeer Bites Cookies…what’s not to love?  These cookies are simple to make, and even though they look rather plain, there are so many wonderful add-ins: the coconut-shredded AND coconut extract, graham cracker crumbs AND pieces, caramel bits and chocolate chunks.  The batter of these cookies reminded me very much of the Samoas/Caramel deLite Girl Scout Cookies.  So yes, I indulged in cookie dough batter.  Again.  And suffered for it.  Again. You would think I would have learned my lesson by now….but I just couldn’t resist this delicious cookie dough!  I’m guessing Santa’s reindeer are going to enjoy these too.

Here’s the recipe, in case you want an extra special treat for the reindeer when they visit your house…

Reindeer Bites Cookies

recipe from Six Sisters Stuff

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. butter flavored shortening (Picky Apple Note: I substituted real butter for this!)
• 1/2 c. butter, softened
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp. coconut extract
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 2 c. flour
• 1 c. graham cracker crumbs
• 1 c. caramel bites
• 1 c. coconut
• 1 c. chocolate chunks
• 1/4 c. graham cracker chunks

Buttermint Drop Cookies

recipe adapted from Your Homebased Mom

Ingredients:

• 1/4 C butter, softened
• 3/4 C sugar
• 3/4 C brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• green food color, liquid or paste
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp peppermint extract (peppermint, not mint)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 C flour
• 8 oz. Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips, divided

Preheat oven to 350 and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In your mixer beat together butter, sugars, and salt.  Add in eggs, food coloring, and extracts.  Add in baking powder and baking soda.  Mix in flour.  Add in 2/3 of baking chips reserving rest for the top.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until dough is chilled but not solid. (Picky Apple Note: I only let my dough chill for about 30 minutes, max, and they still turned out fine.  Just expect your cookies to spread out more if you don’t chill the dough.)

Scoop dough into balls and place on parchment lined cookie sheet.  Press 4-5 baking chips into each cookie .  Bake 9-10 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden.  Let stand for 2 minutes and then move to cooling rack.

I’m sharing this post with The 2nd Annual Cookie Exchange at Tatertots & Jello.

This has become my go-to recipe when I’m craving something baked and apple-y and short on time.  Obviously I didn’t invent Apple Crisp, but this is how I make it.  I usually don’t measure the ingredients.  I just throw it all together.  But this time I measured, just for you.  I make mine in a 16 ounce ramekin, using just one apple.  This could be enough for 2 people to share….if you feel like sharing.  Since The Picky Apple and The Littlest Apple won’t eat Apple Crisp (crazies!), I usually eat half and save the rest for later.  Or eat it all in one sitting.  I’m currently eating for two, right?  Just kidding.  Do yourself a favor and save half for later.  My version is heavy on the topping because that’s how I like it.

Apple Crisp

recipe by me

Ingredients:

• 1 apple, peeled and cut into 1″ chunks (I use whatever kind of apples we have on hand, usually Pink Lady or Sweetango Apples)
• 3 tablespoons cold butter
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons oats
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup pecan pieces
• dash of kosher salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Layer the apple chunks in the bottom of the ramekin or other baking dish.

For topping: Cut the butter into small pieces.  In a small bowl, cut together butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt until mixture is crumbly and well combined.  Stir in oats and pecans.

Pour topping on top of apples, and press down slightly.  Bake at 400 degrees F for approximately 30 minutes.

Quick Energy Snacks

from cooks.com

Ingredients:

• 3-4 graham crackers
• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 1 c. crunchy peanut butter
• 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 c. instant non-fat dry milk  (Picky Apple note: When I don’t have powdered milk on hand, I just leave it out!)
• 3 tbsp. water

Crush crackers in a zip-top bag. Mix remaining ingredients thoroughly in bowl. Shape teaspoonfuls of the mixture into 1 inch balls. Roll the balls in the graham crackers. Arrange the coated balls on ungreased cookie sheet or plate and refrigerate 20 minutes or until firm.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

from recipegirl.com

Brownie Ingredients:

• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups light brown sugar, packed
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

Cookie Dough (Egg Free!) Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 3 Tablespoons milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup semisweet chips + 1 teaspoon shortening for drizzle, optional

Prepare the brownies: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick spray. In a medium glass bowl, melt chocolate in the microwave in short bursts of 30 seconds; stir after each burst and remove from microwave when melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl, mix butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract. Mix in melted chocolate. Blend in flour and mix just until combined (don’t over-mix). Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake 25 to 35 minutes. Watch closely and remove from oven when toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Prepare the cookie dough: In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to combine butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Mix in milk and vanilla. Mix in flour just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spread cookie dough over the cooled brownies. Refrigerate until the dough is quite firm. It’s okay to speed up the process and place it in the freezer too. The firmer the dough, the easier it will be to cut into neat squares. Use a sharp knife to cut the brownies. You may need to wipe the knife off with a paper towel in between cuts since the fudgy brownies and cookie dough will tend to stick to the knife a bit. These brownies are best to serve placed inside cupcake papers and served with a fork.

If you’d like to add chocolate drizzle on top, melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips with 1 teaspoon of shortening in the microwave; stir until smooth. Scoop the melted chocolate into a zip baggie and snip off the corner. Squeeze the bag to drizzle the chocolate on top of each brownie. Sprinkle additional chocolate chips on top, if desired.

And blogging too!

I had a HUGE update post planned (about what we’ve been up to, and what I’ve got planned for fall), but I decided to break it down into several categories over the next few days.

Today we’ll focus on…The Littlest Apple.

The Birthday

He turned FOUR last week!

We had a small family party yesterday.  Pregnancy exhaustion and the record breaking temperatures here made me rethink my original plans to have a big superhero themed bash in the backyard with lots of friends.  I’m so glad we kept it small this year, though I think this is the last year I can get away with a family-only party!

I ordered these great Superhero invitations back when I was still planning a big bash (inspired by this amazing Vintage Pop Superhero Party from AndersRuff).  I LOVE the invitations and will definitely be looking to this amazing crew for future party ideas!

My plans to make The Littlest Apple a Superhero Cake came to a screeching halt when he requested pink cake with pink frosting (aka Strawberry Layer Cake).  After much deliberation, I decided to just go forward with my decorating plans and ignore the pink, knowing it wouldn’t be my best effort.  Thankfully, the pink frosting (homemade, with strawberry preserves) wasn’t as pink as I remembered.  I used some of Wilton’s Sugar Sheets to create a superhero logo for the top of the cake.  I freehanded the design based on the invitation.  Then I used the same sugar sheets with my big star punch for the stars.  Everyone thought the stars and logo were construction paper!  I’m no cake decorator, but this turned out better than I thought it would…

This year, to keep down the number of toys, we asked both sets of grandparents to help us buy a new swingset for our backyard.  This is the one we picked:

It will be delivered sometime this week.  But The Littlest Apple still got quite a few gifts too (mostly of the superhero variety)!

Preschool

The Littlest Apple goes back to preschool on Wednesday.  He’ll go on MWF and stay in the afternoons on Monday and Wednesday for Gardening and Drama electives.  We’re both really looking forward to preschool!  Because his birthday falls on the school cutoff, he’ll be repeating the 3′s class again this year with new teachers (who I already adore!).  I was worried about this at first, but after a playdate with his new classmates, I think he’s going to fit right in.  He’s still one of the smaller kids in the class, and maturity-wise, this is where he needs to be.  He’s actually not even the oldest one in the class!

Medical

4 year old vaccinations are traumatic for everyone involved.  Glad that’s over with.

His 4 year stats: Weight-32 pounds, 6 ounces (19%!).  Height-38 1/4 inches(14%).  Height has tapered off, but weight is still gaining steadily.

Gastroparesis/GI update: The GI doctor was very pleased with our progress when we were there in July (and he’s gained even more weight since then).  We’ve cut back his night feeds (via feeding tube) by 10% in the hopes that his appetite during the day will increase, which it has.  He actually eats something for breakfast on most days now!  I know we still have a long way to go until The Littlest Apple can eat enough orally to maintain his weight without the need for his g-button, but I’m feeling encouraged by his progress.  He’ll be starting an appetite stimulant again too (which we’ve tried once w/o success, but felt like trying again).  Our next appointment isn’t until November.

Next up, a pregnancy update…including the baby’s gender!  (I’m such a tease, ha!)

Have you heard the urban legend about the Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe?  Well, as the story goes, a lady and her daughter enjoyed a chocolate chip cookie at the NM Cafe in Dallas, then asked to buy the recipe since they loved the cookie so much.  Supposedly, the lady bought the recipe for “two fifty” thinking the waitress meant $2.50, but when she received her bill, the charge was for $250.  In her outrage, she shared the story (and recipe) with as many people as possible.

This urban legend is still circulating via email today, and you can read more about it here and here.

To refute this claim, Neiman Marcus published the infamous cookie recipe for free.  It is available online (and also included in their cookbook).  And although the story isn’t actually true (or IS it?), these cookies are truly delicious.

I think the key to their deliciousness is the instant espresso powder.  And before you coffee haters reject this one, you can’t even taste the coffee.  It simply enhances the chocolate flavor.  I promise!  My husband had his doubts too, but he loves these cookies as much as I do.  As with any recipe featuring chocolate, I think it’s super important to use good quality chocolate.  My go to chips are Guittard Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips.  Love them!  You can see them pictured below with my instant espresso powder of choice and my much-loved, well-worn recipe.

Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies

recipe from Neiman Marcus

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.  Cream the butter with the sugars using an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy (approximately 30 seconds).

Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract for another 30 seconds.

In a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture at low speed for about 15 seconds.  Stir in the espresso coffee powder and chocolate chips.

Using a 1 ounce scoop or a 2 tablespoon measure, drop cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart.  Gently press down on the dough with the back of a spoon to spread out into a 2 inch circle.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until nicely browned around the edges.  Bake a little longer for a crispier cookie.

I heard/read somewhere (though I have no idea where) that frozen bananas can make a great substitute for ice cream if you pulse it in a food processor for a minute or two until it is a custard-y texture.  And it absolutely tastes like ice cream, particularly if you love Chunky Monkey Ice Cream.  I like to add chopped pecans, coconut and (sometimes) chocolate chips to mine.  A teaspoon or so of Nutella mixed in the food processor is pretty fantastic too!