{ Sea Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies }

Bean loves the sweet salty combo of chocolate dipped pretzels, of my sweet and salty cupcakes, but his favorite thing? My sea salted chocolate chip cookies.

When I made them again the other day he said something about them being on my blog. Well, I've not blogged them, until now, quite obviously.

His reaction went like this "YOU HAVEN'T BLOGGED THESE?".

The fact that there are already a kajillion sea salted chocolate chip cookie recipes on the interwebs didn't mean much to him. So, here I sit. Blogging.

He's quite the connoisseur of chocolate chip cookies. These are far and away his favorite. So, here they are.

Sweet, salty, chocolatey. I mean really, what's not to like?

The boy has a point.

Tina



Sea Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
by Tina @ Sugar Bean Bakers

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt (regular table salt)
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips
sea salt for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 325* F

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and put aside

In the bowl of a stand mixer add the melted butter and sugars. Beat together until creamy. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla mix again. Mix in the baking soda and table salt into the flour in a small bowl. Slowly add the flour mix into the dough. Beat until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips.

Scoop out a large cookie scoop, or about 2 tablespoons at a time. (I like to roll my cookie dough between my hands to give it a cleaner appearance when baked. You can skip this step if you like, they still bake up pretty.) Place cookies about 3-4" apart on cookie sheet. Sprinkle with a bit of sea salt. Bake 14-16 minutes.

Allow to cool on sheet for a couple minutes, then move to a wire cooling rack to fully cool.



Adapted from Baking Illustrated 

{Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookies}

Well, the new school year is upon us. I know a lot of people are yet to start, but Bean started his Junior year last week.

And I'm not the least bit excited about it. Not only do I hate going to bed at a 'reasonable hour' and getting up early, I hate that he's so big. Seriously with the time? Where??? I don't even understand.

He used to eat Maple and Brown Sugar Oatmeal every day before school. Every. Day. For years and years. Probably 8 years straight, that's all the boy would eat. Oatmeal, oatmeal, oatmeal. He has, of course, since discovered the joys of Waffle Crisp (which I made into cupcakes here). He still loves the oatmeal, but perhaps not quite as much.

It seemed quite necessary to make it into a cookie though, right? Yes, I thought so.

This is a super simple recipe. It took less than 10 minutes to whip up and 10 minutes to bake. Quick, easy, and a wholesome lunch box snack. You know exactly what are in these puppies.

 It doesn't matter if we love it, or hate it, the fact is, the new school year is upon us. Even if I think it's totally dumb and that time is seriously mean, I just have to deal.

Cookies help.

Tina

Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookies

recipes by Tina @ Sugar Bean Bakers

yield: 12-14 three inch cookies 

or 2 dozen two inch cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened 

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 egg

1 teaspoon maple extract*

1 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

*I like the taste and texture of the maple syrup, but it isn't maple enough for me, so I also add the extract. You can taste after adding the syrup and decide how much, if any, extract you like. 

(I make my cookies rather large, you can make them smaller. If you make them smaller, watch the baking time, start with 8 minutes, but they generally take about the same amount of time as the larger cookies)

Preheat oven to 375.

Cream together the butter & the sugars. Beat in the egg. Add in the syrup & extract (see above). Then add dry ingredients except oats. Mix well. Then add oats. 

Drop onto parchment lined, silpat lined, or greased baking sheets.

Bake for 8-11 mins. Allow to cool 5 mins before moving to cooling racks.

{Back To School Trail Mix}

I just said a dirty word up there. It starts with 'S' and ends in 'chool'.

The Bean is NOT excited that it is starting soon. Soon, as in next week. Next week my baby will begin his Junior year.

That's dumb.

Time is dumb. Mean. Mean time, mean.

When school starts I am always in need of quick lunch and after school snacks. Yes, he's a junior and he still packs his lunch. Our cafeteria? Not great.

Or good.

I recently got my latest shipment of Walkers Shortbread.

In it were packages of mini cookies! I love all things mini. I don't know why, but they just taste better when they are widdo and tiny.

The first thing I thought of, seeing their size, was trail mix. While the cookies are delicious straight out of the bag, this is just something a little different.

You can make this in any size you like, but I made a small batch.

Like any other trail mix, of course, you can add in whatever you like! This is just a good place to start.

In my Walkers shipment, they sent one of their newest products, Mini Crunchy Oatmeal Cookies. Let me just tell you, these are SO delicious. My new favorite Walkers product. Bean loved them too. They were most excellent dipped in tea, or coffee, or alone... YUM.

As always, I love that Walkers products are guaranteed to contain no GMOs, preservatives, hydrogenated fats. Antibiotics and bovine growth hormones are never given to their grass fed cows.

The classic shortbread is made of only FOUR ingredients: Flour, Sugar, Butter, and a pinch of Salt.

Walkers Shortbread products are also 100% vegetarian and certified Kosher OUD.

Walkers has extended an offer to readers of Sugar Bean Bakers. Buy 2, get one free! The promo code for this offer is: SBBSCHOOL. The offer is good today (Aug 5, 2013) through Friday, August 9, 2013.

You should definitely take advantage of this offer. They are such an awesome, wholesome treat for your children's lunchboxes or after school! Or, ya know, for you.

Tina

Back to School Trail Mix

1 Cup Cheerios
3-4 Tablespoons M&Ms Candy
3-4 Tablespoons Raisins
12 Walkers Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

Mix & serve 

As part of the Walkers Blogger Buzz Ambassador program, I was sent this product to review. However, opinions expressed are my own.

{Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats}

Bean will kill me for posting this, but the fact is, school starts here in just over one month.

One month? AREYOUSERIOUS? Yes, and that's just really, really dumb.

Maybe it's the fact that I only have one kid, I'm not sure, but I LOVE summer break. While my child is 16 and headed full steam ahead toward Junior year (talk about dumb! Junior  year? That's not possible!), we still  love hanging out together. In fact, this year we even made a Summer Bucket List.

At the beginning of Summer, I handed him a piece of paper and a pen and told him to write down what he wanted to do this summer. I typed it, printed it, and hung it on the refrigerator. I'm happy to say that the list is about 2/3 completed!

We still have to go on a picnic, have a board game -a-thon, go to the outlet malls, go to Comic Con (not THE Comic Con in San Diego though), finish the River Song episodes (we started), drive with no place to go, have a movie-a-thon, and go to Half Price Books.  Also, the last day of summer thing, obviously. Since Bean was little, on the day before school started, we go out to lunch and to the movies. Sometimes we end up at the cheap theater, sometimes, it's the regular one. We actually watched several movies we expected to not be great and LOVED on these days. Including Ratatouille and How to Train Your Dragon. This year we are hoping to hit up Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters.

Anyway, all too soon we will dragging out that dreaded backpack and heading off to school.

When Bean was young, one of his favorite lunchbox treats were Reese's Krispie Treats. They were pre-packaged treats you bought alongside regular Krispie Treats (but not made my Kellogg's). Then, poof. Gone. I looked everywhere for them over the years before I finally gave up. I even tried to google a photo to post here. I found nada. WHAT IS THIS MAGIC? I know they existed. I ATE THEM, people!! They were real. And delicious. Does anyone else remember these?

They were little rectangles of peanut butter krispie treats with chocolate bottoms.

They aren't hard to make at all, of course, but buying them was so much easier. I enjoy making them now as to not have all the icky additives and preservatives in the boxed treats.

What we are looking at here is your basic Krispie Treat recipe with peanut butter, then cooled, cut, and dipped in chocolate.

Easy.

Also, extremely popular. I made a batch last night for Bean's Pool Party (refer to Summer Bucket List), and there were 3 left, with only 8 kids here.

Super great for lunchboxes. Or Pool Parties. Or, really, any time because chocolate. And peanut butter.

Tina

P.S. Don't tell the kids, but SCHOOL IS COMING.


Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
Adapted from Kellogg's

For the treats:

1/4 cup butter
10 ounces mini marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies Cereal (or store brand)
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter


Prepare dish, spray lightly with cooking spray and set aside. You can use a 9x13 for thinner treats (like mine) or an 8x8 for thicker treats.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. When melted, add marshmallows. Remove from heat. Stir until fully melted. Add in peanut butter. Stir until well combined. Add cereal and mix until fully coated.  Press into pan. Allow to cool completely. Cut into squares.

For the chocolate:

Chocolate bark or chocolate chips
(I much prefer chocolate bark for dipping)

Melt in microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until fully melted.

Dip each square into chocolate and then place on well greased cooling rack (with paper towels under to catch drips) or onto parchment paper. Allow chocolate to cool and harden.

Enjoy.

Makes approx 24 treats, depending on size.

{ Top Twelve of 2012! }

 
2012 was a great year for Sugar Bean Bakers.

I've had a lot of growth on the site, I've made things I always wanted to (especially this), but never tried, celebrated SBB's 2nd Anniversary, I posted my first party ideas, my first non-food tutorials, and my first travel tips.

Not to mention I made a great new friend! My first real food blogger friend!

So, exciting times.

I'm going to post the Top 12 posts of 2012, however, a couple are not recipes. Soo... I'll also post the top 12 Recipes of 2012 (making 14 posts in all).

Are you ready?? 

14. (recipe #12) -Straight from my elementary school cook's recipe book,  

Peanut Butter Cheerio Treats

13. (recipe #11) -For Dr. Seuss' Birthday, I made these crazy tie dye cupcakes.
Because crazy tie dye just screams "Dr. Seuss"!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss

12.  In celebration of my SECOND favorite ginger,  (hey, the Bean is a red-head!), I whipped up this Homemade Cocoa for Ron's birthday

Cocoa for Ron (& you!)

11. I love chocolate and mint together. And, hello? put brownies in the mix and you have a true winner! For St. Paddy's, I made

Mint Oreo Brownie Truffles

10.  When the Bean was little, it was such a PAIN trying to find good Valentine's Day box ideas. You'd think they'd be all over the web, but in my years of searching, I came up with precious few. So, my first non-recipe post makes an appearance in the countdown.

Valentine's Day Box Ideas 

9. Reese's Cups are by far the Bean's favorite candy, so, of course, I had to shove them in a cupcake & then top said cupcake with Peanut Butter Buttercream. It had to be done.

Reese's Cupcakes

   8. Ironically, this cupcake, not the Reese's I just posted, is the Beans F A V O R I T E cupcake.

Of course, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough + Cupcake + Cookie Dough Buttercream does seem like a no brainer for #1 in his book.

Cookie Dough Cupcakes  

7. A family classic is next. My grandmother in law's (aka Grammy) Strawberry Pie. It's just about hubby's favorite thing in the history of forever.

Grammy's Strawberry Pie

 6. Next is something I THOUGHT I'd created. Of course, I didn't. Darn internet full of darn creative people. Alas, I was pretty proud of myself, and the Bean has deemed them necessary at Easter forever now.

Carrot Strawberries  

 5. This was simply summer day fun that I decided to share with you. I had no idea it'd be so popular! They are super pretty & people really do enjoy them, so, you should definitely try this sometime!

Layered Drinks

 4. This was an idea I found via Pinterest. Simply Peanut Butter Blossom cookies with chocolate hearts instead of the normal Hershey Kisses. Very cute & festive update for Valentine's Day.

Peanut Butter Blossoms the VDay Way

 3.  My other non-recipe post. I'm over the moon stupid with happy that this is such a popular post! A lot of time and love went into this party. It went over in real life amazing, and I'm so excited that it is so popular on my blog too! It makes my geeky little heart go pitta patta.

The Epic Harry Potter Party Post

 

2. I love when my playing around in the kitchen with no real plan works out. This worked out very well. So well, that I make this often now. Very popular with the chocolate & mint lovers in my life! I even did another version of it for Christmas.

Here is the Christmas version- Candy Cane & Chocolate Cupcakes

Here is the original, crazy popular post

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes

 

 And... numero uno is..........

1. This recipe is so popular that since I posted it in August, it has been the number one hit on the blog EVERY DAY.  EVERY. DAY.  So, without further adieu, I give you....

Buckeye Bites: A Peanut Butter & Chocolate Treat 

 

 That's all, folks! The top 12 recipes of 2012!

It's been a great year & I'm looking forward to what 2013 brings.

While it may seem a little selfish, I'm really hoping for more comments this year. The only way I know you like a post is by stats. I get precious few comments on anything. If you like a recipe, please consider popping me a reply.

Thanks so much.

Here's to a sweet 2013!!!!!!!!!!

Tina 

{ Peanut Butter Cheerio Treats }

Now, we all know about Rice Krispie Treats. I mean, really. Those are about as lunchbox standard as PB&J Sandwiches.

But Cheerio Treats are probably not quite as common.

You know how much of a joke school lunches are, right? It's been told and retold in TV, books, and movies. Sadly, a lot of the time it's true. School lunches are BAD. That can be said of the Bean's High School Cafeteria. He packs. EVERY.DAY.

However, when I was in elementary school, our lunches were DEEELISH. So much was made from scratch then, not over processed, frozen foodsicles.

One of our (and by our, I mean EVERYONE'S) favorite things were Cheerio Treats. It was just so exciting to see that on the lunch menu! My mom, who was the President of the PTO for 910 years, asked Alberta, our head cook for the recipe.

I adapted it just a smidge, by adding vanilla, and a little more peanut butter & butter.

Now, I shall share it with you.

It's pretty much just as easy as making Krispie treats. 

What you'll need:


Peanut Butter Cheerio Treats

1 Bag Mini Marshmallows

1/4 Cup Butter

3/4 Cup Peanut Butter

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

5 Cups Cheerios (or other sweetened oat cereal)

Melt butter in large pan on stovetop.

Add in mini marshmallows. Stir constantly until melted. 

 Remove from heat & add vanilla

 and peanut butter

Stir until glossy.

Pour in your Cheerios. 

I actually used these, by Quaker, because they are tooooooooooo adorable.

Press into a greased 13x9 inch pan & allow to cool.

Cut & Serve.

Or..... melt up a little chocolate and drizzle over.

You know you want to.

A couple weeks ago, I showed the cute little heart shaped cereal on my Facebook page. One of my school friends said I should make these.

 

See, I'm not kidding. They were a huge hit!

So, Lora, this post is for you. Hope they bring back some memories!


Tina