Triple Fudge Oreo Cookies

I owe a friend some baked goods for their help with SPSS (and if you don't know what that is, youre probably lucky). It's also the hiking weekend starting tomorrow, and we need something to keep us going!

Recipe from here but with minor alterations (i.e. I didn't measure the chocolate chips or Oreos, just did a package)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• chocolate chips or chunks
• Oreos, roughly cut into quarters
• white chocolate chips

Directions (blogger won't let me add pictures in the middle, but if you look at past baking I'm sure you can figure it all out):

1) Preheat oven to 375F

2) Grease baking sheets with cooking spray and set aside.

3) Mix together butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.

4) In another bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking soda and, salt.

5) Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture.

6) Add in the chocolate chips and Oreos

7) Scoop into 2 TBSP sized balls

8) Place on a baking sheet 2 in apart and flatten with your hand

9) Bake 9-11 minutes

10) Let cool on the sheet for about 5 minutes and then remove. 

Onion, Walnut and, Blue Cheese Tart

 From: Veggie Feasts

Ingredients:

• 40 g (1 1/2 oz) butter
• 500 g (1 lb) onions, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 TBSP chopped thyme
• 50 g (2 oz) walnuts, chopped
• 350 g (11 1/2 oz) puff pastry, defrosted if frozen
• plain flour, for dusting
• 150 g (5 oz) blue cheese, diced
• salt and black pepper

Directions:

1) Melt the butter in a frying pan.









2) Add the onions, garlic and thyme and cook over a medium heat.








3) Stir occasionally for 20-25 minutes until soft and golden.
4) Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas Mark 7.
5) Add in the walnuts.
6) Let cool.
7) Roll the pastry out on a lighly floured work surface to form a rectangle 40 x 20 cm (16 x 8 in).
8) Cut the rectangle vertically in half.
9) Cut this horizontally into quarters to make eight squares. I did not have enough dough (misread the package so I got 6 rectangles)

10) Divide the onion mixture between the squares, leaving a narrow boarder around the edges.
11) Scatter over the blue cheese.
12) Transfer the pastries to a large baking sheet and bake in the oven.




13) Cook until the pastry is puffed and the cheese is golden, about 12-15 minutes.
14) Leave to cool slightly and serve warm.

Bean, Lemon and Rosemary Hummus

From: Veggie Feasts

Ingredients:

• 6 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 4 shallots, finely chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp chopped rosemary
• grated rind and juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 400 g (13 oz) cans butter beans
• salt and black pepper
• toasted Ciabatta

Directions:

1) Heat the oil in a frying pan.
2) Add the shallots, garlic, chopped rosemary and lemon rind.








3) Cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until the shallots are softened.
4) Cool.






5) Add everything to a food processor (or pot if you don't are are going to use a potato masher) and combine.
6) Spread hummus on toasted ciabatta.

Nutella, Coconut, and Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

Sunday last was National Oatmeal Cookie day, and I missed it because it was Paddys day the day before....fair enough.

Taken from here and coconut added.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup Nutella
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1 cup old fashioned whole oats
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2/3 cup chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup dried fruit (I used raisins since Tesco does not have dried cherries)
• 2/3 cup flaked coconut

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 325F/163C.
2) Mix butter with brown sugar and sugar.








3) Mix in Nutella.









4) Mix in eggs and vanilla.








5) Mix in oats, baking soda and flour.










6) Add chocolate chips, dried fruit, and flaked coconut.








7) Place on baking sheet.
8) Bake for 10-12 minutes.










9) Let sit for 5 minutes before taking off the baking rack to harden.

Aubergine Dip with Flatbreads

From: Veggie Feasts

Ingredients:

• 1 large aubergine
• 4 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp ground cumin (I used cumin seeds)
• 150 ml (5 fl oz) Greek-style yoghurt
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 TBSP coriander
• 1 TBSP lemon juice (I used lime)
• 4 flour tortillas
• salt and black pepper

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 200 C and with the heat only coming from the top.
2) Cut the aubergine lengthways into 5 mm (1/4 inch) thick slices.







3) Mix 3 TBSP of the oil, cumin, salt and pepper.







4) Brush over the aubergine slices (don't dip, the aubergine will just suck up all the oil).
5) Cook in a preheated ridged griddle pan or under a preheated hot grill for 3-4 minutes.







6) Flip.
7) Cook for 3-4 min again.
8) Cool.








9) Chop finely.








10) Mix the aubergine with the yoghurt, garlic, coriander, lemon/lime juice, 1 TBSP oil, salt and pepper.











11) Cook the tortillas in a preheated griddle pan or under the preheated hot grill for 3 minutes. I like to add paprika.
12) Flip.
13) Remove after another 3-4 min.
13) Cook for 3 minutes again.

Irish (Car Bomb) Brownies

St Paddys Day is tomorrow and I live in Ireland. Enough said.

But really, an Irish Car Bomb Drink is a layered shot of Baileys and Jameson dropped into half a pint glass of Guinness. I was recently informed by an English person that this shot should be dropped into some British Ale, but the drink has already been created and we'll move on from there. Irish Car Bomb Brownies have Guinness and Jameson in the Brownie part, and Baileys in the Cream Cheese Part.

Since I am in Ireland I don't feel it is necessary to put the clovers on like they do here, we kind of see enough of them this time of the year.

Ingredients:

• Brownie
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
•  1/2 tsp salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 TBSP vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup plus 2 TBSP Guinness Extra Stout (but who measures)
• 4 TBSP Jameson Whiskey (but, again, who measures)
• Cheesecake Layer
• 1 egg
• 1 TBSP vanilla extract
• 12 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup plus 2 TBSP confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup Bailey's (but, who measures) 

Directions:

1) Line a 9×13 pan with foil.

2) Spray with baking spray

3) Preheat the oven to 325F/162C

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4) Sift flour, coco powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5) In another bowl, add butter and granulated sugar in a bowl and cream until smooth.

6) Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.

7) Add the flour mixture and combine.

8) Add the Guinness and Jameson and combine.

 

 

 

 

9) Pour batter into prepared dish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10) Bake for 25 minutes, until a fork inserted comes out clean.

11) Let cool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12) Add all the cheesecake ingredients into a bowl and mix.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13) Spread on top of the brownie layer and bake for 25 minutes, until set.

14) Let cool.

 

I didn't let them cool....

On another note: mmm, dinner