Bready or Not: Praline Snickerdoodles
Snickerdoodles are a regular theme on Bready or Not, and this time I present you with a praline version!
These Praline Snickerdoodles are absolutely divine. Bits of pecan add a soft crunch, and Heath pieces add an entirely different kind of crunch.
These new textures and flavors add a lot to the already-awesome taste of snickerdoodles.
I had a hard time choosing which pictures to feature. These cookies were incredibly photogenic.
Plan ahead when you make these. The dough needs at least a couple hours to chill. I love to make the dough a day in advance so I can start baking at will.
I wish I could say how long these will keep, but my husband takes these to work and the cookies just… vanish.
Bready or Not: Praline Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup Heath toffee pieces
- 3/4 cup pecans chopped
Topping
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat the butter until it's soft and creamy. Add the sugar, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Once combined add the eggs and vanilla, followed by the flour. Fold in the Heath pieces and pecans.
- Wrap dough in plastic and chill at least two hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven at 375-degrees. Stir together the topping ingredients. Use a tablespoon scoop to drop dollops of dough into the topping. Roll to coat. Set spaced out on a greased stoneware pan or parchment-lined cookie sheet.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack then store in a sealed container.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Milk Chocolate Toffee Bars
The time for healthy recipes is over. Time to make an entire casserole dish-worth of candy bars with this recipe for Milk Chocolate Toffee Bars.
These things are chewy and downright dreamy. Seriously, HOMEMADE CANDY BAR. FRESH. SO GOOD.
Ahem. Forgive the caps. I get enthusiastic about this sort of thing. But can you blame me?
I mean, these have it all going on. Chocolate. A crunch from the toffee and pecans. A chewy blondie base.
My husband took these to work and had several co-workers dub this a new favorite. Considering the goodies they get from me, that’s saying something.
Make these to share with a crowd. You don’t want to be home alone with them.
Modified from Brownies & Bars Magazine.
Bready or Not: Milk Chocolate Toffee Bars
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 2/3 cups milk chocolate chips divided
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup toffee bits
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 13x9 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the butter and vanilla. Beat until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 2/3 cup chocolate chips and the pecans. Distribute the crumbs across the bottom of the pan and press down evenly.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden. Immediately sprinkle on the remaining 1 cup of milk chocolate chips. Let sit a minute or two to soften, then use an uneven spatula to spread chocolate across the crust. Sprinkle toffee bits on top.
- Cool in pan on wire rack; if desired, place in fridge to speed the process. Once the pan is cool, use foil to move contents to a cutting board. Slice into bars. Keeps in fridge or at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Glazed Maple Pecan Shortbread Cookies
We made it three weeks into 2019 before we hit a maple recipe. Glazed Maple Pecan Shortbread Cookies, to be exact.
This is a recipe that involved heavy experimentation for me. The base recipe made maple logs, which were then dipped in chocolate. I found the log-making process awkward. I didn’t want milk chocolate paired with maple, either.
Therefore, I tweaked and twisted things around, and the end result was a cookie that reminds me a lot of Pecan Sandies from the grocery store, just with a necessary oomph of maple.
Instead of making the cookies into logs, I press them flat and used by bench knife to slice them into squares. A drizzle of maple glaze added just the right touch of sweetness after baking.
These are ideal cookies to go along with coffee or tea. They are a little dry and crumbly, but easy to eat in a bite or two.
Plus, you can omit the pecans if necessary! You’ll get fewer cookies, but the texture and maple goodness are still downright scrummy.
Bready or Not Original: Glazed Maple Pecan Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon maple flavor
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1/2 cup pecans finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Glaze:
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 Tablespoon + milk or half & half
- 1 teaspoon maple flavor
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 325-degrees. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, and confectioners' sugar. Beat in the vanilla and maple flavor.
- In another bowl, sift together the flour, oats, pecans bits, and salt. Gradually combine with the wet mixture until it forms a cohesive mix.
- Clean off a space of counter or tear off a large piece of parchment paper. Dump the cookie dough out and form it a roughly 8x8 square. Use a bench knife or a pizza cutter to slice into squares about an inch in diameter.
- Transfer cookies to a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Add a little space between cookies, but they won't spread much.
- Bake for 14-17 minutes, until cookies are set and lightly browned. Transfer to a rack to cool.
- Once all the cookies are baked and at room temperature, set out another piece of parchment paper. Place the cookies there, close together.
- In a small bowl, mix together glaze ingredients, adding enough milk to create a dribbling consistency. Use a fork to dribble glaze or the back of a spoon to coat each one. Leave out for an hour or so to set, then seal in container at room temperature.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Soft Muesli Breakfast Cookies
Let’s continue a healthy theme for another week with Soft Muesli Breakfast Cookies!
Think of these like plump little oatmeal cookies. The texture is cakey and thick, and will otherwise vary depending on the muesli you use.
I tested out this recipe using Seven Sundays Vanilla Cherry Coconut Muesli, which was FANTASTIC in these cookies.
The customization options for this recipe are really endless. Get a new muesli and get baking! Muesli is often on sale at this time of year. Take advantage of that.
These cookies are slightly tacky because of the applesauce, so be sure to keep waxed paper or parchment between the cookies in their sealed container or they’ll stick together.
The cookies will keep well for up to a week, too. In fact, take them on the go. Enshroud some in plastic for a kid’s (or your own) snack or lunch.
The recipe makes about 55 cookies if you use a teaspoon scoop, so you’ll have plenty of cookies to enjoy!
Bready or Not Original: Soft Muesli Breakfast Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup applesauce individual serving cup size
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt or plain
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil or coconut oil
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups muesli about 11 ounces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
- In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In a big mixing bowl, beat together the applesauce, brown sugar, yogurt, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla with a mixer until well combined. Add flour mixture, followed by the muesli.
- Drop cookie dough by teaspoon scoops onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Allow cookies to cool on pan for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in a sealed container between parchment or waxed paper layers; the applesauce will make the cookies slightly tacky if they touch each other. They'll keep for up to a week at room temperature.
- OM NOM NOM!
New Story at Beneath Ceaseless Skies PLUS a Book Giveaway Tomorrow
Beneath Ceaseless Skies just published a new story of mine called “The Blighted Godling of Company Town H.” It’s about manufactured gods, bureaucratic magic, and nuclear waste. It can be read online for free–and you can download or play the story narrated by the wonderful Tina Connolly!
That’s not all! Beneath Ceaseless Skies is also hosting a giveaway of my story collection Red Dust and Dancing Horses. To quote the details:
This giveaway will take place Wednesday Jan. 9 on the BCS Twitter feed @BCSmagazine. It will run from 2 PM EST until 5 PM EST.
To enter, all you need to do is tweet what your favorite fairy story from BCS is.
If you haven’t read any stories at BCS, this is a great time to start! My previous story there qualifies, and the contest page lists a number of their other fairy tale stories. Good luck–and happy reading!
#SFWAPro
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