Winter Snack Recipes

Hello lovelies! I hope everyone had a good weekend! I did! I'm so happy because lovely RANDOMLY REESE nominated me for my first blog award! Yay! I am extremely excited and feel very appreciated! Such a nice feeling. Make sure to check out her blog, she's absolutely a-mazing! You won't be disappointed! Thank you Reese! :)

One of my 100 New Year's resolutions is to do more baking! Yay for food! I don't think my boyfriend is convinced I'm a good cook yet...(convincing him is yet another one of my resolutions.) hah! This might be a tough one. My awesome new blogging friend, Reese said she likes when I post recipes, so here you are girl! I wanted to make some fun snacky recipes. I would love your feedback on them too! (Thank you Lioness!) These yummy recipes are for you to spoil your Hunnys with. Make it a date with a movie on the couch under the blanket, with some homemade snacks! Most likely, mine will be during a basketball game...yay. These are also good for a well-deserved girl's night! Hope you love these as much as I do!


San Francisco Garlic Fries
From: Tracey's Culinary Adventures
These fries are yummmyyy. Who doesn't love french fries?! They are a guilty pleasure for me, but I feel MUCH better about eating these because they are baked, not fried. So indulge in some "baked fries" and don't feel bad! 



Ingredients:
nonstick cooking spray 
2 1/4 lb russet potatoes, cut lengthwise into batons (see pics)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley




(To cut the fries - cut a small section off one side of the potato so you have a flat surface to begin your cutting. With that flat side down, slice the potato into 1/4 to 1/3-inch wedges, then stack the wedges and slice into 1/4 to 1/3-inch batons. )

Preheat oven to 450 F.  Spray two large, rimmed baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine the potatoes with 2 1/2 tablespoons of the oil in a large bowl and toss to coat.  Season with salt and pepper.  Divide the potatoes between the two baking sheets and spread in a single layer.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the fries are tender and browned (no need to flip or toss them while they're in the oven but I did rotate the baking sheets a few times).  Increase the oven temperature to 500 F and continue cooking until the fries are dark brown in spots, another 5 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil with the garlic and parsley in a large bowl.  Add the hot fries and toss to coat.  Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.


No Bake Cookies

By: Please Note

These cookies only have THREE ingredients. And they taste a-mazing. How easy is this, seriously?! I love the fact that you can make something this delicious with only 3 ingredients. Mind blowing! 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 cups corn flakes cereal

Steps:

1. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave. Add the peanut butter. Mix until well combined.

2. Fold in the corn flakes until evenly coated.

3. Using a tablespoon, drop the mixture on to wax paper or parchment lined cookie sheets.

4. Allow these to cool in the fridge or the freezer until hard. Enjoy with a huge glass of milk!

Buttery Soft Pretzel

By: La Petit Brioche <--click there for more pics 

I am in love with Auntie Anne's, which is what this pretzel reminds me of. Now this recipe is a little more time consuming, but completely worth it. I'm totally going to trick my boyfriend into thinking I'm a baking genius with this recipe. Do you know anyone who bakes homemade soft pretzels as good as overpriced soft pretzel places you can barely afford to go to? This girl. 

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 4.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 4 cups hot water
• 1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping (optional)
• 1/4 cup butter, for brushing

Directions

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about                     

         10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.

4. When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned. Brush with melted butter. Enjoy!

Elephant Ears (or Palmiers)

By: The Novice Chef

Elephant ears are the only reason some people go to carnivals. I honestly can't say that I blame them. I have also never seen a small elephant ear, besides this one! And trust me, this is small compared to ones you get at a County Fair. These are cute and D-lish!

ingredients:

2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 sheets puff pastry, defrosted

directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Combine the sugar, cinnamon, and kosher salt. Pour 1 cup of the sugar mixture on a flat surface such as wooden board or marble. Unfold each sheet of puff pastry onto the sugar and pour 1/2 cup of the sugar mixture on top, spreading it evenly on the puff pastry. This is not about sprinkling, it's about an even covering of sugar. With a rolling pin, roll the dough until it's 13 by 13-inches square and the sugar is pressed into the puff pastry on top and bottom. Fold the sides of the square towards the center so they go halfway to the middle. Fold them again so the two folds meet exactly at the middle of the dough. Then fold 1 half over the other half as though closing a book. You will have 6 layers. Slice the dough into 3/8-inch slices and place the slices, cut side up, on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Place the second sheet of pastry on the sugared board, sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar mixture, and continue as above. (There will be quite a bit of sugar left over on the board.) Slice and arrange on baking sheets lined with parchment.

Bake the cookies for 6 minutes until caramelized and brown on the bottom, then turn with a spatula and bake another 3 to 5 minutes, until caramelized on the other side. Transfer to a baking rack to cool.

See you next time ladies! Get cookin'!