Surfer Bars

I love love love a good bar cookie. Soft and chewy, sweet and easy to make. And these bars did not disappoint. I've had this recipe printed out for awhile now, but I never had mini marshmellows on hand, so I wasn't able to make them. Luckily, last weekend when I was in the grocery store, I actually remembered these bars and picked up a bag.

These bars are delicious. I'm not sure why they are called surfer bars, I kept trying to convince myself that it wasn't because they are so high in calories that only surfers will burn the calories, but I have a sneaking suspicion that that could be the case. Eek.

I didn't have butterscotch chips on hand, so I actually used peanut butter chips instead and they came out beautifully. I will definitely be making these cookies again. But, hopefully when I do, there will be other people around to help me eat them.

Surfer Bars

Andes Mints Chocolate Chip Cookies

St. Patrick's Day has been my favorite holiday for YEARS. We're talking wayyy back to like 6th grade or something. Before I even dreamt of the wonders of green beer. As the years have gone on, my love for St. Patrick's Day has turned into an obsession with all things Irish (and green). It's pretty bizarre, actually. I mean, there really isn't any good reason for me to be so obsessed with Ireland (besides the fact that it's a beautiful, friendly country that reminds me a lot of my home state of Tennessee). My ancestors were likely scottish, maybe some were irish, but even that doesn't matter, because my family has lived in TN since the 1780s. I love Irish writers, Irish beer, (if I'm going to have whiskey, I prefer Tennessee Whiskey.. aka... bourbon to irish whiskey), Irish and Celtic music. All of it. I freaking love it.

So, I get pretty excited when March rolls around. I'm having a small family get together at my place tonight to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, so there will be a Irish-themed Post on Monday. But, last night, I was craving some cookies. Not necessarily Chocolate Chip cookies, and not peanut butter or oatmeal cookies, either. So, I perused Recipezaar and found this recipe. I had some andes mints that I needed to use up, so I decided to give it a whirl.

Now, I'm starting to get comfortable in adjusting recipes a little bit. Which is very exciting. And after reading some of the reviews of this recipe, I made my own adjustments! And they turned out fabulous! Actually, This is the perfect chocolate chip cookie consistency. I plan on trying it again without the Andes Mints to make soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies. If they turn out like these, they will indeed be my favorite chocolate chip cookies, I think. I'll let you know how that recipe turns out.

Anyway, you can use the original link up there, or follow my adjusted recipe below.

And, after I put the first round in the oven, I couldn't help but throw some food color in the second round. When will I ever learn that green cookies just don't look appetizing? Oh well. At least they look cute in my shamrock server!

Andes Mint Cookies

Adapated from KC_Cooker's recipe on Recipezaar.

I made a half batch and got 14 cookies. This recipe is for a whole batch.

1 cup plus 2 tbsp of unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsps vanilla

2 large eggs

1 10 oz package of andes baking chips (I used crushed up andes mints)

1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 cups of flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Blend butter, sugars, baking soda and powder, vanilla and eggs until ingredients are mixed.

Add mints and chocolate chips and mix.

Add flour and continue to mix until well blended.

Cover and chill in fridge for 45-60 minutes.

Use a cookie scoop or a tbsp to measure out dough and form a ball of the dough in your hands and then slightly flatten it and place it on non-stick baking sheet.

Bake for approximately 7-9 minutes.

Cool on pan and then transfer to baking rack.

The Signature Cookie.

So, I know that this blog is still young and I haven't even scratched the surface of cookie recipes, but this one folks... this cookie might just become my signature cookie.

By signature cookie, I mean the cookie that I'm known for. The cookie that I bring to functions and mail to friends on their birthdays... Amy's Cookie, if you will. So, with that being said, I shouldn't reveal the recipe, right? I mean, it's my signature cookie, it deserves some mystery, that's part of the allure of a signature cookie (yes, I will italicize signature cookie everytime I type, and when I say it aloud, I will always use the quotation mark fingers, because it's that type of cookie). But. whatever, I'm not a bitch. I always hate that actually... when someone brings something to a potluck that is smack ya momma, finger lickin' good... and then when you compliment them profusely they never offer up the recipe and then when you actually ASK them for it, they say.... "Oh, it's an old family recipe." Like, if I had the recipe, I'd rush home and mass market it or something. Jeez. Give me a break. I'm about sharing. And this is a cookie recipe that should be shared!!! (For one, because its pretty freaking time consuming... so, I dont want to get stuck with being the only one making it...) The only thing I require for those of you who make it... is that you tell peeps... Yeah, this is Amy's Signature Cookie... Unless you hate it, in which case, you don't know me, never heard of me.

Here is the recipe... It's really time consuming because you have to let it chill overnight and then after you do, you have to essentially work each cookie into a ball and then flatten them out for your cookie shape, cause they stay the exact same way through cooking. And the require a LOT of ingredients, but they are worth it. I think next time, I'll double the batch and freeze half the dough into a cookie dough log so that I can just slice and bake the next time without having to shape the cookies everytime. Also, the cookies look underdone when you pull them out of the oven, but after they sit out, they firm up.

The pictures didn't turn out well, I actually almost forgot to take pictures before I packed them all away! So, thats why the pictures suck. Don't judge this cookie by the pics, it's delicious.

By the way, these probably have like 10,000 calories per cookie... which is why I only had two last night. And I counted those calories as my dinner. I had to chew gum the whole time I was baking them to keep from nibbling on them as I took them out of the oven. I'm such a sucker for hot out of the oven cookies.

See, they look a little underdone, but they are perfect.

Packaged up and ready to go! (Don't think there aren't 15 more sitting in my freezer waiting to be eaten... mmm)