Apple Jacks in Cookies?

Yep, cookies with Apple Jacks cereal in them, so much better than they sound!

Yesterday I met a good friend of mine and her two little girls for breakfast. I hadn't seen her since she had her new baby girl, Quinn, and so I wanted to bring her a little gift. I found this adorable beanie and decided it was perfect because even infants should have a fabulous fall wardrobe.

Not wanting to leave Quinn’s 2 year old big sister out I tried to think of something to bring Lily. It came to mind that Megan had mentioned in her blog that Lily's current favorite snack was Apple Jacks. So, I figured there must be a way to bake cookies or cupcakes with the snack. Low and behold I found a few good recipes for Apple Jacks cookies. I combined two recipes and made some changes and ta-da! I give you Lily's Cookies.



Perfect for kids!



1 cup butter room temp
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2-2.5 cups Apple Jacks cereal, coarsely crushed
a few large pinches of cinnamon-sugar for dusting

In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In a large bowl, using a hand beater, cream together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Then add eggs and beat on low/medium until well combined and again light and fluffy. Slowly add in the flour, baking powder, and salt and beat until just fully combined. Fold in crushed Apple Jacks.

At this point I would recommend putting the batter in a plastic bag or airtight container in the fridge for at least an hour to firm. Combine a few large pinches of granulated sugar and a pinch of cinnamon. Once dough is firm, remove from fridge and roll into little balls. Lightly dust each ball of dough with the sugar and cinnamon mixture; if you roll it in the mixture it will be too sugary.

Enjoy!

The boxes for each girl had their initials on them; Lily liked hers and said the "L" was made of jewelry. Too cute.

Ok, so I didn't provide a wine recommendation for the girls but I do have one! I would definitely enjoy these cookies with Almond Champagne. Wilson Creek is really the pioneer with this delicious drink; you can get this champagne at almost any major grocery store for about $11-12. Alternatively, you can get the Trader Joes Almond Creek Almond Champagne for about $6, they are pretty close in taste with a slightly nutty and sweet taste perfect for the Apple Jacks Cookies! Yum.

Love. Food. Wine.

Cake in a jar. So much more adorable than it sounds.

I think one of the most adorable ways to serve cake at a get-together is in little jars. It is also a great gift to give to someone...especially with the holidays right around the corner. Yes, I just said that - Right. Around. The. Corner. I am one of those people who can't wait for Thanksgiving… for three reasons. Actually, make that four. 1.) The food. 2.) The wine (my step dad usually brings a magnum from Ponte winery, usually there is no need to re-cork the bottle at the end of the evening) 3.) Spending the day with my family (and sometimes some a few friends!) and 4.)  I can't WAIT for the next day when COAST 103.5 starts playing Christmas music 24/7. I'm not kidding you, I love it.

So in preparation for gift giving here is a cute idea for packaging up cake/cupcakes. These can be done in pretty much any combination you like. I typically prefer red velvet, especially for Christmas time. If you are doing this for a boy’s baby shower you could do a white cake with a vanilla or butter cream frosting died baby blue or green. If it is for a wedding shower try using the colors of the wedding, you get the idea. You can get pretty creative with not only the cakes but the decorating of the jars. It can be completely tailored to your needs. These are a really unique way to present your dessert!

Wine Recommendation. Since we don’t have specific flavors here I will just throw out a few recommendations. For a red velvet cake I would try Radius Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington, a great deal at about $9. I love this wine and the richness of the red velvet can compete well with this full body red. If you are going with a white cake with butter cream or vanilla I would recommend a light white wine, a Viognier or one of my favorites the Vouvray from Trader Joes, a steal at $6.99.

Please contact me if you are interested in ordering cakes in a jar. aoifes@gmail.com

Love. Food. Wine

Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Cookie Bars. Yes, the name is long but you have to properly describe these amazing cookie bars. I love these because they are like a soft chewy cookie with a touch of extra richness and a little bit of peanut butter. Many baked goods with peanut butter are just that...baked goods filled with penut butter. I like these because of the layers of flavor, you taste the cookie, you taste the chocolate chunks and then the peanut butter. These are baked in a way that they stay soft and moist so texture of the chocolate doesn't harden back up ...leaving the bar yummy and smooth.

Wine recommendation for this dessert: Some people would suggest you pair this with a port. However, I would suggest pairing this with Wild Horse Pinot Noir. This pinot is a versatile wine and pairs well with many foods. It has flavors of dried cherries, strawberries, and light spices. While pinot noir is a typically light bodied wine, this one is a bit more full bodied which means it will complete with the flavors of the Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Cookie Bars without over riding it. This wine can be found at most stores for around $20. You can usually find it at Trader Joes for about $16-$18.

If you are interested in purchasing the Chocolate Chunk Peanut Butter Cookie Bars for a baby or bridal shower, dinner event, or just because you want to try them, please contact me for pricing. These can be placed in to go packages (see below - so cute!) or platters for parties. They come in packs of 6 and can be made in large quantities. aoifes@gmail.com

Love. Food. Wine.