Thin Mints

 

Homemade Thin Mints

Alyssa Rivers

These Thin Mints are way better than the popular boxed version! Perfectly crispy chocolaty cookies are sweetened with just the right amount of mint!

PREP TIME 20 mins

COOK TIME 15 mins

TOTAL TIME 35 mins

COURSE Dessert

CUISINE American

SERVINGS 17 cookies

CALORIES 171 kcal

INGREDIENTS

  

Cookies

• 4 ounces unsalted butter room temperature
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup dutch-processed cocoa powder
• ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

Chocolate Coating

• 8 ounces chocolate melting wafers
• ¼ teaspoon coconut oil
• ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract

INSTRUCTIONS

 

• Beat together softened butter, sugar, peppermint extract and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until combined and fluffy.
• Sift flour and cocoa powder into a small mixing bowl. Stir in salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix until a dough forms, scrape the side of the bowl as necessary while mixing to ensure the flour is mixing well with the butter.
  
• Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a piece of plastic wrap. Flatten it into a disk, wrap well and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
• When the dough is firm but still malleable, take it out of the refrigerator and roll it into ¼” thick on a cocoa dusted surface. Cut with a 2” cookie cutter. Reroll the scraps and keep cutting out cookies until the dough is gone.
  
• Place the cookies in a container or lined baking sheet and freeze for about 15 minutes while the oven is preheating.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• When the oven is ready, place cookies on another parchment-lined baking sheet 1” - 2” apart and bake for 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 - 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Combine chocolate, coconut oil and peppermint extract in a heatproof bowl, set it over a pot of simmering water, stir until chocolate is melted completely.
• Dip cooled cookies in the melted chocolate using a fork, turn to coat both sides. Tap excess chocolate off and place coated cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Allow chocolate coating to dry completely at room temperature or refrigerate to speed it up.

Crockpot Spanish Rice Recipe

 

Crockpot Spanish Rice Recipe

Crockpot Spanish Rice is full of delicious Mexican spices. This savory side tastes like it came from your favorite restaurant!

PREP TIME 10 mins

COOK TIME 2 hrs 30 mins

TOTAL TIME 2 hrs 40 mins

COURSE Side Dish

CUISINE Mexican

SERVINGS 8 cups

CALORIES 66 kcal

INGREDIENTS

  

• 2 cups long grain rice
• ⅛ cup vegetable oil
• 8 ounces tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt (with parsley flakes)
• 1 teaspoon garlic minced
• 4 cups chicken broth low sodium
• dash cumin
• pepper to taste
• 6 stems chopped cilantro optional

INSTRUCTIONS

 

• Grease a slow cooker with cooking spray.
• Heat oil in large frying pan on medium heat. Add rice and cook until golden brown (about 5 minutes).
• Remove rice from heat and add to the slow cooker. Pour in tomato sauce, salt, minced garlic, chicken broth, cumin and pepper and stir to combine.
• Cover and cook on high for 2½-3 hours or until the liquid is gone. 
• Add fresh, chopped cilantro, if desired and serve warm.

Jessica Alba’s Chicken Enchiladas

 

Ross introduced me to this recipe, have made it 3 or 4 times now, it’s great! I now use the slow cooker to cook the chicken breasts in tomato sauce (or salsa). I also use the slow cooker to make rice (see separate recipe). So rich and with rice, this recipe even fed 8! Served with side items: pineapple, cilantro, parsley, sour cream, pickled jalapeños, your favorite hot sauce. 

Ingredients

• 4 cups chicken stock
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 5 oz each), cut into strips
• 1 jalapeño pepper
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 jar (12 oz) salsa
• 1 cup shredded lowfat cheddar
• ½ cup shredded lowfat Monterey Jack
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 can (2.25 oz) sliced black olives, drained
• 1 can (16 oz) traditional enchilada sauce
• 1 can (16 oz) green chile enchilada sauce
• Mexican hot sauce
• Cayenne pepper
• Vegetable-oil cooking spray
• 8 corn tortillas (6 inches across)

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 425°. In a medium pot, boil stock, chicken, jalapeño and garlic 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Strain chicken, run cold water over it and shred into a bowl. Mix in salsa and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine cheddar, 1/4 cup Monterey Jack, cilantro and olives; set aside. In a large pot over medium heat, combine enchilada sauces and add Mexican hot sauce and cayenne to taste. Stir until simmering. Set aside. Coat an 11" x 13" casserole pan with nonstick spray. Microwave tortillas 20 seconds. Place small handfuls of cheese mixture and chicken in center of each tortilla, roll up and place in pan, seam side down. Sprinkle with remaining cheese mixture. Ladle on sauce, then add remaining 1/4 cup Monterey Jack. Bake 20 minutes. Serve with remaining sauce on the side.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

My sister Wendy helped make these cookies! She wanted the recipe so here we go! Not mentioned are our special additions of quick oats (Bobs Red Mill) and chopped candied pecans (Trader Joes). Maybe 1/2 cup each. Recipe from Baker’s Illustrated. 

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm

1 cup packed (7 ounces) light or dark brown sugar

1/2 cup (3½ ounces) granulated sugar

1 large egg plus I egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or paste- Trader Joe’s)

1 - 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and

lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 325

degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment

paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt

baking

together in a medium bowl; set aside.

3. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix

the butter

and sugars until thoroughly blended.

Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined.

Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just

until combined. Stir in the chips to taste.

4. Roll a scant ¼ cup of the dough into a ball.

Following the illustrations on page 433, hold the

dough ball with the fingertips

of both hands and

pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90

degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join

the halves together at their base, again forming a

single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough's

uneven surface. Place the formed dough balls on

the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spac-

ing them 2½ inches apart.

5. Bake until the cookies are light golden brown

and the outer edges start to harden yet the centers

are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating

the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom

halfway through the baking time. Cool the cook-

is on the sheets. Remove the cooled cookies from

the baking sheets with a wide metal spatula.

Apple Cake

 FRESH APPLE CAKE

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1 (2 layer) size box Duncan Hines spice cake mix
3 eggs
3/4 c. milk or water
1/4 c. oil
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
3 c. peeled, chopped apples
1 c. nut meats: hickory nuts, pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 13"x9"x2" or 2 (9") round cake pans or Bundt pan. Combine mix, eggs, milk or water, oil, cinnamon and nutmeg in large mixer bowl. Mix 2 minutes on medium speed until well mixed. Dredge the apples and nuts with flour. Gently stir in apples and nuts. Bake 60 minutes or until cake tests done.

Frost with Caramel Frosting, your choice or if baked in 13"x9"x2" pan, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.