fruity pebble crunch cookies

Fruity pebbles? Check.
Mini marshmallows? Check.
Browned butter? Check.
Dark brown sugar? Check.
Vanilla extract? Check.
Oats? Check.
Flour, sugar, eggs, baking powder, baking soda & kosher salt? Check, check, check, check, check, check!!!

This recipe for fruity pebble crunch cookies is the perfect combination from Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milkbar's Cornflake-Chocolate Chip-Marshmallow-Cookies and another all-time favorite The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie from Cook's Illustrated. Which I blogged about here.

These cookies take a lot longer than the average recipe for cookies, but it will be worth the wait. And you can trust me on this....

Fruity Pebble Crunch Cookies
original recipe courtesy of bon appétit via Two Bouroughs Larder
makes 15 - 24 cookies

Before you bust out your mixer and ingredients, the fruity pebble crunch needs to be made. And if you decide that the crunch is all you need and want then I suggest sprinkling it over vanilla ice cream, frozen yogurt or eating it straight up. It's THAT good.

Fruity Pebble Crunch
makes one recipe for cookies

2-1/2 cups Fruity Pebble cereal
1 cup whole rolled oats
1/4 cup dry milk powder
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 300ºF.
Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix cereal, oats, dry milk powder, and kosher salt. Stir to combine. Pour melted unsalted butter over mixture and toss to thoroughly coat.

Spread out onto your prepared cookie sheet and place in oven. Bake for 20 minutes rotating baking sheet after 10 minutes. After 20 minutes, the cereal should feel/look slightly toasted.

Remove from oven and cool completely on wire rack.

for the COOKIES!!!

16 tablespoons unsalted butter
1-1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups bread flour ***The original recipe called for all-purpose flour, but Christina Tosi uses bread flour in her cookies so I thought I'd follow her lead.***
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 recipe of fruity pebble crunch
1-1/4 cup mini marshmallows

Combine bread flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl and set aside.

In a bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, place 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat melt the rest of the butter. While swirling the pan constantly, little brown flecks will form at the bottom of your pan and  the butter will have a nutty aroma. Once butter has browned, pour this over the butter in the stand mixer and stir to melt.

Add both sugars to butter and mix on medium speed until incorporated. Add eggs and vanilla and mix on medium speed for 30 seconds. Let mixture rest for 5 minutes. Turn on mixer again for 30 seconds and then let rest for 5 more minutes. Do this one more time for a total resting time of 15 minutes.

Add dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until all the flour is incorporated.

Add the Fruity Pebble Crunch and marshmallows, and mix on low until everything is evenly distributed.

Using a cookie scoop, portion your cookies and place on a parchment lined sheet and chill in refrigerator for at least 3 hours or overnight, ideally. ***I must have a lot of patience because I chill mine overnight.*** Also tuck the mini marshmallows into the dough so that very little of them are exposed. This will prevent them from just melting all of the place in the oven while they bake. 

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Place balls of cookie dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet about 3 inches apart.

Bake for 5 minutes. Check your cookies and if the marshmallows are peaking out, push them back in with a small wet offset spatula. Bake for another 5 minutes. With a wide spatula, gently press the cookies down so that they bake evenly. Bake for another 5 - 10 minutes, or until the cookies are set and light golden brown. ***I baked my cookies for a total of 20 minutes.*** 

The cookies will still be gooey in the center. Leave the cookies on the baking sheet and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

munchie mix

If you've ever checked out the back of a Chex cereal box you'll find easy snack recipes that take less than 15 minutes to make. One of my favorites is the Chex Muddy Buddie recipe which I renamed "Munchie Mix" because once you start munchin' on it, you just can't stop.


This recipe is also all over the internet, but some have really unappetizing names. Like puppy chow or puppy food? Who wants to eat something that sounds like dog food? Monkey mix? I actually liked this name but after I thought about it, none of the ingredients have anything to do with monkeys. "Munchie mix" it is! So make some this holiday and munch away.....


Munchie Mix
start to finish: 15 minutes - 18 servings (1/2 cup each)


INGREDIENTS
9 cups Chex cereal - rice, corn, or a combination of both. ***I used rice cereal to keep it a gluten-free recipe***
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips ***I substituted Belgium 72% dark chocolate and chopped it into small pieces. I would also recommend bittersweet chocolate chips/chunks because this recipe has a fair amount of powdered sugar in it***
1/2 cup peanut butter ***Use smooth, unsalted and natural peanut butter. Organic doesn't hurt either***
1/4 cup butter ***Again, unsalted and organic***
1 teaspoon vanilla extract***Use the real stuff - no imitations here!***
pinch of kosher salt ***my added touch***
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar ***I used Trader Joe's Organic Powdered Sugar***


1. In a large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.


2. In a 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate, peanut butter and butter uncovered for 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla extract and kosher salt. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into a 2-gallon ziplock food-storage plastic bag.


3. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread onto a parchment paper or wax paper lined baking sheet to cool and dry. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 

better bran muffins

Bran muffins are NOT my usual go to breakfast item when I'm staring into a pastry case. My first picks seem to be an almond or chocolate croissant or even a multi-grain bagel if I'm thinking about being healthy.


So I'm a food person and I also attract others who LOVE food and I LOVE THAT! Since Spring has sprung (well, kinda), my girlfriends and I are trying to head down a more healthier track and get our bodies ready for swimsuit season. Don't get me wrong, we eat healthy, but we also like to indulge in a not-so-friendly treat.  


These bran muffins do have their fare share of brown sugar in them, but they also have a substantial amount of bran and whole wheat in them that you'll feel like you're getting a healthy start to your morning.


Better Bran Muffins
This recipe comes from one of my favorite food mags Cook's Illustrated.
These are "better" bran muffins! Moist and full of flavor. Not your dry and tasteless bran muffins that are wrapped in plastic and can be found at the local deli around the corner.  


INGREDIENTS
1 cup raisins (or dried cranberries, cherries or blueberries)
1 teaspoon water
2 1/4 cups (5 ounces) All-Bran Original cereal ***this cereal looks like "twigs"***
1 1/4 cups (6 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (2 1/2 ounces) whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2/3 cup (4 2/3 ounces) packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons mild molasses (or light)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 stick), melted and cooled
1 3/4 cup whole-milk yogurt ***you can substitute non or low fat yogurt here, but the muffins will be less flavorful***


INSTRUCTIONS
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400˚. Spray a standard-sized muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. ***I used my new "tulip" paper liners, but you can use just ordinary paper liners. I also think you might be able to squeeze 18 muffins out of this recipe if your muffin cups seem small. My tulip liners stood way above the muffin cup which held the batter in. Be careful not to overfill your cups or you might have a big mess*** Combine raisins and water in a small microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, poke several steam vents in plastic with a paring knife, and microwave on high power for 30 seconds. Let stand, covered, until raisins are softened and plump, about 5 minutes. Transfer raisins to paper towel-lined plate to cool.


Process half of the bran cereal in a food processor until finely ground, about 1 minute. Whisk flours, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl to combine; set aside. Whisk egg and yolk together in a medium bowl until well-combined and light colored, about 20 seconds. Add sugar, molasses, and vanilla; whisk until mixture is thick, about 30 seconds. Add melted butter and whisk to combine; and yogurt and whisk to combine. Stir in processed cereal and unprocessed cereal; let mixture sit until cereal is evenly moistened (there will still be some small lumps), about 5 minutes.


Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and gently mix with a rubber spatula until batter is combined and evenly moistened. Do not overmix. Gently fold raisins into batter. Using 1/3-cup measure or ice cream scoop, divide evenly among muffin cups, dropping batter to form mounds. Do not level or flatten surfaces of mounds. 


Bake until muffins are dark golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out with a few crumbs attached, 16 to 20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. ***Most ovens are funky, so I baked mine for 25 minutes***  Cool muffins in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool for 10 minutes before serving.




***I didn't love the raisins in these muffins. I've said it before, they are not my faves.....Next time I'm gonna try dried cherries of even blueberries***

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