"Stolen"/Borrowed recipes!

I have been checking out a couple of blogs-- BakingBlonde and Ellen's Edibles-- for good stuff. I got the apple jacks recipe from BakingBlonde. I just had an apple in my fridge here at work during my lunch hour and thought I didn't want the one I had left to go to waste. I log on to BakingBlonde and voila--she has an apple cookie recipe up!
I thought I had all the ingredients, but I didn't have any cinnamon. I used a touch of cinnamon oil instead and it had great flavor.
One change I would recommend would be to stir some cinnamon and sugar into the diced apple before folding them into the dough. That would have given them just the right amount of cinnamon.
Just in time for fall, the Apple Jack cookie!
(There is another recipe below, also)


Apple Jacks
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup apple chopped (I would small dice 1 small-medium apple)
1/2 to 3/4 cup Kraft Carmel bits or Heath Baking bits (optional)
Preheat oven to 350.
Line baking sheet with Parchment or lightly spray with PAM.
In a large bowl stir together the flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon.
Beat the butter with a mixer and add the sugar, vanilla and egg and beat until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture and stir to combine.
Fold in the apple pieces (and any other add-ins).
Drop the dough onto baking sheet about 2 inches apart (these spread a bit).
Bake for 9-12 minutes or until light brown and edges are set. Allow to cool slightly on baking sheet and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
NOTE: *DO NOT store completely covered or they will be very very soft and not hold up well due to the moisture in the apples. I find storing loosely covered in the fridge helps them keep their texture, however then the Caramel Bits get hard. I am thinking Toffee Chips might be a better addition next time. These really are best the day you bake, especially after they have cooled a bit but are still warm!




And this morning, I wanted to whip up something for my 2nd hour, since I made something for my 1st hour a couple of weeks ago. I needed something I already had all of the ingredients for. I did a quick check of Ellen's Edibles and magically, she had recently posted something that would work! (my luck today!!)
She actually got her recipe from BakingBlonde. You can add whatever mix-ins you want. They both recommended peanut butter cups, which would be great. I also think chopped peanuts would be good in them. They were excellent as they were though, and my students really liked them. Many of them had never tried them before.
In the spirit of cooking today, we also made a bacon potato soup in 5th hour, to go with the Apple Jacks. In 6th hour, we made the steak and potato chimichurri salad I posted a while ago, and they really liked it. They enjoyed the "different" flavor and many wanted more to take home. I caught one kid licking his plate. He didn't need a takeout box:)

Here is the Blondie Recipe

Blondies
Basic Blondies
Source: Baking BlondeYield: 16 bars
6-7 Tbsp butter, melted (I used 6)
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder (optional, creates lighter blondie texture)
Ellen's additions:
1 1/2 ripe bananas, smashed3/4 cup mini peanut butter cups (I used Trader Joe's)
Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8x8 pan with foil and lightly spray with PAM.In a large microwave safe mixing bowl melt the butter. Allow to cool for 5 mintues. Mix the brown sugar with the melted butter and beat until smooth. Beat in egg and then vanilla. Add salt, stir in flour and baking powder (if using). Mix in any additions (some ideas below). Pour into prepared pan and use a greased spatula to evenly spread mixture in pan and level the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until set in the middle. (I baked for 22 minutes) Cool on rack before cutting.



And the last recipe for today (it was a crazy day in the kitchen for me! So fun!)

Zippy Potato Soup (from allrecipes.com)
my kids practed knife skills yesterday so I was able to throw all the veggies they practiced on into a pot and create this AWESOME potato soup!

Prep Time: 10 MinutesCook Time: 35 Minutes
Ready In: 45 MinutesYields: 14 servings

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 pound sliced bacon, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
8 potatoes, peeled and cut into
chunks
1 medium carrot, grated
5 cups water
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated
milk
2 tablespoons butter or
margarine
4 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh
parsley
2 teaspoons Worcestershire
sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
DIRECTIONS:
1.In a large skillet, cook bacon and onion; drain and set aside. In a soup kettle or Dutch oven, cook the potatoes and carrot in water for 20 minutes or until tender (do not drain). Stir in the remaining ingredients and the bacon mixture. Cook for 10 minutes or until heated through.



We are headed to KC this weekend to see our newest family member, baby Jack!! Then we are going to see my family and our possible new exchange student!
Have a great weekend, and enjoy the recipes:)