Cookie Monday…Cashew Dream

So yet again, Cookie Monday happens on a Tuesday. Things have been a little crazy here in Some Reservations land lately, but I will not bore you with all the personal junk nobody wants to hear about anyways. Just know that I am trying to make a serious effort to post more often about more stuff. Keep an eye on the blog, and keep reading!

Due to the constant craziness, I don’t really even have a properly stocked pantry, while rooting for ingredients yesterday to put something together, I found I was out of flour, that immediately narrowed down the possibilities. What I did have was some left over coconut from last weeks episode as well as a can of sweetened condensed milk. So the obvious ensued. Eagle Brand Dream bars.

The Recipe is on the Can of condensed milk, and it couldn’t be easier, I took the liberty of making a few changes, but nothing crazy.

Recipe

2 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs

1 Stick Melted Butter

1/4 Cup Sugar

1 14oz. Bag of Coconut

1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

5oz. Cashew Pieces

12oz. Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

Take the cracker crumbs, butter and sugar and put them all in a 9 x 13 pan. Give it a good mix and press it down to form a crust in the bottom of the pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes

While that is baking take the milk, coconut and cashews and mix them all together in a bowl. Once the crust has been in for 10 minutes, pull it out and and spread the coconut mixture over the top. Bake for another 10 minutes.

Once that come out of the oven, you know have this amazing smelling mixture of coconut, sweet milk and graham, it really is amazing that this is so simple.

While it is still hot, just dump the bag of chocolate chips on them and spread around to melt. They are not all going to melt, don’t worry that is a good thing. It adds some chocolate chunks to your final product.

Stick them in the fridge to set up and cool, and there you go. This is an often forgot classic, and one of my favorites, I know coconut isn’t for everyone, but its for me, and I really like it. It has been years since I have had these bars, and adding cashews was just because I has them in the pantry.

What classics do you love, but don’t get made enough?

Cookie Monday…Coconut Almond Dulce De Leche

This edition of cookie Monday is an absolute cheat. If you have no interest in making something using a cookie mix from a bag, using Dulce de Leche from a can, and making a delicious treat with minimal effort and little to no baking skills required then please stop reading. If any one is interested in any of the above, then please feel free to read on.

I adapted this from a Betty Crocker recipe, and would like to thank the Red and White Checker Cook book for many a great starting points.

The Cookie couldn’t be easier, well maybe the filling is actually easier, I don’t know. Either way I am confident you will figure it out.

Cookie Recipe
1 Bag Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Coconut
1 1/2 Teaspoon Almond Extract
1/3 Softened Butter

Dump it all in your mixing bowl and mix until you have a dough thick enough to roll out, about 3 minutes.

Now that you have a nice dough, lay it out on a lightly floured surface and and roll it out to about 1/4 inch think.

Now get your favorite round or fluted cookie cutter, I know right, who has a favorite cookie cutter, why do I type these things. Anyways, you are going to get about 24-30 cookies out of this dough. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 375, just until the edges start to brown.

Let them cool on the sheet for a few minutes and then completely on a rack.

When the cookies are completely cooled it is time to work on the filling. These are a sandwich cookie and the filling, as you know is an important part.

Go to the cabinet or part of your pantry you keep such things as Dulce De Leche and grab a can. Now find your can opener and open the can. Stay with me, this is where it starts to get tricky. You are going to want to put about 2 teaspoons of Dulce on half of the cookies. I found this worked best to use two spoons, one to scoop it out of the can, and one to scrape it off the spoon. I told you it was going to get tricky.

Now take the other half of the cookies and make some cookie sandwiches, smush them down a bit so the Dulce gets all the way to the edge of the cookie and just starts to ooze out the sides. Now take another 1/2 cup of coconut and sprinkle it out on a plate. Roll the edges of the cookie sandwiches in the coconut to make it stick to the oozing Dulce.

Sprinkle the tops with Powdered Sugar and you have your self a pretty impressive looking cookie, oh yeah it tastes awesome too. Little to no effort, some cheater ingredients, and a stellar cookie. Not bad for a monday!

I have to admit, I am not a big fan of using cheater ingredients, but sometimes it feels nice to cut a few corners and save some time. What is your favorite Recipe that uses some cheater ingredients?

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