Sally McKenney's Blog, page 186

Homemade Crab Pretzels.

Homemade chewy, super soft pretzels piled high with cheesy crab dip made with fresh jumbo lump crab. This snack is a Maryland favorite!

If you’ve ever lived in Maryland, you’re probably pretty stoked right now. Yeah, stoked. 

Crab pretzels are a regular where I live. You can find them on nearly every bar or pub menu. Kevin and I order them all the time and wash them down with a cold beer. They’re a Maryland classic. Comfort food at its finest. The best darn appetizer you’ll ever taste.

And they’re quite overpriced. So uh… just make ‘em at home.

Crab pretzels served at your favorite Maryland restaurant are typically the size of a large dinner plate. It’s a giant chewy and super soft pretzel, topped with warm crab dip (made with pricey lump crab meat, if done right) and topped with cheese. And of course, Old Bay seasoning. Broil it in the oven until the cheese is nice and crispy.

Yeah, heaven.

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© Sally’s Baking Addiction 2012

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Bites of Real Life, 12.

Welcome back to my Bites of Real Life posts!

How was your Christmas? What did you bake?

I can’t believe it’s already past. Every year, it comes and goes so quickly!

I spent the past few days at my parents’ in Philadelphia and took the time off from my blog. It felt nice to disconnect! I ate a lot of good food, drank a lot of good drinks, made macaroons, saw Wolf of Wall Street (amazing acting!), caught up with my friends Amy and Katy, kicked my feet up, and spent time with the fam.

The gals on the right are my sisters. People say we look a lot alike, people say we look nothing alike. Their names are Saundra and Sarah, respectively. Sarah just got engaged!

(Yes, we are all S’s.)

Let’s see, what else was I up to…

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© Sally’s Baking Addiction 2012

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Giant Cinnamon Roll Cake.

Learn how to make a beautiful, fluffy, and soft cinnamon roll cake using my kitchen-tested dough recipe. 

The happiest of holidays to you. Why not celebrate with a giant cinnamon roll the size of a cake? Tis the season.

I had a little fun in the kitchen this past weekend. I had visions of this giant cinnamon roll in my head for weeks and had no idea if it would turn out. If you follow me on Instagram, you witnessed my trepidations.

I rolled out my dough, spiraled it in a large coil, let it rise, and baked it. The result ended with me on the couch sipping a glass of wine and calling a huge piece of cinnamon roll cake my dinner. Recipe success, to say the least.

The idea for this cake came from a giant craving for gooey cinnamon rolls. I blame the tempting smells of cinnamon rolls wafting through the mall as I holiday shopped this month. The mall near my apartment knows me too well. They stick a Cinnabon right next to Nordstrom, my favorite store. Seriously?!

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© Sally’s Baking Addiction 2012

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Caramel Surprise Snickerdoodles.

Soft & chewy snickerdoodle cookies stuffed with caramel. Quick, simple, and you don’t even need a mixer to make them!

We have reached the final recipe in Sally’s Cookie Palooza party. 10 cookie recipes in 12 days. My cookie jar is literally overflowing. My freezer is full of cookie dough. My neighbors are sugar-ed out. Kevin’s coworkers think I’m a crazy cookie lady.

(And they are totally thankful, for the record.)

I made today’s cookie recipe to bring home for the holidays. My snickerdoodle-loving mom will be endlessly cooking the entire week, so I offered to make a few dozen cookies for the dessert trays. I have a feeling these cookies will blow everyone’s mind.

So what exactly do we have here? Why it’s another stuffed cookie!

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© Sally’s Baking Addiction 2012

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Reese’s Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies.

Super soft peanut butter cookies stuffed with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and drizzled with peanut butter/chocolate. A peanut butter lover’s dream!

Welcome to day 9 of Sally’s Cookie Palooza! Surely you didn’t think I’d throw a cookie bash without inviting some peanut butter to the party – right? If you know anything about me, you know my love for peanut butter runs deep.

(Heck, I even drink peanut butter.)

Since I made you wait 9 days into the party, I tripled the peanut butter goodness in this cookie recipe.  Soft and thick peanut butter cookies, secretly stuffed with peanut butter cups, and topped with melted peanut butter chocolate. Yes, yes, and yes.

These cookies are completely crazy. They’re the star of the show. They’re the peanut butter cookies to put all other peanut butter cookies to shame. They are absolutely number 1 on my peanut butter cookie list at this point.

Ha! Who am I kidding? I can’t choose favorites.

If you love peanut butter as much as I do, you have to make these cookies. If you have a peanut butter lover in your life, you have to make these cookies. If you have any tastebuds at all, you have to make these cookies.

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© Sally’s Baking Addiction 2012

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Chewy Brown Sugar Cookies.

Super soft and chewy brown sugar cookies – no mixer required!

Welcome to Day 8 of Sally’s Cookie Palooza!

We took a quick break yesterday for some engagement photo excitement. Kevin and I are having a hard time choosing our favorites. Definitely getting the first one printed! A very huge thank you to our amazing photographer, Megan Beth. If you’re in the DC/Virginia/Baltimore area, definitely look into miss Megan. Words cannot describe this wedding photographer’s talent!

Let’s put the thoughts of wedding dress fittings aside for at least 5 more days. It’s the holidays. Tis the season for baking cookies. And more cookies. And more cookies. And I’m sure I’ll still be saying that on our wedding day. Oh well. You only live once!

I like cookies with a lot going on. Chips of chocolate, swirls of peanut butter, butterscotch morsels, chunks of nuts, stuffed with caramel, and other delightful candies. Sprinkle cookies, chocolate chip cookies, frosted cookies – the more stuff going on, the better.

But not all the time.

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Engagement Photos.

©2013 Megan Beth Photography www.meganbeth.com

 

Today I’m taking a quick break from Sally’s Cookie Palooza to show you something special.

Let’s rewind to January 26th 2013. Kevin and I took a trip to Deep Creek Lake, MD to get away from real life for a weekend. We stayed at Haley Farm Bed & Breakfast, a cozy little spot on a farm. Deep Creek had a snowy blizzard earlier that week.

We planned to take a trip to Swallow Falls State Park to snap some pictures of the snowy waterfall.

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Ultimate Magic Cookie Bars.

Soft-baked graham cracker cookie bars with butterscotch, coconut, chocolate, and pecans. An ultimate version of the classic magic bar/hello dolly bar.

Welcome to Day 7 of Sally’s Cookie Palooza! So are you sick of cookies ye…

Ha! I can’t even finish typing that sentence. Of course you aren’t.

Well, we actually are taking a short break from cookies today. Cookie bars are on the menu and you’re absolutely going to love them.

Traditional Magic Bars, also known as Hello Dolly Bars or 7 Layer Bars, are a layered dessert bar with a crumbly graham cracker crust, then topped with layers of butterscotch, coconut, chocolate, and nuts. Everything sticks together from gooey sweetened condensed milk that caramelizes on top when baked.

In short… magic bars are everything you love all in one.

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Homemade Oreos.

A simple homemade version of your favorite cream-filled chocolate cookie. Plus, make homemade mint Oreos too!

Welcome to Day 6 of Sally’s Cookie Palooza! Be warned: picture overload today. I can’t shake my love for Oreos, you guys.

These homemade Oreos are for my fiancé. Oreos are his favorite store-bought cookie. It’s often he digs into my stash of Oreo cookies that are clearly labeled “need for recipe!” Oreos are Kevin’s favorite accompaniment to cold milk and favorite remedy to a chocolate craving. The guy can’t get enough. And oh yeah, I love ‘em too.

I made these homemade Oreos as a huge “thank you” to the wonderful early Christmas present he got me. What a fun night that was! The next day, tired and groggy from a late night, we ate homemade Oreos. And it was nothing short of amazing.

Making America’s most popular store-bought cookie is much easier than you ever imagined. They aren’t as crunchy as the authentic, but they aren’t as soft and cakey as whoopie pies either. They’re in between. And I find that they are crunchier on day 2. Perfect-o with some milk and/or ice cream.

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© Sally’s Baking Addiction 2012

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Coconut Macaroons.

Homemade coconut macaroons that are sweet, moist, and chewy on the inside with a delightfully crisp exterior. Enjoy my recipe in 4 different varieties!

Welcome to Day 5 of Sally’s Cookie Palooza! Confession: I took yesterday off from posting to autograph/address all 100 book plates for the winners of this giveaway. Great news! More Sally’s Baking Addiction cookbook giveaways ahead.

But first… coconut macaroons!

I have a HUGE spot in my heart (stomach?) for coconut macaroons.

My mom used to make them on a Christmas cookie platter every year along with her gingersnap cookies, these irresistible treats, and pecan tassies. Sometimes we’d throw some Godiva chocolates on the platter too. (Totally divine.)

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