Jessica Merchant's Blog, page 386

12 Days of Christmas! a Day in the Life and Giveaway.

Welcome to a day in the life! Things are getting REAL. This is super long and if you can hang with it, I adore you.

In this video you’ll see some snippets from a filming day, my video setup, equipment I use and what a work day looks like in December when it gets dark at 4pm. No editing in this one!

P.S. the autofocus on my camera was terrrrrible! sorry about that.

Yesterday’s giveaway winner is Laurie Clark who said: To be honest? Nutella & toast! Healthier? Chicken &  salsa in crock pot all day. Both delicious! Following on insta

Slow Cooker Cabernet Beef Short Ribs with Mascarpone Polenta.

It wouldn’t be December if I wasn’t serving you a hug in a bowl.

I’m about to do everything in my power to convince you that you need mascarpone polenta for dinner. Tonight. No waiting!

Look at those short ribs. !!!!!!!!!

If this doesn’t scream comfort food, I don’t know what does.

But first.

Let’s talk about the mascarpone polenta.

Over the weekend, my cousin Lacy had a meal similar to this and texted me that I HAD to make it asap. It sounded so good – and exactly like the sort of meals I crave when the whether is cold and snowy, but also something that could be perfect for Christmas – that I did make it. Instantly!

The polenta is completely to die for. It’s super creamy and smooth and the mascarpone adds some richness without making it more heavy. I wanted to eat it spoonful by spoonful right out of that pot.

I was feeling a serious holiday comfort food dish. While I love the idea of a roast or tenderloin, there is just something so welcoming about a warm cheesey bowl of polenta topped with fall-apart short ribs.

My grandma always made a large beef tenderloin on Christmas day and my mom has been doing the same. I love it – it’s fantastic. But Christmas day is so cozy and PJ-centered and hey-let’s-sit-by-the-tree-and-pour-Baileys-in-our-coffee that I’m thinking we need a polenta short rib bowl come the 25th.  You would hear no complaints from me.

Also! A minute here. We need to discuss my favorite slow cooker! I used it for these short ribs and you can actually SEAR inside the slow cooker. It is LIFE changing. Favorite ever. And ever. Buy it as a Christmas gift to yourself!

Anyhoo.

There is something so comforting yet celebratory about beef short ribs. So tender and rich, but still so inviting and not fancy or pretentious at ALL. They want to get in on the PJs and Baileys coffee fun too.

Not to mention that I just adore meals in bowls. Who needs a plate?

Slow Cooker Cabernet Beef Short Ribs with Mascarpone Polenta

Yield: serves 4 to 6

Total Time: 10 hours

Ingredients:

10 to 12 beef short ribs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1/3 cup your favorite Cabernet
fresh chopped herbs for garnish

mascarpone polenta 

4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
3/4 cup polenta (coarse grind cornmeal)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup mascarpone cheese
4 ounces pecorino Romano cheese, freshly grated
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper



Directions:

Sprinkle the short ribs with the salt, pepper and flour. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. Add the short ribs in batches and sear until golden brown on all sides. Deglaze the pan with the short ribs. Place the short ribs and liquid in the slow cooker and repeat with remaining ribs.

Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Remove the ribs from the slow cooker (keep the juices!) and place them on a plate to cool so you can handle them comfortably. Once slightly cooler, pull the beef off the bone and remove and bits of fat if desired. Place all the shredded beef back into the slow cooker and into the juices. Set the crockpot back on low or warm and toss well. The ribs are ready to eat at this point, but I like to let them soak up the juice for about 30 minutes.

mascarpone polenta 

About 30 minutes before serving the short ribs, bring the chicken stock to a boil in a saucepan. Slowly whisk in the polenta Turn the heat down to medium low and continue to stir until the mixture thickens. Once the mixture has come together and the cornmeal is thoroughly combined, reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook until the polenta is creamy and resembles the consistency of oatmeal, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes. If at any time the polenta looks parched, dry or too thick, add in some extra chicken stock ¼ cup at a time. After 30 minutes, stir in the butter, cheeses, salt and pepper. Taste and add more seasoning or cheese if desired.

To serve, scoop the polenta into a bowl. Top with the shredded short ribs and chopped fresh herbs. Serve immediately.

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag your recipes with #howsweeteats! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page. I appreciate you so much!

Extra wine please yes thank you.

The post Slow Cooker Cabernet Beef Short Ribs with Mascarpone Polenta. appeared first on How Sweet It Is.

12 Days of Christmas! Seven Springs Lights Tour and Giveaway. {CLOSED!}

It’s day two of the 12 Days of Christmas! Today is just a quick chat and a quick little tour of the Christmas lights at Seven Springs Resort. Thanks for all of your love on yesterday’s Christmas decor tour! xoxoxo

Yesterday’s giveaway winner is Chantelle Walker who said: Following on IG :) @cmg1852!

Thanks Chantelle! Shoot me an email at howsweeteats (at) gmail (dot) com.

GIVEAWAY!

Today I’m giving away the slow cooker that has seriously CHANGED my life! You can actually sauté and sear meat in this baby – not like on top of the stove in the crock, but just IN the cooker! It’s absolutely incredible and I adore it.

To enter: leave a comment on this post sharing your favorite easy weeknight dinner.

For a second entry: SUBSCRIBE to the howsweeteats youtube channel. There is a red button on the right side and you will only be notified when I upload a new video. This is the best way to be notified of a new video/giveaway in these 12 days too! Leave a comment telling me you did so.

For a third entry: follow howsweeteats on instagram. Leave a comment telling me you did so.

The giveaway will only be open for 24 hours (!!) so be sure to enter and share! A winner will be picked at random. Come back for a new video and giveaway tomorrow. xoxo

The post 12 Days of Christmas! Seven Springs Lights Tour and Giveaway. {CLOSED!} appeared first on How Sweet It Is.

12 Days of Christmas! Seven Springs Lights Tour and Giveaway.

It’s day two of the 12 Days of Christmas! Today is just a quick chat and a quick little tour of the Christmas lights at Seven Springs Resort. Thanks for all of your love on yesterday’s Christmas decor tour! xoxoxo

Yesterday’s giveaway winner is Chantelle Walker who said: Following on IG :) @cmg1852!

Thanks Chantelle! Shoot me an email at howsweeteats (at) gmail (dot) com.

GIVEAWAY!

Today I’m giving away the slow cooker that has seriously CHANGED my life! You can actually sauté and sear meat in this baby – not like on top of the stove in the crock, but just IN the cooker! It’s absolutely incredible and I adore it.

To enter: leave a comment on this post sharing your favorite easy weeknight dinner.

For a second entry: SUBSCRIBE to the howsweeteats youtube channel. There is a red button on the right side and you will only be notified when I upload a new video. This is the best way to be notified of a new video/giveaway in these 12 days too! Leave a comment telling me you did so.

For a third entry: follow howsweeteats on instagram. Leave a comment telling me you did so.

The giveaway will only be open for 24 hours (!!) so be sure to enter and share! A winner will be picked at random. Come back for a new video and giveaway tomorrow. xoxo

The post 12 Days of Christmas! Seven Springs Lights Tour and Giveaway. appeared first on How Sweet It Is.

Tuesday Things.

1. Exciting news! I’m participating in the Nicole Culver’s Food Summit again and talking all about photography (and a little video work too). Nicole is holding a FREE blog planning party and I am obsessed with this idea.

2. What do we think about the Pantone color of the year? Greenery? I’m on the fence. Nothing will ever top radiant orchid.

3. How gorgeous is this vegan chocolate peppermint cake?!

4. Very important question. Do you fill out those online surveys from random websites, ones that ask about your shopping experience? I’m a psycho and always do, because I fear that if I don’t, I won’t get the best customer service or something.

5. Please tell me that you have read Bev’s play by play of making DIY snow globes. I died.

6. TV this week was soooo good. The Affair! OMG Pacey yes yes yes. I want that situation to happen so badly. I was sort of “meh” over the finale of Divorce, I wanted it to be funnier or something. The Walking Dead… freaking Daryl. What the heck. He kills me.

7. Last week, I dropped my DSLR on the floor for the first time in seven years. I have NEVER dropped my “good” camera ever – and I didn’t even tell Eddie so now that he is reading right now, he’s probably freaking out. But it magically survived. I, on the other hand, barely did.

8. Tracy’s christmas home decor is out of this world. I need her to come live with me.

9. Going way out of my comfort zone today and vlogging a day in the life for tomorrow’s video. Eeeeep. I love that you guys are loving the 12 days of Christmas!

10. Absolutely LOVING this article on mistakes that first-time entrepreneurs make. So many are so true.

The post Tuesday Things. appeared first on How Sweet It Is.

12 Days of Christmas! I Christmas House Tour Video & Giveaway. {CLOSED}

Welcome to the 12 Days of Christmas!

I am SO excited to share with you guys that every day for the next 12 days, I’ll be vlogging (think day in the life, waaaay oversharing, Q+A videos), sharing the video here on Crumbs (and on youtube!) and holding a giveaway of my favorite things!

Here’s a peek at some of the Christmas decor in our home. So sorry if I make you nauseaus with my shaky camera skills and poor editing – I’m still learning! There are a few things I left out because I have constant #mombrain and either forgot or wasn’t able to get it together in time. Things like my favorite mini Lenox nativity set (I have no idea where to place it this year, since Max will shatter it), the Pottery Barn Kids advent/Christmas countdown calendar (that is sewn completely crooked but I refused to send back because I opened it ON the first day of advent and was determined to have a cute calendar… ), our favorite Christmas pillows and outdoor lights, etc. I wanted to wait until everything was perfect, but if I waited, I knew I’d never do it and I’ve wanted to make videos FOREVER now.

The first year we were married, Eddie surprised me and bought a tree, decorated it and made his man cave apartment a winter wonderland for us. It was actually the second tree he bought, because the first was waaaay too big, but final sale. So we ended up with two trees! That year, we put up two trees and bought lots of ornaments at Michael’s and Joann’s. That’s where the majority of our ornaments are from, along with a few Martha Stewart from Macy’s that are about eight years old and some new ones from Michael’s this year that I bought for the white tree.

I bought the white tree last year at Treetopia on sale after Christmas. The copper/blue tree is from Target this year, and by far my favorite one. The red/green decorated tree is from Frontgate and will hopefully last us a million years.

My mom made our house incredibly magical when I was growing up. In fact, she still does and I’m hoping that I can get a video of hers before these 12 days are up! She’d stay up all night for days to turn the house into a Christmas wonderland for my brothers and me. It was the most magical time EVER.

Needless to say, I’ve been a complete Christmas freak since I was a kid. When school started up again, I’d wake up early and go downstairs just so I could sit by the Christmas tree in January before we got on the bus. It was my absolute favorite!

Eddie and I were determined to make our house as Christmasy as we could for Max this year. Eddie decorated gingerbread houses for eight hours because he is a perfectionist, and even set up his own tree downstairs in the basement that I didn’t get to capture. It has been so much fun and I love sitting under the lights every night.

Enjoy! And scroll down for giveaway #1!

GIVEAWAY! 

Every day for the next 12 days until Christmas I’ll be giving away some of my favorite things. I want to show every bit of my appreciation for you guys sticking here with me for over seven years, reading the rambles that I write and making my recipes and leaving comments and supporting me 100%. Even when I write horrific run-on sentences and use 34 exclamation points in one post. And say “literally.” Ugh.

THANK YOU so much for being here. You changed my life and I am forever grateful for you.

Today I’m giving away a mirrorless camera! If you read my favorites post, you know I use one all the time and I even shot a few pieces of the video here with mine. I was super excited to giveaway the Samsung nx300 that I always talk about, but unfortunately it’s no longer available. Instead, I’m giving away the comparable Sony alpha a6000, which I’ve even considered switching to. This giveaway is not sponsored or affiliated with anyone and is given by me. It is open to EVERYONE EVERYWHERE! Wahoo.

To enter: leave a comment on this post sharing your favorite holiday memory!

For a second entry: SUBSCRIBE to the howsweeteats youtube channel. There is a red button on the right side and you will only be notified when I upload a new video. This is the best way to be notified of a new video/giveaway in these 12 days too! Leave a comment telling me you did so.

For a third entry: follow howsweeteats on instagram. Leave a comment telling me you did so.

The giveaway will only be open for 24 hours (!!) so be sure to enter and share! A winner will be picked at random. Come back for a new video and giveaway tomorrow. xoxo

The post 12 Days of Christmas! I Christmas House Tour Video & Giveaway. {CLOSED} appeared first on How Sweet It Is.

12 Days of Christmas! I Christmas House Tour Video & Giveaway.

Welcome to the 12 Days of Christmas!

I am SO excited to share with you guys that every day for the next 12 days, I’ll be vlogging (think day in the life, waaaay oversharing, Q+A videos), sharing the video here on Crumbs (and on youtube!) and holding a giveaway of my favorite things!

Here’s a peek at some of the Christmas decor in our home. So sorry if I make you nauseaus with my shaky camera skills and poor editing – I’m still learning! There are a few things I left out because I have constant #mombrain and either forgot or wasn’t able to get it together in time. Things like my favorite mini Lenox nativity set (I have no idea where to place it this year, since Max will shatter it), the Pottery Barn Kids advent/Christmas countdown calendar (that is sewn completely crooked but I refused to send back because I opened it ON the first day of advent and was determined to have a cute calendar… ), our favorite Christmas pillows and outdoor lights, etc. I wanted to wait until everything was perfect, but if I waited, I knew I’d never do it and I’ve wanted to make videos FOREVER now.

The first year we were married, Eddie surprised me and bought a tree, decorated it and made his man cave apartment a winter wonderland for us. It was actually the second tree he bought, because the first was waaaay too big, but final sale. So we ended up with two trees! That year, we put up two trees and bought lots of ornaments at Michael’s and Joann’s. That’s where the majority of our ornaments are from, along with a few Martha Stewart from Macy’s that are about eight years old and some new ones from Michael’s this year that I bought for the white tree.

I bought the white tree last year at Treetopia on sale after Christmas. The copper/blue tree is from Target this year, and by far my favorite one. The red/green decorated tree is from Frontgate and will hopefully last us a million years.

My mom made our house incredibly magical when I was growing up. In fact, she still does and I’m hoping that I can get a video of hers before these 12 days are up! She’d stay up all night for days to turn the house into a Christmas wonderland for my brothers and me. It was the most magical time EVER.

Needless to say, I’ve been a complete Christmas freak since I was a kid. When school started up again, I’d wake up early and go downstairs just so I could sit by the Christmas tree in January before we got on the bus. It was my absolute favorite!

Eddie and I were determined to make our house as Christmasy as we could for Max this year. Eddie decorated gingerbread houses for eight hours because he is a perfectionist, and even set up his own tree downstairs in the basement that I didn’t get to capture. It has been so much fun and I love sitting under the lights every night.

Enjoy! And scroll down for giveaway #1!

GIVEAWAY! 

Every day for the next 12 days until Christmas I’ll be giving away some of my favorite things. I want to show every bit of my appreciation for you guys sticking here with me for over seven years, reading the rambles that I write and making my recipes and leaving comments and supporting me 100%. Even when I write horrific run-on sentences and use 34 exclamation points in one post. And say “literally.” Ugh.

THANK YOU so much for being here. You changed my life and I am forever grateful for you.

Today I’m giving away a mirrorless camera! If you read my favorites post, you know I use one all the time and I even shot a few pieces of the video here with mine. I was super excited to giveaway the Samsung nx300 that I always talk about, but unfortunately it’s no longer available. Instead, I’m giving away the comparable Sony alpha a6000, which I’ve even considered switching to. This giveaway is not sponsored or affiliated with anyone and is given by me. It is open to EVERYONE EVERYWHERE! Wahoo.

To enter: leave a comment on this post sharing your favorite holiday memory!

For a second entry: SUBSCRIBE to the howsweeteats youtube channel. There is a red button on the right side and you will only be notified when I upload a new video. This is the best way to be notified of a new video/giveaway in these 12 days too! Leave a comment telling me you did so.

For a third entry: follow howsweeteats on instagram. Leave a comment telling me you did so.

The giveaway will only be open for 24 hours (!!) so be sure to enter and share! A winner will be picked at random. Come back for a new video and giveaway tomorrow. xoxo

The post 12 Days of Christmas! I Christmas House Tour Video & Giveaway. appeared first on How Sweet It Is.

Spiralized Sweet Potato, Kale and Bacon Quiche.

That stuff totally cancels out the bacon, doesn’t it?

It does. Because I said so.

Last year at this time, I didn’t even think that I liked quiche.

This year, it’s allllllll I can think about. I’m growing up!

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I’m am obsessively obsessing over the quiche idea for breakfast, lunch and dinner around the holidays. Mini quiches, quiche bars, quiche tarts – you name it, it’s in my plans. Such serious comfort food that you can trash up incessantly.

HELLO!

This has my name all over it.

These spiralized sweet potatoes practically MELT in your mouth. It’s insane. See those little swirls up there in that slice? They aren’t mushy but they aren’t crunchy either. It’s like they are perfectly al dente when quickly tossed in some bacon grease. (Oh yeah sorry I did that too.)

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The kale is garlicky and delicious. I love kale with eggs and omelets, as long as it’s chopped into small pieces. I did the same here for the quiche and its perfection. Plus, I swear that the inclusion of kale here deems this quiche a Christmas superfood. It only makes sense.

The crunchy bacon is obviously fantastic but what’s even better is the havarti cheese. If you have a copy of Seriously Delish, then you know that I have a frittata in the book made with queso cheese sauce. I planned on doing the same here! I wanted to make a quiche with queso (I mean how often do you get a recipe with two Q’s? oh hi alliteration lovers.) but as I was developing this recipe, things got a little out of hand.

We were already crisping up the bacon, spiralizing sweet potatoes AND chopping and quickly cooking kale. It was becoming too much work, even for me who is always in the kitchen. So I swapped my queso idea for one of the meltiest cheeses I know: Havarti.

And guess what? The freaking Havarti almost acts like queso! It’s so thick and melty and gooey and delicious. I was afraid my eggs were undercooked but oh no – it was just a large pocket of cheesy goodness.

Also, my quiche looks so desperate and sad for a nice crust because I threw it in a springform pan. My tart pan that I usually use was already filled with something delicious, so I was almost out of luck. I didn’t want to use a pie dish because I wanted to remove the quiche in one piece, so springform it was.

I actually loved the raised crust! It wasn’t the prettiest but I crumbled the extra crust on TOP of the quiche and oh my word was it perfect. Extra crunch and that buttery flakiness? I die.

If you want to see how I make a quiche in my traditional tart pan, check out last year’s roasted broccolini and bacon quiche. Is this becoming an annual holiday thing? I think so. Never hold the bacon.

Spiralized Sweet Potato, Kale and Bacon Quiche

Yield: 6

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients:

crust

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoons salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 cup ice cold water
3/4 cups cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces (1 1/2 sticks or 12 tablespoons)
for brushing: 1 egg + a few drops of water, beaten together

filling

6 slices bacon, chopped
1 small sweet potato, spiralized
2 cups chopped kale
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups freshly grated havarti cheese
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt



Directions:

crust

Add the flour, sugar and salt to a food processor and pulse just until combined. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, vinegar and water. Add the cold butter pieces into the food processor and pulse until small coarse crumbs remain. Sprinkle the water/egg mixture over the flour and pulse again until the dough comes together.

Remove the dough with your hands and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, roll the dough out and place it in a 9-inch tart pan or (deep dish) pie plate.

filling

Preheat the oven heat to 350 degrees F.

Add the bacon to a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy, then remove the bacon with a slotted spoon. Place it on a paper towel to drain any excess grease. Pour half of the bacon grease into a bowl. To the same skillet, add the spiralized potatoes. Cook for just 1 to 2 minutes, tossing often. Place the potatoes in a bowl.

Add a bit of the bacon grease back to the same skillet. Add the chopped kale and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, just until the kale softens and wilts. Turn off the heat.

Whisk together the eggs, cream, cheese, salt and pepper. Place half of the sweet potatoes, bacon and kale into the crust and pour the egg mixture over top. Add the remaining potatoes, bacon and kale, mixing them in gently. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until golden on top and set in the center. Let sit for about 15 minutes. Serve!

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag your recipes with #howsweeteats! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page. I appreciate you so much!

It’s like pie for breakfast.

The post Spiralized Sweet Potato, Kale and Bacon Quiche. appeared first on How Sweet It Is.

Currently Crushing On.

{via}

Hello hello! Welcome to another December weekend. This is a big one for us because… somebody turns two! How? What? When?! Aside from melting into a puddle of tears, today we’re celebrating Max’s birthday with a party and then Sunday on his actual birthday, I’m sure we will do something crazy fun.

If you need a Christmas cocktail: Vanilla Ginger Cranberry Margaritas! So festive. Or White Christmas Margarita Punch! Or just… wine. So much wine.

And if you still need gift ideas, check out the shop page and don’t forget about my gift guides! I’m super close to being finished Christmas shopping, wahoo.

Have a great one. xoxo

Favorite links of the week:

four cheese vertical roll lasagna. WHAT! amazing.

these vegan double chocolate caramels sound fantastic.

the ultimate crudite plate. this is stunning.

sweet potato pie old fashioned. how fabulous.

what i wouldn’t give for a coffee blondie!

loving on these sweet potato tacos with radish slaw.

perfect cream cheese sugar cookies. going to try these out!

the most adorable .

oh my. special ingredient hot chocolate looks insane.

jasmine tea infused vodka. tracy makes the best foodie gifts!

craving butter roasted chicken and fresh corn johnny cakes like whoa.

amazed by this cinnamon spice mochi babka.

this spiced rum punch sounds like the best holiday party drink.

The post Currently Crushing On. appeared first on How Sweet It Is.

Bourbon Soaked Cherry Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.

OH.MY.GOSH.

Yes these are a thing.

AND! You get a serving of fruit. Best day ever?

And they also need to be a thing in your Christmas house.

My friend Katy (who is a part of the howsweeteats team!) gave me these cookies the first time we met, and I was skeptical. Fruit? Oatmeal? Could I do this?

With one bite… holy cow. Some of the best cookies ever. Dead serious.

So here’s the deal: you soak dried cherries in bourbon. Let them get all plump and juicy. Juicy with bourbon!

Yes, I supposed you could use another dried fruit, something like… raisins (oh the HORROR) or maybe cranberries. Or figs? Ooooh I like that.

The thing is that I don’t love dried fruit in my cookies. I don’t really want much fruit in my cookies at all and want all the trash. Trash like peanut butter, chocolate chunks, white chocolate, anything with the name chocolate, it should be in my cookies. You hear me, right?

So this is a change, but it’s a VERY welcome one.

Plus, it’s almost like you’re eating a chocolate covered bourbon soaked cherry! Perfection. Because I had to add chocolate. I couldn’t NOT add chocolate.

The cookies are also SO chewy. If I’m going to have oatmeal cookies, I want them ridiculously chewy. These are those. This is us!

I used milk chocolate chips, because my palate is as sophisticated as a five year old. I don’t LOVE dark chocolate.

But I love eating it and saying it’s a health food. So if you want to go the dark give-me-the-antioxidants route, do it. Health for everyone this Christmas.

Bourbon Soaked Cherry Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yield: makes 24 large cookies

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup dried tart cherries
1/3 cup bourbon
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour


1 teaspoon ground cinnamon


1 teaspoon baking soda


1 teaspoon salt


1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut


1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature


1 cup packed light brown sugar


1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons molasses


1 large egg


2 teaspoons vanilla extract


3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats


1 cup milk chocolate chips



Directions:

Place the cherries in a bowl and cover them with the bourbon. Microwave for 1 minute then let them sit and soak for at least 10 minutes - or even longer.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl, stir together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add the coconut and stir it into the flour.

In the bowl of your electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the maple syrup and molasses and mix to combine. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in two batches; mix until just combined. Add oats and cranberries and remaining bourbon if you'd like, and mix until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Using a 2-inch ice cream scoop or scoop 3 tablespoons,  drop the dough 2 inches apart onto a baking sheet. Bake until edges begin to turn golden brown, 15 to 17 minutes.  Do not overbake even if the center looks a bit soft, they will set while cooling.  Let cookies cool on the baking sheet until firm enough to remove to wire racks, about 2 minutes.

Cookies can be kept in an airtight container for about 2 weeks. They also freeze well in a airtight bag for up to 3 months.

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag your recipes with #howsweeteats! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page. I appreciate you so much!

Meltiness!!!

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