This One's For You

Occasionally, I try to do something nice for my kid brother. You know, kindle that sacred brother-sister love. In my head, I like to think my acts of kindness would be more frequent if he didn't wrestle me to the floor and sit on me every chance he got. Despite our painful encounters, I know somewhere, deep inside, Russ loves me. Right, Russ? Right. Regardless, I've taken to mailing my little brother baked goods. After all, he is in college and probably experiencing the wrath joy of college dining centers.

This months baked items included Brownies, Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars, Peanut Butter Cookies and Oatmeal Cinnamon Cookies. I am not ashamed that the brownies came from a box. They are delicious and I would eat the whole pan.

I started working in the bakery this week. My shift starts at 4 AM so my afternoons are free for the taking. I prefer to bake and mail my packages the same day, but that doesn't always happen. I baked the brownies and chocolate chip cookie bars and mixed up the cookie dough last night. Then baked off the cookies this morning. Later, I walked down to the post office to pick up a large flat-rate box for shipping, trudged home through the snow/ice, packed up my fragile goods and drove back to mail the whole item. This one's for you, Russ. Enjoy.

No-Bake Cookies

So I have this friend named Alee. Whenever I make no-bake cookies I think of her and smile. She is a no-bake cookie goddess. I love no-bakes because they are super easy, quick to make and ridiculously delicious. Honestly though, whenever I make no-bake cookies it tends to stem from a craving for the warm buttersugarpeanutbutteroat mass created in the pot. I eat it straight from the pot by spoonfuls. No shame. Here's to you Alee!

Ingredients:
1/2 c. Butter or shortening
2 c. Sugar
1/2 c. Milk
1/4 c. Cocoa Powder
1/2 c. Peanut Butter
3 c. Quick-cooking oats

Process:
Boil butter, sugar and milk in a medium pot. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter until smooth. Add cocoa powder and oats. Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Allow to cool or refrigerate.

Kitchen Sink Cookies

I love baking when I'm home because there are more people to bake for and my mom always has a fully stocked kitchen. And I love Kitchen Sink cookies because I'm an indecisive person and these cookies allow me to put virtually everything into one without having to decide- Hurray!

• 1/2 c. unsalted Butter
• 1/2 c. + 2 TBS Granulated Sugar
• 1/4 c. Brown Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1 TBS Milk
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 1/2 c. Oats
• 3/4 + 3 TBS Flour
• 1/2 c. Choc. chips
• 1/2 c. PB chips
• 1/2 c. Rice Krispis
• 1/2 c. Shredded Coconut

1. Cream butter and sugars.
2. Add egg, vanilla and milk until well combined
3. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Stir into creamed mixture.
4. Add oats, chips, Rice Krispis and coconut and stir until well combined
5. Drop by spoonfuls onto slightly greased cookie sheet
6. Bake at 375 F for 10-12 minutes