Kitchen Sink Cookies and Bars

What a weekend.  Matt and I went to Philadelphia to celebrate the wedding of one of my best friends since 4th grade.  She was a gorgeous bride and I was so happy to be a bridesmaid and such a big part of the celebration.  Not going to lie, though, one of the highlights of the weekend may have been the wedding cake.  After a week of limiting my carbs to make sure the dress would fit, I was extra excited for dessert.  Matt and I shared so that we could try both options: vanilla bean cake with caramel buttercream and a chocolate chip pound cake with cookies ‘n cream filling topped with cream cheese icing.  They deserve a lot of credit for such an amazing cake selection.  Not to mention the fact that it was a stunning 6-tier wedding cake!

On the downside, after a bad cold all last week, a Friday night without sleep (long story) and full Saturday of wedding activities, I woke up feeling really lousy on Sunday and lost my voice.  Not being able to talk is extremely frustrating!  However, struggling to communicate with people for 24 hours reminded me how lucky I am to have all of my senses on a regular basis.  It is amazing how all the little things are so easy to take for granted!

Now, as for these cookies (and bars), this is my latest post for The Secret Recipe Club.  This month I got to choose a recipe from Life’s Simple Measures.  The Kitchen Sink Cookies were actually perfect since you can put almost anything in them you want.  Given that we are moving and trying to use up food we have on hand, it was a great way to deplete a few of my baking ingredients.  [Sidenote:  It is a good thing we aren’t moving far because I still have an entire kitchen of baking ingredients to use.  I also told myself no more baking before we move next Tuesday but I already have my eye on the brown bananas just dying to get used for something delicious.  Any suggestions? ]

Jess’s blog has a lot of other great baked good recipes that I considered including these Cinnamon Bun Scones, Double-Apple Mini Bundt Cakes and Candied Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Be sure to check out her blog!

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Kitchen Sink Cookies

Yield: 5 dozen cookies or 24 bars

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 3/4 cups Rice Krispies
• 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
• 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

Cooking Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine cereals, marshmallows and chocolate; set aside
2. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside
3. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugars on high speed until light and fluffy
4. On medium speed, mix in eggs and vanilla
5. Stir in flour mixture until well-combined
6. Stir in cereal/marshmallow/chocolate mixture
7. Refrigerate cookie dough for two hours or until chilled
8. When ready to bake, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
9. If making cookies, line baking sheets with parchment paper and use a cookie dough scoop or tablespoon (1 1/2 tablespoons each) to place cookie dough balls on sheets 2 inches apart
10. Bake cookies 10-12 minutes or until golden brown
11. Transfer parchment paper to a wire rack with cookies still intact and allow to cool completely before serving (well, unless you like a gooey, delicious mess)
12. If making bars, line a 13×9 pan with parchment paper and press cookie dough into pan
13. Bake for ~40 minutes or until golden brown and knife comes out clean from the center
14. Allow pan to cool on a wire rack

Adapted from Life’s Simple Measures [/print_this]

What was the highlight of your weekend?