Butterfinger Cookies

Butterfinger is one of those really underrated candy bars. It's just freaking delicious. It's worth getting stuck in your teeth, which it always does. I've never quite figured out why they market it as a peanut butter candy bar, as I don't get that flavor from it ... just crunchy deliciousness.

So obviously I had to try these Butterfinger Cookies from Sweet Sprinkle Bakes. And, oh my! They are honestly too big for me to even eat an entire one without feeling miserable, but they're so good that it's hard to stop. So, I scaled them down for most of my bakes, but these have been a hit in my household!

Butterfinger Cookies

6 cups flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder 

1/2 tsp. baking soda

4 sticks butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

2 cups peanut butter chips

1 cup dry roasted, salted peanuts12 whole fun-size candy bars, each one chopped individually

Extra chips for topping, optional

1 tsp. flaky sea salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheets with parchment paper.

In an extra large bowl, combine flours, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, beat together butter and sugars until fluffy. Scrape down sides, and add eggs one at a time, mixing to combine. Scrape sides, and add vanilla. Gradually add dry ingredients until combined.

Add both chips and peanuts to the batter, and mix until dispersed. Scoop cookie dough by level 3/4 cups or weigh out 7 oz. portions. Working one at a time, chop a fun-size candy bar into rough chunks. Flatten each cookie dough ball and place it on top of the chopped candy to scoop all the candy into the inside of the ball. 

Gently roll cookie balls in extra chips, and sprinkle with sea salt.  Bake 20-22 minutes or until set. Let cool completely. Makes 14 giant cookies.

Pro tip: chill the dough for up to 48 hours prior to baking. Let dough "thaw" at room temperature 10 minutes prior to baking. 

Sourdough Biscuits

My family loves biscuits, primarily as biscuits and gravy. While I enjoy that meal, I almost always reserve a biscuit to be enjoyed with melted butter and honey. Such a simple combination to truly enjoy all the qualities of the biscuit.

These biscuits from Buttermilk by Sam may be the best biscuits I've ever made. They are amazing and worth every bit of effort!

Sourdough Biscuits

500 grams flour

4 tsp. baking powder

50 grams sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, slightly softened

100 grams sourdough discard

300 grams buttermilk

Whisk together dry ingredients, and add butter with a pastry cutter or your fingers until it's pea-size clumps. Add the discard and buttermilk, and stir together until dough is incorporated. Use your hands to bring the dough together in a rough ball. 

Place dough on floured counter top, and press into a 12 x 10 rectangle. Fold it over in half and then again. Repeat this step. Press the dough into a 1-inch thick rectangle, and use a bench scraper to cut biscuits into 3 x 3 squares. 

Place biscuits on prepared tray, leaving no more than an inch of space between them. Freeze at least 30 minutes while pre-heating oven to 400°F. Right before you bake, brush the tops with buttermilk, heavy cream or milk. Bake 20 minutes or until golden. 

Never makes enough biscuits, so double it.  

Sourdough Discard Waffles

I'm a huge fan of the overnight yeasted waffles I share on this site, so much that I was reluctant to try another waffle recipe. But, I have a sourdough life, so I thought I'd try sourdough waffles. This recipe from Love and Olive Oil is really good. It's less buttery than my other recipe, with more tang, but the waffles structurally are about the same ... perfect. 

Sourdough Discard Waffles

2 cups flour

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup sourdough discard 

6 Tbsp. butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm

3 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

Combine all ingredients together through butter. Cover, and let sit overnight (at least 8 hours). Whisk together remaining ingredients, and then whisk into batter. Cook in your waffle iron, and enjoy. Makes about 7 waffles.

Broccoli Cheddar Orzo Soup

Well, I obviously have a busy life and haven't spent any time posting here in more than a year. That doesn't mean I'm not baking and cooking, but gosh, running a bakery, working at a leadership role in a non-profit and being mom and wife take up a lot of time.

We've enjoyed many delicious meals and treats, so I'm going to try to drop a few in here, though most won't have pictures. 

This is a delicious recipe, perhaps even better as leftovers because it becomes almost like a casserole instead of a soup. 

Broccoli Cheddar Orzo Soup

4 Tbsp. butter

1 onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup flour

2 cups milk

4 to 5 cups chicken stock

3 cups broccoli florets

1 cup shredded carrot

1 cup dry, uncooked orzo

2 cups freshly grated sharp Cheddar

Sauté the onions and garlic with a pinch of salt and pepper until onions soften, about 5 minutes. Gradually stir in flour and cook 3 to 5 minutes. Slowly stream in the milk while stirring, and then add in the stock. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Add broccoli, carrots and orzo. Simmer 10 minutes, uncovered, until vegetables and orzo are tender. Slowly add cheese, stirring until incorporated. Makes 4 large servings.