Day 93 - Butterscotch Cookies

Last night while I was working on the blog, I was also on Facebook. 
I love to multitask.
It's so much more productive.
Especially when you're also on social media!
One of my young friends on FB (and I say young because I am truly old enough to be her mother), Ashley, posted that she was baking.  Of course, I was curious as to what she might be baking and am now always on the lookout for new recipes, so I just had to ask.  I also told her that if they were yummy I wanted her to share and I would think about putting it on the blog. 
I really didn't think about it for very long because all day all I could think about was butterscotch cookies and how yummy she said they were.  Ashley even said that her brother, Jared, liked LOVED them and he doesn't like cookies with nuts.
So, it really was a no-brainer.
Ashley is a sweetheart and I miss her.  We used to work in retail together, and she is an extremely intelligent and beautiful woman.  She also has the most beautiful brown eyes.
I love that she loves to bake - something I didn't know about her until recently.
Thanks for sharing these with us, Ashley!  I look forward to making these again in the future.

Butterscotch Cookies

¾ cup salted butter, softened (1½ sticks)
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
¾ cup packed brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs
3 cups flour
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
1¼ cups chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350ºF.
In a mixing bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, and sugars and beat until light and fluffy.



Mix in the vanilla and baking soda.
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition.

At this point, I just wanted to jump into this batter, it was so smooth, and delicious!

Add the flour, one cup at a time, beating thoroughly after each.
Fold in the butterscotch, white chocolate chips, and nuts.
Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

These cookies were SO rich and delicious!  The cream cheese with the two different flavored chips was magical.  I made the first batch without the nuts because I have a family member who doesn't like nuts.  I tasted one of those and one from the second batch and decided I really liked the ones with the nuts the best.  I haven't finished baking all of the batter, but I'm thinking that it will probably make a total of about 48 cookies.

I rate everything I bake on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best.  My son and daughter thought they should be given 3 rolling pins, but because I'm the boss and I REALLY liked them, I'm going to overrule the youngin's and give them a 3½!  They really are very good.

Happy baking!

Day 60 - Beautifully Complicated Butterscotch Brownies

         I was on Facebook yesterday and one of my friends from high school posted this: 

Ah, life. Beautifully complicated. Embrace it. Whatever the complications may be. Wherever they may find you.

Rich was always a great friend and I had quite a few classes with him throughout those "formative years", and he was on the school's baseball team with my husband.  He was quiet and unassuming, staying true to his character and I know he has remained this way.  I admire him for that.  He has become a great man and undoubtedly his working at World Neighbors is a testament of that character.  He was also wise beyond his years which is another reason I love this "Rich Original".  Sometimes we become so involved in the problems or challenges that we are facing that we have a tendency to not step back and see that even though it may be difficult, life is still beautiful and we do need to embrace it.  Our individual struggles are beautiful.  Be in the moment.  Do not wish it away.

"That which does not kill us makes us stronger."
— Friedrich Nietzsche

I can attest to the fact that the hardships I have endured throughout my years have definitely made me a stronger person.  Life truly is "beautifully complicated".  Thank you, Rich!
    
    
      I found these brownies in my Fannie Farmer Cookbook, Thirteenth Edition, p. 629; author, Marion Cunningham; publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., a division of Random House; ISBN 0-394-56788-9.
     Ok, I have to be honest, the making of these Butterscotch Brownies was anything but complicated.  I just called them that because the words went so well with Rich's post.  They really couldn't have been easier.  And the really fun part was that I was able to use my mother's nut chopper.  I loved that thing when I was little.  It was always so much fun to put the peanuts or walnuts in at the top, turn the handle and watch those teeth grind them into little bits.  Brought back some more memories.

     Butterscotch Brownies

     ½ cup melted butter
     2 cups dark-brown sugar
     2 eggs
     ½ teaspoon salt
     1½ cups flour
     2 teaspoons baking powder
     1 teaspoon vanilla
     1 cup chopped nuts

     Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
     Butter a 9 X 13-inch cake pan.  Mix all the ingredients together, combining them well.

 Spread in the pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until dry on top and almost firm to the touch. 

Let cool for 10-15 minutes, then cut into small squares.

     My son and husband loved them.  I thought they were good, too.  I'm going to give them 3 rolling pins even though there was disagreement over whether they should be awarded 3 or 3½.  My rating system is based on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best.  These will make a great treat to take to a friend's when you need to bring a dessert and don't have much time.  Just be conscious of those people with peanut allergies!
     Happy baking!  Remember, life is beautifully complicated.