Operation Baking Gals Round 19

For Round 19 of Operation Baking Gals, I joined Beantown Baker's team who just happened to be sponsoring one of my friend's husbands this round! We all baked for Richard who has been overseas for almost a year now. His tour will be up next month, and he will get to return home to his wife and 2 kids who have missed him terribly!

The first cookies I included this time were Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. Quite a mouthful! I found this recipe on Brown Eyed Baker and thought it would work well for the long trip overseas because it makes a thick and moist cookie.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

from Brown Eyed Baker

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
½ cup rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

3. On medium speed, cream together the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat to combine. On low speed, gradually add the flour until just combined. Stir in the oats, and then the chocolate chips.

4. Use a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) and drop dough onto prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden. Cool completely on the baking sheet and then store in an airtight container at room temperature.

The next cookies I included were basic cake mix cookies. I made these last week as sandwich cookies with a cream cheese frosting filling and loved them. I thought they would work well for shipping (without the frosting) because they stayed moist for days.

Devil's Food Cake Mix Cookies

1 box Devil's Food cake mix

2 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Mix all ingredients well. Use a medium cookie scoop to drop on parchment lined cookie sheets 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Last, I included caramel corn. This stuff is addicting!

Caramel Corn

from Allrecipes

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 quarts popped popcorn

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (95 degrees C). Place popcorn in a very large bowl.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat.
3. Place in two large shallow baking dishes and bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces.

I also filled in all the extra space in my flat rate box with candy and nuts. I hope Richard enjoys!

Caramel Corn

Caramel Corn

From All Recipes

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 quarts popped popcorn

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (95 degrees C). Place popcorn in 2 large shallow baking dishes or 1 large roasting pan.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat.
3. Bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces.

Gooey Caramel Butter Bars

Gooey Caramel Butter Bars
from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey

For the Crust:

1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

2 Tbs vanilla

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

For the Filling:

1 bag (14 oz.) caramel candies (about 50 individual caramels), unwrapped

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 to 2 tablespoons dark rum (optional)

pinch of salt

1 cup pecans, walnuts or cashews (optional)

confectioners' sugar for dusting (optional)

To make the crust:

In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugars. Using an electric mixer set at medium speed, beat together until creamy. Add the vanilla and salt and beat until combined. Sift the flour into the butter mixture and beat on low speed until a smooth soft dough forms.

Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Press one-third of the dough evenly into the pan to form a bottom crust. Pat the remaining dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325F. Bake until firm and the edges are a pale golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

While the bottom crust is baking and the remaining dough is chilling, make the caramel filling. Place the unwrapped caramels in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the cream, rum (if using), and salt. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and stir until smooth. If caramels are not completely melted, microwave on high for 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until smooth.

Sprinkle the nuts, if using, over the bottom crust. Pour the caramel filling over the nuts, using a small metal spatula to nudge the filling evenly over the crust. Remove the remaining chilled dough from the refrigerator and crumble it evenly over the caramel. Return the pan to the oven and bake until the filling is bubbly and the crumbled shortbread topping is firm and lightly golden, about 30 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.Use a sharp knife to cut the bars evenly into 15 large squares. Remove the bars from the pan with a metal spatula and, if desired, cut in half on the diagonal to form 30 triangular bars. Dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

The bars will keep, covered tightly at room temperature, for about 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.