but this *is* how i relax (recovery baking)

so this morning i had some minor surgery, and since my mom is in town for a wedding she was kind enough to drive me and spend the day with me while i was coming out of anesthesia. she was saying how she wanted to bake for the office she is working out of this week but didnt have time. since i was not really capable of intelligent thought and had already laid down for a few hours, i figured i might as well help my mom out and do a little baking to help me feel back to normal. i decided that i would make two things and bring half in to my office as well  [o:

i had bought a bunch of holiday baking magazines in the past couple weeks, so it was about time i start baking my way through them. i found two recipes that looked good, yet simple enough to make without much thought and also did not require any ingredients i did not have on hand. the great thing about the first recipe is that i got to use the coconut, butterscotch, and pecans that i had left over from previous bakes. hurrah! since i was told to eat very light today i did not get to try these cookies, nor the shortbread brownies. i am still in search of an amazing brownie recipe; this one is not it, but mom said they came out pretty good. i have made brownies with a chocolate chip cookie layer, but the shortbread is a bit different… definitely more buttery.

the shortbread brownies were definitely a hit, and even those who swore they hated coconut enjoyed the cookies, as the texture of the oatmeal and flavor of the butterscotch were strong enough to win over their taste buds  [o:

Recipes:

shortbread brownies (from better homes & gardens “ultimate cookies”, winter 2009)

ingredients

• for the shortbread:
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate pieces
• for the brownies:
• 1-1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate pieces

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Line a 9x9x2-inch baking pan with foil; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl stir together 1 cup flour and the brown sugar. Cut in the 1/2 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the 1/4 cup chocolate pieces. Press into prepared pan. Bake for 8 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl stir together granulated sugar, 3/4 cup flour, the cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Add eggs, melted butter, and vanilla; beat by hand until smooth. Stir in the 1/2 cup chocolate pieces. Carefully spread over crust in pan.

3. Bake 40 minutes more. Cool brownies in pan on a wire rack. Lift brownies out of pan by lifting up on foil. Cut into bars. Makes 24 bars

Coconut Oatmeal Chewies (from cuisine at home holiday baking, 2009)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp table salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups old fashioned rolled oats

3/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut

3/4 cup butterscotch chips

3/4 cup chopped toasted pecans

whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl, set aside. using a hand mixer on medium, cream butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl until mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. add eggs and vanilla to creamed mixture; beat on low speed until well blended. add half of the flour mixture; beat on low speed until ingredients are combined. add remaining flour, beating only until flour is incorporated into dough. fold oats, coconut, butterscotch chips, and pecans into dough with a spoon until evenly distributed. chill the dough in the refrigerator until slightly firm (the recipe says at hour, but i didnt leave it in nearly that long and mine were fine)

scoop dough onto lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart. bake cookies at 350, 11-13 minutes (more time= less chewy). let cookies cool on sheet 5 minutes then transfer to cooling rack. makes about 3 dozen cookies