Holiday Baking Championship with #FoodNetworkonX1 #ComcastMI

apple squares, bake, baking

Stephanie and I were invited to a Holiday Baking blogger event on Sunday.  We had to bake holiday cookies for a competition with other local bloggers.  I always love going to these events, because it gives me a chance to actually meet some of the local bloggers that I chat with online and read their blogs. 

When we arrived we each received an awesome goody bag. The goody bags were courtesy of Comcast Michigan, Food Network, tervis, Boardwalk Food Company, and Peanut Butter & Co. We are excited to make the beer bread & try out the tervis insulated drinking cup.
Stephanie enjoying a Snickers latte.
Everything was laid out so nicely. The Cappuccino Man was there serving many different coffee drinks, along with excellent fruit smoothies. There were other tasty snacks, but I was trying to save room for the cookie contest. While we were trying the drinks & cookies, we learned about the new Xfinity X1 system. One of the things we learned was that you can use your phone as a remote. Also, instead of just 1 recently watched channel, you can see the last 9 channels that you watched. They had iPads on display that we could use during the event for our social media tweets and more.
#FoodNetworkonX1
The Food Network was premiering a new show called Holiday Baking Championship, and we had the honor of watching the premiere episode, courtesy of Comcast Michigan.  In case you missed it, you can click here to check it out.  It might give you some great ideas for the upcoming holidays.
Prizes included Cookbooks, a Tervis cup set, & the grand prize Food Network gift basket
Although neither of us placed in the cookie contest, we still walked away with lots of swag, laughs, and a very full belly.  

I have included my apple square recipe.  This recipe has been modified from one on Allrecipes. By, Crystal
baking, holidays, apple squares.
Apple Squares
Apple Squares
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup of melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup of chopped apple
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9x9 inch pan.  Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix together melted butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup of white sugar with a wooden spoon until smooth.  Stir in the egg and vanilla.  Blend in the flour mixture until well combined. Then stir in the apples.  Spread the mixture evenly into pan.  In a cup, mix together the remaining cinnamon and sugar.  Sprinkle over the bars.

3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in preheated oven. Finished bars will spring back when touched.  Cool and cut into squares.

I saw this S'mores cookie recipe on Pinterest. Here is my modified recipe. By, Stephanie
S'mores Crinkle Cookies - before baking & the finished cookie
S'mores Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients:
2 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 tablespoons milk
1 cup miniature marshmallows, cut in half
8 full-sheet graham crackers, ground into fine crumbs

Directions:
Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.

Using a mixer beat the butter, sugar, and brown sugar together in a large bowl on medium speed until creamed. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.

Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined. Add the milk. Cover the dough and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Allow the dough to slightly soften at room temperature for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Line or butter a large baking sheet. Set aside.

Pour graham cracker crumbs into a bowl. Take about 1.5 Tablespoons of chilled dough at a time and roll into a ball. Roll each cookie dough ball into the graham cracker crumbs. Repeat with the rest of the cookie dough. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and press 2-3 pieces of marshmallow on top of each cookie. Return to the oven for another 2 minutes or until the marshmallow is golden. Allow cookies to cool on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Makes 45+ cookies.

CONVERSATION

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Back
to top