Kitchen Sink Cookies (Panera Copycat)

Recipe found here

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (or 2 sticks or 16 tbsp. or 8 oz.) unsalted butter, browned
• 1 and 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 and 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. sea sat + more for sprinkling
• 3/4 cup broken pretzels + more for top
• 1 and 1/2 cups caramel bits (I used Kraft caramel bits) + more for top
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips + more for top

Preparation:

• Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
• To brown the butter: In a (preferably light colored) saucepan, melt butter over medium heat, whisking as it melts, foams, bubbles, and eventually little brown bits form and it turns amber. Immediately pour into a large, heatproof, bowl, and use a spatula to scrape all the little brown bits into the bowl. I recommend letting the browned butter cool a bit so it doesn't melt the chocolate chips :)
• Using a stand or hand mixer, beat the vanilla and sugars into the butter for a couple minutes, until it lightens a bit.
• Beat in eggs for about 30 seconds.
• Add the baking powder, 1/2 tsp. salt, and about a third of the flour. Mix slowly, add another third of flour, mix, and add the last of the flour until just combined. 
• Stir in the pretzels, caramel bits, and chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
• Scoop out very large balls of dough (at least 1/4 cup, but could be bigger, up to 1/2 cup size) and place on prepared baking sheet, leaving plenty of space in between (will need to do multiple batches.) Add more broken pretzel pieces, caramel bits, and chocolate chips to the tops of the dough balls to preference. Sprinkle with sea salt.
• Bake 12-14 minutes (this will vary, though, according to the size of your cookies), until golden around the edges. Remove and allow to cool on the sheet for 5 minutes. Then, transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Hot Fudge Sauce

• original recipe found here
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• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup heavy cream, half and half or whole milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. In a 2 quart saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa and milk, stirring with a whisk until completely combined and smooth. 
2. Turn heat on stove to medium and stirring occasionally, bring to a boil. 
3. Stir in butter and continue to boil until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. 
4. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and salt. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving over ice cream. Store in container in the refrigerator. To reheat, microwave for 30 seconds at a time until warm.

Nacho Cheese Sauce

Original recipe found here

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 8oz block sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 
  

1. Melt the butter in a medium size skillet over medium heat.
2. Once the butter is melted add the flour.
3. Whisk until it combines into a smooth blond paste and starts to bubble around the edges.
4. Add the milk to the skillet and continue whisking.
5. Once the milk is incorporated, raise the heat to high and bring to a boil.
6. Once the milk has reached a boil, quickly lower the heat and reduce to a simmer. Allow the sauce to thicken slightly.
7. Add the cayenne pepper and salt and whisk to combine.
8. Turn off the heat, and remove the skillet from the stove**. Add the cheese and gently stir, allowing the cheese to melt.
9. When the cheese is completely melted and the mixture smooth in consistency, the nacho cheese sauce is ready to serve. Enjoy immediately, as the sauce will get firm as it sits.

Paleo Pulled Pork

4 lbs pork shoulder
1 TBSP salt
1 TBSP garlic powder
1 TBSP onion powder
1 TBSP chili powder
1 TBSP smoked paprika
1 cup chicken stock

-Mix seasonings in a bowl, then rub all over meat.
-Cook on low for 8 hours in slow cooker, or 50 minutes in pressure cooker.
-Pull out bones and shred.

Creamy Maple Dijon Chicken with Bacon

Original recipes found here

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• 4 slices of thick bacon
• 1.5 lbs chicken breast cut into cite size pieces
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1 cup sliced leeks
• 12 oz sliced mushrooms
• 14 oz can coconut milk
• 1 TBSP maple syrup
• 3 TBSP dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp salt

1. Begin by heating a large skillet to medium high heat. Add bacon once hot, and cook to desired crispiness. I do about 4-5 mins per side. Remove bacon from heat and reserve 1 tbsp of bacon grease.
2. Bring skillet back to your burner, add chicken to the pan. Cook until no longer pink. Remove chicken from pan, but keep pan hot.
3. Add olive oil to the pan if it's dry, and then toss in mushrooms and leeks. Saute for 5-6 minutes, or until mushrooms are fragrant and leeks are softened.
4. Crumble bacon into small pieces and return to the pan with mushrooms. Add chicken and coconut milk, stir to combine.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together dijon and maple syrup. Pour mixture into the pan and continue to whisk until well combined.
6. Simmer for 8-10 minutes. Serve over zoodles, spaghetti squash, or brown rice.

Apple Crisp

Apple filling:
3 cups of chopped apple
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Topping:
1 cup oat flour
1/2-3/4 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup melted butter (or butter substitute; we use Earth Balance)

-Mix apple filling ingredients in a bowl, then dump into a sprayed 8x8 pan
-Combine topping ingredients into the same bowl the apple filling was in (it gets all the leftover yumminess that may have been left!), and mix until well combined.
-Bake at 400* for 35-40 minutes (or more if the topping hasn't browned)
-Cool for 10 minutes before eating

Streusel Coffee Cake

Cake Batter:
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup milk
1 egg

Streusel:
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c finely chopped walnuts
2 TBSP melted butter
-Mix well

-Preheat oven to 375*
-Grease square 9" pan
-Blend all cake ingredients, and spread half of the batter into the greased pan.
-Sprinkle half of streusel topping on batter, pour remaining batter on top, and then finally sprinkle remaining streusel on top.
-Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Easy Guacamole

4 ripe avocado
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
juice of 1 lime (or more to taste)

Mash and mix until well combined. Keep one or two avocado pits with the guac to keep it from turning brown. Keep refrigerated until you use it.

Paleo Toasted Coconut Sweet Bread with Lime Glaze

Original recipe found here

Bread:

1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup almond flour/tigernut flour
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup granulated sweetener (I used coconut sugar)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup full fat canned coconut milk
1 1/2 tsp coconut extract
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp lime zest

2-3 TBSP fresh lime juice

1/3 cup toasted coconut

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*. Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir until well combined and smooth. Pour the batter into a greased bread pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until baked all the way through. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, loosen the edges with a spatula, and then carefully place on cooling rack. Pour lime glaze over top on the loaf, allowing it to drip down the sides (I put a piece of parchment/wax paper/foil underneath the cooling rack to catch any drippings). Immediately sprinkle toasted coconut over the top. Let glaze harden and then eat the entire loaf in one sitting. ;)