The Gadawski’s Crew and the Fluffy Puffy Butterscotch Cookies

Well folks this is it… the last official post for the blog, at least in this format. I might still bake some cookies here and there and place the recipe on the blog but I’m not sure yet. The problem there is since I won’t be sending the cookies to people then they will stay at my house AND I will eat them AND I will gain the 30 pounds (yay me!!!) I’ve lost so far. Anyway…………………………………………………

I thought that the random generator picked quite an appropriate person for the first blog and it has worked its magic again for the last one. The crew at Gadawski’s is family to me, both literally and figuratively. There is absolutely no way I could list what I love about every person there so I’m going to try and do it by sections. First we have the bar. Everyone in the bar is always entertained, although I’m not sure if it is actually from the jokes or just because the drinks are really strong. Then we have the dining room. We may be bitching about you the second we get in the kitchen, but there is always a smile on our faces when we get to the table hahaha. And last but most definitely not least is the kitchen. They are probably the craziest of us all. You can always count on them for some good music and crazy conversations. Regardless of what section you belong to, or if you are a crossover (and if you are then all above descriptions apply to you)… I love you all!!!! I hope you enjoy the yummy cookies!!!!


Fluffy Puffy Butterscotch Cookies
Makes about 4 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
• 1 cup Butter, Softened
• ¾ cups Brown Sugar
• ¾ cups White Sugar
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 package (3.4 Oz. Size) Instant Butterscotch Pudding Mix
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Soda
• 2-½ cups Flour
• 1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1 cup Butterscotch Chips

Directions:
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla and pudding mix.
In a small bowl, whisk together salt, baking soda, and flour. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and fold in chocolate and butterscotch chips.
Scoop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 350ºF for 4-5 minutes, rotate pan and bake another 4-5 minutes. The cookies will look golden but still might look a little soft in the middle. This is fine!
Allow cookies to set on the cookie sheet about 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Rob & Val and the Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Cookies

Rob & Val Nugent are my cousins, well technically Rob is my cousin and Val is my cousin-in-law but I don't like that in-law stuff- we are all family... anyway I guess I just felt the I needed to make the distinction that they were not related before they were married hahaha. Rob and Val met at Canisius College and fell madly in love. Whenever you are with them you can just tell that they were meant to be together, they compliment each other so well. A couple years ago I was lucky enough to be one of the guests at their wedding... and it was hands down the BEST WEDDING EVER!!! I am not exaggerating and every person at that wedding would agree! We all had sooooooooooo much fun and no wedding before or since then has compared to it. Thanks Rob and Val for one of the most amazing nights ever!!! Now they have a home in Tonawanda and are both doing very well in their careers. Val works at Canisius as an admissions counselor and Rob is a Sabres "business pimp" aka an account executive. I really like visiting Rob at work!!!! Rob and Val are also amazing parents to their three children Lola, Rocco, and Wilson (dog, cat, and cat) ;) and I know when they decide to make their family even larger they will be amazing parents then too!!!! As for now they can sit back and enjoy some hopefully delicious cookies.

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Cookies
Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 eggs
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 cup flour
1 cup blueberries
1/2 pkg cream cheese, cut into 1 tsp cubes

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and position a rack in the center. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy. Blend in the lemon zest, juice and eggs. Make sure to scrape off any bits of zest that stick to the mixer paddle.

In a separate bowl whisk together the baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour then mix it into the wet ingredients. Gently fold in the blueberries so as not to burst any. Refrigerate the dough for about 15 – 20 minutes to make it stiff enough to roll.

For each cookie, roll 1 heaping tbsp of dough into a ball then flatten it slightly into a disc shape. Place a 1 tsp cream cheese cube into the center and form the dough around it creating a ball again. Bake them for about 10 - 14 minutes until the edges brown slightly. Transfer them to a cooling rack and enjoy!

***I would probably change 1 cup blueberries to 1 1/2 cup blueberries, just seems like there are not enough blueberries per cookie... oh and in typical Laura fashion I made the cookies a little on the bigger side so I ended up with about 26 not 36***

Hyde Park and the Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies

Since I moved back to the East Coast, Hyde Park has been my home for three out of the four years I have been teaching in Niagara Falls. So when it came down to deciding who would be on the list for the cookie blog there was no question that Hyde Park had to be on there. I have had the privilege of working, either directly or indirectly, with some amazing people and I have learned a lot from them. Obviously this post would turn into a seven part series if I tried to list everyone and what they mean to me so I’ll just say this… I’ve laughed here, I’ve cried here, I may have raised my voice once or twice here, but I also always knew that I was supported and cared for here. I cannot tell you how much that has meant to me, especially throughout the last several months. While I am unsure of where I will be in the fall a part of me will always be at Hyde Park (although I am really hoping that the rest of me will be there with it)!!! So thank you Hyde Park for being “A Great Place to Learn and Grow” for me!!! On that note, enjoy the delicious cookies!


Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies
Makes about 36 cookies

Ingredients

• 3/4 c. butter, softened
• 1/2 c. peanut butter
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 1/4 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 small box instant vanilla pudding
• 1 c. chocolate chips
• 1 c. reeses pieces

Instructions

In a bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and pudding mix and set aside. In a large mixing bowl cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars until fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and honey and beat again. Slowly add the dry ingredients, being careful not to over mix. Stir in the chocolate chips and reeses by hand.

Drop by tablespoon onto a baking sheet, leaving 2 inches in between each cookie. Bake at 350* for 10 minutes. Cool on pan for 3-4 minutes, then remove to a wire rack. Store in a tightly covered container.

***The orginial recipe called for 1 cup of dried banana chips as well, however, I thought they would be ruining a good thing so I left them out. If you want to add them just put them in at the same time as the chocolate chips and reeses pieces.***

The 919 Girls and the Banana Bread Snickerdoodle Cookies

During my last few months in Salt Lake I made a huge move, from the upstairs apartment (The HOGL) all the way downstairs to 919. I was lucky enough to move in with four amazing women- Brit, McCall, Aftony, and of course Mel-Mel.  The space was a little cramped but the rent was cheap and the entertainment was non-stop!!!  There always seemed to be a revolving door of guests so it was rarely only the five of us, more like nine or ten of us, but that was because these girls were just so awesome that no one could stay away from them. We had some really good times, and in order to not make this post into a ten chapter book, I am just going to list some of them and hope it will bring back some good memories for the 919 girls. So anyway, here I go (in no particular order): friends’ marathons, video games- carnival games, guitar hero, and that damn monkey bubble game hahaha, someone always sleeping on that green couch, dead fish, mad hatter parties, and just knowing that we were all ALWAYS there for one another no matter what!!! That was such a fun time in my life and I wouldn’t change it for the world! I love and miss those girls more than words can say so I am hoping these cookies can say it for me!!! XOXOXOXO

Banana Bread Snickerdoodle Cookies

Yield – Over 4 dozen cookies

For the cookies:

• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, using a spoon to lightly scoop the flour into the measuring cup
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• LARGE pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 3 medium sized very ripe bananas, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons banana syrup (from reduced banana juice)

For the spiced sugar:

• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, spices and set aside. Place sliced bananas in a microwave safe bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and make several slits in the wrap. This will act as steam vents. Microwave on high until the bananas are soft and have released liquid, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer the bananas to a fine mesh strainer set over a medium bowl and drain, stirring and mashing the bananas to release the liquid. You are going to end up with a bit less than ½ cup of liquid, and about ¾ cup of banana puree. Transfer the banana puree to a small bowl and set aside.
2. Transfer the reserved banana liquid to a small saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Cook until the liquid is syrupy and reduced to about 1 oz, (2 tablespoons), about 3-4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the liquid to cool.
3. In a bowl of an electric mixer set on medium high speed, cream the butter until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add sugars and the banana puree and mix until well combined. Add the egg, vanilla extract and banana syrup, scraping down sides of the bowl to incorporate the ingredients well. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add flour mixture to the wet ingredients about one cup at a time. Mix just until incorporated. Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill at least an hour, or until dough becomes slightly firm.
4. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a small bowl, mix cinnamon and brown sugar. It’s going to look a bit clumpy, but that’s the nature of brown sugar. Don’t sweat it.
5. Remove cookie dough from refrigerator, and using a small cookie scoop (1 teaspoon) or a small spoon, scoop out dough and roll into small balls. Roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar making sure the dough balls are well coated. Place sugar coated dough balls 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Use a glass with a flat bottom to flatten the balls. If desired, sprinkle additional sugar on the flattened cookies.
6. Bake the cookies for 10 to 14 minutes, or until they are slightly firm to the touch. If you pick up a cookie you will notice some caramelized brown sugar in the bottom. Resist the urge to eat a hot cookie. I didn’t and I burned my tongue. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for about 5 minutes, and then move them to a wire rack to cool completely. Now eat one…

***Some Important Notes***

1.  After buying fresh nutmeg I realized I didn't have a grater (and was kind of nervous about the whole grating nutmeg process) so I used 1/8 tsp of ground nutmeg. Hopefully it works ok.

2. After taking the bananas out of the microwave and trying to mash/liquify them through a strainer, there was no banana "liquid". Who knows maybe I'm not strong enough but regardless I therefore skipped the second step, put the puree when indicated in the recipe, and skipped the adding any banana syrup stuff since my weak little arms couldn't produce any.

3. This is the first time I made some changes on my own, not by someone else's suggestion, so here's hoping they don't turn out like shit... Yay, they didn't, as per my taste-testers review!!!

Linds’ and the Applesauce with Caramel Frosting Cookies

Linds and I met in middle school on the Navigators Team and quickly became friends. We didn’t stay as close for the rest of middle school as we were on different teams and then in different schools, but we got back together in high school. Linds and I had a lot of the same interests/classes in high school… we did band (until I learned how much I sucked and then quit), we played sports (not the same ones but we still rocked at them), we were math dorks (we even were part of the Math Club), and we had a lot of the same friends. So needless to say we got to see a lot of each other during high school. We kept in touch during college mainly on weekends home/going to Canada, when I “luckily” got to be the DD. I have to admit though, those did make for some interesting/funny nights!!! Once I moved away Linds even came to Utah a couple of times for vacation. Unfortunately I didn’t actually get to see her while she was there but hey at least we were in the same state haha. Anyway, now we are both back in the WNY area and are able to catch up and see one another once in a while, although probably not as often as either of us would like. Maybe soon we can take another little road trip down to DC, we definitely had some good talks the last time.  Until then (or the next time I get to see her) hopefully Linds will enjoy these yummy cookies!!!


Applesauce Cookies with Carmel Frosting
Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Cookie Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
½ cup butter
1 egg
1 cup applesauce
2 cups flour
1tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp cloves

Frosting Ingredients:
3 Tbs Butter
¼ cup heavy cream
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar

For the Cookies:
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Mix the sugar, egg, and butter in a large mixing bowl.
3. Once mixture is combined mix in the apple sauce until incorporated.
4. In a separate bowl mix together the dry ingredients.
5. Incorporate the dry into the wet.
6. Scoop onto a greased cookie sheet. No need to pat down just scoop and drop.
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

For the Frosting:
1. Mix together the butter, brown sugar & vanilla. Once mixed slowly add in the heavy cream and mix well then by the ¼ cup add in the powdered sugar until you find it to be sweet enough. I used the entire cup of powdered sugar because I LOVE things sweet!!!

***No changes were made during the making of these cookies***

The Dunlaps and the Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

The Dunlap family, consisting of Rina, Gary, and Natalie, are seriously some of the funniest and sweetest people I have ever met. I was lucky to meet the Dunlaps through Gadawski’s Restaurant. I then had the even greater privilege of working with Rina at Niagara Street and that further cemented our friendship. Rina always always always looks out for me, whether she is trying to find a man for me, a job for me, or just a way for me to have a good time and I adore her for that. Gary is hilarious and always has a good story for us which ends up leading to Rina’s laugh. If you know Rina, you know her laugh… it is seriously the funniest and most contagious laugh ever. When we are out, whether at a restaurant or a comedy night for Gadawski’s, if Rina starts laughing the place falls silent and then starts laughing with her. And it honestly will go on for 10 minutes straight!!! And not that I saved the best for last but… yeah I kinda did… Natalie is the sweetest little girl ever. She is always complimenting people and telling them how much she loves them… who doesn’t like hearing stuff like that?!?! Natalie is very playful and will keep you entertained for hours. And she is sooooooooo smart, seriously like a little genius. It’s no surprise to me that Natalie turned out so well, she has the most amazing parents and she turned out just like them!!! I hope the Dunlap family knows how much they mean to me and that they enjoy these delicious cookies!!!


Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ingredients:
2cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup butter, melted (1½ sticks)
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
1 heaping cup raisins
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Your cookies turn out so much better with parchment paper. Believe me! Buy some!

Melt butter and let cool slightly.

Mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the cinnamon, vanilla, egg, and egg yolk for 2-3 minutes until light and creamy. Mix in the flour mixture until just blended. Add the oats, nuts, and raisins. Mix until just blended.

Place 1/4 cup balls of dough onto parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 14-16 minutes. Do not overbake. Remember I'm at sea level so if you aren't you may need longer. The edges should look brown and the centers still slightly soft. Let the cookies rest on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

*** Didn't make any changes... Made a little over a dozen large cookies***

Pat and the Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pat is a dear cousin of mine who, like some other family members, has moved clear across the country. He moved to sunny CA to attend USC for a Master’s Degree in Public Health. He is actually graduating this week but planning on staying in CA and taking the MCAT in August. Then as they say, “the world is his oyster” (by the way I don’t get that saying… I wonder if it’s because I’ve never had one… haha just kidding).  When Pat is not “hitting the books” (hmmm let’s see how many clichés I can use in one blog) he knows how thoroughly enjoy his down time. Pat is a man’s man and likes his sports and video games. He especially likes Notre Dame Football (yes he’s a Gadawski) and Sabres hockey. And I’ve heard he plays a pretty sick game of golf.  From what I can gather from Facebook, he seems to really be adjusting well to the fun and exciting California lifestyle. I think his favorite foods have gone from wings and pierogis to wheat grass and sushi.  Regardless of his current eating habits Pat is really an amazing guy and we REALLY miss him back here in WNY. Hopefully he will take a few days off from studying and come home and visit us all, or even just come here and study (hint hint PAT)!!! Anyway, in an attempt to break his healthy eating and because it seems like such a manly cookie… I decided to make him Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies. Here’s hoping the bacon/chocolate mix is as good as people have been claiming lately. More importantly, here’s hoping that Pat likes them. Enjoy Pat and come home soon!!!!

Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe adapted from nytimes.com
yield: 9 large cookies

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter at room temperature
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup dark chocolate, chopped
8 slices of bacon, finely chopped then pan-fried until crispy and drained on paper towels
Sea salt

Instructions:

Sift the flour, baking soda and powder into a bowl and set aside. Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix well. Stir in the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Drop in the chocolate and bacon and incorporate. Refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop 6 3 1/2 ounce mounds of dough (the size of large golf balls) onto the baking sheet leaving ample space between cookies as they will grow quite large. Place the rest of the cookies on another sheet. Sprinkle cookies with a touch of sea salt. Bake until golden brown but still soft, 18-20 minutes. Cool on sheet for 10 minutes then move to rack to cool until you are ready to enjoy!


***One little side note... bacon grease HURTS!!!!