Just tried this recipe last night and it came out pretty good!
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup peanut butter
7 ounces (half can) sweetened condensed milk
2 cups Chocolate Chips
DIRECTIONS:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Great a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray or line with parchment.
Cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and mix until well combined.
Spread the cookie dough into the prepared pan.
In a small saucepan over low heat whisk together the condensed milk and peanut butter until melted and combined. Pour the mixture evenly over the cookie dough and use a butter knife to swirl the mixture throughout the cookie dough.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the dough is lightly browned and cooked through. Remove from the oven and pour the chocolate chips in an even layer over the cookie bars. Let sit for five minutes before smoothing out the chips with an off-set spatula.
Sunday 10 March 2013
Thursday 7 March 2013
Yummiest ever Double Fudge Nutella Cookies!
Okay, so I know there are LOADS of Nutella cookies' recipes out there, but this is the easiest and yummiest (read super-goeey and fudgy-like-you-can't-even-imagine yummy!). Try them. You'll eat the whole batch yourself! (that's what I did!!)
Double Fudge Nutella Cookies
ingredients:
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 large egg
1 cup of Nutella
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
2-3 Oreo cookies (roughly crushed)
directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Combine flour, egg and Nutella in a large bowl and mix together with a spoon until dough comes together and no flour lumps remain. Stir in chocolate chips and Oreos until evenly mixed into the dough.
2. Make dough balls, about 1 1/2 inch in diameter. Place on cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart. Press down slightly on dough so the dough balls are more like very very thick round disks rather than perfectly round balls. Smooth edges that may have cracked from the pressure of pushing down on the balls, so that you have thick round smooth disks.
3. Bake for about 10 minutes. Cookies should be mostly set, but might be slightly still soft in the middle. Let cookies cool on rack until completely set. Enjoy while still slightly warm or after completely cooled.
Adapted from Cannella Vita and Tasty Kitchen
Double Fudge Nutella Cookies
ingredients:
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 large egg
1 cup of Nutella
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
2-3 Oreo cookies (roughly crushed)
directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Combine flour, egg and Nutella in a large bowl and mix together with a spoon until dough comes together and no flour lumps remain. Stir in chocolate chips and Oreos until evenly mixed into the dough.
2. Make dough balls, about 1 1/2 inch in diameter. Place on cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart. Press down slightly on dough so the dough balls are more like very very thick round disks rather than perfectly round balls. Smooth edges that may have cracked from the pressure of pushing down on the balls, so that you have thick round smooth disks.
3. Bake for about 10 minutes. Cookies should be mostly set, but might be slightly still soft in the middle. Let cookies cool on rack until completely set. Enjoy while still slightly warm or after completely cooled.
Adapted from Cannella Vita and Tasty Kitchen
Saturday 2 March 2013
Cheesy onion bread!!!!
I bet I can eat a whole loaf by myself!
Ingredients
1 loaf sourdough bread, unsliced
12-16 ounces thinly sliced Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup finely diced green onions
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the bread lengthwise and then widthwise without cutting into the bottom of the bread. This is pretty simple going one direction, but when you switch directions it gets a bit tougher. Just hold the bread tightly and do your best.
Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place the cheese slices between the cuts of bread. Really fill in the bread with as much cheese as you can fit.
Combine butter, green onions, garlic powder, and Parmesan cheese. Pour evenly over the bread.
Cover the bread with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover the bread and bake for 10 minutes longer. Serve warm! Or cold. It's amazing either way.
Ingredients
1 loaf sourdough bread, unsliced
12-16 ounces thinly sliced Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup finely diced green onions
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the bread lengthwise and then widthwise without cutting into the bottom of the bread. This is pretty simple going one direction, but when you switch directions it gets a bit tougher. Just hold the bread tightly and do your best.
Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place the cheese slices between the cuts of bread. Really fill in the bread with as much cheese as you can fit.
Combine butter, green onions, garlic powder, and Parmesan cheese. Pour evenly over the bread.
Cover the bread with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover the bread and bake for 10 minutes longer. Serve warm! Or cold. It's amazing either way.
Tuesday 29 January 2013
Quotes to live by...
Here are some happiness quotes gathered from Everyday Life Lessons, to brighten your day and move your mindset in a positive direction.
Smile every chance you get. Not because life has been easy, perfect, or exactly as you had anticipated, but because you choose to be happy and grateful for all the good things you do have and all the problems you know you don’t have.
Never let a bad day make you feel like you have a bad life.
Tell the negativity committee that meets inside your head to sit down and shut up. (Read Learned Optimism.)
A bad attitude is like a flat tire, you can’t get very far until you change it.
In a world where you can be anything you want, BE YOURSELF.
The more you love your decisions, the less you need others to love them.
It’s important to make someone happy, and it’s important to start with yourself.
Life is not about making others happy. Life is about sharing your happiness with others.
Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design into the present.
If you settle for just anything, you’ll never know what you’re truly worthy of.
Sometimes life gives you two options: losing yourself or losing someone else. Regardless of the situation, don’t lose yourself.
If your happiness depends on what somebody else does, you do have a pretty big problem.
Whatever someone did to you in the past has no power over the present. Only you give it power.
Don’t worry too much about people who don’t worry about you.
Know your worth! When you give yourself to someone who doesn’t respect you, you surrender pieces of your soul that you’ll never get back.
Sometimes you’ve got to emotionally let go of the things that once meant a lot to you, so you can move beyond the past and the pains they bring you, and open the next chapter in your life.
If you want to get over a problem, stop mulling it over and talking about it. Your mind affects your mouth, and your mouth affects your mind. It’s nearly impossible to move beyond something when you’re obsessing over it.
If it is detrimental to you emotionally, physically and spiritually, what choice do you have but to let go and flourish with self-respect.
Saying goodbye is one of the most painful ways to solve a problem. But sometimes it’s necessary.
Moving on doesn’t mean forgetting, it means you choose happiness over hurt.
Stop looking at what you have lost, so you can see what you have.
Someone else is happy with far less than what you have.
Talk about your blessings more than you talk about your problems.
Sometimes people throw away something good for something better, only to find out later that good was actually good enough and better never even came close.
In life, you get what you put in. Everything comes back around.
You can never change the past nor control the future, but you can change the mood of the day by touching someone’s heart with your smile.
The happiness you feel is in direct proportion to the love you give.
Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.
It’s nice to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s also important to make sure you haven’t lost track of the things that money can’t buy.
You don’t need a lot of money to lead a rich life. Good friends and a loving family are worth their weight in gold.
You will never fully believe in yourself if you keep comparing yourself to everyone else. Instead, compare yourself to who you were yesterday. (Read Authentic Happiness.)
You won’t always be punished FOR your anger, but you will always be punished BY your anger.
Give yourself permission to immediately walk away from anything that gives you bad vibes. There is no need to explain or make sense of it. Just trust what you feel.
One of the greatest freedoms is truly not caring what everyone else thinks of you.
As long as you are worried about what others think of you, you are owned by them. Only when you require no approval from outside yourself can you own yourself.
Don’t let anyone walk through your mind with their dirty feet.
It hurts the most when you start pretending it doesn’t.
You are responsible for how you feel no matter what someone does to you. Remember, you are always in control of your thoughts so choose to feel confident and adequate rather than angry and insecure.
Being kind to yourself in thoughts, words and actions is as important as being kind to others.
Death is not the greatest loss in life; the greatest loss is what dies inside while you’re still alive.
Only when we begin to be awake do we realize just how asleep we have been.
You are always free to do something that makes you smile.
You define your own life. Don’t let other people write your life’s story for you.
Don’t be afraid of change. Oftentimes you will lose something good, and then gain something even better.
Worry is a massive waste of time and energy. It doesn’t change anything. All it does is steal your joy and hinder your ability to make positive changes.
If you want to be happy and bright, let go of your need to always be right.
In life, you usually get what you ask for and it rarely comes in the package you think it’s supposed to come in.
If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.
Life does NOT have to be perfect to be wonderful.
You look the best when you wear your smile. There is no beauty like the one that comes from inside you.
Grudges are a waste of perfect happiness.
The time spent on hating is the time lost for living a peaceful, happy life. It is a habit that controls what you see, what you say, what you do, and ultimately what you become.
Sometimes you need to be alone to reflect on life. Take time out to take care of yourself. You deserve it.
The good things we build end up building us.
You cannot change what you refuse to confront.
The difference between who you are and who you want to be, is what you do.
If you want your life to change, your choices and actions must change. Every day brings a chance to start over.
Good things don’t come to those who wait. Good things come to those who pursue the goals and dreams they believe in.
Don’t make a decision based solely on popularity. Just because other people are doing it doesn’t mean it’s the best choice for you.
Following all the rules leaves a completed checklist. Following your heart achieves a completed you. (Read The Happiness Project.)
Knowing yourself is one thing, but truly believing and living as yourself is another. With so much social conditioning in our society, we sometimes forget who we are. Don’t lose yourself out there.
Of all the things that can be stolen from you – your possessions, your youth, your health, your words, your rights – what no one can ever take from you is your freedom to choose what you will believe in, and who and what your heart will love.
When you find yourself cocooned in isolation and despair and cannot find your way out of the darkness, remember that this is similar to the place where caterpillars go to grow their wings.
Take all the time you need to heal emotionally. Moving on doesn’t take a day; it takes lots of little steps to be able to break free of your broken self.
When you can forgive, yourself and others, and stop the imprisonment, you’re creating the love of your life.
What you believe has more power than what you dream or wish or hope for. You become what you believe.
Keep your heart open to dreams. For as long as there’s a dream, there is hope, and as long as there is hope, there is joy in living.
When you try to control everything, you enjoy nothing. Sometimes you just need to relax, breathe, let go, and just live in the moment.
Even though you cannot control everything that happens, you can control your attitude toward what happens. And in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.
Life will never be perfect, no matter how hard you try. Even if you pour your heart and soul into it, you will never have that perfection you seek. There will always be broken hearts, there will always be days where nothing goes right. But you must accept and learn that even the most imperfect things will always be made better with love and laughter. (Read Stumbling on Happiness.)
Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.
Satisfaction is not always the fulfillment of what you want; it is the realization of how blessed you are for what you have.
Sometimes you just have to look back at your past and smile about how far you’ve come.
Just because it didn’t last forever, doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth your while.
Smile every chance you get. Not because life has been easy, perfect, or exactly as you had anticipated, but because you choose to be happy and grateful for all the good things you do have and all the problems you know you don’t have.
Never let a bad day make you feel like you have a bad life.
Tell the negativity committee that meets inside your head to sit down and shut up. (Read Learned Optimism.)
A bad attitude is like a flat tire, you can’t get very far until you change it.
In a world where you can be anything you want, BE YOURSELF.
The more you love your decisions, the less you need others to love them.
It’s important to make someone happy, and it’s important to start with yourself.
Life is not about making others happy. Life is about sharing your happiness with others.
Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design into the present.
If you settle for just anything, you’ll never know what you’re truly worthy of.
Sometimes life gives you two options: losing yourself or losing someone else. Regardless of the situation, don’t lose yourself.
If your happiness depends on what somebody else does, you do have a pretty big problem.
Whatever someone did to you in the past has no power over the present. Only you give it power.
Don’t worry too much about people who don’t worry about you.
Know your worth! When you give yourself to someone who doesn’t respect you, you surrender pieces of your soul that you’ll never get back.
Sometimes you’ve got to emotionally let go of the things that once meant a lot to you, so you can move beyond the past and the pains they bring you, and open the next chapter in your life.
If you want to get over a problem, stop mulling it over and talking about it. Your mind affects your mouth, and your mouth affects your mind. It’s nearly impossible to move beyond something when you’re obsessing over it.
If it is detrimental to you emotionally, physically and spiritually, what choice do you have but to let go and flourish with self-respect.
Saying goodbye is one of the most painful ways to solve a problem. But sometimes it’s necessary.
Moving on doesn’t mean forgetting, it means you choose happiness over hurt.
Stop looking at what you have lost, so you can see what you have.
Someone else is happy with far less than what you have.
Talk about your blessings more than you talk about your problems.
Sometimes people throw away something good for something better, only to find out later that good was actually good enough and better never even came close.
In life, you get what you put in. Everything comes back around.
You can never change the past nor control the future, but you can change the mood of the day by touching someone’s heart with your smile.
The happiness you feel is in direct proportion to the love you give.
Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.
It’s nice to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s also important to make sure you haven’t lost track of the things that money can’t buy.
You don’t need a lot of money to lead a rich life. Good friends and a loving family are worth their weight in gold.
You will never fully believe in yourself if you keep comparing yourself to everyone else. Instead, compare yourself to who you were yesterday. (Read Authentic Happiness.)
You won’t always be punished FOR your anger, but you will always be punished BY your anger.
Give yourself permission to immediately walk away from anything that gives you bad vibes. There is no need to explain or make sense of it. Just trust what you feel.
One of the greatest freedoms is truly not caring what everyone else thinks of you.
As long as you are worried about what others think of you, you are owned by them. Only when you require no approval from outside yourself can you own yourself.
Don’t let anyone walk through your mind with their dirty feet.
It hurts the most when you start pretending it doesn’t.
You are responsible for how you feel no matter what someone does to you. Remember, you are always in control of your thoughts so choose to feel confident and adequate rather than angry and insecure.
Being kind to yourself in thoughts, words and actions is as important as being kind to others.
Death is not the greatest loss in life; the greatest loss is what dies inside while you’re still alive.
Only when we begin to be awake do we realize just how asleep we have been.
You are always free to do something that makes you smile.
You define your own life. Don’t let other people write your life’s story for you.
Don’t be afraid of change. Oftentimes you will lose something good, and then gain something even better.
Worry is a massive waste of time and energy. It doesn’t change anything. All it does is steal your joy and hinder your ability to make positive changes.
If you want to be happy and bright, let go of your need to always be right.
In life, you usually get what you ask for and it rarely comes in the package you think it’s supposed to come in.
If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it.
Life does NOT have to be perfect to be wonderful.
You look the best when you wear your smile. There is no beauty like the one that comes from inside you.
Grudges are a waste of perfect happiness.
The time spent on hating is the time lost for living a peaceful, happy life. It is a habit that controls what you see, what you say, what you do, and ultimately what you become.
Sometimes you need to be alone to reflect on life. Take time out to take care of yourself. You deserve it.
The good things we build end up building us.
You cannot change what you refuse to confront.
The difference between who you are and who you want to be, is what you do.
If you want your life to change, your choices and actions must change. Every day brings a chance to start over.
Good things don’t come to those who wait. Good things come to those who pursue the goals and dreams they believe in.
Don’t make a decision based solely on popularity. Just because other people are doing it doesn’t mean it’s the best choice for you.
Following all the rules leaves a completed checklist. Following your heart achieves a completed you. (Read The Happiness Project.)
Knowing yourself is one thing, but truly believing and living as yourself is another. With so much social conditioning in our society, we sometimes forget who we are. Don’t lose yourself out there.
Of all the things that can be stolen from you – your possessions, your youth, your health, your words, your rights – what no one can ever take from you is your freedom to choose what you will believe in, and who and what your heart will love.
When you find yourself cocooned in isolation and despair and cannot find your way out of the darkness, remember that this is similar to the place where caterpillars go to grow their wings.
Take all the time you need to heal emotionally. Moving on doesn’t take a day; it takes lots of little steps to be able to break free of your broken self.
When you can forgive, yourself and others, and stop the imprisonment, you’re creating the love of your life.
What you believe has more power than what you dream or wish or hope for. You become what you believe.
Keep your heart open to dreams. For as long as there’s a dream, there is hope, and as long as there is hope, there is joy in living.
When you try to control everything, you enjoy nothing. Sometimes you just need to relax, breathe, let go, and just live in the moment.
Even though you cannot control everything that happens, you can control your attitude toward what happens. And in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.
Life will never be perfect, no matter how hard you try. Even if you pour your heart and soul into it, you will never have that perfection you seek. There will always be broken hearts, there will always be days where nothing goes right. But you must accept and learn that even the most imperfect things will always be made better with love and laughter. (Read Stumbling on Happiness.)
Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.
Satisfaction is not always the fulfillment of what you want; it is the realization of how blessed you are for what you have.
Sometimes you just have to look back at your past and smile about how far you’ve come.
Just because it didn’t last forever, doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth your while.
Thursday 13 December 2012
My Facebook page!!
Hi everyone! Please do check out my fb page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Otash-Design-Philosophy-by-natascha-omar/461917733853091?ref=ts&fref=ts thanks a lot and I hope you like what you see!
Tuesday 11 December 2012
Chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes!!!
Yield: 1 dozen cupcakes
Prep Time: 45 min + freeze timeCook Time: 25 min
Ingredients:
COOKIE DOUGH FILLING:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
CUPCAKES:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
COOKIE DOUGH FROSTING:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
GARNISH:
additional mini chocolate chips
12 mini Chips Ahoy cookies
Directions:
1. Prepare the cookie dough filling (see *Tips below): In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to stir together the butter, sugars, milk and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients and the chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes, or until the cookie dough is firm. Scoop out dough in 2 tablespoon scoops and place it on a cookie sheet. Freeze until firm, at least 30 minutes.
2. Prepare the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with 12 liners. Place the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda and salt in a blender. Blend to combine. Add the water, oil, egg and vanilla. Blend to combine, scraping down the sides as needed a couple of times until all is well mixed. Divide the batter between the 12 cupcake liners. Drop a ball of frozen chocolate chip cookie dough into the center of each cupcake. If you would like the cookie dough to bake up slightly, keep the top visible as pictured in the post. If you'd like to keep the cookie dough somewhat raw, push it to the bottom of the cupcake wrapper, making sure that the batter comes up and over the dough.
3. Bake the cupcakes for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cupcake portion of the cupcake (not tested through the center where the dough is), comes out fairly clean. Cool the cupcakes completely before adding the frosting.
4. Prepare the frosting: In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the butter and sugars until smooth and creamy. Mix in the flour, milk and vanilla and continue to mix until all is well combined.
5. Assemble: Frost cupcakes with a knife or scoop the frosting into a piping bag and pipe it on decoratively. Sprinkle mini chips on top and garnish with a small chocolate chip cookie.
Tips:
*You don't necessarily have to melt the butter and refrigerate the dough before scooping. The melted butter just helps the sugar dissolve a bit more so you don't have that grainy texture in the cookie dough. It is necessary to freeze it though.
Prep Time: 45 min + freeze timeCook Time: 25 min
Ingredients:
COOKIE DOUGH FILLING:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
CUPCAKES:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
COOKIE DOUGH FROSTING:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
GARNISH:
additional mini chocolate chips
12 mini Chips Ahoy cookies
Directions:
1. Prepare the cookie dough filling (see *Tips below): In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to stir together the butter, sugars, milk and vanilla. Stir in the dry ingredients and the chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes, or until the cookie dough is firm. Scoop out dough in 2 tablespoon scoops and place it on a cookie sheet. Freeze until firm, at least 30 minutes.
2. Prepare the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with 12 liners. Place the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda and salt in a blender. Blend to combine. Add the water, oil, egg and vanilla. Blend to combine, scraping down the sides as needed a couple of times until all is well mixed. Divide the batter between the 12 cupcake liners. Drop a ball of frozen chocolate chip cookie dough into the center of each cupcake. If you would like the cookie dough to bake up slightly, keep the top visible as pictured in the post. If you'd like to keep the cookie dough somewhat raw, push it to the bottom of the cupcake wrapper, making sure that the batter comes up and over the dough.
3. Bake the cupcakes for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cupcake portion of the cupcake (not tested through the center where the dough is), comes out fairly clean. Cool the cupcakes completely before adding the frosting.
4. Prepare the frosting: In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the butter and sugars until smooth and creamy. Mix in the flour, milk and vanilla and continue to mix until all is well combined.
5. Assemble: Frost cupcakes with a knife or scoop the frosting into a piping bag and pipe it on decoratively. Sprinkle mini chips on top and garnish with a small chocolate chip cookie.
Tips:
*You don't necessarily have to melt the butter and refrigerate the dough before scooping. The melted butter just helps the sugar dissolve a bit more so you don't have that grainy texture in the cookie dough. It is necessary to freeze it though.
Tuesday 30 October 2012
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