Ranger Cookies

This is a crunchy crispy all around great cookie base. Use it as a spring board to add in other ingredients to tailor it to your tastes. Fruits, nuts and any flavored chips will only make this cookie better!

Ingredients:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup butter
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups oatmeal
1 cup coconut
2 cups Rice Krispies
*Add Ins*

Servings: 2-3 dozen cookies (depending on size)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375°F.

Cream the butter with the white and brown sugar. Add in the baking powder, baking soda, salt and vanilla and stir until combined.

Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing between each egg. Add flour in 3 or 4 increments mixing well between each addition.

Stir in oatmeal, coconut, and Rice Krispie cereal and mix well by hand. Add any addition ingredients you might like at this time. Fruit, nuts, chocolate etc.

Roll into small balls and flatten with a hand or the back of a spatula. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheets for 10-12 minutes or till light brown. Remove carefully from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack until cooled.

Nutritional Information:

Recipe From: http://www.food.com/recipe/ranger-cookies-19445

This cookie is okay with out any add-ins but when you add in some extra goodies that is when this cookie really shines. Add in as much or as little as you want and you can add just about anything your heart desires. I have made it with cranberries, white chocolate, chocolate, butterscotch, nuts and combinations of all of those and the cookies always turn out fantastic.

I first stumbled onto this recipe when looking for cookies to send out for a friend who was deployed to the desert. These cookies travel well and hold up to some tough conditions but still taste great and they freeze well too. My personal favorite is cranberry, white chocolate and almonds.

Hawaiian Bread

A new twist old fashioned banana bread. This bread combines coconut, pineapple, macadamia nuts and bananas to make a moist loaf of bread with a variety of textures and flavors that all blend together to make an excellent bread.

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup apple sauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple
1/2 cup coconut, toasted
2 bananas, mashed

Servings: Makes 2 loaves (16 Slices)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 and grease and flour two 9x5" loaf pans.

Combine flour, soda, sugar, salt, and nuts in mixing bowl, and blend. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Bake at 350, for 1 hour

Nutritional Information: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1616824

Recipe From: http://www.food.com/recipe/chris-hawaiian-bread-257940

I was looking for "authentic Hawaiian" desserts for Supper Club and found that other than Hupia, no one has much of anything! So then I broadened my horizons and found this recipe online. I thought it sounded fairly "Hawaiian" with the pineapple, macadamia nuts and coconut and decided to give it a go.

It turned out to be a fantastic experiment. I modified the original recipe and toasted the coconut because I think it gives it a richer flavor. I also replaced half the oil with apple sauce for a healthier option. The bread came out moist and delicious without all the extra fat. If you wanted to cut a few more calories I think you could easily cut out another 1/2 cup of sugar or bake this with Splenda and the recipe still wouldn't lose anything as the sweetened coconut adds a bit of sugar itself.

Crunchy Nutella Brownies

This brownie has a thick chocolate fudgy layer on the bottom and a melt in your mouth creamy and crunchy chocolate hazelnut layer smoothed on top.

Ingredients:
Brownie Layer
1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1-3/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour

Nutella Crunch Layer
1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup Nutella
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups rice cereal

Servings: 16 large brownies

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×13 pan with lightly greased foil.

In a large glass bowl, microwave the chocolate chips and butter at 30 second intervals until melted. Stir until smooth.

Add the sugar, eggs, vanilla, and flour. Add in each ingredient one at a time, stirring until combined before adding the next ingredient.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, or until the edges are completely set. Do not overbake (the middle will not be completely set)!

After you take the brownies out of the oven, while they are cooling in their pan, make the frosting. In a medium-sized glass bowl, microwave the chocolate chips, Nutella, and butter for 30 second intervals, until melted. Stir until smooth. Let cool for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the rice cereal.

Immediately spread the frosting over the brownies.

Cool brownies completely before enjoying.

Nutritional Information: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calories.asp?recipe=1615720

Recipe From: http://lacasadesweets.com/blog/2011/04/25/crunchy-nutella-brownies/

This turned out to be a fantastic brownie, but not at all what I was looking for. It is fudgy on the bottom and smooth and creamy with a prefect blend of hazelnut and chocolate on top to kick these brownies up a notch, not to mention the extra texture the rice cereal adds. But I had wanted to send a care package to a friend in the desert, which means I needed hardy cookies and brownies. Something that can take the transport time, heat and over all abuse. This amazing little brownie is too fudgy on the bottom and far too soft on the top, even minutes out of the refrigerator.

Don't get me wrong, it is fantastic when it is fresh in your home, the two layers combine everything Jason loves in a brownie, but don't expect this treat to stand up to time in the sun at a cook out or make it through week in sun and sand on its way to the desert.