Momofuku Cornflake Marshmallow Cookies

Remember when I made these??  Well here's another amazing awesome cookie recipe from the one and only Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milk Bar in NYC!!  I have adapted the recipe slightly and they came out absolutely delicious, friend-tested, Feed Your Sister approved!  

Copycat Momofuku Cornflake Marshmallow Cookies

Adapted from The Cookbook Chronicles

(makes 20 cookies)

2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature

1 ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract OR vanilla bean paste

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 ½ tsp kosher salt (plus more for sprinkling)

2/3 cup oats, not instant

1 cup lightly crushed Kellogg's Cornflakes (about 1 1/4 cup cornflakes before crushing)

2/3 cup mini chocolate chips (see note)

3/4 cup mini marshmallows

NOTE: The chocolate chips in the original Momofuku Milk bar cookie are minis, though substitute with regular-sized chips if you prefer.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes on medium speed. Add the eggs and vanilla extract, and beat until combined.

Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and beat on low speed, just so the dry ingredients become incorporated. With a wooden spoon, mix in the oatmeal, crushed cornflakes, and chocolate chips, and marshmallows.

On a silpat-lined baking sheet OR greased muffin top pan, scoop up and roll the dough into golf ball-sized spheres. (Six will fit comfortably on one pan–give them room to spread!)  Sprinkle tops with a touch more salt. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Bake for 9-10 minutes. The cookies will still look soft in the middle when you take them out of the oven. Allow them to cool directly on the tray completely before removing them and placing them onto a platter.  Enjoy!

Magic Cookie Bars

One of the families I work for are always making these yummy easy treats.  Whether it's for a bake sale, birthday, or entertaining event at the apartment, they always make these.  Starbuck's used to sell a version of these bars and they were so delicious, I kinda miss them.  I bet they got rid of them when they had to start posting the calorie counts on everything, these are not low calorie treats by any means.  SO BEWARE because they are kind of addicting.  The best part about the recipe is that you probably have most of the ingredients on hand, except maybe the sweetened condensed milk.  But if you like the recipe maybe you could stock up with a few cans that way the next time you feel like making it you have all the ingredients on hand!

Magic Cookie Bars
(makes about 16 small squares)


1 1/2 cups of graham crackers crumbs
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 (14 oz) can of sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a baking dish.  I used a 9x9 pan. Mix melted butter and graham cracker crumbs together in a bowl.  Press crumb mixture into the bottom of the pan in an even layer. Next, pour the condensed milk over the graham crumbs.  Then, sprinkle coconut over the milk. Now sprinkle chips all over the top.  Place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes until golden brown.  Let cool completely, you can even place the pan in the fridge for a while.  Cut into squares and enjoy!!

I bet this would be really great to make in a mini-muffin or regular muffin tin, but it would require a little more work on your part because of the layering.

Pistachio Cake

This recipe is very much like the Easiest Chocolate Cake I made a few weeks back.  Which by the way got rave reviews from the people I baked it for.  I am baking this recipe for the same people, we'll see what they think!!  I tasted it and it's moist, a nice green color, and deliciously nutty!! If you love pistachios you will be sure to love this one!!!

Pistachio Cake or Muffins

1 box Classic Yellow Cake mix

8 oz. whole shelled pistachios, grounded. (Be sure to reserve 1/2 cup for decoration on top of the frosting)

3 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 1/3 cup water

1 package Pistachio Flavor JELL-O (not prepared)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put aside 1/2 cup of the ground nuts aside for later. Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl, whisk to combine well, and pour into a loaf pan, muffin tins, etc.  Bake until a cake tester comes out clean and golden brown.

I made 24 mini muffins, and still had left over batter for a 9x9 inch brownie pan. I cooked the mini muffins for 25 minutes and the cake for about 40 minutes. I frosted the mini muffins with Vanilla Bean Frosting.  The frosting is made with confectioner's sugar and Earth Balance Natural Shortening, it's like a vegan version of butter for baking. (Make sure to get the green package, the other one contains salt.) 

I am not frosting them yet, because I want it to be fresh, but here is the recipe for the Vanilla Bean Frosting.  It can be made vegan if you use non-dairy soy milk and vegan natural shortening!!

Vanilla Bean Frosting

2 cups confectioner's sugar (if you want a really sweet icing add more sugar, to taste)

1 cup butter OR Earth Balance Natural Shortening (at room temp.)

1 teaspoon Vanilla Bean Paste (OR vanilla extract w/the beans of a vanilla bean scraped out)

1 tablespoon milk or soy milk (can be vanilla flavored)

Blend ingredients together and frost cupcakes just before serving.  Sprinkle some ground pistachios on top! (You should have about 1/2 cup leftover from the cake recipe!)

Pumpkin Pancakes

When I got home from work today, I was craving something sweet yet filling, and I remembered I had a little pancake mix left in the pantry.  I also had a can of pumpkin that I've been saving to make a pumpkin bread pudding.  I had just come back from the store and had all the ingredients for the bread pudding so I began to prepare it.  Then I had an idea to take a little of the pumpkin puree and mix it into the pancake batter.  I've seen recipes for pumpkin pancakes around the web but never tried it. So, I went for it! 

Pancakes were the perfect sweet and filling meal to have!  I'm considering it as my dinner...because who doesn't love breakfast for dinner?!  And I even saved one for lunch tomorrow! Now I'm pretty sure you can use any pancake mix that you have on hand and just follow this recipe.  I added chocolate chips to mine but you don't have to. This recipe can be doubled, tripled, etc.  Also, if you want more of a pumpkin taste, try adding more pumpkin and let me know how it comes out!

Pumpkin Pancakes

(makes 4 large pancakes)

1 cup of any pancake mix

1 egg

1/4 cup pumpkin puree

2/3 cup milk

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

chocolate chips, about 1/4 cup (optional)

Mix all ingredients, except the chocolate chips, together in a bowl and whisk until smooth.  If the batter seems too thick for you add a little more milk and whisk it in.  Place a non-stick pan greased with non-stick spray or butter over medium heat.  Pour about 1/4 cup of batter  in the pan and let cook until bubbles form, 2-3 minutes, then flip and cook the other side for an additional 2-3 minutes, until golden brown.  (If you are using chocolate chips, sprinkle them on pancake after pouring the batter but before bubbles form.)   Enjoy with your favorite syrup!

Fruit Salad

Sometimes when I have a lot of different fruit in my fridge and either they are on their way to going bad, or it's just too much, I make a fruit salad!  Yes, fruit salads are easy, tasty, and perfect for a quick fruit-filled breakfast, snack, or dessert!  All you need to do is cut up whatever fresh fruit you have at home and sprinkle some sugar or splenda along with some OJ, or any citrus you have. That's it!

Fruit Salad (serves 1)
2 cups cut up fruit, whatever you have on hand
Sweetener, as much or as little as you need (sugar, Splenda, honey, or agave)
1/4 cup citrus juice

Place the cut up fruit in a bowl.  Sprinkle sweetener and the juice of 1 clementine or 1/2 an orange into the bowl.  Let sit for about 5 minutes, and serve immediately!

I used a clementine, because I didn't have orange juice on hand and quite frankly I have had them in my fridge for a while and was sick of eating them, so why not use their juices?  When the sugar and the citrus juices sit in the bowl with the fruit you end up getting a great fruit salad sauce!

Pomegranate Seeds, Kiwi, Blueberries, Seckel Pears, 1 packet Splenda, and the juice of one clementine!

Simple Potato Gnocchi

Well let's just say this recipe is time consuming, but the steps are pretty simple.  You do need some special tools such as a potato ricer, but otherwise if you follow the directions and take your time even the beginner cook can master gnocchi!  Even better, take advantage of yourself and double the recipe, like I did, to make tons of gnocchi to stock your freezer!  Try preparing them with various sauces, like this one!  I got this recipe from the September issue of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine. Instead of russet potatoes I used yukon gold.

Simple Potato Gnocchi

serves 8

2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes (about 5 small)

2 teaspoons salt

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 large egg

In a large pot, bring potatoes to a boil in salted water; reduce to a rapid simmer and cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, 35 to 40 minutes. Lightly dust two parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets with flour; set aside. Drain potatoes and peel while still hot with a paring knife (use a thick, dry kitchen towel or pot holder to hold them). Immediately pass potatoes through a ricer into a large bowl. Let cool completely.

Sprinkle potatoes with flour and 2 teaspoons salt, then top with egg. With your hands, work flour and egg into a dough. Knead dough until smooth but not elastic, dusting with flour if it becomes too sticky, 4 minutes. Do not overwork dough.

Divide dough into 8 portions. Roll each portion into a rope (1/2 inch thick and 24 inches long). Cut each rope into 1/2-inch pieces.  Gently roll each dough piece against the back tines of a fork to make ridges, (This step is not necessary but does make the gnocchi look more authentic although it's very time consuming.) then arrange in a single layer on prepared baking sheets.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In batches, add a few handfuls gnocchi and cook until most have floated to top, 2 minutes. With a wire-mesh spider or a slotted spoon, transfer gnocchi immediately to a sauce.  

Make Ahead:  Place boiled gnocchi on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, cover, and let sit, up to 2 hours. Freeze it: Freeze raw gnocchi on baking sheets until firm; transfer to freezer bags and freeze, up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature on parchment-lined sheets, 30 minutes, before boiling.

Deli Roll

This recipe is actually something I've eaten at a friend's house.  I have made it once or twice before and anyone who's ever eaten this has loved it!!  It's a super easy recipe to make, and you can really use any deli meat you like or have on hand!  All you need is deli meat, puff pastry, mustard, egg wash, and an oven!!   NO measurements required either!

Here are the pictures of how to assemble a deli roll:

Open the thawed puff pastry sheet on a foiled and oiled baking sheet.  Spread a generous amount of mustard down the center of the pastry.  Layer with turkey slices, 1-2 layers.

Next layer the pastrami over the turkey.  Fold one side of the pastry over the center and then the other side over the first side (see picture below).  Seal the pastry together with egg wash and also make sure to brush egg wash over the top.

This is what the deli roll should look like before it goes into the oven.  Bake at 360 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until medium golden brown.

Voila...Here's your finished Deli Roll!  Let stand 5-7 minutes before serving, it will be very hot!