Hi! This is Andrea from Cooking with a Wallflower, and I’m back on Ask Anna this month to share with you a brand new recipe. The last recipe of the year!

It’s already halfway through December! Can you believe that we’re just a couple weeks away from a new year? A new decade? Time really does move fast, doesn’t it?

December is the season for all sorts of holiday cookies. They’re great as desserts for all those holiday parties. Or as homemade gifts. So of course, for the last recipe of the year, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite cookies.

These cranberry dark chocolate chunk cookies are so perfect for the holidays. I love that they’re simple to make with ingredients that are easy to find. Soft and chewy, these cookies have the perfect consistency and texture. But even better? These cookies are filled with cranberries and dark chocolate chunks. They have the perfect balance between sweet and bitter. Sooo good.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until combined. Add egg and vanilla extract, then whisk until combined.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together all purpose flour and baking soda.

Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix the ingredients until combined.

Fold in the dark chocolate chunks and dried cranberries.

Refrigerate the cookie dough for about an hour.

When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside for now.

Use a cookie scooper or a tablespoon to measure out the cookie doughs and roll them into balls. Place them evenly apart, about 12 cookie dough balls on a baking sheet.

Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes until the edges are slightly browned. Remove the cookies from the oven. Drop the baking sheet with the cookies on a sturdy surface a few times. By banging the cookies, the melted chocolate will fall into the crevices of the cookies.

Let the cookies cool for several minutes before transferring over to a cooling rack.

Serve these cranberry dark chocolate chunk cookies warm topped with vanilla sea salt if desired.

Enjoy!

I’ll be back in the new year to share more recipes!

Andrea

Cooking with a Wallflower

Cranberry Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

 

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Soft and chewy dark chocolate chunk cookies filled with dried cranberries. These cranberry dark chocolate chunk cookies are so delicious and perfect for the holidays.

Author: Andrea Giang

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 20 cookies

Ingredients

• ½ cup butter at room temperature
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1¾ cup all purpose flour
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup dark chocolate chunks or chocolate chips
• ¾ cup dried cranberries
• Vanilla sea salt (optional)

Instructions

1. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until combined. Add egg and vanilla extract, then whisk until combined.
2. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together all purpose flour and baking soda.
3. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix the ingredients until combined.
4. Fold in the dark chocolate chunks and dried cranberries.
5. Refrigerate the cookie dough for about an hour.
6. When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside for now.
7. Use a cookie scooper or a tablespoon to measure out the cookie doughs and roll them into balls. Place them evenly apart, about 12 cookie dough balls on a baking sheet.
8. Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes until the edges are slightly browned. Remove the cookies from the oven. Drop the baking sheet with the cookies on a sturdy surface a few times. By banging the cookies, the melted chocolate will fall into the crevices of the cookies.
9. Let the cookies cool for several minutes before transferring over to a cooling rack.
10. Serve these cranberry dark chocolate chunk cookies warm topped with vanilla sea salt if desired.
11. Enjoy!

3.5.3251

Here are some more great Christmas posts!

Sea Salt Caramels

Elf on the Shelf – 24 Days of Kindness

Easy White Hot Chocolate

The post Cranberry Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies appeared first on Ask Anna.

Happy early Valentine’s Day!

As you know by now, I’m Andrea from the blog, Cooking with a Wallflower, and I’m so excited to share with you this brand new Valentine’s Day inspired rice crispy treats.

This month is all about strawberries and chocolate. At least to me, anyways. So I wanted to share a dessert that is a combination of both. Rice crispy treats are simple to make with just a few ingredients. They take little effort so it’s perfect as a snack or dessert for the holidays.

What will you be making for Valentine’s Day?

Line a 9×9 inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside for now.

In a large pot, melt butter over low heat. Once the butter has melted, add mini marshmallows to the pot. Use a wooden spoon or a heat resistant spatula to stir until the marshmallows have melted. Remove the pot from heat.

Pour the chocolate crispy rice cereal to the pot, one cup at a time. Stirring in between each addition until all the cereal is covered in the melted marshmallow.

Add the freeze dried strawberries. I used freeze dried strawberries for the strawberry flavor. Fresh strawberries would have been too soggy. Stir to incorporate all the ingredients.

Transfer the marshmallow cereal mixture over to the baking pan. Use the spatula or wooden spoon to smooth out the surface and press down against the pan. Press extra freeze dried strawberries over the top the rice crispy treats if desired. Press down to make them stick.

Let the rice crispy treats sit on the counter for at least a half hour before slicing into 16 bars.

Make these strawberry chocolate rice crispy treats for Valentine’s Day!

Enjoy!

Andrea

Cooking With a Wallflower

Strawberry Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats

 

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Author: Anna

Serves: 16

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 10 ounce mini marshmallows
• 5 cups chocolate rice crisp cereal
• 2 cups freeze dried strawberries

Instructions

1. Line a 9x9 inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside for now.
2. In a large pot, melt butter over low heat. Once the butter has melted, add mini marshmallows to the pot. Use a wooden spoon or a heat resistant spatula to stir until the marshmallows have melted. Remove the pot from heat.
3. Pour the chocolate crispy rice cereal to the pot, one cup at a time. Stirring in between each addition until all the cereal is covered in the melted marshmallow.
4. Add the freeze dried strawberries. Stir to incorporate all the ingredients.
5. Transfer the marshmallow cereal mixture over to the baking pan. Use the spatula or wooden spoon to smooth out the surface and press down against the pan. Press extra freeze dried strawberries over the top the rice crispy treats if desired. Press down to make them stick.
6. Let the rice crispy treats sit on the counter for at least a half hour before slicing into 16 bars.

3.5.3251

The post Strawberry Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats appeared first on Ask Anna.

Years ago we were in Seattle, one of our favorite cities, and stopped in for a drink at a Restaurant named Purple. We sat at the bar and ordered a glass of wine, and checking out their dessert menu I noticed they had sea salt caramels on there, so of course I had to order them. They were incredible. So incredible that I couldn’t stop thinking about them so I came home and immediately looked for a similar recipe. I found this one on About.com and was very excited with how good it was. I would venture to say these caramels are even better than the ones we had in Seattle, but that’s just my opinion.

These caramels have truly become a favorite over the years. I have friends that started a tradition of getting together and making them for teachers and neighbors every year, I’ve made them several times for holiday parties, and this year my best friend even won a Christmas treats competition with them! If you love salted caramel, if you love chocolate, if you love sweets, then you are going to LOVE these caramels! I promise you, you will not be disappointed!!!

Enjoy!

Sea Salt Caramels

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

The combination of sweet caramel, crunchy sea salt crystals, and dark chocolate make these sea salt caramels impossible to put down and the perfect treat for any occasion.

Author: Ask Anna Moseley

Recipe type: Dessert

Ingredients

• 1⅓ cup heavy cream
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• ½ cup light corn syrup
• ⅓ cup honey
• 6 TBPS butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tsp sea salt
• 1 lb bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Instructions

1. Prepare an 8-inch baking pan by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Place the cream in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil. Stir in the sugar, corn syrup and honey and stir until it begins to boil. Periodically wipe down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water to prevent sugar crystals from forming.
3. Cook the candy, stirring occasionally, until it reaches 257 degrees on a candy thermometer.
4. Remove the pan from the heat immediately and stir in the butter, vanilla, and 2 teaspoons of salt.
5. Pour into prepared pan and place it in the refrigerator, or freezer, until firm enough to cut.
6. Cut the caramel into small squares or strips with a chef's knife.
7. Temper the chocolate and dip the caramels in the chocolate one at a time. Place them on a baking sheet covered with waxed paper or foil to set.
8. While chocolate is still wet, sprinkle on the remaining salt and allow to set completely. Store them in the freezer and take them out about 15 minutes before serving.

3.5.3251

The post Sea Salt Caramels appeared first on Ask Anna.

Hi! This is Andrea from Cooking with a Wallflower, and I’m back this month to share with you a super easy recipe just in time for Valentine’s Day.

Growing up, we often got boxes of See’s Candies as gifts for the holidays. Our favorite box was the Nuts and Chews, and in that box, there were always clusters of chocolate covered almonds that were soo addictive.

So for this Valentine’s Day, I thought we could create our own little box of chocolates. Except instead of a mix of unknown chocolates, this box of chocolate will only be filled with chocolate covered almond clusters.

I seriously love how simple it is to make these little treats. And the best part is that you only need a few ingredients: chocolate, roasted almonds, and vanilla salt or sea salt. Both sweet and savory, these chocolates are the perfect gift.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly grease the parchment paper with nonstick cooking spray or olive oil to prevent the chocolate from sticking.

Place pieces of good quality chocolate into a microwave safe bowl. Heat the chocolate for 30 seconds, mix the chocolate, and heat for another 30 seconds, then mix. Heat the chocolate for 10 second increments until the chocolate has completely melted and appears smooth.

Add roasted almonds to the melted chocolate, and mix until all the almonds are coated with the chocolate.

Drop several chocolate covered almonds in a cluster onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Do this for the rest of the almonds. Sprinkle either vanilla salt or sea salt over the almond clusters.

Refrigerate the chocolate covered almond clusters for about a half hour or longer until the chocolate has hardened.

Serve these chocolate covered almond clusters as a snack, or they can be packaged for a homemade last minute gift.

Enjoy!

Andrea

Cooking With a Wallflower

5.0 from 1 reviews

Chocolate Covered Almond Clusters

 

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Roasted almonds coated with semi sweet chocolate then topped with a pinch of vanilla salt. These chocolate covered almond clusters are so simple to make and perfect for gifting.

Author: Andrea

Recipe type: Dessert

Serves: 2-3 servings

Ingredients

• 4 oz semi sweet chocolate
• 1 cup roasted almonds
• Vanilla Salt or Sea Salt

Instructions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly grease the parchment paper with nonstick cooking spray or olive oil to prevent the chocolate from sticking.
2. Place pieces of good quality chocolate into a microwave safe bowl. Heat the chocolate for 30 seconds, mix the chocolate, and heat for another 30 seconds, then mix. Heat the chocolate for 10 second increments until the chocolate has completely melted and appears smooth.
3. Add roasted almonds to the melted chocolate, and mix until all the almonds are coated with the chocolate.
4. Drop several chocolate covered almonds in a cluster onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Do this for the rest of the almonds. Sprinkle either vanilla salt or sea salt over the almond clusters.
5. Refrigerate the chocolate covered almond clusters for about a half hour or longer until the chocolate has hardened.
6. Serve the chocolate covered almond clusters as a snack or packaged for a homemade last minute gift.

3.5.3229

The post Chocolate Covered Almond Clusters appeared first on Ask Anna.

#1 Be YOU

Source: Pinterest

The first thing that’s important to remember is to be YOU. Your house doesn’t have to be perfect and you don’t have to apologize over and over again if it’s not! Your friends come over to see you, not your house, and I guarantee they aren’t judging you because their house probably looks the same (or worse!). Just be yourself and enjoy your time with your guests.

I actually love going to a friend’s house when it’s not perfect because that means they didn’t stress out about me coming over, it means they really just want to hang out with me. Being yourself is important, embrace who you are, whether your house is perfectly clean or not!

#2 Quick clean up tips

A lived-in looking house, is to be expected, but a dirty bathroom is just gross.  If you only have a few minutes before your guests are stopping by, head to the bathroom and give it a quick cleaning.

• Us the current hand towel to wipe off mirrors and wipe up the sink
• Grab a sanitizing cloth and wipe down the toilet
• Clean up hair, dust, etc.
• Empty trash
• Set out a new hand towel

#3 Timing is everything

Think about the timing of your meal. Don’t wait until your guests arrive to start making dinner (because everyone will be starving by the time it’s done) but also don’t have it sitting out getting cold when they first get there. Plan ahead so that whatever you’re going to serve for dinner, has about 10-15 minutes left to cook when your guests arrive. That 10-15 minutes is the perfect amount of time for them to get settled in, grab a glass of wine, nibble on the snacks you set out for them, and start into a good conversation.

It might make you feel unprepared to still be cooking when your guests arrive but when I started doing this I noticed that our guests felt more relaxed and they seemed to enjoy themselves more. I learned that having everything sitting on the table waiting for them mad them feel rushed, like they were late and had been holding us up, and that’s definitely not how the night should start out.

#4 Make your guests feel welcomed

When your guests arrive always offer them something to drink. Set out a tray with a pitcher of water, some glasses, lemons if you have them, and even a few snacks.

Or if you want to fancy it up a bit, set out a couple bottles of wine and offer them a glass once they are settled. Guests also love it when you set out a small platter with crackers, cheese, or other appetizer type foods.

Having food and beverages set out for your guests when they arrive will make them feel special because they will know you were thinking about them before they arrived.

#5 Let your guests help

Does that make you gasp and your stomach churn a little? If it does then you’re exactly like I am. I hate letting my guests help because when I have people over I want to serve them, not the other way around! But after many years of hostessing, all kinds of events, I’ve learned a very valuable lesson, your guests want to help. About 1/2 the time we host, our guests won’t offer to help – which is more than okay with me, but the other 1/2 of the time, they offer.

Typically people won’t offer to help, unless they really want to, so why deprive them of their kindness, and willingness to help? I’ve learned that when I let my guest help, they really enjoy themselves and it ends up being a huge blessing to me, because it’s less for me to do at the end of the night!

These five tips will help you to be the best host ever! Meal planning and a little prep work will help too but the most important thing about hosting is to make your guests feel welcomed, loved and comfortable in your home. As long as you get these five things down, everything else will fall into place and you, and your guests, will have a great time!

Happy holidays!!!

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The post The BEST tips for How to be an Organized Hostess appeared first on Ask Anna.