Kendall Powell
Cooking is a life skill most people attempt at some point in their lives. We all need to eat anyway. But cooking can be daunting. Ever seen a recipe online that looks good but also looks scary? Maybe you’re unsure if it’ll actually taste good. That’s why I tried two recipes to see if virality can also be equally delicious.
First up… Chicken Crack Soup.
Ingredients:
3 cups rotisserie chicken or shredded chicken breast
1 packet of ranch seasoning
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 brick of cream cheese
2 cups shredded cheese
1 box Cheddar Bay biscuit mix (will need 1 tbl butter)
Directions:
- Add chicken ranch, chicken broth and water to a soup pot. Heat on medium.
- Add cream cheese and cheddar cheese. Stir until melted together and smooth.
- Pour into oven-safe dishes. Only pour about ⅔ full.
- Prepare biscuit dough according to box directions. Plop dough over soup in dishes.
- Bake at 425 for 15 minutes.
- Brush the garlic butter (from the biscuit pack) over the biscuit topping.
First impressions were that this recipe was easy, cheap and overall filling. It took little prep work, I could find ingredients for a good deal at my grocery store and it was deliciously hearty. As I’m feeding a single person, I split this meal into two smaller baking dishes and offered leftovers to friends. My portion was enough for roughly three to four meals. I did make the error of not checking for bits of bones in my pre-shredded chicken, so I’m making a note to ensure you do. I’d also say I lost the ranch seasoning packet, so I used seasoning at home and it still turned out delicious. In my non-professional opinion, this recipe is 100% worth the “hassle.”
Next up… Apple Pie Cookies.
Ingredients:
Spice Cookies:
½ cup butter (1 stick)
½ cup + 2 tbl sugar (½ cup for dough, two tbl for rolling before baking)
¼ brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt.
Pie Filling:
¼ cup water
½ tbl cornstarch
1 large Honeycrisp apple, peeled and cut into small chunks
3 tbl brown sugar
2 tbl butter
1 tbl lemon juice
½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
Directions:
- To start the dough, add softened butter, white sugar and brown sugar to a bowl. Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract, then mix together.
- Add the flour first. Then add baking flour, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Mix together until a thick cookie dough forms.
- Cover the dough and let it chill in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. Dough can be refrigerated for 24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Filling is made by first making a cornstarch slurry and combining corn starch and cold water until a cloudy paste forms. Set aside.
- After peeling and dicing your apple, add it to a saucepan with brown sugar, butter, lemon juice and pumpkin pie seasoning. Mix together over medium heat until butter is bubbling.
- Add the cornstarch slurry to the mixture and combine.
- Keep mixing the mixture for 5-10 minutes until it becomes thick and glossy. Set aside to cool.
- Take the dough out of the fridge and scoop evenly into 10 cookies. Roll each scoop in your hand to make it round.
- Roll each ball of dough in the combined sugar and brown sugar until coated.
- Put dough balls on a baking sheet 2 inches apart. Press each ball down with your palm to even. Use your thumb to create indents on each cookie.
- Spoon about a tablespoon of filling into each indent.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes.
Now, I adore baking. This may seem like a daunting recipe, but truthfully, once you follow along, it goes by quickly and easily. I only have preference-based critiques. I prefer a dozen cookies that are smaller than 10 large cookies. Truthfully, I’d measure with love on the sugar, pumpkin spice and everything nice (vanilla extract). While the measured amounts are a good base, I personally like more sweet or flavorful cookies, so would up the measurements.
However, don’t mess with all the ingredients. Baking is known as a science for a reason! But a little extra sweetness can make your cookies all the more enjoyable. Pro tip: I’d use a spoon instead of your hands to smoosh the cookie dough balls; you’ll find the dough is less likely to crack apart. Overall, the recipe was a big hit! I brought the baked goods on a camping trip, and my friends devoured them. I will be making these again, and it will be 100% worth the hassle.
I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as I have. Hopefully, this will be your encouragement to try new things! You never know what amazing food you could be eating.