#MEwx Sun, cold with some clouds and Candy Cane Bar Cookies

Good morning Augusta.

I’ve put up an Ambient WS 5000 weather station where you can view real time weather readings from this location online here.

This morning we have mostly sunny skies with highs in the upper 30s. Winds are North 10 to 15 mph gusting to 25 mph.

Tonight we’ll have mostly clear skies with lows around 19°F. North winds 10 to 15 mph gusting to 25 mph.

We didn’t receive any rain or snow here over the past 24 hours.

The wind is North Northeast between  6.0 MPH and 14.2 MPH.

The Relative pressure is 29.99, the Absolute pressure is 29.79 and rising with a weather graphic indicating sun.

The  outdoor temperature is 28.0°F, the dew point is 12.2°F, the wind chill is 24.6°F and the humidity is 51%. 

Visibility is 10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers with sun and a few clouds.

The UV index is 0 placing the average person at no risk and the solar radiation reading is Sun is not yuet up 0W/m2. Sunrise is 7:04 AM, sunset is 4:01 PM, moonrise is 4:57 PM, Moonset is 8:45 AM. The moon phase is Waning gibbous and it’s 98% illuminated. We’ll have 8 hours 57 minutes of daylight today.

The next Full Moon is January 6,2023 (Wolf Moon) with our next new moon being on December 23.

 

CANDY CANE BAR COOKIES

Preheat oven to 350F, rack in the middle position.

1 cup butter  (I use butter, margarine, Smart Balance, whatever I have; anyone who can tell the

difference in this cookie doesn’t belong in my kitchen!)

1 cup white granulated sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

¼ tsp peppermint extract

½ tsp salt

2/3 cup finely crushed miniature candy canes (measure after crushing)

6 drops red food coloring

2 cups flour (not sifted – pack it down when you measure it)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (Hold these out for later use as noted below)

(Note: I’m a big fan of dark chocolate, so I use Ghiradelli 60% cacao double chocolate chips)

Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl for 1 minute 30 seconds on HIGH.  Set it on the counter to cool.

Place the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer, add the egg, and beat it until it’s a uniform color (you can do this by hand, but why would you?).

Add the peppermint extract, salt, and finely crushed candy canes.  Mix it all up.

Add the 6 drops of red food coloring.  Mix it in thoroughly.

Feel the bowl with the butter.  If you can cup your hands around it comfortably, you can add it to your mixing bowl now.  Mix it in slowly at low speed or it will slosh.  If it’s still too warm to add, wait until it’s cooler and then do it.

Add the flour in half-cup increments, beating after each addition. 

Take the bowl from the mixer and stir in one cup chocolate chips by hand.

Spread the batter evenly into a greased 9-inch by 13-inch pan.  Bake it at 350F for 25 minutes or until it feels firm on the top.

Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle it with the remaining two cups of chocolate chips.  Immediately cover the pan with a piece of heavy-duty foil (or whatever I have) or a cookie sheet.  Let it sit for three minutes.  Then take off the cookie sheet or foil, and spread out the melted chips like frosting with a rubber spatula or frosting knife.  (Note: because I use chips that are larger than the usual semisweet chip, I let it sit a little longer to melt.)

Cool completely and then cut into brownie-sized pieces.