#MEwx Warm with rain, drizzels and Candy Cane Bar Cookies
I have a wireless personal weather station broadcasting live where you can view real time weather readings from it by clicking here.
This morning it is cloudy with a chance of rain showers and patchy drizzle this afternoon. Some patchy fog during afternoon hours with highs in the lower 40s. Winds will be light and variable.
Tonight we’ll have rain during evening hours, then rain with a slight chance of thunderstorms after midnight. Patchy fog with lows around 40°F with temperatures rising to around 50°F after midnight. Winds will be Southeast 10 to 15 mph gusting to 30 mph after midnight.
The outdoor temperature is 25.9°F, the dewpoint is 22.3°F and the wind chill is 25.9°F.
We didn’t receive any rain or snow here over the past 24 hours.
Today’s sunrise is 7:10 AM, sunset is 4:02 PM and we’ll have 8 hours 51 minutes of daylight today. Moonrise is 11:01 AM and Moonset is 9:18 PM. The moon phase is Waxing Crescent and is 21% illuminated. Our next Full Moon is on December 26 and our next new moon will be on January 11 (2024).
The wind velocity is between 2.2 MPH and 3.1 MPH from the West Southwest.
The Relative pressure is 30.35, the Absolute pressure is 30.15 and falling with a weather graphic indicating clouds and rain.
The Humidity is 85%, the UV index is 0 placing the average person at no risk and the solar radiation reading is 0W/m2.
Visibility is 10.0 miles / 16.1 kilometers with mostly cloudy skies.
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.
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