Wednesday InnSider: The Aska Lodge (Recipes: Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies & a Snowman Cheese Ball)

It’s snowing inside the Aska Lodge! Well, sort of…in the form of an incredible snowman collection just put on display at our charming bed and breakfast in the north Georgia Blue Ridge Mountains!

photo credit Aska Lodge

Hundreds of snowmen of all shapes and sizes, made from wood, felt, metal and wool, are waiting to greet guests as they pass through the front door. With our motto displayed as you enter the Lodge, “Enter as strangers, leave as friends,” nothing could be more true. As Aska Lodge guests you’ll be enveloped in warmth, both from the fireplace and our southern hospitality.

From our bottomless cookie jar (which is ALWAYS a big hit with guests) to a fun and tasty snack that completes our snowman theme, every surface is covered with snowmen we’ve collected over the years. Some sing, some dance, and others light up the room with their Christmas glow.

photo credit Aska Lodge

But the most popular snowman here at the Aska Lodge is our delicious Snowman Cheese Ball. Spicy, nutty and full of flavor, he’s the perfect snack to welcome you to the Lodge—whether you’re just arriving or returning from a day spent hiking nearby trails.

What can guests expect to see and do during a visit to the Aska Lodge? After enjoying a hearty breakfast (of Eggnog French Toast, for example), you could take the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway on an excursion to McCaysville, Georgia & Copperhill, Tennessee. Or you could take a leisurely stroll through local antique, gift and craft shops, perhaps searching for that perfect gift for someone special. You could even enroll in an art or photography class offered by the Blue Ridge Mountain Arts Association.

Whatever the reason, you’ll be glad you’re here—Blue Ridge, Georgia has SO MUCH to offer and loves to greet its visitors with a warm smile and friendliness.

As our special gift to you this season, we’re sharing two of our favorite recipes here at the Aska Lodge. The first is our flourless Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie (our signature cookie, featured in our famous bottomless cookie jar) and of course, our Snowman Cheese Ball. Almost too cute to dig into, I invite you to serve this cheese ball to your wintertime guests this season, and soon it will be snowing inside your home as well!

photo credit Aska Lodge

Happy Holidays from the Aska Lodge!

Aska Lodge Bed & Breakfast, LLC

178 Calen Drive, Blue Ridge, GA 30513

706-632-0178

email: askme (at) askalodge (dot) net

photo credit Inn Cuisine

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

(signature cookie of the Aska Lodge)

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 (18 ounce) jar of extra crunchy peanut butter
• 1 & 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 & 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 6 cups quick cooking oats
• 2 & 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 12 ounces chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F for baking.

Assembly

Beat softened butter and peanut butter until fluffy; gradually add both sugars, beating well. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well. Combine oats and baking soda; add to peanut butter mixture and thoroughly combine. Stir in chocolate morsels. Drop by tablespoons (I use a small melon ball scoop) onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 9-10 minutes.

Yield: approximately 7 dozen cookies.

Innkeeper’s Note – This is the cookie that is ALWAYS in the Aska Lodge bottomless cookie jar…some new guests ask where the cookie jar is the moment they walk in the door! It’s great since the recipe makes so many…I freeze some and take them out as I need them. When we first opened, I had a cookie jar with a noisy lid…people sort of complained since they couldn’t sneak a cookie. It’s since been replaced by a quieter lid which seems to work much better—the cookies disappear very quickly!

photo credit Inn Cuisine

Snowman Cheese Ball

(featured at the Aska Lodge, recipe from Kraft Foods)

• 1 container (8 ounces) PHILADELPHIA cream cheese spread
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives or green onions
• 1/4 cup PLANTERS slivered almonds, toasted
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
• 2 cups KRAFT shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup KRAFT grated Parmesan cheese
• 12-15 peppercorns
• 1 baby carrot

Assembly

Mix cream cheese spread, fresh chives or onion, almonds, cayenne pepper and cheddar cheese until well blended. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

Divide mixture into 3 different size balls: 1 small, 1 medium, and 1 large. These balls will make the body of the snowman. Coat each with Parmesan cheese. Arrange on a serving platter in a line to resemble a snowman lying down (largest ball at the bottom, smallest (head) at the top). Decorate with peppercorns for the eyes, mouth and buttons, and use a sliver of baby carrot for the nose. Serve with NABISCO crackers and/or cut up vegetable dippers.

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