3/19/12

OXO Scale Giveaway and a Recipe for Chocolate Chunk & Hazelnut Cookies

How would you like to win an OXO scale?

As part of OXO Blogger Outreach Program, I had a chance to request an OXO product to try out at home and to share with one lucky reader.

Guess what? I'm a spaz... I completely forgot that I requested to test out a scale, and ended up buying another scale on a big sale at Marshall's.

My absentmindedness is your luck: instead of giving away one OXO scale, I'll be giving away two!

Why might you want an OXO scale? If you are a baker, having a scale helps you make more precise and consistent recipes. If you are trying to eat healthier, having a scale makes portion control easier to manage. It's just one of those kitchen tools that you'll find yourself using over and over again.

This particular scale is great because it's lightweight, comes with batteries and takes up very little space in your kitchen cabinet or drawer. In fact, you might want to leave it out on your counter because of its little footprint.

Here are some of the other highlights from OXO:
  • Large numbers with illuminated background make display easy to read
  • Pull-out display unit allows users to measure large objects and still be able to read the numbers
  • An indicator displays how much capacity is left on the scale
"OXO’s user-friendly Food Scale with Pull-Out Display is perfect for weighing all ingredients. Weigh items directly on the platform, on a plate or in a bowl, and pull the display away from the base to prevent shadowing from large plates and bowls. Accurately measure ingredients when cooking and baking or stick to a diet by weighing portions. A weight indicator shows the capacity left on the Scale before maximum capacity is reached. Press the zero button to offset the weight of a container or to set the weight back to zero so you can add additional ingredients. The display features large, easy-to-read numbers which measure in 1/8-ounce (imperial) and 1-gram (metric) increments. The plastic platform can be removed for cleaning. The Scale has a 5-pound capacity and two AAA batteries are included."

Before I tell you how you can have a chance to win this scale, I'd like to share a recipe for Chocolate Chunk & Hazelnut Cookies adapted from Baking Basics and Beyond by Pat Sinclair.

Ingredients
2 cups (242 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (114 g) butter, softened
1/2 cup (96 g) solid vegetable shortening
1 cup (228 g) firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg
1 cup coarsely chopped dark 85% chocolate**
1/2 cup coarsely chopped white chocolate**
1/2 cup (57 g) chopped hazelnuts, lightly toasted

** I used Green & Black's Organic Chocolate I won from a twitter giveaway from Green & Black's Organic Chocolate and The Duo Dishes.


Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375F with an oven rack in the middle.

2. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

3. Using a hand held mixer, cream together butter,
shortening, brown sugar and granulated sugar, scraping the mixture down a few times. Add vanilla and egg and mix well.

4. Combine wet and dry mixture until dough forms. Carefully fold in chocolate chunks and nuts.

5. Using a 1-tablespoon scoop, form cookies and arrange them on a non-greased cookie sheet about two inches apart.

6. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes.


(I only baked 6 cookies so that I would not be tempted to eat all of them. I froze the rest of the cookies on a cookie sheet, and then transferred them to a Ziploc bag to store in the freezer for whenever I get a craving for something sweet.)


Final result:



Serve cookies warm with milk.


And now, I will explain how two of you lucky Mango & Tomato readers can win your own OXO scale!

All you have to do is leave a comment and let me know how you would use this scale. {NOTE: only those who live in the US are eligible to win.}


For additional chance to win this giveaway, do one or all of the following and leave an additional comment for each of the following things that you did:


Tweet about this giveaway and mention @OXO, @MangoTomato and link to this blog post in your tweet
Like MangoTomato on FB
Like OXO on FB
I will announce the two winners on Monday, March 26th!

The comments are now closed! The winners of the giveaway are Ann Mathew and Meryl. Congratulations!!!


Disclosure: OXO sent me two scales. I was not reimbursed in any way for writing this post. All opinions are my own.

77 comments:

  1. Anna BermanMarch 19, 2012

    You need a new set of cookie sheets.... :P xoxo

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  2. Would love an exact scale! I'm kind of obsessive that way!

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  3. hi! while i do bake tons of sweet desserts, i'm more interested in weighing out fruits for my frozen treats!

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  4. kyan bowmanMarch 19, 2012

    just liked mango tomato on Facebook!

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  5. kyan bowmanMarch 19, 2012

    oh and i already liked oxo on Facebook

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  6. Laura ToscanoMarch 19, 2012

    I would love to use a scale in the kitchen to improve my baking. I am starting to bake bread and crackers and tortillas, and make homemade pasta this year and it would be a great help!

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  7. i would use this scale to measure my meat when i portion them to put in the freezer

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  8. squee!!! I would use the scale to portion meat/veg/pasta for freezing, for bread making, and for baked good making when my husband deploys.

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  9. What an awesome giveaway! I've been debating on getting a scale, but I just don't bake enough to justify the purchase. I would use the scale to bake like a mad woman and our kitchen home would include lots more cookies and cakes!

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  10. I liked MangoTomato on FB! (Julie Lee Kelley)

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  11. I like OXO on FB! (Julie Lee Kelley)

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  12. Oxo products are great, and I'd love a digital scale for baking.

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  13. I would use the scale to help with portion control and hopefully shrink myself just a bit :)

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  14. I already have a scale but I've been eyeing that OXO one because I love how it has a pull-out display. I actually would probably be really nice and give it to my sister because I don't think she has a scale yet, and I like to encourage everyone to use a scale when baking.

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  15. I'm just starting out my foodie life and have been leaning towards the pastry world. A new scale would totally help me with my baking, seeing as how important accurate measurements are. I would use the scale to help me do more blog posts!

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  16. I would use the scale for making my morning coffee: Weighing your beans *and* brew water is much more precise than using a standard measuring cup.

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  17. I'd use it to measure how much meat I'm eating for each meal... I think I eat too much!

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  18. I like MangoTomato on facebook!

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  19. I like OXO on facebook!

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  20. tweeted: https://twitter.com/#!/jfong1130/status/181935598326661121

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  21. The cookies look great Olga! I'd use this scale for my non-US based cookbooks that don't have cup measurements listed, haha.

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  22. Cookies look amazing! I would use it for weighing ingredients for baking.

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  23. I'm on a diet, I need to weigh everything!

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  24. I have two scales and I love them. I wish all baking recipes were given in weights. Makes life so much easier.

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  25. Those cookies look PHENOMENAL. I love the perfectly browned edges.

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  26. Shannon BensonMarch 21, 2012

    Scales are great for measuring gluten free flours!

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  27. Shannon BensonMarch 21, 2012

    I liked Mango Tomato on FB :)

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  28. I have so many frosting recipes that suggest weighing versus measuring the powdered sugar.

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  29. I Like MangoTomato on FB

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  30. I Like OXO on FB, thanks for the great giveaway! OXO products are the best!

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  31. I'd love to have one of these to use for making up my recipes. :( too bad I don't have a facebook.

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  32. CityCookerMarch 21, 2012

    I would use the scale to generally weigh my food when cooking- there have been so many times when I need a certain amount of food (measured in weight) and I have to guess how much to use! This scale would eliminate those troubles!

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  33. I'd use it to weigh all my baking ingredients.

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  34. I'd give this to my wife who does all the baking!

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  35. I soooo need this scale! Between baking for the farmers market, measuring ingredients for jam, and yes, even weighing packages for mailing, a good scale is an absolute necessity in my kitchen!

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  36. I already like you. :-)

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  37. I already like OXO. :-)

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  38. Aaaaannd... I tweeted! xox

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  39. Ann MathewMarch 22, 2012

    i enjoy cooking and this OXO scale would be useful and accurate to measure the ingredients for some of the special recipes i received from family and friends :)

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  40. Ann MathewMarch 22, 2012

    i liked MangoTomato on FB

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  41. Ann MathewMarch 22, 2012

    i liked OXO on fb

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  42. 5cats2dogsMarch 22, 2012

    I will use the scale to weigh my food for the diet I'm starting! 5cats2dogs@charter.net

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  43. 5cats2dogsMarch 22, 2012

    I also liked you on Facebook!

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  44. A scale is on the top of my wish list! I would do so much baking with it! I might start with these cookies--oh my, that last shot with the gooey chocolate? YUM.

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  45. I like OXO on FB

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  46. and I like you on FB, can't believe I didn't already!

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  47. Ann DavenportMarch 22, 2012

    I've been wanting to get a good scale so I can start weighing my baking ingredients instead of the old scoop-and-level method. Think it would take my bread and cakes to a whole new level of awesome.

    Also - thanks for the super-yummy-looking recipe!

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  48. Id love to have a food scale for recipes that use ounces and lbs!

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  49. My fiance and I just bought our first house. We will be moving in in June, where I will learn to truly cook on my own!

    I will use this scale in our first home to make tons of recipes for the first time! So exciting!!

    Thank you for hosting!
    Manda
    avalenti6936 at yahoo dot com

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  50. I "like" OXO on Facebook as Manda Valenti

    Thanks!
    Manda
    avalenti6936 at yahoo dot com

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  51. I "like" Mango Tomato on Facebook as Manda valenti

    Thank you!
    Manda
    avalenti6936 at yahoo dot com

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  52. https://twitter.com/#!/MandaPanda428/status/182974841215922176

    Tweeted :)

    Thanks!!
    Manda
    avalenti6936 at yahoo dot com

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  53. Let Me Eat CakeMarch 22, 2012

    i totally need these scales for baking! too bad cookies aren't included :)

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  54. Let Me Eat CakeMarch 22, 2012

    and I tweeted it too! :)

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  55. I think having a scale such as this would really change the way I bake. So many recipes I use for bread are in grams and cups, some just in grams and then the calculator comes out. I think using a scale such as this would open up new ways of cooking perception for me. I mean, when I use a new tool something always changes in the way I feel the recipe. creative and fun blog, beautifully put together!

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  56. I eat too much :) I would uses it for portion control thanks

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  57. like u on fb Julie A Scott Laws

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  58. like oxo on fb Julie AScott Laws

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  59. I love baking with scales! I have one, but like you said, the display always gets blocked by large bowls. These cookies look great! You were so smart to only bake 6 and freeze the rest -- did you bake the 6 in the toaster oven (I've yet to figure out how baking in the toaster oven works...)

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  60. https://twitter.com/#!/discojing/status/183266886497222657

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  61. of course i like you on FB

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  62. Learning to bake and I would love to use the scale in that new challenge!

    Thanks for the giveaway!

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  63. I learned how to cook when I moved over to France but this also required learning to measure everything in grams as they do not use measuring cups. I transfer everything into grams now!! I love it! But I have thought how nice it would be to have a scale that would allow you to put a big bowl on and still see the numbers so I would love to use this scale for baking and measuring! It looks amazing!

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  64. Love OXO products!

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  65. Excited to see all of your recipes on facebook now that I like MangoTomato!

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  66. sliceonutritionMarch 25, 2012

    I would use the scale to measure out ingredients from a lot of European recipes who use grams instead of cups

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  67. sliceonutritionMarch 25, 2012

    I liked MT on FB!

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  68. I would use the scales for everything! I've always wanted to try using a scale for bread-baking.

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  69. tweeted the giveaway!

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  70. MishabermanMarch 26, 2012

    Hello Olga! I am looking at this with grandma right now, she says the cookies look really good! I agree!!

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  71. you won!!! please email me your address at orchidgirl1979 at gmail!

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  72. Congratulations on your win!!!

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  73. Hi, Ann!
    You won one of the OXO scales!! Congratulations!
    Please email me your address at orchidgirl1979 gmail and I'll sent it to you!
    Thanks for playing ;)

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  74. Hi, Meryl! You won one of the OXO scales! Congrats. Please email me your address at orchidgirl1979 at gmail.
    Thanks for playing along ;)

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  75. Ann MathewMarch 28, 2012

    thank you so much ..... will be so useful in my kitchen! :)

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Thanks for stopping by Mango & Tomato. I love reading your comments and will try my best to respond to any specific questions you might have. Come back soon!