Black and White Cookies

When you think of black and white cookies, you usually think of the cookies you see in almost every bakery window while storming the busy streets of New York City. You know the cookies I'm talking about...the big and thick, chewy and cakey cookies that are painted with chocolate frosting on one side and painted with white frosting on the other side. However, Sunset magazine has a different take on the traditional black and white cookie (or perhaps this is the west coast version...or the distant cousin...of the NYC classic).

After this failure from Sunset, I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical about trying another Sunset cookie recipe. Then again, my philosophy on baking is "nothing ventured, nothing gained", so I risked the Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate bars and Lindt Excellence White Coconut White Chocolate bars in my pantry and ran with the recipe.

At first glance, I was pretty sure that this was going to be yet another Sunset flop after seeing the way the cookie dough resembled brownie batter, but I continued on my way, added the chopped white chocolate and chilled the dough.

Here's a picture of the cookie dough before adding the white chocolate and chilling:

 















The recipe instructs that you chill the dough until firm, at least 1 hour. (At least are the key words here.) Let me just tell you right now that your dough will be nowhere near a firm dough at 1 hour. I let my dough sit in the fridge for four hours before continuing on with the recipe, and it still wasn't anything near what a firm cookie dough batter usually is. I just pulled out the cookie scoop, crossed my fingers and hoped that somehow (and magically) the oven would bake up two decent batches of cookies.

Voilà...

These are really good cookies. These have a crunchy/flaky exterior and a chewy brownie-like interior. The white coconut white chocolate added a great flavor. I love the tiny pieces of coconut in the Lindt bars. You get the taste of coconut without the stringyness (is that a word?) of shredded coconut. The big, irregular chunks of white chocolate look great in contrast to the dark bittersweet chocolate in these cookies, too.

And who did I make these for? Kristen, of course. She's stopping by tonight, and a big plate of cookies always puts a smile on her face. I figured these cookies were perfect to make for her since she loved these so much. And in keeping with the chocolate/white chocolate theme, I know she'll love these cookies, too.

Black and White Cookies

Adapted from Sunset

12 ounces Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate bars, chopped
3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 ounces (two 3.5-ounce bars) coarsely chopped Lindt white coconut white chocolate

Preheat oven to 325°. In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water (but not touching it), stir chocolate and butter until smooth, 5 minutes. Remove bowl from over water; whisk in sugar, eggs, and vanilla.

In another bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to chocolate mixture and stir until well blended. Stir in white chocolate. Cover and chill dough until firm, at least 1 hour.

Shape dough into 2-inch balls and place about 3 inches apart on buttered or cooking parchment-lined 12- by 15-inch baking sheets.

Bake until set at the edges but still soft in the center, 12 to 15 minutes; if baking more than one pan at a time, switch pan positions halfway through baking.

Let cool for 5 minutes on sheets; transfer to racks to cool completely.

Yield: Makes about 28 cookies

Notes: Use quality chocolate bars...you can use either bittersweet or semisweet chocolate depending on your tastes and/or what you have on hand. Do NOT overbake these...mine were done at 12 minutes. You can use regular chopped white chocolate if you cannot find the Lindt white coconut white chocolate. I got 24 cookies.

 

Pumpkin Muffins with Milk Chocolate Chips and Sliced Almonds

Nope, Halloween is not right around the corner, but I had a can of pumpkin to use up. (I never got around to making that Pumpkin Tiramisu last Thanksgiving. And it looks like that same Pumpkin Tiramisu won't get made this Thanksgiving either.) Since my baking is going to come to a screeching halt next week and since I need to stock my freezer with breakfast goodies for the next few weeks until I move, I decided to make some muffins this afternoon. Along with the can of pumpkin, I had a partial bag of both milk chocolate chips and sliced almonds that needed to be used up, so I just pulled all of the usual baking ingredients (flour, sugar, etc.) out of the pantry and whipped up these muffins. You can adjust the spices to your liking, but I like anything with pumpkin to have an obvious "spiced" taste, so I just dumped in a teaspoon of this and a half teaspoon of that until I got the taste I wanted. These baked into very dense, very moist muffins. I liked the creaminess and the more-subtle-than-semisweet-or-bittersweet flavor that the milk chocolate chips gave to these muffins, and the toasted almonds added a subtle crunch and nutty flavor. These are delicious and very filling.

Pumpkin Muffins with Milk Chocolate Chips and Sliced Almonds

1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used Penzey’s Vietnamese Cinnamon)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted and cooled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin generously with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In large mixing bowl, sift together dry ingredients (flour through nutmeg); set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla extract, pumpkin and butter. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients just until combined. Fold in chips and almonds.

Divide batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let stand in muffin tin for 2-3 minutes before removing to wire rack. Eat warm or let cool completely before serving or storing in an airtight container.

Makes 12 muffins.

Mindy's notes: Adjust the spices to your preferences. If you prefer, you can use canola oil in place of the butter. You can probably leave out the milk, too, but I just happened to have a very small amount in the fridge that I wanted to use up.

 

Cheesecake-Marbled Brownies

This was the one and only recipe I ripped from the June 2007 issue of Gourmet magazine. (The June issue was actually a pretty good one, but since I don't have much time to cook these days and since I don't have a grill, that limited a lot of the issue's recipes.) As much as I've tried not to bake (and cook) too much so I can focus on packing and other Vancouver-related things, I just knew I had to make these (and since I had all of the ingredients on hand, there was no reason not to whip up a batch). I made the recipe as written with the exception of using 1/3-less-fat cream cheese instead of full-fat cream cheese. I also baked them for 40 minutes instead of 35 since I am not a fan of fudgey brownies. These are excellent. They are slightly fudgey in the middle but overall they are more of a very dense, chewy brownie. At first, I thought that the recipe may have called for too much cream cheese batter to swirl into an 8-inch pan full of brownie batter, but I quickly realized that the brownie/cheesecake ratio is perfectly proportioned. I like a slightly larger brownie, so I cut these into 12 brownies. Next time, I will cut them into 16 brownies, though, because they are quite rich (and filling).

If you've never made cheesecake brownies before, put some (or all) of these in the freezer and eat them straight from the freezer whenever your sweet tooth needs a "fix". This is hands-down my favorite way to eat brownies. (Note to self: Give remaining 10 brownies away tomorrow so you don't eat them all.)

Enjoy!!!

Cheesecake-Marbled Brownies

Source: Gourmet - Quick Kitchen - June 2007

Two adored classics come together in this dessert lover's superbrownie.

For brownie batter
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup all-purpose flour

For cheesecake batter
8 ounces cream cheese, well softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Make brownie batter:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan.

Heat butter and chocolate in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, whisking occasionally, just until melted. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar, eggs, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until well combined. Whisk in flour until just combined and spread in baking pan.

Make cheesecake batter and bake brownies:
Whisk together cheesecake batter ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Dollop over brownie batter, then swirl in with a knife or spatula.

Bake until edges are slightly puffed and center is just set, about 35 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 16 brownies.

 

Oatmeal Muffins - Part 2

 

Same recipe as Oatmeal Muffins - Part 1 except: 1.) I used vanilla extract instead of maple extract, and 2.) I used miniature semisweet chocolate chips instead of currants. (I think these are even better than the batch with currants. They're both delicious, but obviously my personal palate ranks chocolate above currants.)

Oatmeal Muffins

Adapted from Epicurious (Gourmet – February 1995)

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 large egg, beaten lightly
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup plus 2 tsp. all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine oats and buttermilk and let stand 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400° F and butter twelve 1/2-cup muffin tins.

Add egg, vanilla extract, sugar, and butter to oat mixture, stirring until just combined.

Into another large bowl, sift together 1 cup flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda and add to oat mixture, stirring until just combined. Put chocolate chips and remaining 2 tsp. flour in a ziptop bag; seal bag and shake to evenly coat chips with flour. Fold chips into muffin batter.

Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin tins. Bake muffins in middle of oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.

 

Miniature Brownie Cups

 

My miniature muffin pan doesn’t get the love it deserves from me. (Then again, neither does my 15 x 10 x 1-inch pan or my 9-inch springform pan, but those are two other posts altogether.) In an affectionate effort to show him some much-craved love before he gets bubble-wrapped and put into storage next week, I wanted to bake some two-bite treats, and Miniature Brownie Cups seemed to be the perfect recipe to make.

My friend Amy and I finally got together for lunch today at Brio after two previous failed attempts, so I figured that was a good enough reason to bake something. (Isn't there always a good enough reason to bake, though?) After sampling one of these from the first batch, I decided to bake two more batches. One batch for Amy to take back to her office to share with her co-workers, another batch for her to take home to her hubby and son and, well, a batch for me. Boy-oh-boy is Mr. Miniature Muffin Pan finally feeling the love!!! Three times in one day is more action than he's gotten in the six or so years I've owned him.

These brownie cups are really delicious. The texture is somewhere between that of chocolate cake and a crunchy top/chewy middle brownie. The pecans, which toast on top of the brownie cups as they bake, add a nice crunch, too. I think these would be really good using miniature baking M&M's, too.

Yummy and easy to make... my kind of recipe!!!

Miniature Brownie Cups

Source: Old-Fashioned Bake Sale, p. 79

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup natural or Dutch-processed cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon baking powder
Dash salt
¼ cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line small muffin cups (1 ¾ inches in diameter) with paper baking cups. Whisk together butter, sugar and vanilla extract in medium bowl. Add eggs, one at a time; beat well.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, whisking until well blended. Using a spoon, fill muffin cups ½ full with batter; sprinkle nuts over top.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool slightly; remove brownies from pan to wire rack. Cool completely.

Makes about 24 brownies.

 

Oatmeal Cookies

I know, I know. Oatmeal cookies don't have the "Wow!!!" appeal that so many other cookies do. In fact, the idea of oatmeal cookies seems a bit boring. However, these aren't just any plain ol' oatmeal cookies. These cookies are thick, toothsome and have the perfect texture. They aren't crunchy, they aren't chewy...they have that perfect "right-in-the-middle-of-crunchy-and-chewy" texture. (Hmmmm...is it the ground oatmeal or the light corn syrup that gives these that much sought-after perfect cookie texture?) The molasses taste from the dark brown sugar really adds a nice flavor, and the fact that these cookies are loaded with big chocolate chips and toasted pecans makes them a perfect 10. This is definitely not your mother's oatmeal cookie recipe. (My mother doesn't have an oatmeal cookies recipe, but maybe yours does.)

I got this recipe from this blog. They halved the original recipe. I halved and tweaked their recipe based on both the amounts of ingredients I had on hand and personal taste preferences.

 












Oatmeal Cookies

Recipe seen on Writing At The Kitchen Table blog
(Adapted from Carole Walter's Great Cookies)
Adapted, tweaked (and perfected???) by Me

2 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
10 tablespoons old-fashioned oats, divided
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1/2 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup Guittard Semisweet Super Cookie Chips (or chocolate chunks)
1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted and cooled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a large cookie sheet.

In a food processor fitted with metal blade, process the brown and white sugars and 4 tablespoons of oats until sand-like. (This took about 2 minutes in my mini chopper).

Sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Stir in the remaining 6 tablespoons of oats. Set aside.

Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, blend the butter with corn syrup on low speed until light. Beat in the processed sugar/oats mixture in two additions. Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract; blend well.

Turning the speed up to medium, add the sifted flour in two additions, mixing until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts.

Divide dough into 9 equal pieces and roll into balls or shape into mounds. Place balls/mounds on prepared cookie sheet, leaving about 2-3 inches between each ball/mound. (The cookies will spread slightly during baking).

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until cookies start to turn golden around the edges. Let cool for 2 minutes on cookie sheet then remove with a spatula to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 9 BIG cookies.

 
















Mmmm...right from the oven. Gooey and delicious.

 

Sad and Stressed

That's my boy Kurt today. Sad because his Red Wings suck (I mean, lost). Stressed because he's closing on his townhouse on Friday and driving/moving out to Arizona next week.

(Hey, Atlanta...where's everybody going???)

Since I was on a baking spree in the kitchen today, I figured, "Why not bake a batch of cookies for both Chris and Kurt?" (See the recipe for the cookies I baked for Chris in the previous post.)

(Sorry for all of the cookie recipes with chocolate chips, coconut and almonds recently. I didn't realize how much of these three ingredients I had in my pantry and need to use up before my move to Vancouver in five weeks. FIVE WEEKS!!! Yikes...and Yippee!!!)

Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

Adapted from Epicurious - Gourmet, August 2001

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups packaged finely shredded unsweetened coconut
2 cups semisweet chocolate chunks (I used chocolate chips)
3/4 cup almonds with skins, toasted, cooled, and chopped

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Beat together butter and sugars in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add eggs and beat until just blended, then beat in vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Add flour and mix at low speed until just blended. Stir in oats, coconut, chocolate, and almonds.

Arrange 1/4-cup mounds of cookie dough about 3 inches apart on 2 lightly buttered large baking sheets (about 8 cookies per sheet), then gently pat down each mound to about 1/2 inch thick. Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position and rotating pans halfway through baking, until golden, 15 to 18 minutes total.

Cool cookies on sheets 1 minute, then transfer with a spatula to racks to cool completely. Make more cookies in same manner.

Makes about 24 large cookies.

 

Chocolate Truffle Cookies

What do you do when you find this in your pantry?

 
















You bake a batch of cookies, of course. (I'm still pondering when I actually bought these chocolate sprinkles. Hmmm...still pondering.) My neighbor Chris is moving back to India next week after a year here in the United States, and I wanted to bake him something to wish him a fond farewell. He's such a great guy, and I wish I would have spent more time getting to know him, but he promised to stay in touch, and I promised him that every batch of cookies I bake and blog are being "virtually" sent to him in Bombay.

All my best to you, Chris!!!

 

















Chocolate Truffle Cookies

Source: Adapted from Taste of Home

½ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons natural cocoa powder
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons chocolate sprinkles

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, confectioners' sugar and cocoa until light and fluffy. Beat in sour cream and vanilla extract. Add flour; mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Roll into 1-in. balls; dip in chocolate sprinkles. Place, sprinkled side up, 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 325° for 10 minutes or until set. Cool 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yields about 30 cookies.

Nanaimo Bars

It's Victoria Day up in Canada, and I figured today would be a good day to post the Nanaimo Bars I made for my brother over the weekend. (And what exactly is Victoria Day, you ask? Yeah, I don't know either. Let's all learn something new today and read about it here.)

With so many recipes for Nanaimo Bars out there to choose from, which recipe did I decide to make? The one from the City of Nanaimo website, of course. The recipe is here.

This recipe is very good. However, I would suggest reducing the amount of graham wafer crumbs, almonds and coconut in the base, though. (I had a lot of the mixture leftover since I didn't want a super-thick base.) If I were to make these again, I would definitely use 1/4 cup less of each of those ingredients. Make sure you use European butter (e.g., Plugra or Lurpak) in this recipe...the butter taste is very prominent. Use quality chocolate, too. Using good ingredients is key to really bring out the flavor of these bars. Cut these bars small, too, as they are really sweet and rich.

I will be visiting Nanaimo in October (or at least taking a ferry there from Vancouver to get elsewhere on Vancouver Island), so I may be inspired to make another batch of Nanaimo Bars come fall. (There's a peanut butter version I really want to try, too, so stay tuned.)

 
















I was in a hurry to meet Mike for lunch, so I only snapped one (bad) picture, but you get the idea of what they look like:

 

Chocolate, Coconut & Almond Cookies

These BIG chocolate chips are well-suited to be baked into a batch of BIG cookies. They really live up to the “smoother, meltier” hype that the package promises, too. I adapted a basic cookie dough recipe and added in the chocolate chips by ¼ cups until the dough had just the right amount of chips...not too few and not too many. A heaping ¾ cup of these super cookie chips was the perfect amount. For good measure (and in a continuing effort to clean out my pantry), I also added a heaping ½ cup of shredded sweetened coconut and a heaping ½ cup of sliced almonds (after I toasted them, of course). The end result was a plate full of BIG, thick and delicious a la Almond Joy cookies. These toothsome cookies have just the right amount of chocolate in them, they're moist and chewy from the sweetened coconut and the toasted almonds add a subtle crunch. Definitely a well-rounded cookie that ranks among the best of all the batches of cookies I have ever made. They’re so good, I made another batch this morning just for me (and me only). Kurt liked these so much that he asked me to email the recipe to him so he could send it to his mom up in Michigan. Since I didn't stay up all last night trying to think of a more clever name for these cookies, I just named them after the three main ingredients. (Genius, I know.)

Chocolate, Coconut & Almond Cookies

1 cup plus 2 T. all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 T. granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup (heaping) Guittard Semisweet Chocolate Super Cookie Chips
½ cup (heaping) sweetened flaked coconut
½ cup (heaping) sliced almonds, toasted and cooled

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, cream together butter and the sugars on medium-high speed of an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla extract; mix well. Beat in flour mixture. By hand, fold in chocolate chips, coconut and almonds.

Form dough into large mounds (about 1/4 cup in size) and place 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake cookies in middle of oven 11-13 minutes, or until golden. Cool cookies on baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to racks to cool completely.

Cookies keep in an airtight container for 5 days.

Yield: Makes 12 (very) BIG cookies (or 24 regular-sized cookies).

Note: You can use regular semisweet chocolate chips in place of the Super Cookie Chips.

 
 
 

Surprise Muffins

SURPRISE!!! Here's a muffin recipe the whole family will love. And if they don't, you ask? My suggestion would be to seek out new family members. I am assuming (you know what they say about assuming, though) that the name of these muffins comes from the "surprise" chocolate chip-peanut butter middle when you bite into these. These look like just another muffin on the outside yet taste like no other muffin you've ever eaten on the inside. We all know how delicious the chocolate-peanut butter combination is (we do all know this, right?), and it really makes this muffin a winner. The maple extract adds a nice warm flavor, too, and becomes more pronounced the longer these muffins sit. For good measure, the oat bran adds that whole grains goodness everybody's talking about these days. (What? Not everybody is talking about whole grains these days?) These muffins are delicious and not overly sweet, even with the chocolate-peanut butter middle. I got this recipe from The Spirit of Christmas Cookbook - Volume 2. Don't wait until Christmas to make these, though. Go bake a batch today and let me know what you think.

Surprise Muffins

Source: The Spirit of Christmas Cookbook - Volume 2, p. 20

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup oat bran
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon maple extract

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a small bowl, combine peanut butter and chocolate chips; set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, bran, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, whisk milk, oil, eggs and maple extract. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and add milk mixture; stir just until moistened. Spoon about 2 tablespoons batter into each cup of a greased muffin pan. Spoon about 2 teaspoons peanut butter mixture over batter in each cup. Spoon remaining batter over peanut butter mixture, filling each cup three-fourths full. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until muffins pull away from sides of pan. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Store in an airtight container. Muffins may be served at room temperature or reheated. To reheat, cover and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven 5 to 8 minutes or until heated through. (These reheat well in the microwave, too. Just wrap a muffin in a paper towel then cook on HIGH 100% power for 30 seconds).

Yield: 12 muffins

 
 

Oatmeal Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

"What is 'tired', Alex?" Yes, that's the correct $200 answer in the category, "How does Mindy feel today?" At this time and in this moment, "tired" is the answer to everything in the aforementioned category. There is simply too much I have to do in the next few weeks (38 things on my to-do list so far); however, I always seem to find enough time to bake something for somebody. After all, I'm on a mission to use up all the baking ingredients in my pantry, and since I have friends willing to eat whatever I make, it's a win-win situation. I prep and bake and they sit back and nosh. Seems fair. (Well, not really, but...)

I baked these cookies this afternoon for my friend Kurt. I had a whole canister of oats to use up as well as partial bags of both semisweet chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. There is no source for this recipe because I just "winged" the recipe for my Wings fan friend. (Yeah, I know. Not funny.) Once you've baked as many batches of cookies as I have, you can (usually) just throw together the standard amount of ingredients (give or take a 1/4 cup or so) and bake a decent batch of (edible) cookies. Alas, these cookies turned out fantastic. They're thick and toothsome with just the right amount of sweetness and hints of chocolate and peanut butter. They're not too sweet, not too rich...just perfect cookies with a slightly crunchy exterior and a chewy interior.

Oatmeal Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup plus 2 T. all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter chips

In large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla extract.

In medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt; mix into butter mixture. Fold in oats, chocolate chips and peanut butter chips.

At this point, cover bowl of dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Ten minutes prior to baking the cookies, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll dough into balls and place onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. (I baked the cookies in two batches of 12.) Bake for 12-14 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: 24 cookies

 

Irish Cream Bundt Cake

I went to lunch today with my friend and former co-worker Amy. Over a sizzling cast-iron skillet of chicken fajitas for two, we talked about her adorable son, her job and my upcoming move to Vancouver. She also told me enough stories about her husband and a few of her friends’ ex-husbands to convince me that I am missing absolutely nothing by not being married. We laughed a lot and totally lost all track of time. She was only 45 minutes late back to work. Luckily, her boss is in Raleigh all week, and she figured the rest of her co-workers were probably out doing the same thing. (Gossiping and eating fajitas???)

She works in a department with seven other employees, and I wanted to bake something for her to share with her co-workers. I decided to make a Bundt cake. Apparently, Bundt cakes with Irish cream are trendy this year. I came across two recipes last month for Bundt cakes with Irish cream in them. (Keep reading. Links to those two recipes are attached.) I have been looking for a reason to make this cake since I saw it on Kristen’s blog last month, and since I had all the ingredients on hand in my pantry (and finally enough people to feed), it was a no-brainer that I finally make it. I didn’t make the glaze, though, since I needed to transport the cake. I’m sure the glaze makes the cake over-the-top good, but it was delicious without it. I took the inspiration to add miniature chocolate chips from this recipe that was in the April issue of Cooking Light. Of course, I knew 1/4 cup of chocolate chips wouldn’t cut it, so I added, ahem, 1 1/4 cups instead. I would make it that way again. The cake is very moist, and the mint chocolate Irish cream and mini chocolate chips add fantastic flavor. I usually can tell when a cake is made from a mix, but I couldn’t tell with this recipe. It’s delicious. I tried a piece last night and it was good, and I tried another piece this afternoon and it was really good. (On a side note, your kitchen will smell heavenly as it bakes, too.) I didn’t take any pictures after I cut the cake into pieces (sorry!!!), so you’ll just have to take my word for it that it did indeed look as good as it tastes.

Irish Cream Bundt Cake

Adapted from Dine and Dish blog
Somewhat inspired by Cooking Light recipe

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 (3.125 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup Bailey’s Mint Chocolate Irish cream
1 1/4 cups miniature chocolate chips
1 T. all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix.

Mix in eggs, water, oil and Irish cream.

Beat for 5 minutes at high speed. (Batter will be thick.)

Place miniature chocolate chips and flour in a large zip-top bag. Zip the bag shut, and shake a few times to evenly coat the chips with flour. (This helps prevent the chips from sinking to the bottom of the cake pan as the cake bakes.) Fold chocolate chips into batter.

Bake cake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a wire rack to cool. Slice and serve.

Notes: You can use regular Irish cream, too. Make sure to liberally grease the Bundt pan to prevent the cake from sticking to it. The Irish cream flavor is more pronounced the longer the cake sits.

 
 
 

Mocha Pots de Crème

Many Parisian bistros offer three-course prix fixe menus for lunch and dinner, and I have seen pots de crème on almost all of the menus as the dessert. Pots de Crème are the French version of pudding cups. They are actually more creamy and mousse-like than what we in America classify as pudding, though.

I remembered this recipe as one I have wanted to try for a long time now. Since I am in Paris-mode now, I figured, "What better recipe to make to celebrate my pending arrival in France?"

These are fantastic. Actually, they are utterly sinful. The perfect balance of chocolate and espresso is evident in this delicious dessert. The chocolate is really enhanced by the espresso powder. One bite you taste chocolate. The next bite you taste espresso. These are very rich and indulgent yet they are not overly sweet. Make sure to use quality chocolate for best taste. I used Valrhona.

These would best be served after a light meal or shared with somebody after a heavy meal.

I am sharing these with my neighbor Chris for watching my car and apartment while I'm in France. He's a self-proclaimed chocoholic, so I know he will be happy to see me with five mocha pots de crème in hand later this afternoon.

Mocha Pots de Crème

Source: Adapted from Atlanta Cooks At Home

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
5 oz. semisweet chocolate
1 T. instant espresso powder
5 large egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of fine sea salt
Approximately 4-6 c. of boiling water to create a bain marie (water bath)

Place oven rack in the middle of the oven. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Place six (6 oz.) ramekins in a medium roasting pan and set aside. Begin boiling water for a bain marie.

In a medium saucepan, combine cream, milk, chocolate and espresso powder over medium heat. Bring almost to a simmer and remove from heat. Set aside, stirring occasionally until chocolate is almost completely melted.

In a 1-quart measuring cup, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. While whisking, add a little of the hot milk mixture to temper. Add the remaining mixture and whisk to combine. Whisk in the vanilla and salt.

Pour approximately 1/2 cup of the egg mixture into each ramekin. Cover each of the ramekins tightly with aluminum foil to prevent a skin from forming. Fill pan with enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides. (This is the bain marie.) Carefully transfer the roasting pan to the oven. Bake until the custards are set in the center. 35-40 minutes.

Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Remove the pots from the water and place on a wire rack to cool, about 30 minutes; transfer to fridge to cool completely, preferably overnight.

To serve, top with whipped cream (if desired).

Chubby Hubby Cookies

I was contemplating what to do with the peanuts and pretzels I had leftover from last night's dinner. As I was looking though my electronic file of recipes, I came across these Chubby Hubby Cookies from last year's Christmas cookie contest in the St. Petersburg Times.

I admit pure skepticism about this recipe at first glance. I kept looking at it, more specifically at the last ingredient, and thinking, "This is too weird. Just how good can cookies with crushed pretzels in them taste?"

The answer? AWESOME!!! These cookies are fantastic. They are quite toothsome with a crunchy outside and a slightly chewy middle. When you first bite into them, the first thing you notice is the peanutty flavor. Then you notice a faint saltiness and crunch from both the peanuts and the crushed pretzels. The chocolate is noticeable but more as a background flavor to compliment the cookie instead of overpowering it.

For those of you who like Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby ice cream, I would be curious to know how these cookies taste in comparison. The thought of crunchy pretzels in frozen ice cream doesn't sound appealing to me, but since I now know not to judge a recipe by it's pretzels, maybe I should give it a try sometime.

Chubby Hubby Cookies

Source: Adapted from St. Petersburg Times

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup salted peanuts
1 cup crushed pretzels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Blend into creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate and peanut butter chips, peanuts and pretzels.

(At this point, I wrapped the bowl of dough in plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.)

Drop heaping tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 13 minutes, or until edges are lightly brown and centers are still soft. Do not overbake. Cool one minute on cookie sheet, and cool completely on wire racks. Store in tightly covered container.

Makes 3 1/2 dozen.

Notes: I halved this recipe (halved all the ingredients except the egg and pinch of salt). I still used 1 whole egg and a small pinch of salt. I got exactly 21 cookies which is the correct yield for a halved batch of these cookies. I also mounded the cookie batter instead of dropping it by heaping tablespoons.

Black and White Brownies for Kristen

My friend Kristen is gracing me with her presence later this evening, and since I know how much she loves brownies (and since I really had the urge to bake late last night), I knew just what recipe I wanted to make for her.

I love Lindt White Coconut White Chocolate bars. I have made other recipes in the past using them, and I figured this would be a perfect recipe to incorporate them into as well. In general, I am not a fan of white chocolate. I never understood how people simply ate it and swooned over it. Then, I tried Lindt which made me realize just how good "quality" white chocolate could be. (My friend Colleen introduced me to Milky Bars, a fantastic British white chocolate bar, which I love, too, but that's a whole different topic in itself. You can buy Milky Bars at Cost Plus World Market or you can order them here. I prefer to fly to London and buy them there. LOL.)

The original recipe below called for 1 cup of white chocolate chips. If you decide to use chips instead of chopped white chocolate like I did, look for white chocolate chips, not white baking chips. There is a big difference in taste and quality of the final product if you use white chocolate chips (although white baking chips would be fine, too).

These brownies baked up really fudgy (or is it "fudgey"?) in the middle with a shiny, crackly top. The sides of the brownies puffed up really high while baking and never came down to the same level as the rest of the pan (even after cooling completely and sitting overnight), so I did cut off about 1/2-inch around the perimeter before cutting the remaining pan of brownies into 9 squares. Of course, I had to sample the edges I cut off, and this is one fantastic brownie. The sides were chewier and cooked a little bit more than the middle of the pan. These brownies are way too gooey in the middle for me, but luckily, I know Kristen prefers them that way. I, myself, am a chewy-in-the-middle, shiny-and-crackly-on-the-top kind of girl.

Concensus: If you like fudgy (fudgey?), gooey brownies, then this is the recipe for you. If you like your brownies chewy or cakey, I wouldn't recommend this recipe, though. The chopped white coconut white chocolate adds a really nice subtle coconut flavor, so if you like coconut and can find these Lindt bars, I would recommend using them. I have found them at both Walgreen's and Bed, Bath & Beyond. If you're more of a traditionalist, you can leave the white chocolate out altogether.

Black and White Brownies

Source: Adapted from Sunset

1/3 cup salted butter
1 cup (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 T. water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (6 oz.) chopped white chocolate bars*


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a 2- to 3-quart pan over low heat, frequently stir butter and semisweet chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, eggs, water and vanilla extract. Sift flour and baking soda together in a small bowl; add to chocolate mixture and mix just until blended. Cool about 15 minutes, then stir in the chopped white chocolate. (Adding the white chocolate any sooner will cause it to melt into the chocolate brownie batter.)

Spread batter evenly in a buttered and floured 8-inch square baking pan.

Bake until edges feel firm to the touch and begin to turn a shade darker, 25 to 30 minutes.

Run a knife between pan rim and brownie. Let cool in pan on a rack, about 1 hour. Cut into 9 large or 16 small squares.

Yield: Makes 9 or 16 brownies.

Notes: I used salted butter instead of the usual unsalted butter since the recipe didn't have any other added salt. If you use Lindt Excellence White Coconut White Chocolate bars, you will need to purchase two (3.5 oz.) bars to fulfill the amount needed for this recipe. (You will have some left over, so just eat it and enjoy.) I let the brownies cool completely and sit overnight wrapped in plastic wrap before cutting into bars.



 

Got chocolate?

If your name is Willy Wonka or you just happen to have a lot of chocolate in your pantry, have I got the ideal cookie recipe for you!!! There is 1-1/3 pounds of chocolate in this recipe. Yes, you heard me right...a whopping 1-1/3 pounds. I take no responsibility whatsoever for any cavities, break-outs or gained pounds should you decide to make these cookies.

I used quality ingedients...Ghirardelli chocolate, Plugra butter, King Arthur Flour espresso powder and Nielsen-Massey Mexican pure vanilla extract. These cookies are crackly on the outside and chewy on the inside just like a perfect brownie should be yet conveniently formed into individual cookies. The espresso powder brings out the depth of the chocolate flavor and the Mexican vanilla extract adds a creamy, spicy flavor. (FYI...Mexican vanilla extract is best used in recipes containing chocolate and/or cinnamon.) A little bit of chocolate goes a long way for me, as I am not a self-proclaimed chocoholic, but these are superb; however, one cookie was more than enough for me. They're rich but not overly sweet. Next time your sweet tooth can't decide between baking cookies or brownies, make these as they're sure to satisfy your craving for both.

Triple-Chocolate Cookies

Source: Adapted from Cook’s Country, June/July 2005

Makes 26 cookies

The key to the fudgy texture of these cookies is letting them cool directly on the baking sheets. Avoid using bittersweet bar chocolate – the cookies will be too rich and won’t hold their shape.

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 ½ cups bittersweet chocolate chips
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons espresso powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

Melt unsweetened chocolate, bittersweet chips, and butter in heatproof bowl set over saucepan of simmering water, stirring frequently, until completely smooth and glossy. Remove bowl from pan and set aside to cool slightly.

Stir coffee powder and vanilla extract together in small bowl until dissolved. Beat eggs and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer at medium-high speed until very thick and pale, about 4 minutes. Add vanilla-coffee mixture and beat until incorporated, 20 seconds. Reduce speed to low, add chocolate mixture, and mix until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. Using large rubber spatula, fold flour mixture and semisweet chips into batter. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes until batter firms up (it will more closely resemble thick brownie batter than cookie dough).

Meanwhile, adjust two oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Using 1 heaping tablespoon batter per cookie, place cookies 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake until cookies are shiny and cracked on top, 11 to 14 minutes, rotating baking sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking time. Transfer baking sheets to racks and cool cookies completely, on baking sheets, before serving.

Additional notes: I got 36 cookies from this recipe. The batter thickens the longer it sits. I actually think the second batch of cookies I made was better than the first batch because the batter was stiffer. You definitely need to use a cookie scoop for this recipe.