Samoa Girl Scout Cookies

Oh my gosh, it's already that time of year again!  Time for the Girl Scouts to come out, or recruit their parents, to start selling those delicious little cookies that, I swear, are designed to ruin people's diets.  I usually end up buying a couple of boxes myself, and then give them to my husband; but this year I am no longer at school and therefore don't have any little girls asking me.  Jeff however, has some recruited parents working with him, so he ended up calling me the other day to see if I wanted any boxes.  Right away, my stomach said, "Yes!!!" but my will power kicked in and I ended up telling him "no."

However, that evening, while Jeff was at bowling, his team members issued me a challenge.  They wanted to see if I could bake up a batch of Samoa Girl Scout cookies that tasted just as good, if not better than, the actual boxes they buy.  Now, as most of you know, I'm always up for a good challenge, therefore I think it goes without saying that I gladly accepted.  Sadly, I didn't get to eat any of the cookies myself (completely my choice), but I did end up hearing that they were delicious.  If you choose to make a batch for yourself, you can be the judge.

These cookies were definitely fun to make once, and definitely worth it, but are slightly time consuming.

(Just to clarify.....We still support the Girl Scouts and Jeff actually purchased a few boxes from someone he works with)

Samoa Girl Scout Cookies

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Makes about 3 ½ dozen

Ingredients:

Shortbread Cookie:

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened

½ cup sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

2 TBSP. milk (if needed)

½ tsp. vanilla extract

Topping:

3 cups shredded coconut (toasted)

13-14 oz. good quality caramel chews

3 TBSP. milk

1/8 tsp. salt

10 oz. dark chocolate chips (I like using Hersey’s)

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Now, in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Change the mixer to a lower speed and pour in the flour.  After a few seconds add in the vanilla, and milk (but only as needed) until a dough begins to form.  The dough should come together in a ball all on its own.  If you added too much milk, just add a little more flour.  The dough should not feel sticky.

Use your hands and divide the dough into 2 sections.  Roll each section into a ball and cover with plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or a silicone baking mat.

Once ready, remove the dough from the refrigerator and take off the plastic wrap.  Next, sandwich the dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll out until it’s about ¼ inches thick.  Cut the dough using a donut cutter, or two different sized round cookie cutters.  Place the prepared cookies onto the cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, or just until the bottoms begin to turn a light golden brown.  While one or two batches are baking, continue to cut more cookies from the dough, re-rolling as needed.

Once the cookies are done baking, let them cool for about a minute on the baking sheet and then transfer them to a wire rack where they will cool completely.

Topping:

To toast the coconut:

Place the coconut into a large skillet set over a low-medium heat and stir occasionally.  Once the coconut pieces start to turn a little brown you will want to make sure that you continue to stir constantly, as the pieces will toast very quickly.  Once the coconut looks browned, remove from the heat, and pour into a bowl; set aside.

For the caramel:

Place the caramel pieces into a microwave safe bowl with the milk and salt.  Cook for 3-4 minutes, making sure to stop and stir around as needed and to help the caramel melt.  Once the caramel has melted, fold in the toasted coconut using a large spoon or spatula.

To assemble the cookies:

Using a small knife, or spatula, evenly spread the coconut topping over the cooled cookies.  Helpful Hint: If the caramel begins to harden and makes it too difficult to spread onto the cookies, just place the bowl back into the microwave for 10-20 seconds and it will soften it back up.

While the topping on the cookies hardens, melt the chocolate.  I chose to melt mine in a double broiler, on the stove top, but you could always melt it in the microwave.  The nice thing about the double broiler is that the heat from the water (even though I turned the stove off), keep the chocolate soft the whole time.  This meant that I didn't have to keep melting it as I worked.

Once ready, dip the base of the cookie into the chocolate and set aside on a piece of parchment paper to cool.  After all the cookies have been dipped and set aside, pour the remaining chocolate into a piping bag, or Ziplock bag, with the corner cut off, and drizzle the chocolate over the tops of the cookies.  Let cool until the chocolate hardens.  I placed mine in the fridge to speed up this process.

Eat when ready, or store in an airtight container for later consumption.  Enjoy!  

Source: Amanda's Cookin'

Winter Delights: White Chocolate and Candy Cane Cookies with Peppermint M & M's

It appears that lately, Target has become a part of my daily routine.  I tend to go there to just walk around and see what's new.  However, the only down side to this is that I ALWAYS seem to find something I didn't know that I always needed.  On my last trip into Target, I happened to come across bags of Peppermint M & M's, plus Peppermint Hersey Kisses.  They looked absolutely delicious!  I apparently like to torment myself, by walking through the aisles and looking at things I know I can't eat.  I think it goes without saying that I bought both types of candy, but mostly because I knew that I could find, or create, something delicious to include them in that others would enjoy!

This means that I am once again contradicting my own personal goals with the recipe that I'm posting.  However, with it being the holiday season, I think that this is going to happen a lot.  I have a ton of holiday baking to do for people, and I always get asked how I do it.  How do I make such tasty looking desserts and not eat them?  The answer to the question is always the same......A lot of willpower and Extra's Mint Chocolate Chip gum, which is my life saver.

So, with all that being said, if you're looking for a festive holiday treat, with a lot of Christmas cheer, then this cookie is definitely worth trying out!  If you decide that it's not for you, don't fear, more sweet treats will be posted soon.  Enjoy!

Winter Delights: White Chocolate and Candy Cane Cookies with Peppermint M & M’s
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Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
¼ - ½ tsp. salt
¾ tsp. baking soda
1 cup butter, room temperature (I always use Country Crock sticks whenever I say butter)
1 cup light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 TBSP. vanilla extract
1 cup white chocolate chips
½ cup of crushed candy canes, divided
¾ cup White Chocolate Peppermint M & M’s

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda.  Whisk the ingredients together and set aside for later use.

Now, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together the butter and sugars on a high speed, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  This process should take about 2-3 minutes and the mixture should appear light and fluffy in consistency.  Next, add in the eggs and vanilla, and then beat until smooth.  Change the power setting on the electric mixer to low, and slowly pour in the flour mixture.  Let the ingredients mix until just combined.  Lastly, fold in the white chocolate chips, ¼ cup of the crushed candy canes, and of course, the M & M’s.

You are almost there…..Now you will want to place the prepared cookie dough in tablespoonful’s onto the baking sheet, making sure to space the cookies out about 2 inches apart.  Top each cookie with one or two more M & M’s and then sprinkle on a little more crushed candy cane pieces.  Place the cookies into the oven and allow them to bake for 10-12 minutes.  (Mine took exactly 10 minutes to bake; you don’t want them to turn brown)

Once ready, remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 3-5 minutes.  After that, remove the cookies from the baking sheet and place on the wire rack to cool completely.  These cookies make for the perfect holiday treat!

 

Source: Slightly adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

Mint Chocolate Cookies

Happy belated Thanksgiving everyone!  I hope that your long holiday weekend was enjoyable and filled with family, friends, football, shopping, good times, and of course, delicious food!  Jeff and I actually took it easy for a change, and with family located in different states around the country, we decided to pack our bags and go on a relaxing mini-vacation to Atlanta.  Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my family and we happily would have traveled further, but we were just out in Las Vegas in October, and we're going to be traveling up to Michigan for Christmas.

With all that being said, I can't believe that the Christmas season is "officially" upon us.  This is, without a doubt, my favorite time of year, and what better way to get in the mood of the holiday, than by sharing a scrumptious cookie recipe.  I know that this post is kind of ironic, at least for me, because I've been continuing to eat healthy.  Small confession though.....I may have splurged one day in Atlanta, but only because we went to a Johnny Rockets (I had never been before), and seeing that we were there, I felt the need to try a dark chocolate and peanut butter milkshake.  Oh...My....Word....was it ever absolutely DELICIOUS and everything I was hoping for!  It was definitely worth the splurge, however, going from pretty much no sugar intake whatsoever immediately to a milkshake, might not have been the best idea.  I say this mostly because I wasn't feeling so well later that evening. 

I'm proud to say that the milkshake though was my only splurge over the holiday weekend, and now I'm back on track.  I have a new workout routine all set to go for the month of December and I might even join a Dietbet.  As you know, I love challenges and the workout calendar that I created for this month starts off looking pretty easy, but as the month continues on, it becomes slightly more intense.  If you want to join me, but think it might get too intense, feel free to break the exercises up into smaller sets, and don't worry about completing them all at once, the only thing that matters is that they get done.  Helpful Suggestion: you could always complete some of the crunches and squats in the morning and then do the rest in the afternoon.  Looking back at my numbers and workout routine from November, I'd have to say that I had a pretty successful month.  Even though I couldn't workout with the intensity that I wanted, due to my stress fracture, I still managed to lose around 8 lbs.  So keep in mind that anything is possible if you set your mind to it!

So, for those of you up for the challenge, here's the new calendar....Feel free to keep me posted on how you're doing.

Now, to contradict my workout routine, here's today's recipe.  I feel that these mint chocolate cookies would be a great addition to any cookie swap, or holiday party.  The mint flavoring found within each tasty morsel is perfect for the Christmas season, and who can say that they're not a fan of Andes Mints?  Plus, the mint green coloring that's added to these cookies is definitely pleasing to the eyes.  They will be gone before you know it!

Mint Chocolate Cookies
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Ingredients:

2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 ½ cup sugar
1 egg
1 ½ tsp. mint extract
15 drops or more, green food coloring
1 1/2 boxes of Andes Mints, broken into pieces (It helps if they are refrigerated)
Optional: ½ cup of Chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.

In a medium bowl combine, and whisk together, the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

Now, in the bowl of an electric mixer, set on high and fit with a whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg and mint extract, making sure to scrape down the side of the bowl as needed.  Now, set the mixer to a lower speed and add in the dry ingredients.  Once the dough begins to form, add in the green food coloring and continue to mix until you are happy with the coloring.  Saving the best for last….translation…. it’s now time to fold in the Andes mints.  However, make sure that you save some of the mint pieces to place on top of the cookies before placing them in the oven. 

 

Roll a small amount of dough, about a tablespoon or so, in your hands and place onto the prepared baking sheet.  Flatten the dough a little by pressing down with your palm and then add a few Andes Mint pieces on top. 

Place the baking sheet in the oven and allow to cook for 8-10 minutes.  (FYI: The cookies will look puffy and might not look done, but they will drop down when cooling.)

When ready, remove the baking sheet from the oven and place it on a wire rack for 5 minutes.  Once the cookies have cooled slightly, remove them from the pan and allow them to cool completely.  These cookies are definitely delicious with a glass of milk!  What a great holiday treat!

 

Source: Slightly Adapted from Crafty Corner

Pumpkin Pie Spice Protein Cookies with Dark Chocolate

Here's wishing you all a very Happy Halloween!!!!!!

 

 

And what better way is there to celebrate a holiday that's dedicated to providing an all time sugar high, than by baking a healthy treat instead?  Don't think I'm being a total party pooper though, I've had candy bars sitting in the bottom of my pantry for about a week or so, and I can proudly say that I haven't even been tempted by them.  For me, that's a huge step forward in the healthy eating department.  I'm proud to say that I've been doing well. 

Ok.....back on topic.....I think that I may have said this last October, but I'm going to say it again, just in case; I've never been a big fan of Halloween and I really debated whether or not to pass out candy.  I didn't debate this because I don't like the holiday, but mostly because we never seem to have too many trick-or-treaters.  However, I remembered how much I do enjoy seeing the little kids in their creative costumes, and seeing that we're in a new housing development, that has grown a lot since last October, I decided that we would, yet again, take part in the tradition.  It's hard to know what the night will hold, though.  For example, one little girl last year didn't even want the candy she had originally come to the door for, instead she just sat down on our front porch wanting to play with our dogs, while another little boy gave us his goldfish crackers in exchange for a piece of candy.  Kids can be so cute. 

Ok.....back to the Pumpkin Protein Cookies now........I was originally looking for something that would be a healthier alternative to candy, yet would still meet our need for sweets on this eccentric holiday.  I've seen quite a few recipes out on the Internet recently, for protein cookies or protein balls, and I've been wanting to try them.  However, I really wanted to keep with the theme of the holiday.  That's why I decided to take the idea of protein cookies and add the flavor of pumpkin into the mix.  Here is the delicious and nutritious result........

Pumpkin Pie Spice Protein Cookies with Dark Chocolate
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Makes 20-24 cookies depending on size

Ingredients:
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup almond milk
1 TBSP. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 ½ scoops vanilla whey protein powder
1 TBSP. agave nectar
1 TBSP. molasses
2 TBSP. ground flaxseed
¼ cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a large bowl, place all the ingredients together, and mix with a wooden spoon until well combined.

Drop small spoonful’s of ‘dough’ onto a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, press the cookies down a little, and then place in the oven for 15-18 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies Stuffed with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Topped with Peanut Butter M&M's

Oh my goodness!!!  I'm not even sure that there's a word(s) good enough to describe these little round slices of heaven.  Sadly though, I can't take credit for creating this masterpiece, just baking it myself and passing it along.  I do find it hard to believe though, that I've never thought up this recipe before; especially seeing I've recently stumbled upon Oreo stuffed cookies, and S'mores stuffed cookies.  This whole concept of hidden treasures within cookies has been right in front of me for months now!  On a random side note, I need to attempt making those two cookies, they sound fantastic!

Anyway.....enough of the mind wandering.....let's get back to these little round slices of heaven.  I mean really, these cookies are dessert perfection!  First of all, you start with mouth-watering chocolate chip cookie dough (try not to eat too much during the baking process), then you add in a mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, top that with another layer of the same delectable chocolate chip cookie dough, and lastly, add on some delicious Peanut Butter M&M's.......My mouth is watering just thinking about it!  So grab a glass of milk, turn on your oven, and enjoy!

A little piece of advice though.......You might want to have some extra ingredients on hand, because you'll most likely to be asked if you can make another batch.

Chocolate Chip Cookies Stuffed with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Topped with Peanut Butter M&M's
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Ingredients:

2 sticks butter, softened
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 TBSP. vanilla extract
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 (12 oz) bag milk chocolate chips
1 bag mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, frozen
2 (12 oz.) bags Peanut Butter M&M’s

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or a piece of parchment paper; set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda.  Place the bowl aside for later.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, and set to a medium-high speed, beat together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Scrap down the side of the bowl as needed.  Add in the eggs and vanilla and beat on a low-medium speed until blended.  Now, set the mixer to a low speed and slowly add in the dry ingredients.  Continue mixing until just combined and then fold in the chocolate chips. (I can be a little impatient, so I always just set my mixer on the lowest speed and dump in the chocolate chips to help speed up the process)

To assemble cookies:

Begin with about 1-2 TBSP. of rounded cookie dough and then place on top, a frozen peanut butter cup.  Add on another 1-2 TBSP. of cookie dough making sure to seal in the peanut butter cup by pressing down on the sides.  Place the, now ready, cookie onto the prepared baking sheet, and add on the peanut butter M&M’s.

Bake the cookies for 15 minutes (oven temperatures may vary, so keep an eye out as the timer starts to expire).  It’s important NOT to over bake.  Now, remove the pan from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes on a wire rack.  Once they’re slightly cooled, remove the cookies from the pan and let them finish cooling on the rack.

 

 

Source: No. 2 Pencil Cook, Bake, and Create

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Delights

Every so often I get this strong craving for cookies and I have to resist the temptation to give in, especially because cookies are incredibly easy to make and never take too long to bake.  It's just that I've been doing so well lately, with eating healthy and when I bake things, it's incredibly difficult not to give in.......Sadly, I ended up having one, but it was definitely worth it, and in the grand scheme of things isn't the end of the world. 

This particular batch of cookies was made for our road trip, up to the mountains of North Carolina the other weekend.  Somehow though, some of the cookies disappeared before we even left the house, Jeff, *cough, cough*.  Apparently it couldn't be helped though, because these cookies turn out soft and chewy and are the perfect combination of peanut butter and chocolate.     

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
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Ingredients:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
8 TBSP. butter, melted and cooled
6 TBSP. creamy peanut butter, melted and cooled
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
¾ cup white chocolate chips
½ cup peanut butter morsels

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.

In a microwave safe dish, combine the peanut butter and butter, then melt together in 30 second intervals until well combined and smooth in texture.  Set aside to cool completely.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, and set to a medium speed, combine the peanut butter/butter mixture, with the sugars, and then beat until well blended.  Next, add in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and beat on a low speed until just blended.  With the mixer kept to a low speed, slowly add in the flour mixture until a dough has formed.  The dough may appear crumbly, but it will eventually come together (If necessary, knead with hands, and add a little milk).  Fold in the white chocolate and peanut butter chips.

Once the dough is ready, shape it into golf ball size pieces and place onto the prepared baking pans about 2 inches apart.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the centers appear soft and puffy and the edges are slightly brown.  Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 3-5 minutes, then remove from pan and allow to cool completely on the wire rack.

Enjoy with a tall glass of milk!

Source: How Sweet It Is

30 Day Paleo Challenge, plus Dark Chocolate-Peanut Butter and Oatmeal No Bake Cookies

I love this quote because it's so true.  I definitely plan to keep going, especially

now that I'm getting back to being able to workout!

Well, my 30 day Paleo Challenge is officially over!!!  Ok, it's actually been over for almost a week.  Sorry that I haven't posted lately, I guess I'm a little bit of a slacker in that department.  Unfortunately though, I have to admit that I kind of slipped towards the end.  I could lie and say that I was good up to the very last day, and stayed strong, but I'm an honest person.  Sadly, the temptations (and no, not the musical group) got the best of me.  It was especially difficult when I was making things for the wedding cake the other weekend and Jeff wasn't around to help sample.  I kind of just felt that if 120 people were going to be eating the cake, and I was getting paid for it, I had better make sure that things tasted ok and were actually edible, which they were.

On the brighter side of things, (yes, I'm always positive) I'm proud that I stayed true to the paleo challenge for as long as I did, even over my spring break.  I also feel that if I'd been able to exercise during the challenge,  I might have actually lost some weight.  During the first two weeks or so, I was feeling really good, both physically and emotionally.  After that, I'd honestly have to say that I didn't notice much of a difference.  However, this could be due to the fact, that I was already growing accustomed to feeling healthy.  I'd love to (and plan to) retry this challenge once I'm back to my old self and am able to run and workout at the gym again.  I miss my trainers.  As of the other day, I've been very slowly getting back into my routine, but am not quite there yet.  I don't want to overdo it and injury myself again.

So now it's time to share something sweet........

What other way is there to end a challenge like this one, then with a delicious and incredibly unhealthy, but addictive recipe.  These Dark Chocolate-Peanut Butter and Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies are beyond addictive.  Just remember that you've been warned, because truthfully, the whole batch could disappear before you know what happened. 

Dark Chocolate-Peanut Butter and Oatmeal No Bake Cookies
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Makes about 30 cookies

Ingredients:
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
2 cups sugar
½ cup milk (I used skim, not that it matters with all that sugar)
4 Tbsp. Hersey’s Special Dark Chocolate Cocoa powder
½ cup creamy peanut butter
2 tsp. vanilla
3 ¼ cups Quaker Old Fashioned Oats

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, milk, and cocoa powder.  Place the pan over a medium heat, whisking until the ingredients are smooth and come to a boil.  Allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute and then remove the pan from the heat.

Add in the vanilla and peanut butter and whisk around until the mixture is completely smooth.  Lastly, add in the oats and stir until they’re well coated with the chocolate and the mixture begins to slightly thicken.

Now, lay some wax paper flat on the counter top.  Then drop 1-2 Tbsp. of the cookie mixture onto the paper.  Allow the cookies to completely harden, and then serve.  (I stored the extra cookies in a Tupperware container and placed the container in the refrigerator.)

 

 Source: Running Upward

 

 

30-Day Paleo Challenge: Day 4

I typically find that if I can make it past the third day, when it comes to any food challenge, it seems to become somewhat easier.  It's probably all mental though, but I can truly say that most of my cravings are completely gone by this point.  I even made my white chocolate macadamia nut scones recipe last night. (For Jeff, of course.  I can't have him starve while I'm out of town).  I'm also currently in the process of making Monster Reese's Pieces Peanut Butter Cookies.  The old me would have sampled some of the batter by now.......ok, when I say some, I really mean sampled quite a bit.  However, I'm completely determined this time to change how I eat, so I can honestly, and proudly say, that I didn't even lick the little bit of batter that got on my finger.  Instead, I used a napkin and wiped it off.  I even turned down a donut from my favorite store at school today.  Now I know that that may not sound like a big deal to most of you, but you have no idea how much I LOVE sweets!  I get it from my dad.  Thanks dad!

Needless to say, I had another successful day following my meal plan for the week!  I'm currently feeling great, health wise, and even though I haven't been able to exercise yet, (I can't wait until I can) I've already noticed that my pants fit a little better, and according to my measuring tape, I've lost a couple inches around my legs, waist and hips!  That's definitely motivation to keep going!

Menu for Day 4:

Breakfast: 4 oz. chicken and 1/2 avocado
Lunch: Leftover stir fry from day 3
Snack: 7 thin slices deli ham (Oscar Meyer) and a handful of macadamia nuts
Dinner: Turkey burger, 1/2 avocado, spinach

I DID NOT EAT!  THEY ARE DEFINITELY NOT A PART OF THE CHALLENGE, THEY ARE NOT HEALTHY, AND THEY WERE NOT FOR ME!  (Although I'm sure they're delicious and was informed that they were)

Monster Reese’s Pieces Peanut Butter Cookies
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Ingredients: Makes about

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 ¼ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup peanut butter
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
½ cup old fashioned oats
½ cup peanut butter chips
½ cup milk chocolate chips
Reese’s Pieces mini candies (1 bag)
Reese’s Pieces (normal size)

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together, on a medium-high speed, until fluffy, the butter, sugar, brown sugar, and peanut butter.  Add the eggs, one at a time, until well combined.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.  Pour in the vanilla, and combine.

With the mixer set to a low speed, slowly pour in the dry ingredient, and mix until just combined.  It is important not to over beat.  Using a wooden spoon, stir in the oats, peanut butter and chocolate chips, plus the whole bag of Reese’s Pieces mini candies.  Refrigerate the dough for 20-30 minutes.  While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat, or parchment paper.

Using the wooden spoon, scoop out about three TBSP. worth of dough and place it on the prepared baking sheet.  Press down the dough down until it’s in a disc shape, about ½ inch to 1 inch thick.  Add on, and press down a handful of normal size Reese’s Pieces.  Bake, six at a time, for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges just start to turn a nice golden brown.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before transferring the cookies.  Enjoy with a tall glass of milk!

 

 

Source: Slightly adapted from Lemon-Sugar

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I'm a little embarrassed by the fact that I haven't posted this recipe before now; mostly because I made these cookies way back in July.  Personally, I'm not a big fan of oatmeal raisin cookies, and never have been.  I love oatmeal cookies, but don't really care for raisins.  So, I guess the question becomes "why make them then?".  Well, I really wanted to bake the builder of our new home a special treat.  He knew that I loved to bake (which is why I opted for many kitchen upgrades) and I wanted it to be a way of saying thank you for doing such an amazing job!  Oatmeal raisin cookies are his favorite, so that's what I decided to make!

Due to my dislike of raisins though, I unfortunately didn't have an oatmeal raisin cookie recipe.  Therefore, I had to search around online and hope for the best.  After visiting a lot of different food blogs, and other food sites, I ended up finding this recipe.  It's not exactly like the original, because I ended up tweaking it a little by adding a few ingredients of my own, that I thought would add more flavor!  Here's the final recipe I decided on and will definitely be using again.  I was told that the cookies were not only delicious, but very soft and chewy.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
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Ingredients:

½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 egg
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. salt
1 ½ cups old fashioned oats
¾ cup raisins
½ cup chopped walnuts, or pecans (optional, but delicious)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with a silicone mat, or a piece of parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, set on a medium to high speed, cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth.  In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.  Pour the flour mixture into the butter mixture and beat on a low speed until just combined.  (Make sure you scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.)  Using a wooden spoon, stir in the oats, raisins, and walnuts/pecans (which are optional).

Using plastic wrap, cover the bowl that contains the cookie dough and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or longer.  This will allow time for the dough to sit and firm up a bit, which will make it easier to scoop.

Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet(s) about 1-2 inches apart.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, making sure to remove the cookies when the sides start turning a light brown, and the top looks slightly undercooked.  Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.  When 5 minutes is up, remove the cookies from the baking sheet and place on the wire rack to cool completely.

Source: Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Soft and Chewy Double Dark Chocolate Cookies

*WARNING* You may experience chocolate overload!

I think it's safe to say that I've found a new chocolate addiciton and these cookies are it!  Not only are they incredibly soft and moist (almost like a fudgy brownie), but they're also filled with a variety of chocolate.  Be careful though, due to the deliciousness of these cookies, they'll disappear before you know it.

Sidenote: Broken up pieces of these chocolaty delights make an excellent topping for a bowl of ice cream.

Soft and Chewy Double Dark Chocolate Cookies
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Makes: About 42 cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Hersey’s)
¼ cup special dark chocolate cocoa powder (Hersey’s)
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
10 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. instant espresso powder (or instant coffee powder would work too)
10 Tbsp. butter, softened but still cool
1 ½ cups light brown sugar, packed
½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup milk chocolate chips (or semi-sweet)
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powders, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

Melt together the semi-sweet and bittersweet chocolate.  There are two ways that you can go about doing this.  One way is to use a heat proof bowl, set over a pan of simmering water.  All you have to do is add the chips into the bowl and slowly stir around until melted.  If you are in more of a hurry though, and want something faster, combine the chocolates in a heat proof bowl and place the bowl in the microwave, cooking in 30 second intervals.  It’s very important to make sure to stir the chocolate around after each interval, until it’s completely melted.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and espresso powder.  Once the ingredients are well combined, set aside.

In the bowl of electric mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment and set to a medium speed, beat the butter until smooth and creamy.  Scrape down the sides as needed.  Add in the sugars and beat together until a grainy texture begins to form.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and pour in the egg mixture.  Slowly beat together until well blended, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, as needed.  Next, slowly pour in the melted chocolate in a steady stream and mix together until completely combined.  Once ready, add in the dry ingredients and beat on a low to medium speed until just combined.  (As always, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl)  Fold in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes or until the consistency is thick, almost like fudge.

While the dough is sitting out, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats, or parchment paper.  Scoop the dough into 1 inch balls and place them onto the prepared baking sheets about 1 to ½ an inch apart.  (I found it helpful to lightly flour my hands and roll the dough into balls.  This made for rounder cookies.) 

Bake the cookies for around 10 minutes or until the edges of the cookies just begin to set, but the middles still look soft.  Rotate the pans halfway through baking.  Remove the baking sheets from the oven and place on a wire rack.  Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 10 minutes and then transfer them to the wire racks to cool completely. 

Allow the pans time to cool completely before scooping more dough on them and returning them to the oven.

Enjoy!

Source: Adapted from Annie's Eats