Smores chocolate chip cookies

http://bakerbynature.com/smores-chocolate-chip-cookies/

I made these for the Super Bowl and they were a big hit!! Two notes: 1) mine came out in all shapes and sizes (not nearly as pretty as the picture here) but they all tasted great, and 2) to give it the pretty top you add a few extra chocolate chips and marshmallows AFTER they bake.  A blog trick of the trade apparently.

Recipe and photo credit: http://bakerbynature.com/

Sebastian's remarkably wonderful brownies

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20161108/entlife/161109058/

Photo & recipe credit: Dorie's Cookies cookbook

Espresso chocolate sables

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/espresso-chocolate-sables


Recipe & photo credit: Dorie's Cookies cookbook

Dorie Greenspan's newest chocolate chip cookies

https://food52.com/recipes/64534-my-newest-chocolate-chip-cookies

Photo and recipe credit: https://food52.com

Nutella stuffed brown butter blondies

I made these nutella stuffed brown butter blondies from Ambitious Kitchen a few weeks ago for our Bachelor watch party and WOW- they were delicious.  I've had trouble in the past getting browned butter just right (it can burn quickly so watch it closely), but I nailed it this time and it really does add great nutty flavor to the bars.  Try these, I know you'll love them!

Hot chocolate

Cold winter days are best spent in your pajamas, in front of a fire, with homemade hot chocolate.  I've always used the recipe on the side of the Hershey's cooca can, but this one from Euna Mae's is bigger and better- rich, decadent and super chocolaty, just how hot cocoa should be.  This recipe yields 1 large serving or 2 small servings.

In a small pot over low-medium heat, warm 1 cup of milk and 1/4 cup heaving cream, stirring so it doesn't scald.  Stir in 1 heaping teaspoon of sugar and 1 oz. chopped chocolate of your choice (I use dark, and this is the bar kind, not powder or Hershey's bars).  Stir until melted and combined and simmering.  Remove from heat and stir in a splash of vanilla extract (or peppermint extract if that tickles your fancy),  Top with marshmallows, whipped cream, peppermint pieces... you get the idea.  

Cookie butter truffles

As if cookie butter wasn't delicious enough on it's own, this recipe makes it a dough and DIPS IT IN CHOCOLATE -  SCORE!!  We sprinkled ours with red and green sugar for Christmas festive-ness.

COOKIE BUTTER TRUFFLES
Makes 32

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 cup cookie butter
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 12-oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Crushed Speculoos cookies or sanding sugar to top

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Combine butter, confectioner's sugar, cookie butter, and vanilla in a bowl.  Mix on medium low with an electric mixer or stand mixer.  Use a small scoop to form 1-inch balls; roll with your hands to smooth, and place on the baking sheet.  Melt the chocolate chips and dip each ball into the chocolate with a fork, letting the excess chocolate drip off.  Place balls back on the baking sheet, sprinkle with your topping, and chill until firm.  Store in fridge.

Dirty chocolate chip cookies

These dirty chocolate chip cookies were a big hit at our Bachelorette watch party, because when regular chocolate chip cookies aren't enough, here's an idea from Cookies and Cups- roll the dough in Oreo crumbs!  Cookies everywhere!!

Cookie dough peanut butter cups

Chocolate and peanut butter together are my JAM.  And the only thing better than a chocolate peanut butter cup is one with a scoop of chocolate chip cookie dough in the center! 

* Recipe from How Sweet It Is.
* These get a little messy as the chocolate starts to melt, so have napkins ready!

Peanut butter cup brownie bark

I made this peanut butter cup brownie bark from Cinnamon, Spice & Everything Nice for a party recently and it was immediately declared a favorite by everyone who tried it.  It's a triple threat-- brownie bottom, covered in chocolate frosting, topped with peanut butter cups.  So duh- you'll love it.

Funfetti triple chocolate chip cookie bars

That's right, TRIPLE chocolate chip cookie bars!  There are so many goodies in these things you'll think it's a typo!  #semisweet #whitechocolate #milkchocolate #didimentionshortening  

**My version slightly adapted from Something Swanky- I didn't have butter extract so I used a smidge extra (technical terms only here at Lindsay's Menu) of both vanilla and almond extracts to make up the difference.  Enjoy!!!

Chocolate chunk toffee cookies

Last week's sweet treat for the Bachelorette watch party was these chocolate chunk toffee cookies from Cookies and Cups.  I'll keep it short and sweet: these cookies are enormous, chocolaty chunky, and delicious!!!

Chocolate chip cookie cups with peanut butter frosting

A beloved member of our weekly Bachelorette watch parties was moving away, and I wanted to do something extra-special that night.  These frosted cookie cups from The Baker Chick were just what I was looking for!  Rich, creamy, and delicous- not to mention one of my very favorite combinations, chocolate and peanut butter. Mmmmmmmmm!

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE CUPS WITH PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING

Yield: 24-30 cookie cups

Ingredients:

For the cookie cups:

2 cups plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

12 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 cup brown sugar, packed

½ cup granulated sugar

1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

*sea salt for sprinkling, optional

For the frosting:

1 stick of butter, softened

1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter

2-4 cups of powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1-2 tablespoons milk or cream

Instructions:

Adjust oven racks to upper and lower-middle positions. Preheat oven to 325°. Grease muffin pans.

Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium bowl; set aside. With electric mixer, or by hand, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add dry ingredients and beat at low-speed just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Scoop rounded spoonfuls of cookie dough into muffin pans- press dough into the muffin well and up the sides. Bake until edges are golden and the middle is soft but set, about 8-10 minutes.  Let cool.

To prepare the frosting, cream together the butter and peanut butter until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar until combined. Add the vanilla extract, and then the milk a little at a time until the frosting is the right consistency. Beat on high for a few seconds to make it light and fluffy. Pipe or spread into each (cooled) cookie cup.

Peanut butter S'mores 7-layer bars

It seems 7-layer/Magic bars are all the rage right now.  And trust me, I'm not complaining- I'm a big fan of layers of sugary goodness!!  With the addition of peanut butter chips and chopped peanuts, these aren't your average s'mores bar, either.  Try them, you'll love them!

PEANUT BUTTER S'MORES 7-LAYER BARS

Yield: 2 dozen bars

Recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction

Ingredients:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 12 full graham crackers, ground)

1/2 cup salted butter, melted

2 cups chocolate chips 

1 cup peanut butter chips

2 cups Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, chopped

1 1/2 cup mini marshmallows

1/2 cup peanuts

1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper. Spray generously with non-stick spray. Set aside.

Stir together graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Mixture will be relatively crumbly. Press onto the bottom of the prepared dish and slightly up the sides. (Mixture will be thin, that's ok).

Layer chocolate chips and next 4 ingredients (in that order) into prepared baking pan. Drizzle with sweetened condensed milk.

Bake for 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover with aluminum foil. This will prevent the marshmallows from getting too brown. Place back into the oven and bake for 17-18 more minutes (for a total of 35-36 minutes). Allow to cool completely and lift the bars out of the pan using the edges of the parchment paper. Cut into squares.

Surprise cookies

These marshmallow surprise cookies from Martha Stewart were the sweet treat at our Bachelorette watch party this week.  They are very chocolatey (my favorite), and the girls enjoyed baking them with me.  The soft marshmallow center is a delicious surprise!

SURPRISE COOKIES

Yield: 2 dozen

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

12 large marshmallows, cut in half horizontally

For the frosting:

2 cups confectioners' sugar

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, milk, and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Slowly add reserved flour mixture; mix on low speed until combined.

3. Using a tablespoon or 1 3/4-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto ungreased baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies begin to spread and become firm, 9-10 minutes.

4. Remove baking sheets from oven, and place a marshmallow, cut-side down, in the center of each cookie, pressing down slightly. Return to oven, and continue baking until marshmallows begin to melt, approx 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

5. To prepare the frosting, place confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk in butter and cocoa powder. Add milk and vanilla, and whisk until well combined. (Frosting will be lumpy at first- keep whisking).

6. Spread about 1 tablespoon of frosting over each marshmallow, starting in the center and continuing outward until marshmallow is covered.

Salted caramel brownies

Whoever first paired caramel and salt together is genius- and then you add chocolate to the mix, and WOW!!  These salted caramel brownies from Ina Garten are super-fudgy and delicious!  (Side note- I think the espresso powder is optional.  It enhances the chocolate flavor, but I'm sure these would be just fine without it, if you prefer).

SALTED CARAMEL BROWNIES

Yield: 12 large bars

Ingredients:

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
14 ounces semisweet chocolate chips, divided
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons instant coffee granules or espresso powder
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 ounces caramel sauce (I used Smuckers)
2 to 3 teaspoons flaked sea salt

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9 x 13 baking pan.

Melt the butter, 8 ounces of the chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate together in a medium bowl set over simmering water. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee, vanilla, and sugar. Stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature. NOTE: It is very important to allow the batter to cool before adding the next chocolate chips, or they will melt.

In a medium bowl, sift together 1/2 cup of the flour, the baking powder, and salt and add to the chocolate mixture. Toss the remaining 6 ounces of chocolate chips and the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour in a medium bowl and add them to the chocolate mixture. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.

Bake for 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Don't overbake. (Mine only took 28 minutes on convection bake).

As soon as the brownies are out of the oven, place the jar of caramel sauce without the lid in a microwave and heat just until it's pourable. Stir until smooth. Drizzle the caramel evenly over the hot brownies and sprinkle with the flaked sea salt. Cool completely and cut into 12 bars.

Golden Grahams s'mores bars

I have a confession to make.  A few months ago I bought a box of Golden Grahams to make this s'mores dessert... and ate the entire box before I got around to the s'mores.  Then I bought 3 more boxes... and did the same thing.  I decided enough was enough, and finally managed to make a batch of these BEFORE I finished the box of cereal.  They are super simple to make, and they were a hit at our Bachelor watch party!

GOLDEN GRAHAMS S'MORES BARS

Yield: 24 bars

Ingredients:

8 cups Golden Grahams cereal

6 cups miniature marshmallows, divided (melt 5 cups, stir in 1 cup at end)

1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

1/4 cup light corn syrup

5 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:

Butter a 13x9-inch pan. Measure cereal into a large bowl and set aside.

In large microwavable bowl, microwave 5 cups marshmallows, the chocolate chips, corn syrup and butter uncovered on High 2-3 minutes in 30 second intervals, stirring after every minute, until melted and smooth. Stir in vanilla.

Pour over cereal; quickly toss until completely coated. Stir in 1 cup marshmallows.

Press mixture evenly in pan, using buttered back of spoon. Let stand uncovered at least 1 hour, or refrigerate if you prefer a firmer texture. Cut into bars, and store loosely covered at room temperature up to 2 days.

Dark chocolate peppermint fudge

I saw a recipe for peppermint fudge on Chocolate & Carrots, and my mouth immediately began to water.  I altered the original recipe slightly to match up with what I had in the pantry, and it turned out fantastic.  Smooth, creamy, chocolaty and minty- perfect for Christmas, if I do say so myself! (Full disclosure: I'm eating a piece (or two) of this while I blog.  So good!!)

DARK CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT FUDGE

Ingredients:

1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter (plus more for preparing pan)

1 1/2 cups dark chocolate and mint chips (Nestle seasonal)

1 cup dark chocolate chips

1 tsp. vanilla extract

12 soft peppermints, crushed, for topping

Instructions:

Prepare an 8x8 square pan by buttering the bottom, cover with parchment paper, then butter the paper as well.

In a glass bowl over a pot of simmering water, heat the Tbsp butter and sweetened condensed milk until the butter is melted.  Add all of the chocolate chips, stirring until melted.

Mix in the vanilla extract, then pour the fudge into the prepared pan (the batter will be thick).  Top with the crushed peppermints- I recommend pressing them into the fudge so they'll stick better.  Cool the fudge in the refrigerator for 3 hours, or until set.  Cut and serve.

Brownie batter dip

You've probably seen this mouthwatering concoction on Pinterest or another food blog (I got my version from Mel's Kitchen Cafe), and it's as good as advertised.  I whipped it up for one of our Bachelorette watch parties, and everyone loved taking a dip!

BROWNIE BATTER DIP

Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese, light or regular, softened to room temperature
1/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar (plus more for a stiffer consistency, if needed)
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-4 tablespoons milk
Chocolate chips for garnish

For serving: Pretzels, strawberries, graham crackers, animal crackers, and apples

Instructions

In a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer or in the bowl of an electric stand mixer, whip together the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar. Mix well. Add the flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, vanilla and 2 tablespoons milk. Mix until fluffy and smooth. Add additional powdered sugar and/or milk, if needed, until desired consistency is reached. The dip should be soft enough to easily dip a pretzel in (without breaking the pretzel!) but not so soft that it spreads out instead of holding it’s shape in a fluffy cloud of brownie batter goodness. Garnish with chocolate chips.

Cake batter truffles

These cake batter truffles from The Girl who Ate Everything are perfect for game-day (or any day)- bite-sized and perfect for snacking!

CAKE BATTER TRUFFLES

Yield: 24-30 truffles

Ingredients

For the truffles:

1 ½ cups flour

1 cup yellow cake mix

½ cup unsalted butter, softened

½ cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

3-4 Tablespoons milk

2 Tablespoons sprinkles

Truffle Coating:

16 ounces white chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate (I used both)

4 Tablespoons yellow cake mix

sprinkles

Instructions

For the truffles:
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Beat butter and sugar using an electric mixer until combined. Add cake mix, flour, salt, and vanilla, and mix thoroughly. Add 3 tablespoons of milk (more if needed) to make a dough consistency. Mix in sprinkles by hand. Place on cookie sheet and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up.

For the truffle coating:

While dough balls are chilling, melt chocolate coating in microwave in 30 second intervals until smooth. Stir between intervals. Once melted, quickly stir in cake mix until incorporated completely. Using a fork, dip truffles into almond bark and shake off excess bark by tapping the bottom of the fork on the side of your bowl. Place truffle back on the cookie sheet and top with sprinkles. Repeat with remaining balls until finished.  Chill cake batter truffles in the refrigerator until serving.