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/

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

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.

S'mores cookies

So ignore the fact that my heavy-handed piping skills could use some work and enjoy these delicious  s'mores cookies from Sprinkles for Breakfast.  Chocolate chip graham cracker cookies with marshmallows, and chocolate drizzled on top?? Yes, please!

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!!

Chocolate pecan oatmeal cookie pie

This chocolate pecan oatmeal cookie pie from Crazy for Crust was a big hit at our Bachelorette watch party.  We took her suggestion to top it with salted caramel ice cream and it was delicious!!!

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.

Cereal marshmallow chip cookies

It took me a while to come up with a title for these- the original name was cornflake marshmallow cookies, but I subbed Golden Grahams for the cornflakes so I changed that part of the title to a more general "cereal".  Then, I wanted to convey that these have chips in them - peanut butter AND chocolate, yay!- so I added that to the name as well.  An alternate name for these could be Cookies As Big As Your Face.  For real, y'all- you're gonna love these.  These are pretty special cookies, and I'm guessing that's partly due to the butter-to-flour ratio.  :)  And for all my fellow foodies, this is an adapted recipe from the acclaimed Momofuku Milk Bar in NYC.  They do a lot of creative flavor combinations and techniques, but some of it can be overwhelming to your average home chef (ie: me).  So this is a simpler version of their famous cornflake marshmallow cookies, courtesy of Shutterbean.  I made them last night for our Bachelorette watch party, and they were a BIG (pun intended) hit!    

CEREAL MARSHMALLOW CHIP COOKIES

Yield: 12-15 cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3 cups cereal (I used Golden Grahams, original recipe calls for cornflakes)

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

1/3 cup peanut butter chips

1 1/4 cups mini marshmallows

Instructions:

Cream together butter and both sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl and add egg and vanilla; beat for 4 to 5 minutes.

Reduce speed to low and add flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix just until dough comes together, no longer than 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl with a spatula.

With the mixer on low, add cereal and both chocolate & peanut butter chips; mix until just combined, 30 to 45 seconds. Add mini marshmallows and mix until just incorporated.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a 2 3/4-ounce ice-cream scoop or 1/3-cup measuring cup, portion dough out onto prepared baking sheet. Pat tops of cookie domes flat. Wrap baking sheet tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 1 week (I chilled mine for 4 hours and they baked beautifully). ** Do not bake cookies from room temperature or they will not hold their shape.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line additional baking sheets with parchment paper.  Arrange chilled dough at least 4 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Transfer to oven and bake until puffed, cracked, spread, and browned on the edges, about 12-15 minutes. Let cool completely on baking sheets. (Resist the urge to mess with the cookies and let them cool completely on the baking sheets- they will continue to set and flatten as they cool).

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.

Cinnamon and white chocolate chip cookies

When I saw this recipe for Snickerdoodle-like cookies from Picky Palate, I immediately bookmarked it for one of our Bachelorette watch parties.  These are fantastic- the cinnamon sugar cookie base is great, then you "take it to the next level" (Bachelorette reference for all you fellow watchers) when you add all the chips.  Your sweet tooth will thank you.

CINNAMON AND WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup cinnamon chips

1 cup white chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with silpat liners or parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.  

In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla, beating to combine. Slowly add the flour mixture. Add cinnamon chips and white chocolate chips and mix until just combined.

Using a medium cookie scoop, place dough onto prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until baked through. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Oatmeal cream pies

I love Little Debbie oatmeal cream pies, so when I saw this recipe from Cooking Classy, I immediately bookmarked it.  And then I saw that it called for shortening and I put it on hold.  I had never baked with Crisco before.  Now, I'm not a health nut by annnnny stretch of the imagination, but Crisco seemed too indulgent even for me.  But I decided they would be perfect for our Bachelor finale watch party- might as well go out with a bang on the last episode, right??  And I'm so glad I did- these are to die for, and were claimed to be the best thing I've ever made.  So, you've been warned... now go for it!

OATMEAL CREAM PIES

Yield: 15 cookie sandwiches

Ingredients:

Cookies:

1 3/4 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 cup quick oats, slightly ground in a food processor

2 tsp cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 cup butter, softenend

1/2 cup shortening (unflavored)

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

2 1/2 Tbsp molasses

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

Marshmallow Buttercream Filling:

1/2 cup butter, nearly at room temperature

1/4 cup shortening (unflavored)

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

7 oz. jar marshmallow creme

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, oats, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, set aside.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment, whip together butter, shortening, sugar and molasses on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Stir in eggs, mixing until combine after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract. Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until well combine.

Scoop dough out about 2 Tbsp at a time and shape into balls, and place on Silpat or parchment lined baking sheets, cookies spaced 2 inches apart. Bake in preheated oven 10 - 12 minutes (cookies should still be soft, not fully set - don't over bake). Allow to cool several minutes on baking sheet before transferring to wire rack to cool.

To prepare the buttercream filling, in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fit with paddle attachment, whip butter and shortening on medium-high speed, until pale and fluffy, about 3 - 4 minutes. Add powdered sugar and blend on low speed until combine, then increase speed to medium-high and whip for 1 minute. Mix in marshmallow creme.

Once cookies are cooled, spread marshmallow buttercream filling along bottom side of one cookie and top with another cookie to form sandwiches. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

Cake batter chocolate chip cookies

Another Monday night, another excuse to bake something sweet for our Bachelor watch party!  The kids helped me make these little gems from Sally's Baking Addiction, and little did we know, Robert would later declare them "the best cookies EVER."  Wow, guess I'll be making these again asap!

CAKE BATTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1  1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1  1/4 cup yellow or white boxed cake mix

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 tsp salt

1 cup chocolate chips (I used a blend of white and semi-sweet chocolate chips)

1/2 cup sprinkles

Instructions:

In a large bowl, sift together flour, cake mix, and baking soda.  Set aside.  In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugars on medium speed.  Mix in the egg and vanilla until creamy.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.  Do not OVERMIX the dough. Fold in the chocolate chips and sprinkles.

Cover and refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour, or up to 4 days.  This step is mandatory. The dough is fairly sticky, so chilling the dough is required in order to avoid the cookie from spreading too much.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Scoop rounded tablespoons of the cold dough onto an ungreased baking sheet.  (This blogger has a trick for making thick cookies- she says to shape your cookie dough to be “taller” on the sheet than they are wide, as pictured here).  Make sure to keep dough chilled when working in batches. Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are slightly browned.  The centers will appear very soft, but the cookies will set as they cool.  Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 4 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches

Our Bachelorette watch party this week doubled as a birthday celebration for a friend, so I wanted to do something extra-festive.  I thought combining my favorite chocolate chip recipe with ice cream and toppings sounded like a great idea- and it was!  The sandwiches were DELICIOUS, and I loved that everyone could customize it how they wanted by picking their own toppings.  I'll be doing this one again, no doubt.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

Yield: 15 sandwiches

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large egg whites 

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Vanilla ice cream

Toppings- toasted coconut, sprinkles, peanut butter chips, chopped nuts, etc.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.

Combine sugars and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add vanilla and egg whites; beat 1 minute. Add flour mixture and chips; beat until blended.

Drop dough by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on pans for 2 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

When ready to serve, soften a carton of vanilla ice cream for 10-15 minutes.  Place a scoop of ice cream between two cookies and press lightly.  Roll sides of sandwiches in desired topping to coat.

M&M cookies

The girls and I made these Easter treats and devoured them in record time.  There's a chance you already have what you need in your pantry, but if not, a quick trip to the store will fix that!  


M&M COOKIES
Yield: 3 dozen

Ingredients:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 egg

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup M&Ms, divided (3/4 cup for batter and 1/4 cup for tops of cookies)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, add sugar, egg, butter, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add flour, salt, and baking soda to creamed mixture. Blend well. Add 3/4 cup of M&M candies.

Drop dough by teaspoonful onto cookie sheet. Slightly push a few candies on top of each dough ball with remaining candies. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, to your liking.    
                      

Mud Hen bars

I'd almost forgotten to post about these Mud Hen bars from Sunday Baker that I made for one of our Bachelor watch parties.  Everyone loved them, they are simple to make, and you probably have all the ingredients on hand!  (I omitted the nuts- personal preference). The brown sugar meringue topping is what really makes these special - it's a winner!


Ingredients

1/2 c. butter, room temp

1 c. granulated sugar

3 eggs

1-1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 t. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1 c. nuts chopped

1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 c. marshmallows

1 c. brown sugar

Directions:

Beat together sugar and butter until creamy. Beat in 1 whole egg and 2 egg yolks (put aside the whites for later). In a seperate bowl, mix together the flour, salt and baking powder. Add to the butter mixture and mix well. Spread into 9x13" pan. Sprinkle with marshmallows, nuts and chocolate chips.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold in the brown sugar. Spread over the mixture in pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until bars are a deep golden brown and the crust is cooked through. Cool in pan and cut.

Peanut butter Reese cup cookies

This recipe for peanut butter Reese cup cookies is an oldie but a goodie.  There's just something special about joining together peanut butter and chocolate- a match made in heaven!  These are simple to make and are always a crowd-pleaser.

Pumpkin snickerdoodles

This cookie recipe combines two of my favorites - pumpkin and snickerdoodles- so I knew it would be a winner.  They are light, fluffy, and full of yummy goodness.  This recipe makes 4 dozen, so it's a great one for teacher gifts, neighbor gifts, office parties, etc.  That is, if you can stand to part with them...

Chocolate chip cookies

My sweet tooth was aching last weekend so I made a batch of Cooking Light's chocolate chip cookies.  I'm not sure what makes these cookies "light" (maybe it's the egg whites?), but I'm pretty sure I counter any calorie cutting when I add extra chocolate chips.  It's worth it!!