Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

via Nestle

• 4 cups (2 – 12 oz bags) chocolate chips, divided
• 2 ⅔ cup All Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) Butter, softened
• 1 cup packed Brown Sugar
• ½ cup granulated Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 3 large Eggs

Preheat oven to 375° F. Melt 2 cups morsels in small, heavy-duty saucepan over low heat; stir until smooth. Alternatively, you can melt in the microwave. Remove from heat.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in melted chocolate. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in remaining 2 cups morsels. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 8 to 9 minutes or until cookies are puffed. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

These cookies are amazingly fabulous. I have been making them for years — they used to be my staple (before the Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies). Let me know if you try them — and if they win over any men in your life!

Chocolate Brownie Larabars
slightly adapted from Running Upward

• 2 cups chopped pitted Dates
• 1 cup raw Cashews
• 1 1/2 cups raw Almonds
• 2/3 cup unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• pinch of Sea Salt
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened Coconut
• 3 tablespoons Vanilla Extract
• 2 or 3 tablespoons Water

If you have a food processor, you want to use it. I don’t so I had to adapt the recipe accordingly. Pulverize your dates in a magic bullet (or mini-prep food chopper) and then toss into stand mixer bowl. Do the same for the cashews and almonds. You want everything finely blended / almost turned into a paste. Mix together on medium for thirty seconds or so. Add cocoa powder and sea salt, blend. It should now look like crumbs. Add coconut and vanilla extract. Add water until it is a moist dough. Press into a glass dish. I think I used a 3 quart oblong pyrex dish. It was about 6 inches wide and 10 inches long (or so). Refrigerate for 30 minutes or so and then cut into squares. My recipe made 24 squares.

Wrap in saran wrap or parchment paper, either one works, but plastic wrap is probably easier. I just have a ton of wax paper, so I use that. Next time, I will tape the wax paper on the back, so it looks nicer!

Cutting and wrapping the bars makes it much more likely that you will grab them and go. If I leave them in the dish, they stay in the dish. These bars are getting gobbled up rather quickly, and I feel pretty good about feeding them to my man! Thanks for the recipe, Shari!

Balsamic Chocolate Truffles
adapted (just barely) from Krissy’s Creations

Place the chopped chocolate and heavy cream in a medium bowl.  Place the bowl over a pot of lightly simmering water and melt the chocolate, stirring occasionally. I had a really hard time with this, but eventually it worked! Pour the melted chocolate into a small, shallow bowl, and stir in the balsamic vinegar. Transfer the bowl of chocolate to the refrigerator to cool until it has hardened, about 1 hour.  Remove the chocolate from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature until it is easily moldable. Place the cocoa powder in a small bowl.  Using a cookie scoop, scoop rounds of the chocolate into the palm of your hands.  Roll the chocolate into a round ball.  Place the chocolate ball into the cocoa powder and roll it around to completely coat it.  Repeat with the remaining chocolate. These truffles keep best in a sealed container in a cool area.  If left at room temperature, the truffles could soften.  You can also keep them in the refrigerator and then allow them to sit at room temperature for about 1 hour before serving. Krissy got this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis on Food Network.

These truffles were amazing! I was a little bummed that I could not taste the balsamic that much, so I might add more next time. I want to make more truffles, any other flavor suggestions?

Andes Mint Cookies

• ¾ cup Butter
• 1 ½ cup Brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Water
• 12 ounces Chocolate Chips (that’s one package, you can also substitute mint chocolate chips, if need be)
• 2 Eggs
• 2 ½ cups Flour
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• 1 ¼ teaspoons Baking Soda
• 1 package Andes mints (more than you need, but you’ll have some to snack on later!)

Melt together butter, brown sugar, water and chocolate chips, let stand 10 minutes to cool. Add remaining ingredients to form dough. Chill for at least one hour. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Scoop into balls (use a cookie scoop) and place onto parchment paper, making sure you leave room for the cookies to spread. Bake at 350 for 8-9 minutes.  Remove cookies from oven and place half of an Andes mint on top.  Allow it to melt and swirl it on top of the cookie.

These cookies are quite tasty. I highly recommend trying them out. These will definitely be made for my birthday this year!

Got dough?

They were still pretty tasty, though! Much credit goes to the lovely and fabulous Joy of Joy the Baker for this recipe. Hers is actually Cappuccino Cookies with white chocolate. I used regular chocolate chips instead, since it’s what I had on hand. Also, I feel like white chocolate is cheating because it’s not really chocolate. So that’s the reason I chose to rename them mocha cookies.

Mocha Cookies
ever so slightly modified from Joy the Baker

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons instant espresso
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Place racks in the center and upper third of the oven and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Set aside and we’ll preheat the oven after we chill the dough.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and instant espresso powder.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Stop the mixer and scrape down the butter mixture with a spatula.  Add the egg and egg yolk and beat on medium speed until mixture is fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes.  Stop the mixer and add the dry ingredients, all at once to the butter mixture.  Beat on low speed until just combined.  Stop the mixer, add the chocolate chunks and fold together with a  spatula until well combined.  Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 45 minutes.

Just before you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Scoop cookie dough by the heaping tablespoonful onto the prepared baking pans.  Bake for about 12 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges.  Remove from the oven, allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Spiked Peppermint Mocha

• Peppermint Coffee (World Market has a tasty one, as does Godiva)
• One shot Chocolate Vodka (or liquor)
• One shot Milk (cream would work as well)
• Whipped Cream
• Chocolate Syrup
• Crushed Peppermint Candies
• Chocolate Shavings

Brew coffee. Pour vodka and milk into the mug. Fill to the top with coffee. Top with whipped cream, chocolate syrup, crushed peppermint and chocolate shavings. Enjoy — and try not too get too much whipped cream on your nose!

Matthew had the brilliant idea of adding the chocolate shavings to the top. He also thought his drink was a little… strong… so we stirred in extra chocolate shavings for him!

Most weeks, we like to write posts ahead of time to keep ourselves sane and make sure our posts have had a second set of eyes look over them. This week hasn’t been one of those weeks for me. I waited until the last minute to get to my “sip” for our sips and sweets month of recipes. I had it all planned out, though. I was to make the hot chocolate shot I pinned a while back.

Let me paint a picture of my Wednesday night: I just got home from a long shopping trip that was mildly successful. I needed that shot ASAP. Even if it was just a Wednesday night. So I pulled together the ingredients and got to work, singing this (shots shots shots shots!).

Then I hit a snag with the ingredients. Butter, check. Ice cream, check. Chocolate, check. Where was the alcohol that I so desperately needed wanted? Scroll down the blog page — nothing. Then I scrolled up. I was reading a family food blog. (Que a DJ scratch, “Shots” song has been replaced with dead silence and me with a stank face.) This blog apparently thought it normal to put little bits of hot chocolate into shot glasses to serve to … children? I can see how an unknowing person might think little glasses are for little people, as in kids. As a child, my dad collected shot glasses and honest to goodness, I had no idea they were for alcohol. More like a Big Gulp for Barbie. But the majority of the population would agree that if you call something a shot, put it in a shot glass — it should have some alcohol in it.

Anyway, I’m using humor to mask my disappointment at my failed recipe and my failure to not adequately plan ahead. This recipe isn’t bad necessarily, but it wasn’t what I wanted to make. Next time, I’d probably just do a mix of Kahlua, vodka, cocoa powder and whipped cream.

Mocha Hot Shot
adapted from hot chocolate shot

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup java chip ice cream
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon instant espresso powder
• 2 oz. vodka
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)

On low heat, melt butter, ice cream, brown sugar, cocoa powder and instant espresso powder in a small saucepan and whisk until smooth. Add water — may need more or less depending on desired consistency — and vodka and whisk until smooth again. Melt chocolate ships in small shallow bowl and coat shot glass rim evenly. Pour mixture into the garnished shot glass. Makes 2-3 shots. Bottom’s up.

I actually kicked their recipe up a notch by dipping the cooled meringues into melted Andes mint chocolate candies (and when those ran out, I used dark chocolate and mint chips).

Chocolate Dipped Star Mint Meringues
via Better Homes & Gardens

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, combine egg whites, cream of tartar, peppermint extract, and salt. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form (tips curl). Gradually add sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high speed until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight).

With a clean small paintbrush, brush stripes of red paste food coloring on the inside of a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch open star tip. [Note: Make sure that you use a pastry bag or a Ziploc. I started with a parchment triangle and it DOES NOT WORK! Take my word for it.] Carefully transfer meringue into the bag. Pipe 2-inch stars 1 inch apart onto prepared cookie sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven for 1-1/2 hours or until meringues appear dry and are firm when lightly touched. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool. Meanwhile, prep for chocolate dipping by lining two cookies sheets with wax paper.

Once cool, melt Andes Mints or chips until smooth. I melted them in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring often. Dip each merirngue into the chocolate and set onto the wax paper to dry. You can keep these at room temperature for three days, or frozen for up to three months.

These are great when paired with a delectable Cafe Godiva (recipe next week)!

I brought these to our family Christmas party on Sunday, and unbeknowst to me, I was continuing in a long line of meringue makers in Matthew’s family. I was glad to carry on the tradition, even if I just learned about it! Have you ever made them? Any tips to share?

Anyway, I found myself saving a bunch of coffee drink recipes that I thought I would share. It’s the lazy days after Thanksgiving, so it’s the perfect time to kick back with a warm cup of joe or layer up and enjoy a frozen mocha smoothie.

Salted caramel is great, but a salted caramel mocha? Must. Make. Right. Now.

Someone somewhere along the line said that this is the best recipe for iced coffee. I don’t know what it is about iced coffee that makes it better than regular.

Can’t live without chocolate? Jenna at Eat Live Run has a recipe for frozen mocha hot chocolate.

And if iced coffee is your thing, how about a chocolate hazelnut smoothie?

We’ve got another one from Eat Live Run — Nutella Hot Chocolate.

And, if you’re looking for an alternative to an Irish Coffee, keep on the Nutella kick and try a Nutella shot!

Bottoms up!

My cookies didn’t turn out nearly as cute as Dana’s, so be sure to head on over to see how amazing they can truly be.

Double Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Cookies
By Dana Made It

1/2 Cup (1 stick) Butter
1/2 Cup Vegetable Shortening
3/4 cups White Sugar
3/4 cups Brown Sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp Vanilla
2 cups Flour
3/4 cup Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
3/4 tsp Salt
2cups choc chips
1 1/2 cup pomegranate arils

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixer, cream together butter, shortening, sugars, vanilla and eggs. Beat on medium-high for three minutes. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Combine it with the butter mixture and mix till everything is incorporated. Add the pomegranate arils and chocolate chips. A few seeds may burst while mixing but that’s fine.

Scoop the dough into 15 small balls on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes (10 mins was perfect in my oven). And you have tasty rich cookies! Makes 2-3 dozen.

Enjoy!