Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today we made the all American classic chocolate chip cookies.  I've received a few compliments with this recipe (as a young college student), and just got a couple more here at home. ;)

3/4 cup all-vegetable shortening
1-1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 T milk
1 T vanilla
1 egg
1-3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips [of course, I had to use half dark- and half milk chocolate]
1 cup chopped pecans, optional

Cream together shortening, sugar, milk and vanilla.  When blended thoroughly, add one egg.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda.  Add slowly to the shortening mixture until just mixed.  Stir in the chocolate chips and optional nuts with a spoon.  Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls onto a baking sheet, about three inches apart.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for 8-10 minutes (for chewy cookies) or 11-13 minutes (for crisp cookies) each batch.  Remove from baking sheet (with spatula) and cool on a wire rack.  Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Recipe from: "Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies".  Crisco.com.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I made these for a family gathering and they were very popular!  They're a little unique and look and taste terrific!

2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4-3/4 cup (to your taste) Ocean Spray® Craisins® Original Dried Cranberries
2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

Cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, mixing well.  In a separate bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda, and salt.  Add to the creamed mixture a little at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Stir in Craisins and white chocolate chips.  Drop teaspoon-sized rounds onto a greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Cool on wire racks.  Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Source: "Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies".  Recipe.  OceanSpray.com.

No-Bake Energy Bites

These have been all over Pinterest... so time to give them a try!  Well, I did attempt to make these last month, or so, without coconut and with almond butter.  It really didn't turn out well, and I didn't even try rolling them.  This time, I followed the recipe closely and I was able to *tediously* make 22 energy bite balls.  I didn't find it easy to smash the ingredients together in order to make them into balls.  They are like granola bars and very hearty.

1 cup oats
1 cup coconut
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla

Stir together all the ingredients.  Chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.  Roll into balls, should make 20-25.  Will keep refrigerated for a week.

Wow!  They actually look decent!

And this is why it's annoying... all this that can't be molded into balls

Sources:  I have found this recipe on Gimme Some Oven, Smashed Peas and Carrots and Food Doodles.

Peanut Butter Quinoa Cookies

This is the first recipe from my Food board on Pinterest to come into fruition.  And it is interesting, for sure.  First I had a hard time deciding which recipe to try, the one that everyone was pinning or the blog post that provided the inspiration.  I finally decided to try the adaptation.  It really isn't a healthy cookie.  It looks like it with the peanut butter and Quinoa but that is all these cookies have going for them.  The batter is way stiff so I had a hard time incorporating the Quinoa and chocolate chips.  The end product is fluffy, peanut buttery, and light.  It's a pretty good recipe after all, if only for taste!

1/3 cup butter, room temperature
1/3 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup brown sugar
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
[1/4 tsp salt]
1-1/2 cups Quinoa (cooked and cooled to room temperature)
1 cup chocolate chips {preferably dark}

 Cream together butter, peanut butter, eggs, vanilla, and brown sugar until very smooth

 Combine together flour, coconut, baking powder, baking soda, and salt (especially if your peanut butter is salt-free)

Combine the flour mixture with the butter mixture

 Stir in the cooled Quinoa and chocolate chips

 Spoon onto a greased baking sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for 9 to 11 minutes.

 Cool on a wire rack.

 Makes at least two dozen cookies.  I made 25, but they weren't uniform and kept getting bigger and bigger.

Watch them get gobbled up!  Hopefully, anyway!

 Source: "Quinoa Coconut Cookies".  Food and Whine. 1. Apr. 2010.

T's Homemade Hot Chocolate

Thomas has been perfecting his perfect cup of hot cocoa all winter long.  He's been happy with this recipe, so I decided to write it down so we'll remember it for next year.  It has a smooth, chocolaty taste. 

3 T sugar
1 T dark cocoa
3 T cocoa
dash salt
1/3-1/2 cup hot water
3 cups milk

Stir sugar, dark cocoa, cocoa, salt and water constantly in a saucepan over medium high heat (5).  Make sure all the cocoa balls dissolve.  When it begins to boil, turn down the heat to medium low (3).  Continue to stir for two minutes.  Add three cups of milk, constantly stirring until heated (but don't boil!) to your desire.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

This is actually the third time I've made this cake-- the second time since the genesis of this blog.  The first time Julia was just three weeks old. I don't remember what kind of frosting I made for it. My uncle and mom suggested that it needed salt in the recipe (the original recipe didn't include it on the ingredient list.)  The second time was for Julia's 1st birthday, and I made cream cheese frosting sprinkled with colored sprinkles and shaped it into a flower, by cutting a 9-in. round cake into thirds and using cupcakes as the pedals. I'm kicking myself for not taking pictures of the party and food (Hawaiian Haystacks and this cake.)  I did record it though.  This time, for Thomas' birthday, I royally messed up the chocolate frosting... I didn't even read the directions!  Instead I just dusted powder sugar on top, next time I'll sift the powder sugar on each individual piece.  Nonetheless, he still loves it.  We keep going back for seconds!

Recipe:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1-3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
[1/2 tsp salt]
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups shredded zucchini (I like to simply grate it)

In a stand mixer or large bowl, cream together butter, oil and sugar.  Once smooth, add eggs-- one at a time-- beating well after each.  Beat in vanilla.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cloves.  Add the flour mixture into the creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk.  Once incorporated, fold in the grated zucchini.  Pour into a greased 9-x13-x2-inch baking pan, bake at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until done.  Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

If you'd like to try this frosting, I never have... but here it is!
1 cup flaked coconut
6 Tablespoons butter, softened
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup milk
{The recipe suggest to broil the frosted cake for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool before serving.}

Recipe from: Holben, Lois.  "Chocolate Zucchini Cake".  Taste of Home Annual Recipes: 2007.  Ed. Michelle Bretl.  Greendale, WI: Reiman Media Group, Inc (Taste of Home Books), 2006.  131.

Valentine Pretzels

These little snacks are all over the place, Pinterest, blogs and cooking web sites.  I made some to bring up to Grandma's birthday celebration.  I learned a few things as I tried to make them.  It does take at least two minutes on 275 degrees for the chocolate to get soft.  Caramel Kisses seeped caramel underneath the pretzels and the Almond Kisses didn't work-- the M&M couldn't be neatly smashed down, the almond was in the way.

Unwrap Kisses and place on top of round or square pretzels.  Place in a heated 275 degree oven for 2 to 2-1/2 minutes until the chocolate is softened and looks glossy.  Place a M&M on top, chill in the fridge for about 10 minutes.  When I stored them in a container, I separated the layers with wax paper because of the caramel.  They got a lot of compliments!

Banana cake with chocolate frosting

I had this idea to make a "half" cake for Julia's half birthday.  The problem was that it didn't turn out picture-perfect.  The cake was also just barely cooked through and the frosting didn't whip up very well (I need to let the butter soften to room temperature next time.)  So all in all, I'll just make bread or muffins out of ripe bananas....

Banana cake
1/3 cup oil
1 cup sugar or 3/4 cup honey
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup banana (3 mashed, ripe bananas)
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk
2 cups wheat flour {I used 1 cup all-purpose and 1 cup pastry wheat}
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Mix together oil, sugar, egg and vanilla.  {Stir mashed bananas with baking soda}; add other ingredients into batter.  Pour into a greased 9-inch round pan or 9x13 cake pan.  Wait five minutes before putting in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.

Chocolate frosting

1 stick butter
3 cups powder sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Mix together until desired consistency. {I halved this recipe.}

Recipe sources:

• Merrill Jane P. and Karen M. Sunderland.  "Banana Cake". Set for Life.  Salt Lake City, UT: Sunset Publishers, 1995. 249.

• Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Can: chocolate frosting

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

After I saw these featured on Today, I immediately wanted to make them for a Thanksgiving dessert.  They weren't as hard to make as I thought and they're worth the effort.  They taste like pumpkin pie but instead of crust, it has chocolate goodness!

Brownie crust:
5 ounces chocolate, unsweetened {I melted 4 oz in the beginning and 1 oz later on for drizzling}
2 ounces chocolate, bittersweet
4 ounces butter {1 stick}
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1-1/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour

Pumpkin topping:
8 ounces cream cheese
15 ounces pumpkin puree
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
6 eggs
1 ounce melted chocolate, for drizzling

 Grease (shortening and flour) a 9x13 pan

 Line pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, so there is enough over hang to help remove the bars when they're baked.

 In a double boiler, melt 2 oz. dark chocolate, milk chocolate and butter

Off the heat, stir in cocoa and sugar

Whisk in eggs. Add salt; stir, then add flour.  Combine well.

 Pour evenly into lined-pan

For pumpkin mixture, combine cream cheese and pumpkin

  Add sugar, salt and spices.  Stir well. Add eggs one at a time.  Continue to stir until smooth.

 Pour over the chocolate crust

Drizzle melted chocolate on top with a spoon or piping bag.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes {it took about 1 hour to bake for me} or until puffy in the middle.  Allow to cool.

Remove and cut into bars when chilled.

Source: Jansen Chan. "Chocolate Pumpkin Bars." Today.  2011.

Chocolate Chip Frozen Yogurt

Here my first attempt at using my new birthday toy.  Mom and Dad gave me an ice cream/frozen yogurt/sorbet maker (Cuisinart).  I tried the chocolate frozen yogurt from the instruction booklet. It yields 1-1/2 quarts or eight 1/2-cup servings.

In the blender*, mix six ounces chopped chocolate [I used 3 oz semi-sweet and 3 oz bitter-sweet chocolate chips] and 1 cup whole milk [I used 1% and I'd like to try a higher percentage next time for a richer taste] for 30 seconds.  Add 2 cups of low-fat vanilla yogurt and 1/4 cup sugar for 30 more seconds until well blended.

All blended

 Take the freezer bowl out of the freezer, place the mixing arm and put the lid over the unit.  Turn on the machine and pour the mixture.  It will be finished in 30 minutes or less.

Soft Frozen Yogurt with Chocolate Bits

*I learned the hard way that a food processor simply can't blend!!

Chocolate Almond Revel Bars

For weeks I've been thinking about making these bars.  Finally I've convinced myself to go ahead and make them, calories and all.  I decided to customize the recipe to make them richer and to give another dimension of flavor.  They are fabulous!

Recipe:

1 stick + 5 tablespoons butter {recipe calls for 2 sticks, minus 2 tablespoons)

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1-1/2 cups wheat pastry flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces

1/2 cup bitter-sweet chocolate pieces

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup almond butter

1/2 cup sliced almonds

2 tsp vanilla

Method:

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter on high for 30 seconds, then add brown sugar and baking soda.  Beat until well combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.  Beat eggs and vanilla.  Mix in flour then stir in the rolled oats.

For the filling, combine almond butter, sweetened condensed milk and chocolate pieces in a small saucepan, over low heat, stirring until melted.  Stir in vanilla and almonds.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Press two-thirds of the cookie dough into an ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking sheet. 

 

Spread the chocolate filling over the cookie dough.

Sprinkle the remaining dough over the chocolate filling.

Bake for 25 minutes-- the top will be lightly brown and the chocolate will look moist.

Cool on a wire rack and cut into bars.

{Customized from "Chocolate Revel Bars." Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. Des Moines, IA: Meredith Corporations, 2002. 12th ed. 207.}

Easter Brownies

For two days I over thought what dessert to make for Easter.  I was thinking something with strawberries.  There were too many choices to choose from, so I started from a blank slate for another idea.  I imagined brownies with cream cheese frosting and crushed Robin Eggs on top.  The result wasn't what I imagined (pretty sweet and the brownies a little chewy) but they were a hit and pretty festive, too.

A shortcut was made by using a brownie mix.  I made cream cheese frosting* with
1 package low-fat cream cheese
2 T butter
1 tsp vanilla (I used 1/2 tsp)
3 cups powder sugar
{Stir until desired consistency}
and, of course, topped the frosting with crushed Robin Egg candy.

brownies

cream cheese frosting

Robin Egg candy

Easter Brownies

*from Merrill, Jane P. and Karen M. Sunderland.  Set for Life.  Salt Lake City, UT: Sunrise, 1995, pg 251.

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Flipping through my old recipe index cards, I came across No Bake Cookies.  Making them was easy, I even put in extra oatmeal.  Did I miss something?  After I spooned them onto parchment paper they were soft for hours.  They were (still are) soft the day after although after cooling for 24 hours, they taste like I remember.  I have just been searching online at other recipes and one suggests a cooling time of two hours and to let the chocolate mixture boil rapidly for a minute.  In the spirit of Christmas time, let's call these Reindeer Drop Cookies-- hehe!

1/2 cup margarine or butter
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt (or less?)
3 T cocoa
3-4 cups quick rolled oatmeal
Extra add-ins: 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter, coconut or nuts

Combine butter, sugar, milk, vanilla, salt and cocoa in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, stir in oatmeal and extras.  Spoon onto parchment paper and let cool. 

*untraceable source of origin