Chocolate Cookies with Candy Cane Kisses

I took my favorite chocolate cookie recipe and substituted a candy cane kiss smack dab in the middle of each cookie instead of white chocolate chips for a great holiday treat.

My big secret: I made the cookies in a mini muffin tin and added the kisses by pushing them in each tin upside down. Make sure to put the kisses in the last 2-3 minutes of baking and you end up with a colorful red and white candy cane pattern in the center of each cookie.

xoxo, C

Hot Chocolate on a Stick

LOVE this idea from Giver's Log of hot chocolate on a stick, now I just need to plan an excuse to use them!

xoxo, C

Nutter Butter Ghosts

Ready to "BOO" your neighbors, or perhaps you've already been "BOO'ed" & it's your turn to deliver some tasty treats. Why not whip up a batch of THESE ghouls? They are super easy (30 minutes tops) & you can never go wrong with Nutter Butters. For instruction & the how-to go HERE.

xoxo, K
image via MartaWrites.blogspot.com

Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

So I can't take credit for these, C had been raving, non-stop, about her favorite new cookie recipe. When I realized she was baking up a batch nearly every single day, I decided I needed to whip some up for myself, & they definitely did not disappoint. If you want a cookie that is big, fat & chewy, just like something you'd buy at a fancy bakery, then this cookie is for you. Try them with a scoop of ice for some homemade ice cream sandwiches, or maybe a roasted marshmallow sandwiched between two cookies would be good, I bet!

Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour, "C" suggests you do 1 1/1 cups all-purpose flour & 1/2 cup whole wheat or oat flour (for oat flour simply grind up oatmeal in your blender)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, MELTED
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tb. vanilla extract
1 egg (room temperature)
1 egg yolk (room temperature)
2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

directions:
1. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl & set aside
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended.
3. Beat in the vanilla, egg and egg yolk until light and creamy.
4. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon.
6. Chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for 45-2 hours (to counteract the melted butter)
6. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
7. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto cookies sheet, cookie sheet should be 3 inches apart (i did 9 cookies per pan)
8. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden brown. This is the key! They might still seem gooey in the middle, but just let them cool on the baking sheets for a couple of minutes before transferring them & they will be perfect. (Trust me, I'm speaking from experience, I overcooked my first batch.)

makes 18-20 cookies

Now grab a big glass of milk & enjoy. Oh! & You might want to double the recipe, because they go fast!

xoxo, K (& C too, considering she's the one that gave me the recipe in the first place!)

Sometimes I Like to Pretend I'm Camping

But without all the bugs, dirt, & tents. Sometimes, I just like to indulge in the little "pleasures" of camping, without having to go through all the effort and work. And everyone knows that the BEST part of camping is making s'mores. Just thinking about the gooey marshmallow & melted chocolate has me going into sugar shock! Yum! Luckily, I've found the cure for s'mores deprivation...

S'more Cookie Bars
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 (1.55 oz. each) HERSHEY'S Milk Chocolate Bars
1 cup marshmallow creme (or a small handful of mini marshmallows, whatever you have on hand)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 8-inch square baking pan. (You may want to line it with foil, for easy lifting out & cutting)
2. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt; add to butter mixture, beating until blended. Press half of dough into prepared pan.
3. Arrange chocolate bars over dough, breaking as needed to fit. Spread with marshmallow creme (or mini marshmallows). Scatter bits of remaining dough over marshmallow; carefully press to form a layer.
4. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. 16 bars.

Very rich, but oh! so heavenly. It definitely hits the spot!

xoxo, K
image via hershey's

Ooey, Gooey, Chocolatey & Chewy

Ooey, gooey, chocolatey & chewy? You know if those are the words used to describe something, it's going to be good. I whipped up these bad boys last week & they were gone in just one night. Note to self, next time, bake a double the batch.

Rocky Road Cookie Sandwiches
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cups chopped pecans (but you could use almonds or cashews too)
10 tablespoons marshmallow cream

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Using a mixer, cream the butter & brown sugar until fluffy. beat in the egg. Mix in the salt, baking powder and baking soda at a low speed, then mix in the vanilla and flour. Stir in the chocolate chips & nuts.
3. Drop a rounded spoonful of dough onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake until the cookies are golden at the edges and slightly soft in the center, about 12 minutes. Transfer the cookies sheets to racks to cool completely.
4. Sandwich the cookies with 2 tablespoons marshmallow each.

Yum! & Maybe on the next go round we will do ice cream instead, for some homemade ice cream sandwiches.

xoxo, K

A Recipe for Inauguration Day

President Elect Obama has been making this chili recipe featured on GMA since college. The recipe is getting rave reviews in the blogging world and would be a great dish to serve on Inauguration Day (Jan 20).








xoxo, C

Paradise Bakery

Paradise Bakery is my favorite stop in the food court. They have great sandwiches and salads, even better than their food items are their cookies. I LOVE their cookies. My favorites alternate between the black and white chippers and the coconut chocolate chip cookie. There are two paradise locations in Orange County, one in Santa Ana and the other in Mission Viejo (check the website for details).

Just in case you are not close to a paradise bakery, you can have the whole cookie experience at home thanks to Picky Palate. I made a batch of the Chewy White Chocolate, Chocolate Cookie for my family and we loved them. They are exactly like their black and white chippers, except I made them bigger. Enjoy!

xoxo, C