Tag Archives: chocolate

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies with Peppermint Kisses

Posted on January 3, 2011 by Emily

Coming home was like slipping back into an old routine. All the Christmas decorations were in their similar places, my brother still sitting in the brown recliner, the family room rug was still slightly crooked from the dog jumping on top of it, and said dog still followed me around the house. Several days went on and my brother still owned the remote and I still vacuumed dog hair.

But I didn’t mind it at all. It was almost as if the past four months of being away in Texas never existed. Seeing family and friends. Always being asked the same question- “How’s college?”, but never getting sick of answering it. I loved being able to sit on the couch watching Food Network and not having to worry about the Chemistry exam on Wednesday or whether or not I would get over the third cold I’d caught in two months. I easily went back into the routine of taking care of my dog, driving in the snow, and complaining about the cold.

My comfort of being back home got me thinking of whether or not deciding to go to college in Texas was a good idea- if I should have stayed in Michigan all along.

It’s easy to begin missing things you took advantage of for years without a second thought. My Mom’s hugs being one of them, warm and comforting. Strangely I craved Coney Island, such simple food, but nearly non-existent in Texas. Actually, they don’t exist- at least not a good one. The ones in Texas are overly colorful, order at the counter service with strange characters who work there, serving crappy hot dogs that don’t deserve to be called coneys.

I began wondering if I had made the wrong choice to move to Texas. I missed my friends, and seeing my family on every holiday and birthday. I missed my dog keeping my feet warm. Dwelling on the idea made it worse, I began dreading the day I’d have to leave. But I soon then began to realize how nice it was to get away from the same people I had known most of my life, the new people I had met and the experiences one could never get outside of Texas. I began to think into the future of my major and the amazing classes offered at my school and I realized just how excited and happy I was to be at my dream school.

By no means do I want my vacation to go any quicker, but I no longer am completely bummed about going back. While I’m not looking forward to exams and stress, I’m still excited for the little things that occur in college that keep amazing me every day.

The first thing I made when I came home were these cookies. When I saw them I couldn’t get over how cute they were, the little kisses striped in the center just screamed Christmas. However, be warned, the cookie batter in this recipe is extremely thick. When I began mixing in the dry mixture, my very old electric mixture began to slow down in resistance. Urging it along, I began to scrape down the sides in hopes that my helping of mixing it while continuously turning the bowl. (my biggest pet peeve of the mixer, shouldn’t it be able to do that itself?!) I was so into the idea that my already old piece of machinery was slowing down that I accidentally let my spatula slip, only for it to get sucked into the churning beaters. My father just stared at me as I yelled at the electric mixer and watched as it tried to swallow my spatula. Somehow, my spatula survived and my batter mixed together perfectly, cookies came out beautifully and nothing burned.

A good first day back in the kitchen? I think so.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies with Peppermint Kisses
adapted from Our Best Bites

1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. flour, lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife
1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
48 Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream together softened butter, shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar for 1-2 minutes on medium-high speed or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla. Meanwhile, combine the baking powder, baking soda, salt, flour, and cocoa powder. Add to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the centers are set but still soft. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes. Top each cookie with an unwrapped Candy Cane Kiss. Allow to cool completely, long enough for the Kiss to harden. If necessary, after the cookies have cooled, they can be placed in the refrigerator or freezer to re-solidify the Kiss.

S’more Brownies

Posted on May 29, 2010 by Emily

Am I going a bit brownie crazy? Who knows. All I know is that brownies serve multiple purposes. They can be conversation starters, and help you make friends. They can be clever concoctions to work your creativity with, or simplify your life with a good old-fashioned, warm brownie.

This Friday was my last day of high school, and it was quite a bittersweet moment. I’ve been with the same group of friends for years. Some I’ve known since my shy days of kindergarten, others I met in my awkward stages of middle school, and a handful were found in high school. Although we all complained early in our years that we couldn’t wait to get out of high school, now that it has finally arrived, I think we’re all kind of taken aback.

Those four years flew by. Zoomed in a blur of quizzes, homecoming, ACT tests, and cafeteria food. And even if you were a crazy partier at every teen club or spent your day refreshing your facebook news feed, I think we can all admit that a part of us will miss high school a tiny bit.

Excitement doesn’t even begin to describe how much I’m looking forward to the future. It’s a whole new ballgame out there, full of new people and opportunities. Of course I’m out of my mind frightened, I’ll be moving to a new state, not knowing a soul other than my father. But the change is what makes it so exciting, that unknown factor that makes you reach for more. There’s a feeling of power, being out of high school and controlling your life, and complete, deep gut fear of the unknown. It’s kind of like putting cookies on brownies, or marshmallows. You have no idea if it will work out, but you cross your fingers and hope for the best. Wondering where this weird metaphor is going? Well quite frankly, I don’t even know- maybe, hopefully, my college life and future will turn out like these brownies- amazing.

When I think of summer, I think of bonfires on a random weekday, roasting marshmallows in the crackling fire. With school over and a whole summer to spend with friends and relaxing before college, I thought this would be the perfect recipe for a barbecue some friends hosted on our last day. The gooey marshmallow worked well with the rich chocolate, although it ended up being rather difficult to cut without a sharp knife and some hot water to make clean cuts. I found the graham cracker crust to be so clever though, it really made the brownies to be so fun in its summer theme.

S’more Brownies
From Food Network Kitchens

Ingredients
Crust:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch fine salt

Brownie:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
4 large cold eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour

Topping:

4 cups (25-30) large marshmallows

Directions
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8 by-8-inch square baking pan with foil so it hangs over the edges by about 1 inch.

For the crust: Lightly butter the foil with some of the melted butter. Stir the rest of the butter together with the crumbs, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Press the crumb mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the brownie. Put the butter and chocolate in a medium microwave safe bowl. Melt in the microwave on 75 percent power for 2 minutes. Stir, and microwave again until completely melted, about 2 minutes more. Alternatively, put the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1 inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl on the pan without touching the water. Stir occasionally until melted. Stir the light brown and white sugars, vanilla and salt into the melted chocolate. Add the eggs and beat vigorously to make a thick and glossy batter. Add the flour and stir until just incorporated.

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the top is crispy and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean, with a few crumbs, about 40 to 45 minutes.

Remove from the oven and carefully position a rack about 6 inches from the broiler and preheat on low. Layer marshmallows across the top and toast under the broiler until golden, (keep an eye on it, it can go quick), about 2 minutes.

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Posted in Desserts and tagged brownie, brownie marshmallows, chocolate, marshmallows, smore brownies, smores. Bookmark the permalink.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Covered Brownies

Posted on May 20, 2010 by Emily

There are two things both with my family and at school that I’m known for making a lot.- chocolate chip cookies and brownies. They’re super easy to make, it’s basically just mixing up the ingredients and pouring them in. Probably the most difficult part is when you forget to use non-stick cooking spray and have to wrestle the first brownie out of its pan. Or perhaps with cookies when they first come out of the oven and smell so good, you put your tongue on the line and risk burning it just to devour the first one. There’s no doubt that these classic are big time favorites among people. But what happens when your brother wants cookies and your friends want brownies?

You mix them together, as I have figured out. And it works- really well.

I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical about this recipe at first. Not the combination of flavors, I never doubted the marriage between sugary, chocolate chip cookie and gooey brownie. I was more concerned that the top cookie layer would burn to a crisp before my very eyes. I’m not a big fan of crispy crunchy chocolate chip cookies, so I didn’t really want a cookie crust on my brownies, but more so a soft, warm cookie layer.

When spreading the cookie dough over the brownie mixture, I suggest putting large dollops of dough on top and using a offset spatula to do the job. Take it slowly, don’t be too anxious to spread the dough over the brownie batter, or else it will mix in with it. We want layers, not marbling.

They turn out extremely smooth and soft, the perfect blend of cookie and brownie, and all the right amount of chocolaty goodness. I’d just suggest waiting a while after it comes out of the oven, no need for burnt tongues.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies
From Brownies to Die For

Brownie Base:

4 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup unsalted butter
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Topping:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13×9” baking pan. Line with foil, then gently grease foil.

For the Brownie Base: Melt the chocolate and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring to blend. Remove pan from heat and whisk in sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt. Spread into prepared pan.

For the Chocolate-Chip Cookie Dough Topping: In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat on high speed the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs adn vanilla and beat until creamy. On low speed, blend in flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir in chocolate chips. Top Brownie Base with spoonfuls of Cookie Dough Topping, spreading gently to form an even layer. (My personal suggestion: Use a off-set spatula and take it slow.)

Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Cool pan completely on a wire rack. When completely cool, invert onto a wooden cutting board and gently remove foil. Cut into bars. Makes about 3 dozen.

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Posted in Desserts and tagged brownie, chocolate, chocolate chip cookie, chocolate chip cookie brownie. Bookmark the permalink.

Peanut Butter Cups

Posted on May 2, 2010 by Emily

Whoever thought of mixing peanut butter between layers of chocolate is a genius. There’s just something about opening a new jar of Jif, breaking the seal and the scent of peanut butter reaching your nose and warming the back of your throat with it’s rich, nutty aroma. Pair that with bittersweet chocolate and crunchy nuts and you’re floating your way onto cloud nine.

As a kid, I put peanut butter on basically anything. I’d spread it on cucumbers, potato chips, and saltine crackers (one of my favorite snacks), just to name a few. And, like most kids, Reese’s peanut butter cups had won my heart over. There was something about the bright orange wrapping and the zigzag’d ends. The little cups in the package had their perfectly smooth, level tops, and the same zigzag pattern around it, the paper popping and crinkling off the chocolate coating as you unwrapped it. And then you either shove it in your mouth, become overwhelmed with sadness that you just devoured it without thi- Oh wait, there’s a second one!
Or have some sort of crazy eating ritual, like me, eating it in a crescent moon shape, leaving the edges for last.

These were so incredibly easy to make, and quick, too. Need more chocolate? Zap it in the microwave! Need more peanut butter, throw that in the microwave, too! It was that simple. While milk chocolate would taste great in this recipe, semisweet makes it so much more special. And the nuts on top give a nice crunch compared to the smooth chocolate and peanut butter mix. I think these would be great for lunches, or anytime you need a chocolate (or peanut butter) fix. They do melt pretty quickly though, so don’t let them sit out all day and then eat them, or you’ll have to lick the chocolate off your fingers. Not that that’s a bad thing…

Easy Peanut Butter Cups
Recipe from Martha Stewart

Makes 24 (but is easy to double… or triple)

Ingredients

4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped

Directions

Line two 12-cup mini muffin pans with paper liners; set aside. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine white chocolate and peanut butter. Microwave, until almost melted, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, stirring halfway through. Set aside to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, place semisweet chocolate in another microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, stirring once or twice, until almost melted, 2 to 3 minutes.
Dividing evenly, use a spoon to layer semisweet chocolate and peanut-butter mixture into liners, beginning and ending with chocolate; sprinkle with peanuts. Place muffin pans in freezer until peanut butter cups are firm, about 15 minutes. Bring to room temperature before serving.

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Posted in Desserts and tagged chocolate, peanut butter, peanut butter cup, peanuts. Bookmark the permalink.