Category: Cookies

Cookies · Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare

Glazed Apple-Maple Blondies

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That sounds so good that it should become a OPI color. But until then, these blondies will help us slide into the Fall Season with a new appreciation for Apples. Taken from the Sept-Oct issue of TOH, these will certainly get us in the mood for pulling out the boxes in the garage marked “Fall” on them. Oh, I can just heat the excitement in Peter Pumpkin’s voice as he heads upstairs to put on his wife beater shirt to start unloading boxes.

Makes 2 dz
1 1/3 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 teas vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1/2 teas salt
1/4 teas baking soda
3 cups pealed and chopped apples (about 3 medium sized)

Glaze
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9×13″ pan.
In a large bowl, beat the first 4 ingredients until blended. Beat in eggs.
In another bowl, whisk flour, salt and baking soda. Gradually beat into brown sugar mixture. Stir in apples. Batter will be thick.
Transfer to prepared pan and bake 25-30 min or until blondies test done when knife inserted in middle comes out with moist crumbs on it.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter and add the brown sugar and syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Cool slightly. Pour glaze over warm blondies.
Cool before cutting into bars.

Chocolate · Cookies · Desserts

Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

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I felt that after posting the recipe for Possum I had better redeem myself and what better way to do that than with a chocolate dessert. There were several inquiries as to if that was a real recipe. Yes, it was a real recipe out of Randy’s family cookbook from his great grandmothers family. Because I had never seen anything like it I just had to post it. But now on to the chocolate bars, these combine the wonderful flavor of pecan pie and chocolate. We were at Luby’s today and it took all my will power to walk past the pecan pie which in turn made me come home and want to make pecan pie. These give me both loves, pecan pie and chocolate…ah, much better sounding than Possum and Sweet Potatoes don’t you think?

1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 sugar
1/2 teas baking powder
1/2 teas ground cinnamon
1/2 cup cold butter (1 stick)
1 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup butter
1 oz unsweetened chocolate square
3 beaten eggs
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
2 tables water
2 teas vanilla
In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, baking powder and cinnamon. Cut in the 1/2 cup cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Stir in pecans. Press into bottom of an ungreased 13x9x2 baking pan. Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 10 min.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the 1/4 cup butter and chocolate.
Heat and stir over low heat until chocolate is melted. In a small mixing bowl, combine eggs, brown sugar, water and vanilla. Stir until well blended. Pour over crust. Return to oven. Bake 20 min. Cool. Cut into bars.

Chocolate · Cookies · Desserts

Chocolate Caramel Thumbprints

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Before leaving Phoenix last Saturday, we stopped at a place called Kneaders to grab a bite, and a sack of cookies, just in case something should happen and we were trapped in the desert for a couple of hours with no chocolate in the car. The chocolate caramel cookie with sea salt called my name and I gladly took one with me. Whoa….a great deep chocolate flavor with melted caramel sprinkled with crushed pecans and sea salt. Why had I not tasted it before leaving the parking lot to where I would have known to buy 2 dozen of them to get us through the desert. I savored each and every bite. I told Randy how great it was, but I was not about to offer him a taste. I wanted the whole cookie to myself. (I reasoned that if he would have wanted one, he should have bought it instead of the boring oatmeal cookie)

Immediately after arriving at home, I began a search for a deep chocolate cookie that I could combine with caramel and sea salt with pecans. Am making them this time using Hershey’s Caramel-filled kisses, but next time I will use Kraft Caramels which I will cut each on in two and place in the indention when the cookies come out of the oven. By George, I think we have it. I found in my Holiday Cookies a deep chocolate thumbprint that I will use as a base…here is the recipe:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teas baking powder

1/4 teas salt

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 teas vanilla

1 egg yolk

bag of Hershey’s Caramel-filled kisses (Have them unwrapped and ready to place on hot cookie)

Sea Salt

Preheat oven to 325. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in medium bowl.. Set aside.

Combine the butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Mix at medium speed with mixer until creamy. Add the egg yolk and mix until well blended.

Reduce mixer speed to low and add flour mixture. When flour is completely mixed in with butter mixture, shape dough into 1″ balls.

Place 2″ apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Make indention with Thumbie (which can be purchased from Chocolate Castles for $5 plus s&h) or finger (which will get cookie dough under your fingernails, which in turn will make you wish you had ordered a Thumbie)

Bake in preheated oven 10-11 minutes. Remove from oven and place a caramel kiss in center of indention immediately. As the kiss begins to melt, sprinkle with sea salt and crushed pecans.

Makes approximately 3 dozen

 

Chocolate · Cookies · Desserts

Southern Chocolate Pecan Cheesecake Bars

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Yum…these are addicting and as I am thrilled that Paula Deen announced her 20-City Tour yesterday, I thought I would post a recipe that I found in her Chocolate Celebration special edition magazine, to welcome her back.

Makes 2 doz bars
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar, divided
1/2 cup butter
2 cups finely chopped pecans, divided
2 (8oz) bars cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
4 large eggs, divided
4 (1 oz) squares semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled
2 teas vanilla
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9×13″ baking pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Lightly grease the foil.
In medium bowl, combine the flour and 3/4 cup brown sugar. Cut in butter (the 1/2 cup), with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Stir in 1/3 cup chopped pecans.
Press mixture into bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
In medium bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar; beat on medium speed with mixer until smooth. Add 1 egg, beating until combined. Stir in melted chocolate and vanilla until smooth; pour over prepared crust.
Bake for 15 minutes; remove from oven and cool 10 minutes.
In another medium bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup brown sugar, corn syrup, 1/3 cup melted butter and remaining 3 eggs. Stir in remaining 1 1/2 cups pecans. Pour oven cream cheese mixture.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until center is set. Let cool in pan completely before cutting into bars.

Cookies · Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare

Triple Ginger Cookies

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This was my first time to participate in the Food Bloggers Cookie Swap. I received 3 different types of cookies from 3 other bloggers. One of the cookies that were sent to me were these delicious Triple Ginger Cookies from, “loveandflour.com”   There were amazing, so I went to her blog to obtain her recipe. This was also my first time to use fresh ginger in a cookie recipe. These are now my favorite cookies and had so much fun making them today. Thanks Leandra for sharing these awesome cookies with the world! They have won my heart.

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour ( I used just all purpose since I didn’t have wheat)

1 tables ground ginger

1 teas baking soda

1/8 teas salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/4 cup molasses

2/3 cup light brown sugar

2 tables fresh ginger, finely grated

1 large egg, beaten

1 cup dried chopped apricots

1/2 cup crystalized ginger, finely chopped

1 cup turbinado sugar

In a large bowl, stir together flours, ground ginger, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat.

Remove from the heat once the butter is melted and stir in the molasses, brown sugar and fresh ginger. Allow to cool.

Add the beaten egg to the cooled molasses mixture and stir to combine.

Slowly stir this mixture into the dry flour mixture.

Fold in the apricots and crystalized ginger into the dough.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour.

Once chilled, shape the dough into half-inch balls and roll in the turbinado sugar.

Place the cookie balls on parchment lined baking sheets.

Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 8-10 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

 

Cookies · Desserts · Holiday Fare

Chocolate Thumbprint Rasperry Cookies

Chocolate Castles5 Comments
Chocolate Cream Cheese Thumbprints
Chocolate Cream Cheese Thumbprints

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Two weeks ago, I posted this recipe for a few minutes, but quickly deleted it when I realized that I wasn’t suppose to put it out on the blog before sending out these cookies made from this recipe. I have made these twice now and have taken them to several people and these cookies get lots of ahs and “wow, these are really good”. So wanted to be sure and put it out there again. I won’t be taking it off again, so enjoy with a giant cup of coffee or hot chocolate.

2 cups flour

1 teas baking soda

1/4 teas salt

4 squares unsweetened chocolate

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 pkg (8 oz) softened cream cheese

1 1/4 cups sugar, divided

1 egg, room temp

1 teas vanilla

1/3 cup red raspberry jam

Heat oven to 375. Mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. Microwave chocolate and butter in large bowl for 2 minutes; stir until all chocolate is melted. Whisk in cream cheese. Add 1 cup sugar, egg and vanilla; mix well.

Stir in flour mixture. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to 1 hour.

Roll dough into 1″ balls. Coat each ball by rolling in remaining sugar. (I mixed red sugar and white to make them look more festive)

Place 2″ apart on ungreased baking sheet.  Using your Thumbie (remember you can order them from me for $6.00) or your own thumb, make an indention in the center of each ball. Fill each indention with about 1/4 teas jam.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. (because they are chocolate and hard to tell when “lightly browned” I baked them for 9 minutes and they came out perfect.)

Cool completely.

Chocolate · Cookies · Desserts

Baking Frenzie (Chocolate Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies)

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IMG_1331

It is getting serious, I can’t stop myself from baking the last two days. Why is it that when the temps drop below 80, I feel it is my obligation to plop myself in the kitchen and not come out until flashes of cookies, cakes, cobblers are imprinted on my eyeballs.

Yesterday I made a batch of mini smore bites. I ate so many I didn’t have enough to serve last evening for a meeting. So I made another batch of 24. Because I feared that some who were coming last night might not eat chocolate, I ended up making pumpkin-gingerbread bars. Then this morning I started in again. I have made chocolate mint chocolate chip cookies and peach cobbler from a recipe that I got off Face Book. Because I felt that surely I must be burning calories with the standing and mixing, taking cookie sheets in and out of the oven, my body must be deprived of energy, thus…finishing off the smores from yesterday. I am now on a sugar rush and trying to decide which room I rearrange. While I’m trying to decide how to work off all this sugar, I will post the cookie recipe that I just made. I saw it on Just A Pinch and it sounded intriguing. It is as good as they said. The instant pudding in it can be substituted for any flavor you want. I went with Hershey’s brand chocolate instant pudding because I had bought dark chocolate-min flavored Toll House Chips. The cookies turned out so good and chocolatey.

1 small box of any flavor instant pudding

2 eggs

1 cup butter

1  cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teas vanilla

1 teas baking soda

1/4 teas salt

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 (12 oz) bag of chocolate chips (whatever flavor you want)

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and both sugars together. Add eggs, one at a time and vanilla. Blend and mix well. Add dry pudding; blend well. Add the flour, salt and baking soda that you have stirred together before adding to creamed mixture. When thoroughly mixed, stir in a 12 oz package any flavor chips you want.

Chocolate · Cookies · Desserts

Heavenly Smore Bites

Chocolate Castles5 Comments

Heavenly Smore Bites

A great dessert that you can make in 10 minutes! You will never make smores outside again! The little bit of powdered sugar in the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter make these little gems something special.
1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup powdered sugar
6 tables melted butter
12 regular sized marshmallows
1 large (7 oz) Hershey Milk Chocolate Bar
Mix crumbs, powdered sugar and melted butter together in small bowl with fork until well blended. Place a tablespoon of mixture in each of 24 mini muffin tins. Place in preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 5 min. Remove from oven and place 1/2 of small square of Hershey bar in each cup while still hot. Cut a marshmallow in half and place over chocolate. When you have finished with all 24 cups, put back in oven and cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until marshmallow is melted and covering the cup. Let cool in tin for 10 minutes before removing. (I had one the minute they came out of the oven, as I just couldn’t wait. They are amazingly good…will probably have them all eaten by this afternoon and will have to make more for our meeting tonight. But, as they say, a girl has to do what a girl has to do.)

Chocolate · Cookies · Desserts

Brownie Tassies

Chocolate Castles3 Comments

Just made a batch of these to take to a meeting. They are perfect to just pick up with your fingers and pop them in your mouth. They resemble the brownie bites you buy at the store but these, of course, have the buttery flavor and a soft gooey middle. You can actually change the flavor from vanilla extract to almond, or cherry or what ever tickles your fancy

3/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup cocoa

1/3 cup cold butter

2-3 tables water (it took all 3 today)

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, 1/3 cup sugar, cocoa and salt. Cut in the 1/3 cup cold butter with pastry blended or 2 forks until mixture resembles crumbs. Sprinkle water, a tables at a time and stir dough into a ball. Divide the ball into 24 balls. Place one in each of the lightly greased mini-muffin tins (unless you are using the Teflon coated, then you will not need to grease). Pressing with your finger (this is easier if you dip your finger each time in flour so dough doesn’t stick to your finger), make a well in the balls, pushing some of the dough up the sides of the tin also. Set aside when you have done all 24.

Filling: 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tables butter

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teas vanilla (or cherry or almond)

1/2 teas cinnamon

Melt chocolate chips and butter together in microwave bowl, on high for 30 second intervals.  Stir until chips are completely melted. Stir in sugar, egg and vanilla.

Divide the filling between the 24 cups.

Place tins in a 325 preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. (Mine today took 18 but I used just the thin metal pans, the dark Teflon ones will probably take longer)

Cool for 10 minutes and then loosen around edges with a knife or fork. Set on wire racks to cool. These can also be made ahead and frozen.

Cookies · Desserts

Lemon Tassies

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I couldn’t wait to share these with you. Going through my Martha Stewart Cookie Cookbook today looking for my usual Chocolate Biscotti recipe, I found these. They just sound to good not to bake today. I am so glad I listened to my heart yesterday that said, “go ahead and pick up that pretty little lemon, you just might need it this week” So I don’t have to run to the store to get lemon zest. It is already here.

For the crust:

2 cups flour

10 tables (1 1/4 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

1/4 cup plus 2 tables sugar

2 large egg yolks

1 teas vanilla extract

2 teas finely grated lemon zest

1/4 teas salt

Vegetable oil or cooking spray

Filling:

8 oz room temp cream cheese

1/3 cup sugar

1 large egg

3 tables finely grated lemon zest

1 tables fresh lemon juice

1/2 teas vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Coat two 24-cup mini-muffin tins with cooking spray.
Make crusts: process flour and butter in a food processor until mixture is the consistency of fine crumbs. Add sugar, egg yolks, vanilla, lemon zest and salt. Process just until combined and sandy in texture. Do not over process.

Divide dough into quarters. Divide each quarter into 12 equal pieces and shape into balls. Place each ball in a muffin cup. Press into cup, stretching dough up the sides. Set each muffin tin on a baking sheet.
Bake crusts 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned all over. Tap down any puffed centers of the shells with the end of a wooden spoon. Transfer muffin tins to wire racks to cool.

Make filling by combing cream cheese, sugar, egg, lemon zest, juice and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until well combined. Using a 1″ round melon scoop or a spoon, fill the cooled crusts with filling, evenly dividing the filling between the 24 crusts.

Bake the cookies until filling is set and just beginning to color at the edges, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer to wire racks again to cool. Tassies can be refrigerated in airtight containers up to 3 days.

Makes 4 dozen tassies