Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Scones

Happy Sunday and St. Patrick's Day! I always forget about the holiday until I leave my house and see everyone dressed in green. Needless to say, we didn't go out and celebrate. For some reason in my mind breakfast on the weekends can be indulgent. Maybe it is because you have the time to make something different and delicious, or maybe it's as a reward for the work week. These "skinny" chocolate chip buttermilk scones are that fix. Made with whole wheat flour it gives them a little bit nuttier and denser flavor and texture but are delicious. And being under 200 calories makes it so you can feel indulgent without feeling guilty. I made these for some company that came over for coffee since I couldn't just serve a beverage without any food!

Chocolate Chip Buttermilk Scones
Yields: 12
Source: Skinnytaste

Ingredients:
3/4 cup cold buttermilk (lowfat if possible)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp chilled butter (must be cold) cut into small pieces
3/4 cup chocolate chips
cooking spray
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°. Combine the first four ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Cut in chilled butter with a pastry blender, or you could use 2 knives, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gently fold in chocolate chips. Add milk mixture, stirring just until moist.

Place dough onto a floured surface and knead lightly four times with floured hands. Form dough into an 9-inch circle onto baking sheet, about 3/4" thick. Using a knife, cut dough into 12 wedges all the way through.

Brush egg white over dough and sprinkle evenly with sugar. Bake until golden, about 18-20 minutes, depending on your oven. Serve warm.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 199.6 • Fat: 8.1g • Protein: 3.7g • Carb: 29.8g • Fiber: 2.3g • Sugar: 12g
Sodium: 257.4mg

Thick and Chewy M&M Cookie Bars

I am guilty of being suckered in by the holiday clearance section. I just can't resist a good deal, especially on chocolate! Since I would be tempted having an entire bag of delicious peanut butter m&m's in the house I made these thick, chewy yet not dense m&m bars. The original recipe called for plain m&m's but the peanut butter ones made them even better in my opinion, but use whichever flavor you prefer. I tried to cut them into smaller pieces to share with my book club but you can make larger pieces like they do in bakeries. These definitely did not last too long, the peanut butter is addicting!

Thick and Chewy M&M Cookie Bars
Yields: 28
Source: What Megan's Making

Ingredients:
2 1/8 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
8 Tbsp butter (1 stick), melted and cooled slightly
4 Tbsp applesauce (substituted for additional butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tsps vanilla extract
12oz bag M&M's, divided

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Adjust the oven rack to lower-middle position. Line a 9x13 pan with foil and spray with PAM for easy removal; set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, applesauce and sugars until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined; do not overmix. Fold in 1 cup of M&M's and turn the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula. Sprinkle remaining M&M's on top and press in slightly.

Bake 25-30 minutes, until the top of the bars is light golden brown, slightly firm to the touch, and edges start pulling away from sides of pan. Cool completely before cutting.

Easy scratch brownies

As everyone knows I love pretty much everything chocolate and brownies are no exception. However, brownies are one thing I can't seem to master. This is an easy no fail recipe that has worked every time I have made it. I enjoy the bittersweet chocolate, but my husband prefers the semi-sweet. You can always adjust the ratio of dark to semi sweet chocolate for your preference. I made one batch with all 60% cocoa and another batch that was half semi-sweet and half 60% and was just as tasty.  I was having a friend over to watch the Super Bowl and this was a great go to recipe. To make them a little special for the Super Bowl and our old "home" team the Ravens, I sprinkled purple and white m&m's on top. You can make them plain or add m&m's in any holiday colors.

Easy Brownies
Yields: 12-16
Source: Chow

Ingredients:6 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips (about 1 cup) or coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate
8 Tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into 8 pieces
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:
Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Line an 8-by-8-inch metal baking pan with aluminum foil.

Combine the chocolate and butter in a medium saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. (Alternatively, melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds.)

Combine the eggs, sugar, vanilla, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and stir with a rubber spatula until just evenly incorporated. Add the chocolate mixture and stir until evenly combined. Add the flour and fold in until just incorporated, about 20 strokes (no white streaks should remain).

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, push it to the edges in an even layer, and smooth the top. Bake until a cake tester or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and let the brownies cool for at least 20 minutes.

To remove the brownies, grip the excess foil and pull it out of the baking pan. Transfer to a cutting board and cut the brownies into 2-inch squares.

Mint Chocolate Pudding Cookies

I used to love when restaurants would bring Andes mints with the check. It was that little something extra to say thanks but was so yummy and refreshing. I recently saw that mints after meals was to help soothe your stomach, but today people use them just as a breath freshener. Regardless, I enjoy something chocolate and something minty after a meal to be sweet and yet cleansing. I have used Andes baking chips before and they were one of my favorite and addicting desserts. These cookies have a cake or brownie consistency with the mint chips inside making them pretty addicting! Good thing I have some people around to help eat them!

Mint Chocolate Pudding Cookies
Makes ~ 3 dozen cookies
Source: Table for Two

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 (3.4 oz.) package of chocolate pudding mix

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup Andes mint baking chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until creamy and fluffy. Add in the pudding mix, eggs, and vanilla extract. Beat well until incorporated.
4. Slowly add in the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in the mint chips with a spatula.
5. Drop cookies onto baking sheet with a cookie scoop (I used a medium cookie scoop) and bake for 10 minutes or until slightly golden around the edges.
6. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire cooling racks to cool completely.
7. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days (if they aren't eaten sooner!)

Black Bottom Cupcakes

I had my first black bottom when I moved to Baltimore years ago and instantly fell in love. Where had these amazing treats been all my life?!  It only seemed appropriate to finally make them when I had a visitor from Maryland who understood how good they are.  We used to work together and the caterers would bring these as dessert for lunch meetings and other events. These delectable bites combine some of my favorite flavors, chocolate cake with chocolate chip cream cheese filling...can't get much better than that. My filling was little bit liquidy and turned it into a topping instead of a dollop but tasted just as delicious. I will definitely try the minis next time.

Black-Bottom Cupcakes
(Source: David Lebovitz The Great Book of Chocolate , as seen on Brown Eyed Baker)

Yields: 12 cupcakes or 30 minis

Ingredients:
For the Filling:

8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

For the Cupcakes:
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
5 Tablespoons naturally unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup unflavored vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon white or cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Make the Filling:
Beat together the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in chopped chocolate pieces and set aside.

Make the Cupcakes:
1. Adjust the rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 12-cup muffin tin, or line the tin with paper muffin cups.

2. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl mix together the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla.

3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients, stirring just until smooth. Stir any longer and you will over mix the batter and end up with less-than-tender cupcakes.

 

4. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Spoon a few Tablespoons of the filling into the center of each cupcake, dividing the filling evenly. This will fill the cups almost completely, which is fine.

 

5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown and the cupcakes feel springy when gently pressed. These moist treats will keep unrefrigerated for 2 to 3 days if stored in an airtight container.

Addicting M&M Cookies

I recently discovered the Six Sister's Stuff blog and have become hooked. They have a lot of simple, flavorful and family friendly recipes in addition to cute craft ideas. Recently we have had a ton of rain so what better to do when it is pouring outside than bake! I don't need a lot of excuses to bake so I took this one to try out a new cookie recipe. These chewy cookies tasted like a combination of buttery sugar cookies and chocolate chip cookies rolled into one and elevated by M&M's. I used traditional milk chocolate but feel free to use your favorite flavor. This will be a good recipe to have on hand for halloween with leftover mini bags of candy. These were definitely addicting not only for me but even Jason snuck a few. Luckily I was able to snap a quick picture before the plate disapeared. Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

M&M Cookies
Yields: about 6 dozen
Source: Six Sister's Stuff

Ingredients:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened to room temperature
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups M&M's (or other candy-coated milk chocolate pieces)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix sugar, eggs, butter, and vanilla thoroughly. Add flour, salt, and baking soda to creamed mixture. Blend well. Add 3/4 cup of M&M candies. Drop dough by teaspoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet. Slightly push a few candies on top of each dough ball with remaining candies.

Bake at 350 degrees for 9 to 11 minutes, or until slightly golden.

Oatmeal Cookies with Raisinets

I love baking but find that to try a new recipe, especially of cookies that I end up with way too many in the house tempting me. Since I like the trashy show Bachelor Pad I invited one of my girlfriends over to watch it together because, well isn’t it always more fun to make fun of them with someone else?! And it gave me justification to try out a cookie recipe I had saved on my computer for a while.

What could be better than chewy oatmeal raisin cookies you ask? Ones that are made with raisinets of course! Oatmeal cookies are Jason’s favorite so this recipe is a spin on the traditional that can incorporate my love for chocolate. I used traditional milk chocolate covered raisinets but you can use dark chocolate ones or chocolate craisinets as the original recipe called for, I couldn’t find them despite loving craisins. These are sweet and chewy with the yummy chocolate chips AND raisinets. The next time I make these I am going to try to swap some of the butter with applesauce to make them a bit healthier.

Oatmeal Cookies with Raisinets

Yields: about 40 cookies
Source: My Baking Addiction

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups quick cooking oats
3/4 cup chocolate covered cranberries
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in large bowl with an electric mixer cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
 
2. Beat in eggs one at a time and add in vanilla. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture until just combined. Stir in oats, chocolate covered cranberries and chocolate chips mixing until incorporated. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour.

3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Use a medium scoop (1 ½ Tablespoons) to create dough balls. Place the balls of dough 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.

4. Bake for 10-12 minutes in preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, if they last that long!

Brownie Crackles

What could be better than a brownie or a cookie? A brownie crackle cookie of course! These cookies combine the fudgey chocolate flavor of a brownie in cookie form topped with powdered sugar. They seriously are addicting! I almost forgot to take a picture and these were the last 2 remaining!

Thank goodness I made them to send to my foodie penpal this month. I had to give some away to people at Jason's work for fear I would eat them all myself. One of his employees kids thought they were so good they were willing to pay for more! Definitely a recipe to keep in mind for the holidays, as you can see they package nicely.

 Brownie Crackles

Adapted from: Taste of Home

Yields: 2-3 dozen depending on how big you make them

Ingredients:

1 package fudge brownie mix (13-in. x 9-inch pan size)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 egg

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup canola oil

1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Confectioners' sugar

Directions:

In a large bowl, beat the brownie mix, flour, egg, water and oil until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Chill dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to make them easier to scoop.

Place confectioners' sugar in a shallow dish. Drop dough by Tablespoonfuls into sugar; roll to coat. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until set. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. 

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Happy Friday! Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, well except maybe dessert if that counts as a meal, so the other night we had breakfast for dinner. It is not common for me to be able to convince Jason to share my love of breakfast for 2 meals so I was excited. He had been craving hash browns and since we didn't have them for breakfast I took that opportunity to go for dinner. I subscribe to Self magazine and usually like their healthy recipes so why not try it out on my beloved chocolate chip pancakes. This recipe uses whole wheat pastry flour, quick cooking oats and honey as a natural sweetener to be healthier. The pancakes are thinner than usual so be sure to keep an eye on them while cooking to avoid burning. As the weekend approaches these are a great healthier spin on a breakfast treat you can try for breakfast, brunch or in my case dinner...enjoy!

Whole Wheat Cinnamon–Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Makes   pancakes (2 servings)
Adapted from: Self Magazine

Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
6 Tablespoons quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites
2 teaspoons honey
4 Tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup skim milk
Vegetable cooking spray

Directions:
Combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a bowl.

Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Place egg white, honey, chocolate chips and milk in well. Stir liquid with a wooden spoon until flour is just combined.  Add more milk if needed for desired consistancy.

Heat a griddle over medium heat and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto griddle and cook until bubbles appear on surface and undersides are golden brown, about 1 minute. Flip and cook other side, about 1 minute more. Serve and enjoy!

Congo Bars

I know it has been a while since my last post, but it seems to have been a busy summer and it just started! I was lucky enough to have one of my best friends come visit for a few days and was busy catching up and not posting. It is so nice to have visitors, especially when this time we hung out by the pool and sunbathed and chatted as if no time had passed. Then of course it was back to reality and work.

When work stresses me out I need to find an outlet or release. Depending on the day that can be through a run, swimming or baking. Today it meant baking since it seems like I haven't done much recently. I had seen a few version of these congo bars on blogs and pinterest. I took today as a great way to not only relieve stress but to try out the recipe since I can bring them to book club tonight, another perk so I don't eat them all. They are soft , chewy and chocolatey with a sweetness from the brown sugar. I added walnuts for a small crunch.

Congo Bars

Source: Six Sisters Stuff

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup butter, softened
2 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 package milk chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside. Combine butter and sugar using a mixer until blended. Add eggs, one at a time to sugar mixture, mixing on low in between each addition. Add vanilla and mix. Add flour and mix until combined. Stir in chips and then pecans.

Coat a 9x13 pan with non-stick spray and spread batter evenly into dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown. Make sure you don’t over bake. Let them cool before cutting and enjoy!

Vegan Brownies

Don't be scared away from the title and the fact that yes these are vegan brownies because if you hadn't read that and just tasted them, you would have no idea. I was just as skeptical when my dad sent me the recipe, but he made these for me while I was home and they tasted pretty good! He added some toffee bits on top for added sweetness and a little crunch, and used regular chocolate chips so I guess these weren't technically vegan but pretty darn close. I was surprised how good they tasted since you use applesauce instead of eggs, vegetable oil in place of butter, and soy milk instead of regular milk. Keep in mind if you aren't vegan and don't want to go buy a bunch of items you could also use regular milk instead of soy if that is what you have but again won't technically be vegan. They have a more cake like quality than gooey fudge brownie but definitely hit the spot after dinner. The recipe even says that these brownies taste best if eaten within a day or two! Well in our household that was definitely not a problem and they are already gone!

Vegan Brownies
Source: Chow.com
Yields: 16 brownies


Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup plain, unsweetened soy milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more to coat the pan
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips 
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)
1/4 cup toffee bits (optional)


Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350F and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat an 8x8inch square baking  dish with vegetable oil or spray; set aside.


2. Place flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to aerate and combine.


3. Place the applesauce, maple syrup, soy milk, oil and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the flour mixture and fold with a rubber spatula until just combined (do not overmix). Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts (if using). Scrape the batter into the prepared dish and smooth out the top. Sprinkle the top with toffee bits if using.


4. Bake in the oven about 35 minutes until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes before serving to set. If not serving right away, cool completely, cover tightly and store at room temperature. 

Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

I have made these a few times and each time they were gone so quickly I wasn't able to get a picture of them so it took a while before I could publish this post. I have a huge sweet tooth and normally not a cheesecake fan but these changed that. They are a huge hit with the creamy cheesecake middle, graham cracker crust and who doesn't love chocolate chip cookie dough on top! As hard as it might be, let them cool and store in the refrigerator to harden up for the best results. I promise, they will be a huge success for dessert or any party. Just writing about it and looking at the pictures has me drooling and wanting to make them again.

Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

Yield 12 squares

Source: My Baking Addiction

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
1 cup chocolate chips
 
For the cheesecake Filling:
10 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil allowing a little overhang and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

2. Mix the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 6 minutes. Remove pan to a cooling rack. Do not turn your oven off.

3. While the crust is cooling, prepare the chocolate chip cookie dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Mix in the flour on low speed, and mix until just incorporated. Mix in the chocolate chips. Set aside.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the egg and vanilla on low speed just until incorporated. Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared crust. Using your hand to form clumps. Flatten the clumps of dough in your palms to flatten them out a bit. Distribute the cookie dough onto the top of the cheesecake batter. Be sure to use all of the dough. You will cover most of the cheesecake batter.

5. Bake for about 30-40 minutes, until the top feels dry and firm (the cookie dough) and the entire pan looks set if given a gentle shake. Move bars to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

6. Lift the bars out by the overhang; slice into desired size and store in the refrigerator. Serve cold or at room temperature

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recently, I have been busy on the weekends, so it was nice to be able to relax and catch up on some episodes of Kelsey's Essentials on the Cooking Channel. I had enjoyed watching her compete for the Next Food Network star, and despite not winning she still ended up with her own show. However, the downfall to actually having time to watch cooking/food shows is that it inevitably makes me want to try everything I see.

Today was no different. I had a few over-ripe bananas that I was planning to make banana bread with when I saw her episode that had a recipe for Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies. And who can resist a delicious cookie?! Since it has banana and even some whole oats it can’t be all that bad for you right? The banana keeps the cookie nice and moist yet not too sweet. If you are a nut lover you can decrease the chocolate chips and add in some crushed walnuts for texture. At least I had a few girlfriends over to help me eat them, not that I really need help but I shouldn't eat them all myself.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yields: 24 cookies
Source: Kelsey’s Essentials

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar

¾ cup shortening (I used unsalted butter)

2 overripe bananas, mashed

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 ¾ cups rolled oats

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¾ cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and shortening until light and fluffy. Mix in the bananas and egg and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the vanilla.

In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the rolled oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. It will be a wet cookie dough. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Using two spoons or a cookie scoop, portion cookies out using overflowing tablespoonfuls on 2 ungreased cookie sheets, 12 cookies per sheet. Bake just until golden brown, ~20 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn and swap the cookie sheets on each rack for even cooking. Cool on a wire rack.

Easy and Festive cake cookies

Happy Valentine's Day! I had a few girlfriends over for desserts, wine and the Bachelor. Those are three of my guilty pleasures and it is always fun to have people over. As always, the show did not dissapoint and was full of drama. This also gave me an excuse to try out these cookies. Normally, I don't buy anything that comes in a box, but made an exception for these and was glad I did. You can use sprinkles in the colors of whichever holiday is coming up to use this recipe all year round. Since Valentine's Day is today I used pink, red and white. They taste like chocolate cake but with a chewy cookie consistency. My cousin has made these and she suggested adding chocolate chips, I never say no to more chocolate and will have to try that tip next time.

Easy and Festive cake cookies
Source: Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle
Yields: 2.5 dozen

 Ingredients:

1 boxed cake mix {I used Duncan Hines devil’s food}

1/2 cup {1 stick} unsalted butter

2 eggs

1 1/2 to 2 tbsp. flour

1-2 tsp. vanilla extract

Sprinkles (optional)

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon for evenly sized potions of dough. If you are using sprinkles, roll the ball in sprinkles and drop onto ungreased cookie sheets {or Silpat if possible}.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on the sheet for at least five minutes then transfer to cooling rack.

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap

I have gotten into reading a lot of food blogs, some call it fun, some call it dorky but I love it. Only bad thing is that it means I am doing a lot cooking, baking and EATING! One blog featured The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, which seemed like a  like of fun. I was able to bake some of my favorite cookies and send 1 dozen each to 3 different food bloggers that I was matched with. The best or worst part is that I also received a dozen cookies each from 3 bloggers. It was a lot of fun to receive boxes filled with delicious home made cookies on our doorstep.  I received cookies from Carol of Lucky Zucca, Jennifer from Somewhere in Between, and Mads from La Petite Pancake.

The hardest part for me was deciding which cookie out of the many that I enjoy to make for them. I decided to go with one of my favorites that my mom would make for us around the holidays and something that made a big batch. It is of course a chocolate cookie that is soft and chewy, I prefer chewy over crunchy cookies. These chocolate chewy cookies are easy to make, but do require 2 hours in the fridge so you need to plan ahead. They can also be made in advance and frozen for a party or holiday cookie platter.

Chocolate Chewies

Yields 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

½ cup unsalted butter

4 squares/oz unsweetened chocolate

2 ½ cups Sugar

3 Eggs

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups Flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt 

Directions:

1. Cream butter in a bowl. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.

2. In a double boiler, melt chocolate. Blend into butter with 2 cups sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add in vanilla and mix. Then add in dry ingredients.

3. Chill dough for 2 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

5. Form dough into balls and roll in remaining sugar. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Do not over bake - cookies should be chewy.

Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies

I am trying out some new and some old and trusted recipes this year around the holidays to send to friends and just enjoy at home also. Who am I kidding, you can't bake cookies for other people without trying some yourself ;)

This is a new recipe that reminded me of a chocolate cookie my mom makes. We all know I love anything chocolate and the crushed candy canes brightened up these cookies making them more festive for the holidays. The candy canes also add a crunch and hint of peppermint flavor to the chocolate and chewy cookies. If you want to make them really peppermint flavored you can substitute some of the vanilla for peppermint extract. It is a sturdy enough cookie that you can freeze them for later.

Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies
YIELD: about 2 dozen cookies
Source: Foodess

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup finely chopped unsweetened chocolate (2 oz/60 g)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup white chocolate chunks
3 candy canes, crushed

Directions:

1. In a microwaveable bowl, combine butter and unsweetened chocolate. Microwave on 50% power for 1 minute, stir, then microwave again in 30 second intervals until chocolate is mostly melted. Stir to melt the remaining chunks. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and stir in sugar, eggs and vanilla extract.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Sprinkle flour mixture over chocolate mixture and stir until well combined. Stir in white chocolate chunks. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls 2 to 3 inches apart. Bake 7 minutes, remove from oven and sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Return to oven 2-4 minutes longer, until edges are crackled and center is just set. Remove and cool 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

In our family we each pick our favorite cake for our birthdays and my mom would let us pick out our favorite cake for her to bake us. This even applied to my Dad, who this cake is in honor of. Her sour cream coffee cake is his favorite and I always think of his birthday when I make it. Growing up my mom would make one half for us kids that didn't have any nuts, just chocolate chips and then another side for them with the walnuts. Now that I am all grown up I think I can handle walnuts in the whole cake.

In my opinion this is one of the best coffee cake recipes. The sour cream keeps it moist and light, the walnuts give it a nice crunch and the cinnamon, sugar and chocolate chips sweeten it but not overly sugary as some can be. While my layers aren't even you can see there is a yummy middle layer that is filled with the cinnamon, sugar, chocolate chips and walnuts that give you a perfect bite of everything.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
16oz low fat sour cream
2 cups flour (preferably cake flour, otherwise all-purpose is fine)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
dash salt
Filling:
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F

Cream butter with sugar. Add eggs and sour cream. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the creamed mixture and add vanilla.

Mix the filling ingredients together.

In a greased tube/angel food pan, put a layer of dough, then 1/2 of the filling mixture, remainder of dough and top with remaining filling.


Bake for 40-50 minutes until golden brown.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

One of the first things I noticed since moving to Florida is that there are a ton of cupcake stores and bakeries around here. I love cake and cupcakes so this is very tempting since you basically drive past one no matter where you go. One thing I really love is that most places have mini cupcakes so you can try different flavors and not feel so guilty. Those little bites are perfect to put my sweet tooth at bay after dinner. 

This weekend we went to a BBQ at a friends house for a kebab party.Everyone brought something to put on the kebabs, which was a cute idea for a potluck. We were bringing dessert and I wanted to test this recipe out before bringing them. There is nothing worse than having a recipe fail and you don't have time to make something else. Also, by baking the cupcakes the night before it not only gave me a chance to make sure they turned out ok, but also allowed time for them to cool completely before icing. While a bit more time consuming than baking a cake, it is definitely easier to serve to a large group. My back up and just for fun we made some fruit kebabs to go along with the theme.

I found this recipe on Glorious Treats and it combines my love for chocolate cake with yummy peanut butter and cream cheese icing. I prefer cream cheese to butter cream icings since they don't tend to be as sweet. The cupcakes were moist and chocolatey and the icing was smooth and creamy with a main flavor of peanut butter. I might decrease the amount you put in next time but it was a hit with everyone else.

Chocolate Cupcakes

(makes 24-27 standard sized cupcakes)

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (best quality available)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup whole milk (I used 2%)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (best quality available)
1 cup boiling water

Directions:
1.  Line muffin tin with paper liners. Heat oven to 350*F.
2.  In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3.  Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for one minute.
4.  Stir in boiling water (the batter will be thin, don't worry, this is right).
5.  Fill liners 2/3 full with batter. (I usually put the batter into a large measuring cup with a pour spout, and then pour the batter into the liners.)
6.  Bake cupcakes for approximately 22-24 minutes.
7.  Cool completely on wire rack before frosting.

Peanut Butter Frosting

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup smooth peanut butter (chose a peanut butter with no added sugar)

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
4 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons heavy cream (or whole milk)

Directions:
1. Beat the butter until smooth. 
2. Add the cream cheese, and continue to beat until smooth and fully combined with the butter. 3. Add the peanut butter and beat until well combined. 
4. Slowly add the powdered sugar and continue to mix until the frosting is smooth. 
5. Add in the cream, and beat another 30 seconds.
6. Frost cupcakes.

Frosting Recipe by Glorious Treats
Cupcakes Recipe Adapted from Hershey's