Ooey-Gooey-Chewy Cookies
Posted: February 19, 2014 Filed under: baked goods, cookies, eggs! | Tags: brownies, chocolate, cookies, desserts, eggs, flourless, food, recipes 11 Comments
score some brownie points
Life can be hard sometimes, amirite? It’s all about choices. And decisions. And compromises. What to wear. What to watch. What to eat. Like, do you go for a cookie or a brownie?
Well, why should you have to choose?
Why not get both?
Boom.
Yep. A cookie. A brownie. You can have it all. And actually, not to blow your mind again, but you can have it all — and less. That’s right. Because these ooey-gooey chocolatey cookies are flourless. Which is hard to believe, I know. But it’s true. Just check out the recipe. But what’s really great is that they’re so chock full of rich, chocolate flavor, you won’t miss the flour one bit.
See, life’s not so hard all the time.
Chocolate Brownie Cookies
3 cups of powdered sugar
3/4 cups of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
5 oz of bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Heat your oven to 350º. Make sure your rack is in the upper third of your oven.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder and salt. Next, whisk in the egg whites and egg until it resembles a thick fudgy mixture. Then fold in the bittersweet chocolate.
Drop rounded tablespoons of batter onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through, until cookies are puffed, cracked and set around the edges. Let them cool completely on the cookie sheet. Then eat.
Fudgy Center of Attention
Posted: November 18, 2013 Filed under: cookies, desserts, eggs! | Tags: chocolate, cookies, desserts, eggs, food, fudge, nuts, oatmeal, recipes, walnuts 9 Comments
just go nuts
If you’re a fan of oatmeal cookies, you’ll probably go cuckoo for these. If you’re a fan of walnuts (here, lightly toasted, pulverized and mixed into the dough), you’ll probably go nuts. And if you’re a fan of chocolate fudge, well, these cookies will probably make you flip out from happiness.
Because seriously, what’s not to like about a dollop of gooey fudge on top of a chewy, nutty cookie?
Nothing, that’s what.
Oatmeal Walnut Fudge Cookies
12 oz of shelled walnuts
2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
½ teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup of brown sugar
½ cup of sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 teaspoon of maple syrup
3 cup of rolled oats
1 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk
1 12oz bag of semisweet chocolate chips
Heat your oven to 350º.
Spread the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes, turning halfway through, until toasted. Grind them in a food processor until they’re about the size of mini chocolate chips. Remove all but 1/4 cup from the food processor and process until fine.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, then add the eggs, vanilla and maple syrup. Add the flour mixture a little at a time until well combined. Stir in the oats and larger walnut pieces.
In a small sauce pan, heat the condensed milk and chocolate chips over medium-low heat until chips are completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Keep on a low heat.
Drop small rounds of the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten the center to form a nest, and then spoon a teaspoonful of the chocolate mixture in the middle. Sprinkle each with the fine ground walnuts. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly golden. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes and then place a cooling rack. Then eat.
Chocolate Chunk Off the Old Block
Posted: January 29, 2013 Filed under: cookies, desserts, eggs! | Tags: chocolate, cookies, dark chocolate, desserts, eggs, food, recipes, salted, sea salt 9 Comments
it’s chunk! (chocolate chunk)
I’m back to my old tricks this week. Sugar. Eggs. Chocolate. You know, the good stuff. I’m adding flaky sea salt to that list, as you should too.
Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies
– 1 ½ cups of flour
– 1 teaspoon of baking powder
– ½ teaspoon of fine sea salt (or regular salt)
– ¼ teaspoon of baking soda
– ½ cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter, at room temperature
– ¾ cup of brown sugar
– ½ cup of sugar
– ¼ cup of powdered sugar
– 2 large egg yolks
– 1 large egg
– 1 teaspoon of vanilla
– 6 oz of dark chocolate (72% cacao), roughly chopped
– Maldon (or other) flaky sea salt
Heat your oven to 375º.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, fine sea salt and baking soda. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the egg yolks, egg and vanilla, and beat until the mixture is pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the flour mixture a little at a time until well combined, scraping down the sides as needed. Stir in the chocolate chunks.
Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Sprinkle a little Maldon sea salt on top of each one. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Let them cool a few minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Then eat.
these cookies have been a ‘salted
In the mood for another sweet & salty treat? Check out these blondies.
Let the Chips Melt Where They May
Posted: January 3, 2013 Filed under: cookies, desserts | Tags: butterscotch, chocolate, cookies, desserts, food, peanuts, recipes, treats 10 Comments
no bake, no fuss
So, remember how just yesterday I gave you oven-fried chicken in an effort to be healthier? Well, these chocolate clusters are the exact opposite. However, I made these way back in 2012 so technically they were still part of my holiday binge. What’s cool about these cookies is that there is no baking whatsoever. Just melt, mix and eat. Can’t get any easier than that, right? Change up the ingredient ratio if you like. A friend suggested Raisinets instead of regular ol’ raisins, and I’d like to try something peanut butter in there, because you know, that’s always good.
No-Bake Chocolate Clusters
– 1 bag of butterscotch chips
– ½ bag of semisweet chocolate chips
– ⅓ cup of potato chips, slightly crushed
– 1 ½ cups of dry roasted peanuts
– ¼ cup of raisins
In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butterscotch and chocolate chips. Add the potato chips, peanuts and raisins and stir to combine. Place spoonfuls of the mixture on sheets of wax paper and let set. Then eat.
Christmas Cookie Day: Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s Brownies
Posted: December 17, 2012 Filed under: cookies, desserts | Tags: brownies, chocolate, Christmas, desserts, eggs, food, Holidays, joe-joe's, recipes 12 Comments
joe to the world
Okay, brownies technically aren’t cookies. But if you put out a plate of brownies at your holiday party would people complain? Heck no. Especially not brownies made with chopped up Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s. These cookies only make an appearance during the holiday season, but let me tell you – I dream about them all year long. There’s something magical about chocolate cookies filled with candy cane cream. My friends & I have been obsessed with them for years, once we discovered the Trader Joe’s a few blocks away from our office had them. We used to take afternoon field trips to the store to get them, and then secretly hide them away in our desks so nobody would steal our precious treats. Sure, you might say Candy Cane Oreos are just the same. But let me tell you, they are not. The real flecks of candy cane make a big difference. Feel free to add actual candy cane pieces if you want these brownies extra pepperminty.
Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s Brownies
– 8 oz of semisweet chocolate chips
– ¼ cup of cocoa powder
– 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the pan
– ¾ cup of flour
– ½ teaspoon of baking powder
– ¼ teaspoon of salt
– ½ cup of brown sugar
– ¼ cup of sugar
– 2 eggs
– 1 teaspoon of vanilla
– 18 Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s, chopped into pieces
Heat your oven to 350º.
In a saucepan, melt the chocolate chips, cocoa powder and butter over low heat, stirring occasionally. When nearly melted, remove from the heat and whisk until smooth.
In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugars, eggs and vanilla. Slowly add the chocolate mixture and beat until combined, then beat in the flour mixture a little at time until a thick, glossy batter forms. Stir in about ¾ of the Candy Cane Joe-Joe pieces. Pour the batter into a lightly greased 8×8 baking dish and top with the remaining Joe-Joe pieces. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Let cool completely and then cut into squares.
have a holly jo(e)lly christmas
So tell me: Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s versus Candy Cane Oreos, what’s better?
Things That Go Pump(kin) in the Night
Posted: October 31, 2012 Filed under: desserts | Tags: brownies, chocolate, desserts, eggs, food, pumpkin, recipes, seasonal 4 Comments
scary spice’d brownies
Happy Halloween folks! Nothing’s spookier than a treatless house, right? So bake up these chocolate and pumpkin brownies tonight. Truth-be-told, you’re supposed to swirl the layers together, but I guess my swirling skills aren’t up to par because I ended up with distinct layers. I actually think I prefer seeing the stripes of chocolate and pumpkin. More festive that way.
Chocolate-Pumpkin Brownies
– 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of unsalted butter
– 6 oz of bittersweet chocolate, chopped
– 2 cups of flour
– 1 teaspoon of baking powder
– ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
– ½ teaspoon of salt
– 1 ½ cup of sugar
– 4 large eggs
– 1 tablespoon of vanilla
– 1 ¼ cups of pumpkin puree
– ¼ cup of vegetable oil
– 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
– ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg
– ½ cup of chopped hazelnuts
Heat your oven to 350º.
Lightly butter a 9×13 baking dish (or similar) and set aside.
Melt the butter and the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, cayenne pepper and salt. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar, eggs and vanilla until fluffy and well combined, about 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in the flour mixture a little at time until incorporated.
Pour half of the batter, about 2 cups, into a separate bowl and stir in the chocolate mixture. To the remaining batter, stir in the pumpkin, vegetable oil, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Next, pour half of the chocolate batter into the bottom of the baking dish and use a rubber spatula to smooth out. Top with half of the pumpkin batter, and smooth out with a spatula. Repeat to make one more chocolate and one more pumpkin layer. With a knife or small spatula, gently swirl the 4 layers of batter to create a marbled effect. Top with the chopped hazelnuts. Bake until set, about 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool and then cut into squares.
Punkin Crunch
Posted: October 10, 2012 Filed under: desserts, eggs! | Tags: autumn, cake, desserts, eggs, food, pecans, pumpkin, recipes Leave a comment
awesomely autumnal
It’s been feeling extra fall-like the past week, so it seemed a pumpkin dessert was in order. Like those PB&J blondies I made the week before, this “cake” is incredibly easy. Feel free to call it a cake minus the quotation marks, but it’s actually a cake-crumble hybrid. The bottom is soft and spongy and the pecan crunch topping is well, crunchy and sweet. Combined with rich vanilla bean ice cream, it really packs an autumnal punkin, err, punch.
Pecan Pumpkin Crunch Cake
– 1 15 oz can of pumpkin puree
– 1 cup of heavy cream
– 4 large eggs
– ½ cup of sugar
– ½ cup of brown sugar, divided
– 1 tablespoon of bourbon or whiskey (optional)
– ½ teaspoon ground ginger
– ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg
– ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon, divided
– ¼ teaspoon of salt, divided
– 4 tablespoons (½ stick) of unsalted butter, at room temperature
– 1 ½ cups of roughly chopped pecans
– ¼ cup of flour
– Vanilla ice cream (or whipped cream)
Heat your oven to 350º.
Lightly grease an 8×8 baking pan (or similar) with butter or cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, cream, eggs, sugar, ¼ cup of brown sugar, bourbon, ginger, nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon and ⅛ teaspoon of salt. Whisk until smooth and then pour into the prepared pan.
Cut the softened butter into small pieces and place in a medium bowl. Add the pecans, flour, remaining ¼ cup of brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon and ⅛ teaspoon of salt, and use clean hands to mix it together until combined but still crumbly. Gently scatter the pecan topping over the pumpkin mixture and then bake until the edges are puffed and the center is set, about 60 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Service with vanilla ice cream.
Note: I kept my pecan pumpkin crunch cake in the fridge because I found I liked it better when it was cold. I never tried heating it up but I bet that would be good too, especially with ice cream.
Midweek Meltdown: Orange Sherbet
Posted: July 25, 2012 Filed under: desserts | Tags: desserts, food, frozen treats, recipes, sherbet, summer food 6 Comments
orange you glad i didn’t make a bad pun?
Question of the day: Is it sherbet or sherbert? Discuss that amongst yourselves, and then when you figure it out, make this tasty, easy orange-flavored frozen treat. For those of you wondering, I was going to attempt rainbow sherbet with 2 other flavors. But I didn’t want to spend another hot night trapped in the kitchen. So, there you go. But one is better than none, right?
Orange Sherbet
– ¾ cup of sugar
– ¼ teaspoon of salt
– 2 cups of orange juice
– 1 tablespoon of orange zest
– 1 tablespoon of lime juice
– ½ tablespoon of lime zest
– 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
– 1 ½ cups of whole milk
In a food processor, combine everything except the milk and process until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 1 minute. Strain the mixture into a bowl (to remove any large pieces of zest) and then whisk in the milk. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour or until cold.
Place the mixture into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the machine’s instructions. Most machines take 20 to 40 minutes to make ice cream. When thick and creamy, eat immediately for soft-serve like sherbet. Or place into a freezer-safe container for a few hours to let it firm up — but let it sit out for a few minutes to soften before eating.
Monday Meltdown: Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato
Posted: July 16, 2012 Filed under: desserts, eggs! | Tags: chocolate, desserts, eggs, food, frozen treats, ice cream, recipes, summer food 5 Comments
i literally snapped this pic right before it melted
Summer is in full swing. Because this weekend it was H-O-T. So a frozen treat was a necessary way to beat the heat. This week, it was time for some gelato. Gelato is an Italian creation that’s similar to ice cream but usually softer and creamier. I like it a lot. What do I also like? Nutella, that heavenly chocolate-hazelnut spread. In college I worked at the student newspaper and we spent many nights dipping cookies into Nutella while we prepared the paper for the printer. I know, not that smartest thing to eat in the wee hours of the night, but we were young and silly. And now I’ve discovered that it’s just as great — if not better — as an ingredient in gelato.
Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato
– 2 cups of whole milk
– 1 cup of heavy cream
– ½ cup of sugar plus ¼ cup
– 4 egg yolks
– ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
– ½ cup of Nutella chocolate-hazelnut spread
– ½ cup of toasted hazelnuts, for topping
In a saucepan, heat the milk, cream and ½ cup of sugar over medium heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.
In a medium bowl, beat together the egg yolks and ¼ cup of sugar until it’s thick and pale yellow, about 4 minutes. Pour a quarter of the warm milk mixture into the eggs and stir, and then add the eggs to the saucepan. (This will help the eggs warm up and not turn into scrambled eggs in the pan.) Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture becomes thick and can coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 8 minutes.
Strain the mixture through a mesh strainer into a large bowl. Stir in the vanilla extract and Nutella until it dissolves. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or until cold.
Place the mixture into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the machine’s instructions. Most machines take 20 to 40 minutes to make ice cream. When the gelato is thick and creamy (mine was ready at about 40 minutes), eat immediately for a soft, Frosty-like consistency. Or place into a freezer-safe container for a few hours to let it firm up, and then eat. Since gelato is supposed to be softer than traditional ice cream, if you do decide to eat it later, let it sit out for a few minutes to soften. To give it a little crunch, top it with some toasted chopped hazelnuts.
Monday Meltdown: Triple Berry Sorbet
Posted: July 2, 2012 Filed under: desserts | Tags: berries, desserts, food, frozen treats, recipes, sorbet, summer food 6 Comments
big berry flavor
I’m Montana bound for a friend’s wedding so I’m making this short. But before I head off to Big Sky Country it’s time for some Big Berry Flavor. And it’s courtesy of this incredibly simple triple berry sorbet. So go pop your ice cream maker in the freezer, grab some fresh berries and celebrate Independence Day with a sweet and tart frozen treat.
Triple Berry Sorbet
– 1 pint of blueberries
– 1 pint of raspberries
– ½ pint of blackberries
– ¼ cup of sugar
– ¼ cup of honey
– 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
– 1 teaspoon of lemon zest
– Pinch of salt
In a large bowl, add the berries, sugar, honey, lemon juice, lemon zest and salt. Stir to combine then use a potato masher to smash the berries. Place the berry mixture in a blender and blend until smooth. Strain the mixture through a mesh strainer to remove any seeds and large fruit pieces. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or until cold.
Place the mixture into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the machine’s instructions. Most machines take 20 to 40 minutes to make ice cream. When the sorbet is thick (mine was ready at 20 minutes or so), eat immediately. Or place into a freezer-safe container for a few hours to let it firm up, and then eat.
Happy July 4th folks!
egg me on 