Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Cookie’

Candy Bar Cookies

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , on January 28, 2013 | 9 Comments »

I started making these cookies a few years ago, when I had an abundance of Easter candy. My mom still makes us Easter baskets, and I make them too, so there is a lot of candy! I got tired of seeing it sitting in my Easter basket (I kind of miss the days when my brother would eat everything in his basket, and then steal from mine!), so I decided to chop up a bunch of candy and throw it in some cookie dough. Of course, then you are left with a bunch of candy and cookies. Hmm, maybe my idea isn’t so smart after all!

I make a simple chocolate chip cookie dough, but swap out the chocolate chips for candy bars. Snickers, Milky Way, and 3 Musketeers, are the candy bars I used today. During the holidays, I can usually find this assortment in large bags, so I grab them, as these are a favorite cookie with my mom’s co-workers.

Candy Bar Cookies/Bake, Run, Live

Candy Bar Cookies

1 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 3/4 cups flour
36 mini size candy bars (I used 12-Snickers, 12-Milky Way, 12-3 Musketeers)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Unwrap and chop up your candy bars. I cut them in half length-wise, then in half width-wise (so each candy bar will give you 4 pieces). Place these in a bowl and freeze while you make the dough.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the melted butter and sugars. Add in the eggs and vanilla bean paste. Stir in the salt and baking soda. Add in the flour and mix until well combined. Stir in the candy bar pieces.

Using a large ice cream scoop, scoop dough onto a parchment paper or silpat lined cookie sheet. Leave about 3 inches between each cookie. Bake in a preheated oven for 13-15 minutes, or until the cookies are set and lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, move the cookies onto cooling racks and let cool completely. Enjoy!

Candy Bar Cookies/Bake, Run, Live

Made with love, not calories!
About these ads

Read Full Post »

National Food Day: Candy Cane Day (Peppermint Crunch Cookies)

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , on December 26, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

December 26th is National Candy Cane Day!

Ok, I’m deviating a little on the food item today. Instead of using candy canes, I am using Andes peppermint crunch baking chips. They look and taste like candy canes, so I’m going with it!

While the cookies are not a true shortbread cookie (there is an egg in this recipe), they still have a similar texture. They are also loaded with peppermint chips, which makes them very festive looking! If you can’t find the peppermint chips, you could always use the regular Andes mint chips. It’s a different mint, but still tasty! Oh, not a mint person? You could try adding chocolate covered toffee pieces…yum!

One year ago: Cinnamon Lover’s Scones

Peppermint Crunch Cookies
Adapted from Mr. Food

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1- 10 oz. bag Andes peppermint crunch baking chips
1 tablespoon sugar to sprinkle on cookies

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and powdered sugar. Add in the egg, vanilla bean paste, and salt. Stir in the flour until well combined (this will take a couple of minutes). Mix in the peppermint baking chips.

Using a medium-sized ice cream scoop, scoop out the dough and place the cookies onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Space the cookies about 2 inches apart and gently flatten with the palm of your hand. Sprinkle a little sugar on top of each cookie. Bake in a preheated oven for 14-15 minutes, or until the tops are set and the cookies are a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, move the cookies onto cooling racks and let cool completely. Enjoy!

Made with love, not calories!

Read Full Post »

World Peace Cookies

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , on December 12, 2012 | 4 Comments »

Day 12 of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies!

We have come to the last day of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies. I hope you enjoyed the cookies I made this year- maybe you have found one that you want to bake for the holidays! I like being able to show you different types and baking styles of cookies! Oh and eating them isn’t all that bad either!

Today’s cookie is called World Peace Cookies. I thought that was fitting, because isn’t that what we all wish for during this time of year (besides cool presents!)? They are extremely rich and loaded with lots of dark chocolate. The dough doesn’t contain eggs, so the cookie has a shortbread texture. These are perfect with a cup of coffee, or if you are like me and just can’t get enough chocolate, a cup of hot chocolate!

World Peace Cookies
Recipe from Epicurious via Dorie Greenspan

1 1/4 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
11 tablespoons butter, softened
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3.5 oz. dark chocolate bar (do not exceed 85% cacao- I used 70% Lindt), finely chopped

In a medium-sized bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Set aside.

In a bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars until well combined. Add in the vanilla and sea salt, then mix until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Scrape down the sides, then with the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the flour mixture. Once the mixture starts to come together, add in the chopped chocolate and mix well (the dough will be a little crumbly). Knead the dough (in the bowl) with your hands, just until it comes together. Divide the dough in half and form each half into a log, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 32 degrees.
After removing the plastic wrap, use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 1/2 inch thick rounds. Place the cookies onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, leaving 2 inches between each cookie. Bake in a preheated oven for 11-12 minutes, or until the cookies are set on top. Remove from the oven and let cool for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes, move cookies onto cooling racks and let cool completely. Enjoy!

Here is a recap of the previous 11 days!

1. Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies
2. Peanut Butter Chocolate Caramel Cookies
3. Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip Rugelach
4. Vanilla Sugar Cookies
5. Brownie Kolachi
6. Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies
7. Honey cookies with honey roasted peanuts
8. Pecan Pie Cookies
9. Chocolate and Cherry Craisin Cookies
10. Fig and Lemon Cookies
11. Red and Green Swirl Cookies

Made with love, not calories!

Read Full Post »

Fig and Lemon Cookies

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , on December 10, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Here is day 10 of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies!

The only time I have had figs, is when I eat Fig Newtons. I have never seen ripe figs at my local grocery store, but the other day I found dried figs. So I bought a package. I like Fig Newtons, so I should like figs, right? I wasn’t thinking that Fig Newtons are full of sugar, so that would make anything taste better! Later that night I tried a fig. While I liked the taste, I found it difficult to eat. A quick Google search, and I found out that most of the time you heat dried figs in warm water to soften the outsides. Ah ha! Now that I know how good dried figs are, I am now on the lookout for fresh figs!

Fig and Lemon Cookies
Recipe lightly adapted from Christmas Cookies.Com

1 cup chopped dried figs (about 8 oz.)
1/3 to 1/2 cup water
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups flour, sifted
Additional sugar for sprinkling on cookies

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the figs and 1/3 cup water. Stir until the mixture has thickened (if the water is absorbed right away, you may need a little more water. You want the figs to soften). Remove from the heat and let cool.

Once the figs are cool, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Add in the egg and lemon zest. Stir in the salt, baking powder, and flour. Add in the cooled figs and stir until combined.

Using a medium-sized ice cream scoop, scoop out the dough. Place the dough onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, leaving 2 inches between each cookie. Sprinkle a little sugar on the top of each cookie. Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until the cookies are set and a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes, move the cookies onto cooling racks and let cool completely. Enjoy!

Made with love, not calories!

Read Full Post »

Peanut Butter Chocolate Caramel Cookies

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , on December 2, 2012 | 5 Comments »

Here is day 2 of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies!

Peanut butter, chocolate, and caramel!

I really don’t think I need to say anything more about this cookie. You aren’t going to read it anyways! You are probably already scrolling down to see the recipe!

Well, if you are sticking around and reading this…thank you :) , though I won’t take up too much more of your time. Here we have peanut butter cookie dough that is wrapped around a Rolo. The Rolo’s that I used are relatively new to the stores- Rolo minis. If you can’t find the minis, you can always use the regular sized Rolo’s, just cut them in half. Oh, and the mini Rolo’s are already unwrapped- which means you can eat them faster (not that I do that!).

Peanut Butter Chocolate Caramel Cookies
Recipe lightly adapted from Land O’Lakes 

11 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1- 8 oz. package of Rolo minis

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugars, and peanut butter. Add in the eggs and vanilla. Stir in the baking soda, salt, and flour and mix until well combined.

Using a medium-sized ice cream scoop, scoop out the dough and place it in the palm of your hand. Flatten it slightly and place a Rolo in the center. Fold the dough around the Rolo to seal it completely (work the dough to make sure there are no holes or cracks all the way around). Place the dough ball seam side down on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, leaving 2 inches between each cookie. Bake in a preheated oven for 10-11 minutes, or until the edges are a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes, move the cookies onto cooling racks and cool completely. Enjoy!

Made with love, not calories!

Read Full Post »

Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , on December 1, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Today is the 1st day of the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies!

And of course, they are chocolate cookies! Hey, I was good- I limited myself on the number of chocolate cookie recipes I am posting during these 12 days. You know with me, it would be so easy to have all 12 days be chocolate cookies! However, I know some of you don’t like chocolate, and some of you just like variety!

Our first cookie is a fun twist on gingerbread cookies. Chocolate Gingerbread cookies!

These are drop cookies, so you don’t have to be worried that I am starting off with a recipe that makes you roll out the dough and cut out the cookies. Those recipes are coming though!

Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies
Recipe lightly adapted from Martha Stewart

1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup molasses
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup sugar

In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the flour, spices, and cocoa powder. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Add in the molasses and mix well.

In a small bowl, dissolve the baking soda with 1 1/2 tablespoons boiling water. Add half of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Add in the baking soda/water, then add in the remaining flour mixture. Add in the mini chocolate chips.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Place sugar in a shallow bowl. Using a medium-sized ice cream scoop, scoop the dough, then roll it in the sugar*. Place the dough on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, leaving 2 inches between each cookie. Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, move cookies onto cooling racks and let cool completely. Enjoy!

Note: If the dough is really sticky, refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.

Made with love, not calories!

Read Full Post »

Daring Bakers’ November Challenge

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , on November 27, 2012 | 14 Comments »

Holiday season is the time for sharing and Peta of Peta Eats is sharing a dozen cookies, some classics and some of her own, from all over the world with us.

While Peta shared a dozen cookie recipes with us, our challenge for the month was to choose one of the recipes to make!

I chose to make Chocolate Coconut Cookies! This recipe came via Baking Glory and is a delicious chocolate cookie with a coconut macaroon filling. I did have a little issue with the dough, so I had to change the way I formed the cookie. The cookie dough is supposed to be formed like a purse to hold the filling. While I formed my cookies this way, they didn’t hold their shape well during baking. You will see in my pictures below how I formed the cookies and what they looked like after being baked, but I have to say that I gave up! I took pictures after baking a dozen cookies, then with the rest of the dough, I just made thumbprint cookies! That was easier and they still tasted the same- no matter how they looked :)

Chocolate Coconut Cookies
Recipe lightly adapted from Baking Glory

Coconut Filling:
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
2 1/4 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Cookie dough:
1 3/4 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg

To make the coconut filling:
In a medium-sized bowl, cream together (either by hand or with a hand-held mixer) the cream cheese and sugar. Add in the egg yolk and vanilla bean paste. Stir in the shredded coconut. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

To make the cookie dough:
In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside. In a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add in the egg and mix until well combined. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the flour mixture (the cookie dough will be stiff).

To make the thumbprint cookies:
Use a small-sized ice cream scoop (or a tablespoon), scoop the dough and roll it into a ball. Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, and using your thumb, create a well in the middle of the dough. Place a teaspoon-sized amount of the coconut filling into the well of the cookie.
Bake in a preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until the cookies are set. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, move the cookies onto cooling racks and let cool completely. Enjoy!

How the cookies looked when I formed the dough around the filling…

how the cookies looked when I made them as thumbprint cookies!

Made with love, not calories!

Read Full Post »

Chocolate Orange M&M Cookies

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , on November 12, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Wandering through the Christmas candy aisle, I came across Orange flavored M&M’s. I quickly grabbed a bag and tossed it into my cart (along with 2 family size bags of regular M&M’s. Hey, I am going to be putting those on chocolate covered popcorn! It’s not like I am going to eat all those M&M’s. I mean, I could, but I know better!).

Anyways! I just decided to use them in something simple. Cookies! I made a chocolate cookie dough and added orange zest to it. Then after I scooped the dough, I added the Orange flavored M&M’s. The M&M’s are slightly bigger than normal M&M’s (more the size of peanut butter M&M’s) and I wanted to make sure they were evenly distributed, so placing them on top of the cookie dough worked well. The orange flavor, from the M&M’s and the orange zest, isn’t strong but you will taste it. Note: the orange flavor is actually stronger the next day.

As a huge fan of chocolate, I find the different flavors of M&M’s fun to try- to eat and to bake with! Now I am on the lookout for White Chocolate Peppermint M&M’s. Katie saw them recently,so I know they are out there!!

Chocolate Orange M&M Cookies
Makes 38 cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups flour
1 bag (9.90 oz.) Milk Chocolate Orange M&M’s

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the melted butter and sugars. Stir in the eggs and mix well. Add in the salt, baking soda, and cocoa. Stir in the flour until well combined.

Using a medium-sized ice cream scoop, scoop out the dough and place it on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, leaving 3 inches between each cookie. Press on 4 M&M’s (you might be able to get away with 5 each, though my bag would have been a couple M&M’s short) on top of each cookie. Bake in a preheated oven for 11 minutes, or until the tops are set. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, move the cookies onto cooling racks and let cool completely. Enjoy!

Made with love, not calories!

Read Full Post »

Pumpkin Gingersnap Mini Cheesecakes

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , on October 30, 2012 | 3 Comments »

Here is the final challenge* from Willow Bird Baking…Cheesecake!

I believe I have mentioned before that while I like making cheesecakes, they don’t seem to really like me! I almost always get cracks in mine. And while cracks don’t affect the taste of the cheesecake, they just don’t look as pretty as I would like (and I’m not crazy about covering them up with sour cream. Chocolate, yes. Sour cream, no.). However, I do like making mini cheesecakes. They don’t seem to crack! Yay!

For our final challenge, I made pumpkin gingersnap mini cheesecakes. (Sorry about all the pumpkin recipes lately.)  I used store-bought gingersnap cookies as the crust. No need to crush them- a whole cookie goes in the bottom of the cupcake liner! Then a simple pumpkin cheesecake batter gets spooned over each cookie. A quick bake, and you have a fun hand-held dessert that you can take to a Halloween party!

One Year Ago: Eye Balls (Cake Balls)

Pumpkin Gingersnap Mini Cheesecakes
Makes 24

24 gingersnap cookies (I used store-bought)
2- 8oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin/cupcake pans with 24 liners. Place one gingersnap cookie on the bottom of each liner. Set aside.

In a stand mixer (a hand-held mixer would also work), cream together the cream cheese and sugars. Add in the pumpkin puree and the eggs and mix well. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides. Turn the mixer back on and add in the spices and salt. Once everything has been combined, evenly distribute the batter over the gingersnap cookies. Bake in a preheated oven for 17-20 minutes, or just until the cheesecakes are set in the centers. Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, refrigerate for 3 hours before serving. Enjoy!

* Willow Bird Baking had 5 weeks of challenges. Sadly I missed the first one. Below you will find links to the big revels and what I made for weeks 2-4.
Week 2 challenge: Breakfast Braids…Nutella Breakfast Braid
Week 3 challenge: Stuffed Cookies…Samoa Stuffed Sugar Cookies
Week 4 challenge: Filled cupcakes…Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

Made with love, not calories!

Read Full Post »

Samoa Stuffed Sugar Cookies

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , , on October 18, 2012 | 2 Comments »

Willow Bird Baking handed out our Week 3 baking challenge…Stuffed Cookies!

I have made stuffed (filled) cookies before (here, here, and here) and I think the idea is a lot of fun. The finished product is pretty tasty too!! So I was excited to once again create a stuffed cookie. I sometimes get flavor combinations that get stuck in my brain, just waiting for the right recipe to come along. Caramel, coconut, and chocolate have been whispering in my brain recently. You might recognize these as the flavors that make up Samoa’s. They are one of my favorite Girl Scout cookies, but I only limit myself to one box a year.

Anyways, I decided to use those flavors as the “stuffing” for my cookies, surrounded by a simple sugar cookie. The finished cookie may not look like much, but it is full of flavor. I think you will like them as much as I do!

One year ago: Cinnamon Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Samoa Stuffed Sugar Cookies

Cookies:
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/4 cups flour

Samoa Filling:
1 cup caramel bits
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups toasted coconut
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the melted butter and sugars. Stir in the egg and the vanilla bean paste. Add in the salt, baking soda, and flour, and stir until well combined. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, make the filling mixture. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the caramel bits and heavy cream. Microwave on high for 30 second intervals, stirring after each one, until the caramels are melted. Add in the toasted coconut and stir to combine. Let this mixture cool for 10 minutes before adding in the mini chocolate chips.

Once the dough has chilled and the filling mixture is ready, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Using a medium-sized ice cream scoop, scoop out dough and flatten slightly (I do this in the palm of my hand). Add 1 heaping teaspoon of filling mixture into the center of the dough, then form the dough to cover the filling. Make sure there are no holes or the filling will run out while it is baking. Place this seam side down onto the cookie sheet, leaving 3 inches between each cookie.

Bake in a preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are set and lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes, move the cookies onto cooling racks and cool completely. Enjoy!

Made with love, not calories!

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 201 other followers

%d bloggers like this: