Chocolate Nutella Cookies

I made these this weekend and they were delicious!

Chocolate Nutella Cookies Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup of brown sugar
• 3/4 cup of white sugar
• 1 cup of Nutella
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups, plus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup of chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup of chopped hazelnuts

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 350F. Cream butter in an electric mixer for 3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and Nutella and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.

2 Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds between each. Add the vanilla and mix for 10 seconds.

3 Sift together the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda (do not skip this step as sifting eliminates clumps of cocoa). Mix into the butter mixture on low speed until fully incorporated, scraping down the bottom and sides at least once to ensure even mixing. Fold in the chocolate chips and hazelnuts and refrigerate the dough for ten minutes.

4 Spoon tablespoon-sized drops of dough onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool on the sheets for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes 6 dozen.

Recipe found on Simply Recipes

Bar Recipes?

Anyone have a good bar recipe? I swear, before moving to the Midwest I'd never really thought about bars, just cookies.

There's a place in Des Moines that makes a cookie/brownie bar where there is a layer of brownie on the bottom with what tastes like chocolate chip cookie dough on the top. I can't find a recipe like it online and I haven't searched my cookbooks, but thought I'd see if anyone has one yet. Or even just a link to one you haven't tried.

I'm open and I need a new baking recipe for next week!

Christmas cookies - one to remind us of summer!

I don't know about everyone else but I for one love the taste of lemon in just about anything but especially desserts! So come time for Christmas cookies I always appreciate something lemon on the cookie tray- its a nice light addition plus the taste of lemon reminds me of summer which is nice when the Christmas snow is blowing outside. So for this year I found the following recipe I'm going to try...I hope they're as good as they sound!

Lemon Pistachio Cookies
4 dozen
1 stick butter (or half butter/ half crisco)
1 1/4 c sugar
1 egg
1 c chopped pistachios or macadamias
1 c white chocolate chunks or chips
2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
grated rind of one lemon
1/4 c lemon juice

Cream butter, sugar, and egg until smooth..add lemon juice and mix well.stir dry ingredients together with lemon rind and add thoroughly to butter mixture. Fold in white chocolate and pistachios. Chill for 15-20 minutes.Drop heaping teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on a silpat or parchment covered baking sheet. bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until just done and just turning color. Cool before storing.These will fall apart when they are warm..They firm on setting. Melt 1/4 c butter, and add 2 TBS lemon juice. Add enough confectioners sugar to make a thick frosting and spread on warm cookies.

Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

The better-for-you chocolate chip cookies! I made these last night using a recipe from Slice of Feist via the Crepes of Wrath, which had been adapted from the Chicago Sun Times. You follow?

Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil


• 3/4 cup granulated sugar


• 3/4 cup brown sugar


• 2 eggs


• 2 1/4 cup flour (I used about 2 cups white flour and 1/4 cup whole wheat flour)


• 1 teaspoon vanilla


• 1 teaspoon salt


• 1 teaspoon baking soda


• 1 cup chocolate chips


• A dash of milk, approximately 1 tablespoon
  

Instructions

Combine sugars and oil. Add eggs. Add vanilla and remaining dry ingredients. Add milk. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 375 degrees.

Notes: I was afraid these would taste like olive oil, but they didn't! The cookies were chewy and tasty and heart healthy (well, at least a little healthier than the butter/margarine/shortening variety). This will probably become my go-to option for chocolate chip cookies because now I can eat more with less guilt.

Easy Pumpkin Cookies

I haven't made, or eaten these yet but my sister has and said they're delish so thought I'd post based on her recommendation! They sound really easy too and I have all the ingredients at home right now so I'll try them soon.

Pumpkin Cookies

1 cup shortening
1 can pumpkin
2 cups flour (put in last)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teas. cinnamon
1 teas. soda
1 teas. vanilla
beat until mixed

Drop by teaspoon on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 15 minutes 350 degrees - enjoy!

Sugar and Spice Cookies

Making Snickerdoodles made me realize this recipe would freeze well too. These cookies have never failed. So buttery and flavorful.

They also make an EXCELLENT graham cracker style pie crust. Last time I made them, one of the batches was overcooked so I froze them, then made a pie crust for a key lime pie. Yum.



Sugar and Spice Cookies

3/4 C butter
1 C sugar
1 egg
1/4 C molasses
2 C flour
2 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t ginger

cinnamon sugar (I often end up doubling)
1 T sugar
1 t cinnamon

Cream butter and sugar. Cream in egg and molasses. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl, add to creamed mixture. Roll into balls and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture. Bake on ungreased pan, 7-10 minutes @ 350 degrees.

Picture from Simply Recipes.

Snickerdoodles

I have been looking for a cookie recipe that will freeze well and I've also been looking for a good snickerdoodle recipe. Somehow, I didn't trust the recipe in my Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. I made these yesterday and they are amazing. The 2 t.s of cream of tartar really give them a kick, in a good way.

In terms of freezing, I wanted a recipe that I could freeze in balls and pull out when people are coming over or we just wanted a sweet treat. I haven't cooked the ones I froze, but I think they will work. Couldn't find my paddle attachment, so I just mixed with my handmixer.



Snickerdoodles

In mixer, with paddle attachment beat:
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. shortening

Meanwhile, in another bowl whisk together:
2 1/2 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
2 t. cream of tartar
1/2 t. salt

Once butter and shortening are mixed and fluffy, slowly add:
1 1/2 c. sugar

Mix until fluffy. Add:
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract

With mixer on low, slowly add dry ingredients. Mix just until combined. Refrigerate dough at least 1 hour. Roll into small balls, coat in cinnamon sugar and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes (I cooked for about 8 since I like soft cookies, could have cooked another minute or so).

M+M Cookies

I have always loved M+M cookies, but if you have ever tried to swap out M+Ms for chocolate chips in the Nestle Tollhouse recipe, then you know it just doesn't work. Somehow the M+Ms aren't sweet enough to compensate for removing the chips. This recipe makes perfect M+Ms cookies.

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup butter (or shortening if you use it)
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 candy-coated milk chocolate pieces (I sometimes still add a few chocolate chips if I have some laying around)

In a large bowl, mix sugar, eggs, shortening, and vanilla thoroughly. Add flour, salt, and baking soda to creamed mixture. Blend well. Add 3/4 cup of M&M candies.

Drop dough onto cookie sheet. Slightly push a few candies on top of each dough ball with remaining candies.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 9 to 11 minutes, to your liking.

New (and better?) chocolate chips

You know how everyone has a signature dish they bring to parties or family gatherings? Mine is chocolate chip cookies.I know terribly boring, but I make big honking ones that soft in the middle and crunchy on the edge cookies. My secret is not my recipe (it is the one of the back of the toll house bag), but a few things I do differently.

Last week someone who'd had my cookies gave me this article from Cooks Illustrated about their search for the perfect chocolate chip cookie to see if the methodology was the same. I never understood the science behind why my cookies turned out like they do, but the article explained everything. This is all a roundabout way to get to my new favorite chocolate chip:

When I made these drunkcakes, I bought some Ghiradelli 60% cacoa bittersweet chips because I was lazy and didn't wan to chop up a bar of chocolate. I had some leftover, so I tossed them in with the last batch of cookies I made. They made the cookies so much better! The bittersweet mixed with the sugary dough was so tasty. They had intense flavor and the chips spread out into thin disks, so there's more to go around. And lo and behold, the Cook's Illustrated article rated them as the top chocolate chip. Yum!

image from here.

A holiday fav..cupcake, not cookie!

BLACK BOTTOM CUP-CAKES
* Original recipe yield 2 dozen regular sized cupcakes or about 4 dozen mini

INGREDIENTS
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/3 cup white sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line muffin tins with paper cups or lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, egg, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/8 teaspoon salt until light and fluffy. Stir in the chocolate chips and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, 1 cup sugar, cocoa, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Make a well in the center and add the water, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Stir together until well blended. Fill muffin tins 1/3 full with the batter and top with a dollop of the cream cheese mixture. * I tend to add more then a "dollop" because there's always plenty of the creamcheese mixture and its my favorite part of the cupcake!

4. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Do not overcook.

New Holiday Recipes

Every year I make at least one holiday cookie, bar or bread. I never stray from the recipes of my childhood (my Aunt Carol's chocolate peanut butter balls, my Grandma June's lemon bread, a mint chocolate fudge recipe from my mom). Last year I got crazy sick on the weekend I was going to make treats, so this year I'm making up for lost time AND making something new.

Next weekend I'll be making lemon bread (and freezing some to take to my dad), but I'll also be trying two recipes from the new Everyday Food magazine. I'll be giving these two a try:

Chocolate Gingerbread Bars
Icebox Cookies

I'll let you know how they turn out. Photo from Martha.

New favorite cookie

Ok so here I finally go with a cookie recipe.. Honestly I can't say its my favorite holiday cookie because we've never had it before on a holiday, in fact I've only ever had the cookie once in my life but damn was it a GOOD cookie! I think in the one taste I had, it may have become the best cookie I ever tasted and will hopefully become a holiday staple for me going forward! In case you're wondering how I had it once, it was at a wine tasting event and the cookies were prepared by one of Pittsburgh's top pastry chefs who was nice enough to share her recipe with my Mom so here it is:

Italian Baci

9 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
pinch salt
1/3 cup dark rum

Whip together above ingredients and set aside.
* If you want chocolate almond baci add 3 cups crumbled almond paste to whipped yolks. (I would recommend adding the almond paste because it was devine with it included!)

Melt together 30 oz. bittersweet semisweet chocolate, 6 oz. unsweetened chocolate, and 6 oz. unsalted. Fold melted & whipped mixtures together. Stir in 1 7/8 cups all purpose flour, and 2 1/4 tsp. baking powder. Chill dough. After dough has chilled, use melon-scoop and drop about an inch apart on parchment paper to bake.

Bake 8-10 minutes at 325 - watch carefully as you don't want to overbake.

Enjoy!

Favorite Holiday Cookie - Chocolate Crinkles

I wish I could be like my grandma and make batches upon batches of cookies to have on hand for guests every year during the holiday season. Admittedly though, I'm not much of a holiday cookie baker, or cookie baker in general, but if I had to choose a favorite it would have to be Chocolate Crinkles!

Image courtesy of: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/208/443212217_8b7bad0aab.jpg?v=0

Next Favorite- holiday cookie!

Ok so we've all been slacking since Amanda has been off sampling the world's finest gelato, pizzas and pasta, and I don't know about all of you but I think she will come back feeling disappointed at our lack of keeping this blog in tact and current during her absence! ;) SO, I'm going to suggest our final favorite of this month, and maybe the year since we will all be bombarded with other things in the upcoming month....

Favorite holiday cookies, so get posting ladies and I promise to post mine as well hopefully this weekend!