Hot Chocolate Cookies

by Heather on December 22, 2011

Because of these cookies, and my need to try out random adaptations of recipes, I was extremely close to starting a major house fire. Definitely my biggest kitchen disaster to date…

I’ve seen these hot chocolate cookies circling the food blogs recently and I knew my family would be the perfect taste testers (we’ve extended our weekend Washington trip quite a bit longer). You see, about half of my family is very into hot chocolate. My one sister even drank it non-stop on our cruise in the middle of summer. I just can’t do that- hot chocolate is for cold weather, or at the least just wintertime,  if you happen to live somewhere that is consistently warm. They go through boxes

ANYway, the disaster. The cookie recipe I used was from Lizzy’s blog. When she made these cookies, she also had an “almost” fire, but hers was with using wax paper in the oven instead of parchment. Mine was because I decided to try toasting the marshmallows under the broiler. Please, PLEASE don’t try it! I altered the recipe below so you aren’t even tempted. Let’s just say, my parents’ oven was full of flames! One minute I checked and the marshmallows were still white. The next minute, they were pitch black. Lovely.

So, I made myself feel better by thinking that, when you drink hot chocolate, you don’t ever toast the marshmallows anyway, right? So, by making the cookies without toasted marshmallows, it’s more like real hot chocolate!  It ended up working out great- the marshmallows caramelized in the cookies when they baked and gave them an extra chewy consistency.

These just scream “Christmas cookie.” A hint of cocoa, a multitude of chips and the chewy marshmallows make these quite a crowd pleaser. Just remember to keep flammable foods away from the broiler :)

Hot Chocolate Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup  Hot Chocolate Mix (I used 3 packets Nestle milk chocolate mix)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup mini marshmallows

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugars together until smooth.  Add eggs one at a time and beat in the vanilla until combined.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, hot chocolate mix, salt and baking soda.  Add to wet ingredients in 3 or 4 steps.  Stir well.  Fold the marshmallows into the dough with the different kinds of chips.  Chill the dough for about an hour. Drop the cookie dough by the spoonful onto a baking sheet lined with a Silpat or parchment paper. Bake 9-11 minutes.  Let cool and transfer to a wire rack.
Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

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Ginger Chewies- Secret Recipe Club

by Heather on December 19, 2011

It’s time for my 2nd Secret Recipe Club post! The first time around was awesome- I had a blast checking out the other members’ posts and seeing what “my” blogger had chosen to make from my blog. What a fun idea- seriously, Amanda is a genius.

This month, I was given 365 Days of Baking. Lynne bakes every day and is very on top of posting her creations every single day- a dedication I admire and envy :) And, I love her rolling pin rating scale. It was super helpful in my decision on what I wanted to try. However, with SO many recipes she’s tried, it took me quite a while to decide! Although we scarfed it down before a photo op was possible, I first made the chicken tortilla bake and it was fab. Try it if you need a delicious and simple Mexican dinner! I’m also itching to try Lynne’s chocolate chip oreo cookies.

Now, onto the cookies. I finally went with the ginger chewies. The only time I seem to make ginger anything is around Christmas, and these will definitely be on my regular holiday cookie rotation. Aren’t they pretty? Such a gorgeous crackle on top. No chilling needed. Easy peasy. Oh yeah, and they’re delicious, perfectly chewy and flavored just right. My biggest hangup with ginger treats are how strongly they can be spiced up- not my thing. These are extra subtle with a hint of the spices shining through. If you happen to be a major ginger fan, however, just up the ginger to 1 1/2 or 2 teaspoons. The only change I made was lowering the baking time aby a few minutes. Definitely worthy of 4 rolling pins!

Ginger Chewies

2 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves; set aside.

Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and molasses. Mix until evenly blended in color, being sure to scrape the sides of the bowl.
Gradually add the flour mixture on low speed and beat until just incorporated. Place the granulated sugar onto a small plate. Using a level tablespoon, roll dough into a ball and then roll in granulated sugar. Place on baking sheets about 2 inches apart. To ensure even cooking, bake one cookie sheet at a time and until firm, but still soft in center, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool cookies on cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to four days.
Makes 3 to 4 dozen cookies.




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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

by Heather on December 14, 2011

So, I’m still on a mini pumpkin kick. But, the Christmas treats are quickly seeping into my head (and google reader), so I’m sure those will take over very shortly :)

Last week, I made this bread for another girls’ meet-up. Quick breads are awesome. There couldn’t be an easier sweet snack to whip up, as long as you have the time (and patience) to bake it and let it cool before slicing and tasting!

I got this recipe from Worldwide Ward Secret Recipes. I didn’t quite have enough pumpkin leftover from my snickerdoodles, so I made up for it with a mashed banana. It was super duper moist- probably one of the best batches of quick bread I’ve baked! As far as that being from using part banana, or the fact that I underbaked it just slightly and made sure not to overmix it, who knows. Or maybe the oil, which could probably be made with half applesauce and half oil. Whatever the reason, this is a winner.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin (I used 2/3 cup pumpkin & 1/3 cup banana)
3/4 cup canola oil
3/4 to 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, pumpkin and oil. Stir the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 5- inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

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Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

December 2, 2011

Yeah, I realize it’s December and pumpkin time is slowly winding down, but I’m still into it! Ever since I saw this recipe on Annie’s blog, and a few others, I knew I eventually would get around to trying it. Snickerdoodles were one of my favorite cookies when I was younger, mostly because it was [...]

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Sweet Potato Fries- Secret Recipe Club

November 21, 2011

This is my first time participating in the Secret Recipe Club and I’m super excited to be involved! I was assigned the blog Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & Punch and actually browsed through all the posts to find THE one I wanted to try. If you have a gluten-free eater in the house, this blog is [...]

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Reese’sFingers Cookies

November 12, 2011

Hello, and welcome to November! I literally made these cookies yesterday- yes we still had so much candy leftover from Halloween that I HAD to do something. But, first of all, I can’t write about Halloween without a photo of our cute little duck She had a blast holding out her pumpkin, putting on her [...]

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Orange Glazed Pumpkin Mini Muffins

October 21, 2011

Pumpkin time!! There isn’t much more to say about it really. It is one of the best things about Fall. Growing up, I wasn’t into Fall at all, or pumpkin for that matter. But, I’d venture to say that now it’s one of my favorite times of the year. Maybe it’s because it’s a precursor [...]

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Pan-Fried “Rock” Fish

October 16, 2011

Rockfish- what the heck is that? The other night Alex came home and as we were going to bed, mentioned, “Oh, by the way, there’s some rockfish in the fridge.” I had no clue what that was but just said, “Ok thanks”, which basically meant, “Ok, I’m too tired to ask what or why- good [...]

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Sweet Potato Braid Bread

October 3, 2011

Lizzie and I took off to Washington for a week to see the family. And, to go to the Puyallup Fair! The weather was great, I got my scone and Lizzie had far too much fun with my parents’ golden retriever. One of my sisters was also visiting and she brought along a Fall Baking [...]

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Almond Sticky Buns

September 23, 2011

I finally did it all on my own. I made yeasty cinnamon rolls! This is more of an accomplishment for me than it sounds. Just the thought of making anything with yeast still scares me much more than it ever should. And, I have to admit, the whole time I was making these sticky buns, [...]

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