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Caramel Filled Chocolate Cookies

Mike needed to bring a dessert to one of his meetings. I stumbled upon this recipe and I couldn’t resist – chocolate with caramel? Yes, please! These cookies are so good – soft, gooey, and so easy to make. I think the most difficult part was unwrapping all those darn Hershey’s Kisses 🙂

Caramel Filled Chocolate Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup and 1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
48 chocolate-covered caramel candies*

  1. Beat butter until creamy. Gradually beat in white and brown sugars until well incorporated. Beat in eggs one at a time and beat in vanilla.
  2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients into butter mixture, beating well. Cover and chill dough for 30 minutes.
  3. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  4. Combine 1/2 cup nuts with 1 tablespoon sugar in small bowl. Place 1/4 cup sugar into another small bowl.
  5. Divide dough into 4 parts. Divide each of the 4 parts into 12 pieces to get 48 cookies.
  6. Take a piece of dough and form it into a bowl shape. Place chocolate in the center of the cookie and mold the dough up around the candy. Roll the cookie in your hands to mold into a smooth ball. Roll cookie into a ball and dip top into sugar or sugar/nut mixture.
  7. Place cookies, sugar/nut side up on ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 8 minutes.
  8. Let cookies cool completely on cookie sheets before removing.

*I used Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Kisses with Caramel. They were great – the caramel stayed soft inside and it was easy to shape the cookie around them. I may try another chocolate next time, though!

 


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Peanut Butter Bars

I whipped these bars up for a work get-together. They were super easy and I had all the ingredients on hand already. This may be a go-to dish for parties when I’m short on time.

Let me give you a little nudge to try these out… Short on time for Valentine’s Day? Don’t have a dessert for your dinner? Not planning on making anything at all? Try these! They are so simple and sure to please. 🙂

Peanut Butter Bars
adpated from allrecipes.com

12 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
4 tablespoons peanut butter

  1. Mix melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and 1 1/2 cups peanut butter together in a medium bowl until well combined. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9×13 pan. Refrigerate for 10 – 15 minutes.
  2. Melt chocolate chips and 4 tablespoons peanut butter in the microwave until smooth, stirring occasionally.*  Pour over refrigerated crust and smooth with a spatula.
  3. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

*Be careful not to burn the chocolate. Microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring carefully after each one.


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Potato Pancakes with Applesauce

There’s something really comforting about eating a warm, crispy potato pancake with some freshly made applesauce in the middle of a Wisconsin winter. I wasn’t going to make these at first since it would require me to shred a million potatoes, but then I remembered that I had a food processor. BAM! Done in 5 minutes. I really should use my beloved Cuisinart a little more.

I love love love this applesauce because it is not overly sweet – it’s a great combination of tart and sweetness. If you’re someone who loves a sweeter applesauce, add a little more sugar into it.

Potato Pancakes
adapted from allrecipes.com

4 egg whites
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 medium potatoes, peeled and shredded
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup vegetable oil

  1. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Mix in potatoes and onion.
  2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. In batches, drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the potato mixture into the skillet. Press to flatten. Cook about 3 minutes on each side, until browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
  3. Serve warm with butter and salt or homemade applesauce.

Homemade Applesauce
makes 4 cups

5 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  1. Combine apples, water, sugar and cinnamon in medium-sized saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for 15 – 20  minutes, or until apples are soft.
  2. Mash with a potato masher and serve warm, or refrigerate until serving.


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Chocolate Truffle Cookies

These cookies are very similar to the Gooey Chocolate Cookies I posted about a few weeks ago. They aren’t as simple to make since they require a few more ingredients, but I think that they taste so much better! Give these a try when you have a few extra minutes to make cookies.

Chocolate Truffle Cookies
from allrecipes.com

4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
6 tablespoon butter
3 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

  1. In the microwave or in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt unsweetened chocolate, 1 cup of the chocolate chips, and the butter stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. In a large bowl, whip eggs and sugar until thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and the chocolate mixture until well mixed. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually stir into the chocolate mixture. Fold in remaining 1 cup chocolate chips. Cover dough and chill for at least an hour or overnight.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll chilled dough into 1 inch balls. Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheets so they are 2 inches apart.
  3. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.


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Melt-In-Your-Mouth Shortbread

I have a go-to shortbread recipe, but I came across this one that claimed to “melt-in-your-mouth” and I decided to give it a try. You can never have too many shortbread recipes, right?? This was super easy to make and they  lived up to their claim – they did indeed melt-in-your-mouth. Don’t be deterred by the cornstarch in the recipe and give it a try!

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Shortbread
from allrecipes.com

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 cups all-purpose

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Whip butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. Stir in confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch, and flour. Beat on low for one minute, then on high for 3 – 4 minutes. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls from a medium cookie scoop onto cookie sheet.
  3. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes in the oven. Make sure edges don’t brown too much. Cool slightly on cookie sheets before carefully removing to wire racks to cool completely.

I decided to drizzle my cookies with some chocolate. I melted 1 cup of chocolate chips with 2 tablespoons of butter and used a pastry bag to pipe the drizzle on top.


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Butter Snow Flakes

This cookie is really light and delicious and pretty easy to make as well. I don’t own a cookie press so I improvised with a pastry bag and my largest star tip. The snowflakes were a little hard to form since the dough was pretty thick and sticky, but I think they came out pretty well! I may have to invest in a cookie press and try these again, though!

Butter Snow Flakes
from allrecipes.com

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup butter
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange zest

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Sift together flour, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and yolk and beat until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla and orange zest.  Gradually blend in dry ingredients.
  4. Fill a cookie press or pastry bag with dough, and form cookies onto lined baking sheet.
  5. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes in preheated oven, or until cookies are golden brown on the peaks and bottoms. Remove from cookie sheets at once to cool on wire racks.


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Cranberry Orange Cookies

Out of the 6 types of cookies I made for the Christmas cookie packages I distributed, this one was my favorite. They are a perfect balance of tart and sweet. It was really refreshing and pretty simple to make, too.

Cranberry Orange Cookies
adapted from allrecipes.com

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups dried cranberries

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer. Add in sugars and beat until smooth. Beat in egg until well blended. Mix in orange zest and orange juice.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir into orange mixture.
  4. Mix in cranberries until just incorporated.
  5. Scoop dough with a medium cookie scoop and place 2 inches apart onto lined baking sheet.
  6. Bake about 12 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Let cool slightly on cookie sheet before removing to cooling rack to cool completely.


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Chunky Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie

This cookie was originally made by Erika Davis from Top Chef Just Desserts. They looked so good and Sylvia Weinstock, a renowned cake decorator, asked for the recipe! After that, I knew that these had to be good.

Chunky Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie
adapted from bravotv.com

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 pound butter
2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts

  1. Preheat oven to 345°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Cream butter, sugars, and eggs together on high speed with an electric mixer. Mix in vanilla, salt and baking soda.
  3. Scrape the sides and add the baking powder and flour.
  4. Mix until just incorporated and add the walnuts and chocolate chips in.
  5. Scoop balls of cookie dough with a medium cookie scoop and place onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
  6. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly browned. Let cool slightly on baking sheet before transferring to a cookie rack.


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Gooey Chocolate Cookies

Making Christmas cookies has become a tradition of mine. This year, I opted to make an entirely new set of cookies. Ever single recipe used was something new. A lucky few got packages of cookies, and my sister has been insisting that I post the recipe for the gooey chocolate cookies ASAP.

These cookies were delicious. The best part? They were so easy to make!

Gooey Chocolate Cookies
adapted from foodtv.com

1 8-oz block of cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 18-oz box Pillsbury Moist Supreme Dark Chocolate cake mix (or any other moist cake mix)
confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in butter until creamy.
  3. Beat in egg and vanilla extract until incorporated.
  4. Beat in cake mix.
  5. Cover and refrigerate dough for 2 hours or overnight to firm up. Using a medium cookie scoop, form uniform balls.
  6. Roll the balls in confectioners’ sugar.
  7. Place balls 2 inches apart on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
  8. Bake 12 minutes. The cookies will remain soft and gooey and appear under-done.
  9. Cool completely and sprinkle with more confectioners’ sugar if desired.


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S’More Bars

It’s funny how something that I love so much can just slip to the back of my head. I apologize, once again, for not keeping up with my blog. After a whirlwind wedding, I fell into the routine of work, prepare for work, eat, sleep, and sometimes workout. I also hate to admit this, but I was making the same old food over and over again. I wasn’t exploring anymore.

I recently recovered from a horrifying 5 days of being sick. The one plus? I got to lay in bed and watch old seasons of Top Chef. It hit me one morning – I love cooking, I love watching other people cook, I love trying new things… why in the world am I not keeping up with my blog?!

I decided to start making more new dishes and challenged myself to not make anything I’ve made before, no matter how good it was. I chose 5 new types of cookies to make for my Christmas packages this year and I’m bringing new foods to work potlucks.

So here it goes. I offer you these S’More Cookie Bars. They are a perfect winter treat if you ever find yourself missing campfires in the summer.

S’More Bars
serves 16
from bakingbites.com

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (about  8 full size sheets)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 king sized Hershey’s chocolate bars
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8-inch baking pan.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined. Divide dough in half and press half of the dough into an even layer on the bottom of the pan.
  4. Place chocolate bars over dough in a single layer. The 2 king sized bars should fit perfectly side by side. Break the chocolate  if necessary to fit it into the pan.
  5. Spread marshmallow creme over chocolate with a spatula.
  6. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff. This is most easily done by flattening the dough into small “pancakes” and laying them on top of the marshmallow creme.
  7. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, until lightly browned.
  8. Cool completely before cutting into bars.