Double Chocolate Cookies

This recipe comes from my new "The Best of Cooking Light" cookbook, and provides exactly what I was looking for - small, soft, chocolate-packed cookies for around 100 calories a pop. (Although I think with the extra chocolate chips I added, that number is a bit conservative.)

Double Chocolate Cookies
adapted from The Best of Cooking Light

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg white
1/3 cup dried cherries (I didn't have any so I omitted and just added more chocolate!)
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chunks (I upped this to 1/2 cup)
2 1/2 Tablespoons white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, and whisk ingredients together.

Combine butter, sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl; beat with a mixer on medium until well blended. Add vanilla and egg white; beat for another minute. Stir in flour mixture, cherries, and chocolates.

Drop the dough by tablespoons onto baking sheets. Place the pans in the freezer for around 5 minutes, then bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. (Mine stayed in for almost 12 minutes, and my oven tends to run hot, so make sure they are done when you take them out.) Cool on pans for 2 minutes before removing, and cool completely on wire racks.

Yields 2 dozen cookies; 1 cookie ~98 calories

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Photo courtesy of Nicholas Draney Photography

Growing up, whenever we went somewhere for ice cream, I always went for the mint chocolate chip. Something about the fresh minty cream and the sweet, crunchy chocolate pieces made for a perfect treat on a hot summer day.

I received an ice cream attachment for my beloved KitchenAid mixer back in July as a birthday gift, but I had yet to try this childhood favorite flavor of mine. I have to take advantage of the mild winters here in Southern California, so I decided to make a batch despite the fact that it's January - hardly a time most people are thinking about eating ice cream! (Although I suspect true ice cream lovers will eat it any time of year, even when temperatures drop below zero.)

I found this recipe on the blog Proceed with Caution after spotting this other recipe for Nutella ice cream (which I would also like to make, although I am afraid to be left alone with the remainder of the Nutella once the recipe is made...highly addictive stuff.) I liked this recipe in particular because she gives suggesting for working with different amounts of creams and milks to bring the ice cream that is not quite so high in fat, but yet still has a rich and creamy consistency, rather than an icy one.

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
adapted from Proceed with Caution,
originally adapted from Doc Wilson

- 1 egg
- 1/2 can of fat-free sweetened condensed milk
- 6 Tablespoons white sugar
- 4 ounces heavy whipping cream
- 16 ounces fat free half and half
- 4 ounces skim milk (or 1%, or 2%, whatever you have)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 3 - 4 drops green food coloring (I only used 3 to keep it from being too green)
- 2 tsp vodka OR mint schnapps OR "The Good Doctor" (optional, I didn't have any so I omitted)
- 6 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate (I used Lindt 70%), finely chopped - keep in freezer until using

In a large mixing bowl whisk together egg, sweetened condensed milk, and sugar until thoroughly mixed. Add heavy whipping cream, half and half, skim milk, salt, vodka or schnapps, mint extract, and green food coloring. Chill the mix in the refrigerator for about four hours which allows the mix to "age" before freezing according to the directions with your ice cream freezer. Add the chocolate pieces in the last 5 minutes of freezing. This recipe makes the perfect amount to fit in a 1.5 quart ice cream maker. Makes between 4 and 5 cups of ice cream.

Joy of Cooking Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have wanted to own a copy of Joy of Cooking for the longest time, and this past Christmas I finally received it as a gift. There are so many hints and tips in here, and hopefully they will help me to have many more successes in the kitchen. It is a classic cookbook everyone should have a copy of.

I have become obsessed with chocolate chip cookie recipes. I have set out to try as many as I can. So far, I have blogged about the New York Times Chocolate Chip cookies, which I loved, and my husband enjoyed...but nowhere near as much as the Best Big, Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip cookies from All Recipes.com, aka "Devil Cookies", as he calls them. They are incredibly rich and soft, and my husband's absolute favorite.

But of course, once I have seemingly found the "perfect" recipe for chocolate chip cookies, I decide that there must be an even better one out there. But so far, I have yet to find one. This one from the Joy of Cooking was pretty good, but definitely below my expectations. They are super buttery, soft and chewy, but also fell quite flat. So far it is Devil Cookies 2, other cookies zero.


Chocolate Chip Cookies
Joy of Cooking

Preheat the oven to 375. Grease or line 2 cookie sheets.

Whisk together:
1 cup plus 2 Tbs all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda

Beat in a large bowl until well-blended:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

Add and beat until well combined:
1 large egg
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Stir in the flour mixture until well-blended and smooth. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips (I added an extra 1/2 cup).

Drop the dough by heaping teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until the cookies are just slightly colored on top and the edges are brown, about 8 - 10 minutes. Let stand briefly, then remove to a rack to cool.

Makes about 36 cookies.

Orange Almond Biscotti

I spotted this in my google reader the other day, and lo and behold, it was another recipe from the Good Things Catered blog :) She is doing 25 Days of Treats, so of course there are many more recipes I have marked to try as well. This recipe comes from America's Test Kitchen, and so far, they haven't steered me wrong.

I had never made biscotti before, and was surprised at how simple it was. (Other than mistakenly adding only 2 tsp of zest, rather than 2 Tablespoons. Oops.) They still turned out really well, and I just dipped 'em in chocolate, which should more than make up for the zest. Biscotti is a great gift for friends, coworkers, and family, and make a yummy treat for yourself as well on a cold winter's morning.

Orange Almond Biscotti
America's Test Kitchen
2 cups A/P flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened but still cool (I like to cut the butter up into small pieces prior to creaming)
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
3/4 cup almonds, toasted, cooled and chopped coarsely
2 Tbsp minced orange zest (I was out of oranges but found I could substitute the zest from clementines, which I had a whole box of.)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, then the extracts. Stir in almonds and zest. Fold dry ingredients into wet until dough is just mixed.

Halve the dough, and turn portions onto prepared baking sheet. Stretch each portion into a rough 13 x 2 inch loaf, and pat smooth.

Bake for about 35 minutes, or until the loaves are golden and just beginning to crack on top. Remove baking sheet from over, and let cool for 10 minutes.

Lower oven temp to 325. Cut each loaf diagonally into 3/4 inch slices. Lay each slice cut-side up on baking sheet, and return to oven. Bake, turning each cookie halfway through baking, for a total of about 15 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown on both sides.

Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

I dipped my biscotti in melted semi-sweet chocolate, as well as in white chocolate drizzled with semi-sweet.

Fudge

For Christmas this year, I decided I wanted to bake some of my gifts for my clients and co-workers. I made some of the Malted Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk cookies (and of course, saved some for myself), and then I decided I wanted to make some fudge after seeing a really easy recipe on Beantown Baker.

She suggests using the defrost setting on the microwave to melt the chocolate, which worked out really well! The only problem I had was that I forgot to pick up some sweetened condensed milk at the store, but luckily I found a recipe for a substitution for it, so I didn't have to run back out to the store. The fudge was nice and creamy, and hopefully everyone I made it for enjoys it!

Fudge
All Recipes

3 cups semisweet chocolate chips (like Beantown Baker, I used 2 cups milk chocolate and 1 cup semisweet, Ghirardelli chips.)
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup butter
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Place chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter in large microwaveable bowl. Cook in microwave on defrost until chips are melted, about 3 - 5 minutes, stirring once or twice while cooking. Stir in nuts, if desired.

Pour into well-greased 8x8 inch baking dish (I just lined mine with aluminum foil for easy removal); refrigerate until set.

5-Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

This recipe is very, very dangerous. It is so simple to make, and you probably have all of the ingredients sitting in your cupboard at any given time, so beware! You might make this the first time and make it the next 2, 3 or 4 nights as well...

5-Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
a small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes on high. The cake will rise over the top of the mug. Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate. (This is also excellent with a scoop of chocolate ice cream on the side.)

The Famous NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

This cookie recipe has been making its way around the blogosphere, and when I saw it a couple of weeks ago, I knew I had to make it. The recipe comes from the NY Times, also home of the famous no-knead bread recipe we loved so much. The most difficult step of baking these cookies is the waiting period of 24 - 36 hours, during which the dough is chilled in order to deepen and heighten the flavors. I could only manage to wait about 26 hours before I had to break out the dough...but it seemed like long enough to do the trick! These were some of the richest cookies I have ever eaten, which also may have had something to do with the 60% cacao chips I used. My husband didn't really care for the sprinkle of sea salt on top, but I really enjoyed it; we agreed to disagree. Definitely not your run-of-the-mill chocolate chip cookies, but they make a special treat if you are willing to take that extra time to wait.

Photo courtesy of Nicholas Draney Photography

NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from The New York Times, David Leite, and Jacques Torres

2 cups minus 2 Tbsp. (8 ½ oz.) cake flour (I used A/P as I didn't have any cake flour on hand)
1 2/3 cups (8 ½ oz.) bread flour
1 ¼ tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. coarse salt, such as kosher
2 ½ sticks (1 ¼ cups; 10 oz.) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cups (10 oz.) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. (8 oz.) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ¼ pounds bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks, preferably about 60% cacao content (I used Ghirardelli)
Sea salt, such as Maldon

Combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Whisk well; then set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until very light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Reduce the mixer speed to low; then add dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

When you’re ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Remove the bowl of dough from the refrigerator, and allow it to soften slightly. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.

Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (about the size of golf balls) onto the baking sheet, sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.

Guinness-Milk Chocolate Ice Cream

I wanted to make a classic chocolate ice cream with my new ice-cream maker; I love milk chocolate, and had found the perfect recipe in The Perfect Scoop, by David Lebovitz. I showed my (Irish) husband my book, and he was immediately drawn to this recipe instead on the next page. It turned out to be delicious combination; so incredibly creamy and rich. If you are a fan of Guinness, this ice cream is for you.

Guinness-Milk Chocolate Ice Cream
from The Perfect Scoop

Photo by Nicholas Draney Photography

7 oz. milk chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
4 large egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup Guinness Stout
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put the chocolate pieces in a large bowl and set a mesh strainer over the top.

Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer over the milk chocolate, then stir until the chocolate is melted. Once the mixture is smooth, whisk in the cream, then the Guinness and vanilla. Stir until cool over an ice bath.

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Malted Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I found this recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Cafe Johnsonia. The malt combined with the chocolate gives it such a wonderful flavor; I saved half of the dough in the freezer because I couldn't trust myself to have too many of these around for long. Beware - the dough itself is to die for! Such a delicious cookie, and it's great to have extras sitting in the freezer to make whenever I want more.


Malted Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Cafe Johnsonia

2 sticks butter, melted
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup malted milk powder (I used Carnation--look for it by the hot chocolate at the store)
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups chocolate chunks

Melt the butter in a large mixing bowl on 50% power in the microwave, or in a saucepan. Whisk in the brown sugar. Let cool to room temperature. Add the malted milk powder and whisk to remove any lumps. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk well.

Sift the dry ingredients. Using an electric mixer or a wooden spoon, add the dry ingredients a little at a time into the butter/sugar mixture, beating or stirring well after each addition.

Stir in the chocolate chunks. Chill the dough for about an hour, or until firm.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line several baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper, or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Drop tablespoon sized balls onto the baking sheets--about 2" apart. (A jellyroll pan will get 12 cookies on it.) Bake at 375 degrees F for about 10 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes and then remove to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Cookie Madness!

It is finals week up at my school, so I thought I would make some cookies for the students I work with. I found a ton of recipes on the Cookie Madness site, and decided to go with almond chocolate chip & peanut butter. I especially liked the chocolate chip, the Corn Flakes & shredded coconut gave it an awesome flavor.

Crispy Crunchy Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cookie Madness

1/2 cup whole almonds, unsalted
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 tablespoons lightly beaten egg (doesn’t have to be precise)
1 cup all purpose, fluffed up and very lightly spooned and swept (4 1/4 oz)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 generous teaspoon salt
1 cups Corn Flakes cereal
6 oz dark chocolate, cut into chunks or 1 cup semisweet chips
2/3 cup loosely packed shredded sweetened coconut (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place almonds on a paper towel and microwave on high for 2 minutes, stopping halfway through the shuffle them around. Allow them to cool. Alternatively, you may toast them in the oven.**
In a mixing bowl, using high speed of electric mixer, cream butter, both sugars, both extracts and the
1 ½ tablespoons egg.

In a separate bowl, thoroughly stir together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir flour mixture into sugar mixture.

Transfer cooled almonds and coconut (if using) to a food processor and pulse until almonds are finely chopped. Add Corn Flakes and pulse 5 more times to crush cereal – don’t pulverize it, just break the flakes a bit.

Dump almond/cereal mixture into cookie batter and stir until batter comes together. It should be pretty dry.

Shape dough into balls of about 1 1/4 inch and place on cookie sheets about 2 ½ inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time on center rack for 13-15 minutes. Let cool for about 3 minutes on cookie sheet, then transfer to wire rack to cool.

Makes about 18 cookies.
** To toast almonds in oven, lay flat on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 8 minutes or until almonds start to crack.

Butterscotch-Chocolate Chip Bars

I have seen many recipes lately that I want to try, and these were on my list for today. I was craving chocolate, though, so I used only half as many butterscotch chips and added in some chocolate chips. With the Splenda I used in place of the sugar, these are just barely over 100 calories each - just enough to satisfy that craving for sweets (and chocolate, of course.) I think next time I would add the butterscotch & chocolate chips into the mix, rather than sprinkling them on top - it got a little messy while I was cutting them to serve.


Butterscotch Bars
Cooking Light

1/2 cup granulated sugar (I used Splenda)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter or stick margarine, softened
2 large egg whites
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
1/2 cup butterscotch morsels (I used 1/4 cup butterscotch chips & 1/4 cup chocolate chips instead)

Preheat oven to 350.

Beat sugars and butter at medium speed with mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes). Add egg whites and vanilla; beat well. Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat at low speed just until blended.

Spread batter evenly into an 8-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray; sprinkle evenly with morsels. Bake at 350 for 28 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

Yields 16 servings.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

So, my husband really loves a soft, chewy cookie. I decided to bake some chocolate chip cookies this weekend and happened upon this recipe on All Recipes. Oh.my.god. These are some of the best cookies, with tons of chocolate chips in each bite. Delicious! Some hail this recipe as the Holy Grail of chocolate chip cookies, and it is easy to see why.



Best Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar (I substituted Splenda)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar (Splenda) until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.

Bake for 15 - 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Yields ~ 18 cookies.

Cheater Brownies

I call these my cheater brownies because they come from a box. The mix comes from Trader Joe's and is called No Pudge Fudge. They are only about 100 calories per brownie, and only need one additional ingredient: vanilla yogurt.


No Pudge Fudge

1 package brownie mix
2/3 cup non-fat vanilla yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 8x8 baking pan and set aside. Add mix to mixing bowl, and add 2/3 cup vanilla yogurt. Mix until batter becomes shiny; it will be very thick. Pour batter into baking pan and bake for 34 minutes.

If you are looking for a more cake-like brownie, you can add an egg white and reduce the yogurt to 1/2 cup, then bake as directed.