Spork or Foon?

Twix Brownies

If these don't want to make you nomnomnom all over the place, I don't know what will. 
When I was making these, I kept singing "Give me a break, give me a break, break me off a piece of that... DAMNIT" as I realized I kept singing the Kit Kat song (another equally delicious candy bar made up of rainbows and unicorn tears). I wracked my brain to try to remember what song Twix had and then I remembered.
Mmmmm BOW BOW. Chick, Chick-a Chick-a.
Oh yea, the Ferris Bueller theme song. 
I don't know which song is more annoying to sing on end, but I am sure that I annoyed Jack to no end singing these songs all morning as I made these brownies. 
I made up for the fact that I can be completely annoying when I get something stuck in my head by how awesome these bars are. 
Like, they are TWIX in a BROWNIE. Drizzled with CARAMEL. Do I need to sell you on anything else? Because I don't think I do.  Gooey chocolate brownies? Crisp cookie center topped with creamy caramel? Together in one mind explosion of a dessert. COME ON. I'd crash Cameron's dad's car for a plate of these (let my Cameron GO).
Let's just bring it back a little. 
 
A commenter on this said they didn't know it was the Ferris Buller song, they always thought it was the Twix song. I wish young people not knowing things didn't make me feel so OLD (like when 21 Jump Street came out in the movies and the young people just couldn't understand why Johnny Depp made a cameo in it. COME ON PEOPLE, LEARN YOUR HISTORY!)
This recipe is courtesy of My Baking Addiction, so head on over there and MAKE. 
Click Here for the Recipe

Incredibly Amazing Pumpkin Spice Donuts with Cinnamon Whipped Cream

So I'm going to try to be better at blogging. I know I won't be able to post every day for a plethora of reason - my wedding in Italy is 6 weeks away (WHAAAAAAAA?) and I have a ton of stuff to plan for it. My wedding in Italy is 6 weeks away and I'd like to keep the poundage off, so food is strictly healthy right now. But I will try my best to be the best blogger I can be in the limited time I have :)

So there is no better way than to start with these incredibly amazing pumpkin spice donuts. 

Listen. I'm obsessed with fall. OBSESSED. Like, when Starbucks brings back their pumpkin spice lattes, I pretty much do a happy dance right in front of the barista. There is something fundamentally wrong about drinking a pumpkin flavored iced coffee, but frankly, it's still hot in September (thanks Global Warming!) and I'm not ready for the switch from cold to hot, but you'd better believe I'm ready for some sweet, syrupy pumpkiny goodness. 

So Sunday night was my fantasy football draft and I wanted to bake something for it, since we do it live every year. My fantasy football nemesis is one of my closes friends in real life (but God do I hate him when it comes to fantasy). He, even moreso than me (or any other human on this planet), loves the fall. As in... he has already decorated his apartment for Halloween. And though I wanted nothing more to revel in his misery at his crappy fantasy drafting skills, I did want to surprise him with some fall treats. 

To say these donuts were delicious was an understatement. Listen. I'm used to dieting. I can't really eat what I make, because I don't have the metabolism for it. I get it. And I'm fine with it for the most part. I have a bite to taste it to make sure it is ok and then it stops there. It doesn't upset me.

There are few times in my life where I actually get MAD that I can't eat something ... and this one of those times. These donuts are RIDICULOUS. Like, AMAZING. I liked them best when they just cooled down from the frying pan. Roll them in a little cinnamon sugar, top them with whipped cream and BOOM. Amazingness. (The inspiration to top them with whipped cream is from Tabard Inn, a DC institution, that has the most ridiculous donuts ever and serves them with an amazing whipped cream. I thought those were my favorite donuts ever... until now).

Get ready for fall. It's coming. 

And get ready for Fantasy Football, because I am going to dominate, my friends! 

Pumpkin Donuts - Adapted from Annie's Eats

Pumpkin Doughnuts

Yield: about 16 donuts and donut holes
Ingredients:
For the donuts:
3½ cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
¼ tsp. ground cloves

¼ tsp. all spice
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup buttermilk
1 cup pumpkin puree

Canola oil or peanut oil, for frying

For the cinnamon-sugar:
½ cup sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon

For the cinnamon whipped cream:
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 pint whipped cream
1 tsp vanilla

Directions: 
To make the dough, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices in a medium bowl.  Whisk to blend, and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the sugar and butter and beat until well blended.  Stir in the egg, then the egg yolks, and then the vanilla until incorporated.  Combine the buttermilk and pumpkin in a liquid measuring cup and whisk together.  With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the pumpkin mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Once the dough is mixed, cover and chill for at least 3 hours or until firm.  (The dough still seemed quite soft so we did an additional 30 minute chill in the freezer.)  

On a well-floured work surface, roll or pat out the dough to a ½-inch thick round.  Sprinkle the surface of the dough with flour.  Using a 2½ to 3-inch round biscuit cutter, cut out rounds of dough.  Use a smaller cutter (or a wide pastry tip) to cut a hole out of the center.  Reroll and cut the dough scraps as necessary.

Add oil to a large saucepan or Dutch oven to a depth of about 2-3 inches.  Attach a thermometer to the side of the pan and heat the oil to 365-370˚ F.  Add the rings of dough to the hot oil so that they are in a single layer and not touching.  Fry, turning once, until both sides are golden brown and doughnuts are cooked through, about 1 1/2-2 1/2 minutes total.  Use a skimmer/strainer to remove from the oil and transfer to a paper towel-lined rack.  Bring the oil temperature back up to the target range before repeating with the next batch of doughnuts.  Use the same process for the doughnut holes, frying for a shorter time.

To make the cinnamon-sugar, combine the sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish and whisk to blend.  When the doughnuts are just cool enough to handle, dip them in the cinnamon-sugar to coat completely, shaking off the excess.

For the whipped cream, pour the chilled heavy cream into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or you could use a hand mixer and a regular bowl). Whip the cream on medium high speed until the cream reaches soft peaks. Add sugar, cinnamon and vanilla and whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until you are ready to serve. 

 

Chocolate Mascarpone Brownies

Alright, I know this isn't the prettiest photo in the world. But that doesn't matter, because these are the best brownies ever to hit the history of the world.

I'm not a brownie person. When I was young, my parents would make the box mix brownies and the smell would literally make me want to vomit. I'm not kidding. I shudder at box mix brownies. 

I do not shudder, however, and smooth, fudgey brownies, that are enhanced by the smooth, sweet,velvety mascarpone cheese and topped with a decadent ganache. No, no. These brownies don't make me want to vomit at all. Quite the contrary. These brownies make me do the happy dance. 

I don't know what else to say. These seriously, seriously are the best brownies I have ever had. Hands down. Forget your diet. Eat these today. 

Chocolate Mascarpone Brownies  adapted from Bake or Break

1 cup unsalted butter (plus more for preparing pan)

3 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, softened

3 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Ganache

6 ounces high quality bittersweet chocolate (60%), finely chopped

6 tablespoons heavy cream

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter 

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter an 8-inch square glass baking pan and set aside.

Place the butter and chocolate in heat-proof bowl and set over a pot of simmering water.  Stirring constantly, melt butter and chocolate.  Set aside and let cool.

Sift sugar and cocoa powder. Add to the butter/chocolate mixture. Beat in (by hand) the mascarpone, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth. Fold in flour and salt.

Pour batter into pan and spread evenly.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in pan on cooling rack.

Ganache

Place chopped chocolate in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, heat the butter and cream over medium heat, stirring constantly. When mixture is almost boiling, pour over the chocolate. Let stand for 30 seconds. Then, stir until smooth.

Pour ganache over cooled brownies and spread evenly.

Allow ganache to firm before cutting brownies. Brownies may be placed in refrigerator to expedite this.

Yields 16 brownies.

 

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Mixed Berry Compote

Ok, OK, I know we all want to be healthy right now, but would you look at that? And Valentine's Day is a few weeks away, so we all know we're just going to start indulging again, so let's start now. 

Man, I am the worst influence ever. 

I love me some cheesecake. Smooth, creamy, sumptuous. I know that berries are out of season, but I brought them back into season by putting a pinch of all-spice in the compote, making these feel nice and wintery. 

Oh man. Would you look at that? I don't mean to toot my own horn, but wow. My mouth is watering just thinking about the wonders of this cheesecake. 

Obviously, this isn't supposed to happen. It looks more like a souffle than a cheesecake. It still makes me want to faceplant right into this. 

Is it time to break our New Years diets yet? No? Too soon?

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Spiced Berry Compote

Vanilla bean Cheesecake Recipe adapted from Joy of Baking

Filling:

32 ounces cream cheese, room temperature(use full fat, not reduced or fat free cream cheese)

1 cup granulated white sugar

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

5 large eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy whipping cream (double cream)

1 tablespoon lemon zest

2 vanilla beans

Crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs 

 1/4 cup granulated white sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

2 tsp cinnamon

Grease, or spray with Pam, a 9 inch (23 cm) springform pan. Wrap the outside of the pan with aluminum foil. Place the springform pan on a larger baking pan to catch any leakage while the cheesecake is baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) with rack in center of oven.

For Crust: In a medium sized bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and about 1 inch (2.5 cm) up the sides of the springform pan, Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling

For Filling: In bowl of your electric mixer place the cream cheese, sugar, and flour. Beat on medium speed until smooth (about 2 minutes), scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (about 30 seconds) after each addition.Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the whipping cream, lemon zest, and beat until incorporated. Split open your vanilla beans and scrape out the seeds and guts inside the bean. lRemove the crust from the refrigerator and pour in the filling. Place the cheesecake pan a larger baking pan and place in the oven.

Bake for 15 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) and continue to bake for about another 60 -90 minutesor until firm and only the center of the cheesecake looks a little wet and wobbly. (The baking time can vary due to the differences in ovens, so make sure to check that the cheesecake is firm with only the center being a little wet and wobbly.) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Spread the topping over the warm cheesecake and return to oven to bake for 15 more minutes.  Remove from oven and carefully run a knife or spatula around the inside edge of pan to loosen the cheesecake (helps prevent the surface from cracking as it cools).

Let cool completely before covering with plastic wrap. Refrigerate several hours, preferably overnight. Top with compote

Spiced Berry Compote

1 cup blueberries

1 cup raspberries

1 cup blackberries

1 lemon

Select about 1/2 cup of the a mixture of the berries  and set aside. These will be added raw to the cooked compote; set aside.

Place the remaining berries in  a medium saucepan.

Use a fine grater or a Microplane to zest the lemon. Add 1 teaspoon of the zest to the pan. Squeeze 1 tablespoon of juice from the lemon and add to the pan. Add the sugar and stir to coat the fruit.

Place the pan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. By the time the sugar has dissolved, the fruit will have released a lot of juice. Boil for about 4 minutes to reduce the liquid somewhat, then reduce the heat and simmer for another 2 minutes, or until the rhubarb is soft. Don’t worry if some of the rhubarb falls apart.

Remove from the heat and stir in the reserved berries. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate in a covered container until cold. (This makes about 4 cups of compote, but the extra will keep for a couple of weeks and is delicious for breakfast with some greek yogurt.

Get more deliciousness at Almond Cake with Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote Recipe | Leite's Culinaria

 

12 Days of Christmas Cookies - Day 12: Rolo-Filled Chocolate Cake Cookies

I MADE IT. The last day of 12 Days of Christmas Cookies. Sure, it took me almost a whole month to post 12 cookie recipes, but who is counting?

I can say this... I will be happy to not see another cookie for at least two weeks. Maybe a week and a half. Or at least a few days.

We'll see how long I last. 

These cookies are perfect to post here, this last day before Christmas festivities begin, because they take all of five minutes to put together. And you know why? Because the batter is made of box cake mix. 

Don't tell anyone.

Yes, I used a box cake mix to make cookies and I'm not embarrassed to admit it. OK, maybe I'm a little embarrassed to admit it. But once you taste these cookies you will be SO HAPPY that you won't even care that you didn't cream the butters and sugars yourself, sift the flours and unsweetened cocoa powder, and gradually add the dry ingredients. 

No, no. You just grab two eggs, a little bit of vegetable oil, some powdered box cake mix, and you get in there with your hands and you mix! 

Yes, with your hands. This batter is very dry, so it's hard to mix with a spatula or a whisk. 

I think the most time consuming part of this is unwrapping the rolos. And fighting the urge to unwrap a rolo, pop a rolo in your mouth. Unwrap a rolo, pop a rolo in your mouth. 

You get where I'm going with this. 

I felt like Lucille Ball in that episode of I Love Lucy where they are wrapping the little chocolate candies and the conveyer belt keeps going faster and faster and they just have to shove little chocolates in their mouth. 

When you take these out of the oven, be sure to open one when it is cool enough to touch. Watching that thick caramel ooze out of the soft, chocolatey cookie, will make you squeal with delight. 

Caramel Filled Chocolate Cake Cookies (a.k.a. Rolo Cookies) adapted from Very Culinary
Makes approx. 48 cookies

Ingredients
• 1 (12 ounce) package Rolos
• 1 box Devils Food Cake mix, sifted
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

• 1/2 cup granulated or powdered sugar (I used granulated because I like the texture the crystals give it)

Variation

• Add 1 tbsp cinnamon to your granulated sugar and roll cookies in cinnamon sugar. If you like chocolate and cinnamon, it is to die for! 

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine cake mix, oil, and eggs. The mixture will be very thick. If necessary, combine the dough with your hands (clean hands!). Take a small portion of the dough (about a 1/2 tablespoon, just enough to cover the rolo) and form a ball around the rolo.

Roll in sugar and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat mat. They don't spread much, so leaving an 1 or 2 room between cookies should suffice. 

Bake for 10 minutes. Press down slightly/gently and let cool for a few minutes.

 

12 Days of Christmas Cookies - Day 9: Oreo-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

OK, I know I'm all about stuffing things right now (including my face), but you guys. Seriously. I just can't. This may be the best cookie ever to be on my blog.  Do you even know the wonder of wonderment that is an Oreo-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie?

I think we all need to unleash our inner fat kid and just let loose on these things.  We need to sit down and eat at least 10 of them. Again, no worries on calories, because calories don't count on Christmas. 

These cookies are so awesome, I'm slightly naseous just thinking about it. Like the feeling you get when you sit down to eat an Oreo and then you look down and realize you've eaten an entire sleeve of Oreos. 

And now Nabisco has gotten clever with the packaging so you have to do even less work to eat Oreos. Instead of opening the package from the side, Oreo has a nifty little top that you just pull back on top of the package, revealing an army of Oreos, standing at attention, waiting to be picked up with eager fingers and dunked in milk and devoured.

Wait a minute. You mean now I can eat oreos even faster???

You take a perfect cookie recipe, the New York Times chocolate chip cookie recipe, and wrap it around the most perfect processed food, an Oreo cookie, as if you are swaddling a baby. The most tender, precious baby you've ever swaddled. You start to get all misty eyed as you sing it a little lullaby, staring into its big, brown chocolate chips and caressing its caramel skin. 

Don't lie. You know you want to eat that just as it is. 

I can't tell you, this may have been the most tortorous set of photos to edit. 300+ photos of oreo-stuffed chocolate chip cookie goodness. I really do try to not eat too many of these baked goods - just a bite here and there to taste, and then I give them away as fast as I can so I don't eat them. I think I'm going to have to ask for these back, though. 

I'm not kidding. I want them back.

Oreo-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Adapted from New York Times but you can use your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe or even store-bought dough if you'd like!) 

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons

(8 1/2 ounces) cake flour

1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract

1 1/4 pounds semi-sweet chocolate chips

Oreos

Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. 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 ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

In your palm, take a big enough piece of cookie dough to lay on oreo on.  Place the oreo in the center of the cookie dough and fold the cookie dough over the Oreo, completely covering the cookie.  Place on a baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Let rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

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. 

 

 

12 Days of Christmas Cookies - Day 8: Bailey's Irish Cream White Chocolate Truffles

Now, I know these truffles aren't technically cookies, but they are made of booze, and when you drink enough booze, anything can be a cookie. 

I love white chocolate. Like seriously, seriously, seriously love white chocolate. And I know there are plenty of white chocolate haters out there. 

"It's not chocolate!" they'll shout! "It doesn't have cocoa solids!" 

Is the word chocolate in its title?

Then it's chocolate. 

These truffles are tiny little no-bake bites of heaven. Smooth, incredible Callebut chocolate is melted down with heavy cream, and swirled with Bailey's Irish Cream, the best liquor in the world. No, really, it is. Have you ever poured it on ice cream?  Do yourself a huge favor and grab a big bowl of ice cream, some Bailey's and go nuts.  And if you're reading it and it is breakfast time, it's totally socially acceptable to do this. I promise. 

I dipped the smooth, creamy center in tempered white chocolate to create a lovely shell that just "pops" when you bite thorugh it and then dusted them with a little bit of disco dust to give them a nice gold shimmer.   

Can we just stop for a minute? Who came up with that name? When I think of disco dust, I think of Studio 54, with people doing the hustle in big glittery purple sunglasses that are three times the size of their heads, hot pink feather boas, too tight shimmery pants, and towering white platform shoes. I don't think of glittery powder to dust onto confections. 

Regardless, these truffles are an elegant addition to any dessert table on Christmas. With or without the feather boa. 

Bailey's Irish Cream White Chocolate Truffles 

8 ounces high quality white chocolate (I used Callebut), chopped fine 
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup Bailey's Irish Cream (any flavor is fine)

Coating

8 ounces high quality white chocolate, finely chopped (about 1 1/3 cup)
2 ounces extra chocolate, in 1 or 2 chunks

For Truffles: Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel bowl. Set aside.  Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil.  Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir with a whisk until smooth.  If desired, add the liqueur. 

 Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cool and texture resembles firm cream cheese, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. (If mixture has chilled for longer and is very stiff, let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.)

With an electric mixer, beat the mixture at high speed until fluffy, mousse-like, and the mixture forms medium stiff peaks, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.

Spread the mixture into a shallow pan and freeze until firm enough to scoop, at least 3 hours.

Have ready a bowl of hot water, a melon baller, a sheet pan lined with wax paper, and the firm filling. Dip the melon baller into the water and wipe dry. Scoop out a scant 1-inch ball of the filling. Set on the prepared sheet and repeat with the remaining truffle base. If you don’t have a melon-baller, use a sharp knife to cut the base into little squares. Roll each piece between your fingers.

Freeze the filling again until firm, about 1 hour.

If you prefer to have the shell on the truffles, follow these instructions on David Lebovitz's page to temper the chocolate. 

Line another sheet pan with wax paper.

Using a fork to cradle the filling, dip the filling in the bowl of melted chocolate and coat with chocolate. The the excess drip off, then place on wax paper.  Repeat with remaining truffles. Store for up to 1 week in an air-tight container. 

12 Days of Christmas Cookies - Day 6: Melt in Your Mouth Chai Spiced Snowballs (Italian Wedding Cookies)

So these aren't really called Snowball coookies; they are (Insert Your Culture) Wedding Cookies. And since I'm half Italian, I call them Italian wedding cookies.  They are also known as Russian Wedding Cookies or Mexican Wedding Cookies. I'm not really sure how it came about that at least three different cultures lay claim to these cookies, but it's probably because they are so freaking awesome. 

 These are, by far, Jack's favorite cookies. He constantly asks for them and for some reason, I never make them. But when he heard that I was going to make these cookies for this cookie series, he did his happy dance. 

 

Made of finely ground almonds and enough butter to make Paula Deen weep and then tossed in a ton of powdered sugar, these cookies are so incredibly light and tender that they truly do melt-in-your-mouth when you bite into them. To make them a bit more wintery, I added some Chai Spice and that was a huge YES addition. 

 

The chai spice adds such a lovely flavoring to the cookies. Jack had one bite of these cookies and started running around the apartment with a smile on his face. He then ran back into the kitchen, pushed me out of the way, and then grabbed three more cookies. 

 

As a side bar, I know some men don't find Chai spice manly, and I think that's crazy. A good friend of mine loves Skinny Chai Spice lattes from Starbucks, but would never order them because he was embarrased. There is nothing embarrassing about skinny chai lattes because they are AWESOME. Wear it loud and proud! Like a pink shirt!  It's manly!  

Chai Spiced Snowball Cookies (Italian Wedding Cookies) 

Makes about 40 cookies

 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter

 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups finely ground almonds

4 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for rolling

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoon ground cardamom

2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground coriander

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Combine spices, salt and flour and combine with a whisk. 

Cream butter in a bowl, gradually add confectioners' sugar and salt. Beat until light and fluffy. Add almonds and vanilla. Blend in flour gradually and mix well.

Shape into balls using about 1 teaspoon for each cookie. Place on ungreased cookie sheets, and bake for 15-17 minutes. Do not brown. Cool slightly, then roll in the extra confectioners' sugar.

12 Days of Christmas Cookies, Day 4- Gooey Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies

When  say gooey, I mean an ooey gooey wonderland of all different kinds of chocolate.  Dark chocolate, white chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, chocolate chocolate CHOCOLATE! 

If you like soft, chewy, melt in your mouth cookies, these are the cookies for you. Minty, creamy, smooth and delicious.  I don't know if I have any more words to describe the wonderous wondrossity of these cookies. They are so good, they have me making up words like wondrossity. 

You can buy peppermint bark from the store if you don't want to make your own, Homemade peppermint bark is so much better than the store bought stuff, ya'll.

 Sometimes I really wish I was southern so I could get away with saying ya'll more often (or ever).  Things sound so much sweeter when you're trying to convince a group of people to do things with a sweet southern accent, like Paula Deen trying to get you to eat a stick of butter ("Look at that butter! Don't you just want to drink it through a straw? Nomnomnom, y'all!"), or Tami Taylor trying to convince the school board not to go through with those budget cuts because she needs to save more kids, ya'll.

See? Isn't that nice?

Gooey Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookies

(Makes about 3 dozen cookies)

Preparation:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup Dutch processed cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons instant espresso
1-¼ sticks unsalted butter, softened
1-½ cups brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar

2 cups peppermint bark, chopped

 

Preheat the oven to 350.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.

Chop chocolate finely and place in a heat-proof bowl. Set over a pot of simmering water (make sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl) and stir with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until the chocolate is fully melted. (You can also melt the chocolate at 50% power in the microwave in 45-second spurts, stirring the chocolate after each time until melted). 

Combine eggs and the vanilla together. Stir in the coffee granules.

In the bowl of an electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter. Add the sugars and beat until just combined.  Gradually add the egg mixture and combine.  Gradually add the melted chocolate and combine  

Lower the speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.  Add the peppermint bark and mix in completely. Cover the bowl and allow it to sit for 20 minutes (I actually put this in the fridge before forming cookies with a 1-¾” scoop. Bake 2 sheets at a time for approximately 12 minutes, reversing the direction of the sheets, top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. Do not overbake. Allow the cookies to rest on the sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

 

Chocolate Cake with Toasted Marshmallow and Malted Chocolate Frostings

I haven't had much time to write, and I have to keep this one short, but I couldn't hold this one back anymore - this cake, also known as a Campfire Cake from Sweetapolita, is RIDONCULOUS.  And it is by far the best looking cake I have ever made.

Soft, incredibly light layers of chocolate cake are layered with a toasted marshmallow frosting (yes, you read that correctly) and then the outside of the cake is frosted with a delicious malted chocolate frosting.

Are you drooling yet?

I had to make some adjustments to the original recipe, adding a bit more powdered sugar to the toasted marshmallow frosting and minimizing the amount of marshmallow fluff that I used on the inside layers. I also made this cake a three-layer cake as opposed to a six-layer cake, because, let's face it, I just don't have enough patience to make a six-layer cake. Especially on Thanksgiving morning, when I made this cake.

This cake is a for reals party stopper. For reals, for reals. 

And as I re-read that sentence, I realize that the term is "show-stopper", not "party stopper".  Who would want a party stopping cake? That would be a pretty crappy cake. 

If you want to check out the cake in all of it's glory, head over to Sweetapolita.  And have some fun around that site - she is unbelievable. 

Chocolate Cake with Toasted Marshmallow and Malted Chocolate Frostings (AKA Campfire Cake) - adapted from Sweetapolita

Rich Chocolate Cake Ingredients: 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups granulated sugar 3/4 cup premium Cocoa Powder 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 1 cup strong black coffee 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1.tablespooon pure vanilla extract Method: Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare 3 x 8" cake pans with butter and flour or parchment paper. In bowl of electric mixer, sift all dry ingredients. Add all remaning ingredients to bowl with the dry ingredients and with paddle attachment on mixer, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed (you may need the plastic splashguard that comes with mixer) and pour into prepared pans. Batter will be liquidy. Bake for 20 minutes and rotate pans in oven. Cakes are done when toothpick or skewer comes clean--approximately 35 minutes. Try not to over bake. Cool on wire racks for 20 minutes then gently invert onto racks until completely cool. Malted Belgian Chocolate Frosting          Ingredients: 1 lb butter (4 sticks or 2 cups) at room temperature 4 cups icing sugar (confectioners’ or powdered) 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 3/4 cup Ovaltine Classic  8 oz premium bittersweet chocolate chocolate, chopped  1/2 cup heavy cream Method: Place chopped chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Heat heavy cream over medium high heat until it comes to a simmer.  Immediately pour over chopped chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds.  With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, mix heavy cream and chopped chocolate until the chocolate is fully melted.  Set aside to cool  In a bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine the icing sugar and butter and beat on low speed for about 1 minute. Add vanilla and malt powder, and beat on low until well combined. Add the melted chocolate and beat on medium speed until smooth (about 2 minutes).  Best used right away. Toasted-Marshmallow Frosting           Ingredients: 16 large white marshmallows 1 1/2 cup icing sugar (confectioners’ or powdered) 1/2 lb butter (2 sticks, or 1 cup) at room temperature 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 7.5 oz Marshmallow Fluff Method: Place marshmallows on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Place on lower rack of oven, and broil marshmallows until nice and brown on top, between 30-60 seconds. Remove pan from oven and gently turn the marshmallows over, and broil until they are golden brown. Be sure to keep an eye on them–they burn very, very quickly. Combine butter and icing sugar in electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, on low until blended (about 1 minute). Add vanilla and mix on high for about 3 minutes. Add marshmallow cream and toasted marshmallows, and mix on lowest setting for about 1 minute. To Assemble Place one layer of chocolate cake on a turntable or flat plate and spoon toasted marshmallow frosting on top. Spread evenly to cover layer. Repeat with remaining layers.  Frost with Malted Chocolate Frosting.