Mint and Chocolate Capped Brownie Bites

Mint and Chocolate Capped Brownie Bites

As I've mentioned, I really love this time of year. I love going to the mall and looking at how cute they've decorated it. I love the sparkling street lights. And I LOVE LOVE LOVE that you can buy all the mint chocolate you want! My favorites are the Hershey's mint kisses, with the candy cane ones coming in at a close second. They only come out at Christmas time, which I kind of like because it keeps them a real treat. Do any of you have your special treat that you only eat during the holidays?

Anyway, I found this recipe on the bag and I had to make them. After all, the only thing better than a mint chocolate truffle, is a mint chocolate truffle attached to a brownie. The fun thing about these is that you could really make them with any of the different flavors of kisses out there, cherry, coconut, almond, caramel, etc. They were fun to make and really tasty, the only thing I would do different next time is to just forget the little cupcake papers. They stuck to the brownie bites and just got in the way of eating them, otherwise, they're wonderful!

Mint Capped Brownie Bites

Ingredients
48 Kisses, flavor of your choice
2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
powdered sugar

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350 F. Line 48 small muffin cups with paper or foil mini muffin cups. Remove wrappers from chocolate.

2. Beat butter, sugar, water and vanilla in a large bowl on medium speed of mixer until well blended. Add eggs; beat well.

3. Stir together flour, coca, salt, and baking soda. Gradually add to sugar mixture, beating on low speed just until blended. If necessary, refrigerate dough until firm enough to handle. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place in prepared muffin cups.

4. Bake 11-13 minutes, or until cookie surface is set. Cookies will appear soft and moist. Do not overbake. Cook about 5 minutes on wire rack. Press chocolate piece into center of each cookie bite. Cool completely and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

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Awesome Cookie Cupcakes

Awesome Cookie Cupcakes

I know it seems a bit silly posting a recipe like this after whining about how hard it's been staying the healthy course, but in my defense, I made these before making my goals, and they're just too fun not to post.

I couldn't help of thinking of my sweet bloggy friend Kim when I made these. If you know Kim, you know that she is the queen of all things cupcakes. I believe she's even turned savory dishes like lasagna into a cupcake, so fun! These are so rich and delicious, and a bit different from your average chocolate chip cookie because instead of chocolate chips, we used chocolate covered raisins, and chocolate covered peanuts, with mini M&M's to make them adorable. They can be made into full sized cupcakes as the picture shows, or for a more bit-sized treat, you can do mini muffin sized. And of course, they do just fine as regular cookies too. It was amazing to me how different the flavor and texture of these cookies were in cupcake form, so chewy and moist, a very fun variation on one of my favorite treats. I hope you enjoy!

Awesome Cookie Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 cup butter flavored Crisco (not butter, or margarine)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate covered raisins
1 cup chocolate covered peanuts
1/2 cup mini m&ms, optional

Directions
Heat oven to 350. Beat Crisco, sugars, and vanilla until fluffy. Add eggs and beat again until fluffy. Pour in flour, soda and salt. Stir until well-blended. Add chocolate covered nuts and raisins (fold in gently). Drop a large spoonful into muffin paper, filling 3/4 of paper. Bake 18-20 minutes, don't overbake!

Dough refrigerates very well, so you can make a few cookies at a time if desired.

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Thick and Chewy Triple Chocolate Cookies

Thick and Chewy Triple Chocolate Cookies

How did you all enjoy the long weekend? I love Memorial Day weekend. Not only does it give us an opportunity to think of those that have fought for our country, but it also feels like the perfect kickoff to summer! My little boy turned four yesterday, which gave us even more of a reason to celebrate with lots of food, friends, and WATER! Our winter-white skin is paying the price now, but it was so worth it.

These cookies were actually made by my husband, who, I've decided, probably needs more recognition on my blog then I give him. We make a good pair, I love to cook, and he loves to bake. It's a hobby I didn't expect him to have, but we haven't had to buy bread in almost a year, so I'm not complaining! The fun thing about having a husband who bakes is that he doesn't get scared easily, he's attacked some pretty involved recipes that I wouldn't dare try.

The funny things about these cookies is that my chocolate loving husband didn't even care for them. But I, who doesn't crave chocolate often, loved them! I thought they were rich, chewy and delicious. I had a really hard time stopping at one. It's probably a good thing that I'm not a huge baker, otherwise these would be in stock at all times!

Thick and Chewy Triple Chocolate Cookies
America's Test Kitchen Baking Book

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons salt
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons instant coffee (I omitted this)
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
16 oz semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, vanilla, and coffee together until the coffee is dissolved.

2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars together with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed. Beat in the egg mixture until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Beat in the melted chocolate, about 30 seconds.

3. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds. Stir in the chips until incorporated. Cover the bowl of dough with plastic wrap and let stand at room temp until the consistency is scoopable and fudge-like, about 30 minutes.

4. Working with 3 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll the dough into balls and lay them on the prepared baking sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies until the edges are set and beginning to brown but the centers are still soft and puffy, 10 to 12 minutes, switching and rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking. (The cookies will look raw between the cracks and seem underdone.)

5. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough using a cooled, freshly lined baking sheet.

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Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Cookies

Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Cookies

As I've mentioned in the past, my husband is a dental student out here in Philly. Because of this, virtually all of our friends are students as well, all of us away from family, and most of us experiencing the east coast for the first time. It's really nice because we can all sympathize with each other when we get homesick, or when we're feeling exceptionally poor that day. We all rely on each other for babysitting, support, or even just a shoulder to cry on. For four years, they ARE your family and we become very close.



The hard part about having student friends is that every year you have to say goodbye to a fraction of them who are lucky enough to be graduating and moving on. It's always sad, but it's also so exciting for them to reach that next step. About a month ago we had a big bbq for the families leaving. It was a lot of fun and a good chance to give hugs and well wishes. Everyone contributes to the potluck and there is always lots of good food.



These were my contribution, I found these cookies on Maria's blog Two Peas and Their Pod. I love Maria's blog, her food is so beautiful and fresh and there is NO shortage of cookie recipes, this girl can bake! These were bright and delicious, and my favorite part was biting into a juicy blueberry. They're perfect for summer and the recipe can be found here. Thanks Maria!

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Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

 While I am fully embracing the onset of fall, I completely understand if you're not.  In fact, to help ease you into it, I thought I'd send one more summer treat before the apple/pumpkin/winter squash frenzy is in full force.

 Am I the only one that things of summer when I think of lemon?  Is lemon even considered a seasonal summer fruit?  It's just so bright, fresh, and yellow like the sun.  These are the kind of cookies I want to pack on a picnic where there are going to be volleyball games and watermelon seed spitting contests.

I found these tender and tangy gems at Pam's fabulous blog.  If you haven't been by her site, you're seriously missing out.  I pin just about everything she posts.

Lemon Crinkle Cookies


Ingredients

1/2 cup of unsalted butter, softened
1 cup of white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp fresh lemon zest
1 1/2 cups of flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup of powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silpat mat.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together with a mixer until creamy. Add the vanilla, egg, lemon juice, and lemon zest and beat until smooth and well mixed. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together until well combined. Slowly add the flour mixture to the lemon mixture until mixed. The dough will be very sticky. Place into the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes or until firm enough to roll into balls.

Roll the dough into small balls then toss in the bowl of powdered sugar until evenly coated. Place the balls on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Place into the oven and bake for 9-11 minutes.
Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on a wire rack for at least 7 minutes to set.

Serve the cookies immediately

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Caprese Salad

Caprese Salad

Whenever I'm serving to a group, it's always really interesting to me to see what dish gets the most attention, and what dish gets ignored. A few months ago I made a small plate of this caprese salad, mostly because my garden was producing an abundance of tomatoes and basil. I really didn't think people would be interested in it at all, but it was gone in a matter of minutes. It's probably been the most requested thing I've ever served. It's so good, so pretty, and not to bad on the health factor, just don't go overboard!

Caprese salad is just layering tomatoes, and fresh mozzerella cheese (it's really important to use the fresh, which is much softer and sometimes packed in water. If you use regular mozz, I might cry). After layering it, drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. You can tuck your basil leaves individually between each tomato and cheese slice, or cut your basil and sprinkle on top. This is one of those dishes that is good fresh, but even better after a day or two.

Food tip: If you have any sort of inclination toward gardening, consider planting and growing your own herbs. I started doing that last year, and since we are getting ready to move, I don't have fresh herbs this year. I can't even tell you the difference it makes to have fresh herbs on hand, everything is fresher, tastes better, and even looks better. Plus, store bought herbs are so expensive that it's an insult. My favorites are basil, parsely, oregeno and mint, but there are tons out there

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Let the grocery store help you out.

Let the grocery store help you out.

One of my favorite things about cooking is the actual process that it takes to create a dish and make it look appealing. BUT, there are also times when stress and busy schedules have gotten the best of you and you need some help. That is when you cheat and look for some easy shortcuts.

The latest shortcut I found were these little phyllo dough tart cups at the grocery store freezer in the pastry section. They come empty, but you can fill them with anything you want, bake them and you're done. Chocolate, a pastry cream, spinach, blue cheese and cranberries, not all at once though, that would be gross! These bacon quiche cups probably took me a collective 10 minutes to make, minus baking time. Here was my filling:

1/2 cup ricotta (use low-fat, you can't tell a difference)

1 egg

1/2 cup mozz

1/2 cup cheddar

6 oz bacon

1 onion chopped finely

1/2 tsp garlic powder

dash cayenne

dash black pepper

You could probably fill about 60-70 tarts with just this, so you may want to half it with a smaller crowd.

Mix all ingredients together, fill phyllo cups and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. These are good warm and at room temp. This was another dish that disappeared first, but they are also very tiny, so don't be shy about serving a lot, they will be gone by the end of your party.

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