Peanut Butter Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

It is Friday, January 17, 2014, and I'm calling it: I'm officially D-O-N-E with winter. I'm over it. I don't want any more cold, I don't want any more snow, I don't want any more below-zero wind chills. I'm so ready for spring that I'm practically aching with it.

I always get kind of blah during the winter, but this year, it's especially bad. I have no energy and no motivation and I know it's all connected to the weather. Basically, I would like to hibernate until at least April in flannel pajamas, in my cozy house, with my family and a few batches of these peanut butter bacon chocolate chip cookies to keep me company. Why can't that be my life?

Let's talk about these cookies, because if anything can pull me out of my wintertime funk it's these beauties. These peanut butter cookies not only have sticky, brown sugar bacon pieces in them; they also have bacon drippings in them. Along with peanuts and chocolate chips, of course. This is another of those instances where I need the smiley face emoticon with the hearts for eyes to describe how I really feel. These cookies are a little sweet, a little salty, and a lot sinful. So, in short, you're going to love them.

Peanut Butter Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Food Network

5 strips bacon
2 tablespoons light brown sugar

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

 

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

1/2 cup roughly chopped honey-roasted peanuts
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Place the bacon on the baking sheet with space between each strip. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Bake, turning once, until bacon is crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings and set aside to cool. Set bacon aside to cool and, once cool, chop into small bits. 

 

2. Reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.

 

3. Beat the butter and reserved bacon drippings in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in the peanut butter until combined, about 1 minute. Beat in the granulated and light brown sugar until creamy, about 4 minutes, then add the egg and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 more minutes.

4. Reduce the mixer speed to low; add the flour mixture in 2 additions, scraping down the bowl as needed, until just combined. Stir in the peanuts and all but 2 tablespoons each of the chocolate chips and bacon.

5. Form the dough into 12 balls and arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten with your fingers (the cookies will not spread in the oven); press the reserved bacon and chocolate chips on top. Bake until golden, 12 to 14 minutes. Let the cookies cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Five-Ingredient Caramel Tassies

I posit that there are no cookies cuter than tassies. What could possibly be more adorable than a little cookie cup filled with sweet ingredients? I mean, even the name is too precious for words.

Not only are these cookies adorable and delicious; they're also incredibly simple. Those sweet cookies, in that picture up there? They're made with only five ingredients. Butter, cream cheese, flour, caramel sauce, and mini chocolate chips -- that's it. This fact alone makes them worth adding to your Christmas cookie trays. When you make as many types of cookies as I do (and believe me, I make a lot, as you'll see over the course of the next month or so), you really start to appreciate the super-simple-but-still-yummy-and-impressive-looking cookies. That's exactly what these caramel tassies are. They're just the best.

Five-Ingredient Caramel Tassies
adapted from Taste of Home

1 cup butter, softened
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 cups flour
Prepared caramel sauce
Miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle.

2. Roll dough into 1-inch balls; press onto the bottom and up the sides of ungreased miniature muffin cups. Prick bottoms with a fork. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 17 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

3. Fill each cup with caramel sauce and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Store in the refrigerator. Makes 4 dozen tassies.

Rugelach

I'm breaking my self-imposed no-Christmas-talk-before-Thanksgiving rule to bring you some Christmas treats. Over the coming weeks, I'll be sharing some goodies that I made for last year's Christmas trays. I go kind of insane with my Christmas cookie trays every year; I just can't help myself, so I have lots of delicious things to share.

I thought I'd start off the Christmas cookie talk with my number one, very favorite Christmas cookie of all time: rugelach. Rugelach is a flaky pastry filled with walnuts and cinnamon sugar, and if you've never had it, you are really missing out. The nuttiness of the walnuts, the sweet spiciness of the cinnamon sugar, and the buttery pastry are such a delicious combination. These cookies keep for a long time stored in an airtight container at room temperature, and both the raw dough and the baked cookies freeze very well, making them ideal for preparing ahead of the Christmas baking rush. 

Some versions of rugelach call for raisins, chocolate, or raspberry or apricot preserves. I prefer a simple version with just nuts and cinnamon sugar. If you're not a fan of walnuts or you just want something different, try using almonds, pecans, or cashews instead; I think those would be delicious substitutions.

Rugelach
slightly adapted from Allrecipes 

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup finely chopped walnuts

1. Cut cold butter and cream cheese into bits. In a food processor, pulse flour, salt, butter and cream cheese, and sour cream until crumbly.

2. Shape crumbly mixture into 4 equal-sized discs. Wrap each disc and chill for 2 hours, or up to 2 days.

3. Combine sugar, cinnamon, and walnuts in a bowl.

4. Roll each disc into a 9-inch round, keeping the other discs chilled until ready to use. Sprinkle the rolled disc with the walnut mixture, pressing lightly into the dough. 

5. Using a chef's knife or pizza cutter, cut each round into 12 wedges. Roll wedges from wide to narrow, ending with a point. Place on ungreased baking sheets and chill for 20 minutes before baking.

6. After chilling, bake at 350 degrees for 22 minutes until lightly golden. Cool on wire racks.

Makes 4 dozen rugelach

Mint Chocolate Cookies

I sometimes occasionally often get obsessive over things until I either make them/buy them/read them, etc. Recent examples of this include re-decorating our kitchen and bathroom and purchasing about 10 books by my favorite childhood author because I couldn't stop obsessing about re-reading them. There are countless more examples, because I do this frequently, I assure you.

These cookies were one of my obsessions. They started out in my mind as regular chocolate chip cookies with mint M&Ms, and they evolved into chocolate dark chocolate chip cookies with mint M&Ms and crushed Thin Mints in the batter. It was a delicious evolution, I think. Joe said they're some of the best cookies I've ever made (second in his mind only to the chocolate peanutella chocolate chip cookies). They have the perfect amount of minty flavor without the use of any extract. They're crispy on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside. The cookie base is pretty perfect, and I'm eager to start experimenting with different types of add-ins. I'll keep you posted!

Speaking of add-ins...If you're anything like me, your Girl Scout cookies were gone pretty much the same week you received them. So if you don't have Thin Mints on hand, you could easily replace them with mint Oreos or any other mint cookie you like. But replace them with something, because the texture that the cookies provide is really fantastic.

Mint Chocolate Cookies

adapted from Food Network

2 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 sticks butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

2 cups dark chocolate chips

1 cup mint M&Ms

1/2 cup chopped mint cookies (like Thin Mints or mint Oreos)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a large bowl stir together flour, salt, and baking soda. In another large bowl cream together butter and both sugars. Add eggs, vanilla, and cocoa. Gradually stir flour mixture into butter mixture and mix until combined. Stir chocolate chips, M&Ms, and cookie pieces. Stir to distribute evenly.

3. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Bake 10-13 minutes until cookies are set. Cool on a baking rack.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pudding Cake

This is one of those really, really dangerous desserts. Like, really dangerous. Like, This dessert is so rich that eating one piece is plenty but I think I'll go ahead and have three more dangerous. It's basically a giant chocolate chip cookie, layered with pudding, sweetened cream cheese, and whipped cream. And a sprinkling of chocolate chips. So, basically, it's heaven in five layers.

I would suggest making this immediately, like this weekend, but just be sure you have a large group of people to share it with. If not, it will probably be hard for you to resist eating it all yourself...and don't say I didn't warn you.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pudding Cake

as seen on Stephanie Cooks

1 16.5-ounce tube  refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 12-ounce carton frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided

3 cups cold 2% milk

1 3.9-ounce package instant chocolate pudding mix

1 3.4-ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix

Chocolate chips

1. Let cookie dough stand at room temperature for 5 minutes to soften. Press into an ungreased 13- x 9-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.

2. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Fold in 1 3/4 cups whipped topping. Spread over crust.

3. In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Spread over cream cheese layer. Top with remaining whipped topping and chocolate chips.

4. Allow to sit in the fridge overnight or at least 8 hours.

Biscoff Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are the cookies that made my almost five-year-old tell me in ecstasy, "Mommy, you make the best cookies I have ever, ever eated."

I could probably just end this post there, right? I mean, if a five-year-old with lots of experience eating various types of cookies says these are the best, why even bother looking any further?

I have to agree with Andrew's assessment. These cookies are seriously delicious. They taste a lot like regular chocolate chip cookies, but then you get the spicy hint of the Biscoff spread that takes them from good to fantastic. The spicy-sweet Biscoff works so perfectly with the dark chocolate chips, and the texture of these cookies is just perfect: crisp on the edges and chewy in the center. Basically, they are some of the best cookies you will ever, ever eat.

Biscoff Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

slightly adapted from Life's Ambrosia

1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter

3/4 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup Biscoff spread

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 10-ounce bag dark chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Beat butter, brown sugar and white sugar together until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each egg. Beat in vanilla extract and Biscoff spread.

3. In another bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly beat flour mixture into egg mixture. Mix well. Fold in dark chocolate chips.

4. Roll out tablespoonfuls of dough and place them on cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges have started to brown. (Note: When baked for 10 minutes these are chewy cookies. Baked for 12 minutes they're more crispy. I definitely like them chewy, so I took them out after exactly 10 minutes.)

5. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Whoopie Pies with Cookie Dough Buttercream Filling

I'm not even going to lie: When I look at these whoopie pies, the first thing that pops into my head is the beginning chords of "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye. Because, I mean, for real. Look at those beauties. They are every bit as delicious as they look, let me assure you.

There are countless recipes out there for chocolate chip cookie whoopie pies, but I haven't seen very many that use chocolate chip cookies as the pies themselves, and use chocolate chip cookie dough buttercream for the filling. Typically one or the other is chocolate. A chocolate version would of course be delicious, but I was seeking to make the ulitmate chocolate chip cookie whoopie pie. I think this recipe succeeds on all levels. The whoopie pies themselves have crisp edges, but they're soft in the middle, and the buttercream is smooth and creamy and tastes just like chocolate chip cookie dough.

These cookies are rich and satisfying, and, with a glass of milk on the side, I just can't possibly think of anything better.



Chocolate Chip Cookie Whoopie Pies with Cookie Dough Buttercream Filling

adapted from Everyday Desserts and Baking Junkie

For the cookies:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

For the filling:

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 + 1/8 cup packed brown sugar

2 cups powdered sugar

Pinch of salt

3 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream

1 1/4 tsp vanilla

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

2. With an electric mixer, beat together butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed for 1 minute. Add egg and beat until smooth. On low, beat in vanilla and flour mixture just until blended. Stir in mini chips.

3. Drop by tablespoons onto parchment-paper lined baking sheets. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

4. To make the frosting, cream together butter and brown sugar. Add powdered sugar in increments until smooth. Add a pinch of salt, then add the vanilla and as much heavy cream as needed to reach desired consistency.

5. After the cookies have cooled, invert half of the cookies and use a piping bag to pipe on filling. Top each half with another cookie of similar size and shape. This recipe makes 12 whoopie pies.

Coconut Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

I tend to shy away from shredded coconut as an ingredient. It's not because I don't like it, but because my husband isn't a fan. It's not so much a flavor thing for him, but more of a textural thing. Making something that I know he won't eat is never a good idea, because it means that there's twice the amount just sitting there for me to eat. But I just had to make these. He tried one and said that the flavor was good, but he couldn't get past the texture. So, after setting some aside for the boys, I took the rest to my coworkers, who were very happy recipients.

These cookies are just fantastic. They're made with cream cheese, and there's no egg, which results in a soft, pillowy texture. The coconut comes in the form of coconut extract and shredded sweetened coconut, both of which pair perfectly with the chocolate chips. Talk about a crowd-pleasing addition to your Christmas cookie trays!

Coconut Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

adapted from Baking Blonde

2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
5 to 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 to 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

1. Adjust oven racks to upper and lower middle positions and heat oven to 325. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Whisk dry ingredients together; set aside.

3. With an electric mixer, combine cooled butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add sugars and beat until thoroughly combined. Beat in vanilla and coconut extracts until combined.

4. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and shredded coconut.

5. Drop dough by tablespoons onto baking sheets and bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until edges are set and bottoms are light brown. Cool cookies on sheets until able to lift without breaking and place on wire rack to cool.

Reese's Pieces Oatmeal Cookies

I had to be sneaky about making these cookies. You see, my husband has a Reese's Pieces Problem -- the problem being that, if we have them in our house, they make their way into his mouth at lightning speed. I knew if I wanted to have any Reese's Pieces available for these cookies, I had to keep them hidden from him, or avoid purchasing them until right before I baked the cookies. I just made it; mere moments after I'd stirred them into the batter, he was in the kitchen saying, "Hey, are those Reese's Pieces?" Then he proceeded to eat what was left in the bag (well, all except for one little handful I kept for myself). It was a close, close call.

We were both glad he didn't get to them before I made these cookies, because we would have missed out on an absolutely delicious sweet treat. These cookies are awesome! They were a huge hit with all of us and disappeared more quickly than I'd like to admit. The color makes them perfect for fall, but the flavor is one that we will be enjoying year-round (as long as I can keep Joe away from the star ingredient).

Reese's Pieces Oatmeal Cookies

adapted from MD Cooks for 2

1 cup flour

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup Reese's Pieces
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Mix flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

3. In a medium bowl, beat butter with sugar until smooth. Then whisk in the egg and vanilla.

4. Incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry mix until completely combined. Stir in Reese's Pieces and chocolate chips.

5. Drop about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets.

6. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Let cool five minutes on baking sheets, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Sugar Frosting

I'm getting a late start on my pumpkin baking this year. Joe's been dropping not-so-subtle hints for about a month now, but we've been so busy on the weekends that I haven't had much time to bake. I have to say that I picked a real winner for my inaugural fall 2012 pumpkin recipe. These little cookies have just the right amount of pumpkin and spice flavor, and the frosting is simply divine. Oh, that frosting...it's so delicious, there really are no words. It tastes like a praline, minus the pecans; and in fact, next time I make these, I'm going to stir pecans into half of the frosting, because I think they'd add a delicious crunchy element to these cookies.

I used a half-tablespoon measuring spoon for the cookies to keep them pretty small, because I suspected that the frosting would be very sweet -- and I was right. I thought the cookies were the perfect size to be paired with such a sweet frosting, and I got about 5 dozen cookies out of one batch of dough. That was on Sunday, and I think there are probably only 2 dozen cookies left. Whoops!

Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Sugar Frosting
adapted from Your Homebased Mom

For the cookies:

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the frosting:

3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cream together sugars and butter until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix until well-blended. Drop by half-tablespoons onto nonstick cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Cool completely before frosting.

3. To make the frosting, melt the butter in a small skillet. Add brown sugar and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is mostly smooth (this will take 2 or 3 minutes). Add milk and vanilla and whisk to combine, then remove from heat and add powdered sugar. Spread frosting over cooled cookies.

Chocolate Oatmeal Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

I’ve come to the realization that I shouldn’t make cookies unless I have a group of people to share them with. I just shouldn’t. Every member of my family is a cookie monster. We simply can’t control ourselves around them.

And speaking of Cookie Monster...you’ve all seen the video of his new song, right? Yeah, you know the end of it? When he’s shoving multiple cookies into his mouth? That’s basically my family, with every batch of cookies I make.

Our cookie addiction came out in full-force with these beauties, not surprisingly. Chocolate and peanut butter has long been one of my favorite sweet flavor combinations, and putting them together in oatmeal cookie sandwich form was of course going to be delicious. I even upped the chocolate flavor by adding chocolate chips to the cookie batter. The cookies are crispy on the outside and fudgy in the middle, and the creamy peanut butter filling is just so tasty.

“It hard to look at your snack baby. But you got cookie, so share it maybe.” Cookie Monster speaks the truth. Go watch the video if you haven’t seen it yet; it’s hilarious!

Chocolate Oatmeal Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

adapted from Cate’s World Kitchen and Joy the Baker

For the cookies:

10 tablespoons butter (2/3 cup), softened

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 1/4 cups white sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 eggs

1 cup unbleached white flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

4 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup milk chocolate chips

For the filling:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 to 4 tablespoons milk

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Beat the butter until smooth and creamy and add both sugars. Mix well, then beat in the eggs and vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt, cocoa powder and baking soda. Add to the butter mixture and mix until all traces of dry ingredients disappear. Stir in the oats and chocolate chips.

4. To form cookies, scoop out 1 tablespoon of dough at a time and flatten slightly. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until set on the edges but slightly fudgy inside (they’ll harden up as they cool). Cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. To make the filling, place butter, peanut butter, and powdered sugar in the bowl of an electric stand mixer. Beat on medium speed, drizzling in vanilla extract. Scrape down the bowl as necessary. Add milk one tablespoon at a time until you’ve reached your desired consistency.

6. When cookies are completely cool, flip over and spread half of the cookie bottoms with peanut butter filling. Top with a similar size cookie. Store covered.

S'mores Whoopie Pies

My family definitely eats more than our share of s'mores during the summer months. We have a fire pit in our back yard, and at least one night a week, we can be found out there, roasting our marshmallows and enjoying the sticky, messy results. We're having a Fourth of July cookout on Wednesday, and I'm excited to try something I recently I found on Pinterest: marshmallows that are stuffed with miniature Rolos. How delicious are those going to be in a s'more?

While these whoopie pies are a bit more labor-intensive than your average s'more, they are definitely worth the extra time. The whoopie pies themselves are loaded with graham cracker flavor, and the marshmallow buttercream and melted chocolate complete the trinity. If you're looking for a delicious dessert for the Fourth, look no further: These s'mores whoopie pies are a must make!

(By the way, no meal plan this week. Tonight and tomorrow we're having carry-over meals from last week, and the rest of the week is up in the air since the Fourth is Wednesday, and I'm off work Thursday and Friday.)

S'mores Whoopie Pies

adapted from Cookies and Cups

For the whoopie pies:

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup flour

1 1/2 cups finely crushed graham crackers (about 9 whole crackers)

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla

6 (full sized, 1.55 oz) Hershey Bars

For the marshmallow buttercream:

1/2 cup butter room temp

1 cup marshmallow fluff

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Combine graham cracker crumbs, flour, and baking powder in bowl and set aside.

3. In a small bowl stir milk, vanilla, baking soda and vinegar together and set aside.

4. In a mixer, beat butter and brown sugar together for 2 minutes at medium speed. Add eggs and continue to beat until incorporated evenly.

5. Turn speed to low and slowly add in flour mixture and milk mixture. Turn mixer up to medium and beat for an additional 1 minute.

6. Drop by heaping tablespoon sized portions onto lined baking sheet. Place the batter at least 2 inches apart, as the cookies spread during baking. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until cookies are set. Let cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes and then transfer to wire rack to finish cooling.

7. When all cookies are baked, melt chocolate bars in microwave on 50% power in 30 second increments, stirring after each 30 seconds. Continue until melted.

8. Flip half of the cookies over and spoon a tablespoon sized portion of melted chocolate on the bottom, spreading to the edge of the cookie.

9. To make the frosting, mix the butter and marshmallow fluff on medium speed until smooth. Slowly add powdered sugar with mixer on low. Add milk and turn speed up to medium. Mix until combined and smooth.

10. Fill a piping bag or ziplock bag with prepared frosting and pipe frosting on the remaining, non-chocolate cookies. Leave room at the edge for the frosting to spread when sandwiched. Sandwich the cookies. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days; refrigerate if desired.

Cake Batter Cheesecake Cupcakes

You may have heard that someone very special has a birthday this month. No, I’m not talking about myself (even though I do turn the big 2-9 today!!); I’m talking about Oreo cookies! Last week they celebrated their 100th birthday. Can you believe that? The familiar chocolate sandwich cookies were certainly a trademark of my childhood, and my kids love them too. To think about all the generations of children before and after me that have grown up eating these cookies is just really, really cool.

You’ve probably seen the limited edition birthday cake Oreos that are available in the supermarkets right now to celebrate this occasion. If you haven’t tried them: GO GET A BAG IMMEDIATELY. They’re so good. On the outside, they look like a typical Oreo – but the filling is loaded with sprinkles and tastes exactly like cake batter. The first time I tried them, I immediately thought of these cupcakes, and I just knew I had to duplicate them using the birthday cake Oreos. And then I thought – wouldn’t it be cool to make the cheesecake filling taste like cake batter, too? Thankfully, someone else thought of this before me, so I adapted her recipe.

These cute little cheesecake cupcakes are just delicious. The middle has the texture of cheesecake, while the outer edges get slightly cakey from the cake batter that’s in the filling. The sprinkles keep their integrity and add a nice sweet little bite to the cupcakes, while the birthday cake Oreos serve as the perfect “crust.” These are the perfect thing to make to celebrate Oreo’s birthday (and mine)! :)

Cake Batter Cheesecake Cupcakes
adapted from Gingerbread Bagels

16-20 Oreos, regular or birthday cake-flavored
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
2/3 cup yellow cake mix
2 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles

1. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Prepare cupcake pans with paper liners. Place a whole Oreo in each cupcake liner.

2. In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese for 3 minutes on medium speed until smooth. Add in the sugar and mix for 2 more minutes.

3. Add in the vanilla and mix. Slowly pour in the lightly beaten eggs on medium low speed and mix to combine. Add in the sour cream and mix on medium low speed. Be careful not to over mix the cheesecake batter.

4. Sift the cake mix over the bowl with the cheesecake batter to remove any lumps. Stir in 2 tablespoons sprinkles. Fold in gently.

5. Using a cookie dough scooper or a 1/4 measuring cup, place cheesecake batter on top of each Oreo. Spread the cheesecake batter out with a small spatula or knife.

6. Bake the cheesecakes at 275 degrees for 30 minutes. Once they’re done baking, chill them in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

Soft Sugar Cookie Bars

I first posted about these sugar cookie bars when I wrote my 2011 Christmas cookie wrap-up. But since they were pretty much everyone’s favorite thing that I made (including mine), I knew they deserved a post all their own.

These cookie bars are a revelation. They taste exactly like the ever-so-popular Lofthouse sugar cookies, but they are so incredibly simple to make. You just mix the ingredients, spread the batter in a pan, and bake. No rolling dough, no scooping out cookies. And this recipe makes a ton of sugar cookie bars – at least 6 dozen – so they’re perfect for sharing. In fact, don’t make these unless you have someone to share them with...because they’re addictive, and you’ll eat way too many of them all by yourself. Trust me, I know this from experience.

The frosting is a little bit more special than your average buttercream, since it has heavy cream in it. It makes the frosting taste like ice cream, which could never be a bad thing. The soft, sweet bars, the silky frosting, and the crunch of festive sprinkles combine to make a treat that is nothing short of heavenly. Absolutely heavenly.

Soft Sugar Cookie Bars
bars from Cookies and Cups; frosting from Brown-Eyed Baker

For the bars:

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup butter, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder

For the frosting:

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoons heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a jelly roll pan (15 x 10 x 1) with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.

2. In a mixer, cream butter, cream cheese and sugar together. Add in egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated.

3. With mixer on low, add flour, baking powder and baking soda. Mix until just combined.

4. Press dough evenly into your prepared pan. The dough will be sticky.

5. Bake for 20 minutes until edges begin to golden. Cool completely before frosting.

6. To make the frosting, cream together the butter and vanilla. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar and the pinch of salt. Once smooth and creamy, add in heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, then beat at medium-high speed for a minute or two until light and fluffy. If desired, add food coloring and beat until combined (I used neon pink).

2011 Christmas Cookies Recap

As you know, I recently got done sharing all of the Christmas treats I made for last year’s cookie trays. Last weekend, I spent an entire day baking cookies for our family, neighbors, and friends. It was exhausting and stressful, but it was also incredibly rewarding when Andrew, Will and I delivered overflowing trays of goodies to everyone earlier this week.

Rather than saving the cookie recipes to share with you next year, I thought I’d go ahead and write about them now. I’m doing this for a couple of reasons: 1. Because I’ve talked to some people who aren’t doing their holiday baking until tomorrow (Christmas Eve), and this may give those people a few yummy last minute ideas; and 2. Because I didn’t have the time to take a picture of each cookie individually. Frankly, while I was baking these cookies, I didn’t even have time to stop and eat. (Well, aside from the baked goods and cookie dough I was sampling all day long.)

Before I started baking last Sunday morning, I wrote out my agenda on my trusty chalkboard door:

By the end of the day, all of these items except for two were crossed off – and one additional item was added (but I’ll get to that in a minute). My failures were the peppermint fudge, which never sat up for me properly, and the soft sugar cookies. I tried baking three different batches of them, but they came out incredibly dry and sort of flavorless each time.

The rest, though, were absolutely delicious, and so far I’ve gotten tons of positive feedback on all of these things. I already told you about the hot cocoa mix and dipping spoons and the hot chocolate popcorn. Here’s the rest of what I made:

Buckeyes and pretzel turtles: These are yearly staples for me, and they always go over well with everyone. This year my sister dipped the Buckeyes for me, and she did a much better job than I ever do, so that’s totally her job from now on.

Mint chocolate chip cookie dough truffles: Everyone has loved these so far. More than one person has told me that it’s so fun to bite into a truffle and see something that looks like mint chocolate chip ice cream on the inside. They’re pretty tasty, but they don’t have quite enough mint flavor for me. Next time, I’d add an additional 1/4 teaspoon of mint extract.

Nutter Butter snowmen: Are these little guys cute or what?! I usually make Santas, but thought these snowmen would be a fun change. They’re basically candy, coated with candy, and decorated with more candy. Needless to say, they’ve been a huge hit, and well worth the time it took to make them (nearly two hours for one package of Nutter Butters)!

Rugelach: This was the first time I’ve ever made rugelach, so I picked a popular recipe that was pretty highly rated and sounded simple enough for me to make. Well, I must have good recipe-picking skills, because these were perfect. The dough is so lovely and flaky and not too sweet, and the filling of walnuts, chocolate chips, and cinnamon sugar is just absolutely scrumptious. Everyone loves these, and I’ve had multiple requests for the recipe.

Chocolate caramel cookies: These are similar to the Snickers cookies I’ve made before, except the cookie base is chocolate and they’re stuffed with a Rolo instead of a mini Snickers bar. These cookies are rich and sweet, with a nice caramel surprise in the middle.

Lofthouse sugar cookie bars with easy buttercream frosting: When the soft sugar cookies failed me thrice, I did a quick online search for something sugar cookie-ish that didn’t involve a dough that I could make quickly. Thankfully, I had everything on hand to make these. And although they were a last-minute addition to the cookie trays, they’re actually my favorite thing I made this year. They taste exactly like a Lofthouse cookie, with a sweet, silky frosting and the soft crunch of holiday sprinkles. LOVE.

Oatmeal butterscotch coconut cookies: Annie said these are the best oatmeal scotchies she’s ever tried, and I agree. They’re definitely the best ones I’ve ever had. The shredded coconut and toffee bits just take them to a completely new level. I only had quick-cooking oats on hand, so that’s what I used for the cookies, and they turned out just fine. This is one loaded, delicious cookie.

Red velvet crinkles: These cookies start with cake mix, so immediately I love them, because I love easy things like cake mixes when I’m baking cookies for AN ENTIRE DAY. I added 1 teaspoon of vanilla to the mix and left out the lemon zest, but otherwise made the cookies as indicated. They came together in minutes, and they’re so festive and pretty, with that familiar red velvet flavor everyone loves.

Hot chocolate triple chip cookies: Joe had his eye on these cookies before they’d even been baked, when they were still just raw balls of cookie dough sitting on baking trays. They were the first thing he tried when presented with all of my day’s efforts, and were definitely his favorite of all of this year’s offerings. These cookies are gigantic and rich. You can really taste the hot chocolate flavor in them. I loved them, too, but because I’m not a huge fan of white chocolate chips in cookies, I’ll probably replace those with another cup of milk chocolate chips when I make these again (and I will, because they’re almost gone, and Joe will soon be clamoring for another batch, I have no doubt).

Chocolate cherry blossoms: This is a change-up of the traditional peanut butter blossom. It’s a cherry cookie instead, with both cherry juice and chopped maraschino cherries in the base. I really liked these cookies. The texture is really soft, and the cherry flavor is definitely there, and strong enough that the Hershey’s Kiss doesn’t overpower it. I thought these were definitely the prettiest cookies of all the types I made.

Are you exhausted, just reading about all of this? I was definitely exhausted by the time I finished baking all of it on Sunday evening! It was so worth it, though, to be able to give plates of delicious baked goods to the people I care about. And even while I’m recovering from all that baking, I’m already thinking about what I’m going to make next year…

I want to wish all of you Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I hope your holiday is merry, bright, peaceful, and spent as every holiday should be: with the people you love the most in the world.

Two Weeks of Christmas Treats, Day 12: Gingerbread Cookie Cheesecake Bites

Well, we’ve come to the end of the Two Weeks of Christmas Treats. I hope you’ve enjoyed the recipes I’ve shared, and maybe even got some inspiration for your holiday baking! Baking cookies and treats to share with my friends and family is absolutely one of my favorite things about the holidays. It’s been fun sharing some recipes with all of my virtual friends! :)

I’m ending the treat bonanza with a real winner: gingerbread cookie cheesecake bites. They start from refrigerated gingerbread cookie mix, so they couldn’t be easier to make. Andrew actually helped me make these, and he loved rolling the dough into balls and then making indentations in the cookies for the cheesecake filling. He also loved eating them, as did everyone else who tried them! The lemony cream cheese filling is such a perfect complement to the spicy gingerbread cookie. And the smell while these are baking – it’s out of this world.

I’m already imagining making these again with lots of different kinds of cookie dough. Mmmm. I’ll be sure to report on my experimentation in this area!

Gingerbread Cookie Cheesecake Bites
adapted from Created By Diane

1 30-ounce package refrigerated Pillsbury gingerbread cookie dough
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 to 1 teaspoon lemon zest

1. Roll two teaspoons of cookie dough into a ball for each cookie. Place balls of dough into paper lined mini cupcake/muffin pans. Make a well/indentation into each ball of dough with the back of a measurement teaspoon.

2. Beat room temperature cream cheese with powdered sugar. Stir in vanilla and lemon zest to taste. Place filling into a piping bag, cut off edge of bag. Place one teaspoon or so of filling into each area of cookie dough. Don’t over fill the cookies with filling as they will rise when baked.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 9 minutes or until cookie tested with tooth pick comes out almost clean. Let cool before removing from cupcake pan. Makes 4 dozen.