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.

Skillet Meatballs and Noodles in Creamy Herb Sauce

Sometimes I pin/star/bookmark a recipe based solely on a single ingredient listed. One of the ingredients that's sure to make me do this is Boursin cheese. I absolutely love it: the creaminess, the funk of the garlic, the freshness of the herbs. In this dish, Boursin is stirred into the meatball mixture and into the sauce. I love this idea -- it's a great way to impart the flavor into every aspect of the dish. 

This dish is so creamy, flavorful and comforting without being too heavy. It's easy too -- everything cooks in one pot. I love the simplicity of meals like this given how busy our evenings are, and I will definitely be making this one again. 

Skillet Meatballs and Noodles in Creamy Herb Sauce

slightly adapted from A Taste of Home Cooking

1 pound ground round or sirloin

1 package spreadable garlic and herb Boursin cheese

Salt and pepper
Vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
3 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
8 ounces egg noodles
1/4 cup white wine

1. Combine beef, 5 tablespoons Boursin cheese, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl and knead gently until combined. Form mixture into 1 inch meatballs. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook meatballs until well browned all over, about 5 minutes. Transfer meatballs to plate and pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan.

2. Cook onion in reserved fat until browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in flour and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Add broth, noodles, and wine and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium low, and cook, stirring often, until pasta begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add meatballs and simmer, covered, until meatballs are cooked through and noodles are al dente, about 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in remaining Boursin cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Bruschetta Chicken

This is probably more of a summertime dish, so naturally, I can't think of a better time to share it with you than the middle of winter. It's January, it's freezing cold (at least where I am), and I am definitely looking for some sunshine and bright flavor in my life these days. Boy, does this chicken ever fit the bill!

I simply cannot overstate how much we enjoyed this dish and how delicious it is. The chicken is baked, so it's somewhat healthy, and the crouton crust is crispy and flavorful. The bruschetta mixture provides a welcome brightness and texture. The night after I served this, Joe wasn't home for dinner, so I used the leftovers and some provolone cheese to make a panini for myself.

I love it when I can reinvent leftovers into something new and equally delicious. The leftovers would also be delicious chopped up, mixed with pasta, drizzled with balsamic vinegar, and served either warm or cold.

This is of course assuming that you have leftovers. With a meal as delicious as this one, that isn't likely.

Bruschetta Chicken

slightly adapted from Flickr user lindsey meredith

1/2 cup flour

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/3 pounds chicken breast tenders

1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1/2 cup garlic croutons, roughly crushed

1 tablespoon butter, melted

2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped

3 tablespoons fresh basil, chiffoned

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.

2. Place flour and beaten eggs in separate shallow bowls. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dip chicken into flour, then into eggs. Place into baking dish.

3. Combine parmesan cheese, crushed croutons, and melted butter and sprinkle over the chicken. Loosely cover with foil and bake for minutes, or until top is browned and chicken is cooked through.

4. Stir together tomatoes, basil, garlic, and salt and pepper. Spoon mixture over chicken, and return to oven for 5 to 7 minutes or until tomato mixture is heated through.

Italian Sub Crescent Bake

This dish was all the rage on Pinterest a few months ago, and whenever I saw it my mouth practically watered. That's almost always a sign that I'm going to be trying a recipe. Although the original looked delicious as-is, I made a few changes to my version: adding banana pepper rings, roasting my own peppers, using provolone cheese, and whisking some prepared Italian dressing and oregano into the eggs.

When I initially read the recipe, the addition of the eggs sounded really strange to me, and I almost skipped that step. I'm so glad I didn't. The eggs don't turn this into a brunch dish in the least; they just serve to make the cheese gooey and bubbly and amazingly delicious. This really is reminiscent of eating a warm Italian sub, and my entire family really enjoyed it. That's really saying something when it comes to the boys, because they're not too crazy about lunch meat. As a bonus, this heated up really well the next day for leftovers -- not that there were many. Serve it with a salad and you've got a delicious dinner!

Italian Sub Crescent Bake

adapted from Mr. Food

1 8-ounce package refrigerated crescent rolls

8 slices deli turkey

8 slices deli ham

12 slices deli hard salami

8 slices provolone cheese

1 jar roasted red and yellow peppers, drained (or about 3 peppers, if you roast your own)

1/2 cup jarred banana pepper rings

4 eggs

2 tablespoons Italian dressing

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unroll crescent roll dough without separating triangles. Separate dough into 2 squares along center cut line.

2. Place 1 square of dough into an 8-inch square baking dish; using your fingertips, press dough to fit bottom of dish. Whisk together eggs, Italian dressing, and oregano.

3. Layer with half the turkey, ham, salami, provolone cheese, roasted peppers and banana peppers. Pour half of beaten egg mixture over the peppers and repeat with remaining meats, cheese, and peppers.

4. Place remaining square of dough over peppers. Pour remaining beaten egg mixture over dough and cover lightly with foil.

5. Bake 20 minutes, remove foil, and bake an additional 20 to 22 minutes, or until golden and heated through. Let cool 15 to 20 minutes then cut and serve.

Bacon-Wrapped Chicken with Gouda Spinach Penne

Happy 2013, everyone! I hope you all had a blast ringing in the New Year and that you're all as ready as I am to make this year awesome. I have big plans for 2013, and I'm determined to make it great: make great food, have a great attitude, and just have a great time with my family and friends.

Speaking of great food, I'm kicking off 2013 with a really delicious recipe. Sure, it contains both bacon and heavy cream, so maybe it's not the most New-Year's-diet-friendly dish, but it sure is yummy. The flavors of bacon, gouda cheese, and spinach always work so beautifully together, and this meal is no exception. The pasta is so creamy and rich, and topping it with a chicken breast that's wrapped in salty, smoky bacon is the perfect finishing touch. Mushrooms would also be a wonderful addition!

Bacon-Wrapped Chicken with Gouda Spinach Penne

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, uniform thickness

4 strips bacon

1 pound penne pasta

4 cups baby spinach leaves, trimmed

2 tablespoons butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 cups gouda or smoked gouda cheese, shredded

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Wrap each chicken breast with one slice of bacon. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large skillet. Add chicken breasts, with the bacon's seam-side down, and cook until the bacon is crispy and the chicken is cooked through, turning once. Set aside and cover with foil.

2. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. For the last four minutes of the pasta's cooking time, add the spinach to the boiling water, 1 cup at a time so as not to crowd the pot, and stir to wilt it completely. Drain pasta and spinach.

3. While the pasta and spinach are cooking, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add garlic; cook and stir for 30 seconds. Add the heavy cream; bring it to a boil and let it boil for 30 seconds until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and add the gouda cheese a bit at a time, stirring to melt the cheese before adding more. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Add the sauce to the reserved pasta and spinach and stir to combine. Top each serving with a piece of the bacon-wrapped chicken.