Pumpkin Spice Caramel Cookies

We're back!! We had a great, much needed camping trip to Yosemite but now it's good to be back and into the routine of things, especially for Rylee. I know, I come back with another chocolate cookie recipe, but I couldn't resist! Remember how I went to the Ghiradelli Chocolate Festival and was introducted to their new Milk Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Caramel chocolate that's my new favorite? Well I wanted to make a cookie version of the chocolate square since I liked it so much. And now that it's fall the recipe seemed fitting. I've only seen this chocolate at the factory so far but when you see it in stores, try it out. I think the cookie turned out really good and something I would definitely make again.

Chocolate Caramel Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Ingredients:

1 c. butter, softened

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 large eggs

1 t. vanilla ext.

2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 TBLS. pumpkin pie spice

2/3 c. cocoa powder, unsweetened

2 c. milk chocolate chips

Rolos

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time then vanilla and mix until smooth.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice and cocoa powder. Mix flour mixture into butter mixture at low speed until no streaks of flour remain. Stir in chocolate chips.

You may refrigerate dough for about 30 min. so it's easier to handle, although I didn't since I was a little pressed for time (Rylee was sleeping.) Wrap just enough dough around a rolo to completely encase it and place on baking sheet.

Bake for 11 min. until set and just firm at the edges. Cookies should still appear moist. Cool on baking sheet for 4-5 min. then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 4 dozen.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is another great recipe I found on the Guittard website, from David Lebovitz. These cookies are pretty much pure chocolate. They're very rich and moist and go great with a tall glass of milk. The dough is more like a batter and the top of the cookies come out like brownies, crispy and crinkley. I found the title to be a little misleading to me. Yes, they are chocolate and they do have chocoate "chips," but when I think of a chocolate chip cookie, well you know what a chocolate chip cookie is. Just fyi, this isn't your typical chocolate chip cookie with some cocoa in the dough.

I made 2 batches. The first one I refrigerated for 30 min., the dough was still a little sticky but I used it anyway. And flattened as the recipe says. They came out thin and very fragile. The second batch I put the dough in the freezer while the first one baked (about 10 min.) and it came out stiffer. I didn't flatten these and they came out thicker than the first batch and held their shape a lot better. Point being, wait until the dough is stiff (you can try freezing for a few min. like I did). Flatten if you'd like, but I thought it was better not.

Oh yea, and I won't be posting for a few days, but maybe Wednesday or Thursday i'll be back with more goodies.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe comes from Room for Dessert by David Lebovitz, published by HarperCollins Publishers, 1999. David says, "These are the best chocolate cookies I''ve ever made." The recipe calls for a total of 13 ounces of chocolate, for the batter and for the chips.

Makes: About 2 1/2 dozen 2-inch cookies

8 ounces (approximately 1 1/3 cups) E. Guittard 64% L'' Harmonie or 61% Cacao Semisweet Chocolate Wafers, chopped

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

2 large eggs, at room temperature

7/8 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

5 ounces (1 scant cup) E. Guittard 64% L'' Harmonie or 61% Cacao Semisweet Chocolate Wafers chocolate, chopped into chips

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

1. Melt the eight ounces of chocolate and the butter in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. 2. When the butter and chocolate have melted, remove from the heat.

3. Using an electric mixer, whip the eggs, sugar, and vanilla at high speed until the mixture is stiff (this takes a few minutes). Stir in the melted chocolate mixture.

4. In another bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder, then add them to the chocolate mixture. Add the chocolate chips and the nuts.

5. Chill the dough until it is firm enough to handle, about 30 minutes.

6. To bake the cookies, position the oven racks in the center and upper part of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Form the dough into 1 1/2-inch rounds* and set them onto the baking sheets spaced about two inches apart. Press each slightly to flatten.

7. Bake for about 9 to 10 minutes, until just set, but still moist and shiny in the center.

* Tip from the Kitchens of E. Guittard: Alternatively, you may shape the dough into logs and then slice to form the cookies. On a lightly floured surface or with the assistance of a sheet of plastic wrap surrounding the dough ball, roll the dough with your hands to form two 8-inch logs, 2 inches in diameter. Wrap the dough logs in plastic and chill until firm, at least 30 minutes. Slice the logs into 1/2-inch-thick cookies, and place them on the baking sheets which have been lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 9 minutes. Remove from the oven while they are still shiny and molten in the center but cooked on the outer edges.

Guittard Milk Chocolate Decadence Cake

Guittard was very generous to me and sent me a big ol box of chocolate! Guittard is local to the bay area and if you've never tried it before, I would suggest you do :) You can find the chocolate chips, which I often use, at most grocery stores. They also have a lot of other products and online ordering available on their website. And there's recipes like this Milk Chocolate Decadence Cake on their website. It's really good, easy to make and tastes a lot like a brownie.

Milk Chocolate Decadence Cake

Ingredients:

3 cups (18 oz) E. Guittard 38% Cacao Milk Chocolate, chopped

1/4 cup water

3 large eggs

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line an 8-inch cake pan with parchment. Melt chocolate and water in top of double boiler over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Set aside and keep warm.

Beat eggs and sugar on high speed until pale and thick, about 5 minutes. Add melted chocolate and mix on low speed until smooth. Mix in flour just until incorporated. Pour into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes. Top should be puffy and cracked and edges set but center will test wet. Cool on rack.

Loosen cake from pan by running a thin blade around the edges. Invert onto plate.

Cake can be served warm for a runny texture, room temperature for a soft texture, or the next day for a firm texture. This cake also freezes well. Cut with a long bladed knife dipped in hot water and wiped clean before cutting each piece. Yield: 8-inch cake.

Smore's Brownies & Marshmallows

In honor of an upcoming camping trip, I decided to do this post on smores brownies I found on cookies and cups. And also some smores marshmallows i've seen somewhere before. I never really used to like smores, but now I can't get enough of them! Yea, remember I got a smores sundae from Ghirdadelli and one of my favorite things are smores cookie bars and I also made little mini smores? Don't worry though, i'm not out of smores recipes just yet ;)

Smores Brownies

Ingredients:

6 Hershey Bars (although I only needed about 4..)

1 box brownie mix (or make your own)

2 cups mini marshmallows

For the crust:

1 1/2 cups of crushed graham crackers (approx 12-13 whole graham crackers) PLUS reserved 1/4 cup for garnish

6 T. butter

1/4 cup sugar

Directions:

Preheat to 350. Crush graham crackers.In a bowls combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Press into bottom of 9x9 (I used 8x8) baking pan using back of spoon to form the crust. Bake crust for 10 min until slightly golden. Meanwhile make your brownie mix and pour brownie batter on top of graham cracker crust and bake according to directions.

About 2 minutes before the brownies are done, remove from oven and lay about 4 Hershey bars on the top followed by the mini marshmallows. Place back in oven for about 2-3 min until marshmallows are puffed and slightly golden. Add a sprinkling of additional crushed graham crackers and you may also garnish with additional Hershey bar pieces. Let cool before cutting into.

Smores Marshmallows

Just put a marshmallow on a stick (such as for a lollipop). Melt some chocolate. Crush some graham crackers and roll the marshmallow in the chocolate followed by graham crackers.

Homemade Chocolate Pudding

I've never made, or even had homemade pudding before. I've never even thought about making it from scratch before, especially since it's rare that I even make the kind from a box. This pudding is rich and creamy and I loved it! It's definitely more decadent than the kind from a box and really easy to make too. Usually I don't have whole milk sitting around, but since Rylee turned 1 I always have a gallon or two in the fridge. It's nice when there's situations like this that come up.
Homemade Chocolate Pudding
joy the baker

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
pinch of salt
2 cups whole milk
1 large egg
4 ounces good semi sweet chocolate, finely chopped

Whisk together sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch and salt in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, then gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, and boil, whisking, until pudding is thick, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Immediately beat eggs lightly in a medium heat proof bowl, then very gradually add hot pudding to the egg, whisking constantly. Whisk in chopped chocolate until smooth.
Pour pudding into ramekins or custard cups and cover surface each with wax paper to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate, covered, until cool, at least 2 hours.

Chocolate Doughnut Glaze

The Ghiradelli Chocolate Festival was this weekend in SF. The festival wasn't quite what I hoped.. The event was free but you had to buy a ticket for $20 if you wanted to do tasting. I would have done that, no problem. Except the line at each booth was like a mile long. I don't mind paying to taste, but not when I have to wait in 15 different lines that are each a mile long. On top of that, it's never fun trying to push a stroller through a crowd. I did get a smore's sundae at the ice cream shop though and it was soo good! And they have a new flavor called Pumpkin Spice and it is my new favorite! It's like the milk chocolate and caramel one but with some pumpkin spice in it. If you don't already know, i'm a huge chocoholic. I don't have a hard time turning down sweets that don't have chocolate in them, even if they are good. Even after eating a non chocolate treat I usually have to have something chocolate after that to satisfy me. With that said, lately i've been trying to think of non-chocolate things that I like (but dont really crave) that I can chocolatize and maybe like even more. I decided to try cinnamon rolls. I used my cinnamon roll recipe as the base and slightly altered it. I'm gonna be honest, it wasn't what I hoped or imagined. It wasn't horrible..but nothing I would crave either. However, I happened to find a chocolate doughnut glaze recipe from Alton Brown and I drenched the chocolate cinnamon rolls in it and it made them a lot better! That glaze is magic! So instead of posting the cinnamon rolls (since they're not really up to par), I decided to post about this deliciously amazing glaze. Next time you make doughnuts, definitely give this glaze a try!

Chocolate Doughnut Glaze

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup whole milk, warmed
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions
Combine butter, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla in medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until butter is melted. Decrease the heat to low, add the chocolate, and whisk until melted. Turn off heat, add the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth. Place the mixture over a bowl of warm water and dip the doughnuts immediately. Allow glaze to set for 30 minutes before serving

Super Cookies!

So it's no secret that me and chocolate chip cookies have a thing. That is, if they're homemade ones. Packaged cookies? No thanks. I don't have a problem with them, but they're not my love. Guys, I know i'm not that big of a person, but i'm a true fat kid on the inside. Seriously, I am always thinking about food. What i'm going to make for dinner, when/what i'm going to eat next, what I might be craving, when the next opportunity will be to take some baked goods to, how I could change something I like (or don't) into something better. It's exhausting. It's like a marathon in my head and I haven't even left the couch. Point is, I wanted to make some chocolate chip cookies but I also wanted something different at the same time and this is the result. It started like a normal chocolate chipper, but then got wrapped around some dark chocolate (which happens to be very smooth and creamy) and topped with milk chocolate and some other good things. Normally I could pack away several cookies in 1 sitting, but these are so packed with chocolate I can only handle 1 at a time. Don't ask me why I named them Super Cookies. I guess cuz they're super.

Super Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 c. mini chocolate chips

2 Hershey's Special Dark bars

milk chocolate chips, about 8 oz.

optional: toppings, such as: chocolate shavings, coconut, nuts, white chocolate, butterscotch/pb drizzled on top, marshmallows, etc.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla until well blended. Add baking soda, salt and flour until thoroughly blended. Mix in mini chocolate chips.

Grab 1 square from the Hershey bar and wrap about a tablespoon size amount of dough around the chocolate bar, just enough dough to cover the chocolate square and place on nongreased baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining dough. Bake about 12 minutes or until lightly golden all over. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Once cool, melt milk chocolate (either in the microwave or on the stove. I used microwave) and spoon on top of each cookie then garnish with desired toppings.

Makes about 21 cookies.