Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

I usually don't rush to blog a recipe, but after posting this camera-phone photo:

to Facebook last night, I was bombarded with demands requests for the recipe, so I am posting it now.  (And seriously - the quality of the photo is AWFUL, but the awesomeness of the cookie still comes through.)

We had a work potluck yesterday, so I made these and another dessert that wasn't nearly as popular :)

I found the recipe for these on Pinterest, but the link I had pinned wouldn't load, so I googled it and found an adaptation of the pinned recipe on another baking blog. I followed some of the suggestions in the comments - most notably, I reduced the flour to three cups. I also used double-stuffed Oreos, which was kinda insane.

My batch yielded 20 substantial cookies. These puppies were H-E-A-V-Y. I baked nine on each sheet, as opposed to my usual 12-16.

They taste absolutely fantastic. I expected the Oreo (or generic Oreo, if you're me) to get kind of soggy or break apart, and it didn't. The chocolate chip cookie recipe is so good that I might just might make it my go-to recipe (sans Oreo cookie).

I had one. It felt like I'd eaten four cookies. I wanted to curl up with a glass of milk and take a nap. Alas, I had to work, but you get the idea.

Do yourself a favor. Do your friends and family a favor. Make these easy-yet-impressive cookies. Just don't make them all the time :)

 Ingredients:
2 sticks (1 cup) softened butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
10 oz bag chocolate chips
1 pkg. Oreo cookies

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars together with a mixer until well combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined.

Using a cookie scoop take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo Cookie. Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo cookie. Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo cookie is enclosed with dough.

Place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Makes about 2 dozen VERY LARGE cookies.

Source: Becky Bakes

Rice Krispies Raisin Cookies

I had some leftover raisins from these cookies and had no idea what to make with them. After thinking about it for a bit, I remembered a cookie that I used to make while in middle and high school, in my earlier baking days. I knew I had the recipe in a notebook that I started after taking home economics in eighth grade (and because I find it impossible to throw anything away I still have that notebook).

I found it quickly and thought my writing and the spots of butter/oil/who knows what was rather telling of this recipe's age and how much use it got.

I honestly cannot remember the last time I made these cookies, and I don't know why they fell out of my go-to rotation. For folks who don't have or like raisins, chocolate chips can be substituted for the raisins. I used both for this batch, and I doubled it, although in hindsight, a single batch would have been plenty.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup margarine or butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups crisp rice cereal
1 cup raisins or chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Stir together flour, salt, baking powder and soda. Set aside.

2. In large electric mixer bowl, beat together sugars and margarine until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat well. Add flour mixture, mixing until combined. Stir in crisp rice cereal and raisins.


3. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray.

4. Bake at 350° F about 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from baking sheets and cool on wire racks. Store in airtight container.


Source: Kellogg's Kitchens

Christmas baking galore

Ah, holiday baking. Yes, it's been over a month since Christmas, and yes, my posts have slowed down a bit in that time. But that's because I've been recovering from baking overload.

I spent what felt like EONS baking, baking, baking last month. Several holiday potlucks, a cookie exchange with Mike's co-workers, packages of goodies to our families and treats for our own gathering on Christmas Day.

And you know what? I loved every minute of it. There's something about singing along to The Carpenters Christmas album and mixing up a batch of cookies that gets me in the holiday spirit.

When all was said and done, I made....

Tons and tons of fudge. Some plain, some with walnuts, some with macadamia nuts... but all good.


Cherry Chuckles. These are a favorite, traditional Christmas cookie in my family. Growing up, no one ever wanted to be stuck with the job of chopping up all those candied cherries (and honestly, it's still annoying), but the end result is always worth it.

I made them for the first time on my own last Christmas, our first in Phoenix. This year, I think they were even better. They taste like HOME. (Needless to say, I ate approximately 30 of them.)


Chocolate chip cookies. Again, my family's recipe, and a Christmas must-have:


Other assorted goodies, including macaroons and my usual festive, chocolate-covered pretzel sticks. Plus, a new addition this year: Mike's Nana's famous roll-out cookies.

Most people would call them sugar cookies, but in Mike's family, they're know as roll-outs. And they are beloved. Mike began describing them to me around Thanksgiving, angling for me to get the recipe from his mom and try them out.

My mom-in-law was nice enough to take me through the recipe step-by-step, giving me tons of tips from her experience of many years making them with Nana. She stressed that the cookies were a two-person job (one to roll and cut, one to bake and sprinkle), so my friend Kelly came over one night to help me.


I thought maybe they would need some kind of frosting, but Mike was appalled at the suggestion. Just sprinkles, he said. I could tell this was important to him, so I obliged.

And he was right -- they're delicious! They weren't quite what I was expecting. They're thinner and crispier than most sugar cookies I've had. But they've got such a great light, buttery taste, and they stayed fresh for much longer than the rest of the cookies. Plus, they were a huge hit at our place on Christmas Day.

I will leave you with the image of my kitchen counter, leading up to the big day:


Merry (extremely belated) Christmas!!

Heath Bar Blondies

I was cleaning up my kitchen cabinets a few weeks ago and found a bag of Heath bar chips. I realized that for for some potluck or party, I had planned on making Death By Chocolate again, and I hadn't. I was breathing in a baking mood, so I decided to find a new recipe that used ingredients I had in my home, including the Heath bar chips.

I found several recipes that look delicious, but very few that I could make without venturing to the grocery store. These Heath Bar Blondies satisfied that requirement and were absolutely delicious.

I doubled the recipe and made it in a 13x9 pan because I ended up taking it to a potluck at work, where it was extremely well-received. Instead of doubling the Heath bar chips, though, I added a cup of chocolate chips.

Ingredients:

1 c. all-purpose flour, ½ tsp baking powder, 1/8 tsp baking soda, and ½ tsp salt.

1 stick melted butter

1 c brown sugar

1 large egg

¼ tsp vanilla

1 c. coarsely chopped Heath bars

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9×9 baking pan. (You can use an 8×8; the blondies will just be slightly taller, or 13x9 if you double the recipe.)

Into a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, beat together brown sugar with melted butter. Add egg and vanilla.

Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture along with 1 c. coarsely chopped Heath bars. (Add nuts if you feel so inspired.) Pour batter into pan.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. (I baked my 13x9 bars for about 30 minutes, but I urge you to make sure you check to be sure the bars are cooked through. My oven is often a bit off, and I had to check them several times.) Let cool before cutting into squares.

Source: thedeliciouslife.com

Chocolate Chip Cake Bars for a soldier

For this round of Operation Baking Gals, I decided to try a new recipe, but one I knew would be tasty. So I opted for a recipe that one of my former colleagues baked for my Pastry Potluck sendoff a couple months ago.

I remembered that these Chocolate Chip Cake Bars were moist and delicious, and I think they have a good chance of surviving the trip overseas. When my husband tried one, he yelled out, "Oh, WOW!" So I'm guessing that he approved of my choice.

Ingredients

1 package yellow cake mix
2 eggs

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup water

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine first five ingredients and beat on medium speed for two minutes. Stir in chocolate chips and pour into greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake 20-25 minutes. Cool before cutting.

Source: Phoebe Volk

My notes:
I never think 1 cup of chocolate chips is enough in any recipe, and since it was one of the only things really giving this recipe some pizazz, I decided to add a little more. Ok, I added almost an entire bag and then sprinkled the few remaining chips on the top, so that the top would look more enticing straight out of the oven.

Before extra chips:


After extra chips:


I do not regret this decision. :)

The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie

I was in the mood to bake a few weeks ago and was fresh off a trip with Meg and our husbands to San Francisco, where we visited Ghirardelli Square.

Conveniently, I also had a bag of Ghirardelli baking chips in my pantry. I hopped on to the Ghirardelli Web site and found a recipe that looked yummy - AND I had all of the ingredients for it in house.

My husband said these were the best chocolate chip cookies he's ever had. His coworkers finished a plate of them before he came home for his lunch break. They were quite a hit, and I'll be making them again, I'm sure!

Ingredients:
* 11 1/2 ounce(s) 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
* 2 1/4 cup(s) unsifted flour
* 1 teaspoon(s) baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon(s) teaspoon salt
* 1 cup(s) (2 sticks) butter
* 3/4 cup(s) sugar
* 3/4 cup(s) packed brown sugar
* 2 eggs
* 2 teaspoon(s) vanilla
* 1 cup(s) chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Stir flour with baking soda and salt; set aside. In large mixer bowl, cream butter with sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Gradually blend dry mixture into creamed mixture. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Drop 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Source: ghirardelli.com

Seminary Muffins

Meg and I recently took a trip to San Francisco with our husbands. We hadn't seen each other since my wedding in November, and we rarely see each other more than once a year, so it was super exciting to all be able to get together.

We ate lots of delicious lunches, dinners and desserts on our trip (more on some of those later!), but we ate cost-savvy breakfasts at the hotel, snacking on food we packed in our suitcases. My husband isn't a big breakfast eater, so I brought granola bars and oatmeal and looked for something I could bake that would travel well and stay moist.

I found what I wanted in these Seminary Muffins. They traveled well although were a bit mushy - I think because I used a little too much banana :) And they're oil- and butter-free! I liked having the chocolate chips and nuts in there for some extra zing and energy.

INGREDIENTS

* 1 egg
* 1 1/3 cups mashed ripe banana
* 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
* 1/3 cup applesauce
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 cup quick cooking oats
* 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease one 12 cup muffin pan.


2. In a large bowl, combine egg, banana, brown sugar, applesauce and vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
3. Gently stir flour mixture and oatmeal into banana mixture. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour batter into prepared muffin cups.


4. Bake in preheated oven or 15 to 20 minutes, or until light brown. Remove muffins from pan and place on a wire rack to let cool before serving.

Source: allrecipes.com

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cake

I took one of my favorite cookbooks home with me last month so my little brother, Doug, and I could make one of the recipes from it.

I gave it to Doug on our way home from my grandmother's, and he spent a good 15-20 minutes looking at the recipes. His top choice? Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cake. The boy is clearly not his sister's brother when it comes to his love of chocolate - I would pick vanilla any day of the week but most of his interest was in the chocolatey confections.

We made this cake a few nights after Doug's first try at Cakies. This time, I let him do almost all of the legwork, although the cake mix we used called for egg whites, and after I explained to him what that entailed, he quickly decided I should handle the eggs on this one.

Ingredients:
Cake:
1 white cake mix
ingredients called for on back of box
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter (we used creamy)
1 cup chocolate chips

Frosting:
1 can (16 oz.) white frosting
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional

Directions:


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make cake batter as directed on back of box. Mix in peanut butter with electric mixer. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter in to a greased 9x13-inch pan. Bake 25-30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow cake to cool completely.


Mix frosting and peanut butter together. Spread over top of cooled cake. Sprinkle with nuts if desired. (Note: We topped the cake with some extra chocolate chips instead of nuts.)

Source: 101 More Things To Do With A Cake Mix by Stephanie Ashcraft

I dub thee: Bridal Shower Cookies

I was one of Kristin's co-matrons of honor at her wedding in November, and when it came time for her bridal shower a couple of months before, I really wanted to go. But it would have meant flying to Ohio for a few days, and since I was about to get married myself, I was low on vacation time and, well, money.

But I really wanted to help her sister, the other co-matron, put it on. I obviously couldn't help decorate. I couldn't prepare food. I couldn't greet guests. So I told her I would handle the favors.

I considered all sorts of possibilities. Candles. Something fall-themed. Fall-themed candles.
I wanted to do something edible (cuz who really needs a fall-themed candle?), but I was worried, as usual, about sending stuff from the desert heat.

Then it struck me: Jarred cookie mixes. I love how mixes look in clear containers, with different-colored layers. Plus, dry ingredients don't melt. Yay!

I didn't want to send jars, though, because of the weight, so I got jar-shaped tupperware. My friend Kelly came over for an afternoon, and we set up a makeshift assembly line in my kitchen.


I think we made about 30 of those bad boys, but it actually didn't take too long, with two people tackling the job (thanks, Kelly!). Then I added some fabric, ribbon and pretty paper for the ingredients and directions. I'm told they were a big hit.


The reason I'm blogging about these now, months later, is because these don't just make pretty favors. They're actually also really good cookies. My husband says they're one of his top three favorite things I bake. He's been strongly hinting for weeks that I should make them again, so when I was asked to bake something for a staff meeting at work, I figured it was time to bust out this recipe again.

It's basically an oat-chocolate chip cookie, but the rice crispies give it just a tiny bite that I love. And they disappeared rather quickly at the staff meeting, which is always a positive sign.


Ingredients

• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup crispy rice cereal
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup white sugar

Directions

* In a 1-quart jar, layer the ingredients in the order listed. Pack down firmly after each addition.

* Attach a tag with the following instructions:

Cookie in a Jar
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream 1/2 cup margarine until light and fluffy. Mix in 1 egg and 2 tablespoons water. Add the entire contents of the jar, and stir until well blended. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in preheated oven. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.

Source: allrecipes.com

Oatmeal Choconut Cookies

My friend Julia is heading to law school in a few short weeks, and this past weekend we had a going away party for her. I was in charge of desserts. (Woo!) I made several old favorites (cake mix cookies, cookie dough pizza, and lemon chillers), and I also branched out with some new recipes.

One of the new recipes was these Oatmeal Choconut Cookies. I wanted something moist (and Meg and I have found anything with cake mix stays soft and moist longer) and had oatmeal and coconut to use up, so this totally fit the bill.

Ingredients:
1 yellow or white cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup coconut
1 1/2 cups quick oats
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat over to 350 degrees. With a spoon, mix cake mix, eggs and butter together.

Stir in coconut, oats and chocolate chips.

Drop dough balls on to a lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake 9-12 minutes or until light golden brown around edges. Remove cookies and place on non-stick rack to cool.


Note: Semisweet or peanut butter chips can be used in place of milk chocolate chips.

Source: 101 More Things To Do With A Cake Mix by Stephanie Ashcraft

One-Bowl Chocolate Chip Cookies

What's a girl to do when she has one cup of mini chocolate chips, one cup of butterscotch chips and three sticks of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter sitting around? Make these, of course! Because it's your typical dough-cookie kind of baking (and because I was lazy!), I didn't take many photos. But they're yummy and buttery and a bit healthier than traditional chocolate chip cookies, and my kitchen just got a little less cluttered.

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® Cooking & Baking sticks
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 package (12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used one cup mini chocolate chips and 1 cup butterscotch chips)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°.

Beat I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!® Cooking & Baking sticks with sugars in large bowl with electric mixer or wooden spoon until smooth. Beat in vanilla, egg and baking soda. Stir in flour until blended. Stir in chips.

Drop mixture by heaping tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool on cookie sheets 2 minutes. Remove cookies to wire racks and cool completely.

VARIATIONS: Substitute white chocolate chips, candy pieces or toffee bits for semi-sweet chocolate chips.
For ONE BOWL OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES, Stir in 1 cup oatmeal with the flour. Try adding 1/2 cup chopped nuts, dried cranberries or raisins.

Makes: 3 dozen cookies
Preparation Time: 15 Minutes(s)
Cook Time: 10 Minutes(s)
Nutrition Information per cookie:

Calories 140, Calories From Fat 70, Saturated Fat 3g, Trans Fat 0g, Total Fat 8g, Cholesterol 5mg, Sodium 65mg, Total Carbohydrates 17g, Sugars 11g, Dietary Fiber 1g, Protein 1g, Vitamin A 6%, Vitamin C 0%, Calcium 0%, Iron 4%

Source: I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

I had almost forgotten about this little gem over on Heather's blog. But when I went hunting for the Oreo cupcake recipe, it jumped out at me again and screamed, "Make me for craft party!" Never one to argue with reason (or yelling imaginary voices), I decided to make it for May's craft gathering.

As I was making it, I worried about each step and if I was dissolving the brown sugar enough, if the mixture was cooled enough, if my dip was very liquid-like. Therefore, I did not take many photos. But for all of my paranoia, this dip turned. out. GOOD. It really did taste like cookie dough, but without the salmonella threat of raw eggs. It held it's own with the spectacular selection of food and desserts that the girls brought - it was, by far, one of our finest food offerings EVER.

Because I am always looking for ways to cut calories, I served it with reduced fat graham crackers and reduced fat vanilla wafers.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (I used I Can't Believe It's Not Butter For Cooking and Baking)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extra
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat cream cheese)
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
3/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions (with Heather's notes below):
1. In a small sauce pan, melt butter and brown sugar over medium heat. Stir continuously until the brown sugar dissolves.

2. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla extract. Set aside to cool.

3. Beat the softened cream cheese and confectioner's sugar for 1 minute.

4. Slowly beat in the cooled butter/brown sugar mixture. Beat for an additional minute.


5. Stir in the chocolate chips.

6. Pour mixture into serving bowl and refrigerate. (Note: The mixture will be very liquid-like at first. Refrigeration is necessary to make it a better consistency. If you are running short on time, you can also throw the mixture into the freezer for a little bit.)

7. Garnish with additional chips (optional).

(Another note: After refrigeration for an extended period of time, your dip will be very solid and un-dippable--your wafers or graham crackers will break! To achieve the best consistency, remove from the refrigerator 15-30 minutes prior to serving.)

Source: Heather's blog

Moon Rocks

I have a few recipe books that I absolutely adore. One of them is from the "3 Books in 1" series - Cookies, Bars and Muffins. My good friend Jen gave me this book for Christmas 2006, and I've gotten a lot of use out of it. You'll likely see me post a lot of recipes from that book on this blog.

Julia borrowed the book when she was looking for a cookie recipe for a Christmas cookie exchange. She tried a cookie called "Moon Rocks." The cookies were yummy, but they were flat, and she knew why - the recipe called for cake mix with pudding in the mix. She wasn't using cake mix with pudding in the mix.

For Julia's Signing Day, I decided to recreate the Moon Rocks. I made sure I got a cake mix with pudding in the mix. It was fun - if you want to work out some aggression on a cookie, this is your answer. You get to smash up some pretzel sticks! But that's where my recommendation of this cookie ends. I don't know why, but it was one of the most dry, almost stale tasting cookies I've ever made/eaten. It might have been a fluke, but it just didn't taste fresh.

My sister had told Meghan and I she wanted us to send her samples of our baked goods. We told her if she joined the blog as a "follower" (see the section on the lower right side of our blog - hi followers!) we would send her food. I threw a few of these cookies in to a plastic bag and mailed them to her to thank her for supporting the East to West Bakers. I had little faith that they would not end up crushed and squished merely because I didn't really pack them all that well. Marti reported that they were, in fact, "pulverized." But, she admitted, they were also rather dry. "But still delicious!" she said.

But dry.

I don't like dry cookies. And I'm not quite sure why this recipe produced dry cookies. I will share it with you for the mere reason that maybe you will recreate them and they will be grand and you can tell me what a silly blogging baker ninny I am.

Ingredients:

1 package (18-1/4 ounces) devil's food or German chocolate cake mix with pudding in the mix

3 eggs

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

2 cups slightly crushed (2-1/2-inch) pretzel sticks

1-1/2 cups uncooked old-fashioned oats

1 cup swirled chocolate and white chocolate chips or candy-coated semisweet chocolate baking pieces

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend cake mix, eggs and butter in large bowl. Stir in crushed pretzels, oats and chocolate chips. (Dough will be stiff.)

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.


Bake 7 to 9 minutes or until set. Let cookies cool on cookie sheets 1 minute; transfer to wire racks to to cool completely.

Source: Favorite Brand Name 3 Books in 1: Cookies, Bars, Muffins