NFL week 7 friday – brown butter blondies

A simple, classic request from my hubby for the friday of NFL week 7 – browned butter blondies  with chocolate chips.   They batter is made in no time and they bake in 20 to 22 minutes!

Regarding browning butter – place it in a skillet and cook over low heat until you see tiny brown specs form. (This may take 10 minutes or more, keep an eye on it, so it doesn’t burn). Remove from heat immediately.  

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  And preheat your oven before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1/2 cup butter, browned
  • 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed into measuring cup
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 1 cup minus 2 tbs flour
  • 1/2 salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions – preheat to 350 degrees.  Line an 8×8 pan with tin foil and spray with baking spray.  Set aside.  in a bowl, combine browned butter and brown sugar.  Add egg and vanilla.  Fold in flour and salt.  Mix in chips.  Spread evenly into prepared pan.  Bake 20 to 22 minutes. They may seem gushy but do not overbake.   Cool completely. Pop in fridge to firm up if you want. 

Store in covered container.

Special dark cookies stuffed with chocolate cake and chocolate ganache and topped with melted dark chocolate

These are not for the faint of heart.   4x the chocolate – a special dark chocolate cookie stuffed with black cocoa cake, ganache (a fancy name for melted chocolate) and topped with melted chocolate.  I recommend chilling the raw doughs after brjng stuffed to keep them puffy and keep the stuffings (cake and ganache) inside.

Scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup to get the correct amount (same goes for the baking cocoa).  And preheat your oven to 410 degrees before baking.  And only bake for 15 minutes.

You will need one chocolate cake baked in a round pan, baked according to directions and cooled completely. 

Cut out small pieces 2 inch squares or circles and set aside.  I used my Bills shot glass!

  • Ganache ingredients
  • 4 tbs heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions – in a microwave safe bowl, heat cream for one minute.  Add chips.  Let stand one minute.   Sture smooth.  Let set at room temp for 20 minutes, then place in fridge to firm up.

  • Cookies ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed into measuring cup
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 3 tbs heavy cream
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup special dark cocoa powder
  • 1 tap baking soda
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Directions – in a bowl,  cream butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Add eggs, vanilla and heavy cream.  Mix in dry ingredients.  Divide into 8 even pieces.  Divide each of those in half and slightly flatten each.  On one half, place a square of cake

and 1 tbs ganache.  

Top with other half

and seal edges. 

Freeze overnight.  When ready to bake, preheat oven to 410 degrees.  line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on sheet. 

Bake 15 minutes, no longer. 

Cool completely.    Top with melted chocolate.  Store in covered containerm.

Peanut butter halloween cutout cookies

With Halloween a little more than a week away, I decided to use my pumpkin, bat, ghost cookie cutters once again.  2 ghosts are frosted with a marshmallow fluff frosting and the rest are topped with melted mini hershey bars…. and mini m&ms for eyes and mouths.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  I chilled the doughs after I cut them out.  And preheat your oven before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1 cup crisco
  • 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed into measuring cup
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tbs heavy cream
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder

Directions – in a bowl, cream crisco and peanut butter.  Blend in brown sugar and sugar.  Mix in eggs, vanilla and heavy cream.   Stir in flour and baking powder.  Sprinkle flour on a flat surface.  Roll dough to desired thickness.  Cut with cookie cutters, and chill cutouts in a covered container for a few hours.  When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on sheet. 

Bake 10 to 12 minutes,  no longer.  Cool completely.  

You can frost these with a marshmallow fluff frosting (2 tbs softened butter, 1/2 cup fluff, 1 cup powdered sugar and enough milk to get the consistency you want, or melted chocolate.  Store in covered container.

Week 6 Victory Monday cookies

To celebrate our win over the Raiders, and an unbelievable touchdown toss by our Josh allen…

I made halloween themed cutout cookie sandwiches, using my   Pumpkin, bat and ghost shaped cookie cutters. 

Super easy recipe.  Big sweet, soft cookies that remind me of childhood and baking them for various holidays (mostly christmas).  I didn’t chill the dough at all, because these use crisco.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  And preheat your oven before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 1/3 cups crisco
  • 1 1/2 cups crisco
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 4 cups flour
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with baking liners. Set aside.  In a bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients.   Flour a flat surface with flour.  using a rolling pin, roll to desired thickness.  Cut with cookie cutters.  Stagger on prepared sheet.  Bake 8 to 9 minutes no longer.  Cool completely. 

For filling, I combined 1/4 cup melted butter with 2 to 3 cups powdered sugar.  I added vanilla and enough milk to get the consistency I wanted.  Spread a few spoonfuls between 2 cookies for a sandwich.  

Store in covered container.

Super large peanut butter cookies

A second treat for work today.  6 super large peanut butter cookies with peanut butter chips.  It is a winner take all game 5 of the ALDs, after all, so perhaps one treat is not enough

I am so pleased with how they turned out.  They were a last minute call, so I used browned butter instead of waiting for butter to soften.  I also used 1 cup of all purpose flour and 1 cup bread flour.   You can use all AP flour if you want.

I did not chill the dough  and yet they turned out really puffy!   I also pressed peanut butter chips into the tops of hot cookies.  You can mix them into the dough ahead of time if you want.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1/2 cup butter, browned
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 tbs heavy cream
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup bread flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter chips

Directions – place butter in saucepan, cooking over medium heat until brown specs appear, between 7 to 10 minutes. Pour into a bowl and mix with peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Add vanilla, egg and heavy cream.   Blend in dry ingredients divide evenly into 6 pieces and roll into balls.  If you don’t want mound shape cookies, slighly flatten.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and stagger cookies on it. Bake 12 to 14 minutes, no longer.  Gently press peanut butter chips on tops of hot cookies. 

Cool completely.   Store in covered container.

Mudslide cookies version 2

A super chocolatey mudslide cookies made with 2 different kinds of chocolate – unsweetened and dark.  I forgot to put baking powder in them this time (trying to do too many things at once), but I think they came out ok.  A big chubby blob of chocolate!

These use cake flour.  If you don’t have it, you can combine 6 tbs of cornstarch with 3 cups all purpose flour for a homemade version.   I know mudslide cookies usually come out flatter, but I like my cookies puffy, so i chilled the scooped out dough a few hours before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 8 tbs butter
  • 7 oz unsweetened chocolate
  • 6 oz dark chocolate chips (1 cup)
  • 7 eggs
  • 2 3/4 cups sugar
  • 1 tbs water
  • 3 cups cake flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Directions – in a microwave safe bowl, melted both chocolates and butter in 45 second increments until you can stir smooth.  In another bowl, beat eggs, sugar and water medium high speed 6 to 8 minutes.   Blend in melted chocolate mixture.  Fold in dry ingredients.  Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough.  Chill a few hours.  When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on sheet.

Bake cookies 12 to 14 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely.   Pop in fridge for a half hour.

Remove and store at room temp in covered container

Smores hot cocoa chocolate graham cracker cookies

One last ode to summer – smores cookies that feature hot cocoa mix, marshmallow bits, crushed chocolate graham cracker crumbs and milk chocolate chips. And a half of a mini hershey bar pressed on top of each cookie immediately after being removed from the oven.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  You can use regular graham cracker crumbs or none at all.   I recommend chilling the doughs for a few hours before baking.  I used a mix of butter and butter crisco.  You can use all butter or a mix of butter and regular crisco.  I used a combo of bread flour and all purpose flour.  But you can use entirely all purpose flour.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1/2 cup butter, softene
  • 1/2 cup butter crisco
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed into measuring cup
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tbs heavy cream
  • 1 1/4 cups bread flour
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 4 packets hot cocoa mix
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 sheets chocolate graham crackers, crushed (anywhere between 1/2 cup and 1 cup crushed graham crackers)
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1 cup mini marshmallow bits

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, butter crisco, sugar and brown sugar.  Add eggs, heavy cream, and vanilla.  Blend in graham cracker crumbs and dry ingredients.   Mix in chips, marshmallow bits.  Scoop out 1/4 cups dough.  Chill a few hours.   When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.   Stagger cookies on sheet. 

Bake 10 to 12 minutes, no longer.  Immediately gently press a half hershey miniature chocolate bar into top of each cookie. 

Cool completely.   Store in covered container.

Smores hot cocoa chocolate graham cracker cookies

One last ode to summer – smores cookies that feature hot cocoa mix, marshmallow bits, crushed chocolate graham cracker crumbs and milk chocolate chips. And a half of a mini hershey bar pressed on top of each cookie immediately after being removed from the oven.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  You can use regular graham cracker crumbs or none at all.   I recommend chilling the doughs for a few hours before baking.  I used a mix of butter and butter crisco.  You can use all butter or a mix of butter and regular crisco.  I used a combo of bread flour and all purpose flour.  But you can use entirely all purpose flour.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1/2 cup butter, softene
  • 1/2 cup butter crisco
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed into measuring cup
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tbs heavy cream
  • 1 1/4 cups bread flour
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 4 packets hot cocoa mix
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 sheets chocolate graham crackers, crushed (anywhere between 1/2 cup and 1 cup crushed graham crackers)
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1 cup mini marshmallow bits

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, butter crisco, sugar and brown sugar.  Add eggs, heavy cream, and vanilla.  Blend in graham cracker crumbs and dry ingredients.   Mix in chips, marshmallow bits.  Scoop out 1/4 cups dough.  Chill a few hours.   When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.   Stagger cookies on sheet. 

Bake 10 to 12 minutes, no longer.  Immediately gently press a half hershey miniature chocolate bar into top of each cookie. 

Cool completely.   Store in covered container.

Triple chip cookies

These are a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe with a box of instant vanilla pudding mix added and I used a mix of milk, white and semisweet chocolate chips.  I also used 1 cup of bread flour, in addition to the all purpose flour, but you can use entirely all purpose flour if you want.  I like bread flour because it helps keep cookies from flattening.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup butter flavor crisco
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed into measuring cup
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tbs heavy cream
  • 3.4 oz instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 1 cup bread flour
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 2/3 cup white chocolate chips
  • 2/3 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, butter  crisco, sugar and brown sugar.  Add eggs, cream and vanilla.  Blend in pudding mix.  Fold in dry ingredients.  If dough seems a little dry, add another tbs or 2 of heavy cream.  Mix in chips.  Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough.   Chill.  When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on sheet.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes, no longer. 

Cool completely.   Store in covered container.

NFL week 4 Sunday – xl chocolate chip cookies (melted butter)

This is one of two treats for Bills gameday.  Large, thick chocolate chip cookies made with melted butter and a mix of all purpose flour and cake flour.   You can use entirely all purpose flour, if that’s what you have.   Remember to chill the dough for a few hours before baking. 

  • Ingredients list
  • 3/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed into cup
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup cake flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions – in a bowl blend butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Add egg, yolk and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients.   If dough seems a little dry, add a tbs or two of heavy cream or milk.  Mix in chips.  Divide dough into 8 individual pieces and roll into balls.  Chill a few hours.  When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger doughs on prepared sheet.  bake 10 to 12 minutes, no longer (edges will be golden).  Cool completely.  

Store in covered container.

Go Bills!