chocolate chips

Thirsty Thursday: Hot Chocolate Mix

December 6, 2012

Do you know what you should not do? You shouldn’t forget about the hot chocolate you are making on the stove and then be utterly surprised when it overflows burning on your new glass top stove. yep, that’s happened… twice…

Well, you should totally make hot chocolate (and pay attention to it) and to do so you should mix up this hot chocolate mix. It’s great to enjoy snuggled up under a cozy blanket while watching a movie or RHofsomewhere. It also makes for a fantastic gift. It is quick to mix up, packages easily, and is so yummy.

I made this basic hot chocolate mix to get things started. Not basic in being ‘meh’, but basic in that it is a great base for you to create specialty flavored hot chocolate. I love starting with one recipe and making some modifications to create something fun and different.

Swap out the semi- sweet chocolate chips for some peppermint chips for a peppermint hot chocolate.
You can use peanut butter chips instead of the semi-sweet chocolate chips. Awesome.
Or you can use caramel chips and triple the salt for a salted caramel cocoa.

But wait, there’s more! Amanda has flipped hot chocolate on it’s head with a Frozen Hot Chocolate. I’ve always wanted to try Frozen Hot Chocolate from Serendipity 3 in NYC but have never made it there so this is the perfect chance to make it at home myself! If you can’t get to the frozen hot chocolate, bring the frozen hot chocolate to you!

Hot Chocolate Mix

Fills 8 1/2 pint mason jars

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
3 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon salt
10.5 oz package of mini marshmallow
8 oz of semi sweet chocolate chips, mini is preferred

Process

Combine all of the ingredients together in a very large mixing bowl. Divide the mix up in bags or air-tight containers.
To make hot chocolate- in an medium sized sauce pan, combine 8 oz of milk with 3 tablespoons mix. Heat gently to warm and melt the chocolate chips. Stir occasionally so the milk and chocolate do not burn on the bottom. Top off with more marshmallows or whipped cream and sprinkles. Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies

December 4, 2012

So I’m going to let you in on a little secret… Mint and Chocolate ROCK together. Oh, so you don’t like that combo? GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!! Alright, I won’t throw you to the curb but really? Ew. Besides mint in iced tea I think that mint and chocolate is the best.

Once I saw this bag of Andes Creme de Menthe Baking Chips I knew I had to dive right in and get right to baking. I toyed around with a bunch of ideas but I wanted to stick to chocolate, chocolate, chocolate!! So I found this amazing double chocolate chip cookie recipe and got started on making some holiday cheer cookies.

Grab some milk and some cookies since these are a winter time winter. They are soft, fudgy, and minty. The texture is slightly chewy from the dense chocolate dough and the tons of chocolate and mint chips. Oh, those mint chips. I want to add them in everything… stay tuned…

Double Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies

Makes 24 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar (I split it between white sugar and brown sugar)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 oz (2 cups)semisweet chocolate chips
10 oz Andes Creme De Menthe baking chips

Process

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
In large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture until well blended. Stir in the chocolate chips and mint chips. Drop rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or just until set. Cool slightly on the cookie sheets before transferring onto racks to cool completely.

Chubby Tates and a chat with Kathleen King of Tate’s Bakeshop

November 9, 2012

Last week when I received an email asking if I would like to chat Kathleen King of Tate’s Bake Shop I nearly fell out of my chair. Really me?!?! Really, Kathleen King?!?! Well, it was not a joke as I chatted with Kathleen last week as she was on her way up to some book signings for her most recent book, Tate’s Bake Shop: Baking For Friends.

Kathleen King started baking and selling cookies on her father’s farm at the age of 11. This all started as she needed extra money for the clothes that she wanted. From an early age Kathleen has been a go-getter, a problem solver. Well her simple selling cookies = clothes money has evolved to a bakeshop when she was 21 and then to a mail order company. In addition to all that she has just whipped out 3 cookbooks.

What I loved most about taking to Kathleen was her attitude. She is a very smart, deliberate woman but most importantly one that has an effervescence about her. The 20 minutes flew by as we talked about recipes, life attitudes, and ‘kids these days’. Kathleen realizes that most things have already been created at this point but it is her goal to develop the best. Also, things shouldn’t be too complex or a headache for it to be good, like a fresh blueberry muffin. Work at creating the best and don’t stress out about the proess, you just learn from it. Sometimes you will have succcesses and other times you will have huge failures but keep on going. Thankfully, Kathleen had great success in her gluten-free chocolate chip cookie when she was developing that and it right away became a best seller.

Kathleen and I discussed the upcoming holidays and she was saying that she hosts and the most important thing about pulling off a successful meal is to enjoy it. She can create a game plan for having friends over to hosting Thanksgiving to writing a cookbook, it’s important to manage, prioritize, and delegate as needed. And don’t sweat it if you have a kitchen disaster… “don’t stress, it’s just cookies”… or turkey or anything… just roll with the flow, and remember there always is take out!

I made Tate’s Bakeshop classic cookie called the Chubby Tate in honor of my conversation with Kathleen King. I had to see what all the fuss was about. Well, I got it since I ate… well I’m not telling how many!!! My coworkers also enjoyed the cookies. We have long work tables in our large corridor in front of our workstations so everyone knows that any baked goods left out are from me. So people would grab a cookie on their way into the kitchen or printer and while on their way back I’d hear ‘Nic’ and get a thumbs up or a comment about how good they were. They are best our of the oven but they last up to 3 days, if you don’t eat them all before hand.

Next week I”m back with some more yummy Tate’s Bake Shop goodness with another recipe from Kathleen’s new book. Just wait 🙂

Chubby Tates

Makes approximate 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 sticks of salted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups (12oz) semisweet chocolate chips

Process

Position the oven racks in the top third and center of the oven and preheat your oven to 325. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats.
Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
Beat together the brown sugar, butter, granulated sugar, and corn syrup with an electric mixer or in a stand mixer on high until combined, about 1 minute. Add in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract to combine. In batches, add the flour mixture on low until just combined. Add in the chocolate chips.
Portion out 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie on the lined baking sheets. Cookies are to be arranged 3″apart.
Bake, rotating the sheets top to bottom and front to back half way through baking. Bake for about 18 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Let cool on the baking sheets 5 minutes prior to cooling completely on wire racks.

Note: Cookies can be prepared and frozen in advance of baking. Freeze individually on a lined baking sheet before transferring to a storage container or zip lock bag. Cookies can be frozen for up to 1 month. Do not thaw prior to baking, increase baking time to 20 minutes.

Birthday Cake Oreo Truffles- SRC

August 27, 2012

When I got my assignment for my Secret Recipe Club post this month I did a little dance and clap!! I got from Laura from A Heathly Jalapeno. We are both from Connecticut, root for NY based football teams (me- Giants, Laura- Jets), and have great guys in our life. She recently got engaged & had her bridal shower so I wish her luck on her wedding and lots of happiness in her marriage. Laura blogs about healthy living and healthy recipes. She does like to indulge as well so I did find some great sweets recipes to make. I have been on a crazy baking/sweets kick lately so while I loved some savory dishes (Asparagus and Bacon Eggs Benedict– duh!!) I decided to make the Oreo Truffles that Laura posted.

I have been on an Oreo kick lately. I have 3 varieties at home right now. (Thankfully, I have been good about using them in recipes and not eating them otherwise) Since Oreo is celebrating their 100 year birthday they created a birthday cake Oreo. I die. So decided to make these truffles with the Birthday Cake Oreos. They sell in smaller packages (of course) so I had to use 1 1/2 packages to get to the correct amount of Oreos needed (15.5 oz). The rest of this was super easy and a lot of fun, which insprired the S’mores Truffles I made recently as well.

I don’t think my coworkers would have known they were Birthday Cake Oreo Truffles had I not told them since that flavor was pretty subtle once it was combined with the cream cheese and covered in choclate. I am thinking about making these again with the Strawberry Milkshake Oreos.

*The birthday cake oreos are a limited edition. Get them ASAP!*

Birthday Cake Oreo Truffles

Makes 48 truffles

Ingredients

1 1/2 packages (15.5 oz) of Birthday Cake Oreos
8oz of cream cheese
3 cups white chocolate or semi sweet chocolate chips
sprinkles

Process

Crush the Oreo Cookies in a food processor.
Combine the cream cheese and crushed Oreos together.
Divide the dough into 4 sections. And then roll a total of 48 1″ balls. Place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet and freeze for at least 30 minutes.
While the balls are freezing, melt the chocolate.
Drop each ball into the chocolate and completely coat. Remove excess chocolate as you remove the truffle. Place on wax paper and immediately put a pinch of sprinkles on top. Put back into freezer to firm up the chocolate.
Store in the refrigerator up to a week.

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Check out my previous Secret Recipe Club Posts:

July: Tropical Pork Pineapple Kebabs

June: Cheesy Garlic Knots

May: Berry Brownie Torte

April: Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream

March: Sauteed Green Beans with Lemon and Almonds

February: Fried Pickles

Jan: No SRC postings

December: Shrimp Sriracha Stir Fry

November: Vegetable Enchiladas

October: Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Check out the rest of the reveal day posts!

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Thanks for visiting. Please leave me a comment to provide some feedback. I appreciate all the comments I receive.

S’mores Chex Mix

August 20, 2012

You know those times on twitter when are you DMing someone about your shared love of s’mores so you guys come up with the idea to do a week of s’mores recipes on your blogs?

Yep, those moments are pure genius.

And that is exactly what happened between Amanda and I after I was complaining to her how I could not stop thinking about the baked s’mores bars that I made after she posted s’mores bars on her blog and the new s’mores pizza she just posted.

So many s’mores, so little time? I don’t think so!!

So that became a springboard for us to post different s’mores themed recipes on our blog everyday this week.

So here I am bringing you a S’mores Chex Mix while Amanda shares S’mores Ice Cream Sandwiches.

The S’mores Chex Mix is so addictive that you can’t stop munching on and the S’mores Ice Cream Sandwiches are the perfect summer time treat to change up the roasted, toasted routine.

I loved when I made muddy buddies and biscoff muddy buddies before so I used them to inspire me to make this S’mores Chex Mix. I love the texture of muddy buddies with the cereal being coated with a chocolate based mixture and then coated again with powdered sugar so I wanted to do that same for this S’mores Chex Mix. I made a mixture of milk chocolate and marshmallows to coat the cereals before the powered sugar. Then I added more milk chocolate chips and mini marshmallows to the mix for an extra s’mores flavored kick!

I hope that you enjoy my S’mores Chex Mix and Amanda’s S’mores Ice Cream Sandwiches as much as the rest of the ones we have planned for the rest of the week!!!

S’mores Chex Mix

Makes 18 servings

Ingredients

4 cups of Corn Chex (120 grams)
5 cups of Golden Grahams (206 grams)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 cups of milk chocolate chips, divided in 1 cup portions (123 grams)
mini marshmallows, divided
2 cups powdered sugar

Process

Measure out the Golden Grahams and Corn Chex cereals. Pour the cereal out on a large sheet tray.
Combine the butter, 1 cup of milk chocolate chips, and 3/4 cup mini marshmallow in a bowl. Microwave in 15 second increments and mix until the ingredients every time until the mixture is melted together.
Pour the melted chocolate mixture onto the cereals. Gently mix until all the cereals are evenly coated. Sift the powdered sugar in small batches on the cereals and mix every time to incorporate.
Once the coated cereals have cooled, mix in the remaining mini marshmallows and chocolate chips.

Trail Mix Cookies

March 13, 2010

These really are my favorite cookies. Not just because I make them but because they are oatmeal, chocolate chip, and coconut macaroons rolled into one. I call them trail mix cookies because they remind me of good trail mix from trader joes. So with oatmeal, chocolate chips, coconut, cranberries, and walnuts you can take on what ever is ahead of you, a long trail or the sofa and a movie.

These were originally cinnamon chip oatmeal cookies off of a package of cinnamon chips but as time went on I started to mess around and bake them differently every time until reaching this. So cinnamon chips became chocolate chips, then I added in nuts, then coconut, then cranberries. Everything worked together to become a chewy oatmeal cookie packed with goodies.

Typically, I make cake for our monthly staff meetings as a way of celebrating the birthdays that month. Things have ranged from Tres Leche Cake to Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting. I kinda felt bad for not making a cake this month but I was not in the mood to make cake. Just plain and simple, I wanted to make cookies. So on Thursday morning I got up when Price was getting up for work @ 5.20 and started to make cookies. Having 1 for breakfast was a great way to start the day.

I don’t think people minded having cookies instead of cake, esp when I saw some people stack up a few on a napkin as they went into the staff meeting and then grab some on the way out. After work I brought over the extras to Price’s class. True story- I got on the wrong train. I could have taken the B,C, or the D there but I got on the E line. 6+ years in Boston and I get on the wrong train! What makes it even worse is that I could have gotten off and waited for another or walked but I w as not paying attention for my last chance to fix the situation so I had to walk through the mall to get back on course. What the hell?

Trail Mix Cookies

makes 6 dozen 2 in dia cookies

3 sticks of unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups of brown sugar (I use dark brown)

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

3 eggs

3 teaspoons of vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda

3 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

2 1/4 cups of chocolate chips

1 1/4 cups of shredded coconut

1 cup of chopped walnuts

3/4 cup of dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 350.

Prepare baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray or line with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, baking soda, and baking powder in a small bowl, set side. Cream together the butter and sugars on high until creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla, mix well. Add the flour mixture to the batter in batches. On low-speed, add the oatmeal, chocolate chips, coconut, nuts, and cranberries until combined.

Form cookies and place on cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Recipe produces 6 dozen 2 in diameter cookies, larger cookies will result in a lesser number and will take longer to bake.

Beautiful Blondies

March 8, 2010

Another poker night, another treat for the guys. I was struggling coming up with something for the guys for the bi-weekly poker game. Cake is kinda hard to juggle with a beverage, cards, and a cigar. While they won’t turn down (free) cake they like cookies, brownies, and squares for ease of inhaling them. So I turned to food blog browsing for some ideas. I was thinking of lemon squares but when I saw blondies posted on Fake Ginger I knew I had to go with them. Something new to try and it will quickly be out of the house so I can’t indulge.

We spent the afternoon of watching Syracuse lose their basketball game at a bar down town so Price had to go one way to get to poker on time and I went the other to bake. Once the blondies were done I grabbed them and threw them into the back seat- okay gently placed them, but off we were. I heard they really enjoyed them since they were still hot.

The blondies were really easy to make. I use my stand mixer for everything but you can easily use a hand mixer to cream the butter and sugars and do the rest by hand with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Our evil little “oven” look soo long to bake the blondies. Maybe it is breaking again? I’m assuming that they normally do take 40 minutes and my hour was due to our oven’s need to act like an Easy Bake Oven.

I’m sure you could make some substitutions with what kind of chips or nuts you use but I really think this recipe is spot on with the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, pecans, and shredded coconut.

Blondies

from Fake Ginger

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup sweetened coconut

Center a rack in the oven and preheat oven to 325. Butter a 9 x 13 baking pan and put on a baking sheet.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add both sugars and beat for another 3 minutes, or until well incorporated. Add the eggs 1 by 1, beating for 1 minutes after each addition, then beat in vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing just until they disappear into the batter. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chips, nuts, and coconut. Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and use the spatula to even the top as best as you can.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the blondies come out clean. The blondies should pull away from the sides of the pan a little and the top should be a nice honey brown. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for about 15 minutes before turning the blondies out onto another rack. Invert onto a rack and cool the blondies to room temperature right side up.

Cut into 32 bars, each roughly 2 1/4 x 2 1/2 inches.

Peanut Butter Cookies

February 12, 2010

My friend Emily asked me what I use for a peanut butter cookie recipe since she wants to try a bacon peanut butter cookie. I think this is genius but what really makes it great is that she has never purchased bacon in her 23 years. Never purchased or cooked meat in fact. She is not a vegetarian but pretty close, except that I have brought her over to the dark side. She tried a big mac after boozy bowling for my 24th birthday. Pretty funny once she spotted a McDonald’s and announced that she wanted a Big Mac so Price had to drive around the block while we ran in. Needless to say Em felt like garbage later.

So back to the peanut butter cookies….. this simple question of “what recipe do you like?” prompted me to yank out several cook books to see what possibilities I had to try compared to my usual recipe. Whenever I have made peanut butter cookies I have used My First Baking Book. My mom got it for me when I was 6 and I have used this book several times even though it is a “kid’s cook book”. To be quite honest I find it hard to believe that kids will be using puff pastry or making eclairs. What 6 year old makes Pate Choux??

This seems to be an easy and pretty standard peanut butter cookies recipe. While going through my cook books I noticed this was pretty close to a few others that I had. I made an addition to it by adding my homemade vanilla extract. I just think that everything should have vanilla extract. Additionally, I made some without chocolate chips and some with.

I’m not a fan of peanut butter cookies. I had 1 with the chocolate chips and it was good. Good texture, good flavor but I really don’t like pb cookies and without a sweet tooth I have had not made it my mission to try to perfect the cookie. Maybe I can work on that now. Either way, Price enjoyed them last night. I brought them into work to see what other’s have to say. Hopefully they will enjoy these and trying different recipes until they have picked the best.

Peanut Butter Cookies

2 sticks of room temperature butter

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 cup of peanut butter

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

2 cups of self rising flour

chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350.

Cream the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy.

One at a time, add the eggs.

Add vanilla and peanut butter until batter is smooth.

Add the self rising flour until just incorporated. If adding chocolate chips add them in now.

Place teaspoon fulls onto a nonstick/greased/silicon lined baking sheet.

Bake for 12-17 minutes. Let cool on a rack and then enjoy with milk.

Neiman Marcus Cookies

January 2, 2010

I think everyone has heard of urban legend involving the Neiman Marcus Cookie recipe. The one where the woman loves the cookie soo much that she asks for the recipe and the waiter tells her it is “two-fifty” for it. Little did she know that snooty patooty waiter ment $250. Shocked and pissed customer tries to argue this charge but loose and as a result shares the recipe. Well, all of this is made up, what else is new? In fact, the cookie recipe is on Neiman Marcus’ website, along with several other recipes for dishes they serve in their cafes.

I figured it would be fitting to this famous cookie since I had to urge to bake and this is a classic cookie- except its one that I never tried before. Always a first time for everything. So I made a double batch of these gems to share with the people that Price work with (hell, people working on New Years Day need a treat!) and his poker cigar buddies.

They were easy to make and produced a nice result. I like cookies that are gooey and chewy, which when I stopped backing were perfectly like that. I even accounted for carry over cooking so they were on the underdone side but when they finished setting up they became fairly crisp. They became cookies that would pair perfectly with a glass of milk. A quick dunk and enjoy. Or in the case of the poker guys… a cold beer and a cookie.

Neiman Marcus Cookies

2 dozen cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 cup light brown sugar

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1-3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder

1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cream the butter with the sugars using an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy (approximately 30 seconds)

Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract for another 30 seconds.

In a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture at low speed for about 15 seconds. Stir in the espresso coffee powder and chocolate chips.

Using a 1 ounce scoop or a 2 tablespoon measure, drop cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart. Gently press down on the dough with the back of a spoon to spread out into a 2 inch circle. Bake for about 20 minutes or until nicely browned around the edges. Bake a little longer for a crispier cookie.