Hot Chocolate Cookies

Found this one on pinterest too. They were delicious....very rich! I made a TON of these, left about 5 at home and took the rest to work....they were all gone by the next day! 

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of butter
• 20 oz. baking chocolate squares
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs, at room temp.
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 pack large marshmallows

Steps:

• In a medium sauce pan, melt together butter and 12 oz baking chocolate over medium heat.
• stir frequently until smooth.

• Let cool for 15 minutes
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.

• Using an electric mixer, beat together brown sugar, 3 eggs and vanilla on low for 2 minutes until smooth.

• Mix in cooled chocolate mixture, beat just until mixed.

• Add in flour in 2 batches, beat just until mixed.

• Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 325
• Line baking sheet with parchment paper
• Scoop dough out and roll up into 1 inch balls
• Arrange about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet, Flatten slightly.

• Cook about 10-12 minutes until tops start to crack.
• Meanwhile, cut the rest of your chocolate bars into 1 inch squares (break in half, and then cut that half in half), cut large marshmallows in half, stick the cut chocolate into the sticky side of the marshmallow (stick it down pretty hard so it stays in the marshmallow, w/o breaking thru the other side of the marshmallow)

• When cookies are done - remove from the oven and press the marshmallow/chocolate bar down into the cookie (chocolate side down). 

• Put cookies back in the oven and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes (just until the marshmallows are melted)
• Grate some of the chocolate over the top of the cookies for some pretty chocolately garnish.

• Let cool on pan for about 5 minutes and transfer to wire rack.
• COntinue to cook until all your dough is used (or you run out of chocolate pieces or marshmallows) I made about 2 trays.
• These cookies are good warm.....so if you eat them the next day, heat them in the microwave for about 10 seconds (the chocolate in the center will start to form again the longer it sits, so warming them melts that chocolate again)

• These are SO delicious..... enjoy them. You may only need one! :)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Stuffed Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream icing.

I got bored about a week ago with 2 days off.....so I decided to make cupcakes and these looked yummy. I adapted my recipe from For the Love of Kids and Food. The Icing came from Savory Sweet Life.

Ingredients for Cupcakes:

• 1 Box chocolate Fudge Cake
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/2 cup oil

Ingredients for Cookie Filling:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (softened)
• 3/4 cup sugar (I use Splenda sugar blend - so I use 6 tbsp Splenda sugar blend)
• 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

( I left out an ingredient--oops....but they actually turned out really good, so if you want to make them based on the person I got the recipe from - check out her link at the top of the blog)

Ingredients for Icing:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter - softened
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract (I don't recommend using the almond extract that she says you can use, it doesn't turn out well - in my opinion)
• 4 tbsp. heavy cream

Steps for cookie filling:

• Mix together butter and sugar, when soft and fluffy - add in the vanilla and then the eggs

• Mix together until well combined
• In separate bowl, mix together baking soda, flour and salt
• Add in slowly to the "wet" ingredients you mixed together in the first 2 steps, mixing until well mixed
• Add in chocolate chips

• Form together in small balls just like if you were making cookies
• Place on a baking sheet topped with wax paper, place in the freezer (I left mine in the freezer about 45 min)

Steps for Cupcakes:

• Preheat oven to 350, place cupcake liners in to your cupcake/muffin pan
• Mix together cake mix as directed

• Pour in to muffin cups, about 1/2 to 3/4 of the wall full.
• Remove frozen cookie balls from freezer, press into the middle of the cupcakes, most will be covered, but a small portion will stick out the top (don't worry, the cupcake will cook around it)

• Cook for about 20 minutes, then cool.

• Once cooled, follow the icing recipe from the link at the top, and frost as you wish (or you could use whichever frosting recipe you prefer)

• ENjoy - they were delicious, and I am thankful for co-workers to eat them so I don't have them at home to eat constantly!

Jeremy's Birthday Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

I've been MIA for awhile....I had to take a small Vacation for 7 days. 
We just got back from a 7 day Southern Caribbean Cruise, in which we had a wonderful time, and celebrated Jeremy's Birthday! Since we were gone for his birthday, I waited till we got back to make him his cheesecake.  He loves cheesecake, and last year I made him a reese's peanut butter cup cheesecake, so I had to try to one up myself this year. I adapted my recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, check her out!


Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake
Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 box chocolate Teddy Grahams (crushed) (2.5 cups to be exact, but I ended up using the whole box)
• 4 tbsp. butter (melted)

Cookie dough

• 1/2 C. softened butter
• 1/2 C.  granulated sugar
• 1/2 C. packed light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. whole milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 C. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 C. mini chocolate chips

Cheesecake Filling:

• 4- 8oz packages of cream cheese, at room temp. (I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tsp. all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup light sour cream (1 8oz container)
• 3/4 C. mini chocolate chips (to be added after half of batter poured into crust)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325

Crust:

• Crush up teddy grahams (I used to ziplock bag and a rolling pin...but you could make it easy and use a food processor)
• Add in 4 tbsp. melted butter and mix
• Grease 9 inch springform pan, liberally
• Press the crushed cookie/butter mixture into the bottom of the pan and half way up the sides of the pan.
• Set aside

Cookie Dough:

• In medium bowl, mix together butter, sugar, milk, vanilla, flour, salt and chocolate chips. Mix until incorporated. 

• Roll cookie dough into small balls (do whatever size you like, but they need to be about marble sized to fit them, plus....they will expand a bit inside the cheesecake.
• Place on a plate (you can use wax paper, but I didn't need it) and put in the freezer for about 10 min. to harden a bit.

Cheesecake Filling:

• In large bowl, add cream cheese, sugar, eggs and flour, beat with an electric mixer on high until smooth. 
• Add in vanilla and sour cream. Beat only until incorporated. If you beat it too much, you will get too much air into the mixture which could cause cracks while cooking.

Now to put it all together:

• Pour about 1/4- 1/3 of the cheesecake filling over the crust. Smooth out with a spatula
• Remove cookie dough from freezer
• Press cookie dough into the filling all around the bottom.
• Pour and mix the 3/4 C. mini choc. chips into the rest of the filling.
• Pour another 1/3 of filling into the pan, and press the rest of your cookie dough into the filling, trying to push it far enough down so only a bit of the top of the cookie dough is showing.
• Pour the remainder of the filling into the pan and smooth out the best you can so it looks even when its cooked.

• Place springform pan on a baking sheet and place into the oven.
• Cook on 325 for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 min. The middle may still be a little soft, but the sides should have a slight light to golden brown.

• Turn the oven off, and crack the door a few inches and leave the cheesecake in the oven for an additional 30 min.

• Remove cheesecake from the oven, and place on metal rack to cool completely.
• Once completely cooled, cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator (for SEVERAL hours, but best would be over night to make sure the whole thing sets up)

• Right before serving, I drizzled some chocolate over the top.

It is VERY rich, so only a small slice is necessary, but Jeremy loved it, and that's all that matters to me!