Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is the original Nestle Tollhouse recipe - putting it here so my girlies can find it easily:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Notes: we rarely include nuts

             if I want it to have more dough than chips, I'll make 1 1/2 the recipe and just 2 cups chips

from Nestle

Low Fat Double Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins (from Pioneer Woman)

I found these muffins via her tastykitchen website - I didn't have a box of cake mix, so I made the "from scratch" version of the mix that is below the original recipe. Everyone really liked them!

This makes ~18 muffins

Ingredients:

1 package (about 18 Oz. Size) German Chocolate Cake Mix Or Make Your Own Chocolate Cake Mix (See Note)

1 can (15 Oz. Size) Pure Pumpkin

2 Eggs

1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla

1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

FOR OPTIONAL HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE CAKE MIX:

1-¾ cup Flour (I used 1/2 white & 1/2 white whole wheat)

1-½ cup Sugar

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

½ teaspoons Salt

⅔ cups Unsweetened Cocoa

Preheat oven 350ºF. Line or grease a muffin tin. Makes 18-24 muffins, depending on how full you fill each cup. I baked mine at 400*
Mix cake mix, pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon. Blend with mixer on low 1 minute, scrape down. Or mix by hand.
Increase speed to medium 2 minutes. Scrape down. Batter will be thick.
Fold in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into muffin tin. Bake 20-25 minutes. (or 10-12 minutes at increased temperature.)

 

Mint Brownies (with Andes Mints on top)

This is a combination of a few recipes; the main part comes from a Nestle cookbook (copied from a friend's house and I forgot to write down the title).

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 tbsp. water
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips, divided
1/2 - 1 tsp. peppermint extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
Andes mints, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 350*; grease 9x9 inch pan. Microwave sugar, butter and water in a large, microwave-safe bowl until boiling. Stir in 1 cup chips and extracts - stir until melted. Add eggs, 1 at a time until well blended. Add dry ingredients and remaining chips. Bake 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven; cover with Andes mints. Wait 5 minutes, and swirl candies with knife. Let cool completely, and cut into bars.

Chocolate Pound Cake with Chocolate Chips

Need a chocolate fix? This will take care of it! I grew up enjoying this recipe - my mother and maybe my grandmother used it.

Chocolate Pound Cake with Chocolate Chips

1 package Devil's Food cake mix
1 small package chocolate instant pudding
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup oil
3/4 cup water
4 eggs
1-2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350; grease (and flour, optional)  pan (I use a Bundt pan). Blend all ingredients except chips and mix well. Fold in chips; pour in pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until center springs back when touched. Cool right side up 20 minutes, remove from pan.

I dust it with powdered sugar when it is completely cooled. A milk/powdered sugar/vanilla glaze is also good!

Vanilla Rich Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe was in the Sunday coupons a few months ago - I clipped it, and now I'm decluttering. I haven't made them yet, but we love vanilla and I think they would be really good. I'll update when I try the recipe. They are from McCormick Spices

Makes 5 dozen or 30 (2 cookie) servings.
Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 8 to 10 minutes per batch

3 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups butter, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
4 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 package (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside. Beat butter and sugars in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts, if using.

2. Drop by rounded tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.

3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. *I usually bake mine for less time than cookie recipes recommend.*

Variations: For the variations below add 1 teaspoon McCormick® Ground Cinnamon with the flour. Use the following add-ins in place of the semi-sweet chocolate chips and walnuts.

Cranberry, Macadamia & White Chocolate Chip Cookies: Add 1 cup each dried cranberries, chopped toasted macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips.

Coconut, Almond & Chocolate Chip Cookies: Add 1 cup each flaked coconut, toasted slivered almonds and semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Coconut, Raisin & Pecan Cookies: Add 1 cup each flaked coconut, raisins and coarsely chopped toasted pecans.

Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting

Bananas and chocolate just go good together. Like chocolate and mint. And today at Costco, they had discounted their bananas to ~22cents a pound. The girls and I hefted 15 bags of bananas home, and spent a while peeling and freezing them. So how did that lead to a cake? I need a dessert for our church Life group, and had bananas on the brain. And chocolate frosting in the freezer. Perfect! It had more of a banana bread consistency than cake-like, but that was fine with everyone who had some. :)

Banana Cake:

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar *I used slightly less
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon baking soda (add to pureed bananas)
3 pureed bananas, very ripe


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9x13" baking pan or two 9" layer cake pans.

2. Cream butter, sugar and eggs. Sift flour several times, then add the salt and baking powder to the flour.

3. To the creamed butter mixture, add the milk and flour (alternating, beginning and ending with flour).

4. Add vanilla and mashed bananas (with the baking soda added to the bananas) to this mixture.

5. Bake layer cakes (9") for 25-30 minutes, oblong (9x13") for 35-40 minutes.

6. Allow cake to cool completely before icing with chocolate or cream cheese frosting, if desired.

From momswhothink.com

Creamy Chocolate Frosting

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1.In a medium bowl, sift together the confectioners' sugar and cocoa, and set aside.

2.In a large bowl, cream butter until smooth, then gradually beat in sugar mixture alternately with evaporated milk. Blend in vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. If necessary, adjust consistency with more milk or sugar.

Swirled Dark & White Chocolate Peppermint Bark

We had some at Costco last month, and decided we needed to try making it - something new this Christmas. I used Ghirardelli Bittersweet Chocolate, White Baking Chips from Aldi, and crushed candy canes. (I know the white baking chips aren't really white chocolate, but it's what I could find in a pinch) We combined several recipes from the internet.

Ingredients:
6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped if in bar form
2 teaspoons vegetable shortening, separated
6 ounces white chocolate (or baking chips)
1/2 -1 cup crushed peppermints/candy canes

Unwrap candy and place in large ziploc bag. Using a meat mallet or rolling pin, crush peppermints to your liking. (We left some larger pieces) Set aside.

Combine dark chocolate and 1 teaspoon Crisco in a microwave-safe bowl. On 70% power, cook chips until smooth. I placed the bowl in a larger bowl filled with hot water while working on the white chips. Repeat with white chocolate/chips.

On baking sheet covered with wax paper (we used a cookie sheet - I was trying out different thicknesses), drop each chocolate by tablespoonfuls. With knife or spatula, swirl chocolates together. Sprinkle with peppermint. I lightly patted the peppermints to get them to stick better. Refrigerate for 30 minutes; break into pieces, and store in refrigerator.

Notes: The dark chocolate gives it a really good flavor. Some recipes called for adding some peppermint to the chocolates after melting; we chose to keep them separate.

Chocolate MIlkshakes

these are from the hillbilly housewife website - and an almost daily occurrence in our home. The girls like it with instant coffee powder; my husband likes it as is, and I like it with a frozen banana  or peppermint added. If you go to the link above, she addresses the idea of using oil and non-stick spray.

• 1-1/2 to 2 cups ice water
• 1-1/2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 to 1-1/2 trays of ice cubes, as much as you can spare
• 2 tablespoons corn oil plus a 5-second squirt of non-stick spray for emulsification purposes (I use light olive oil with no problem, and I use half the called-for amount)

Place all of the ingredients into the blender, including the oil and the non-stick spray. Use less water for thicker milk shakes and more water for shakes that are easy on your blender motor. The blender should be about 3/4’s full. Place the lid on. Process for a full 2 minutes. Pour into cups and serve. Makes 4 – 12oz servings. For preparation tips please see below.
I love this recipe because it makes very rich milk shakes without any ice cream. I don’t always have ice cream in the house because the kids eat it so fast. With this recipe we can have delicious frosty milk shakes for a fraction of the cost of those using ice cream. And all the ingredients are on the pantry shelf.
Reader’s Tip: A reader named Chris made these with Splenda replacing the sugar measure for measure and said they turned out perfectly. If you like Splenda, then this tip would be a great way to reduce the calories and make them sugar-free. Thanks for sharing Chris!
Variations:

• Add 1 tablespoon of instant coffee for a mocha shake
• Add 1 very ripe banana for a chocolate banana shake
• Add a big spoonful of peanut butter for a decadent Chocolate Peanut Butter Shake.
• Add a few broken red and white candy mints for a refreshing Chocolate Mint shake.
• To make Vanilla Milk Shakes, omit the cocoa powder, reduce the sugar to 1/2-cup and add 1 tablespoon (yes a full tablespoon) of vanilla flavoring. For a french vanilla milk shake crack in an egg too.

Rich Hot Fudge Sauce

I'm always on the lookout for a good hot fudge sauce. Because hot fudge sauce makes anything better! I made an angel food cake yesterday afternoon, and by all appearances it was ready - I have made many of them in the past without problems. Do you know what happens to an angel food cake that is NOT ready? When you turn it upside down to cool, it starts to slowly droop out of the pan.

You needed to know that to know why I made hot fudge sauce - that sad, droopy, condensed angel food cake needed something to make it a bit more appealing. My oldest daughter and I made this recipe from several online:

Ingredients

• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 6-8 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa (we like things really chocolate-y around here!)
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup half and half, as needed
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Combine condensed milk, chocolate (and butter or oil if using) in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on 50% power for 2 minutes; stir. Continue until well blended. Mixture will be very thick.  
2. Stir in half and half, a little at a time, until sauce reaches desired consistency. Cool slightly and stir in vanilla. Serve. (You may need to add a bit of milk at the end if it is still too thick.)

Makes about 2 cups.

Texas Sheet Cake

Are you a fan of Texas Sheet Cake? I made it for the first time ever, and took it to our Wednesday church dinner - it was enjoyed by all, and many requests for the recipe. I used this one, but did not put pecans on it - I didn't have any.

This Texas sheet cake is made with sour cream and cocoa and a frosting with chopped pecans.

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Frosting, below
• chopped pecans

Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 box (1 pound) confectioners' sugar, sifted (4 1/4 cups sifted)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

Cake: Combine butter, water, and cocoa in saucepan over medium heat; heat until butter melts. Add sugar, flour, salt, eggs, soda, sour cream, and vanilla; mix well. Pour into a 15x10x1-inch jelly roll pan. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Spread frosting over hot cake and sprinkle with chopped pecans. *I used a 17x11x1 inch cookie sheet so it could feed more people, and it was very moist.

For frosting, combine butter, cocoa, and milk in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Add remaining ingredients and mix well with electric mixer. Spread over the hot sheet cake then sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Toffee Bars

oh.my.goodness - these are so good

Toffee Bars:

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup (105 grams) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (130 grams) all purpose flour

Topping:
6 ounces (175 grams) semi sweet chocolate, chopped (can use 1 cup (175 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips)
1/2 cup (50 grams) almonds, toasted and chopped
Shortbread: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place oven rack in the center of the oven. Line the bottom and sides of an 8 inch (20 cm) square baking pan with aluminum foil.


Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and vanilla extract. Then add the salt and flour and mix just until incorporated. Spread the shortbread evenly on the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the shortbread is golden brown with well browned edges.

Remove from oven and immediately scatter the chopped chocolate over the hot shortbread. Return the shortbread to the oven for a minute or two or just until the chocolate softens. Remove from oven and, with an offset spatula or back of a spoon, evenly spread the chocolate. Sprinkle the chopped almonds over the chocolate. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool.

Once the chocolate has set, lift the shortbread from the pan using the edges of the foil. Place on a cutting board and, with a sharp knife, cut into 16 squares.

Store in an airtight container. These will keep for several weeks at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Makes about 16 squares.

Note: To toast the almonds. Place the almonds on a baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree F (177 degree C) oven for about 8 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let the nuts cool completely and then chop.

Source: Medrich, Alice. Cookies and Brownies. Warner Books. New York: 1999.

Hershey's Doubly Chocolate Cookies

I made these the first Christmas after we got married. Between these and all the other holiday baking, my husband gained more than 15 lbs! These are super-chocolatey, and much better if you take them out just as the tops are set. They stay soft that way.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Chips, HERSHEY'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips or 2 cups (11.5 oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S Milk Chocolate Chips I use semi-sweet
1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts(optional) I omit these

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F.

2. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if desired. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or just until set. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4-1/2 dozen cookies.

Creamy Chocolate Frosting

we use this on cupcakes, cakes, etc - it's very good

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1.In a medium bowl, sift together the confectioners' sugar and cocoa, and set aside.

2.In a large bowl, cream butter until smooth, then gradually beat in sugar mixture alternately with evaporated milk. Blend in vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. If necessary, adjust consistency with more milk or sugar.

Cherry Chocolate Cake

Cherry Chocolate Cake
this is really, really good - we make it yearly for Valentine's Day, and sometimes for birthdays.

Ingredients

1 package (18-1/4 ounces) chocolate cake mix
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cans (20 ounces each) reduced-sugar cherry pie filling, divided
3/4 teaspoon confectioners' sugar

Directions

•In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs and almond extract until well blended. Stir in one can of pie filling until blended. Transfer to a 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray.

•Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Top individual servings with remaining pie filling. Yield: 18 servings.

Chocolate Chip Pecan Banana Bars

Chocolate Chip Pecan Banana Bars
(I haven't made these yet, but they sound great)

1 1/2 sticks butter

1 1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
4 ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
12 oz bag chocolate chips
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Grease a 10”x15” jelly roll pan or spray with cooking spray. I like to use Baker’s Joy spray. It has flour in it and does a great job of keeping baked goods from sticking to the pan. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer bowl. Add the eggs and mix until well blended. Add the vanilla and bananas.

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add this to the wet ingredients, blending until combined. Add the chocolate chips and pecans.

Spread the batter into the jelly roll and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Chocolate Muffins

These are really, REALLY good. The recipe makes 24 muffins.

Chocolate Muffins

Ingredients


2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (I used half whole wheat)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup baking cocoa (I used more in place of a bit of the flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used more)

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, beat the eggs, sour cream, water, milk, oil and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 325 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.