Vanilla Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies

I really wanted some soft chewy cookies to take to my residents on the last day of my Medicine wards rotation, and this recipe did the trick!  These cookies were pillow-soft and just the right amount of sweet.

Quick Tip: It's important to keep cookie dough on the chillier side.  After mixing, you can put the bowl in the refrigerator for 5 minutes for a quick cool or longer if you've got the time.  I usually will drop half of the cookie dough onto the prepared baking dish, stick it in the oven, and then let the rest of the dough chill in the fridge until that first batch is cooked, even if I have another baking sheet.  It's baking science/magic that helps the cookies to hold their shape while baking.

Vanilla Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 3 dozen cookies
Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3.4 oz package vanilla instant pudding mix
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup boxed yellow cake mix
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugars until creamy.  Add in the pudding mix, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth.

3.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, yellow cake mix, baking soda, and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir to combine.  Add in the chocolate chips.

4.  Using a small spoon, drop the cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet.  The cookies do not spread much, so you can put them close together.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until slightly golden and set.  Remove cookies from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.  Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Recipe adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod

Microwave Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Making dessert for one person can be challenging, and always buying it is expensive.  Once I discovered the art and ease of the microwave cake though, suddenly it was much harder to avoid dessert.  Don't say I didn't warn you!

Microwave Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Serves 1

Time: Less than 5 minutes

Ingredients:

1 large egg

2 tablespoons peanut butter

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon yellow cake mix (from a box) or all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon cocoa 

1/4 teaspoon baking powder 

Small handful of chocolate chips (optional)

1 scoop of vanilla ice cream (optional)

Directions:

In a large mug, beat the egg and peanut butter together with a fork.  Add the brown sugar, yellow cake mix, cocoa, and baking powder, and mix together until smooth.  Top with chocolate chips.  Place in microwave and heat on high for 1 minute.  Top with ice cream if you so choose, and enjoy!  

Caution: the mug will be hot, so protect your hand.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Trifle

Happy 2016!  Hope everyone enjoyed their holidays as much as I did.  I made this tasty dessert for a holiday party, and it was a smash hit!  It comes together really quickly, then just stick it in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Trifle

Serves 8
Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups crushed Oreo cookie crumbs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 small tub Cool-Whip, defrosted

Directions:

1. Combine the cookie crumbs and melted butter in a bowl and set aside.

2.  Using a stand or hand-held mixer, cream the cream cheese and sugar together on medium speed.  Add in the pumpkin puree and spices.  Using a spatula, gently fold in the whipped cream.

3. In a trifle dish (or tupperware, as the case may be!), layer in 1 cup of the Oreo crumbs, then spoon in half of the pumpkin cheesecake.  Add a second layer of each.  Depending on how large your container is, you may want to do more layers.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Everyone has their favorite chocolate chip cookie.  Some like it thin and crispy, others like it soft and fluffy.  It doesn't really matter as long as I get to eat it, preferably warm out of the oven and, if I'm feeling indulgent, with some vanilla ice cream.  So now that you're drooling, quickly whip up a batch of these gems!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 12-15 large cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Dutch processed baking cocoa
8 oz semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

2. Cream the butter with sugars until fluffy.  Beat in egg and vanilla.

3. Combine dry ingredients, and beat into butter mixture.  Stir in the chocolate chips.

4. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.  Bake 12-14 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Neiman Marcus's Chocolate Chip Cookie by Barbara Whitaker

Fudgy Brownies

Everyone loves brownies, of course, and this recipe gives the gooey, fudgy, delicious kind.  Break out from using the store-bought brownie mix and give these a go – you won't regret it.  You also won't want to share them, so don't say I didn't warn you.

Fudgy Brownies

Makes 16 brownies
Time: 35 minutes

Note: Bake until a toothpick comes out with a few sticky crumbs attached.  Too long in the oven, and they'll become dry and cakey.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons low-fat sour cream or low-fat plain yogurt
1 tablespoon chocolate syrup
1 large egg
1 large egg white
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Line an 8-in square baking pan with aluminum foil and coat lightly with baking spray.

2.  Whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt together.  Microwave the chocolate and butter together in a covered bowel, stirring often, until melted and smooth, about 1-3 minutes.  Chocolate burns quickly, so be really careful with the microwave!  Uncover the chocolate and allow to cool slightly.

3.  Whisk together the sugar, sour cream or yogurt, chocolate syrup egg, egg white, and vanilla, and add in the melted chocolate.  Fold in the flour mixture until just combined.

4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Bake the brownies until a toothpick into the center comes out with just a few crumbs, about 20-25 minutes.  Rotate the pan halfway through.

5.  Let the brownies cool.  Remove in the aluminum foil sling and serve.  To store, cool completely and wrap in the foil.

Recipe adapted from The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook.

Pear Almond Hand-pies

These little hand-pies are the ticket to happiness, or at least a happy tummy.  Plus, they freeze easily, reheat in 45 seconds, and are great with ice cream.  Need I say more?

This recipe uses preserves, so you don't even have to prepare a filling.  If you're looking for really good jams, jellies, and preserves, I like American Spoon Foods.  They're a company based in Michigan, and my family has enjoyed them for a long time.  You do have to order it, so if that's not your thing, hit the grocery store.  Cherry also pairs well with almond, if you have trouble finding pear.

I used a premade crust here, but I am planning on experimenting with my own pie crust soon.  Stay tuned!

Pear Almond Hand-pies

Makes 8 hand-pies

Total time: 20-30 minutes hands-on

Ingredients: 

1 jar of pear preserves
1 can almond paste

Two 9" pie crusts (refrigerated Pillsbury pie crust is fine and comes with two crusts) 

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 375ºF.  Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.  On a well-floured surface, cut the pie crust into four equal pieces.  Scoop out 1 teaspoon of almond paste, and using your fingers, flatten it into a little circle.  Press the circle into the center of the crust.  Since you're going to fold the crust over, you want it to be in the center of the piece once it's folded (see below).  Add 1 TBS preserves and spread evenly.

4 equal pieces

The preserves top the almond paste in the center of the to-be-folded pie.

3.  Fold the dough over and use a fork to press the edges together.  Repeat until all the pies are finished.  Using a knife, slice three little marks or an X across the top of the pie.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!

To freeze, cool to room temperature, wrap individually in plastic wrap, then place them in a freezer bag.  Reheat in the microwave for 45 seconds.

Everything Delicious Oatmeal Cookies

The semester is finally over, which means I have time to update here, hooray!

This recipe is quick, easy, and oh so delicious.  Get your cookie on!

Everything Delicious Oatmeal Cookies

Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 3-4 dozen, depending on how large you like your cookies

Ingredients:

1 stick plus 6 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (substitute with 3/4 all-purpose and 3/4 whole wheat)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup chocolate chips (whichever kind is your favorite)
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 350ºF.  In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy.  Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well.

2. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.  Add to the wet mixture and mix well.  Add in the oats, chocolate chips, coconut, and nuts.  Mix to combine with a wooden spoon.

3. Drop dough by spoon or tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake 8-10 minutes (10-12 minutes if you used whole wheat flour), or until light golden brown.  Allow to cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then transfer to cooling racks until cooled completely.  Store in an airtight container.

Guest Post: Frozen Peanut Butter Pie

My lovely friends are so supportive of this blog, testing out the recipes and sharing their own creations.  Today we have another guest post from Megan, which I taste-tested, and whoa, it's good.  Chocolate + peanut butter = true love.  Seriously.

Frozen Peanut Butter Pie

This is literally as amazing as it sounds.  Actually, more amazing.  And easy!  That's my key to cooking.

Ingredients:

Chocolate syrup
1 chocolate crumb pie crust
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup Peanut Butter 
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 8 oz container of Cool Whip, thawed

Directions:

Cream together the cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, and vanilla until it looks soft and...creamy.  Fold in the Cool Whip until also creamy.  Pour into pie crust.  Drizzle chocolate syrup on top.  Freeze for 2-4 hours. Remove from freezer ~15 min. before serving.

SO easy.  And I know 2-4 hours seems like a long time to wait for peanut buttery-chocolate-y goodness but remember - you can lick the spatula!

Side note: being healthy?! PB is good for you!  PLUS, you can use fat free cream cheese, low fat peanut butter, and fat free Cool Whip and...wait for it...it basically tastes just as good! No downsides here. Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Chip Squash Cake

This cake may sound weird - who puts summer squash in baked goods?  It's always zucchini, but actually yellow squash and zucchini are both summer squash.  So what's the deal with poor squash being designated to savory dishes?  It's time yellow squash had a go at making desserts marginally healthier.  Plus, with cocoa and chocolate chips, it's already a winner.

Double Chocolate Chip Squash Cake

Time: 20 minutes hands-on

Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

4 eggs

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted (can use butter)

3 summer squash, seeded and shredded (about 1 1/2 cups shredded)

1 1/2 cups plain yogurt + up to 1/2 cup milk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Spray a 9x12 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Alternatively, if you don't own that size pan, use an 8x8 or 9x9 square and make the extra batter into muffins.  You need chocolate for breakfast, obviously.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, eggs, coconut oil, squash, yogurt, and vanilla until smooth.  

4. Gradually add flour mixture to squash mixture.  This batter is extremely thick, so add up to 1/2 cup of milk as needed to thin it out.  It should still be thick, slightly thicker than a quick bread batter.  Fold in chocolate chips.

5. Spoon batter into prepared pan(s) and spread evenly with a spatula.  Bake for 35-40 minutes for the cake and 22-25 minutes for muffins, or until a toothpick/knife comes out clean.  Cool completely.  

To make this cake even better suited for dessert, it would probably taste delicious with cream cheese frosting.  Or chocolate frosting.  Too much chocolate is not a real thing, in case you weren't aware.