Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

Yet another cookie recipe from Anna's website cookiemadness.com 

Oh my goodness...these are AMAZING. I don't like cherries at all, but these cookies I can handle. It's like a warm chocolate/gooey chocolatey cookie with a cherry in the middle. The very best part of the cookie is the homeade chocolate frosting on top. Sweetened condensed milk + chocolate + cherry juice=the best frosting ever.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup margarine, softened

1  cup sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 large egg

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 jar maraschino cherries (10 ounce)

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine flour and cocoa. Set aside.

In another large mixing bowl, beat margarine with an electric mixer at a medium-high speed, about 30 seconds until softened. Add sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, beating well until combine. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Gradually beat in the flour mixture.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place on ungreased baking sheet. Press down center of each ball with thumb. Drain maraschino cherries, reserving juice. Place a cherry in the center of each cookie.

In a small saucepan, combine the chocolate and sweetened condensed milk. Heat until chocolate is melted. Stir in 5 tsp. of reserved cherry juice. Spoon about 1 tsp. of the frosting over each cherry on unbaked cookie; spreading over to cover cherry. (Frosting may be thinned w/ additional cherry juice if necessary).

Bake in preheated oven set on 350 degrees for about 10 min. or until done. Remove to wire rack and cool. Cover and store at room temperature up to two days.

White Russian Tiramisu

This came from the website www.myrecipes.com I had bought some ladyfingers at an Italian shop awhile ago and wanted to use them, hence the tiramisu recipe! I actually it a light recipe. Each serving is 134 calories and 4.5 fat grams. It calls for Kahlua, a coffee liquor, but I wasn't able to find it unfortunately. I think it would've added even more flavor to it, but w/o it it's still really amazing! Personally it tastes exactly like the kind you buy at the Italian restaurants. 

Ingredients:

1 cup ground coffee beans

2 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup Kahlua (coffee-flavored liquer), divided (I used a sugarfree vanilla syrup instead)

1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) mascarpone cheese

1 (8 ounce) block fat-free cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

24 ladyfingers (2 3-ounce packages)

2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa, divided

Directions:

Assemble drip coffee maker according to manufacturer's directions. Place the ground coffee in the coffee filter or filter basket. Add cold water to coffee maker and brew. Combine the brewed coffee and 2 tbsp. Kahlua in a shallow dish, and cool.

Combine cheeses in a large bowl. Beat at a high speed of a mixer until smooth. Add sugars and 2 tbsp. Kahlua, and beat until well blended.

Split ladyfingers in half lengthwise.

Quickly dip 24 ladyfinger halves, flat sides down, into coffee mixture; place, dipped sides down, in the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish, slightly overlapping landyfinger halves. Spread half of cheese mixture over ladyfingers; sprinkle with 1 tsp. cocoa. Repeat procedure with remaining ladyfinger halves, coffee mixture, cheese mixture, and 1 tsp. cocoa.

Place 1 toothpick in each corner and 1 in the center of tiramisu (to prevent plastic wrap from sticking to cheese mixture); cover with plastic wrap. Chill for 2 hours.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

Does it come to anyone's surprise that a recipe from Paula Deen is great? I mean really, if I could have any mother-in-law in the world, it would be her. I think one of her sons is still single--maybe I should get to work on that.  

In the meantime, here is a Paula recipe from http://www.foodnetwork.com It's essentially chocolate chip cookie dough (minus the raw egg) dipped in chocolate to make a truffle.  What drew me to this recipe was the use of sweetened condensed milk, which makes it sticky and wonderful. This recipe is for all your cookie dough lovers out there who make cookies just to scrape the bowl...I know you guys are out there--don't hide it, be proud! :)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup semisweet mini chocolate morsels
• 1 1/2 pounds chocolate bark candy coating, melted

Directions

In a large bowl cream butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy. Add vanilla. Gradually beat in flour and add milk. Add chocolate morsels and pecans, mixing well. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place on waxed paper; chill 2 hours.

*Cook's Note: Since the dough is sticky, roll your fingers into flour. This will make it easier to roll.

Melt chocolate bark candy coating in a double boiler. Using 2 forks, dip cookie balls into candy coating to cover. Place on waxed paper and chill to set. Store in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Hard Boiled Egg Chocolate Chip Cookies (Small Batch)

I found this recipe for a chocolate chip cooking using a hard boiled egg (it sounds gross doesn't it?) on a blog called http://kevnkoi.blogspot.com I heard a lot of great feedback and comments regarding this cookie recipe, so skeptically I decided to give it a shot. Oh...my...goodness...it literally puts any other normal Nestle Toll House cookie to shame. It's absolutely enormous, and it has a bit of saltier flavor to it. It is THE  best chocolate chip cookie I've ever eaten.

Also, here's my thing with cookies (also with pizza too). I like them, but one doesn't satisfy me whatsoever, so knowing that I'll need a large quantity to be happy, I usually stay clear from them. So it comes to no surprise that I'm giving you guys a recipe for a HUGE cookie. The bigger the better right? :) Go get to boiling those eggs!

Amazing Hard Boiled Egg Chocolate Chip Cookies! (Small Batch)

3.1 oz all purpose bleached flour (2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour)

2 ounces cold unsalted butter (4 tablespoons)

1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/8 teaspoon baking soda

3 tablespoons granulated sugar 
2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 of a hard boiled egg  (Update:  it's now been tested using only hard boiled egg (1/2 egg and no raw egg) and it's even better!) 

1 tablespoon lightly beaten egg

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract  
1/4 cup or how ever many your want of semi sweet or milk (or both!) chocolate chips (I added more of course)

Combine flour and butter in food processor. Pulse until mixture is mealy and coarse. Add the salt and baking soda and pulse to mix. Add both sugars and hard boiled egg. Pulse again until mixture is mealy looking. Add in the raw egg and vanilla and pulse until mixture just begins to come together.

Dump mixture into a bowl, add chocolate chips and shape into two balls. You will see egg whites in dough – they’ll disappear as the cookies bake.

Bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet at 350 degrees F. for 20 minutes or until cookies appear lightly browned around edges. Let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to rack to finish cooling.

Important: Let cool completely before serving. The texture gets better as the cookies cool. It’s even better if you cool the cookies, freeze them, then thaw them.

Makes 2 big cookies (about 4 oz. each)

French Silk Pie

This recipe comes from http://www.suite101.com/

I've never made a French Silk Pie before, and I must say that I'm kind of proud of my first endeavor. I did make a few minor adjustments of my own to recipe of course.

*it does contain raw eggs 

French Silk Pie Recipe

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
• 2 tsp pure vanilla
• 3 large eggs

Directions:

*You can make your own pie crust, but I just used a pre-made graham cracker crust. I melted 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips and spread over the crust. Put in the freezer for a few minutes; this creates a chocolate layer in between the pie and crust and it's really good.

Part 1:

1. Melt chocolate in a small bowl over hot water. Do not let the chocolate harden up.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter at medium to high speed about 1 minute.
3. Add sugar, 1/4 cup at a time and continue to beat until light and fluffy. This will take 3-5 minutes. Scrape bowl often. It must be mixed long enough so it is no longer gritty.
4. Slowly add the melted chocolate to the butter mixture, beating on low to medium speed until the chocolate is well blended and mixture is smooth and creamy. Scrape again.
5. On medium speed, add eggs one at a time, beating after each one before adding the next egg.Scrape bowl.
6. Add vanilla and give it one more mix.
7. Spread into a pie crust. 

Part 2:

• 1 cup Whipping cream
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla
• Chocolate curls, optional for garnish

Directions:

1. In large mixing bowl, beat cream until it sets up. There is no way to explain how long this will take. Every mixer is different. It should be light and fluffy and look like soft whipped cream. Do NOT let it get to the butter stage which can happen very quickly. If in doubt, under mix. You can always whip it a little more after the sugar is added.
2. Add powdered sugar and and vanilla and beat until fluffy and stiff. Do not over beat.
3. Put whipped cream into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and decorate the pie. Or pile the cream on high with a spatula.
4. Sprinkle with chocolate curls.
5. Refrigerate pie and any leftovers.

Makes one 9 inch pie

Cheerio Cookies

YAY FOR CHEERIOS!

8 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon EACH - baking powder, baking soda and salt.
1/2 cup quick cooking oatmeal (not instant)
1 1/2 cups Cheerios
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (a little more if you like chocolate)

1. Cream the butter and both sugars with an electric mixer. Stir in the peanut butter, egg and vanilla. 

2. In a separate bowl, stir together the baking powder, baking soda and salt, then add the flour mixture to the butter mixture; stir until incorporated. Add the oatmeal, cheerios and chocolate chips.

3. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes.

Yields 18 big cookies, 24 normal size cookies.