Cookie Dough Chocolate Cookies

I have a problem, if something is on sale for a dollar, chances are, I will buy it. So, when cookie dough bites were on sale, guess who bought three boxes.... that would be me. I figured I would incorporate them into some baked good at some point. Then I forgot about them, until today! I was cleaning out my cupboard, happened upon the candies, and immediately though of a recipe I recently saw over at Annie's Eats, Giant Double Chocolate Cookies. Intense chocolate cookies enveloping little chunks of chocolate covered fudge brownie cookie dough, chocolate chip cookie dough, and peanut butter cookie dough! WOW. I used less sugar in the cookies, since I added so much candy, and that was a good plan, otherwise they would've been way to sweet! The cookies came out all dark and chocolaty with little melted pools of sweet cookie dough throughout.

Cookie Dough Chocolate Cookies

Adapted from Annie's Eats

Yield: 12 very large cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cubed

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

½ cup dark cocoa powder

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

¼ tsp. coarse salt

1 tsp. baking powder

3 boxes cookie dough bites (flavor of your choice)

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Blend in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed.

Mix in the cocoa powder until well blended.

Add the flour, salt and baking powder to the bowl and mix on low speed just until incorporated.

Fold in the cookie dough bites with a spatula. Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead briefly by hand to be sure the ingredients are well combined. Divide the dough into 4 ounce portions (or divide into 12 equal pieces).

Roll each portion of dough into a ball and flatten just slightly into a disc. Place on the prepared baking sheets, a few inches apart. Bake 16-20 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Linking up at Under the Table and Dreaming, Tasty Tuesdays and Tater Tots and Jello

Whole Wheat Apple Scones

First of all, thank you for all your votes in my poll! I love getting your opinions and it was great to see that you guys are so interested in healthy stuff! This makes me happy for many reasons, one of which being I work at a Head Start as a Family and Health Supervisor, this means that I give many trainings throughout the year on nutrition and healthy eating to staff and parents in our program. So, in spite of the many not so healthy treats on my blog, I actually eat pretty healthy, which is why I love this scone recipe! The scones are low cholesterol and only 170 calories. I got the recipe from the archives of good old Cooking Light (aka Myrecipes.com). They cook up super moist and I used almond milk which gave them a distinctive nutty flavor that perfectly accented the cinnamon, apple, and vanilla. They are not very sweet, if you prefer something sweeter, go ahead and add some extra sugar or serve with a dollop of honey. Making them using part whole wheat flour ensures that they are hearty and filling but not too dense. I had one for breakfast and stayed full till lunch!

Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Scones

Adapted from Cooking Light via Myrecipes.com

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (about 5 ounces)

1 cup whole wheat flour (about 4 3/4 ounces)

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 cup chilled butter

1 1/2 cup shredded peeled apple (about 2 medium apples)

1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk (I used unsweetened Almond Milk which has even less calories!)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons low-fat milk

2 teaspoons sugar

Preheat oven to 425°. Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups and tablespoons; level with a knife. Or use a kitchen scale and weigh it out.

Combine flours, 1/4 cup sugar, and next 5 ingredients (through nutmeg) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Grate in butter (chill your butter well and use your cheese grater, so much easier than cutting into small pieces then cutting into flour).

Mix in a bit with a fork or pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse meal.

Add apple, 1/2 cup milk, and vanilla extract, stirring just until moist (dough will be sticky).

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead lightly 4 times with floured hands.

Divide dough in half; pat each portion into a 6-inch circle on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Cut each circle into 5 wedges, cutting into but not through, dough. Brush tops of wedges with 2 tablespoons milk, and sprinkle evenly with 2 teaspoons sugar (I added some cinnamon too).

Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until golden.

Serve warm.

They are good next day too, just warm them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.

Calories: 170, Fat: 5.1g (sat 3g,mono 1.3g,poly 0.3g), Protein: 3.7g, Carbohydrate: 28.1g, Fiber: 2.1g, Cholesterol: 13mg, Iron: 1.3mg, Sodium: 319mg, Calcium: 84mg

Linking to Tater Tots and Jello, Saturday Night Special at Funky Junk Interiors, and SUnday Showcase at Under the Table and Dreaming.

Baked Fudge

If you ask me about my favorite desserts, pudding and pudding like desserts would not be among my top choices. I prefer a big cookie with ice cream, or a slice of fruit pie. However, this recipe has me singin a different tune. It is rich, fudgy, and pretty awesome. When eaten warm, it easily sneaks its way to the top (okay near the top) of my list of cravable desserts. I got the recipe from the lovely blog, "Finding Joy in My Kitchen" Seriously, check out her blog, it is chock full of amazing recipes. The recipe was originally from Pioneer Woman, who, in my opinion has some of the best recipes in the blogosphere! It is ridiculously easy to make, it does take about an hour to bake, but that works out well as you can use that hour to.. oh I dunno.. go jogging so you have plenty of room to indulge in one... or two... of these little beauties.

Pioneer Woman's Baked Fudge

Modified by Finding Joy in My Kitchen

2 eggs

3/4 cups sugar

2 heaping tablespoons of cocoa

2 tablespoons flour

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat eggs until scrambled, and then beat in sugar until combined.

Add cocoa, flour, melted butter and vanilla. Mix until combined.Pour batter into 4 rammekins, or 1 8-inch square glass pan.

Set dishes or pan into a larger pan, filled halfway with water. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until upper crust is crispy and the rest of the batter is set.

Don't over cook, you want the inside gooey!

Add a dusting of powdered sugar and enjoy!

Linking up at Rook No 17, Prairie Story and Tasty Tuesdays.

Baked Ravioli

I happen to LOVE Real Simple magazine, if I could only have (heaven forbid) one magazine subscription, Real Simple is the one I would have! It has fashion, organizing, life, recipes, everything I need in a magazine. This is a recipe from the Real Simple website, and it's a good one! Super easy (or should I say simple?) and tasty too. I halved it and baked it in two individual sized ramekins. The original recipe has chicken sausage in the ingredients, which I didn't have so I made my version even simpler. Three ingredients: mozzarella cheese, marinara sauce (buy a good kind, or make your own, you don't wanna go with the cheap watery kind here), and ravioli. Mix it all together, bake it for 20 minutes and there ya go. Dinner is served!

Baked Ravioli

adapted from Real Simple

Makes 4 servings

2 cups marinara sauce

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

16-18 ounces fresh or frozen ravioli

Cook ravioli according to package directions, drain and return to pot.

Toss with marinara sauce and about 1/2 - 3/4 cups of cheese. Transfer to a shallow, 2 quart baking dish, or divide among individual ramekins.

Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until bubbling and beginning to brown.

Real. Simple.

Linking to Foodie Fridays, Friday Potluck , Paisley Passions, Friday Favorites, Tater Tots and Jello, Sunday Showcase, and Tidy Mom

Marionberry Oatmeal Cookie Bars

One of my favorite memories from school was when my mom would add a special dessert to my lunch. Usually, my lunch consisted of a turkey sandwich, cucumbers, a banana, apple juice, and a chocolate chip cookie (and ALWAYS a little encouragement note, which really was the best part)... But, once or twice a week my mom would put in an extra special dessert. Cookies are usually my favorite dessert, but after a whole week of chocolate chip cookies, my heart would give a little leap when I opened up my lunch bag and found a surprise. And believe me, if I had opened my lunch to one of these oatmeal cookie bars, I would've been thrilled! Bar cookies are my fave; they are easy, come together quickly, and, in this case, require just one bowl and a wooden spoon. These bars are just the kind of thing my mom would've treated me with, crunchy oatmeal cookie crust covered by homemade marionberry jam, finished off with a crunchy oat topping. Perfect for slipping in a lunch box to brighten a dreary school day!

Marionberry Oatmeal Cookie Bars

From allrecipes.com

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup butter, softened

1.5 cups marionberry jam

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease one 9x13 inch pan, and line with buttered (or non-stick sprayed) parchment paper. Combine brown sugar, flour, baking soda, salt, and rolled oats. Rub in the butter using your hands or a pastry blender to form a crumbly mixture.

Press 2 cups of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. If the mixture is too dry, add a bit more butter.

Spread the jam to within 1/4 inch of the edge. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top, and lightly press it into the jam.

Add a couple more dollops of jam to the top if you like.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes in preheated oven, or until lightly browned.

Allow to cool before cutting into bars.

What was your favorite school day snack? I would love to know!

PS Don't forget to vote in the poll on the side bar!

I will be linking up to Made By You Monday, Mouthwatering Monday, Rook #17, TaterTots and Jello, Under The Table and Dreaming and Tasty Tuesdays.

St. Patty's Day Mint Oreos

Ive been wanting to try homemade oreos for awhile, I used a chocolate cookie recipe from Joy of Baking (an amazing website by the way). The filling recipe I borrowed from Sister's Cafe. It is basically a cream cheese frosting to which I added mint extract and green coloring, in honor of St. Patty's day.

It was quite delicious, but not very oreo-esque. The actual oreo filling recipes all included shortening and that didn't sound too appetizing to me... thus the frosting filling. The cookies are super chocolaty and crisp up as they cool. Much better than the store bought oreo cookies, and not hard to make at all!

Homemade Oreos

from Joy of Baking

1 cup (130 grams) all purpose flour

1/2 cup (50 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder (sifted)

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons (45 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

3 tablespoons (45 grams) margarine (or Smart Balance)

2/3 cup (140 grams) packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup (100 grams) white granulated sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 large (30 grams) egg white

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and margarine until well blended. Add the sugars and vanilla extract and beat on high speed for about one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the egg white. Add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated.

Place the dough on your work surface and, using your hands, form the dough into a log shape that is about 9 inches (23 cm) long. Carefully wrap the dough in aluminum foil, parchment paper or wax paper and fold or twist the ends. Try not to flatten the log (easier said than done, some of my oreos were square). Refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a sharp knife, slice into 1/4 inch thick wafers. Place on the baking sheet spacing about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes or until the the cookies puff and the tops of the cookies have crackles (ripples). Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Can be stored in an airtight container, at room temperature, for about 10 days.

Cream Cheese Filling

From Sister's Cafe

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1 block of cream cheese, room temp (8 oz)

3-4 cups - powdered sugar (depending on desired consistency)

1 - tsp mint extract

A few drops green food coloring

Cream butter and add cream cheese, add food coloring and mix well.

Add powdered sugar slowly until you reach your desired consistency.

Frost backs of cookies and smoosh together.

I used a pastry bag and tip, but a knife would do the trick.

I took lots and lots of pictures....

Mint-astic!

Happy Weekending!

Linking up at Sunday Showcase Party, Sweets for A Saturday, Just Something I Whipped Up, Foodie Friday and I Heart Naptime, and I'm Lovin it at tidymom.net