Chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips

For the bris this past weekend, I made those dark chocolate and milk chocolate chunk cookies.   But I didn't stop there!  Then I made those cranberry white chocolate chip oatmeal cookies.  But I didn't stop there, either.  You know me.  I had a few more cookies up my sleeve.

Next up were these chocolate cookies with white chocolate chips.  I made them years ago and they were such a hit.  They happen to be one of my all time favorite cookie recipes on the blog (they're also a top 10 most popular post on the blog!).  Which is why I almost scrapped making them.  See, I went on a diet and I've been SO good, and I knew that if I made these cookies there was a good chance I'd eat a bunch of them.  But they were too good to not make, and plus, I've been getting much better at that whole willpower thing!

The other reason I made these anyway?  The baby's grandma LOVES white chocolate.   It's the least I could've done for her!  Sure, there were white chocolate chips in the cranberry oatmeal cookies, and even some white chocolate lollipops, but I love the creaminess and sweetness of the white chocolate chips in this super dark, decadently chocolate cookie.  I think it really gives the white chocolate a chance to shine, without being all too sweet!

Chewy Chocolate Cookies with White Chocolate Chips

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups flour

1 1/4 cups cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder)

1 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 tsp baking soda

1 cup butter, room temperature

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups white chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease cookie sheet (or line with parchment paper).

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy. 
Add eggs one at a time, beating well with each addiction. 
Add the salt and vanilla.

In another bowl, combine the flour, cocoa and baking soda.
Gradually add to the creamed mixture 
Fold in chocolate chips. 
Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet.  I used my mini scooper to make smaller cookies.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until fluffy but still soft.  My smaller cookies baked for about 6 minutes.

Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cranberry white chocolate oatmeal cookies

When I made the oatmeal cranberry cookies for the baby shower last month, I debated adding white chocolate chips to them. I knew I should've, but for some reason, I decided against it.  The oatmeal cranberry cookies were absolutely delicious, and I loved the sweet-and-tartness of the dried cranberries.  But I did want to try them with the white chocolate chips.

So the next variety of cookies I made for baby J's bris were these cranberry white chocolate oatmeal cookies.  I added a little cinnamon to them, because I love cinnamon, and because I thought it would go well with the other flavors in the cookies.  Boy, was I right!  I'm so happy I added it (although I'm sure the cookies would be delish without the cinnamon, too!).

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies with White Chocolate Chips

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 Tablespoon vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 tsp of ground cinnamon

2 cups sweetened dried cranberries (we both used Craisins)

1 and 1/4 cups old fashioned oats -- for some reason, these were left out in the directions below, so I added them in

2 cups white chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat. 

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.  

Set aside. 

Beat butter at medium speed with mixer until creamy.  

Add sugars, beating well.

Add egg and vanilla, beating until blended.  

I added the oats here.

Gradually add flour mixture and beat until blended, scraping bowl as needed.  

Stir in cranberries and white chocolate chips.  I did that using a spatula, since the dough was thick and getting stuck in my hand mixer.

 

Drop dough by heaping spoonful onto cookie sheet.  I pressed them down a little to flatten them.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned.  

Cool on sheet for about 2 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. 

Dark chocolate chunk cookies

Last month I made a bunch of giant cookies for my friend's friend's baby shower (the milk chocolate chunk, oatmeal cranberry, peanut butter monster cookies, and the coconut oatmeal chocolate ones).  I also made extra cookies to take to a friend's birthday celebration but the bar wouldn't let me bring them in.  What to do with the extra cookies?  Well, I started by bringing one of each flavor to B.  B and I agreed that the milk chocolate chunk cookies were the best of the bunch (I knew he was smart!).

So when my friend had a baby at the end of January, and they were planning the bris, I offered to make some treats.  Of course I was going to make some chocolate lollipops, but I wanted to make something else too.  We decided on an assortment of cookies to be served at the brunch.

While I definitely made some milk chocolate chunk cookies, I also decided I would make a second batch with dark chocolate chunks.  The original recipe called for semisweet chocolate anyway.  Even though I made an entire batch of milk chocolate chunk cookies, I'll spare you yet another blog post about them.  So why did I mention them in the first place?  I just didn't want you thinking that I only made a few varieties of cookies for the bris.

I have to say, these cookies are so delicious, you could put just about anything in them (trust me, I'm thinking about it now...).  So it's not at all a surprise that these dark chocolate chunk cookies are as delicious as their milk chocolate counterparts!

Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Originally from Smitten Kitchen, and posted as "Milk Chocolate Chunk Cookies" on this blog

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips -- I used 2 cups of dark chocolate chunks, which I got from cutting a giant dark chocolate bar cut into chunks

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). 
Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. 
In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. 

Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. 
Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. 

Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. 
Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup (for a ridiculously large cookie, one or two tablespoons for more standard-sized cookies.  I used my cookie scoop, which if I had to estimate, is about 1-1.5 Tbsp) at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. 
Cookies should be about 3 inches apart. 
I pressed the tops of my cookies a little to make them more like discs, since I wanted them bigger and flat.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes (closer to 12 minutes for non-1/4 cup scoop cookies...Mine took 15 minutes and came out perfectly!) in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. 
Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

White chocolate lollipops

My friends R + R had a baby just over two weeks ago.  R + R, kinda funny, since that's the complete opposite of what they're getting with their newborn, who apparently likes to sleep well during the day and is up often at night to 'party.'  But I digress.  They had an adorable little boy, and this morning was his bris.

For his older sister's baby shower 4 years ago, I made a ton of baby-themed chocolate lollipops and sugar cookies with royal icing in baby shapes.  So when it came to the bris, I asked R if I could bring anything.  We decided on something a little different than the last time, but I did end up making cookies (just several cookies in 4 flavors, but I had to skip the royal icing because of the busted Kitchen-Aid).  I also made a few chocolate lollipops, to give out to the kids and to a few lucky adults (especially the baby's grandma, who adores white chocolate)!

These were from his big sister's baby shower almost exactly 4 years ago:

Cookie dough Oreos

So about a week ago, I started seeing new Oreo flavors popping up.  It started on Instagram, and shortly thereafter I saw them on Facebook.  So it should be no surprise that when I went to Target later that day to pick up some stuff, I checked out the Oreos on the shelf.  Sure, they had double stuff, and some kind of lemon Oreo, and then there were also mint ones, and a few other flavors (have you seen the triple-decker ones with 3 cookies and a layer of regular and chocolate cream?  Well those were there, too).  But out of sight?  The two new flavors I had been seeing on those Instagram and Facebook feeds.  Cookie dough and marshmallow crispy (!!!).  (Later, after I had made the dough for these cookies and was starting the blog post, I saw that they were slated to come out on February 3rd, which was, incidentally, the night I made the dough.  I even thought about stopping at Target on my way home from work on February 3rd, but with the snow and the subways running so bizarrely, I decided against it.  Bad move on my part.  I'll had to wait a few more days to check them out.)

So despite the fact that I have a ton of Oreo-themed recipes on this blog (things with Oreos - such as these, this, and even these - as well as homemade Oreos), I don't particularly love Oreos.  I think it's the cream, since I do love the crunch of the uber-chocolately cookie when the cream has been strategically removed.

Since I couldn't get my hands on the Oreos in the store, I kinda wanted to make these when I saw them online at work that fateful day a few days ago.  Homemade cookie dough Oreos.  Sounded pretty good to me.  And the gross weather outside (New York City got 4.3 inches of snow, although it seems like a lot more) made it easier for me to justify coming home from work, relaxing a little, and then baking (rather, making cookie dough to bake tomorrow).  Plus I really wanted to see if the cookie was actually really close to an Oreo cookie.  Imagine what fun I could have with a(nother) great roll-out chocolate cookie!

Honestly, I found the filling to be insanely sweet, and wasn't a super huge fan of it.  I'm sure if I played around with it a little, I might be able to decrease the sweetness while still making it taste like cookie dough, but I didn't do that this time.

All I can say?  Oh.  My.  Gosh!  These cookies are AMAZING.  I love that they're so intensely decadently chocolatey.  I have a feeling I'll be making the cookies again soon....very soon!

Homemade Cookie Dough Oreos
From Love & Olive Oil

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 ounces (1 cup) semisweet chocolate or chocolate chips, melted and slightly cooled
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup dark or Dutch-processed cocoa powder -- I had intended to use my Dutch cocoa, but I ended up using dark cocoa powder, simply because it was easier to reach in my kitchen.  I thought they came out delicious!
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

For the filling:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cream or milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter and sugar until combined.
Whisk in the vanilla and melted chocolate.
Add the egg and whisk until incorporated.

In another bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda.
Stir flour mixture into the chocolate mixture, using your hands if needed to form a smooth dough, using your hands if needed to form a smooth dough.  I used a large whisk and it worked beautifully.
Divide the dough into two (I ended up dividing into 3), and either roll each piece to 1/4 inch thick between two pieces of waxed paper, or roll into two 2 1/2 inch diameter logs.  I opted for the rolling method.
Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until firm.

Heat oven to 325F.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Cut dough logs into quarter inch thick slices, or cut out 2 1/2 inch circles from the dough sheets.  My circle cookie cutter is about 1.5 inches, so that's what I used.
Arrange on prepared baking sheet, leaving at least 1 inch between cookies.
Bake for 15 minutes or until cookies are set and just starting to darken around the edges.  Since my cookies were smaller, I had to eyeball them a little.  I ended up baking them for just under 9 minutes.  The dough is SO dark, I honestly don't think you'll see them "darken around the edges."

Prepare filling:
Beat butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Mix in flour, salt, and vanilla extract on low speed until incorporated.
Add cream and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add more cream if necessary to achieve desired consistency.
Stir in chocolate chips.

Assemble cookies:
Spread or pipe about 1 tablespoon of filling onto underside of half of the cooled cookies.
Top with remaining cookies.
Press lightly to adhere.

Cookies will keep, refrigerated in an airtight container, for up to one week.
Let come to room temperature before eating.

Football cookies

I wanted to make football shaped cookies for the Superbowl.  The only problem?  I didn't have a football-shaped cookie cutter.  I went into a store or two looking for one, but they were sold out.  So I decided I needed to head to my baking store looking for one, but with their hours, it would be difficult to work it out.

So, the Wednesday before the Superbowl, I finally got my hands on a football cookie cutter.  And helmet, pennant, and jersey ones, too, but I'm saving them for later.  Honestly, at that time I didn't even know what I was doing for the Superbowl, but at least at that point I knew I'd be able to bring some football cookies :)

I decided to try a new cookie recipe, too, because I was intrigued by it for two reasons.  First off, it used almond extract.  Yum!  Then, it used powdered sugar instead of granulated.  My interest was piqued!  The almond flavor was faint but I really enjoyed it.  Despite the recipe saying so, I didn't really notice a change in the texture with the powdered sugar.  These were really tasty!

I wanted to ice them with royal icing, but with the still-busted Kitchen-Aid, it was going to be really hard to make the icing.  Then I thought about covering them in chocolate and piping the laces on in white chocolate, but I figured that those would end up being too similar to the chocolate football lollipops I made.  Someone had suggested covering them in fondant, so on my second run to the baking store in one week, I picked up some colored rolled fondant for the cookies.  I scored the fondant with a toothpick and then covered over it with a little bit of white chocolate for the laces.  (I also think they'd be great with royal icing,)

Almond Flavored Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar (I even sifted it this time!)
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a mixer or using a hand mixer, cream together powdered sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
Add egg, and almond and vanilla extracts, and mix until combined.
Sift together flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar.
Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, and mix until well combined.

Divide dough into two disc shapes, and wrap in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for 15 minutes (or up to 3 days).

Roll out dough to 1/8-1/4" thick and cut into cookie shapes.
Place on lightly greased of silpat covered cookie sheet (I used a parchment lined cookie sheet, ungreased).

Bake for 7-8 minutes (my first batch took 7 minutes, the second were more golden and were only in for about 6 minutes).
Remove and cool on cookie sheet.

Assembly:

Frost with royal icing or cover with fondant.
(I adhered the fondant to the cookies with a little bit of water on the fondant, and then slight pressure to affix it to the cookie.  Don't press too hard, the cookies with crack.)

Decorate with white chocolate "laces."

Superbowl football lollipops

Although I made football cookies for the Superbowl, I didn't want to stop there (that post will be up soon).  So I pulled out my football chocolate lollipop mold that I bought 2 years ago when I had a Superbowl party, and decided to make some lollipops!  I also had a helmet lollipop mold, but decided that with the colors of the teams this year, it would be difficult to get chocolates some of those colors (bright lime green?!  I actually think I saw Wilton Candy Melts in that color once, but I didn't buy them...and didn't have time now...and couldn't dye white chocolate that color).  Luckily for me, I had white, dark, and milk chocolate here...and footballs are brown!  So I made some dark chocolate footballs and some milk chocolate footballs, and did the detailing in white chocolate.

Usually, when I detail chocolate lollipops, I do the detailing in the mold first, let it dry, and then fill in the rest/background afterwards.  However, this mold was a little different, and the cavities for the detailing were convex instead of concave (translation: they didn't have a little cavity to fill), so I made solid lollipops and then waited until the lollipops were hardened, removed them from the mold, and did the white "laces" detailing then.

I think that they turned out pretty cute, if I do say so myself!