Lovin' From the Oven

Mounds Bar Chocolate Coconut Cake Mix Cookies

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You have to bear with me. I have a couple posts in my queue that are quite old– I’m talking nearly a year old. I always debate whether I should post them because they’re not up to par as my more recent posts. The pictures are poorly lit, the background is boring, things are blurry, the colors are off… I can make a whole list of excuses why I shouldn’t post them.

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But here I am, posting these cookies anyway. I think I baked these in the evening and was doing my best trying to get the most light out of my window without using my flash.

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The living room light was on, creating a more orangey hue than normal. Bottom line: I apologize for these pictures. I do have a couple more posts like this that I’ll have to purge on you sporadically in the future, though. You’ve been warned.

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My dad loves Almond Joys, but he doesn’t like the almond inside. He loved Mounds bars, but he prefers milk chocolate over dark chocolate. It’s a lose-lose situation for him.

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I prefer Twix and Kit Kat bars over Mounds, but I figured I’d try a recipe for my pops. The cookie itself tasted just like Mounds bars in a cookie form– go figure. They’re extremely moist and gooey. The type of cake mix that you use really stands out in the cookie, so make sure it’s a good one that you like! Dark chocolate cake mixes work great as well. 🙂 Recipe from Love Veggies and Yoga.

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Mounds Bar Chocolate Coconut Cake Mix Cookies

Yield: 1 dozen cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup devil’s food cake chocolate cake mix
  • 1/4 cup butter (half of one stick), softened
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut flakes
  • 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup diced Mounds Bars (I used 3 1/2 mini-mounds bars, diced into 6 pieces each)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Mix together the cake mix, softened butter, egg, and vanilla.
  3. Fold in the coconut flakes and chocolate chips. Freeze the dough for at least 15 minutes.
  4. On a parchment lined baking sheet, drop the cookie dough by tablespoons with plenty of space in between for spreading.
  5. Before baking, insert a couple of the diced Mounds pieces into the top of each cookie, pressing in just past the surface.
  6. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies have set up.
https://lovintheoven.com/mounds-bar-chocolate-coconut-cake-mix-cookies/

Peppermint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

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The kind folks over at McCormick sent me some goodies. All of the these are things I would have bought on my own, but it’s always nice to get something in the mail! I’ve used McCormick food coloring, extract, and spices for as long as I’ve been baking. Their products are top notch at an affordable price (and they’re easily accessible, which is a huge plus!).

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Immediately, I chose the green food coloring and pure peppermint extract to make something festive for the upcoming holiday– St. Patrick’s Day!

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There are a ton more recipes and ideas over on their site that include green ombre cake, green velvet cupcakes, and Irish cream swirl brownies, if ice cream doesn’t tickle your fancy.

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But let’s be real here. When does ice cream not tickle your fancy? Especially one with chocolate chips?

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The peppermint extract is strong. A little goes a long way! This isn’t the time to eyeball something… you don’t want to accidentally put in two teaspoons instead of one. If you’re sensitive to the taste, you can even cut back the one teaspoon to a half teaspoon instead. You can also sub the peppermint extract for mint extract to really make it match the color.

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The green food coloring turned out even more beautiful than I imagined. I just kept adding drops until I got a color that I liked. That’s the beauty of it. It’s art!

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Since this mixture is made of half and half rather than the normal whipping cream, it’s not as heavy as normal ice cream. That also affects the texture when frozen. It takes a little longer to firm up and a little longer to soften. I had to leave the tupperware at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before I could actually scoop it.

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I used a Cuisinart ice cream maker for this.

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Peppermint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Ingredients

  • 2 cups half and half
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 11 drops green food dye
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl, except for the chocolate chips.
  2. Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and let it run for 20-30 minutes.
  3. Fold in the chocolate chips. Serve immediately or freeze in a tupperware until desired consistency.
https://lovintheoven.com/peppermint-chocolate-chip-ice-cream/

Chocolate Chip Muffins

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My work has a program to encourage us to work out and be more active in our daily lifestyle. The more we work out, the greater the prize. They gave us each a pedometer to keep track of it all. I didn’t really pay any attention to it for the first month.

The pedometer laid on my coffee table for two weeks before I decided I should use it and see how it goes. I didn’t want to upload the new software on my computer to connect my pedometer, and that was my excuse for being lazy for the first two weeks of the year. Once I started, it became addicting. I wanted to reach that goal of 7,000 steps a day and upload it onto my page so I can see how I was doing.

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Now, it’s like my new and improved Tamagotchi. I take that baby with me everywhere I go and sulk about it if I forget it at home. It’s attached to my purse, my backpack, my inside pocket… If I’ve been sitting on my butt blogging all day, I realize it because I’ll have 1,000 steps plastered on my pedometer. That’ll motivate me to move around and go out in the evening.

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My work is quite brilliant for coming up with this program. Awarding people for working out? Giving them a goal that’s reachable? Being able to track your progress everyday for the year? Just brilliant. It’s like they’re making you live a healthier life by turning it into a game. In exchange, they have better looking and in shape workers.

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This muffin recipe comes from Bakerella and is just mediocre to me. Somehow, Bakerella makes everything look so appealing and drool worthy that I always assume the best. Too bad that’s not the case in real life. They were a little plain, without that extra something special. Maybe I just prefer my muffins to be doused with a streusel topping. Don’t get me wrong– These muffins aren’t bad, they’re just… meh.

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Chocolate Chip Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/4 cup melted butter, cooled slightly
  • 6 oz. semisweet chocolate chunks

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tray with 12 regular size baking cups.
  2. In a mixing bowl bowl, stir flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together with a wire whisk until combined.
  3. Add in the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla and melted butter. Stir until combined.
  4. Fold in chocolate chunks and divide batter into baking cups.
  5. Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until done.
https://lovintheoven.com/chocolate-chip-muffins/

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