chocolate chip Archives - Page 26 of 71

Malt Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

February 12, 2013 by kim 6 Comments

You know how certain songs always flashback to a certain time or event in your life? Like your first kiss or your first break up? I was listening to Songza and Craig David came on. Instantly, I thought of my freshman volleyball year. My coach had asked everyone to say little facts about themselves as an icebreaker, including your favorite artist/musician. When my turn came around, I said that my favorite artist was Craig David and he thought I was crazy because he had no idea who he was. It became an inside joke for the rest of the season, and it set the tone for a fun volleyball season.

R. Kelly’s “Ignition” was the first song I heard when I put the keys in my car for the first time. Ironic, isn’t it? Now whenever I hear it, I remember how excited and surprised I was to get my Cameron the Camry. My parents had surprised me with a car after I came home from a boy’s volleyball game in high school. I opened the garage and there was a brand new car parked inside. Oblivious to it (I figured I had a cousin spending the night and they got a new car), I didn’t fully understand what was going on until my dad handed me the keys to the car. I wanted to sleep in my car that first night I got it.

As for heartache, nothing beats Carrie Underwood’s “Starts with Goodbye.” I must have looped that song a hundred times a day with tears running down my face. It sounds dramatic, but it’s true. I’m pretty sure that Carrie Underwood song put every emotion I was feeling into words at the time. It was like that song was made for me. Listen to it. It’s the best break up song. Oh, and let’s not forget Paula DeAnda’s “Walk Away,” which is a bit more upbeat than the latter.

You can’t deny that every significant person in your life has a song that reminds you of them. I can tell you a song for every boy that had a piece of my heart at a time. “I Will Follow You Into the Dark” by Deathcab… “Promiscuous Girl” by Nelly Furtado… “The Ponytail Parades” by Emery…

Listening to old songs is just as good as pulling out old yearbooks and scrapbooks. What songs make you think of a certain time in your life?

These cookies from chef-in-training came out the perfect shape and texture, but the malt powder wasn’t very strong. I was hoping for a strong malt taste, but no one could guess the secret ingredient after trying a cookie. After I told them they had malt powder in them, they all had the lightbulb face, as if they were thinking, “ahhhhhhh.. THAT’S what it is!” Nevertheless, it’s a good staple for the kiddos that won’t touch any cookie that has a million add-ins. In other words, it’s a safe cookie.

I chose to use chocolate chips instead of chopped Whoppers like the original recipe because in my past experiences, Whoppers are just not meant for baking.

Malt Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 small box instant vanilla pudding dry, do not prepare
1/4 cup malt milk powder
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
2 1/4 cups flour
1-2 cups chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream together the butter and both sugars. Stir in vanilla instant pudding mix and malt milk powder.
Add in the eggs and vanilla. Gradually mix in the flour and baking soda until combined.
Stir in chocolate chips.
Roll dough into 1" balls. Place on baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.

https://lovintheoven.com/malt-chocolate-chip-pudding-cookies/

Coffee Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

January 30, 2013 by kim 1 Comment

Have you ever used Craigslist to sell or buy something? I’ve mostly used it for selling things– microwaves, side tables, small furniture… nothing big. All my interactions are usually college students, too. They’re always trying to find the best deal or get anything for a dollar, as long as it’s still somewhat running.

I was looking into getting a new camera lens and searched high and low on Ebay. Most of them were going for more than I would have liked, but I continued bidding my max and giving my best offers. In the last minute, I was always outbid by a sneaker buyer. You know, the people that sit at their computers counting down the last seconds and putting a bid higher than you could ever pay. Those sneaky, sneaky bidders.

After being outbid for a week, I gave up. I started looking into retail websites, but did not want to pay retail price for a lens. Those babies are expensive!

Then I remembered that my DB sold a lens once on Craigslist. *Lightbulb!* I went onto Craigslist and started typing away. Sure enough, about fifteen sellers popped up within my range. The cheapest one was only ten minutes away from me, in mint condition, and had more than four years left on its warranty. Too good to be true?

I reread the listing at least ten times to see if there were any killer-esque comments I missed out on. Hmm.. seems legit. Now what do I do?

I promptly replied to the listing asking her to meet in the morning/late afternoon. She wrote back that since she worked, the best times for her would to either be 8AM or 7PM at a local Starbucks. Looking good so far… she suggested the place (public and open) and gave me a morning time when the sun was out. It would be dark at 7PM, but she gave me another option.

Since I wasn’t planning on waking up at 7AM, I scheduled to meet with the seller when she got off work. Now onto the next step- I had to pay her in cash. That’s a whole lotta cash that I have to carry around. Well, I’ll suck it up because for the price I’m getting it at, it’s worth it.

I was second guessing myself every second while my DB drove to Starbucks. What if this is a trap? What if they target me, then have someone else grab my purse and run? Oh dear. Could I possibly lose my cash?

I walked into Starbucks with my DB and I sat down while my DB went to order drinks. I looked around and wondered what she looked like. Is it the mom sitting over in the corner with her three year old son? Who would bring a child to meet a stranger? What about that girl with pink hair and crazy piercings?

As I sat browsing and people watching, my phone rang. Shoot! My DB’s still in line. What if they see me alone?! I picked up my phone and that’s when I heard a lady’s voice sitting right behind me say, “Hi! Is this Kim?” I immediately spun my head around. My creepy seller turned out to be the cutest little ol’ grandma with a tote bag full of goods.

She printed out the listing for me to document the transaction, chatted about cameras, had all the paperwork and original receipt, and was just the sweetest person. She had her eyes on a $3,000 lens, but had to sell some of her collection in order to get the new one. That explains the tote bag of lenses.. she was meeting up with others right after me.

After testing out the lens, I handed over the envelope with the cash. I told her to double check it and make sure it’s all there. The seller took the envelope under the table and said, “Alright, I’ll try to do this as discreetly as possible.” I may or may not have giggled. How can something shady happen with a granny? It just can’t.

In the end, she sold her lens and I welcomed one into my home. The transaction went smoothly and I couldn’t be happier with the whole process. Thank you Craigslist for a non-shady interaction!

These coffee dark chocolate chunk cookies turned out magazine-worthy. I think using chocolate chunks instead of chips were the ones to blame. They instantly make a cookie look more “professional,” don’t you think? Although the cookie looked beautiful, the texture was just a bit off. I wish they were chewier. The texture that these cookies had were kind of… stale. The coffee flavor wasn’t as strong as I would have hoped, either.

from A Zesty Bite

Coffee Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ingredients

2 sticks salted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp brewed coffee
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp instant ground espresso
2 11.5 oz. packages Nestle chocolate chunks (I used dark chocolate discs)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream together the butter and both sugars. Mix in the eggs, vanilla, and brewed coffee.
Gradually stir in the flour, baking soda, salt and instant espresso. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of Nestle chocolate chunks.
Drop cookie dough in large chunks onto cookie sheet. Grab a couple of chocolate chunks from the remainder 1/2 cup and place on top of each cookie.
Bake 12-14 minutes until just browned.

https://lovintheoven.com/coffee-dark-chocolate-chunk-cookies/

No Bake Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

January 26, 2013 by kim 15 Comments

For a girl that’s dating a video game lover, I’m really bad at video games. My DB grew up playing with every console and every popular video game he could get his hands on. Sure, I played my fair share of Playstation one games (Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, Rayman, PaRappa the Rapper, Rampage, and Cool Boarders 2, just to name a few), but none of them were first person shooter. The games I played had bubbly characters, unlimited lives, and happy endings.

When I found out that The Walking Dead came out with a video game, I wanted to try it immediately. We’re big Walking Dead fans (heck, sign us up for anything zombie related), so naturally, playing my own story and being able to choose my own fate appealed to me. It’s one of those games where you have different situations and sayings you can choose from. Every decision you make in the game affects your storyline.

Remember those Goosebumps books? The “Reader Beware… Choose Your Own Scare!”? It’s like that, but on the television. The only difference is that you can’t cheat and read all the outcomes ahead of time before choosing which path you want to take.

I started playing The Walking Dead, but it just wasn’t the game for me. I didn’t know the Xbox controller well enough to quickly press the button when it pops on the screen. That means I couldn’t block when a zombie was lunging at my face. Let’s just say I didn’t last very long playing. Frustrated, I handed the controller back to my DB after a tough ten minutes.

Still, the storyline intrigued me. The Walking Dead has received many “game of the year” awards, so I knew it was going to be good. I watched my DB play and told him which phrases I would have chosen to say or what actions I would have done. That got too tiring, so I eventually let him play the game and I merely watched.

We’re currently on the last episode and I’m addicted. The story is so. so. good. If you don’t play video games, have someone else do the dirty work and just watch the story. It’s like being able to watch another season of The Walking Dead while it’s on break.

Pretty sure we’ll finish this final episode by tonight, but it’s okay because The Walking Dead comes back on air in a couple of weeks. There’s always a way to get your zombie fix.

Not that I’m saying zombies are a good thing. I’d be the first one dead in a zombie apocalypse. My DB, on the other hand, has trained for it pretty much his whole life. Did I ever tell you guys that when he was little, he used to shower with googles on? That way, no one could attack him when he was the most vulnerable and he could keep his eyes open the entire time. Who does that?

That’s okay, though… because until the zombie apocalypse comes, I’ll be baking my little heart away. Chocolate chip granola bars, anyone? There’s no baking required! No heat, no oven time, and no waiting in front of the oven.

These are easy to whip up and can be easily adjusted. Don’t want chocolate? Throw in some nuts. Want something healthier? Add in some flaxseeds. My DB even loved these granola bars more than the ones from the store, which is saying a lot.

If you don’t have a small jelly pan as the recipe calls for, you can use a large one and flatten them onto one half. Problem solved.

From Lauren’s Latest

No-Bake Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Yield: 10 bars

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups quick cooking oats {not rolled oats!}
1 cup crispy rice cereal
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

Directions

Line a small jelly roll pan (12x8x1) with wax paper.
In a large bowl, stir oats and rice cereal together. Set aside.
In a saucepan, melt the butter, honey and brown sugar together over medium high heat until it begins to bubble. Turn the heat down to low and cook for an additional 2 minutes, constantly stirring.
Once done, stir in the vanilla.
Pour the mixture over the dry ingredients and gently fold until evenly coated.
Pour the entire mixture into half of the pan, pressing down in between. You want the bars to be about 3/4 inch thick. Make sure you pack the mixture tightly on top and the sides.
Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips and press down lightly. Cool to room temperature (about 2 hours) before cutting.
To store, wrap in plastic wrap and leave at room temperature.

https://lovintheoven.com/no-bake-chocolate-chip-granola-bars/

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