Lovin' From the Oven

Double Chocolate Espresso Sandwich Cookies with Peanut Butter Frosting

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I went to Chuck E Cheese yesterday for a 3 year old birthday party and had a blast! Granted, I spent most of the time chasing my DB’s niece around and helping her push buttons… but I still had fun (especially with the instant photo sketch machine)! It’s amazing how kids are so easily entertained. I was overloaded with plenty of cupcakes, cake, and brownies yesterday since we celebrated multiple birthdays, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t get any cotton candy! I may or may not have gotten a little sick last night from all that sugar and fell asleep at 6 PM. So that’s what it feels like to be a kid again… Oops.

Now these cookies tasted alright.. but the texture was all off. The cookie reminded me of Dorie’s World Peace Cookies, but not nearly as good. The frosting was too thick and practically un-spreadable even though I added quite a bit of milk to it. The cookie itself was dry and hard, but the instant espresso powder was a nice touch since it brought out the chocolate flavor. A little tweaking to the cookie recipe and a new frosting altogether would do it!
Oh, these cookies were practically impossible for me to cut into discs out of the refrigerator, so I just molded them myself using my hands. That would explain the uneven, semi-circular shapes that I’ve got going on.

From Jules Food

1 cup flour
3/4 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
8 tbs. unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup chocolate chips
1 tsp instant espresso powder

  1. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder. Set aside.
  2. In another bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars. Stir in the egg and vanilla.
  3. Gradually mix in the flour mixture to the wet mixture, until just incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  4. Separate the dough into two and roll them into 2 uniform logs about 12 inches long. Refrigerate it until firm enough to slice.
  5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  6. Cut the logs into 1 inch slices and place 1 ½ inches apart on the prepared sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the dough looks just baked. The cookies should be tender, so do not over bake.

PEANUT BUTTER FILLING

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 6 Tbsp softened unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 2 Tbsp milk
  1. Cream all the ingredients together until well mixed. Use immediately.

Day 8: Hot Cocoa Cookies

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Day 8 of my 12 days of cookies: Hot cocoa cookies! Yes, the exclamation point is completely necessary. My DB claims that these are the best cookies that I’ve made so far, but I’m convinced he’s just as in love with Hershey’s special dark cocoa powder as I am. They can make any cookie taste good. To me, they didn’t really taste like hot cocoa; they tasted more like a normal chocolate cookie, but no complaints here.
I cooked them for a bit longer than the recipe called for because mine didn’t look at all done at the 12 minute mark, which resulted in extra melted marshmallows. Oops. These were a pain to take off of the baking sheet once done, so I’d recommend using a Silpat or some parchment paper prior to tossing in the oven. I wish my cookies came out thicker and fluffier, but these will do for now.
Recently, I’ve been getting a ton of questions about the cameras I use, so here’s a little sneak peek for you. Plus, you’ll get to see how I shoot all of my food pictures! Nothing fancy… just a little bit of natural light and a stool to limit my shaky hands. I’m using a Nikon D40x and my DB took this picture using a Canon Rebel t2i.
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I also use a Nikon D80 and for my food review shots, I use my Canon S90, which comes with me everywhere I go. When I’m in the kitchen, you’ll always find me in an oversized sweater and sweats. Comfy bakers make the best desserts, don’t cha know.

This recipe comes from How Sweet It Is, which makes approximately 24 cookies.

  • 1 cup butter, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup marshmallow fluff
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 cup mini marshmallows

  1. Cream butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt and mix until combined. Stir in marshmallow fluff.
  2. Fold in chocolate chips and marshmallows. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Remove, and roll into 1 1/2-inch balls.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  4. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow cookies to completely cool before removing. Patience! These cookies are very sticky!

Day 5: Chocolate Jumbles

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Day 5 of my 12 days of cookies: So far, so good! I’m still on the right track to finish my list this year and I am ever so determined to do it! Chocolate Jumbles. A dark chocolate, cakey cookie with chopped pecans and white chocolate. You can make them as big or as small as you want. The recipe says it yields 18 cookies, but I managed to make over 4 dozen with the batter by using a small cookie scoop. Instead of making them huge, I baked them into miniature poppables. The recipe also said that you have to flatten them a bit before baking, but since I made mine so tiny, I left them as is.
I took just over 3 dozen cookies to work, thinking no one would want them in my family (my parents aren’t a big fan of chocolate). When I came home, my mom asked me where the rest of the cookies went. I had left a little plate of about 6 cookies on the counter, which seemed to have mysteriously disappeared while I was at work. My mom confessed to eating 4 of them and was asking for more. Um, what? Where is my mom and what have you done with her? Apparently, they reminded her of some cookie she ate back in the day. She wasn’t even phased by the chocolate in it.
I was in a rush taking these pictures because I did it in the morning before work, so I texted my DB asking if he could take some extra shots just in case I didn’t get one that I liked. “Sure,” he said, “but you never like my pictures!” Grateful, I started uploading the pictures when I came home. Curious as to what his shots look like? Notice anything out of the ordinary?
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I was laughing so hard when I saw this. He didn’t even bother flipping an upside down cookie! EVERY picture he took had a flipped cookie. Hahaha.
This recipe came from a beautiful cookbook that I recently received from Tate’s Bake Shop. Not only did they send me a cookbook, they also sent me cookies! Three different kinds!

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The beautiful box it came in..
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and even more boxes!
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Each pack has two individually wrapped packages, each filled with a row of cookies. White chocolate macadamia nut…
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Oatmeal raisin..
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and your classic chocolate chip…
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These cookies were thin and crispy. I’m not usually one to like those kinds of cookies, but I couldn’t stop eating the white chocolate macadamia nut. My dad actually finished all of them. True story. The oatmeal raisin, I could do without… but as for the white chocolate macadamia nut– I’d eat it for dessert every day.
For those of you who want cookies right away, you can use the 15% discount code “cookie” on their website (valid until December 31st) for instant satisfaction. Here’s the recipe for the jumbles to tie you over!
Chocolate Jumbles
By Kathleen King from Tate’s Bake Shop Cookbook, p. 50
  • 2 1/2 cups AP flour
  • 1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup salted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups firmly packed dark or light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 cups white chocolate chips or chunks
  • 1 cup pecans, chopped
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two cookie sheets, or line them with silpat.
  2. In a lage bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  3. Cream the butter and the sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix and scrap down the sides of the bowl.
  4. Add the white chocolate chips and pecans. If the dough is too stiff, wet your hands and finish the mixing by hand. (Don’t worry, it’s not a big sticky mess.)
  5. Using two tablespoons, drop the cookie dough onto the cookie sheets. Use and ice cream scoop if you have one. Wet it with warm water between scoops so the dough falls out easily. Press the dough balls down gently with your fingertips.
  6. Bake the Jumbles for 20 minutes. The cookies will be soft when they come out of the oven. Do not overbake them.
  7. Cool them on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes and remove the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.

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