Lovin' From the Oven

Day 12: Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

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First off, I want to thank everyone who followed along this month for my 12 days of cookies countdown. It’s been such a hectic month and my oven has been baking non-stop. If you’ve tried any of the cookies off my countdown, or any recipe on my blog at all, I’d love to hear from you! I always appreciate comments and feedback. Anyways, I hope everyone has a safe (and delicious) holiday! Merry Christmas!

Day 12 of my 12 Days of Cookies: Hooray! We’ve made it to the end of the countdown. Keep in mind that these were in no particular order, and that they can all bring just the same amount of Christmas spirit as any other cookie. I’ve been on a baking rampage lately and decided to end with these. Why? I’ve never made these before, but absolutely LOVE maraschino cherries. I can eat a whole jar by myself if I was left alone. My favorite drink is a shirley temple.. the more cherries, the better! So why not give these a shot? My best friend came over last night and I made him sample every cookie that I baked that day. He said that he really loved the texture of these cookies the most. These were a bit more tedious than a simple drop cookie, but are totally worth it. I loved every part of it.. the cookie, the cherry, and the chocolate layer on top!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1 c sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 t vanilla
24 maraschino cherries
1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 c sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder & salt together, set aside.

In a mixer beat the butter until softened. Add the sugar and cream the mixture until like & fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the flour mixture & beat until well mixed.

Roll the dough into 1-inch balls & place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheets. Use your thumb to make an indentation in the center of each cookie.

Drain the cherries reserving the juice. Remove the stems & cut the cherries in half. Place 1/2 of a cherry into the indentation in each cookie.

Put the chocolate chips & condensed milk in a small saucepan. Stir over low heat until the chocolate is melted. Stir in 4 teaspoons of the cherry juice. Spoon 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of chocolate over the top of each cherry covering it completely. If the chocolate is too thick add a little more cherry juice.

Bake for 10 minutes & cool on a rack.

Day 8: Andes Mint Brownies

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Day 8 of My 12 Days of Cookies: Okay, so this technically isn’t a cookie… It’s a brownie. But to be fair, these go just as great in gift baskets/Christmas packages as any other cookie. I mean, who doesn’t love the combination of mint and chocolate? You can even cut them small enough so that they are cookie/bite size. These brownies were delicious.. I’ll have to try them with york peppermints next time to see which one comes out better. Now, everyone has a different type of favorite brownie. Mine are fudgy, gooey, and thick. This recipe comes out with just that kind, and they’re easy! You can omit the chopped Andes in the batter if you think that’s too much mint, but personally, I think the more the merrier.

I waited for them to cool before cutting them, and that made it EXTREMELY difficult! I would recommend that you cut them before the chocolate cools so that your brownies are prettier than mine. It’s hard to cut hardened chocolate, and I’ll know that for next time. If the chocolate has already cooled, then it’ll crack when you try to cut them into bars.

You can use a brownie mix to simplify the process and just mix Andes mints into the batter before baking. Also, after spreading the Andes mints on top of the freshly baked brownie, it takes a while for the chocolate to stiffen back. So, if you are making these for a party, make them well in advance because they need at least an hour to cool!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup butter
  • 2 cups sugar (white)
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • ½ cup cocoa
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • about 1/4 cup (or however much you please, really) of chopped Andes mints
  • An additional package of whole Andes mints

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9 x 13 pan. Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Once melted remove from heat and add sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Blend together. In separate bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, and salt. Add dry mixture to the wet and mix well. Add chopped Andes mints. Pour into greased pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.

RIGHT when the brownies come out of the oven, layer the top with the whole package of Andes mints (or however many it takes to cover the surface). Let them stand for a minute or two, until they are smooth enough to spread. Using a frosting spatula or a flat knife, spread the melted Andes mints evenly over the brownie to cover. Cool, cut and enjoy.

Day 6: Oatmeal Toffee & Walnut Cookies (With a hint of Cocoa!)

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This stormy weather has made me quite lazy! All I want to do is drink tea and cuddle up next to my fireplace while watching movies all day long. It was 42 degrees today! …. In Southern California! If it’s gonna get this cold, I wish it would just snow. That’s hopeful wishing on my part. [Now, people that are reading this from around the world must think that I’m crazy to be considering 42 degrees as freezing, you must bear with me because I’m used to 80-90 degree weather on a yearly basis. It’s always sunny in Southern California and hardly ever drops below 65 degrees!]

I’ve finally finished with my Christmas shopping and am quite ecstatic with what I got everyone. I love shopping for others– just the quest of finding a perfect gift to match everyone’s individual personality brings me joy. I hope you guys are done with your holiday shopping as well, seeing as how there’s only only 8 more days for last minute shopping!

Day 6 of my 12 Days of Cookies: Half way there! I decided to do a little twist on the usual Oatmeal Toffee/Oatmeal Raisin cookie. I added a bit of what I had on hand in my kitchen: walnuts & cocoa powder. I used just a bit of Ghiradelli cocoa powder, but would definitely up the ratio the next time I make these. You can hardly taste the amount I put in. Also, don’t over bake these babies! They taste better the next day, believe it or not. By leaving the cookie out overnight, the flavors really get to mix and then get to the perfect consistency. They’re crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside. I made a half batch and pulsed my oats in the food processor until they were FINELY ground. These were adapted from Martha’s Stewart’s Recipe for her Oatmeal Raisin cookies.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup toffee bits
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Whisk together oatmeal, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In the bowl of stand mixer cream butter and sugars until pale and fluffy (5 mins) and add eggs and vanilla until just combined. Add oat mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in walnuts and toffee.

Scoop onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-13 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies. Let cookies cool on sheet for five minutes and transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

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