100 Happy Days #23
One cute little chocolate cupcake with green sprinkles that look like grass…sort of–makes me very happy.
Especially–
don’t tell anyone–
for
breakfast.
Fear not. I’ll eat an apple for lunch.
Heh, heh.
Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip Cookie Copy Cat
with a twist.
What twist, you say? These lovely creatures certainly look like the real thing–do they not?
Heh, heh…well, my friends, it just so happens that the ooey, gooey, chocolaty goodness that you see here is made with…
whole wheat flour.
Now you may not think that”s any big deal, but to the tons of people who firmly believe that switching out white flour for 100% whole wheat would give them no earthly reason to live–I say–TAKE HEART!!
Pretty sure this cookie would fool the old girl herself. In fact, we fed them to the whole family today and nobody even knew there was any change in the recipe…AT all.
I mean, honestly–it probably has something to do with alllll that chocolate–for Pete’s sake.
Tastes kinda like a Symphony bar…with cookie wrapped around it.
As. It. Should.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 100% whole wheat)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup cold salted butter, cut into cubes
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups (12 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate chips)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300° F.
In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well with a wire whisk.
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer blend the sugars at medium speed.
Add the cold butter and mix to form a grainy paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix at low speed just until blended. Do not over mix.
Add the flour mix and chocolate chips and blend at a low speed just until mixed. Do not over mix. Refrigerate dough for about 1/2 hour.
Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, two inches apart.
Bake 20-22 minutes until golden. Transfer cookies–still on parchment–immediately to a cool surface, so they won’t continue cooking.
Makes 30-36 cookies, depending on the size of your scoops.
Note: The cold butter, the chilled dough, the low oven temperature and the parchment lined cookie sheet are absolutely key in this recipe. If you want it to be right and glorious, don’t change what already works. :}
:: Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip Cookies ::
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour (I used 100% whole wheat)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 cup cold salted butter, cut into cubes
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (12 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate chips)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300° F.
- In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix well with a wire whisk.
- In a large bowl, with an electric mixer blend the sugars at medium speed.
- Add the cold butter and mix to form a grainy paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
- Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix at low speed just until blended. Do not over mix.
- Add the flour mix and chocolate chips and blend at a low speed just until mixed.
- Refrigerate dough for about ½ hour.
- Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, two inches apart.
- Bake 20-22 minutes until golden.
- Transfer cookies--still on parchment--immediately to a cool surface, so they won't continue cooking.
- Makes 30-36 cookies, depending on the size of your scoops.
Notes
The cold butter, the chilled dough, the low oven temperature and the parchment lined cookie sheet are absolutely key in this recipe. If you want it to be right and glorious, don't change what already works. :}
Chocolate Banana Freeze
We’ve been trying to eat more fruits and veggies around here instead of all the sugar that’s been kicking around these days–and it’s actually been fun. Don’t get me wrong, I can eat a Symphony bar with my lips glued shut, but right now, I’m trying not to.
So when this little recipe popped up on Pinterest, it would have taken a Mack truck to keep me from making it. Simple. Chocolaty. Frozen.
Save me.
No don’t.
Here’s how it goes…
Freeze 2 or 3 peeled bananas in a ziploc bag. Once they are frozen, cut them into pieces and whirl in the blender with 2 Tablespoons of cocoa. Work quickly and pour the mixture into a chilled bowl. This is a fabulous–no sugar added–fruity, frosty treat that is best eaten very cold.
In the time it took me to run for the camera, it was more thawed out than I wanted it to be. So I took one last taste and popped it back in the freezer, where it will stay until…
tomorrow…
for
breakfast.
Go fruit!
Heh.
Chocolate Banana Freeze
: Launi
Ingredients
- 2-3 bananas
- 2 Tbsp Cocoa
Instructions
- Freeze 2 or 3 peeled bananas in a ziploc bag.
- Once they are frozen, cut them into pieces and whirl in the blender with 2 Tablespoons of cocoa. Work quickly and pour the mixture into a chilled bowl.
- This is a fabulous–no sugar added–fruity, frosty treat that is best eaten very cold or better yet--re-frozen.
Chocolate Buttermilk Texas Sheet Cake
In honor of my Daney boy–who’s away in Texas for the summer…we made CAKE!
And the only thing missing from this picture is a big, old, scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Maybe later.
Right now…I just have to eat this piece…like right now…before anyone catches me.
Cake Ingredients:
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups *all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
2 tablespoons oil
1 cup water
6 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
*I actually used whole wheat flour and 1 Tablespoon of Dough Enhancer. Nobody even knew. It was fabulous.
Frosting Ingredients:
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
6 tablespoons of milk
4 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a jellyroll pan with butter or non-stick spray. In a measuring cup, measure out 1/2 cup of buttermilk. Add 2 eggs and beat until well blended; set aside. Whisk together in a large bowl, 2 cups sugar, 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Make a well in the center and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine the 2 sticks of butter, the 2 tablespoons oil and 1 cup of water and bring to a near boil. Remove pot from the heat and whisk in 6 tablespoons of cocoa, until smooth. Stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla and add this mixture to the sugar and flour mixture; stir until well blended. Slowly add in the buttermilk and egg mixture and stir well.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees until the center is set, about 20 to 25 minutes.
When cake is about 5 minutes from being done, prepare the frosting. Do not do the frosting ahead of time because it will quickly stiffen. Heat the stick of butter and 6 tablespoons of milk in a saucepan just until it comes to a boil. It will need to be very hot. Remove from the heat and whisk in the remaining 4 tablespoons of cocoa. Mixture will thicken. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla and quickly beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. If mixture thickens too quickly just warm it on the stove again. Immediately pour the frosting all over the cake. Use a spatula to gently push the frosting out to the edges and to cover the cake evenly. Allow the cake to cool completely before slicing.
Oh. My. Goodness.
Chocolate Buttermilk Texas Sheet Cake
: Launi
Ingredients
- Cake
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups *all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 cup water
- 6 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Frosting
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
- 6 tablespoons of milk
- 4 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa
- 1 lb. powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease a jellyroll pan.
- In a small bowl, combine buttermilk and eggs and beat until well blended; Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Make a well in the center of dry mixture and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, oil and water and bring to a near boil.
- Remove from heat and whisk in cocoa, until smooth.
- Stir in vanilla.
- Add cocoa mixture to sugar and flour mixture; stir until well blended and cool.
- Add in buttermilk and egg and stir well.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees until the center is set, about 20 to 25 minutes.
- FROSTING
- Just before the cake is finished cooking, prepare the frosting. Don't make the frosting too early because it will quickly stiffen.
- Melt butter and milk in a saucepan just until it comes to a boil.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in cocoa.
- Mixture will thicken.
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla.
- Stir quickly until smooth.
- Note: If mixture thickens too quickly just warm it on the stove again.
- Immediately pour frosting over cake and spread evenly.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before slicing.
Cream Cheese Lemon Bars
I know, I know. It’s not spring yet and I could possibly have curbed my craving for something luscious and lemony until the flowers were blooming, like a good girl. Perhaps that would have been more seasonally appropriate. But then I thought…
seasonally appropriate? What does that even mean? And then a better question would be–and do I care? Hmmm….
Apparently not.
I found this scrumptious bit of loveliness on a pass through Recipe Tips and sincerely couldn’t resist.
Yeah…like I tried.
Cream Cheese Lemon Bars
Ingredients:
1 box lemon cake mix
1/3 cup butter- softened
1 egg
8 oz cream cheese – softened
1 cup powdered sugar
peel from 1/2 lemon – grated
2 Tbsps lemon juice
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, blend dry cake mix, butter, and 1 egg. Press into an ungreased 9 x 13 pan. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Blend in the powdered sugar. Stir in lemon peel and lemon juice until smooth. Set aside 1/2 cup of mixture. Into remaining cream cheese mixture, beat 2 eggs, and vanilla until well blended. Spread over the cake mixture.
Bake at 350° until set, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely. Spread the reserved cream cheese mixture onto the bars. Refrigerate until firm; then cut into squares and serve.
