My Brownie Cookie Love Affair

These brownie cookies were sooo irresistible that one bite turned into two, then three and...well look at the almost empty glass of milk! 

 I'm not much of a cookie girl when it comes to my favorite sweets, but these brownie cookies have stolen my heart! Brownies have always been a go-to item when I want an indulgent and comforting treat, so I had high hopes for this new take on them. To say these sweeties delivered on their promise would be an understatement considering that I have already made them 3 times and really had to contain myself each time. I will admit though, that the second time I made them I wasn't as impressed. As it turns out, using unenriched, unbleached flour was the downfall of the second batch even though they were still pretty good. The unbleached flour gave the cookies a more crunchy texture that felt kinda dry to me in comparison to the rich, chewy texture of the first & third batches.
So, if you like a crunchy cookie, try unenriched,
unbleached flour, but if you like the soft & moist texture of say, the middle brownie of a batch, than go with unenriched, bleached flour. It still has a slight crunch on the edges that give it that cookie feel, but the inside is so soft and almost fudgey yet not too sweet. I could go on and on about the deliciousness of these treats, but the more I describe them and drool over these pics, the more I am tempted to make another batch! As it is, my thoughtful hubby had to practically pry a dozen from my death grip to take to his coworkers so we wouldn't gain five pounds over the weekend. I love to share my creations with them, but I will admit that it was hard to part with these this time. Actually, I'm starting to worry that with all of the goodies I've been experimenting with lately, I may have to skip out on any summer activities that involve wearing a swimsuit in public this year! Believe me, it'll be a small price to pay, so do yourself (or a loved one) a favor and bake these gems today!

Thank goodness I would be seeing my brother the week I made these so I could unload all these tempting treats on him!

Brownie Cookie Recipe

½ cup butter
4 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3 cups (18 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips, divided
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (I recommend unenriched, bleached flour which is most common)
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 ½ cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup roughly chopped walnuts (optional)

Combine butter, unsweetened chocolate, and 1 ½ cups chocolate chips in a medium saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until butter and chocolate melt (will be slightly thick). Let cool while separately you combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl, set aside.

Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla at medium speed with an electric mixer. Lower speed and gradually add dry ingredients to egg mixture. Then add the chocolate mixture and beat well. Stir in remaining 1 ½ cups chocolate chips and walnuts.

Scoop dough (should resemble thick cake batter) onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper about 1 inch apart. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-14 minutes. Carefully remove cookies from baking sheets leaving them on the parchment paper and transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.

Recipe adapted from Pure and Yummy

Chocolate Fruit & Nut Granola for light snacking...think summertime & swimsuits!

I have been making variations of this recipe for a few months now ever since I saw an episode of Giada at Home on Food Network, but this particular recipe has turned out to be my favorite. I had always wanted to try making my own granola and as it turns out, it's pretty easy. The hardest part about making it is gathering the ingredients, which looks like a long list, but it is so good altogether that I wouldn't want to leave any of these ingredients out. My next experiment with granola will definitely include peanut butter though, so stay tuned!

This is a double batch of nuts before they are roasted, but you can pretty much include any nuts that you like. If you've never experimented with these nuts though, I highly recommend them. I never knew I liked flax seed until I started making this, and pumpkin seeds have really grown on me too!

It should look kinda like this after you've mixed all the ingredients and baked it. I love that this recipe is so easy to tailor to your personal preferences because you can change the variety of fruits & nuts as you wish.  

So the mini chocolate chips I used look weird because I had them in my car and they all melted into one big chunk! I just carefully stabbed at the chunk with a knife to break it back down into small pieces and sprinkled it all over. I also used white chocolate chips to add some color, and because more chocolate is never a bad thing! Make sure to add the chocolate chips just when the granola is pulled out of the oven so that the warmth slightly melts the chocolate into place. Of course if you want a more healthy version you could just omit the chocolate chips altogether...womp, womp!! : (

I managed to make some pretty good looking bars for some fairly nice pictures, but truth be told, they don't actually hold up like this so well. They fall apart really easily because they're more soft and chewy, but maybe I just got over eager and didn't let them cool long enough before cutting them. Either way, they are delicious and sort of addicting probably because they're kinda healthy so I subconsciously allow myself to keep stuffing more in my mouth! 

This whole batch only lasts about a week in my pantry because my hubs and I munch on it for an early morning to late night snack. It's definitely more figure-friendly than the amazing banana bread I recently made that seems to be perfect at any time of day as well.

 Chocolate Fruit & Nut Granola Recipe

1 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds

1 cup unsweetened cranberry juice (not cranberry cocktail)
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup brown sugar (I used dark brown because it's what I had, but dark or light should work fine)
1/4 cup agave nectar (I used Amber, but dark should work too)
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup roughly chopped roasted, lightly salted almonds
1/3 cup chopped dried apricots*
1/3 cup dried mixed berries*
2 cups old fashioned oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

Optional:
1/2 cup of mini milk chocolate chips (I used Tollhouse)
1/2 cup of white chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli)


-Start with roasting the pumpkin, flax & sunflower seeds at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes keeping a close eye (and nose because you'll smell the nuttiness) on them so they don't burn. While this is working, you can chop up your almonds & dried apricots.
-In a small saucepan, bring the cranberry juice, orange juice, brown sugar, agave & cinnamon to a simmer. Stir it regularly and you should notice it thicken just a little bit.
-In a large mixing bowl, add the oatmeal, salt, toasted nuts, almonds, apricots & berries. Mix together well with the cranberry juice reduction and spread onto a baking sheet coated with a non-stick spray.
-Bake granola for about 18-20 minutes at 350 degrees until golden brown. Sprinkle on chocolate chips soon after removing from the oven. Allow time to cool before cutting & removing from pan. Store in an airtight container for up to a week or so.

*Note: When choosing dried fruit, check the ingredients to be sure there is no added sugar because it adds unnecessary calories and sweetness for this application. I used some local dried fruit from Nature's Eats (www.texasnut.com) found in it's own little section within produce at HEB.

Heavenly Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes

Jimmy and I were in cupcake heaven with these rich Peanut Butter Chocolate Cupcakes today. The chocolate cake is so moist and the frosting is not too sweet (with some adjustments to the recipe). I only wish my brother could have one because he and I have a long history of love with Reese's. Pieces mostly, but cups were a close second. I remember he loved getting the bag of Reese's peanut butter baking chips and still does now. Hopefully we will live closer some day, but for now, I have another excuse to bake these bad boys next time I go home to visit. The combination of chocolate and peanut butter tends to be a favorite of men in general, so this would be the perfect dessert for Father's Day!

This cake is so rich you'll almost NEED a glass of milk to wash it down with!

What the heck am I gonna do with all of these tempting treats?!

It starts out so innocent, but before you know it you've got a sweet new addiction!

Chocolate Cupcakes
(makes 24-27 standard sized cupcakes)

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (best quality available)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (best quality available)
1 cup boiling water

Directions-
1. Line muffin tin with paper liners. Heat oven to 350*F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for one minute.
4. Stir in boiling water (the batter will be very thin, don't worry, this is right).
5. Fill liners about 3/4 full with batter.
6. Bake cupcakes for approximately 18-20 minutes.
7. Cool completely on wire rack before frosting.



Peanut Butter Frosting
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup smooth peanut butter (I used a honey peanut butter)
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon heavy cream (or milk)

Beat the butter until smooth. Add the cream cheese, and continue to beat until smooth and fully combined with the butter. Add the peanut butter and beat until well combined. Slowly add the powdered sugar and continue to mix until the frosting is smooth. Add in the cream, and beat another 30 seconds. Frost cupcakes with piping bag & top with Reese's Mini Cups or Reese's Pieces.

Frosting Recipe adapted from Glorious Treats
Cupcakes Recipe Adapted from Hershey's

Cookies and Cream Spurs Cupcakes

Every year my husband Jimmy and I look forward to watching the Spurs playoff games, only the past few years have not been too easy on us Spurs fans. I'll admit I don't remember a whole lot about my college days, but I clearly remember the excitement of the Spurs playoff game series when they won the championship back in 2005. Their last championship title was in 2007, which feels like a very long time ago, so I am convinced that this is their year to reclaim that title. Jimmy and my Dad are going to experience a playoff game for the first time together this Sunday, so I decided to celebrate with these lovely little black and white delights! Oreo desserts have been all over Pinterest lately, so I finally had an excuse to try my hand at them. They were fun and pretty easy to make. I struggled a bit with the frosting as it was a little too sweet for me. I forgot to taste it as I added in the sugar, so don't make the same mistake as me when you whip up your batch! They were still very tasty, and I will definitely make them again. If you are a fan of Oreos, which hardly seems like a question, you should give this recipe a try!

Oreo halves go cream up in the liners like this.

After baking, your cupcakes should look something like this.

Cheers to my hubby and Dad for getting to go to this game!

My first bite of sweet bliss!

Made these cute flags with coffee straws that I trimmed down a little. Just printed out some logos, cut them out in different flag shapes and glued them on the straws with a glue stick.

Go Spurs Go!! Future 2012 Playoff Champs! :)

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

Batter:

• 24 Oreo halves, with cream filling attached
• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk
• 20 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped or quartered

Frosting:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 3½  cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 2 tbsp. heavy cream
• Oreo cookie halves and crumbs for topping

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line the wells of two cupcake pans with 24 paper liners. Place an Oreo halve in the bottom of each liner, cream side up. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir together with a fork to blend and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Blend in the egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, beat in half of the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Add the milk and beat just until combined, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Gently fold in the chopped Oreos with a rubber spatula until evenly incorporated, being careful not to over-mix.
  
• Evenly divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  
• To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Blend in the vanilla extract. Beat in the confectioners’ sugar until incorporated and smooth, 1-2 minutes. Add the heavy cream to the bowl and beat on medium-low speed just until incorporated, then increase the speed to medium-high and whip for 4 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  
• Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired. Sprinkle with Oreo crumbs and garnish with Oreo halves.
  
  Recipe adapted from Annies-eats