Winter YummyLand - Mint Chocolate Delights

Let the Christmas Cookie 2016 tryouts begin!

I found this Nestle Toll House Winter Limited Edition Dark Chocolate & Mint Morsels chips at Super Target, and at HEB for around $1.50-$1.70 a bag.  I thought I would use them for my tried and true chocolate chocolate chip cookie recipe, but when I flipped the bag over, I saw their recipe for "Mint Chocolate Delights"  There is also another recipe on the bag for "Magic Mint Chocolate Bark" -- I'm putting that on the try list, also!

MINT CHOCOLATE DELIGHTS

2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened (I always use unsalted butter when I bake, easier to control the salt - different brands use different amounts)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 2/3 cups (10 ounce package of chips)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a small bowl and stir.
Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy.
Add eggs and gradually beat in flour mixture.
Stir in morsels.
Drop by well-rounded tablespoons (or teaspoonfuls) onto uncreased baking sheets
Bake for 11-13 minutes (or 9 to 11 minutes) until cookies are puffed and centers are set.
Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to cool completely.
Makes about 4 dozen (6 1/2 dozen) cookies.

(I like to make smaller cookies - it is much easier calorie and mind-bending wise to be able to say to yourself or anyone/no one in the room, "I'll just have one or two cookies"...)

Just my K-Cup of tea and coffee

(I kinda made this my tea section of the box...)
I like those teas with the clear top.

Seriously, TOOTSIE ROLL Hot Cocoa?!
I grabbed 2!

A serendipitous discovery while trying to find parking to go into Trader Joe's - I found CoffeeIcon.  Whoa!

I was blown away by all the varieties of Keurig K-Cups.  As you know, I'm usually a tea drinker and will only drink coffee if it doesn't taste like coffee.  There are plenty of teas and coffee "drinks" to choose from.   I especially went crazy with the 18 cup build your own box for $15.99.  If you bring the box back, you can get a dollar off the next "refill".  Individual K-cups are only 99 cents, so you can try before committing to a single flavor 24 count box, or just grab a few of your favorites, which will become many.   I loved the three I've tried so far  -- Cake Boss "Vanilla Buttercream" (yes, it does taste like frosting when you add a little Natural Bliss to it),  CoffeeIcon branded "Salted Caramel Shortbread Cookie" (hello!) and Copper Moon Chai Latte.  All winners so far, 15 more to go!

There are four locations in the North/West Houston area - Katy Cinco Ranch,  Cypress,  Magnolia and Tomball.  For those of you living outside these suburbs of Houston, you can order online.  The shipping may just be a wash considering the Grand Parkway or Westpark Tollway EZ Tag tolls.  But it would definitely be a nice stop if you are in the area.  I love the Fort Bend County Cinco Ranch Library, just a block away.  Cinco Ranch also has a very nice Whole Foods (they have a taco and burrito bar!) and probably the best World Market store next door in the Houston area.  Make a day of it.  The La Centerra shopping center is chockablock with a great variety of stores and restaurants.

And by the way, that is a nice Trader Joe's around the corner. . .

The 2014 Christmas Cookie Search Continues with Almond Joy Cookies

ALMOND JOY COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons coconut extract
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cornstach
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
a pinch of salt
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
3/4 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted
1 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the butter and sugars, then add egg, extracts and beat on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined, about 4 minutes.

Add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, optional salt, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.

Add the coconut, almonds, chocolate chips, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.

I baked these with unchilled dough.  They spread and flattened a little, but still turned out looking temptingly good!  The original directions called for refrigerating the dough prior to baking, which I didn't see until writing this post.  

Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, a silicone sheet or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart and bake for 8 minutes, rotating halfway. Do not overbake. Coconut is prone to burning.  Cookies will be pale and look un-done, but firm up as they cool.  Good luck with allowing cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving. 

I modified these from the original found on Pinterest, which was pinned from this website.
I did not chill mine, so they did indeed spread a little, but not that much.  I also make my cookies smaller, using a rounded teaspoonful instead.  That shortened the baking time to 8 minutes, rotating the cookies halfway.  I lightly toasted the sliced almonds and cut back to 3/4 cup.  I also increased the chocolate chips to 1 1/4 cup (to make up the difference in the almonds -wink-).

How good were these?  I couldn't get an accurate count of how many I was able to get from the recipe as they kept sneaking and re-arranging the cooling cookies.  I'm thinking by my making them smaller than the original recipe called for it made 4-5 dozen.

A most versatile cookie...

Red Velvet Edition!

My daughter saw Red Velvet Cookies on Pinterest.  I liked the idea, but was hesitant to take a chance on a new recipe.  Instead, I used our tried and true 1995 McCall's Magazine Cocoa M&M's Cookie recipe (click here).
FYI:  With or without M&M's, this is a great basic chocolate cookie you can have a lot of fun with and enjoy eating!

RED VELVET COOKIES

1 ¼ cups flour
½ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
New!  1 1/2 tablespoons Adams Extract Red food coloring

Preheat oven to 350. In medium bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In large (to be covered) bowl, combine sugar and butter. At high speed, beat 2 minutes until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla, beat 2 minutes. Beat in flour mixture. Chill one hour or until dough is firm.

Roll dough in 1” balls and then roll in colored sugar, sprinkles/jimmies and/or powdered sugar.  Place 2” apart on cookie sheets. Bake 10 minutes, switching racks at 5 minutes. Cookies should start to have cracks.  If possible, cool and enjoy!  Hubby and daughter polished off a dozen warm while my back was turned.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Though I am composing a letter to Adams Extract about making their bottles a little bit easier to pour and measure.  Yikes!  Be forewarned to have lots of paper towels handy...and to hide them in your garbage can lest your kitchen look like crime scene!

Triple Threat

Triple Chocolate M&M Cookies

Here is another version -Fall Harvest Halloween Thanksgiving- of the Cocoa M&M Cookies from the March 1995 issue of McCall's magazine. I grabbed a bag of M&M's at Target's After Halloween Sale.  I was planning to make a double batch for a Chili Cook-Off fundraiser.  Alas, the bags are no longer two cups -- but 12.6 ounces now.  However, I made up the difference with dark chocolate chips.  I think they even turned out better and more chocolate-y!

COCOA M&M COOKIES

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened (you can easily lop off 1 1/2 tablespoons without being missed)

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup M&Ms plain chocolate candy

confectioner's sugar

Grease 3 large baking sheets. Preheat oven to 350. In medium bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In large (coverable if you do this *) bowl, combine sugar and butter. At high speed beat 2 minutes or until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla; beat 2 minutes. Beat in flour mixture. Stir in candies. (*chill 10 minutes or until dough is firm. Roll dough into 1" balls then roll in confectioner's sugar). Place 2" apart on prepared sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool.

Sea Salt and Almonds Match Up

I love the Chocolove Almonds & Sea Salt in Dark Chocolate bars, the love poem inside the wrapper…but not the price.  Slowly the price has been increasing at Whole Foods.  I used to be able to get them on sale for $2.50 or for $2.99 regular price.  Last time I was there, it had increased to $3.49.  Ouch!  Now they have become more of an occasional treat, rather than getting a bar each time I shop.

As I was checking out, the clerk saw the bar and asked if I had tried the Salazon version.  I had not, but it was on sale, 2 for $5.  I was willing to save 99 cents, and put back the Chocolove.  I'm glad I did.  I like it even more!  And it is 72% dark chocolate versus 55%

The nutrition comparison facts are skewed, as the Salazon shows the count for half a 2.75 ounce bar, and Chocolove for a third of 3.2 ounces.  But all math aside,  I still love the Chocolove, but will wait for it to go on sale.

Chocolove

Salazon

Everyday Food - Flourless Chocolate Almond Coconut Cookies

I should really call these Almond Joy cookies!

Here was another contender for Christmas Cookie 2012!
This is from the last issue (#98) of Everyday Food, December 2012 - page 101

Flourless Chocolate-Coconut Drops

(I'm still going to call these Almond Joy cookies!)

Ingredients

• 3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder (spooned and leveled) -- I used the regular Hershey's Cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (5 ounces)
• 1 cup roughly chopped toasted almonds
• 3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 4 large egg whites, room temperature

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees, with racks in middle and lower thirds. In a large bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar, cocoa, and salt. Stir in chocolate chips, almonds, and coconut. Add egg whites and stir until combined (do not overmix).
2. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons, 2 inches apart, onto parchment-lined baking sheets.  (sprinkle with holiday jimmies for a festive look)
   
   Bake until tops are dry and cracked, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.

Store in airtight containers, up to 3 days.
If everyone doesn't eat them all first.

Christmas Cookie Exchange Party!

Are there some missing?!  A moment of panic when packing the cookies.  Next time count out before nibbling!

Tiger print goes with everything - even polka dots!

These were the cookies I made for this year's Cookie Exchange Party.

I actually made these for the first time last year (click here), but it was after last year's party.  When I saw the Hershey Candy Cane Kisses at Target this year and then the tiger poinsettias and polka dot take-out boxes at Michael's Thanksgiving Night sale . . I put two and two together and got seven dozen!  I thought the tiger stripes looked like the candy cane stripes!

I improved upon the recipe this year by upgrading the sugar - I used the sanding sugar from Central Market (India Tree brand in red) and Williams-Sonoma (green) and Wilton's snowflake and green/red jimmies mix.  Surprisingly I didn't use as much, as the sugar crystals are bigger.  You get more sparkle and jazz for about the same price.


CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT KISS COOKIES

1 ¼ cups flour
½ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Candy Cane Hershey’s Kisses

In medium bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In large (to be covered) bowl, combine sugar and butter. At high speed, beat 2 minutes until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla, beat 2 minutes. Beat in flour mixture. Chill one hour or until dough is firm.

Preheat oven to 350.

Roll dough in 1” balls and then roll in colored sugar, jimmies or confectioner's sugar.
Place 2” apart on cookie sheets. Bake 10 minutes, switching racks at 5 minutes. Cookies should start to have cracks. Gently push a Kiss in the center and bake for an additional 2 minutes – watch carefully before the tip starts to brown. Cool and enjoy!

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Thursday Tea Time - Doctor!

Whole Foods had these Dr. Chao Vegan drinks as samples a few weeks ago.  They are really good!  A little pricey at $2.99; but convenient to stash in the fridge and still less than what you might pay at Starbucks with less calories and sugar. No dairy, no lactose, no soy, no cholesterol.  At only 100 calories and barely above one carb count, these aren't that bad and help keep me out of trouble jonesing for something else.  I've been knocking one back after yoga and swimming.  Surprisingly they are really filling and they don't taste cloyingly sweet at all.  The vegan part is just bonus.

My favorite is the Almond/Almond Milk tea, pretty equal with the Coconut Milk.  I thought the Vanilla flavored Almond Milk tasted a bit off.

Here's the list of numbers and ingredients:

Almond/Almond Milk tea:
Calories 100, total fat 3g, (0 saturated, 0 trans), sodium 150mg, potassium 240mg, total carbohydrate 19g, fiber 1g, sugar 17g, protein 1g.  Vitamin A 10%, Iron 6%, Vitamin E 50%, Vitamin D 25%, Calcium 30%
Ingredients:  Brewed organic green and black tea, organic almond, organic evaporated cane juice, pectin, xanthan gum.

Coconut Milk tea:
Same numbers (hmm?)
Ingredients:  Brewed organic green and black tea, organic coconut, organic evaporated cane juice, pectin, xanthan gum.

Vanilla/Almond Milk tea:
Same numbers (?!)
Ingredients:  Brewed organic green and black tea, organic almond, organic evaporated cane juice, organic vanilla, pectin, xanthan gum.

Mocha Almond Milk coffee:
Same numbers (really?!)
Ingredients:  Organic brewed coffee, organic almond, organic evaporated cane juice, organic dutch cocoa, pectin, xanthan gum.

I'm not a huge fan of coffee and never drink it straight.  But I like some mochas and thought I would give it a try.  And I really liked it, in fact went back to get a few more to keep in the fridge. For starters, it's chocolate!  : )   It's not bitter at all and has just the right coffee flavor (read:  not that much) and the bonus of a nice caffeine boost without the twitching.

S'more Peeps Please

The "secret" ingredient!

Alas, this was my last package, but what a send off to the Peeping season.  These bunny Peeps lent themselves quite nicely and pinkly.    All you need is a package of Peeps, a package of graham crackers, Ghirardelli brownie mix, and a touch of sprinkles.

Step 1 - Line a square baker with graham crackers.  The non-stick rubber ones work great for this recipe.

Step 2 - Prepare brownie mix according to directions, spread half over graham crackers and place Peeps on top

Step 3 - Spread remaining brownie mix on top of Peeps

Step 4 - Crush/crumb extra graham crackers and sprinkle on top (colored sprinkles optional),  and bake according to brownie mix directions

Damn you, Starbucks!

Actual Size - 2 1/2" tall - honest!

And your new Mocha Cookie Crumble Frappuccino.  Good thing it was sample-sized or else I would have dove in head first!

Happy Pi Day!

In honor of Pi Day, I am making a pie! Chocolate Cream Pie with a graham cracker crust.
From Cooking Light - The Complete Cooking Light Cookbook

Graham Cracker Crust

40 graham crackers (10 full cookie sheets)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large egg white
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350. Place crackers in a food processor; process until crumbly. Add 2 tablespoons sugar, butter and egg white; pulse 6 times or just until moist. Press crumb mixture into bottom and up sides of a 9" pie plate coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate Cream Pie

Graham cracker crust
2 cups fat-free milk, divided - 1/2 cup and 1 1/2 cups
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups frozen reduced calorie whipped topping -- NOTE: I hate Cool-Whip so I just use whipped cream around the edge of the pie and a spritz in the center to make it look pretty.
3/4 teaspoon grated semisweet chocolate

Combine 1/2 cup milk, 2/3 cup sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, salt and egg in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Heat 1 1/2 cups milk over medium-high heat in a heavy saucepan to 180 or until tiny bubbles form around edge (do not boil). Remove from heat. Gradually add hot milk to sugar mixture; stir constantly with a whisk. Return milk mixture to pan. Add chopped chocolate, cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly (about 5 minutes), stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low, cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.

Pour into prepared piecrust; cover surface of filling with plastic wrap. Chill 3 hours or until cold. Remove plastic wrap; spread whipped topping evenly over filling (or whipped cream around edges). Sprinkle with grated chocolate. Yield 10 servings

Chocolate + Love + Words

Chocolove!
As in Chocolove Chocolate Bars with a Love poem!

I found out about this Belgian chocolate brand after a yoga class - I tried the Ginger Crystalized in 65% Dark Chocolate. Whole Foods carries them, so while still in a state of chocolate Zen bliss, I got another bar and the Almonds & Sea Salt in 55% Dark Chocolate. And they were on sale, too. There you go. What is also cool is the "Love" poem inside the wrapper. This was the one underneath the Almonds & Sea Salt --

From Astrophil and Stella

Who will in the fairest book of Nature know

How Virtue may best be lodged in beauty be,

Let him but learn of Love to read in thee,

Stella, those fair lines, which true goodness show.

There shall he find all vices' overthrow,

Not by rude force, but sweetest sovereignty

Of reason, from whose light those night-birds fly;

That inward sun in thine eyes shineth so.

And not content to be Perfection's heir

Thyself, dost strive all minds that way to move,

Who mark in thee what is in thee most fair.

So while thy beauty draws the heart to love,

As fast thy Virtue bends that love to good;

"But, ah," Desire still cries, "give me some food."

Sir Phillip Sidney

(I like how this was continued from Chili Cherry and continues on Peppermint.)

Neat concept, great tasting chocolate, even a pretty label.

Wouldn't this make a great Valentine's gift?!

All good!

Namaste!

Today's Costco Find!

Cemoi milk chocolate, from France! $11.99. So pretty!
Oh Costco, how you tempt us?! Easter isn't until April 8!
(I have hidden this in the pantry. . .)

Quick Chocolate Cheesecake

This is a modified recipe from one of those church/fundraiser cookbooks I love so much - "Recipes From The Heart" cookbook Sacred Heart Catholic School in Rockport, Texas.

I didn't want nor need to make a full sized version, and I'm also watching my carbohydrates. With that in mind, I will post the original recipe and then my version.

QUICK CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

Original --

1 pie crust

2 (3.9 ounce) packages chocolate pudding*

16 ounces cream cheese

1 cup sour cream

2 1/2 cups milk

Mine --

3 packages Oreo Thins 100 calorie plus 2 tablespoons melted butter

1 package sugar free and fat free instant chocolate pudding

8 ounces Neufchatel Reduced Fat cream cheese

1/2 cup light sour cream**

1 tablespoon Hersheys Special Dark Cocoa

1 cup skim milk

Original --

Combine cream cheese and sour cream in blender. Mix well. Add pudding mixes and stir. Add milk and blend for 1 1/2 minutes. Pour mixture in pie crust and let set in refrigerator for 4-6 hours.

Mine --

Crumb three packages of cookies in food processor. Mix in small bowl with two tablespoons melted butter until crumbly and slightly sticking together. Press along bottom and sides of 2 cup sized Chantal 6 3/4" pie plate. Admire the apple green and dark brown color combination. Set aside. (I blogged about this earlier - here's the link.)

Combine cream cheese and sour cream in medium sized bowl. **Realize too late I just dumped in the entire 8 ounce container of sour cream. Mix well anyways. Add pudding mix, hoping and it should be instant right, since this is a no-bake cheesecake? The original recipe didn't specify, hence the first *. Add milk and blend for 1 1/2 minutes. Give myself a pat on the back because I added only 1 cup of milk instead of 1 1/4, half the original amount. And maybe that will take away some of the volume from the extra sour cream. It looks a bit light, perhaps because of the extra sour cream. Decide to chocolate it up by adding a tablespoon of Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa since that is darker than the regular Hershey Cocoa. And extra antioxidants can't hurt, either. Pour into pretty pie plate and sprinkle the extra cookie crumbs on top, feeling very Martha-y, and put in refrigerator.

Look at the remaining mixture in the bowl, which was a little more than a third left. (Wonder how that could that be and how much or many pies the original recipe could have filled, because aren't I only 1/4 cup over volume-wise? And maybe next time I will make and fill TWO pie pans/plates - I also bought the pretty Chantal red one at last year's outlet sale. With visions of making pies like this one.) and pour into six 1/2 cup ramkins. Shortcut and justify not making more crust by sticking a cookie on top. Somehow find enough remaining crumbs to Martha-fy this even more. Put those in refrigerator, too.

Don't they look pretty?!

Fast forward four hours to dinner and everyone's anticipated dessert! I put a squish of whipped cream on top of the flopped-over slice to hide the fact it didn't quite set up as firmly - maybe it needed those extra two hours. (Report from next day's leftovers: No. Time was not the problem. All fingers and indications pointing to empty sour cream container in outside garbage can. Back to our recipe now.) I think it tastes good and announce that to all in the room. Hubby makes a face and says, "it tastes a bit...sour?!" "I bet that must be the bonus sour cream. Let's add some more whipped cream!" I say cheerily.

Personally, I didn't think it tasted that bad. Next time I will be more careful and not be so sour cream slap happy.

My sincere apologies to Sara W., who submitted her recipe. I don't want to put her last name, in case she Googles herself and discovers this!

Fast and Easy-Peasy Chocolate Pie Crust

I was trying a new recipe - chocolate sour cream cheesecake! - and I wanted to do a chocolate crumb crust. I thought I would try using these Nabisco 100 calorie Oreo Thin Crisps - chop them up in the food processor and add a little bit of butter. Three packages plus two tablespoons of melted butter yielded a nice crust for my 6 3/4" 2 cup Chantal pie plate. So I would imagine this box of 6 would do quite well for a regular pie plate size and four tablespoons of butter for future pie projects. You may even be able to cut back on the butter a little bit, just add slowly until you get a lightly moistened crumb texture. Even though the recipe didn't quite turn out as planned (I was cutting it in half and forgot and dumped the entire container of sour cream into the mixing bowl), the crust was yummy. Next time I will pay better attention, and make this crust again. HEB sells it for $2.19 and they had a $1 off coupon. Not a bad deal!

Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies

Here's a sweet way to begin the New Year, with a little bit of the old year!

Yet another yummy variation of my favorite chocolate cookie recipe -- Click for the Christmas Candy Cane Kiss and the original with the M&M's.

My daughter and I were at the new HEB grocery store and saw these Guittard Green Mint Chips ($2.89). Inspiration --The Cool Mint Oreos. Same green, same chocolate combo. . .

So I substituted the M&M's/Kisses with a bagful of these. Honestly, they are a bit chip-intense. I think you could cut back the amount around 1/2 to 3/4 cup -- save and snack on later! : D

I seem to be on quite the mint kick lately -- Starbucks Peppermint Mocha (skinny & now available sugar-free, thank you *Bux!), those Rold Gold Peppermint Dipped Snowflakes pretzels (thank goodness Costco sold out of them), candy canes, white chocolate peppermint fudge, Candy Cane Lane and Two Leaves and a Bud Peppermint (upcoming review) teas, toothpaste. . .(Kidding, I'm not eating Colgate! Though that tip about brushing your teeth after eating or before to keep from succumbing to temptation does work!) 'Tis the Season and all that! Right?!

This time I tried 1/4 cup Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa and 1/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa, to make it even chocolatey-er and really punch out the green mint further. And rolled them in regular sugar.

I will also offer this tip, hand stir in the chips. They seem to be a bit fragile and started breaking up in my Kitchen Aid mixer. I also think this may be a seasonal item and you may want to grab an extra bag now for St. Patrick's Day baking!

CHOCOLATE MINT CHIP COOKIES

1 ¼ cups flour

1/4 cup Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder

1/4 cup Hershey's cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup sugar (Healthier option: Just a little over 1/2 cup)

½ cup unsalted butter, softened (Healthier option: Minus 1 tablespoon)

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

Guittard Green Mint Chips - 1 1/2 to 2 cups/bag

Preheat oven to 350. In medium bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In large (to be covered) bowl, combine sugar and butter. At high speed, beat 2 minutes until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla, beat 2 minutes. Beat in flour mixture. Chill one hour or until dough is firm. Roll dough in 1” balls and then roll in sugar and place 2” apart on cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes, switching racks at 5-6 minutes. Cool and enjoy!

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

This year's Christmas Cookie!

Here is the second version, rolled in a mix of powdered sugar and sprinkles! They look "iced" cool!

I love those chocolate peanut butter cookies, don't you? They are also called Peanut Butter Blossoms or Black-Eyed Susans. I got all excited when I saw the Candy Cane Hershey Kisses at Target. And since I am highly addicted to Starbuck's Peppermint Mocha (skinny/non-fat and now in a sugar-free version, thank you!) I thought they would go great in a chocolate cookie. I was surprised after dragging out all my Hershey cookbooks, I couldn't find a chocolate/chocolate Kiss version. So I flipped through my other tried and true cookie recipes and came up with this, our 2011 Christmas Cookie. Enjoy!

CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT KISS COOKIES

1 ¼ cups flour
½ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Candy Cane Hershey’s Kisses

Preheat oven to 350. In medium bowl, mix flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In large (to be covered) bowl, combine sugar and butter. At high speed, beat 2 minutes until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla, beat 2 minutes. Beat in flour mixture. Chill one hour or until dough is firm.

Roll dough in 1” balls and then roll in colored sugar (Wilton has a nice white sparkle sugar which I mixed with green sugar) and place 2” apart on cookie sheets. Bake 10 minutes, switching racks at 5 minutes. Cookies should start to have cracks. Gently push a Kiss in the center and bake for an additional 2 minutes – watch carefully before the tip starts to brown. Cool and enjoy!

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
_____

These were originally the Cocoa M&M Cookies from the March, 1995 issue of McCall’s magazine. You can change it back by adding 1 cup of plain M&M’s and rolling the balls in confectioner’s sugar.

Here's the link to my March 13, 2008 post with the pastel-colored "Easter"/Springtime M&M's

Thursday Tea Time

This week - Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf English Rose

Cost: $8.95

Number of teabags: 20

Caffeine: Yes

Type of tea: Ceylon Black
Steeping time: 5 minutes

Add ins: I tried this as a hot latte in the Austin (South Lamar) store. And then at home with a little bit of fat free condensed milk. I'll try it again with my fat-free vanilla powder.

Teabag fragrance: Milk chocolate-rose

Ingredients: Ceylon black tea, rose petals, tea blossoms, natural flavors.

Opinion: Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf 2011 Limited Edition National Breast Cancer Foundation tea (last year's was the Chocolate Rose). I think this one still kept the slight rose scent, but umped up the chocolate - MILK CHOCOLATE! A nice switchup from all the dark chocolate out there. Sweetly smooth and delicious. Even the teabag is pretty!

Rating: 4

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

This recipe was from the inside of a Jell-O Instant Pudding box circa 1980-1981? It's a favorite cookie to make, but it makes A LOT! Perfect when you need mass quantities. As I did for a picnic this past weekend. I used Kroger brand's Chocolate Fudge for an extra dose of chocolate. Usually I use the vanilla. I also added sprinkles to the batter for a extra bit of color and fun.

2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick unsalted butter
1 stick margarine
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 package instant pudding mix, 4 portion size
2 eggs
1 package chocolate chips, 12 ounces

Mix flour with baking soda. Combine butter, margarine, the sugars, vanilla and pudding mix in a large bowl. Beat by hand until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs, gradually add to flour mixture. Stir in chips, the batter will be stiff. Drop rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

Makes between 4-5 dozen cookies