Cinnamon Swirl Blondies with Chocolate Chips

Wow. Seriously, wow. These were so incredibly delicious - I made these for Sunday dessert as my whole family was about to venture into an 8 week weight-loss challenge involving 6 sugar-free days a week. These blondies were an appropriate sendoff, if I do say so myself. I found the main recipe here and tweaked it just a bit...naturally no dessert is a real dessert without chocolate and extra cinnamon (at least according to the McDonald family). They were awesome served warm with vanilla ice cream, but my roommates also raved about them a few days old.

Cinnamon Swirl Blondies with Chocolate Chips

for the blondies:

2/3 cup butter

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 package semi-sweet chocolate chips

for the cinnamon swirl:

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8x8 baking pan. 

In a small saucepan, melt the 2/3 cup butter and let it cook until golden brown on medium heat (around 10 minutes, maybe longer). Set aside to cool slightly. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. In a larger bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar, and stir until smooth. Add the vanilla, eggs, and lemon juice and mix well. Add dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Spread the batter in the prepared pan.

in the same pan you used to melt the butter for the batter melt the 1/4 cup butter for the cinnamon swirl. Add the sugar and cinnamon and stir to combine. Drizzle the hot cinnamon sauce over the batter and use a butter knife to swirl it. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before serving. 

Enjoy! I know I did. :)

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

I'm in love. With a cookie. But what's new, you ask? This recipe is seriously incredible. Usually I'm a "this needs chocolate" type of girl, but these snickerdoodles were just as delicious (if not more) the next day as they were warm on Thanksgiving night. Please make these, they are totally worth it! The warm flavors of the pumpkin and cinnamon really shine through, but what is truly special is the fluffy yet dense texture. It was so amazing I can't do it justice with words.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

modified from Sweet Pea's Kitchen

2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided

2 sticks butter

1 large egg

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons cinnamon

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare cookie sheets with foil or cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. 

In another bowl (use stand mixer if you have one), cream butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar (brown and white) until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, then pumpkin puree and beat until well combined. Add dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined.

Stir together remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 2 Tbsp cinnamon in a shallow bowl for rolling dough. Roll heaping tablespoons of dough in mixture and place on baking sheets about 2 inches apart. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through baking time, until cookies are just browning at the edges and the center is soft and puffy. Let cool about 5 minutes and transfer to wire rack. 

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Enjoy!

Cookies Stuffed with Stuff

Please forgive the bad picture quality - both of these baking sessions were impromptu and I didn't have the leisure to make them pretty.

First-off, S'more-Stuffed Cookies. I had a girlfriend come over for a late-night treat session after a hard day. These did the trick! I'm on a baking-with-marshmallows kick lately...they make everything so much chewier and gooier!

Basically just make your favorite cookie dough recipe, then make a small s'more and wrap enough dough around to cover it. Easy enough, right? And delicious.

Also...Oreo-Stuffed Cookies! If you haven't seen these already, then you must never look at food blogs or Pinterest. They're all the rage. And with my love of both chocolate chip cookies and Oreos, I can't believe it took me this long to make them.

I used the original recipe from Picky Palate, and I must say it was a huge hit. The cookie dough is just salty enough to offset the sweetness of the Oreos. LOVED them. Try it at least once! They're a fun and delicious treat for a day when you're not worried about calories.

Sorry about not posting for so long, by the way - if you don't already follow my personal blog, my excuse is a few terrible months of suffering from mono. But I'm on my way back to the top, so hopefully I can post some of the recipes I've been meaning to soon.

By the way, Happy Thanksgiving!

Dessert of Death

Don't freak out. I'm not suicidal.

I only planned on making this once in my lifetime.

And then I tasted it. And realized that it was love in a pan. So I very well may be making this again at some point, but only when I can pawn it off to enough people so I only eat one bar. I actually cheated and used a cookie mix and a low-fat brownie mix, and made it without the hot fudge. I also topped it all with chocolate chips. Next time (because now I know I'll live after eating it) I might just add a scant layer of chopped Reeses' peanut butter cups so I have absolutely everything I love in there.

Prepare yourself...

Dessert of Death (and goodness)

also known as the "Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie n’ Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar" from here

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (12 ounces) milk chocolate chips
1 pkg Double Stuffed Oreos
1 Family Size (9×13) Brownie mix
1/4 cup hot fudge topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the butter and both sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well to thoroughly combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt, then slowly incorporate into the mixer until the flour is just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread the cookie dough in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish that’s been lined with wax paper and sprayed with cooking spray. Top with a layer of Oreos. Mix together brownie mix, adding an optional 1/4 cup of hot fudge topping to the mix. Pour the brownie batter over the cookie dough and Oreos. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-55 minutes.

To halve this recipe for an 8×8 brownie mix, just halve the chocolate chip cookie dough ingredients. 

Enjoy!

Strawberry White Chocolate Cheesecake Trifle

Usually I don't jump up and down over trifle - I'd prefer a warm, gooey, chocolatey dessert instead (yes, even in the summer) - but this trifle got me pretty excited. I was originally going to make the Red, White, and Blueberry Trifle from Skinny Taste over the fourth of July weekend, but everyone kept making birthday cakes so I just bagged the idea. Luckily my mother encourages my love of cooking so we made it together for Sunday dinner last week with what we had. It was dangerously delicious, but luckily less guilt-inducing than the desserts I'd usually go for!

Strawberry White Chocolate Cheesecake Trifle

10 oz angel food cake, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 pints strawberries, sliced

Filling:

6 tbsp fat-free sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cups cold water1 package white chocolate cheesecake instant pudding mix

12 oz lite frozen whipped topping, thawed

Whisk the condensed milk and water in a bowl. Whisk in the pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set; fold in the whipped topping.

Arrange half of the cake in the bottom of a 14-cup trifle dish. Sprinkle evenly with a layer of strawberries. Pour half of the cream mixture over the berries and gently spread. Layer the remaining cake cubes on top, then add more strawberries and top with the remaining cream mixture. Top with one sliced berry (to make it pretty). Cover and refrigerate at least one 1 hour.

Makes 12-14 one-cup servings. Enjoy! 

Black Bean Brownies

I know: weird. But in a good way. You can't really taste the black beans unless you're looking to...and these are way better for you than the packaged kind. Although I can't say I don't love me some Betty Crocker mixes occasionally. 

These aren't going to be your usual decadent, rich brownies. But they are surprisingly good and you really don't have to experience the guilt factor after eating 3 of them like you would with regular brownies. They're very fudgy. Take a chance - they're worth a try, at least! I cut these up into 36 so they were brownie "bites" to take to an outdoor concert and share. 

Black Bean Brownies

1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 whole bananas, mashed
1/3 cup honey, pure maple syrup, or agave nectar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats 
Chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease an 8x8" pan and set aside. Combine all ingredients, except oats, in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth, scraping sides as needed. Stir in the oats and pour batter into the pan. Bake approx 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Wait until they have completely cooled before slicing into 9 pieces. Enjoy!

 

Nutella Fudge Brownie Bites

This is one of those recipes that I am totally amazed by.

I'm sorry, WHAT? Three ingredients? No. Impossible!

 I am here to tell you: it isn't impossible. It is highly edible.

Nutella Fudge Brownie Bites

modified from Fine Cooking

1/2 cup Nutella chocolate-hazelnut spread

5 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 large egg

Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup mini muffin pan with paper or foil liners.

Put the Nutella and egg in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth and well blended. Add the flour and whisk until blended.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins (about 3/4 full). Bake until a pick comes out with wet, gooey crumbs, 11 to 12 minutes. Set on a rack to cool completely.

Serve immediately or cover and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Enjoy!

Oreo Pudding Cookies

For the love of all that is sweet, please make these cookies. They are SOOOO good. I will be making variations of this recipe until the day I die. Not joking. Instant pudding mixes should always be added to cookie dough - it gives just a little something to the texture that makes them perfect, in my opinion. 

Served these at dessert night last week and they were gone very fast - I even had a few requests from some individuals (boys, of course) that I make special batches for them. Big hit! Hence the not-so-great picture - I had to take one real quick that night before the last 3 were eaten...

You can find Oreo pudding mix at most large grocery stores...I found mine at Smith's Marketplace. I'd imagine these would be delicious with actual chopped Oreo bits, too, perhaps instead of one of the chocolate bars? 

Oreo Pudding Cookies

recipe modified just a bit from Sweet Treats and More

1 cup butter, room temp

¾ cup brown sugar

¼ cup sugar

1 large package instant Oreo Pudding mix

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 Hershey's Cookies N Cream Candy Bar chopped into small pieces

1 Hershey's Milk Chocolate Candy Bar chopped into small pieces

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Combine flour and soda in a small bowl and set aside.  Cream together butter and sugar.  Beat in pudding mix until blended, then eggs and vanilla.  Add flour and soda mixture. Stir in cookies n cream pieces and chocolate chips.  Using a cookie dough scooper, place dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.  Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet before moving to a cooking rack.  Store in air-tight container.  Makes about 3 1/2 dozen. 

Enjoy!

Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/4 cup sour cream
6 oz high-quality semisweet chocolate, cut into chunks
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift together flour, baking soda, 1 tsp cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat butter, sugars, and vanilla until creamy. Add egg and beat. Mix in sour cream until well blended. With mixer running, add dry ingredients in batches until thoroughly combined. Fold in chocolate.

In a small shallow bowl, sift together remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 2 Tbsp cinnamon. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls and roll to coat in mixture, then place them on prepared baking sheet.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until cookies turn golden around the edges. Remove and allow cookies to rest 1-2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Enjoy!

Makes approximately 20 cookies.

Pumpkin Cinnamon-Chip Cookies

 

Pumpkin Cinnamon-Chip Cookies

1 cup all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 whole egg

½ cup sugar

¼ cup canola oil

½ cup canned pumpkin

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup cinnamon chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and butter (or spray with Pam) the paper.

Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in a medium bowl and set aside.  In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs and sugar until smooth and lightened in color, about 1 minute.  Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing.  On low speed, mix the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla until blended.  Mix in the flour mixture to incorporate it.  Mix in the chips.

Using an ice cream scoop or a 1/4-cup measuring cup, scoop mounds of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies at least 2 1/2-inches apart. Use a thin spatula to smooth and flatten the rounds.

Bake the cookies until the tops feel firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, about 15 minutes.  Cool them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then use a wide thin spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Dust the cooled cookies lightly with powdered sugar.  The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Makes about 12 large cookies.

I'm just going to throw this out there: I think these may be the best cookies I have ever made and/or tasted. The cinnamon chips seriously put it over the edge. Our apartment smelled so incredible Cassie and I were both on our knees the last few minutes of baking time, just looking through the oven door and inhaling the delicious aroma.

I haven't been able to find cinnamon chips here in Salt Lake, although I'd imagine they are probably available somewhere in the valley that I haven't looked yet. You can order them online, but they're pretty expensive. Tori, my delightful and genius best friend at Stanford, kindly brought me a package she found in Palo Alto - bless her, my fellow cinnamon-loving friend.

Pumpkin and cinnamon. I can't talk enough about the magic that is contained within these cookies. It's like the best of homeyness, comfort, holiday novelty, warmth, and love wrapped up into one perfect treat.

I'm not exaggerating. 

I know - it just occurred to me that I might be missing something more significant in my life if I can talk about cookies like this.