Pi Day Treat

Hello readers,

Tomorrow is Pi Day! My mathematical nerdy-ness is coming out and I’m baking a pretty awesome treat for you all. So keep an eye out for a post about this awesome treat!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour + 2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks butter, melted and cooled

1 1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups min chocolate chips

Instructions:

In medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt. In large bowl, beat together melted butter (make sure it is cooled) and sugars. Add eggs one at a time, stirring until incorporated. Stir in vanilla extract.

Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, stirring until mixed. Fold in chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place heaping teaspoonfuls of dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake for 12 minutes, rotating trays halfway through cooking. Remove cookies from oven when the edges are golden brown. Let cookies sit on tray for one minute before removing to cooling rack.

Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

I made this for my graduation party last month and it was a big hit! Simply cream together all ingredients and let chill in fridge at least 30 minutes before serving. We ate ours with freshly picked strawberries! 

1 8oz package cream cheese

1 cup brown sugar 

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

 

Mini Madeleines

For this recipe I used a madeleine mold for 1 inch long cookies. The recipe yielded 60 1-inch madeleines.

Ingredients:

2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In small microwave-safe bowl, melt butter. Set aside to cool. Grease and flour madeleine pan.
In a medium bowl, beat eggs and vanilla until frothy. Gradually beat in confectioner’s sugar until batter is thick and satiny.
Sift together flour and baking powder. Sift 1/3 the flour mixture into the egg batter. Gently fold in. Repeat for remaining 2/3 of flour.
Fold in melted and cooled butter. Spoon batter into prepared molds about 3/4 full.
Bake in preheated oven until edges are golden brown and cookies spring back when touched, about 10 minutes.
Immediately remove from mold and place on cooling rack. Once cooled, dip the cookies in melted chocolate and let set. Store in airtight container and enjoy!

Almond Biscotti

One of my favorite things to bake is biscotti because I can experiment with all different flavors! This is one of the more simple kinds that I’ve made and it is simply delicious. I made these for my boyfriend on Valentine’s Day!

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips (optional: for chocolate drizzle)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees (Farenheit). Butter baking sheet and coat with flour.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs and extracts.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. Gradually stir into butter mixture until blended.
Divide dough into two pieces. Form each half into a log 1 foot long and about 1/2 inch high and place on prepared baking sheet.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. The top should be a light golden brown. Let cool on rack for 5 minutes.
Slice each loaf with a serrated knife into 1/2 inch slices. Lay the cookies cut-side down on the baking sheet.
Bake for 5 minutes on one side. Carefully flip cookies over. Bake for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from oven and place cookies on cooling rack.
Meanwhile, melt chocolate (whichever method you choose) and spoon into small Ziploc bag. Cut the tip off one corner of the bag and pipe chocolate in zig-zag patterns along the cookies. Let harden.
Eat and enjoy!

Chocolate Cheesecake Cookies

Ingredients:
1 & 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar, loosely packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, cut into pieces
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (your choice on variety)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In small bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In large bowl, beat together butter ad sugar until fluffy. Beat in cream cheese until combined. Some chunks are okay. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla.
Stir in dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for 10 minutes or until it’s less sticky.
Roll dough into 1 inch balls ad place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 10-13 minutes, or until cookies are set. Transfer to cooling rack. Cool completely before storing.

*The photo makes these cookies appear quite dry. They are actually quite soft and moist with a wonderful brownie-like texture!

Cake Mix M&M Cookies

I’m not the biggest fan of cake, so these aren’t my favorite tasting cookies. I brought this batch with me to work and everyone gave them rave reviews!

Ingredients:
1 box (15.25 oz) yellow cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 & 1/2 cups M&Ms

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, and oil. Stir until well combined.
Stir in M&Ms. Mixture will be greasy. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake about 10 minutes or until cookies are set. Transfer to cooling wrack and let cool completely.

Variations: try different flavors of cake mix or different mix-ins for even more deliciously simple cake mix cookies!

Bite Size Cheesecake with Cranberry Topping

Mini Cheesecakes

Ingredients:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg, lightly beaten

Instructions:
Line 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and preheat oven to 350 degrees. In small bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press mixture gently into bottom of cups. You will have some extra mixture.
In another small bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Add egg and beat on low speed until just combined.
Spoon mixture over graham cracker crusts. Bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until cheesecake centers are set.
Remove from oven. Cool for 10 minutes in pan. Transfer to cooling rack. Once completely cooled, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or until ready to serve.
Remove paper liner and top with cranberry topping (recipe below), your favorite jam, or eat plain.

Cranberry Topping

Ingredients:
12 ounces fresh cranberries
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup orange juice

Instructions:
In medium pot, stir together orange juice and sugar. Dissolve sugar over medium heat.
Stir in cranberries. Cook until cranberries pop, about 10 minutes (stirring constantly). Remove from heat and place in bowl.
The sauce will thicken as it cools. Spoon onto cheesecakes when ready to serve.

Chocolate Chip Tea Cakes (Christmas Style)

I usually make Russian tea cakes, but today I decided to try something new…chocolate chip tea cakes!

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup finely chopped nuts (I like walnuts)
2 cups (1 package) Nestle Holiday Morsels

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In large bowl, cream together butter and powdered sugar. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add flour and then nuts. Stir in 1 and 1/2 cups morsels.
Roll dough into balls 1 inch in diameter and place on tray. Bake for 10-12 minutes until cookies are set and golden brown on the bottom. Cool on tray for 2 minutes before transferring to wire rack.
You can then melt some of the reserved chips to drizzle along top of the cookies. I chose not too since they are already sweet (and I didn’t think red+green+brown would look very pretty).

Variations:
Try using different morsels or different nuts!

Magic Cookie Bars

To many people sweetened condensed milk is a very unusual food, but it is a DELICIOUS one. In this timeless recipe, the sweetened condensed milk ties everything together and makes for a fabulous dessert!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 and 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chip morsels
1 and 1/3 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped nuts (I like walnuts)

Instructions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees (or 325 for a glass dish). Lightly grease bottom of 13×9 baking pan.
Combine melted butter and graham cracker crumbs. Pat mixture evenly into bottom of prepared pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk on top, in an even layer. Continue this layering technique next with chocolate chips, followed by coconut, and then nuts.
Once all ingredients are layered, at the bars down. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until coconut is golden brown.
Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting. You can store covered, at room temperature or in the freezer (for longer periods of time).

Variations:
Replace walnuts with pecans or other nuts
Substitute different morsels for the semisweet…you can even mix & match!