Dark Chocolate Dipped Peanut Cookies

My room mate and I exchanged Christmas gifts to each other a couple of days after Christmas. He was a little baffled as to what to get me but I was ready for this question. I told him that I desperately needed new cookie sheets. Mine were over 4 years old!

 

Not only did he get me amazing Nordic Ware cookie sheets, he got me wire racks. I didn't have any proper ones. I only had makeshift ones. I felt so spoiled!

 

The cookie sheets came with a recipe for cookies. So, naturally, I decided to christen the baking sheets with the recipe that came with them.

I used 90% organic products and I highly suggest using at least organic peanut butter and dark chocolate when making these. These cookies weren't too soft and weren't too hard. They were just right. Dipping them in chocolate and then sprinkling on the peanuts makes them appear more gourmet (like they came from a candy shop.) And of course the pairing of peanuts and chocolate is a win-win, just like this recipe!

Dark Chocolate Dipped Peanut Cookies (adapted from the recipe that came with Nordic Ware cookie sheets)

1/2 C butter, room temperature

1/2 C peanut butter

1 C and 2 Tblsp flour

1 C brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup chopped peanuts, divided (Erika's Extras: I used salted peanuts)

8oz dark chocolate

 

Preheat oven to 375° F. In a mixer bowl, mix butter and peanut butter on medium speed until combined. Add 3/4 C flour and the sugar, egg, baking soda, baking powder, and vanilla. Mix until combined. Add remaining flour (1/4 C & 2 Tblsp) and mix to combine. Stir in 1/2 C chopped peanuts. Place level scoops from cookie scoop onto baking sheets. Flatten slightly with a fork. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly brown on the edges. (Might take up to 12 minutes.) Cool on wire racks.

 

Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Dip the cooled cookies in the chocolate and place on baking sheets lined with waxed paper. Sprinkle the chocolate with chopped peanuts. Refrigerate cookies until chocolate is set.

 

Erika's Extra: I had left over melted chocolate and chopped peanuts, so I mixed them together and placed the mixture on waxed paper in a ramekin. Then I placed it in the fridge to harden and I ended up with a lovely chocolate bar to snack on.

Bake well and prosper!

Homemade Oreos

I've always wondered what homemade versions of processed cookies would taste like. You know...homemade versions of Samoas, Thin Mints, Graham Crackers, Oreos.

 

Now I know since this weekend I made homemade oreos. My taste-testers (fellow singers) said that they tasted like sophisticated oreos. Maybe that's because I used organic and fair trade dark chocolate chips?

Whatever it was, one thing was the same: they went really well with milk!

 

And guess what! Mixing the dough created a mess. Yay! 

Personally, I wasn't a big fan of the cookie part of this recipe. They DID seem to resemble the texture of an Oreo, but I guess I would have preferred a more fudgey cookie.

 

I loved the creamy middle though. Maybe I'll make a whoopie pie with the ingredients from the middle. Mmmm...fudgey cookie whoopie pies...

Homemade Oreos (adapted from Bakerella)
Cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted and slightly cooled
        (Erika's Extras: I used organic, fair trade, dark chocolate chips)
1 egg
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
        (Erika's Extras: I used Ghiradelli cocoa)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Filling
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
Pinch of kosher salt
Food color, optional

• In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and sugar until well combined. Whisk in the vanilla and chocolate. Whisk in the egg until combined.
• In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cocoa, salt and soda until combined. Stir flour mixture into the chocolate mixture. Mixing dough with your hands helps solidify it faster. Let the dough sit for 30 minutes to an hour to firm up.
• Transfer the dough to a sheet of wax paper. Shape into a log about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Place log along the edge of wax paper and roll. Shape as you roll to maintain a smooth cylinder. (Erika Extras: I found that rolling back and forth quickly in little segments was the most effective.) Refrigerate at least two hours or until firm. (Erika's Extras: I froze mine for 45 minutes since I was in a little bit of a rush. This worked fine.) If log settles and flattens on one side, rotate every 15 minutes or so to maintain a round shape.
• Heat oven to 325 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Cut dough in quarter inch thick slices and place on prepared baking sheet. (Erika's Extras: My cookies baked better without parchment paper.) Bake for about 20 minutes or until cookies are firm to the touch.
• While cookies are cooling, prepare the filling. In a mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add milk and salt and continue beating until smooth again. Place about a tablespoon of filling on the bottom of one cookie and sandwich with a second.

Bake well and prosper!

A "Healthy Dessert"

I don't know what came over me last week, but I decided I needed a "healthy dessert" to tide me over at work. Chips Ahoy! and Oreos were just not cutting it as an after lunch dessert that didn't make me crash.

So, I researched and found a Creamy Grape Dessert.

I was skeptical about it, seeing it was being touted as a healthier dessert option. A "healthy dessert"? Sounded like an oxymoron. I wasn't sure how well this would turn out. 

I decided to grab organic supplies of what I needed to make it even HEALTHIER! Someone stop me! (I already had sugar and vanilla, so those were the only conventional ingredients I used.)

Can I just say how grateful I am that my mom gave me some new knives? She got them for free and I became the owner. Cutting two pounds of grapes in half with my old dull ones would have been so painful!

With my new knife I cut through those pretty grapes in no time at all, and this made me happy.

(I'm sorry! I can't help it! I see faces in a lot of things I do!)

Anyway, the dessert was easy to make and actually tasted GREAT! Since the recipe makes plenty, I've been enjoying it at work all week long. Guess it showed me that desserts CAN be healthy AND yummy!

Creamy Organic Grape Dessert (from Delightful Bitefuls who adapted it from: Skinny Taste)

Ingredients

1 lb green seedless grapes, washed and dried well

1 lb red seedless grapes, washed and dried well

8 oz sour cream

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping

4 tbsp brown sugar, packed

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Cut grapes in half and set aside. Mix sour cream, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until blended well. Stir grapes into mixture, and pour in large serving dish. Combine brown sugar and crushed pecans. Sprinkle over top of grapes to cover completely. Chill overnight or until ready to serve.
(Erika's Extras: To make it even healthier, use lowfat cream cheese and lowfat sour cream. Also, don't use the white sugar. Grapes and brown sugar make it sweet enough.)

Bake well and prosper!