Ready-to-Eat Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

It was one of those weekends. 

Girls, you know the ones. All you want is chocolate, but pure chocolate isn't enough. You need something more. Cookie Dough is really the only thing that will help you out. And now I bring to you the saving grace of Pinterest in helping me find this blog. And this awesome page gave me just what I needed.

This chocolate chip cookie dough ready-and-safe-to-eat has been the best I've tried so far. I've had 3 other types, but this was the most similar to real cookie dough, without the eggs. It was definitely the most tasty and didn't leave me wanting something different like the others had.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt (a few people have found this to be too much; if you want, just add a pinch and increase to taste. I add the full 1/2 teaspoon and enjoy it!)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (again, you might want to add this a teaspoon at a time to taste. I add the full tablespoon and enjoy it!)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
water

Directions:
In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the flour, salt, vanilla and chocolate chips. Add water one tablespoon at a time (stirring between each) until the dough reaches cookie dough consistency. Honestly though, not much water is needed and you really need to put in just a little each time and mix it thoroughly before adding more or it will become far too liquidy.

This recipe yields a TON of cookie dough. The blog I got this from said 1 1/2-2 cups... I think it's more. I halved the recipe and my husband and I still had too much to finish and had to save some. And I love cookie dough. If it's for yourself, I suggest halving or quartering it even.

http://willowbirdbaking.com/2011/03/20/three-safe-to-eat-cookie-doughs-chocolate-chip-sugar-and-cake-batter/

Next week, I'll make another batter and give a review!

Caramel Chocolate Brownie Crinkle Cookie

One of the most tasty things in the world is chocolate. Who doesn't love chocolate? And to add caramel in the mix just makes it that much better! Here I've got another recipe for chocolately goodness. It's not from scratch, which means it takes less time to mix up! They're tasty, if firm/soft enough. 

1 package fudge brownie mix

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 egg

1/4 cup water 

1/4 cup canola oil

About 24 caramels, cut in half

Powdered Sugar, for rolling

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl beat the brownie mix, flour, egg, water and oil until well blended (and be sure it is not runny, but somewhat firm and moldable, otherwise this will be an issue later when rolling into balls and in powdered sugar). Place powdered sugar into a separate bowl. Scoop up a tablespoonful of dough (you can use a cookie scoop if you want, but it will still work if you don't have one) and push a piece of caramel in the middle (I would put 2 halves of a caramel into the cookie. It needed more when I made them). Roll the dough around the caramel so it is completely covered. Drop by tablespoonfuls into the powdered sugar and gently roll, shaping into a ball. Place 2 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes or until set. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.   

Yields: about 4 dozen cookies (if they're really small cookies...)

*We found that after these cookies cool down, the caramel in the middle hardens. We popped them in the microwave for a couple of seconds before eating them and the caramel melted right up! They are so good warm!

Adapted from sixsistersstuff.com

Reese's Chocolate Cake

Any true American loves peanut butter. Even those who are allergic to it love it, they just don't get to enjoy it. I've never met a single person who doesn't love the taste of that creamy, peanut buttery goodness.  And then there's chocolate. Is there anyone out there who doesn't, at the least, like chocolate? I think not. "I don't like chocolate," said no one, ever. It's my husband's birthday this week and at the family dinner, I was supposed to bring the dessert. My husband is one of those who loves his peanut butter and chocolate together. That being the case, I bring to you my favorite "made from scratch" chocolate cake that my mom has made for years and years and holds many memories with me. Along with it, a twist of peanut butter filling and frosting to make one of the richest, most filling, and delicious cakes you'll ever have!

The following is what you need:

Cinnamon Chocolate Cake:


Mix:
½ cup Buttermilk (or Milk)
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Baking Soda
2 Eggs

Boil:
1 cup Water
½ cup Butter
4 Tbsp. Cocoa
½ cup Shortening

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar

Mix everything together, "Mix," "Boil" and 2 cups of both flour and sugar. Pour into 2 greased 9" round pans. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes. It is very crucial to check it at 18 minutes as this is a cake you DO NOT want to over bake. It is meant to be dense and almost fudge like. You can also bake it at 400° in a 9x13 pan for 25-30 minutes if you'd rather, and just do the Peanut Butter Frosting.

BOIL

BAKE

Peanut Butter FILLING:

8oz semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped

8oz heavy cream

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup Reese's peanut butter cups, roughly chopped

Heat the cream until it just begins to boil. Pour it over the chocolate in a medium bowl. Whisk until it melts, then whisk in the peanut butter. Set aside 1/4 of the filling for the first layer of frosting (You don't have to do this, I skipped this step). Cool the other 3/4 completely, then gently stir in the chopped up peanut butter cups.

Peanut Butter FROSTING:

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature (Important)

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups powdered sugar 

Cream together the butter and peanut butter until they are fully combined and kind of fluffy. Add the vanilla, then stir in the sugar. Be sure to check the consistency of the frosting while adding the powdered sugar. I ended up needing to add some extra heavy cream (milk would have worked fine) to the frosting because 2 cups of powdered sugar was a little much. 

ASSEMBLY:

Place one 9-inch round on a cake stand or plate. Cover the top in the peanut butter fudge filling. Place the second 9-inch round on top. Using the reserved filling, spread a thin layer on the outside of the cake (not necessary, but adds an extra fudge layer to the cake). Refrigerate until the fudge is set and firm to the touch (whether you use the fudge on the outside or not, make sure it firms and cools).

Slather the whole thing in the peanut butter frosting. Be sure not to let the cake crumble all over the place!  Decorate with peanut butter cups however you'd like. 

This dessert was an absolutely hit at my in laws place. It tasted absolutely delicious and could not have possibly gone better. 

This is where I got the peanut butter filling and frosting recipes from. My mom is who gave me the chocolate cake recipe. From what I understand, it was the one my paternal grandmother made when my dad was younger too.

http://sixoneseven.blogspot.com/2011/01/not-for-faint-of-heart.html

Jalapeños Popper Chicken: American

Chicken is one of the most commonly eaten foods throughout the entire world. In Ukraine, the whole chicken is used in borscht to make it taste better and give it some real flavor. In Norway, cooking up tenders in a frying pan with some mashed potatoes and vegetables as sides is a common dinner. Here in America, chicken is something most will eat as their meat in hopes to be healthier in place of other possible red meats. Chicken even has jokes written about it, ones that most Americans know from being small children (“Why did the chicken cross the road?”).  Simply put, chicken is a staple food in many different cultures and areas in the world. 

I love jalapeños. I believe that they are the perfect taste of both flavor and spice and add something special to any dish. I also love jalapeño poppers; if you've never had those, get them. Now. You won't regret it in the least. I was introduced to them this last year and they're more delicious than most things I've tried with jalapeños. Who wouldn't love jalapeños with lots of cheesy goodness? That's what I though. No one. For those of you who know all about jalapeño poppers, just imagine chicken being thrown into the mix and that's what we've got here; deliciousness in one of its tastiest forms!

Jalapeño Popper Chicken

Serves 2
Highly adapted from Allrecipes, via Sunny Side Up in San Diego

1/2 cup panko
2 tsp. canola oil
1.5 – 2 tsp. taco seasoning or mixture in notes*
1 egg
2 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (we used 2%)
1-2 jalapeño peppers, seeds and ribs removed, minced
2 chicken breasts

Preheat the oven to 375 and place an ovenproof rack onto a rimmed baking dish. Spray with cooking oil.

In a small skillet over medium heat, combine the panko with the canola oil. Cook, stirring often, until the panko is golden and crispy. Place in a shallow bowl or dish. To the panko, add the taco seasoning* and stir to combine.

In another shallow bowl or dish, lightly beat an egg. In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and jalapeños.

Using a small utility knife, cut a pocket into the side of each chicken breast, or horizontally slice the chicken through the center, until it is almost butterflied. Season the chicken lightly with salt and pepper, and then divide the cream cheese mixture evenly between each chicken breast’s pocket. Use toothpicks to secure, if necessary.

Dip the chicken pieces one at a time first into the egg, and then into the panko mixture, making sure to coat the chicken completely. Place the chicken on the prepared baking rack and cook for about 25-30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

*Note: To make your own taco seasoning mixture, combine 1/2 tsp. chili powder, 1/4 tsp. cumin, 1/8 tsp. garlic powder, 1/8 tsp. onion powder, 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, 1/8 tsp. oregano, 1/8 tsp. paprika, and salt and black pepper to taste.

Enjoy this tasty dinner. It's typical American food at its finest.

This was taken from:

http://ellysaysopa.com/2012/07/24/jalapeno-popper-chicken/

NEW BLOG!

Hello everyone, and welcome to my blog! I'll be posting lots of tasty food (mostly dessert) that you should definitely try because I'm sure you'll love to sink your teeth into it! I get my recipes all over the web and from family recipes. I hope you like the look of them enough to try them, because they're bound to be good!

Also, thank you Pinterest for giving me all of the tasty dessert recipes I could ever need.