Tag Archives: chocolate

December 7, 2009 · 10:01 am

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Chocolate Caramel Thumbprints

DAY 11: These Chocolate Caramel Thumbprint Cookies combine three great tastes: chocolate, caramel, and pecans. They look complicated, but are actually pretty easy to put together. I like to use a dark chocolate drizzle, but you could use regular semi-sweet chocolate chips or even milk chocolate chips for a less-intense flavor.

Chocolate Caramel Thumbprints

Servings: 4 dozen
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1 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs, separated
¼ cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
½ tsp salt
2 cups finely chopped pecans

Caramel sauce:
30 caramels, unwrapped
1/3 cup heavy cream

Glaze:
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs corn syrup

Combine butter, sugar, egg yolks, milk, and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Beat until light and fluffy. Add flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Beat until well combined. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place egg whites in a small bowl. Place finely chopped pecans in a bowl. Set aside. Roll dough into balls. Dip balls into egg white and then into pecans. (I find this easier if I make a whole baking sheet worth of dough balls, then dip them all in egg/pecans). Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Make a small indentation with your thumb in the center of each cookie.

Bake at 350°F for 12 minutes, or until cookies are set. While cookies are still hot, press center again (the back of a measuring teaspoon or small melon-baller work well for this–no burned thumbs!)

To prepare Caramel Sauce: Combine caramels and cream in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until caramels are melted. Spoon small amount of caramel into centers of baked cookies. Carefully remove cookies to a wire rack to cool.

For Chocolate Glaze: Combine bittersweet chips, butter, and corn syrup in a small bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave for another 20-30 seconds if not melted. Let cool slightly. Pour chocolate into a small Ziploc freezer bag (don’t use a regular bag-it WILL burst). Poke a hole in the corner of the bag (a bamboo skewer makes a perfect sized hole). Drizzle chocolate over the cooled cookies. Cool until set.

To store: refrigerate or freeze cookies in individual layers; then store between layers of waxed paper in the refrigerator or freezer. They can also be stored at room temperature, but if you stack them, they will stick together.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

NoEmptyChairs.me

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS COOKIES RECAP:
DAY 1: Swedish Peppar KaKar
DAY 2: Mint Oreo Cookies
DAY 3: Christmas Chocolate Chip Cookies
DAY 4: Cherry Nut Mudslides
DAY 5: Snickerdoodles
DAY 6: Raspberry Almond Linzer Cookies
DAY 7: Peanut Butter Kisses
DAY 8: Peppermint and Vanilla Butter Cookies
DAY 9: Chocolate Rolo and Andes Chocolate Mint Cookies
DAY 10: Russian Tea Cakes

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Tagged as caramel, chocolate, Christmas cookies, Cookies, pecans, thumbprints

December 4, 2009 · 9:12 pm

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Two Great Cookies from One Easy Dough

Chocolate Rolo Cookies
Andes Chocolate Mint Cookies

DAY 9: I first tried this dough in the Andes Mint version at a cookie dough exchange (thanks Jaimee!). The original recipe is from Recipezaar. Finding myself wanting a similar cookie, but not having any Andes mints in the house, I adapted them to make Chocolate Rolo Cookies. This is my favorite way to eat them now!

The original Andes cookie recipe uses regular Andes, but when I make these I prefer the Andes Parfait, that have the 2 green layers on the outside and a chocolate middle layer. It makes a nice contrast with the chocolate cookie.

Chocolate Rolo Cookies

Servings: 5-6 dozen
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¾ cup butter
1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
2 Tbs water
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 large eggs
2 ½ cups flour
½ tsp salt
1 ¼ tsp baking soda
Rolos

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a saucepan over low heat, combine butter, sugar, and water. Heat until melted and add chocolate chips until mostly melted. Remove from heat and stir until completely melted. Pour mixture into large mixing bowl. Let stand 10 minutes to cool slightly. Beat in eggs one at a time on high speed. Add flour, salt, and baking soda; mix on low speed until well blended. Dough will be very soft, almost liquid. If desired, chill for 1 hour for easier handling (you can usually use the dough in less than an hour).

Take about 1 Tbs dough and wrap it around a Rolo (use just enough dough to completely cover Rolo). Place on baking sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes (Do not overcook; cookies will still look a little underdone). Cool on baking sheet 1-2 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 5-6 dozen cookies

NoEmptyChairs.me

Andes Chocolate Mint Cookies

Servings: 4 dozen
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¾ cup butter
1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
2 Tbs water
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 large eggs
2 ½ cups flour
½ tsp salt
1 ¼ tsp baking soda
About 24 Andes mints (Parfait variety, if you can find them)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Roll dough into balls and place on baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes. Place half of an Andes mint on top of each hot cookie. Allow to melt slightly and swirl with a toothpick.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies (the original recipe says that it makes 2 dozen, but I got almost double that).

NoEmptyChairs.me

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October 27, 2009 · 6:32 am

Yummy Mummy Cookies

As Halloween approaches, the one thing my kids start asking for is “Mummy Cookies”. These are definitely the Halloween favorite at our house. I first found this recipe in a newspaper in northern Kentucky about 12 years ago. They were developed by Hershey’s Cocoa, and they still have a link to them on the Hershey’s website. I follow their recipe pretty closely, except that I do not add chocolate chips to the dough (I don’t think they were in the recipe 12 years ago). I like a smoother cookie, especially as these are coated in white chocolate.

The one problem that we have with these cookies in our house is, of course, that they are chocolate, and Little A will not let anything of that variety pass his lips. So I usually make two batches: one with the regular recipe, and one using a sugar cookie recipe as the mummy base. Little A’s okay with picking off those two little chocolate eyes. So we have both chocolate and vanilla mummies at our house. For a vanilla mummy, you can use any sugar cookie recipe that does not have a big spread. Here is my all time favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe.

I do have to admit that I prefer my mummies naked. Shh-don’t tell! I’m not a real fan of white chocolate coating. Maybe if they were dipped in a good dark chocolate, but that would kind of ruin the mummy concept. Maybe if I shaped some like Bats?

As far as the cookie recipe goes, it is pretty standard: mix the wet ingredients, then add the dry ones. These cookies are always much better with little hands helping! Before making the cookies, you can refrigerate the dough a little, if you want, but I don’t usually find this necessary. The dough will store well in the fridge or freezer, however, so it is easy to make up a really big batch and then freeze some for another day.

To get your cookies to look like mummies, start with about a tablespoon of dough and make a wedged carrot-shaped body (about 3 inches long).

___

Place the body on a cookie sheet. Roll a small teaspoon-sized ball of dough for the head (about the size of a grape). Again-this is a great job for little hands. Place the head on top of the body, pressing the two pieces together just a little. Bake and cool completely.

Melt your white chocolate chips with 1-2 Tbs of shortening (per bag) in a double boiler or in the microwave.

When the white chocolate is warm enough that it pours evenly from a spoon, you are ready to encase your mummies.

Place one cookie on the flat edge of a butter knife.

Be sure that the mummy’s head is supported, or it will soon be decapitated.

Hold the knife over the bowl of chocolate, and spoon the coating over the cookie. It should be quite runny (add additional shortening if necessary).

Gently tap the knife on the edge of the bowl to remove excess coating. Keep the knife straight, or you will end up with a mummy swimming in your chocolate.

Place the coated cookie on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet (use a toothpick to gently nudge the cookie off of the knife).

While the coating is still wet, add two mini chocolate chips for eyes. Let the white chocolate begin to harden (but not completely).

Use a toothpick to draw mummy “wrappings”. Let coating completely harden. If the room is warm, you may need to place the cookie sheet in the fridge for a few minutes.

Happy Haunting!

RECIPE:

Yummy Mummy Cookies

Servings: about 2 dozen
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2/3 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 ½ cups flour
½ cup cocoa
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1-2 pkg white chocolate chips
1-2 Tbs shortening per package of chips (not butter)
Mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Beat butter, sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Beat in eggs. Stir together dry ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture. Beat until blended. Refrigerate 20 minutes for easier handling, if desired.

To form mummy bodies: Roll dough into 2-3” long carrot shape. Roll a small ball for a head. Press together on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8-9 minutes. Cool completely.

Microwave white chocolate chips and shortening until smooth. Coat tops of mummy cookies by placing one cookie at a time on a table knife. Hold knife over the bowl of melted white chocolate and spoon mixture over cookie. Gently tap knife to remove excess chocolate. Place on waxed paper. Place 2 mini chocolate chips on for eyes. As coating begins to set on cookies, use a toothpick to score lines into the coating to resemble mummy wrappings. Let harden completely before storing.

Adapted from Hershey’s

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

NoEmptyChairs.me

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