Exceedingly Chocolate Crinkles

These Exceedingly Chocolate Crinkles are delicious. They have a very chocolatey (surprise!) flavor, with a moist cakey texture. Very easy to put together, the only thing I didn’t have on hand was the six ounces of chocolate, which was easily remedied with a trip to the convenience store around the corner. (They were having a BOGO on gourmet chocolate bars, so I took that as a good sign for the rest of my morning.) 

I would definitely make these again, so simple, and such perfect little chocolate treat.

Old Fashioned Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These Old Fashioned Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are quite tasty. The combination of whiskey, vanilla, cinnamon and molasses is a great accompaniment to the chocolate chunks. I’d definitely make them again, except I think I would eat most of them before I got the chance to take them to work!

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Old Fashioned Oatmeal cookies. #bakedoccasions

A post shared by Elizabeth Rapp (@busylizzy84) on May 21, 2017 at 8:20am PDT

Chocolate-Cornflake Haystacks

On one hand, I did like these.

On the other hand, every time I took a bite I wished they were different. Crunchier, saltier, more chocolate, it just seemed like they needed something. A scoop of peanut butter or salted peanuts would probably have been great. Toasting the coconut and the nuts would have been delicious.

The recipe is flexible, so I could make them again with different additions. I used cashews, sweetened coconut, cornflakes, and milk chocolate, and substituted honey for the agave since I had that on hand.

The overall texture was a lot chewier than expected – a combination of the softness of the coconut and the ‘glue’ holding the cookies together, which was almost taffy-like in texture when baked.

Not my favorite cookie recipe, but definite potential  with some tweaks.

Black Forest Cupcakes

I thought these Black Forest Cupcakes were great! I got a lot of compliments after taking them to my office. The cake was very moist and chocolatey, and the icing was fun to make. I substituted strawberry jam and grenadine for the cherry preserves and kirsch, but I thought the results were delicious.

I did feel like it made a crazy amount of frosting for 24 cupcakes, even swirled high. Other than that, I thought the results were wonderful.

Valentine’s Day Share-a-Heart

I thought the Valentine’s Day Share-a-Hearts were just ok. They were a cute Valentine’s Day treat, especially using red sprinkles. The dough was very crumbly right out of the food processor, and even after chilling it did not hold together all that well.  The flavor is a bit bland, what this recipe really needs is more chocolate- a melted chocolate drizzle or frosting would be perfect.

Nutella Chip Cookies, Almond Style

These were delicious! If you love chocolate with a delightful crunch of toasted nuts these cookies will make you very happy. They were very moist, so the slivered almonds that I used were a perfect complement. I’m sort of meh about hazelnuts, so I decided to substitute Trader Joe’s Cocoa Almond spread instead. I’ve never tried it before, and I noticed that it doesn’t have a strong nut flavor (while Nutella is very hazelnutty).  If  you want a cookie that is more chocolate the TJ’s spread makes a good alternative.

 

World Peace Cookies

These were great, I’m definitely saving the recipe to make again! Perfect for anyone who LOVES chocolate. I think I’ve only made slice and bake cookies a couple of times before. These were easy to slice, though a bit crumbly. I made half right away and froze half the dough for later, which worked out beautifully.

Happy New Year!

Malted Crisp Tart

I made the Sweet Potato Tart last year and loved it, so I decided to make an alternate that I missed when the group was working their way through Baked Explorations, the Malted Crisp Tart.  I love making tarts, and this one has been on my ‘to bake’ list for awhile.

I decided to try making mini tarts in a muffin tin a la this post by the Great Bake Company.  I was a little worried that they wouldn’t come out of the pan, but thankfully they slid right out. I’ve made caramelized rice krispies once before, for Dorie Greenspan’s Crispy Topped Brown Sugar Bars, and I think they are wonderfully versatile.  I keep meaning to make a batch and adding them to ice cream (chocolate malt crunch ice cream anyone)?

There are a lot of steps to this recipe, but nothing terribly difficult.  The tart crust was buttery, and you layer ganache and malt vanilla pudding on top with the crunchy rice krispies. Assembling everything together was easy, and I thought the tartlets came out looking adorable.  They made a delightful two bite treat.

Chocolate Cinnamon Chipotle Cookies

I enjoyed these Chocolate Cinnamon Chipotle Cookies. Overall, I wish they had a stronger chocolate flavor. While I thought they were tasty, they mostly just tasted like sugar, likely the frosting overpowering any flavor from the cookie itself.

I don’t have Chipotle chili powder, but I do have frozen chipotle chilis in my freezer, so I defrosted and finely chopped one of those and mixed it in with the chocolate. I think it blended well with the cinnamon, though I don’t know if anyone would notice without knowing the name of the recipe.

Rolling them out was easy, and I got to use my new favorite octopus cookie cutter. This is the first time I’ve made royal icing and used a pastry bag, the results came out fairly well, but it does take a long time to wait for the different frostings to set! If I made them again I would probably spoon the first layer on instead of trying to pipe it, I think it would have gone a lot faster. Other than that, the frosting was my favorite part of these cookies.  My husband was excited to help decorate, and I love the crunch the of the royal icing when you bite into a cookie.

Happy halloween!

 

 

Milk Chocolate Malted Brownies with Chocolate Ganache

These Milk Chocolate Malted Brownies with Chocolate Ganache were very tasty! What a great dessert for those who loves milk chocolate, the malt powder really compliments the extra sweetness.  The middle was dense moist chocolate but the edges had a nice crispness from where they met the side of the pan. I skipped the decorating instructions and just tossed some chocolate chips on top.

I think my only critique would be to call for more ganache!

(Which is probably a good rule of thumb for almost any recipe, more ganache.)