Caramel-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

From: Martha Stewart magazine

Ingredients:
3 cups AP flour
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
12 oz semisweet chocolate chips
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
24 caramels, halved

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together flour, both sugars, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add butter; beat on medium speed until combined but some pea-size butter chunks remain. Add chocolate chips and beat until combined, then beat in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Scoop dough into 4-oz balls (about 1/3 cup); make a deep, wide hollow in each center. Enclose three pieces of caramel in each, roll back into a ball. Place 6 balls on each sheet. Freeze 15 minutes.

Bake, with one sheet on each rack, 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees, swap sheet positions, and bake until centers are almost but not completely set (press gently on tops with your fingers to check), 7-10 minutes more. Remove from oven. Bang sheets on a counter a few times to create cracks in tops of cookies. Place sheets on a wire rack; let cool completely.

What we did differently:
I halved the recipe and I'm SO GLAD we did. These cookies were MASSIVE!! Other than that I didn't change anything, but I will give you a tip, because I've made a lot of stuffed cookies in my day. Make sure the dough completely covers the caramel on the oven, or the caramel will ooze out of the bottom of the cookie and make it fall apart easier.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Love, love! These are SO good and super easy to make!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chippers

From: An old cookbook (Ripped out; I don't have the title of the cookbook)

Ingredients:
1 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
Granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine peanut butter, brown sugar and egg in medium bowl; mix until well blended. Add chips; mix well.

Roll heaping tablespoonfuls of dough into balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Sprinkle with granulated sugar; press a fork criss-cross onto each ball, flattening.

Cook for 8-10 minutes approximately, or until golden brown. 

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Although the recipe didn't make very many cookies (that could have been due to the size I made them though - *ahem*) they were very tasty. And it seriously doesn't get any easier than this for a recipe! You could whip this up anytime. You probably have all these ingredients in your pantry consistently! I'll be making these again for sure - but next time I'll make sure to double the recipe!

Chocolate Pudding Cake

From: Spend With Pennies

Ingredients:
3/4 cup AP flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Topping:
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups hot water

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a 2-quart casserole dish, combine flour, white sugar, cocoa powder and baking powder. Add milk and oil and vanilla. Stir until well mixed. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, cocoa powder and chocolate chips. Sprinkle over cake batter. DO NOT STIR. Pour hot water over top.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top looks cooked. Serve warm.

 
Verdict:
Thumbs up - if you like chocolate! This one-dish recipe is actually very cool. The dish creates the pudding sauce when you pour the hot water on top. The only thing about this recipe is it is very chocolate-y. I'm not a huge chocolate fan so it was a little overwhelming to me. My daughter and husband loved it though. Plus, it really doesn't get any easier than this, so I recommend this recipe!

Chocolate Chunk-Peanut Cookies

From: Southern Living

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup chunky peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 cups AP flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
1 bag chocolate chunks

Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; add chunky peanut butter and sugars, beating well. Add eggs, beating until combined.

Combine flour and next 4 ingredients. Add to butter mixture, beating well. Stir in peanuts and chocolate chunks.

Shape dough into 2-inch balls. Flatten slightly and place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 F for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on pan for a couple of minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Double chocolate chunk-peanut cookies: Reduce flour to 2 cups; add 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa, sifted. Proceed as directed.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I just love peanut butter and chocolate AND cookies! What an easy recipe. I had all the ingredients on hand which I love. I think it still would have been great even without the dry peanuts though. I was surprised that the cookies had a great, cake-y consistency even though there were SO many peanuts and chocolate chips. These make a ton, so beware - around 3 dozen. I'll definitely be making them again though!

Paula Deen's Chocolate Chip Ooey Gooey Butter Cake

From: Here

Ingredients:
Cake base layer:
1 (18.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix
1 egg
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted 

Filling layer:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 (16-ounce) box confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted 

Topping:
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well. Pat into the bottom of prepared pan and set aside. Still using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth; add eggs and vanilla. Dump in confectioners' sugar and beat well. Reduce speed of mixer and slowly pour in butter. Mix well.

Pour filling onto cake mixture and spread evenly. Sprinkle 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup chopped nuts on top of filling. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Don't be afraid to make a judgment call on the cooking time, because oven temperatures can vary. You want the center to be a little gooey.

Verdict:
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Anything that involves cake mix, lots of butter, and chocolate, is okay in my book. This was a great cake recipe. Not too sweet, so you can eat a lot at once. But definitely satisfying to your sweet tooth! I would love to throw in some butterscotch chips next time, or chocolate and peanut butter chips together. Yum! A great, versatile recipe that is super easy to make.

Chocolate Chip Blondies

From: Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla just until blended. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to brown sugar mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread into a greased 13x9 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until done. Cool and then cut.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! A big thumbs up. I made this one day just because I had all the ingredients on hand... I ended up making it six more times over the next two weeks, and one of those was a request from Stephen as his birthday cake! I do cook mine longer than the recipe calls for - about 25 minutes usually, so just keep an eye on it. I highly recommend you try this EASY recipe!