White Chocolate-filled Snicker doodles

Snicker doodles are one of my husband's all-time favorite cookies, but I always thought they were a little bland.  I was looking for a way to spice them up a bit and was toying with drizzling them with chocolate. That's done all the time, though, so I decided to stuff the chocolate inside.  I also made a few adjustments to the actual cookie recipe to give them a little more flavor and substance.  I must have done okay.  The hubby labelled them a winner.

Here's what you'll need:
1 c butter, room temp
3 c sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs, room temp
1/2 c half & half (or cinnamon-flavored coffee creamer)
7 c flour, sifted
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 packages Hershey Bliss! White Chocolate melt away flavor
1/2 c sugar
1 TBSP cinnamon

Beat the butter with a mixer until light and creamy.  Add the sugar and vanilla; continue beating until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and half & half.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.  Mix into the butter mixture, in small amounts, until well blended.  The dough will be quite stiff.

Cover with plastic wrap.  Chill 2 hours to overnight.

Preheat oven to 375.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Remove the wrappers from the chocolate candy.

Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Use a medium-sized cookie scoop to portion dough.

Flatten slightly between hands.  Place one candy piece in center.

Pull up the sides and shape the dough into a ball, making sure the chocolate is completely encased.

Roll the balls in the sugar-cinnamon mixture.  Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets.

Bake at 375 for 9-10 minutes, until golden brown.  Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes 6 dozen.

Enjoy!

Triple-Chocolate Fudge

This is another fudge great for gift giving or an exchange.  It's creamy and smooth, with a balanced sweetness.  It does have a lot of steps, but each one is simple to do.  Make sure all your prep is done before you start cooking.  This will help prevent graininess from overcooking. As with all fudge, do not make this if it's raining or overly humid.

 
Here's what you'll need:
6 c sugar
1 can evaporated milk
2 sticks butter
1 8-oz tub mascarpone cheese
1 13-oz jar marshmallow cream
1 TBSP vanilla
2 c vanilla milk chips
1 c milk chocolate chips
1 c special dark chips
2 TBSP cocoa powder

Line a 9x13 pan with foil or parchment.  Spray with cooking spray.  Set aside.

Put white milk chips in large bowl.  Set aside.

Combine milk chips, special dark chips and cocoa powder in large bowl.  Set aside.

Heat sugar, milk, butter and cheese to boiling in a 6-quart pot over medium-high heat (6-8 min) stirring constantly.  Reduce heat to medium.  Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.

Quickly stir in marshmallow cream and vanilla.

Pour 4 cups of this mixture over the vanilla milk chips; stir to mix.

Stir the milk and dark chocolates and the cocoa powder into the remaining marshmallow mixture in pot.  Stir, quickly, until mixed well.

Pour one-third of the white mixture into the prepared pan, spreading evenly.

Quickly pour over one-third of the chocolate mixture, evenly, over the top.

Repeat two more times.  Pull a knife through the top to create a marbled design.

Cool, at room temp, until set.  Refrigerate 3 hours or more before cutting into 1 1/2-inch squares.  Makes 96 pieces (about 6 lbs.).

Enjoy!

White Chocolate-Cranberry Baked Oatmeal

Hearty breakfasts are a must once the winter's cold sets in. I used to live on cream of wheat.  It was warming and delicious.  And full of gluten.  Then I discovered baked oatmeal. I can make a pan at the beginning of the week, and breakfast is ready for the rest of the week.  This version is sweet and crunchy, made extra rich by the addition of white chocolate chips.

Here's what you'll need:
2 eggs, beaten
1 c milk
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 c brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 c oats (I use old fashioned for more fiber)
1 c dried cranberries, divided
1/2 c white chocolate chips
1/2 c almonds, chopped

Heat oven to 350.  Grease an 9x11" or 10" square baking dish.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, oil, sugar and seasonings together in a large mixing bowl.  Stir in the oats, 3/4 c cranberries and chocolate chips.

Pour into the prepared dish.  Sprinkle with the remaining cranberries and the almonds.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until the center is set.  Serve warm, with milk.
Cover the rest with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for up to one week.  I pour the milk on each serving before I microwave it.

Enjoy!

Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies

There's nothing like a really good chocolate chip cookie.  I use one that's been in my family for a long time. Of course, I've tweaked it a little to better suit my tastes.  The fact is, the recipe is less important than the techniques.  If you have the basics down, you can turn any recipe into something fabulous.  This recipe makes about 10 dozen cookies, but it can easily be cut in half and still have the same flavor results.

Here's what you'll need:
1 1/2 sticks butter, room temp
1 1/2 sticks margarine, room temp
1 1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 c brown sugar, packed
4 eggs, room temp
1 TBSP water
2 tsp vanilla
5 c flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c dark chocolate chips
1 c white chocolate chips

Eggs take a long time to come to room temperature.  (The FDA says it's safe for them to be un-refrigerated for 24 hours.)  I place mine, with the butter, on a cooling rack and let it sit overnight.  Then, both are ready to use.  Room temperature items blend easier, creating a nicer dough. 

Sift together your flour, baking soda and powder, and salt.  I just run it through a colander.  This removes the lumps and adds some air to the flour, creating a lighter texture in the dough.  Set aside.

Combine the butter, margarine and sugars in a mixing bowl.  I use a mixture of butter and margarine because I like a soft-textured cookie that holds it's shape.  If you like crisper cookies, use all butter; if you like soft cookies, use all margarine.  (One warning:  margarine contains water.  The higher level of moisture will cause the cookies to spread out while baking and be very thin.)

Start on low until sugar blends in, then increase to medium.  You want to cream the sugar into the butter. That means you're going to incorporate air into the butter while dissolving the sugar.  This will take about 5 minutes and is the most important step in this recipe, or  cookie making, in general.  To test if it's done, rub a small amount between your fingers.  You should not feel any grit.  If you do, keep mixing it.

Add the eggs, one at a time, blending well after each.  Add the vanilla and water.  Mix well.  With the mixer on low, slower stir in the flour mixture.  Blend just enough to get the flour incorporated.  Over mixing will make the gluten in the flour bloom, creating a tough cookie.  Get ready for the chocolate chips!

The old family recipe calls for just semi-sweet chocolate chips, but I really like this combination.  Every bite is full of chocolate, and no two bites are the same.  Mix the chips into the cookie dough, just until mixed.  I usually stir them by hand at the end to make sure the dough at the bottom has as many chips as the top.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.  Chill at least 1 hour, up to overnight.  This allows the butter to re-harden and helps the cookies keep their shape.

Preheat the oven to 375.  I line my cookie sheets with parchment.  This helps the cookies to brown more evenly, but is not necessary in order for them to turn out right.  I normally use a medium-sized cookie scoop, but a table spoon works well, too.  Give the cookies some space. On a normal tray, I put about 12 cookies.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, switching trays halfway through.  The cookies will be light brown and slightly puffy. Let cool on the tray, or a wire rack for 1 minute before removing from the trays.  Cool completely on the wire rack.

Enjoy!