Tasty Tuesday: Chocolate

One of woman's best friends: chocolate. Next to shoes and shiny things, chocolate is definitely one of those things that most women like to have around the house when the random sweet tooth takes hold.

Whether it be dark, milk, or white, in bar, cake, or ice cream form, I can tell you personally that chocolate has a nice little spot in my heart, and a reserved spot in my stomach.

NOW, nothing says childhood more than a homemade chocolate chip cookie straight out of the oven. Ooey, gooey, and amazingly tasty, it brings me right back to that innocent time when the most drama was around my sister stealing my crayons or my Barbie.

The best part of these cookies?? They have 3 types of chocolate: dark, milk, and white chocolate chips. Can we say YUMMY?!

Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies
Courtesy of Melissa

3/4 cup white sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

3 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup nuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Cream sugars and butter until light.

3. Add eggs and vanilla, beat until fluffy.

4. Sift dry ingredients and add to butter mixture, mixing well.

5. Mix in chips and nuts, if using.

6. Drop spoonfuls of batter onto cookie sheets and bake 10-12 minutes.

7. Cookies should brown but remain soft.

8. Cool on wire racks.

Definitely tasty, and they freeze well (IF you even have any left overs).

Enjoy! And let me know (and Melissa) how you like them, and what you did differently from the recipe (if you did).

Mmm...Frosting

Thank you Hello Naomi.

Ah cupcakes. A cake in miniature form that is enjoyed by millions around the world. The Vox is a big fan of cupcakes, and can be seen blogging about them quite often. Why? Because they. are. AWESOMENESS!

Plain, with frosting, or decorated to look like 80's game characters, cupcakes are a blank canvas for bakers and pastry chefs alike to express what flavors they are capable of.

With basic ingredients needed in order to create them, even an amateur baker can create these tasty morsels at home (without the help of Betty Crocker or the Pillsbury Doughboy).


**The following recipes can all be found on Wilton.com**

Cinnamon Sugar Cream Cheese Filling
1 pkg (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 c. milk

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients.

Beat with mixer until well blended.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

Batter

1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon no-color almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. In mixer bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 
3. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. 
4. Mix in vanilla and almond flavor. 
5. Mix flour with baking powder and salt. 
6. Add flour mixture alternately with milk, starting with the flour. 
7. Pour into prepared pans. 
8. Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. 
9. Cool 10 minutes in pan on rack; remove and cool completely before decorating.

**This recipe uses the Cinnamon Sugar Cream Cheese Filling mentioned above**

Icing

3 tablespoons cream of tartar
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup water

1. Beat meringue powder and 1/2 cup cold water until stiff, about 4 minutes. 
2. In microwave safe bowl stir sugar, corn syrup and 1/2 cup water. 
3. In microwave bring syrup mixture to a boil (approx. 5 minutes). 
4. Remove, let mixture cool slightly (1-2 minutes). 
5. Slowly add syrup to meringue mixture. 
6. Beat on HIGH for 4 minutes. 
**For top of range: Mix sugar, corn syrup and water in 2 qt. saucepan. Bring to boil; cool slightly and follow directions above.**

To give an authentic snickerdoodle cookie taste, sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top of the icing!

Saturday Night Sweets

Saturday Night. The weekend before midterms for Summer Quarter. Know what that means?

That's right. I am barricading myself in my room for the next few days. Which also means I need to stock up on some snackage.

So, for this Saturday Night Sweets, I am going to share with you all 4 tasty snacks that will keep you going through that all-nighter that is always inevitable in college (or for you to go grab on that daily midnight snack run to the fridge).

Get in your comfy pants kiddies. It's time to cook up!

Jalapeno Poppers by Iron Woman

I know, they're not sweet. But these are one of those foods that I LOVE to have on hand for when I need a spicy pick-me-up when I'm burning the midnight oil on a project that's due the next day. And, if you're not a spicy food type of person, you can try these with poblano peppers! Poblanos are an awesome beginner pepper with just a slight bit of heat.


Fresh Fruit Tarts by PanNan

Definitely tasty, and it's a versatile food! If you don't like kiwi, just switch it in for strawberries! If you don't like strawberries, switch in peaches! If you don't like any of those fruits, what is wrong with you?! (I kid, I kid!)

But this is one thing that just even LOOKS tasty. Why not give it a shot??

Candy Shop Pizza by Nestle (courtesy of Mom10)

This is one of those things that I remember my mom making a good couple times when I was a kid. And yes, it is one of those things that I still crave as a young adult.

If you have a major sweet tooth, this is guaranteed to help get rid of it in just a short amount of time (basically a single bite will make even the biggest sweet junkie call it good).

And finally:

Pistachio Salad (also called Watergate Salad)

Personally, I have had this stuff more times than I can count, as well as made it a good few times. It's easy, AND tasty. You need:

1 box Instant Pistachio Pudding

1 small can Fruit Cocktail, drained

1 container Cool Whip

1 bag Mini Marshmallows

1. Mix the pudding as directed on the box, and let sit in the fridge until just set.

2. Fold in the rest of the ingredients, and put back in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour.

VOILA!! You have successfully made Pistachio Salad. See why my family makes it so much?

Check out this book for more recipes that even non-cookers can cook (unless you have seriously burnt water) ----->The Starving Students' Cookbook

What do you guys like to make for an all-nighter or a late night study session?

CHOCOLATE!!! Again!!

Happy Hump Day peeps! Hope your week has been good thus far.

Me personally, I could go for a drink, a big pan of brownies, and a nap (not in the particular order).

No disturb the kitty.

So, if your week has been as tiring and stressful as mine, why not try out these tasty treats that the Chocolate Doctor has prescribed for this Wednesday:

Chocolate bath, please!

Brownie Pops by Elizabeth LaBau

I am one of those people that I can have a pan of brownies and be happy for the night. What's better than a brownie on a stick?! Better yet, just like the Cake Pops I wrote about in Saturday Night Sweets, these tasty brownies get a dip into ooey, gooey chocolate (if they even make it 

that far).

White Hot Chocolate by Paula Deen

I am a white chocolate fan, and when I got a taste of some White Hot Chocolate, I died and went to chocolate heaven. And we all know Paula Deen knows how to make a decadent treat. And of course, don't forget to add your green vegetable to the side of it (or substitute it for peppermint, preferably in stick form).

And last, but not least:

 Chocolate Mousse by Gourmet

I made this recipe a couple years back for my mom's birthday, and it was great! Definitely something I intend on making again in the near future.

*Read reviews to get some ideas on how they improved the recipe for their own tastes. Some are good suggestions.*

Enjoy your treats kids! And remember, the weekends isn't too far off (especially with these treats to keep you company until then.)

Cupcakes, Cookies, and Cheese. Oh my!

As any woman will tell you, there is one day, out of one week, out of EVERY month, where we CRAVE specific foods.
For some of us, it's sweets (chocolate bar please?).

For others, a specific type of food.

And then, there are those of us where we crave a mixture of things, or ANYTHING sounds good.

I fall in the latter.

Give me something sweet, some sort of pasta, and something I can pour a bottle of hot sauce on, and all is right in the world.

Now, since I know the majority of us have a sweet tooth anyways, having something sweet on hand the majority of the time is a must (of course, in moderation). So, today, I am sharing with you all a couple recipes that are amazing to have on hand for when the cravings attack. Hope you all enjoy them!

Cherry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Photo courtesy of Paula Dean on Good Housekeeping

This is a little recipe that I came up with myself when I didn't want regular chocolate chip cookies.

Ingredients

2 1/4 c. Flour

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Salt

2 sticks of butter, softened

3/4 c. White Sugar

3/4 c. Brown Sugar

1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract (I like vanilla in my cookies)

2 eggs

2 cups (or 1 regular size package) White Chocolate Chips

1 pkg. Ocean Spray Cherry Craisins

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C).

2. In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt together.

3. In a large bowl, place the butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla.

Using a mixer (here is a good one if you don't have one:KitchenAid K45SS Classic 250-Watt 4-1/2-Quart Stand Mixer,), mix until well blended.

4. Add eggs, mixing one in at a time until well blended.

5. Mix in dry ingredients in 3 increments. Mix through until well blended.

6. With a SPOON (you will jam your mixer), mix in the white chocolate chips and craisins.

7. Roll out into about 1-inch balls, and place on a cookie sheet (Good brand: Calphalon Classic Bakeware 14-by-17-Inch Cookie Sheets 2-Pack).

*you can fit 12 onto a sheet*

8. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until just set in the center.

Cool on the pan for 2 minutes, then move to a cooling rack.

Now, I can't tell you exactly how many this will make, but it should make anywhere between 3 dozen and 4 dozen cookies (depending on how big you make them).

Strawberry and Cream Cupcakes

  

Courtesy of alligirl on Food.com

These are amazing! Definitely worth trying out.

Toffee Crunch Caramel Cheesecake

  

Courtesy of Bon Appetit on Epicurious.com

I can honestly say that I have successfully made this recipe twice. It is sooooo good. Just be careful! It is addictive. (I have this brand of pan, and it works every time: Nordic Ware Leakproof Springform Pan, 10 Cup, 9 Inch)

I hope you all enjoy these awesome treats! And have a great day!