White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies (noun): [hwahyt chaw-kuh-lit mak-uh-dey-mee-uh nuht kook-ee ] A deliciously chewy cookie scattered with silky white chocolate chips and crunchy macadamia nut pieces.

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1½ cups chopped macadamia nuts
• 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Combine the flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl

 

• In a larger bowl, beat together the melted butter and both sugars
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition
• Add the vanilla and beat to combine
• Slowly add in the dry ingredients, mixing until combined

• Chop up your macadamia nuts (it may be easiest with a food processor, but don’t chop them too small!)

• Measure out the white chocolate chips
• Add the chocolate and the macadamia nuts, gently stirring to combine

• Form dough into balls and place on a baking sheet (either lined with parchment paper or greased and floured)

• Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until only the edges are golden brown

• Let cool on a wire rack before enjoying!

Sweet and Salty Cookies

Sweet and Salty Cookies (noun): [sweet and sawl-tee kook-ee] A crunchy cookie loaded with sweet mini chocolate chips, salty pretzel pieces and gooey chunks of caramel

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips
• 8 oz. bag caramels (approximately 25 pieces), unwrapped and chopped into pea sized pieces
• 1 cup broken up pretzels

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy
• Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating to combine after each

•  In a mdium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt
• Slowly add the dry ingredients to the large bowl, mixing until combined

• Chop up your caramel pieces (you may have to use a food processor for this)

• Measure out your mini chocolate chips

• Crush up the pretzels into small pieces

• Gently stir in the chunky ingredients – chocolate chips, caramel, and pretzels

• Bake for approximately 10 miutes, then let cool on a wire rack

• Serve and enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Coconut Blondies

Dark Chocolate Coconut Blondies (noun): [dahrk chaw-kuh-lit koh-kuh-nuht blon-dee-s] A chewy, vanilla square flavored with sweetened flaked coconut and decadent dark chocolate chunks.

This was my first experience with blondies, and they turned out great. They’re very similar to cookies, both in taste and texture… a bit of crunch on the outside and nice and chewy on the inside. If you’re a fan of coconut, you’ll love them.

This recipe is for a square 8-inch pan, which makes about 9 decent sized blondies. If all you have is a 9×11 baking pan, or if you just want to make more, you can easily double the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
• In a small bowl, combine the flour and salt.

• Mix together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth.
• Beat in the egg until well combined and then stir in the vanilla extract.

• Slowly mix the flour mixture into the butter and sugar mixture until completely combined.
• Mix in 1 cup of flaked coconut with a rubber spatula or spoon.

• Now add your dark chocolate chunks, mixing gently to combine.

• You should end up with a cookie-dough-like batter that looks like this:

• Scrap all the batter into a greased, square 8-inch pan.

• Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the top is slightly golden. The finished product should look similar to a big cookie.
• Let cook completely, cut into squares and serve!

S’mores Cookies

S’mores Cookies (noun): [s-mohrs kook-eez] A chewy, graham cracker flavored chocolate chip cookie topped with marshmallows and milk chocolate bar pieces.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
• 2 Hershey milk chocolate bars

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine the flour, graham cracker crumbs, salt, and baking soda in a bowl.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the butter, vanilla extract, brown sugar and sugar until smooth.
• Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.
• Gradually add the dry mixture to the butter/sugar mixture, mixing well.

• Add in the mini chocolate chips and stir to combine.

• Prepare a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes.
• While these are baking, get the mini marshmallows and chocolate bars ready.

• Roughly chop the Hershey’s bar into small chunks.

• After 8 minutes, remove the cookie tray and place a few marshmallows and chocolate bar pieces onto the top of each cookie.
• Return to the oven and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

• Remove from the oven once fully baked and let cool for about 5 minutes
• Transfer to a wire rack until fully cooled.

Dark Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes

Dark Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes (noun): [dahrk chaw-kuh-lit koh-kuh-nuht kuhp-keyks] A rich dark chocolate chunk cupcake topped with sweet coconut buttercream frosting.

INGREDIENTS:

CUPCAKES:

• ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
• 1 ½ cups whole milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

FROSTING:

• 1-1/2 sticks butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 cups sweetened, flaked coconut

INSTRUCTIONS:

CUPCAKES:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until smooth.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
• In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and espresso powder.
• Measure out the milk, but do not add it yet.
• Alternate adding the dry flour mixture and the milk to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition and ending with the dry mixture.
• Add the vanilla extract and beat to combine.

• Measure out 1 cup of dark chocolate chips. I used Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips, which are slightly bigger than regular chocolate chips.

• Add the chocolate chips and stir until just combined.

• Line a cupcake pan and pour the mixture in, 3/4 of the way full.
• Bake about 20 minutes, or until an inserted knife comes out clean.
• Let cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack for further cooling.

FROSTING:

• Beat the butter in a medium bowl until smooth.
• Alternate adding the sugar and milk, mixing well after each addition. Start with 2 cups of sugar and only add the remaining cup if needed at then end.
• Add in the vanilla and mix until combined.

• Measure out the flaked coconut and mix until combined.
• If the consistency is too loose, add in the extra confectioners sugar.

• Frost the cupcakes! Make sure the cupcakes are completely cool and then spread the frosting on with a knife. The addition of the flaked coconut to the frosting makes the texture difficult to work with. Piping the icing on is near impossible, so it’s much easier to spread it on.

• Top with some shaved chocolate if desired and serve!

Cheesecake Swirled Brownies

Cheesecake Swirled Brownies (noun): [cheez-keyk swurl-ed brou-nees] A moist chocolate fudge brownie scattered with mini chocolate chips and marbled with rich, creamy cheesecake. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 box fudge brownie mix
• Eggs*
• Vegetable/canola oil*
• Water*
• 8 ounces (1 package) cream cheese
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

*Measurements vary depending on what type of brownie mix you get.

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
• Prepare a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with either butter and flour, or nonstick cooking spray.
• Combine the brownie mix, water, oil, and eggs as directed on the back of the box.
• Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
• If desired, add in the chocolate chips and stir until combines.
• Pour evenly into the prepared baking pan.

• In a separate bowl, combine the cream cheese and sugar and mix until smooth.

• Add in the vanilla extract and mix once more to combine.

• Scatter spoonfuls of the cheesecake mixture on top of the brownie mixture.

• Take a knife and run it through the batter, swirling the two mixtures together.

• Bake for 20-30 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.

• Once the brownies have cooled completely, cut and serve!

White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

White Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes (noun): [hwahyt chaw-kuh-lit raz-ber-ee kuhp-keyks] A moist vanilla cake filled with pieces of fresh raspberry and topped with a rich, smooth white chocolate buttercream frosting.

So yet again these cupcakes are not entirely from scratch… but seriously, they are amazing regardless. This may be my favorite frosting of all time. I remember seeing a ton of recipes a while back for white chocolate raspberry cheesecake, which I also want to make. However, after successfully experimenting with fruit and cupcakes for my Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes, I decided to give this a try.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 box white cake mix (I use Betty Crocker)
• Oil*
• Water*
• 3 eggs*
• 1 cup chopped raspberries
• 1/2 cup white chocolate, melted
• 3-4 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• A pinch of salt

* Measurements may vary depending on the type of boxed mix you use.

If you’re piping the frosting on, you may need to double up on the recipe.

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
• Combine the eggs, water, oil, and cake mix until smooth.

• Set aside and begin slicing the raspberries. I cut each one in four, which seemed to be a nice size. Continuing cutting until you have 1 cup full.

• Add the raspberries to the cake batter, mixing gently to combine.

• Line a muffin pan and spoon in the batter.
• Bake the cupcakes 20-30 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.

• While the cupcakes are cooling, start on the frosting. Begin by melting the white chocolate, either using the double-boiler method or the microwave. (If using the microwave, only cook for small intervals and mix often since white chocolate can burn easily.)

• Once the chocolate is melted, add it to a large mixing bowl. Add in the butter, heavy cream, and pinch of salt and beat until smooth.
• Add in the confectioners sugar in intervals, beating well after each addition until the frosting reaches a good consistency.

• Wait until the cupcakes have cooled completely, then ice them!

• Cut some leftover raspberries in half and add on top for garnish.

• I also added some chopped white chocolate on top.

Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes

Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes (noun): [straw-ber-ee cheez-keyk kuhp-keyks] A vanilla cake scattered with fresh cut strawberries atop a thin graham cracker crumb base, filled with a strawberry cheesecake center and topped with a rich and sweet cream cheese frosting.

These are one of my momma’s favorites. 🙂

There are times when I get tired just thinking about making cupcakes from scratch. This was one of those times. There’s no shame in using a boxed cake mix, especially since there are countless ways to put your own spin on it. These cupcakes have a lot going on as it is without adding in the time or stress of mixing up a good batch of cake from scratch. The fresh strawberries, vanilla cake, and cream cheese icing make these great for a summer occasion.

INGREDIENTS:

CUPCAKES:

• 1 box golden vanilla cake mix (I used Betty Crocker)
• 3 eggs*
• Oil*
• Water*
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup diced strawberries

*(Or whatever is called for on the boxed mix you use)

FILLING:

• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 1 egg white
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons strawberry jam

FROSTING:

• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• 2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• heavy cream can be added if the frosting is too stiff

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Make the cake mix according to the directions on the box.

• Dice the strawberries until you have 1 cup.

^ Photo cred for that beauty goes to Bruno.

• Gently fold the strawberries into the cake batter.

• Now start on the cheesecake filling! Beat together the cream cheese, egg white, sugar, and vanilla.

• Add 2 tablespoons of strawberry jam and beat together.

• Line a cupcake/muffin pan with cupcake papers.
• Crush the graham crackers either with a food processor or by putting them in a Ziplock bag and beating them senseless.

• Put a layer of graham crackers at the bottom of each cupcake paper, making it thin but covering the bottom.

• Fill the the cups a little more than halfway with the cake batter. I found that the cheesecake sinks a bit to the bottom so it’s better to add it closer to the top.

• Add in a heaping spoonful of the cream cheese mixture.
• Top off with the remaining cake mix.

• Place in the oven for about 25-30 minutes, or until the top looks very lightly browned. (The inserted knife method may not work because of the cream cheese)

• Make the icing!
• Beat together the butter and cream cheese until smooth.
• Slowly add in the confectioners sugar, one cup at a time.
• Add in the vanilla extract and beat to combine.
• If the frosting is too stiff, add 1 tablespoon of heavy cream and beat together.
• If it is too runny, ad some more confectioners sugar.

• Once the cupcakes are cool, ice them!
• Slice up some extra strawberries and add them on top for an added touch.
• I also sprinkled some extra graham cracker crumbs on top.

• Keep these in the fridge until ready to serve!

• Eat em, serve em, love em.

• Finally, find a cute little black kitten to help you clean up all the graham cracker crumbs you spilled.

Black and White Cupcakes

Black and White Cupcakes (noun): [blak and hwahyt kuhp-keyks] A moist, golden vanilla cake filled with a rich chocolate ganache and topped with sweet vanilla buttercream frosting.

Simple, yet elegant. Other than the fancy shmancy cupcake wrappers, there’s nothing crazy going on here. Just straight up vanilla and chocolate. Two things that don’t need complicating.

 

INGREDIENTS:

CUPCAKES:

•  3 cups flour
• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FILLING/TOPPING:

• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped.
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

FROSTING:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 4 cups confectioners sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt until combined.
• In a separate bowl, beat the butter until creamy.
• Add in the sugar and continue beating with an electric mixer until smooth.
• Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition.

• Slowly add in a third of the flour mixture, followed by a third of the milk. Continue alternating between the flour mixture and the milk, beating well after each addition, until the mixture is smooth and combined.
• Add in the vanilla and mix once more to combine.

• Line a cupcake pan with wrappers and carefully spoon in the batter, filling about 3/4 of the way.

• Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until an inserted knife comes out clean.
• Let cool completely before filling or frosting.

• While the cupcakes cool, make the ganache.
• Chop the chocolate and place in a medium sized bowl.
• In a skillet, bring the cream to a simmer.
• Pour the cream over the chocolate and add the butter.
• Stir the chocolate until melted and smooth.
• Refrigerate until the mixture has thickened a bit. You want it to be pourable, but not too runny.

• Poke a hole in each cupcake. (I used the round bottom side of a piping tip, but anything will do).
• Fill a pastry bag with the ganache and fill the cupcakes using a filling tip. Or you can use a Ziplock bag with the corner cut off, although it’s a tad more messy.

• Now make the frosting!
• Beat the butter until creamy and smooth (this is much easier if the butter is room temperature or softened a bit).
• Slowly add in the confectioners sugar, one cup at a time.
• Mix in the vanilla and heavy cream.
• Adjust the consistency. If the frosting seems too stiff, add more cream. If it seems too runny, add more confectioners sugar.
• Frost the cupcakes!
• Refrigerate after frosting to let the icing stiffen up a bit.

• Once the frosting is a litter stiffer, use the extra ganache for dipping!
• This is easiest if the ganache is a little runny, heat it up and let cool if necessary.
• Dip the cupcake face down into the ganache and twist slightly.
• Place on a rack or baking sheet when finished and refrigerate to let the topping set.

• One the ganache is set, serve and eat the cupcakes!

I also left some undipped, just for variety.

YUM 😀

In other news…

I GOT SOME PIPING TIPS!

Not as many as the above picture, but still. It’s pretty exciting.

They make my cupcakes super perdy and my life much easier. No more messy Ziplock bags for filling:

^womp.

Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake (noun): [chaw-kuh-lit moos cheez-keyk] A creamy cheesecake atop a cookie crust with a thick layer of fluffy chocolate mousse and a rich chocolate ganache topping.

Cheesecake number 2 was a success! I still can’t believe I was nervous about this whole cheesecake thing, it’s super easy and so good! This one was my own creation so I’m surprised it worked out so well. It’s also the first time I have attempted to make chocolate mousse, and it was long overdue considering the name of this site. I chose a really simple chocolate mousse recipe because I didn’t want to have too many things competing with the cheesecake itself. The top ganache is the same one that I use for a lot of my recipes. In fact, I used some left over from my Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes for this. I’ve also used this ganache as the filling for my Guinness-Gasms.

For this cheesecake, I decided to use an 11” springform pan instead of the normal 9”, only because I didn’t want it to be too tall once I added the mousse and the ganache. But the recipe itself will fit into a standard 9” pan as well, it’ll just be a bit taller. This is one of those recipe that’s better made in steps. If you do it all at once it may seem a bit overwhelming. When I made this, I made the cheesecake itself the night before so that it had overnight to chill properly. Then in the morning I made the chocolate mousse and the ganache and then gave everything another hour or so to chill together in the fridge before serving.

Seriously, make this. If you don’t bake, find someone to make it for you.

INGREDIENTS:

CRUST:

• 2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

CHEESECAKE:

• 24 ounces cream cheese (3 8 ounce packages)
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

MOUSSE:

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

GANACHE TOPPING:

• 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Start with the crust by crushing the chocolate graham crackers into fine crumbs.

• Melt the 7 tablespoons of butter and combine with the graham cracker crumbs.
• Press the mixture evenly onto the bottom of a springform pan.
• Place the springform pan on a baking sheet, so that nothing spills out into the oven while baking.

• Now move on to the cheesecake layer by combining the cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl using an electric mixer. Beat until creamy and smooth.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• After all four eggs, add the vanilla and the heavy cream, and beat to combine.
• Once the mixture is smooth and combined, pour it into the springform pan over top of the crust.

• Put the springform pan (still atop the baking sheet) in the oven until the sides are set but the middle is still wobbly. For me this is usually about 40-50 minutes.
• Once done, let the cheesecake cool for about an hour.
• After it’s set, put the cheesecake in the fridge for at least 3 hours (I usually leave mine overnight).

• While the cheesecake is cooling, get started on the chocolate mousse layer by melting the bittersweet chocolate using the double boiling method (you can try the microwave if you’re confident you won’t overcook and burn it).

• While your chocolate is melting, use an electric mixer to beat the heavy cream in a bowl. You want the cream to be fluffy and form stiff peaks. This will take a few minutes of mixing.
• Once that’s done, pour in your melted chocolate and carefully fold it into the whipped cream mixture with a rubber spatula. Be sure to not over mix it, or it will ruin the fluffy texture you’ve just created!

• Spread the mousse onto the cheesecake (make sure the cheesecake is at least at room temperature and not hot!).
• Stick the cheesecake back in the fridge for the remaining cooling time. If you left the cheesecake overnight and are adding the mousse, it only needs about an hour of chilling time.

• Now for the ganache topping. Chop up your bittersweet chocolate and put it in a bowl.
• In a skillet, bring the heavy cream to a simmer.
• Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and begin mixing.
• Add in the butter and stir everything until it is melted and smooth.

• Pour the ganache onto the cheesecake, covering the chocolate mousse layer.
• Put everything back in the fridge and let cool for an additional half hour until the ganache is set.

• After waiting until everything has chilled and set, you can slice and serve the cake, finally!