Baking My Way: Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are wonderful! They are so soft and chewy and just such a great chocolate chip cookie; perfect for a chocolate chip cookie sundae! Next time I wouldn't make them with the sunflower seeds but I had to follow the recipe to truly bake through this book!

With this recipe there are 4 variations so look out for posts on that too! It's going to be all chocolate for a little while!

Ingredients
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 shortening
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chip
1/2 chopped nuts or sunflower seeds

Directions
Heat oven to 375

In a bowl combine sugars, shortening and butter, beat until light and fluffy.

Add vanilla and eggs; beat well.

Add flour, baking soda and salt; mix well.

Stir in chocolate chips and nuts/seeds.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool 1 minute, remove from cookie sheets.

I've shared this recipe at:

Joy of Desserts

Mangia Mondays

Made by you Mondays

Make a Food-e-Friend Mondays

A Marvelous Mess Monday

The More The Merrier Mondays
Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday
Tasty Tuesdays
Tutorial Tuesdays
Show me what ya got 
Dr. Laura’s Tasty Tuesday
Take A Look Tuesdays
Tuesdays at the Table
Hand Made Features
Anything Related
Two Maids A Baking  
Show & Tell Wednesdays
Idea Sharing Wednesday
Whatever Goes Wednesdays
Recipes I Can't Wait to Try
What's Cooking Wednesday
Whatcha Makin' Wednesdays
What I Whipped Up Wednesday
Whisking Wednesdays 

Baking Goal: Old-Fashioned Chocolate Layer Cake

Doesn't this look great? I posted about the Lilac Bakery a few weeks ago and this cake looks almost exactly the same and I just can't wait to try it! 

Check out the recipe at Our Best Bites

Baking My Way: Rocky Road Fudge Bar

 I don't normally like recipes that have so many steps because when I bake I usually don't have a lot of time or patience but that's another thing I'm trying to work on with this project- take my time, and follow the steps exactly and just relax and bake. It's working out pretty well so far and I enjoyed making this. And wow, do these taste good! I've had rocky road ice cream before and didn't like it but I think that's because it wasn't pieces of the bar in chocolate ice cream (which I'm going to do because I now have an ice cream maker!!!) and I've had other people's rocky road and wasn't a huge fan but I LOVE this recipe and will most defiantly be baking this again!!


This bar gets a 5 out of 5 from me! It's now one of my favorites!

INGREDIENTS

Base

1/2 cup margarine or butter

1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 cup Flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

3/4 cup chopped nuts

Filling

1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened, reserving 2 oz. for frosting

1/4 cup margarine or butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose or Unbleached Flour

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

1/4 cup chopped nuts

1 (6-oz.) pkg. (1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips

2 cups miniature marshmallows

Frosting

1/4 cup margarine or butter

1/4 cup milk

1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, cut up

Reserved cream cheese

3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 13x9-inch pan. In large saucepan, melt 1/2 cup margarine and 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Stir in 1 cup flour and all remaining base ingredients; mix well. Spread in greased and floured pan.
• In small bowl, combine 6 oz. of the cream cheese, 1/4 cup margarine, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1 egg; beat 1 minute at medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Stir in 1/4 cup nuts. Spread over chocolate mixture; sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips.
• Bake at 350°F. for 25 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; immediately sprinkle with marshmallows. Return to oven; bake an additional 2 minutes.
• While marshmallows are baking, in large saucepan, combine 1/4 cup margarine, milk, 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate and reserved 2 oz. cream cheese. Cook over low heat, stirring until well blended. Remove from heat; stir in powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth. Immediately pour frosting over puffed marshmallows and lightly swirl with knife to marble. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.

Recipe Source

I shared this recipe at:

Made from Scratch Tuesday

Tuesday Time Out
Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday
Tasty Tuesdays
Tutorial Tuesdays
Show me what ya got 
Dr. Laura’s Tasty Tuesday
Take A Look Tuesdays
Tuesdays at the Table
Hand Made Features
Two Maids A Baking
Whatever Goes Wednesdays
Whisking Wednesdays
Sweets for a Saturday
Check Me Out Saturday
Whatcha Got Weekend
Sweet Indulgences Sunday
Savory Sunday
Sundae Scoop
A Themed Baker Sundays
Bake with Bizzy 
Not so Baaad Sundays 

Baking Goal: Peanut Butter Snickers Brownies

Doesn't this look great? I just love brownies! I think I could eat them all night! 

Check out the recipe at Brandy's Baking

Chocolate Indulge: Caramel Crepe & Fergie's Fish n' Chips

The crepe was pretty good. Nothing outstanding. The Grand Marnier sause was pretty intense, but it added a little something different to the crepe.

I can't say that I'll ever try the deep fried Mars Bar again but it was interesting. I think it just sort of weirded me out a bit because well, I don't care that much for Mars Bars on a good day and then it had that salty deep fried taste..It went well with a bit of it and a bit of the crepe.

The three of us shared the 2 desserts.

For Next Easter: Cadbury Cream Egg Cupcakes

Don't these look wonderful? I know Easter is long past now but I keep finding all these wonderful recipe I want to try next year!

Check out the recipe at My Baking Addiction

Doug's Birthday with a Black Forest Trifle

Doug (above) is my father-in-law and we had a little birthday party for him. As usual I made the dessert (as I do for a lot of the family things because I love doing it). I asked him what his favorites were and this was tops on the list. Everyone else brought snacks and we just relaxed and enjoyed each others company.

I didn't use a recipe with this so my measurements are exact but it's a trifle; you can't go that wrong!

Black Forest Trifle:
- 1 9x3 pan of brownies (I just used a box mix but I added chocolate chips)
- 1-2 loafs of chocolate cake (again a box mix)
- 1 tub of whip cream
- 1 box of chocolate pudding
- 1 can of cherry pie filling (I thought I grabbed that but I grabbed strawberry pie filling and to be honest I liked it better!)

Bake the brownie and the chocolate cake and let cool.

Make the pudding and let set

Then start layering to your hearts content!

Note: It would be good to add some chocolate shavings on the top but I didn't have any so brownie pieced played the part

My mother-in-law trying out Marshall's home made wine. It's getting better with each bottle we open! (We've waited about a month between each bottle to test it out)

I finally finished the wine I brought back from Hawaii, yum, I love a good sweet wine!

I'm dishing it all up. Wow, it was tasty, if I didn't have any self control I would have just kept eating it and eating it!

I've shared this recipe at:

Joy of Desserts
Mangia Mondays
Made by you Mondays
Make a Food-e-Friend Mondays
A Marvelous Mess Monday

Baking Goal: Homemade Twix Bar

A friend of mine had a going away party (they were going on a bike tour around Europe) and someone brought these. If I could have eaten the whole plate without looking selfish I would have! Wow are they good! I got there recipe from the baker and I'm sharing it here! I know there are a few variations to this online but I know this one is great! I can't wait to be doing my baking challenge and get to try this!


Base:1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter

Filling1/2 cup butter
2 tbsp Corn Syrup
1/2 cup condensed milk
1/2 cup brown sugar

topping1-100g cadbury milk chocolate

mix together base till crumbly .  9x9 glass pan 325 degrees for 20 minutes.
combine filling in pot or saucepan stir constantly till boil. reduce heat stir 5 minutes .  Pour over hot base . Melt chocolate and pour over filling. cool and let set before cutting...

***After i put the filling in I usually put it in the fridge for about an hour and then I melt the chocolate and pour it over the cake.  Then I still let it sit for about an hour for the chocolate to set and then I cut it.  ******

I've shared this recipe at:

Whisking Wednesdays 

For Next Easter: Homemade Cadbury Eggs

Don't these look wonderful! I've put them on my list of things to try next Easter! 

Check out the recipe at Not Without Salt

Easter Hunt

 I decided it would be fun to do a little scavenger hunt in our new house. I love to do fun little things like this and who says you have to have kids to do them? I got some bunny ears, hid all the candy and waited for Marshall to get home. He was surprised (and being a candy/chocolate lover) and excited.

I did the usual "Hot....Cold....Warmer..." and it was a lot of fun. I thought he found everything then I remembered about the mini eggs. I saw where he had all checked and I was certain I had hidden it behind a pillow. We searched for another 10 minutes and finally I checked a place I had seen him check and they were there. I guess he just didn't look hard enough? Just glad to know there's no chocolate hiding somewhere waiting for Ollie to find it, that would be bad.

And the score in the end.