Mint Chocolate Cookie Dough Pops

Our inspiration recipe this time sounds pretty good.

The filling does have raw egg in it, which seems a little strange. Though I think there are versions of key lime pie and chocolate mousse with raw egg, so maybe it’s not that weird.

Sidebar:

We’re moving this coming Wednesday. This past Tuesday, we closed on our houses – both the one we are buying and the one we are selling. Although we’d given them four weeks advance notice of the closing date (and we were pre-approved back in March), the bank was still asking us to sign more and more paperwork up to and including the day of the close. We were supposed to sign everything at 4pm. It didn’t come through until 6:30pm. As you can imagine the whole thing was quite stressful.

My son was having a picnic the next day at school, for which I had promised to make him his favorite chocolate mint cookies. By the time we got home at 8ish, I was too tired to start cookie baking. Instead, I headed to the grocery store to buy pre-made cookies. I HATE doing that. I really want to make everything for him from scratch.

The stress of the past weeks and months, combined with a mother’s guilt resulted in me having a total melt down in the grocery store. Tears in the bakery section. I picked up a package of chocolate chip cookies, and started to cry. I’m sure everyone there thought something was really wrong with me.

“Nothing to see here!” I wanted to tell them. “Just sad about buying these chocolate chip cookies! I’ll get over it!”

I know you’re wondering about my point in giving you a behind the scenes look into my emotionally unstable mind. Well, here it is: The inspiration recipe gave me a chance to relieve my conscience somewhat and finally make those Mint Chocolate Cookies. Only I decided to change it up just a bit, and leave them unbaked.

Then I decided to make them into pops and dip them into white chocolate and decorate them with regular chocolate. (This backlash of guilt got a little bit out of hand it seems.)

These are really rich, but really delicious if you’re a mint fan. And they’d be just as good all rolled into little balls, without the stick and dip. But they won’t be as effective at assuaging your guilt, I’d wager.

Mint Chocolate Cookie Dough Pops

• 1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
  
• 1/2 c light brown sugar, packed
  
• 1/2 c granulated sugar
• 1 t pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 c good unsweetened cocoa
• 1 c flour
• 1/2 t kosher salt
• 1 4.67 oz package Andes mints
• 1 6 oz package Bakers white chocolate
• Chocolate chips and coconut oil for decoration

Cream butter and sugars. Add vanilla and cocoa, and beat until well blended. Add flour and salt, and mix until just blended. Unwrap all the Andes mints and chop them roughly. Add them to the dough and mix until just combined. Chill for an hour in the fridge. Roll heaped tablespoons of the dough into balls. Place on lollypop or cakepop sticks if desired. Freeze for 15 minutes. While the pops are freezing, unwrap the white chocolate and melt in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl.* Dip each cookie dough pop into the melted chocolate to coat. Place on parchment to set up. Drizzle with melted chocolate** to decorate if you like.

*I do 30 seconds, then stir, then 30 seconds, then stir. Repeat until the chocolate is just melted. Don’t over microwave it or it will burn.

**I used 1/4 C chocolate chips and 1 T coconut oil to thin it out. I put it in a ziploc bag and snipped off the end for drizzling.

About the Recipe Swap: The recipe swap is organized by Christianna at the Burwell General Store. Each month, a collection of bloggers reinterprets a classic recipe selected by Christianna. Click below to see what other recipe swappers did with this one.

 

New cookbook – Milk bar

You know how I love shiny, new things.

I picked this up at the library to test out. Everything in it looks pretty darn fabulous, but I gotta tell you – much like yesterday’s Lasagna – it’s not for people who don’t like to cook. The recipes are on the labor intensive side of things.

For example, I made the Cornflake-marshmallow-chocolate-chip cookies. First you had to make Cornflake Crunch and let it cool.

Then, you had to make the dough and let it chill.

Then you had to bake it for 20 minutes and let it cool completely on the baking sheet. Because you make giant cookies (1/3 C dough each), I could only bake 4 at a time. The whole thing kind of took forever.

But.

But.

These were, hands down, the best cookies I’ve ever made. I LOVED them. Perfectly gooey and crunchy and chocolately and lovely.

And the raw dough? Out of this world.

In fact, you might not want to get this cookbook, or make these cookies, if you suffer from a serious lack of self control like some blog authors I know.

We make donuts

Santa brought me one of my wishes. By way of my little sister.

The Babycakes donut maker. Almost as cute as my baby niece.

I had a little help mixing the ingredients.

The 6yo did most of the stirring, while the 2yo niece added the ingredients.

They were a big hit. But how could anything coated in butter and sugar be bad?

Admittedly, this one ate only the topping. She licked it off, took one bite, and claimed she was done.

Cinnamon Sugar Donuts, adapted from the booklet that came with the Babycakes donut maker

• 1/3 C oil (I used a light EVOO)
• 1 C Sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 C buttermilk
• 1 t vanilla
• 2 C flour
• 4 t baking powder
• 1/2 baking soda
• 1/4 t salt

Coating

• 4 T melted butter
• 1/2 C sugar
• 1 T cinnamon

Beat sugar and oil, add eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir dry ingredients into wet until just mixed. Pour into donut maker, and bake for 4 minutes.Mix cinnamon and sugar and place in a saucer or shallow bowl. Melt butter into a separate, similar dish. Dip donuts into melted butter, then into cinnamon sugar.

Note that you could probably make mini muffins out of these, if Santa didn’t bring you a donut maker. I’d bake at 375 for 10 minutes.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

Remember my kids? These ones? That won’t eat?

Just guess what it is they’re eating in this picture.

Well, yes it’s peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough dip. But it’s made with chickpeas. And they even knew that. The 6yo helped make it (“It’s made from beans,” she warned her brother before we tried it).

It does still have a fair amount of sugar and chocolate in it. My kids knowingly, willingly ate beans, though. Small steps. Small steps.

This recipe comes from one of my new favorite blogs, Chocolate Covered Katie.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/8 t salt
• 1/8 t baking soda
• 1 t double vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 C skim milk
• 2/3 C sugar
• 3 T oats
• 1/2 a bag chocolate chips

Add all ingredients (except for chocolate chips) to a food processor, and blend until very smooth. Then mix in the chocolate chips.

Katie serves hers with graham crackers or eats it plain. We chose the latter.

Cranberry Jam

I originally made this cranberry jam for sandwich cookies. And it was good on cookies.

Then I found out it was good in yogurt. It was good on a grilled cheese.  It was good in applesauce. And before I could eat it with ham or squash or even just plain, all the leftovers were gone.

Time to make more. I tripled the recipe and canned it in these precious little jars.

I know how to can now! I think that makes me a real, live, old-timey cook. (Actually, it’s not that hard. My mom told me how over the phone.)

Cranberry Jam

• 3 C cranberries
• 3 T orange juice
• 3/4 C sugar

Combine all and bring to a boil over medium high heat until cranberries start to pop. Turn down the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. It should get pretty thick.

At this point, you can just put it in a tupperware container and store it in the fridge. Or you can can it. (can can?)

To can: Put your clean jars and lids in simmering water. Fish a jar out with some tongs, then dry it. Fill with warm jam. Fish a lid out and dry it, then screw it on tight. Set it somewhere where it can cool undisturbed. Repeat, until all the jam is in jars. After a few minutes, you will hear the sounds of popping as your jars seal. It’s kind of exciting.

Label and give away as holiday treats, or just hoard them for yourself.

The 6yo writes her first recipe

It’s for chocolate chip cookies. Love her.

5 things I want for Christmas

I know it’s too early for a Christmas list, but look at all these shiny things!

1. Cocanu Moonwalk Chocolate

It’s dark chocolate with poprocks in it. Wow.

2. Fancy lollipops from the Groovy Baker

These are cherry cordials, but other fantastic flavors include Prom night punch, Aquarius, Pineapple Caramel Upside Down, Creme Brulee, Lime in the coconut, and Alchemy.

3. Fancy olives and kabanaki peppers from the Olive Orchard

I tried these at a tasting last week and fell in love. Especially with those peppers (you can see how the jar in the above photo is actually empty of peppers, due to my having unrestrainedly eaten them all, unable to save even one for hubs or the green caret, both of whom would have been wildly appreciative of such fare). They are spicy, and creamy (stuffed with feta), and rich from being packed in lovely Greek oil. I fantasize about eating them while sipping an old fashioned cocktail.

4. Babycakes donut maker

There seems to be a huge baked donut fad going on in the blogosphere right now, and I feel I need to get on board. And bake more donuts.

5. Homesick Texan Cookbook

You’re surprised, right?

Good old chocolate chippers

I’ve had a couple of baking disasters recently (among them some french bread that fell like a souffle and tasted like glue). To build my confidence back up, I decided to bake what I knew would be a sure thing: the ever-reliable chocolate chip cookie. Even my son (who recently stated that “no one at our house can cook”) told me they were good.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 1/2 C oats, ground into oat flour with a food processor
• 2 1/4 C all purpose flour
• 1 t baking powder
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 2 sticks butter at room temp
• 1 C brown sugar
• 1 C white sugar
• 1 12oz bag semi-sweet chips

Preheat the oven to 325. Mix up the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Then set aside. Cream butter and sugars, then add the eggs. I like to use my stand mixer for this. Slowly add in the flour mixture until just blended. Add chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto a baking sheet, and bake for 15-20 minutes. They will be just browned.

Why kids love grandmas

They buy neopolitan oreos. (their mother would never make such a purchase)

Homemade ricotta

In an apparent 180 degree turn from last weekend, when I chose to cook nothing, today I decided to make my own cheese. I’ve seen it in a few cookbooks and blogs lately, and it’s been something I’ve wanted to try for a while now.

We picked up some Snowville whole milk and whipping cream at the market today and we were off. I used Ina’s recipe, swapping out regular white vinegar for the white wine vinegar called for. It really was super easy and the 6yo helped as well.

Here she is, my first cheese:

I was surprised at the amount of whey left over after draining the curds. I’m going to do some exploring to see how we can use that up.