Chocolate Carmel Esspresso Chews

Hi ya'll! I don't have much to say today, other than these cookies are awesome! They are brownie like and very yummy!

So with that in mind, go forth and bake!

Chocolate Carmel Espresso Chews: 

1 tablespoon milk

1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder or coffee granules

1 cup butter softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cups unsweetened baking cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)

48 Rolo candies ( Round chewy Carmel's in milk chocolate), unwrapped.

Glaze:

1/2 teaspoons instant espresso or coffee granules*

1-2 teaspoons hot water

1 cup powdered sugar

Heat oven to 375. Combined 1 tablespoon milk and 1 1/2 teaspoons espresso powder* in small bowl. Set aside.

Combine butter, sugar and brown sugar in large mixing bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Add dissolve espresso powder mixture and eggs; continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low; add flour, cocoa and baking soda. Stir in chopped pecans (optional). Beat, scrapping bowl often, until well mixed.

 I followed the directions and put the cookies into the the mini muffin pans, and as you can see, that didn't turn out so well. I suggest using the mini muffin pan liners. The cookies came out so much better in my second batch!

With lightly floured hands, shape dough into 48 (1 1/4-inch) balls. Place balls into lightly greased mini muffin pan cups. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until puffed and set. Immediately press 1 candy piece, top-side down, into each Cookie. Cool for 10 minutes in pan. Remove to wire rack. Cool completely.

Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder into 1 tablespoon water in small bowl. Stir in powdered sugar and additional water if necessary for desired consistency. Drizzle Glaze over cooled cookie

*Chef's note: I used coffee grounds instead of the espresso powder. With making the glaze using coffee grounds I suggest getting a coffee filter and after letting the grounds "dissolve" filter out any grounds that are left and use the coffee water with the powdered sugar for your glaze.

Eat and Enjoy!

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

Hi ya'll! As the end of March rolled around, my baking kinda dropped off. Now that we are in a new month my baking can continue, yay! To start off my month, I made some chewy chocolate cookies. My husband and the few other people I shared these cookies with described them as brownie like, and the frosting I made, was fudge like. They are good right out of the oven, but the Hubs and I agree that they tasted better if you let them sit out in a container with the lid half on half off and let the cookies sit for a day or two, they crisp up a little.. So good!

I made a chocolate sour cream frosting. I've never made a sour cream frosting before, so I kinda just winged it. I will try my best to remember what I used, but I'm sure you can find a sour cream frosting recipe in any cookbook..

Chewy Chocolate Cookies:

4 squares Unsweetened Chocolate (I used Baker's brand)

3/4 cup butter

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt chocolate and butter in saucepan. Add sugar mixing well. Blend in eggs and vanilla, stir in flour. Do not over mix. Put into a bowl and refrigerate for an hour or until dough is easy to handle.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 9 min, or until cookie is set. Let stand for a minute, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting:

2 squares semi-sweet chocolate (again, I used Baker's brand)

1/2 of a small tub of sour cream*

1/2 cup butter

1 cup powdered sugar, give or take*

Melt butter and chocolate together in a saucepan. Add sour cream and powdered sugar. blend until well mixed.

* Chef's note: On the sour cream, I think our tub was just under the half way point.. with the powdered sugar, I can't remember exactly how much I put in. So I guess its more, add to taste..

Eat and Enjoy!





Book Tuesday's

Hi y'all! I can't believe March is over already! I managed to stick with this blog for a month now! Yay me! Hopefully I can manage to keep it up.. We have been in kind of a cooking/ baking slump lately. I'm hoping once this new month starts we will get back on track! I've got plenty of new recipes I'm dying to try!

As for books this week.. 

What I read:

Past Midnight by Mara Purnhagen

I absolutely loved this book and can't wait for the nest one in the series! Now if only my library will get it!!

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

I really enjoyed Anna's story! Oh how I would of loved to have been forced to go to high school in Paris!

Fallen by Lauren Kate

I really enjoyed this book.. I couldn't put it down and stayed up way too late for a few nights reading it. I'm excited to start on Torment!

Got from the Library:

Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting
(yes I checked this book out before.. I had to return it unread. Luckily I did not have to wait very long to check it out again!)
Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

Got in the Mail!:

 

Helen of Pasadena by Lian Dolan

I won this book from Goodreads!

Dark Mirror by M.J. Putney

I won this book from Lori over at Pure Imagination

Thank you so much!!!

Demon Song by Cat Adams
I won this ARC from Jessica over at The Spinecracker
Thank you Jessica! This is my first ever ARC! I can't wait to read this book!!

 I read a total of 13 books in March!

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Past Midnight by Mara Purnhagen

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Life's That Way: a memoir by Jim Beaver

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

The Eternal Ones by Kristen Miller

Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Guitar Girl by Sara Manning

The Physics of Buffyverse by Jennifer Ouellette

Shadowspell by Jenna Black

Early to Death Early to Rise by Kim Harrison

Awakened by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast


How about you? What have you been reading?

Pistachio Bites

Hi y'all! This here is one of my favorite cookies to make! If you love pistachios and short bread these are the cookies for you!! I use to make these for my co-workers and they would call them the "happy cookies" because they would all be super happy after eating them.. I usually make them around Christmas to hand out, but they are good anytime!



Pistachio Bites:

1 cup butter

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup coarsely chopped shelled pistachios

Topping:

6 ounces vanilla-flavored candy coating ( almond bark), chopped

1 teaspoon shortening

1/2 cup coarsely chopped shelled pistachios

Combine butter and brown sugar in large bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Reduce speed to low; add flour, almond extract n vanilla. Beat until well mixed and dough forms. Stir in 1/2 cup pistachios until evenly distributed in dough.

Divide dough in half; shaped each half into 10-inch log. Wrap each in plastic food wrap; refrigerate until firm (at least 3 hours or over night).

Heat oven to 350. Cut 1 log at a time, keeping remaining log in fridge, into 1/4-inch slices with sharp knife. Place onto ungreased cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely.

Place candy coating and shortening in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir; continue microwaving, stirring every 15 seconds, until candy coating is melted and smooth.

Place waxed paper onto flat surface. Dip each cookie halfway into warm coating; shake off excess. Place onto waxed paper. Immediately decorate with pistachios.

This cookies are awesome. The girls at work call them happy cookies and claim I put something in them to make everyone happy.. They are just that good!!



Eat and Enjoy!