Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was looking for baking inspiration the other day so I posted on Facebook asking for suggestions. My cousin Erik gave me link to this recipe, Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies. The original recipe uses Double Stuff Oreos but I used Bite Size Oreos so I could get more cookies. Also, covering a Double Stuff Oreo in a chocolate chip cookie is extreme – even for me.
I was worried that the cookie might be too sweet but it wasn’t. When you first bite in and get the familiar taste of a chocolate chip cookie, followed by the crunch of the Oreo wafer, it’s really pretty amazing. These cookies are definitely made for chocolate lovers. The only downside of using the smaller Oreos is that you don’t get as much of the cream as with a regular-sized Oreo. So use whichever kind of Oreo strikes your fancy. All I know is that I’m already trying to think of what else I can stuff into a chocolate chip cookie…

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies (from Picky Palate)

2 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
10 oz bag chocolate chips
1 bag bite-size Oreos

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars together with a mixer until well combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined. Using a cookie scoop take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo Cookie. Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo cookie. Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo cookie is enclosed with dough. Place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until golden brown (my cookies didn’t quite get golden brown so use your judgment as they will cook on the sheet after you take them out). Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Makes about 60 cookies. I got about 50 due to the fact I dropped some of the Oreos on the floor. I can be a bit clumsy in the kitchen.

Gingerbread Popcorn

You know those huge tins of popcorn that they sell around the holidays? You'd smile politely when you got it, have a few bites of popcorn that tasted slightly stale and flavorless, then put it aside before finally chucking it sometime around Valentine's Day. This popcorn is like the opposite of that.

This popcorn is bursting with flavor. It's sweet and sticky and has been referred to as "crack corn" by more than one person. This recipe provided me with the opportunity to actually pop my own popcorn on the stove, instead of using the old reliable microwave. It was much easier than I expected, and almost as fast. Just be careful when you pop it - some of the kernels like to escape when you crack the lid to vent some of the steam.

When you need a break from cookies, brownies, etc., but still want something that reminds you of the wintertime, this is for you. Put it out at a party and watch it disappear. Or just eat it all yourself. I won't tell.

Gingerbread Popcorn (from Culinary in the Desert)

15 cups popped popcorn
16 tablespoons butter
2 cups packed brown sugar (I used a mix of light and dark)
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 250.

Line 2 large baking dishes with foil and coat with cooking spray. Fill each with 7 1/2 cups popcorn (I eyeballed this, no need to be precise).

Combine butter, brown sugar, molasses, corn syrup, ginger, cinnamon, and salt in a large, heavy bottom saucepan. Heat over medium heat until mixture boils. Boil for 5 minutes; stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda. Pour over popcorn; toss to coat.

Bake at 250 for one hour, carefully stirring the warm mixture about every 15 minutes. Cool completely.

Chocolate Chip Raspberry Bars

By now it's well known that Dennis loves the combination of raspberry and chocolate chips. Of course in the winter it's a bit hard to get fresh raspberries so raspberry preserves will have to do.

I freaked out a bit when I first started spreading the bottom layer of the dough as it was extremely thin. I didn't think there was any way I could fill the entire pan with it. However, I dipped a knife in some water and that helped spread the dough evenly. These bars have a really nice contrast between the sweetness of the raspberry preserves and the slight bitterness of the chocolate. Plus they look rather attractive if I do say so myself.

Chocolate Chip Raspberry Bars (from Favorite Brand Name Cookies)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup raspberry preserves
1-2 cups chocolate chips (use your judgement - it calls for 1 cup but I'm sure I put in more than that...)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 13x9 baking pan.

Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat at medium speed until well blended.

Reserve 1/2 cup mixture for topping. Spread remaining mixture onto bottom of prepared pan. This layer will be very thin - dip a knife in some water to help you spread the dough. Spread preserves evenly over dough then sprinkle chocolate chips over top. Drop reserved dough by 1/2 teaspoons over chips.

Bake 25 minutes or until golden. Cool completely in pan on wire rack before cutting into bars. Make about 32 bars.

Toasted Marshmallow Brownies

I came across this recipe on one of my favorite cooking blogs (Culinary in the Desert) and adapted it for our tastes.

The original recipe was called Rocky Road Brownies and added chopped nuts in addition to the marshmallows to the topping. We're not big fans of nuts in our brownies though so I left them out. Also, instead of just baking the brownies to puff up the marshmallows I set the oven to broil for a minute or two, giving the marshmallows a nice golden hue.

These are Dennis' favorite brownies, high praise indeed. When I asked him for his opinion he said the best way to enjoy them is heated up in microwave for a few seconds, making them even more gooey and delicious.

Toasted Marshmallow Brownies (adapted from Everyday Food)

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
12 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate, divided (I used a mix of bittersweet and semi-sweet since that’s what I had on hand)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup miniature marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350.

In a microwave-safe bowl, add butter and 6 ounces chocolate - heat in the microwave just until the chocolate softens and the butter has melted. Stir until smooth; if there are still chunks of chocolate, gently continue heating at 30 second intervals until the mixture is smooth when stirred.

Stir in sugars and salt into the melted chocolate. Add eggs and mix until combine - fold in flour. Scoop the mixture into a 9 x 9 pan coated with nonstick spray. Bake until a toothpick placed in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Remove from oven - quickly sprinkle the top with the remaining chocolate and marshmallows. Place back into the oven until the marshmallows start to puff, about 3 minutes. Set the oven to broil and keep the brownies in there until the marshmallows turn golden brown, 1-2 minutes. Remove and place on a wire rack to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Makes 12 to 16 servings.

One of the many things my mom instilled in me is a love of pumpkin baked goods. Growing up we baked a lot of pumpkin breads and pumpkin muffins, but never tried our hand at something more dessert-like. So when my mom's birthday rolled around (on Halloween, appropriately enough) I decided to bake her pumpkin cookies.

This recipe comes from Libby's so I figured it had to be good. The original recipe calls for drizzling a glaze over the cookies but I skipped that step. I thought it might be too sweet and I'm glad I left it off. I think maybe I'm more used to pumpkin baked goods for breakfast but I would've liked these better if they were just a bit less sweet. I think next time I'd throw in a bit of ground cloves to help balance the sweetness.

Other than that though, these cookies really were great. They were very soft and tasted great. My mom really seemed to enjoy them, so that's all that matters. Happy birthday Mom!

Old-Fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies (from Libby’s)

Makes 36 cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used half white whole wheat flour and half regular flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
• 1 cup pumpkin
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease baking sheets or use Silpat mats.

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl. Beat sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until well blended. Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until smooth. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.