Letting Go and Moving On. [the end]

It’s been almost a year since J passed away… and I guess it’s time for me to finally close that chapter in my life.

I must admit, I had a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that he’s gone. I still remember him every now and then… and it was heartbreaking whenever I am reminded of him. But I am okay now… I have moved on and I am 1000x better. ;)

I was cleaning up my email when I came across an email I sent him last year. It was dated October 31, 2012 – 3 days before that fateful day. I don’t know if he ever got the chance to read it, I don’t even know what made me write it… All I know was that he was in the hospital… but I never knew that he was fighting for his life.

I guess it’s but fitting to end this chapter by posting that email… Reading it now, it was as if I was already saying goodbye without knowing it. Oh, the ironies of life.

Wherever you are, I know you are in a better place now. Drink a beer or two for me, will you?

Chocolate Candy Cookies

 
Hello, hello. I am back from another hiatus! Heehee. I knoooow, I really should take this blog more seriously. I am paying for the domain every year anyway… and I do whip up  sweet and savory {dishes} in my kitchen a few times a week. It wouldn’t really hurt if I post religiously, right? Right. Riiight.

That’s what I am going to do today… And we’ll see where this would take me in the next few weeks. ;)

I finally received my KitchenAid Artisan Mixer almost two months ago. Woohoo! My Tita from the US was so kind to get it for me and I only had to pay a fraction of the cost… I paid Php 8,000 and it usually retails for Php 25,000. Talk about cheap!

The mixer occupied more than half of the huge balikbayan box. Other items were books for my cousin, DVDs, magazines and toys for my Mom and Tita in CDO and of course, chocolates for the kiddos! I have yet to ship the remaining items to CDO and I was itching to make use of the chocolates… which I eventually did over the weekend. Ooops.

I have been seeing too much recipes for brownies and cookies stuffed with candy bars, M&Ms, caramels, and other sweet delights. I have tried my hand at stuffing caramels into brownies and chocolate chip cookies, which were received with delight by friends and co-workers. But I have yet to try candy bars and M&Ms in a cookie… and I have an abundance of chocolates stashed away at home.

Or in this case… I had a stash. I used to. They’re all gone now.

Yes, ma’am. I stuffed ‘em candies in chewy cookies. I saw the recipe from Cookies and Cups and I tried making a batch earlier today. Ooh la la.

It’s a bit on the sweet side, but still chewy and yummy. I might reduce the sugar the next time I make them. ☺ 


 

Chocolate Candy Cookies

Adapted from Movie Candy Cookies by Cookies and Cups

* Halved original recipe

 

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 stick unsalted butter

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

1 tbsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups assorted candy

(I eye-balled the measurement and used a mix of chopped up Baby Ruth, Snickers, Twix, Milk Duds, M&Ms, and Reese Pieces)

* Sea salt for sprinkling

 

Line cookie sheet with parchment or silicone baking sheet. Set aside.

 

Pre-heat oven to 325F. While pre-heating, place butter and peanut butter in a heatproof bowl. Place bowl inside the oven and let butter melt halfway through, about 7-10 mins.

 

Remove butters from oven and whisk until completely melted and combined. Let cool.

 

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda. Set aside.

 

In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix eggs and sugars. Mix on medium speed until combined. Turn speed to low and slowly mix in butter mixture. Continue stirring until combined.

 

Gradually add flour mixture until just combined. Add in assorted candies and mix until evenly distributed.

 

Scoop and shape dough about the size of a golf ball. Place on prepared cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. (You may want to sprinkle sea salt on top of cookies to balance out flavor).

 

Bake for 10-12 mins and let cool on cookie sheet for 5 mins before transferring to wire rack.

 

I made around 36 cookies from this recipe. :)