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. :)

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Good Friday morning, loves!

It's a cold and dreary morning, isn't it? But hey, don't let the weather bring you down! For starters, it's a holiday and you should be enjoying the long weekend! If you don't have work, that is. ;)

I have work tonight, so yeah, no holiday for me. I just started at my new job... and I'm loving every moment I spend inside the training room. It's been a long time and I have really missed it.

Regardless of the weather and the no-holiday week, there's still a lot to celebrate and be thankful for:

* A new job that I love doing
* Re-starting the career I almost left behind
* Going back to training
* More time to blog
* God's guidance and provision
* Ex-colleagues who remain to be my friends
* Friends and family who are always there to support me
... and a whole lot more.

And because I am feeling a little more cheerful than usual, I baked a delicious batch of chocolate chip cookies in celebration.





This is a new recipe I was so eager to try, so I didn't wait for the weekend and immediately whipped up a batch as soon as I got home.

The verdict? Ohmygah, it's prolly better than my go-to recipe! Soft, chewy and bursting with chocolate goodness. YUM-OH!

Head on over to Pinch of Yum for the recipe. You'll thank me after, that's for sure. ;)

Just a few notes:

* I forgot to NOT let the butter melt completely
* I used around 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
* I used more brown sugar than white
* I used a mix of chopped semisweet chocolate, 3-4 pcs native tablea and a few pieces of chopped Flat Tops (a local chocolate)
* I was too lazy to shape them with my hands, so I used a cookie scoop

Even with all these deviations, the cookies turned out great. Really great. AMAZING, really. Next time I’m making these, I'll make sure to follow the recipe to a T.

These are perfect with a cold glass of milk! ☺

EID MUBARAK to our Muslim friends! Happy long weekend to others!

Tablea Brownies with Chocolate Caramel Filling

Why, hello… I am back! Hopefully for the long haul, haha. I have been on a long blog-hiatus and I terribly miss writing. Ever since I have moved to a different post at work last year (it’s been a year, to be exact), I haven’t had enough time to work on this little baby.
I am still baking, a lot, actually… but I am only human and most of my days are consumed with work-related stuff, cupcake orders, and a bit of social life. Anyway, since I have time on my hands and I have nowhere to go, let me go back to blogging.
On today’s agenda: tablea, my favorite kind of chocolate and caramel. This is one of my favorite flavor combinations. It is pure indulgence. Really.



I wanted to make caramel from scratch, but I haven’t had luck lately. A fool-proof recipe, I have learned, is using caramel candies and milk or cream. In the US they use Kraft caramel candies, but those are kind of hard to find or expensive in Manila.
When I went grocery shopping last month, I saw a pack of locally-made caramel sweets for Php 35. Right there and then, I had a euhreka moment, haha. I said, “Why not use this for caramel sauce?” I bought a pack and it’s been stuck in my pantry until today.



Two weeks ago, I watched an episode of Pioneer Woman on Lifestyle Network. Ree was making Knock You Naked Brownies and it was truly mouthwatering. I decided to make them today… but I found out that the recipe calls for boxed cake mix which I don’t have on hand. Better make everything from scratch then. Right? Right.
Enough with my thought bubble. Here’s the recipe!

Tablea Brownies with Chocolate Caramel Filling Inspired by: Pioneer Woman
Adapted from: Smitten Kitchen
Caramel Sauce
20 pcs caramel candies, chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose cream
Brownies
3 oz tablea, chopped (about 8-10 pieces)
1 stick unsalted butter, cubed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate, chopped, set aside
Make the Caramel Sauce:
Place chopped caramel candies and cream in a heat-proof bowl. Set on top of bowl of simmering water. Stir frequently until caramel melts and mixture is smooth. Set aside.
Make the Brownies:
Grease an 8x8 pan with butter, line with parchment paper and grease again. Set aside.
Pre-heat oven to 350F.
Place chopped tablea and butter in a heat-proof bowl. Set on top of bowl of simmering water, stirring frequently. Remove from heat until mostly melted. Stiir for a few seconds, let cool for a few minutes.
In a separate mixing bowl, beat together eggs and sugar. Add vanilla and chocolate mixture. Mix until incorporated. Add salt and fold in flour until mixed.
Pour 2/3 of batter into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes and remove from oven. Top with chopped chocolate then pour caramel sauce on top. Spread until mostly even. Pour remaining brownie batter on top.
Bake for 20-25 minutes more or until tester comes out clean.
Cool on wire rack before cutting.

Enjoy!