#66) Strawberry Almond Brownies

I recently started a Facebook page and I have been using this page to get suggestions from my fans about what to bake next. Strawberries seemed to be the theme this week, so I paired that suggestion with my craving for brownies and these tasty creations were born. Now that they are finished I would have to admit I would change a thing or tow next time around:

I used a little too much cake filling - I should have used just enough to fill the centre, leaving about an inch edge so that the brownie layers could have baked together more.

Also, they taste very rich, as in like dark chocolate, and most of the people I share my treats with like milk chocolate more so I should have stuck to white sugar and upped it a little, I think. But if you prefer dark chocolate, like me, they are great!

So please give them a try and let me know what you think! And if you want to join my Facebook page just click the badge in the sidebar :)

Strawberry Cake Filling

Ingredients

2 cups strawberries, cut into halves
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch

1/3 cup chocolate chips

Steps

-Boil strawberries, water, and sugar until most half the water has evaporated. Reduce to low heat.
-Mix together cornstarch with enough water to make a runny paste. Add to strawberry mixture, constantly stirring, until strawberry mixture begins to thicken.
-Continue to cook for 5 minutes over low heat. Let cool slightly.


Brownies

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (white will be fine)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup almonds, chopped

Steps

-Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 8x8 inch pan.
-Mix together butter, sugar, and vanilla.
-Add eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each addition.
-Add cocoa. Beat until blended.
-Add flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Beat well.
-Stir in half of almonds. Reserve rest for later.

Assembly

-Pour half brownie mixture into prepared pan.
-cover with cake filling (I would suggest using just enough filling to cover the brownies within one inch of the edge).
-Sprinkle chocolate chips over top.
-Cover with remaining brownie batter.
-Sprinkle remaining almonds over top.
-Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool completely.

#62) Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Hey everyone!!! I made it home to my parents' for a quick weekend visit, so of course, the first thing I done was whip up a chocolate and peanut butter treat for my brother. I was having a super bad craving for peanut butter cookies so I figured the best way to make brother happy was to squeeze some chocolate in the middle - GOOD IDEA :) The cookies are surprisingly chewy and the ganache, my first attempt, is addictive. I had some extra ganache left over so my dad is using it as a dip for the sandwiches because he said we didn't put enough in the middle LOL. Let me know what you think!

I head back to my summer living accommodations later today so I probably won't be back for a while, but keep me in mind later the summer :)

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups + 2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
Pinch of cloves
1 stick butter, room temp
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 tbsp molasses
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar, for rolling

Steps

-Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
-Sift together flour, baking soda, and cloves.
-Cream butter. Beat in penaut butter. Add sugar and molasses. Beat for 1 minute.
-Add eggs and beat until incorporated.
-Add dry ingredients and stir until combined. The dough with be somewhat "mushy" but you can still mold it in your hands.
-Roll 1/2 tbsp measures of the dough into balls, roll in sugar and place on baking sheet.
-Criss-cross with a fork.
-Bake for 8-9 minutes. Let cool completely.

Chocolate Ganache

Ingredients

3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp butter
1 cup + 2 tbsp chocolate, chopped (I used milk chocolate, but I think dark would have been a better match)

Steps

-Put chocolate in a steel bowl.
-Bring cream and butter to a boil. Pour over chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes.
-Stir until smooth.
-Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Sandwich Assembly

-Put ganache in a piping bag and pipe a swirl in the back of a cookie (they should be matched by size) and press the second cookie in top.
-Refrigerate until firm.

#61) PB Brownie Bars

Ok, I have a couple of apologies to make:

1) I am sorry to those of you who have come here looking for those super-duper healthy sweet treats I keep promising to experiment, but the baking demands of my brother always include chocolate and peanut butter, and although I use light pb, it still isn't very healthy... I am sorry if you feel misled :(

2) Apology #2 is for my future actions - or lack thereof... I am heading back to university for the summer, but there is a considerable amount of moving involved for an extra bout of teaching practice and classes so I will not have my "own" kitchen for quite some time... Although I will try my best to get some sweet treats up here for all my lovers - I can't make any promises :(

Now that that's over on to better and chocolate-ier things :)

This bar is a new take on my brother's favorite treat - Peanut Butter Balls. The brownie bottom is, I hear, excellent, seeing as it isn't "safe" for me... and the peanut butter looks so ooey, gooey that it must be amazing :) Please give 'em a try and let me know what you think!

Brownie Bottom

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup chocolate (I used milk)
1 1/2 cups sugar
Dash salt
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup flour
2 tbsp cocoa

Steps
-Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 9x9 pyrex dish with foil and spray.
-Melt butter and chocolate together. Let cool slightly.
-Add sugar, salt, and vanilla. Mix until incorporated.
-Beat in eggs one at a time.
-Mix in flour and cocoa just until combined.
-Turn into dish and bake for 35-45 minutes, rotating halfway through.

Peanut Butter Filling

Ingredients
1 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup icing sugar
Dash salt
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla

Step
-Beat together until well combined.

Chocolate Topping

Ingredients
1 cup chocolate (I used milk)
1/4 cup butter

Steps
-Melt together.
-Pour over cooled brownies and chill for at least 2 hours.

#58) Chewy Ginger Cookies

So the in-laws came to town yesterday :) I can't remember the last time I seen my fiance so excited - he gets to see his parents, and his brother and nephew :) In order to make him even happier I gave in to his constant beggings for "real" cookies - with butter and eggs LOL

I am confident these little treats were a good choice because between him and his dad the whole batch is pretty much gone! When they came out of the oven the outside had a great crunch to it while the inside was warm and chewy... As they cooled the outside lost the crunch and they are now a truly chewy cookie.

Ingredients

1/3 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Steps

-Beat butter for 30 seconds.
-Add brown sugar, baking soda, ginger and cinnamon. Beat.
-Beat in egg and molasses.
-Beat in flour.
-Chill dough for 1 hour.
-Roll into tablespoon balls and roll in sugar and cinnamon mixture.
-Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes, until tops are cracked.

#57) Hawaiian Drops

This, boys and girls, is my new baking reality - no dairy, no fat, no yolk.... BUT, please don't feel bad for me because these cookies were awesome!!! Jam-packed with pineapple and raisins, the texture was soft and chewy, and with combo of brown sugar, honey, and maple syrup, the flavour had many layers and left me wanting more every time I took a bite.... I have to say, these new restrictions don't seem to be too hard to deal with, my only issue is the change in the texture of my sweet treats, but I am sure I will get used to that... And better yet, now my treats are healthier so I can eat more of 'em, right? :)

Ingredients

1/4 cup flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 egg whites
1/4 cup applesauce
3 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup pineapple, crushed with juice

Steps

-Preheat oven to 350°F and grease or line a cookie sheet.
-Mix together dry ingredients. Set aside.
-Beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Add applesauce, syrup, and honey. Mix well.
-Stir in raisins and pineapple.
-Add wet mixture to dry ingredients and let sit for 10 minutes.
-Spoon onto sheet by tablespoonful and bake for 20 minutes.
-Let cool on wire rack.

#56) Double Chocolate Chippers

I know, I know, this recipe doesn't fit in at all with my new diet restrictions - but, they aren't for me. They are actually for my students. I finished up my internship a couple of weeks ago and leave to head back to campus shortly so I wanted to bring them one last treat before I leave town.

Making these cookies was fun because my fiance decided to help out. I am not sure if I have ever mentioned here just how cute my man is - he is romantic, cuddly, funny, and sweet, but one thing he is not is "kitchen-inclined." That aside, he started creaming the butter and sugar, well, more like whipped, and then he beat in those eggs, again, more like whipped... When it came time spoon out the dough it was obvious the consistency was not right - baking it like it was would have given me some sort of meringue crossbreed - interesting, but not what I was looking for. So we added in more flour and cocoa and hoped for the best...

And better they were! These cookies have a very cocoa-y flavour and the texture is spot on. A somewhat cakey cookies with slightly crunchy edges. Although the maple flavour of the syrup doesn't come through as I had hoped they are still very satisfying cookies! (Now only if they fit into my new diet LOL... Hmm... maybe I will play with it a bit and see what I come up with.)

Thanks for your help babe <3

Ingredients

1 cup cake flour
2 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips

Steps

-Preheat oven to 350°F.
-In a small bowl, combine flours, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
-In a large bowl, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, and maple syrup; beat until creamy.
-Beat in eggs to butter mixture, one at a time.
-Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. (I add it in thirds)
-Stir in chocolate chips.
-Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
-Bake for 8-10 minutes.

#53) Salted Peanut Butter Cookies

These little treats will be taken to a class get-together for an evening class I teach. We will be hanging out with another class doing a more advanced course. Last time around I made the Banana Bites with Cinnamoney Frosting, but this time I was more in the mood for a cookie (that mood has been around for a while now if you haven't notice :p). These cookies lend themselves well to variations - creamy or smooth peanut butter, chocolate chips, and in my case, coarse salt. I tried adding the salt a couple of ways - over top of the dough before they were baked, and then on the freshly baked cookies. I like the second way better :) The salt adds another level to the cookies but doesn't overpower the nutty pb taste.

Ingredients

1 1/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp milk
1 egg
Coarse salt for sprinkling

Steps

-Line a cookie sheet and preheat oven to 350°F
-Sift together dry ingredients and set aside.
-Cream together peanut butter, butter, and sugars. Add milk and egg. Beat well.
-Add dry ingredients in fourths. Do not overbeat.
-Drop onto lined cookie sheet by tablespoonful. Sprinkle with coarse salt.
-Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden.
-Let cool on wire rack.

#50) Cocoa Nana Cookies

Wow! My 50th post :) Seems like I should have tried out a more intricate recipe for this blogging landmark, but cookies it is!

At school we are taking our homeroom skiing on Thursday. They are very excited and asked for me to bring in something sweet. One student in particular asked for my Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies. I said yes, but once I got to making them I decided they needed something new, their own identity.... And now we have a chocolaty banana cookie filled with chocolate chips...

They are much better than the originals in my opinion, but you be the judge :)

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup rolled oats
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda (next time I will lessen this to about 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar (remove or crush any large chunks)
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup mashed bananas
2 cups chocolate chips

Steps

-Spray cookie sheet (or line with rubber mat) and preheat oven to 350°F.
-Beat butter and sugar. Add eggs, bananas, and vanilla. Set aside.
-Stir together dry ingredients. In three additions, stir the dry mixture into the banana mixture.
-Stir in chocolate chips.
-Drop by tablespoonful onto pan.
-Bake for 7-10 minutes.

*Makes about 60 cookies!

#26) Peanut Butter Blossoms

Remember a couple of weeks ago when I won one of the Hershey baskets Mayre was giving away over at Baking Delights? Well I got my hands into its contents today: flour, sugar, Reese's peanut butter, Hershey kisses.... all packed into a great big steel bowl. In the basket was also a recipe card for peanut butter blossoms. They looked so cute in the pic, and they are a combo of chocolate and peanut butter, so I couldn't resist making this sweet treat :)

Ingredients

48 Hershey kisses
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Steps

-Preheat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from kisses.
-Beat peanut butter and shortening.
-Add sugars. Beat until fluffy.
-Add egg, milk, and vanilla. Beat well.
-In another bowl, stir together flour, salt, and baking soda. Gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.
-Roll into 1-inch balls and dip in sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.
-Immediately press a kiss into each cookies. (The cracks that form are normal)
-Let cool and enjoy!

#25) PBCs

Finally!!!! Exams are over and I am at home for Christmas break.... and when I mean home, I mean in the kitchen. I was no more than in the door Saturday evening when my brother decided he wanted some peanut butter cookies, and fast! (PS - those are his greedy little fingers in the picture haha). I remembered a post I made this past summer about eggless peanut butter cookies. The recipe I made up was very quick and quite popular, so we used that same recipe, but added more cocoa for some chocolatey flavour because, well, I am addicted to all things chocolate :)

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cups brown sugar
2.5 tbsp skim milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup flour

3 tbsp cocoa

Steps

-Cream butter, sugars, milk, and vanilla together.

-Stir in peanut butter.

-Add flour, cocoa, and baking soda.
-Roll into 1-inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet, separated. Squish with a fork in two directions.

-Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes.

#24) Magic Middlers

This recipe was so much fun to make!!! I made this one, and the one below, for a couple of cookie exchanges I have this week, and I am sure these guys will be a hit. A chewy chocolate cookie coating surrounding finger-lickin' good peanut butter filling.... Is that the smell of perfection????

Ingredients:

Chocolate Cookie Coating

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1 egg

1 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1/2 tsp baking soda

chocolate chips

Peanut Butter Filling

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup butter

3/4 cup icing sugar

1 tbsp corn starch

Steps:

Filling

- Beat peanut butter and butter until smooth. Blend in icing sugar and cornstach until combines.

- Spoon onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Use the wrap to roll the filling into a 2 cm thick log. Freeze for 10 minutes.

Chocolate Cookie Coating

- Beat butter with sugars and peanut butter. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla.

- Stir flour with cocoa and baking soda. Stir into butter mixture with spoon. Refrigerate.

Combination

- Slice peanut butter log into 32 pieces.

- Using a 1/2 tbsp measure scoop out chocolate dough and form into patties.
- Place a peanut butter slice on top of the patty and close the edges, rolling into a ball. Roll in sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly.

- Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes.

#23) Chocolate Crinkles

I realize there are a lot of chocolate crinkle posts out there lately thanks to Anita Chu's new book, Field Guide to Cookies. Her recipe sounds great, with lots of yummy chocolate. Mine is a recipe I came across a couple of years ago and has been a favorite ever since. Although I use cocoa instead of real chocolate, and oil instead of butter, they are still rich and chewy, and very, very sinful.....

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup cocoa

3 tbsp butter ("light" margarine such as Becel will not work well here)

1/2 cup oil

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

icing sugar

Steps:

- Add cocoa and butter to a microwave-safe bowl. Heat until butter is melted. Stir to combine.
- Using an electric mixer, beat eggs, sugar, cocoa mixture, oil, baking powder, and vanilla together.

- Beat in as much flour as possible, then stir in the remaining amount.

- Cover and chill dough for a minimum of 2 hours.

- Shape dough into 1-inch balls. (I spray my hands periodically with flavorless Pam to avoid becoming a sticky mess.)

- Roll balls in icing sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheet. (I used my silicone sheet and it was perfect)

- Bake at 375°F for 8-10 minutes, until the cookies have a crackled appearance.
- Transfer to a cooling rack.

#4) Beautiful Brownies

When it comes to sweets I have many loves, but if I was forced to choose just one sweet treat to have for the rest of my life, it would would be the brownie, without a doubt! I love brownies for many reasons: first of all, I am a chocoholic with a severe dependence on all things cocoa; second, I am a sucker for anything chewy and gooey; finally, a good brownie recipe hands itself over body and soul to a countless number of flavour mash-ups. This recipe is an A+ in my opinion, resulting in a pan of gooey, rich, satisfyingly chocolately brownies :) (The brownies pictured were my minty experiment...... DELICIOUS!)

Ingredients:

1 2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup melted butter
2 eggs
2 tbsp water
2 tsp vanilla

Steps:

-Preheat oven to 350°F.
-Sift together sugar, cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt. Add chocolate chips.
-Add melted butter, eggs, water, and vanilla.
-Pour batter into a 13x9 inch greased pan.
-Bake for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out slightly covered in brownie (all ovens vary so be cautious and check often within the last couple of minutes).

*I baked these for 19 minutes, but the boyfriend said they could have baked another minute or so for a better texture.

Flavour Ideas:

-Mint: mint chocolate chips + mint extract
-Terry's Chocolate Orange: rough chopped chocolate orange + orange extract
-Savoury Southwest: monterey jack cheese slices over top of batter

Tip:

-Let your imagination be your only limitation and have fun with it :)

#1) Confidential Chocolate Chip Cookies

These particular chocolate chip cookies are confidential because I have never shared this recipe before. Guess you could call me greedy, haha. They are the perfect chocolate chip sweet treat, cooking to a perfectly plump finish with just the right amount of chips.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

1 cup margerine (if using real butter, bring to room temperature before mixing)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips (the better quality chocolate, the better quality cookie)
1 cup chopped nuts (if you omit the nuts add another 2 tbsp flour)

Steps:

-Preheat oven to 350°F.
-In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
-In a large bowl, combine margerine, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract; beat until creamy.
-Beat in eggs to margerine mixture.
-Gradually add the flour mixture to the margerine mixture. (I add it in thirds)
-Stir in chocolate chips.
-Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
-Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden.

*I get about 3 dozen cookies, but I make them rather large :)

Tips:

-Allow baking sheets to cool between each batch (this can be done by placing the sheet in the fridge/freezer for a couple of minutes).
-Wipe baking sheets clean of grease between batches, or wash and dry baking sheet.
-For a softer, chewier version reduce granulated sugar to 1/2 cup and increase brown sugar to 1 cup.