#70) Dirty Bottoms

Have you ever had a "to-do" list so long you never seem to finish it? It seems that since Christmas my list has multiplied every single day, morphing into this new creature I don't even recognize... lesson plans, chores, cooking, errands, gym, evening classes.... it all adds up.

But, this is me taking over and deciding that cookies come first on my list all the time :)

These cookies are a melt-in-your-mouth shortbread dipped in creamy milk chocolate. They were made as part of a cookie buffet for a New Year's Eve party, but I was kind of stuck on a name for them so I asked a group of friends to name them... "Dirty Bottoms" was the very first suggestion, and no matter how cute or creative the following names were, we all decided that these cookies will be forever known as Dirty Bottoms! I hope you enjoy this sweet treat as much as we did.

Ingredients

7 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Steps

-Preheat oven to 325ºF. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper.

-Beat together butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy.

-Add flour and baking powder. Stir until combined.

-Roll dough into small balls (yields 1 dozen). Place balls on cookie sheet.

-Press down balls (I used a tip from my cookie press, but a fork will work).

-Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until a pale golden colour. (Watch closely as they will burn easily).

-Let cool completely.

-Melt chocolate in double boiler. Dip bottom of cookies in chocolate. Let excess drip off.

-Let cool top-side down until chocolate has hardened. (Keep refrigerated so chocolate does not melt).

*Makes 1 dozen cookies.

#69) Banana Coffee Cake

Can I just say that living alone is one the most depressing things I have ever done? And this fact is just emphasized every single time I go into the kitchen - breakfast for one, lunch for one, dinner for one, tea for one, and most sadly of all, dessert for one!

I know you are probably all saying "Enough with the self-pity, already." But this is a huge issue for me because not only am I lonely, but now because I have no one to share my goodies with I make them a lot less often, and that makes me sad, too.

Ok, my rant is over, I promise. Now let me tell you just how good this coffee cake is. I done some reading and researching when I decided to turn my latest batch of rotting bananas into a sweet treat and through the jigs and the reels I came up with a very moist, very tasty, and semi-light coffee cake (if you cut the amount of chocolate, drastically LOL). My only issue was that I added a little too much chocolate. I know, I can hear your gasps of shock and disbelief, but it's true - it was a little too chocolate-y, even for me. But other than that it is fantastic and will now be a go-to recipe, when fiance comes to visit and I have someone to share it with that is :)

Ingredients

3/4 cup chocolate chips (I used minis, and will probably use like 1/3 cup next time)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans, but you can use whatever you have on hand)
1/2 tbsp cinnamon

3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
dash of salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 egg white
3 mashed bananas
3 tbsp sour cream (I used fat free)

Steps

-Preheat oven to 350º and spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray.

-Mix together first 4 ingredients and set aside.

-Sift together dry ingredients.

-Cream together butter and sugar. Add egg white, bananas, and sour cream.

-Stir in dry ingredients with as few strokes as possible.

-Pour half of batter into pan. Spread half the streusel over top. Cover with remaining batter. Spread remaining streusel over top.

-Bake for 25-30 minutes.

#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.

#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!

#45) Chocolate Chippies 3 Ways

You know, I love being in the kitchen trying out new recipes. There is always something exciting about baking the unknown... a sense of anticipation. That being said, I still have some recipes I love dearly, but as mentioned in a previous post, because baking time is precious I want to always do something new and interesting. For that purpose I have started re-inventing some old favorites (see my Minty Brownie Drops).

I know everyone must have that special chocolate chip cookie recipe hidden away in that drawer in the kitchen - oh you know what drawer I mean!!! To make mine a bit more interesting today I decided to make the basic dough and divide between three bowls. Each bowl turned into a new and exciting sweet treats :)

Basic Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

2 1/4 cups + 2 tbsp flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

Steps

-Preheat oven to 350°F.
-Cream sugar, vanilla, and butter. Add eggs. Beat well.
-Sift together dry ingredients and add in fourths to butter mixture.
-Divide between three bowls.

Variation #1 - Old Faithful

Milk chocolate chips

Variation #2 - Chocolate Orange

Milk chocolate chips
Zest of one large orange

Variation #3 - Cinnamon Swirl

Milk and white chocolate swirled chocolate chips
2 tsp cinnamon

-Spoon onto baking sheet with a tablespoon and bake for 8-10 minutes. Let cool on wire rack :)

#40) Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

This will be the last installment of my banana bake-athon for a while. We all started to get tired of banana this and that after so many recipes LOL.

These cookies were made for my Grade 9 homeroom's pizza party this past Friday. The kids loved them and asked for more HaHa. They were relatively easy to make and have a great banana taste that is just right with a cup of hot tea :)

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup rolled oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
3 mashed bananas
2 cups chocolate chips

Steps

-Spray cookie sheet 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.
-Bake for 7-10 minutes.

#39) Homemade Granola Bars

Wow! I made these little guys about an hour ago and we have the pan pretty much half gone already!!!

I have been wanting to make my own granola bars for some time now, mainly because I work at a school where nuts are not permitted, and it is quite difficult to find nut-free bars. Also, with the homemade version I know exactly what I am eating, and it doesn't involve any strange chemicals or weird preservatives :)

I found some homemade recipes for granola bars that involved sugar, but I decided the corn syrup was sweet enough, but if you are looking for an even sweeter treat, I would add about 1/3 cup brown sugar. As for the add-ins, I plan on trying raisins and cinnamon, maple syrup and banana, oh the list goes on - be as creative as you can be!

Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup rice crispies (I used the Christmas ones, hence the green and red LOL)
2/3 cup coconut
2/3 cup chocolate chips (I used half white and half milk chocolate)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened (suggestions on how to lessen this amount?)
1/2 cup corn syrup (or honey if you prefer)
1 tsp vanilla

Steps (so simple!!!)

-Mix all ingredients together with your hands.
-Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and pat down.
-Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.
-Let cool for 15 minutes before cutting into bars.

*Makes 16 bars

#36) Big Banana Crunch Muffins

One of the downsides to living in Labrador actually became a surprising plus today at the grocery store... The past week has been absurdly cold here, like -50°C - so cold that on Thursday and Friday the schools were closed!!! Now, how on Earth did this turn into a plus for me??? Well, fiance and me went grocery shopping today and as soon as we walked in the door there were these HUGE bags of bananas that were in terrible shape, pretty much black all over - they must have got hit with the cold on the way to the grocery store. Perfect for loads of banana recipes, right? Oh yeah, I was all over it! The best part is that these giant bags of recipe-ready bananas were only 99¢!!! Stay tuned for more banana baking :)

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup mashed banana
2 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup crushed pecans

Steps

-Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a jumbo muffin pan.
-Cream butter and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well.
-Add banana and beat well.
-Stir together dry ingredients. Add to banana mixture in three additions.
-Stir in chocolate chips and pecans.
-Divide between 6 jumbo muffin cups.
-Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

#19) Chocolate Oatmeal Chippers

Yummo! These little sweet treats are chocolate lover's dream. Me, I love a good chocolate chip cookie, but this twist on a classic is scrumtious!!! The oats give the cookie a nice texture that stands up to a good glass of milk :) PS - I apologize for the short, sporadic posts, but school is eating up ALL of my time :(

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 3/4 cup chocolate chips

1 3/4 cup oats (quick or old-fashioned)

Steps:

- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a mdium bowl.

- Cream butter, sugars, and vanilla. Beat in eggs.

- Gradually beat in four mixture.

- Stir in chips and oats.

- Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. (I used a silicone sheet and they came out beautifully)
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.

*makes about 4 dozen cookies

#12) Cocoa Peanut Butter Cookies

Okay, the semester has started... I had my first classes of my Bachelor of Education today :) Overall the day was good, busy and a little stressful, but there is something satisfying about taking those first steps towards what you want in life. To celebrate taking these first steps, I decided to bake a new sweet treat, combining two of my faves again, good ol' PB and chocolate :)

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup chopped almonds (or just use crunchy PB)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips (milk chocolate is best for this recipe)

Steps:

-Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
-Cream together butter, sugars, peanut butter, and nuts.
-Add eggs and vanilla.
-Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture in thirds (not with an hand-mixer, the batter is too thick).
-Stir in chocolate chips.
-Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased cookie sheets.
-Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool on sheet for 2 minutes then move to cooling rack.
Tips:

-Do not drop too much dough for each cookie because they will spread out and meet (not pretty HaHa).

#11) M&M Mouthfuls

For the past couple of weeks I have been staying at my parents. And see, no one loves cookies more than my brother so seeing as I am moving out again tomorrow, I decided to get him to help me make my latest sweet treat. So I went back to that wonderful cookie cookbook from my birthday and adapted a "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Chip Cookie to make this adorable version.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup M&M minis
Steps:

-Preheat oven to 350°F.
-Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt.
-Cream butter with sugars. Add eggs, one at a time.
-Add flour mixture to creamed mixture in three additions. Fold in with rubber spatula.
-Fold in chocolate chips and M&M minis.
-Drop onto un-greased cookie sheet from rounded tablespoon.
-Bake for 10-12 minutes.

*For that true bakery look, we added some chocolate chips and M&M minis on top of the dropped cookies before baking.
*Should make about 4 dozen cookies :)

#9) Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cupcakes

Recently, while on vacation, bf and I went to a U-Pick. Now I have a cherished bag of raspberries crying out to be turned into delectable sweet treats... Today I decided to make some of my raspberry cake fill and pair it with some oh-so-sweet chocolate. This recipe makes a rich cupcake filled with sweet and sour raspberries and gooey chocolate.

Ingredients:

Filling
2 cups raspberries
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1.5 tbsp cornstarch

-Bring berries and 1/3 cup water to a boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
-Strain the berry mixture and return to heat.
-Add cornstarch to remaining water. Whisk into berry mixture.
-Add sugar and bring to a boil. Simmer for 8-10 minutes.
-Cool completely.

Cupcakes (All at room temperature)
3/4 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk, shaken (1 cup regular milk + 1 tbsp vinegar)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbsp brewed coffee
1 3/4 cup flour 1 cup cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
150 chocolate chips (preferably dark)

Steps:

-Preheat oven to 350°F. Line pan with paper liners.
-Cream butter with sugars for 5 minutes on high.
-At low speed, add eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla.
-In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee.
-In a third bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
-At low speed, add the milk and flour mixtures to the butter alternately, in thirds. (You should begin with the milk and end with the flour.)
-Mix only until blended. Fold slightly with a spatula.
-Place 1 tbsp of batter in the bottom of each liner. Top with 1 tsp cake fill and 5 chocolate chips. Cover completely with remaining batter.
-Bake for 20 minutes.

*Should make about 30 cupcakes. Happy eating!

#7) Double Chocolate Banana Cookies

My birthday was a little better than a week ago, and being as smart as she is, my bestest girlfriend gave me a cookbook all about cookies. I couldn't wait to try one of the yummy looking recipes, so here is my first attempt. This sweet treat goes heavy on the chocolate, so if you aren't into cocoa as much as me, I would steer clear :)

Ingredients:

3-4 extra-ripe bananas
2 cups oats (I used quick oats)
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1 /4 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup chopped roasted almonds

Steps:

-Beat bananas with hand mixer.
-In another bowl, combine oats, sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Mix well.
-Stir in bananas, butter, and eggs until blended. Add chocolate chips and almonds.
-Refrigerate for 1 hour, until partially firm. (Batter will run if not chilled, as seen below)
-Preheat oven to 350°F.
-Drop batter unto greased cookie sheets by the 1/4-cup measure. Flatten slightly with a spatula.
-Bake for 15-17 minutes on the middle rack. Cool on wire rack.

Info:

-I halved the recipe above and got 20 large cookies.
-the 1/4-cup measure makes for a big cookie. If you would like smaller try tablespoon drops.
-Refrigerate batter right up until you place it into the oven. If not you will get monsters like those in the second picture HaHa.

#5) Practice Peanut Butter Bites

Lately my kitchen, err my rental kitchen, I should say, has been in an uproar... Not only are the bf and I getting ready to go on a much needed vacation, we are also in the process of packing up to move to another apartment. Needless to say, measuring cups are missing, bowls are packed, and certain baking essentials are lacking (notably - EGGS). That being said, I still wanted to bake today. One ingredient I did have a lot of was peanut butter (*yummy) so I threw some in a bowl and hoped to find a sweet treat at the end of this experiment...

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

1 tbsp cocoa

1 tsp baking powder
(*chocolate chips)

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, sparated.

-Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes.

*Just before the first sheet of cookies was done baking, I removed it from the oven and pressed in the middle of each cookie with a spoon and placed chocolate chips in the dip. I then returned the cookies to the oven for less than 1 minute.

Although they look cute, my plan didn't work as I had intended. I wanted the chips to soften so I could swirl it with a spoon, leaving a chocolate topping on the cookies, but they were so messy I wouldn't even take a picture. BUT, they were tasty :p.

Discoveries:

-Eggless PB cookies bake out thinner and crispier than a traditional recipe.

-Anything bigger then a 1-inch ball produces a cookies too large and too flimsy for my liking.

-Increasing the cocoa may have given the cookie more depth.

-They still go great with a tall, cold glass of milk :)

#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 :)

#3) Perfect Pancakes

My blender is one counter-top appliance I simply can NOT live without. I immediately fell in love with how easy it makes life. I now have some recipes specifically written for blenders, but I have also adapted some of my faves to work with it as well. This recipe is a perfect example of one my "blender makeovers". A sweet treat for breakfast, who could ask for more? :)

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk (soy milk works fine)
4 tbsp melted butter (I used vegetable oil this time and it was fine)
1/2 tsp vanilla

*Add-ins - chocolate chips, lemon zest, pecans, sliced banana, let your imagination go wild! (From 1/4 - 1/2 cup, depending on taste)

Steps:

-Add flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt to blender. Pulse until mixed.
-Add eggs, milk, butter/oil, and vanilla to flour mixture. Pulse until combined.
-Add-ins. Pulse just until incorporated.

#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.