Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Happy New Year! Along with every New Year comes New Years resolutions. Did you make any resolutions for this upcoming year? Most resolutions tend to focus on eating healthy and exercising more frequently. I never make any resolutions like that because let's be honest, they are not going to happen. Give up eating cupcakes? No way. Cut back on the cookies? Doubtful. I mean I posted a cookie recipe on January 3rd so I can't be too concerned with resolutions. For me, moderation is key. I always try to incorporate healthy foods into my diet, rather than eliminate certain foods all together. We all know I could never live without sweets.

Which brings us back to these cookies. I have said it before, but chocolate and peanut is one of my favorite combinations. These Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies are rich and packed full of flavor. Not only are mini peanut butter cups folded into the batter, but there is also creamy peanut butter added to the chocolate base. I always think that more peanut butter is better and I loved the flavor combination of these soft cookies.

Although I don't really make New Years resolutions, I do have a lot of goals related to my blog in 2013. First, I want to incorporate more savory recipes and dinner ideas into my blog posts. In addition to all of the baking I do each week, I also love to cook. I can't wait to share more recipes with you in the upcoming year. I also hope to make the website even better and more user friendly. The beginning of 2013 is going to be a busy few months for me, but I really want to make my blog priority. Let me know if you have any suggestions!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
Recipe from Annie Eats (originally adapted from King Arthur Flour)

1 1/2 cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
6 tbsp Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp milk
2 cups coarsely chopped peanut butter cups

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer, cream the butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar until light and creamy.
Add the egg, vanilla and milk. Mix until fully incorporated.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl. Mix until just incorporated.
Turn the mixer off. Add the peanut butter cups. Mix with a spatula until fully combined.

Divide the dough into approximately 3 tablespoon balls and place each ball onto the prepared baking sheets. Gently press down on the balls to flatten them slightly. Press a few peanut butter cups on top of each ball. Bake for about 12-14 minutes or until the edges are set. Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets. Transfer cookies to cooling rack to cool completely.

Enjoy :)

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! I hope you are all enjoying the day with friends and family. I am off to my boyfriend's annual Christmas Eve party in just a few hours. But first, I wanted to share one last holiday treat with you all. I have hardly left the kitchen in the past two days preparing for Christmas Eve and Christmas day. It was a lot of work, but definitely worth it. Santa will surely have his choice  of treats when he comes to my house this year!

You didn't think I would make it through December without sharing a Christmas cupcake, did you? These moist and flavorful gingerbread cupcakes are topped with a sweet cinnamon cream cheese frosting. They are the perfect cupcake to share with friends and family this holiday season.

I hope that you all have a very merry Christmas! 

Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Cupcakes from Martha Stewart Cupcakes, Frosting from Georgetown Cupcake

Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tbsp unsulfured molasses
4 eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla

Frosting:
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tbsp cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tbsp cinnamon
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla

Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 22 standard muffin tins with paper liners. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Set aside.
In a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the molasses. Beat until fully combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until combined. Add the vanilla and continue to mix until fully incorporated.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl. Mix until combined.
Divide batter evenly among prepared tins, about 3/4 full. Bake for about 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Allow cupcakes to cool in tins for about 10 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to cooling rack to cool completely.

Frosting:
In a stand mixer, combine all ingredients in bowl and mix on high speed until light and creamy. Transfer frosting to piping bag and pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Enjoy :)

Gingerbread Pudding Cookies

Usually I know exactly what I want to bake each week. I have a huge archives of saved recipes that I sift through and decide what to make. I rarely walk into the supermarket without a game plan and a shopping list in hand. But these cookies? Well, they were a last minute addition to my Christmas baking list. I was walking around Roche Brothers last week and came across a box of Gingerbread pudding mix. After making my Mint Chip Chocolate Pudding Cookies a few weeks ago, I have been eager to try another pudding cookie recipe. And what is more appropriate for the holiday season than Gingerbread Pudding Cookies?

I cannot tell you how soft and chewy the pudding mix makes these cookies. And the best part? They stay soft for days and days. The gingerbread flavor in these cookies is present but not overwhelming. They are a great last minute addition to anyone's holiday party or gathering. I plan on bringing my leftover cookies to a Christmas Eve party tomorrow night. Well, I will bring them assuming that they are still around tomorrow.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Eve! 

Gingerbread Pudding Cookies
Recipe from Inside Brucrew Life

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1 box instant gingerbread pudding mix
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cinnamon chips
3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugars until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until combined. Add the vanilla and milk. Mix until fully incorporated. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and gingerbread pudding mix. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl. Mix until fully incorporated. Turn off the mixer. Add the cinnamon chips and white chocolate chips. Mix with a spatula until combined.

With a medium sized ice cream scoop, scoop cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake cookies for 9-10 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for a few minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

There are four different types of cookies in my kitchen right now. I had no choice but to eat cookies for lunch today. Is that bad? I have been having so much fun experimenting with new cookie recipes over the past few weeks, but I always have a hard time giving them all away. Other than my dad, no one in my family really eats my baked goods. At Thanksgiving dinner, my aunt asked my brother if he wanted a piece of pie and ice cream. He responded, "No, I don't really like dessert". Umm, what?? Are you even related to me?? I can't imagine ever saying something like that. Especially if it means missing out on these Brown Butter Snickerdoodles. 

These Brown Butter Snickerdoodles were one of the desserts I brought to the Boston College Basketball Christmas party last night. In my book, brown butter makes anything better. I just love the nutty smell and flavor of brown butter. These cookies puffed up quite nicely in the oven, resulting in thick and chewy cookies full of cinnamon flavor. This was the first recipe I tried from my newest cookbook, Baked Elements. I have the other cookbooks by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito and I cannot say enough good things about them. All of their recipes turn out perfectly- I can't wait to try more from this one! 

Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

Recipe from Baked Elements by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp + 2 tsp cinnamon, divided
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tbsp milk
1 cup + 3 tbsp sugar, divided
1/2 cup light brown sugar

In a medium sized skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Continue to cook butter until it becomes golden brown in color and smells nutty in flavor. Pour the brown butter into the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat butter on medium speed for 5-7 minutes to bring it to room temperature.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk until fully incorporated. Set aside.
When the butter is cooled, add 1 cup of sugar and the brown sugar to the mixer bowl. Beat until light and creamy, scraping down the side of the bowl as necessary.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the milk and egg mixture. Mix until fully incorporated.
In three additions, slowly add the dry ingredients, scraping down the side of the bowl as necessary. Mix until fully combined.
Turn off the mixer. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour (or up to 24 hours).

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop cookie dough into balls. Roll each ball into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Transfer balls to the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for about 10 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Cookies should be cracked on top and golden brown around the edges. Allow cookies to cool on sheets for a few minutes. Transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Enjoy :)

White Chocolate Peppermint M&M Cookies

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Our lights are up, a few presents are wrapped and I have already watched ELF twice. I still have a lot of shopping and baking left to do though. This time of year is just so busy, it is hard to fit everything in. Thank god for online shopping! I am also busy finishing up my classes this semester so sometimes it is hard to find the time to bake. I am glad I decided to make these cookies this week because they were a hit around here. 

I told you to expect a lot of cookies this month- so let's talk about these White Chocolate Peppermint M&M cookies. They are such a fun and festive cookie for the holiday season. I found the White Chocolate M&Ms at Target, but I probably didn't need to tell you that. By now you know that I find all of my fun holiday candy at Target, right? My boyfriend never knew there were so many different types of M&Ms. Peppermint M&Ms, Candy Corn M&Ms, Cherry Cordial M&Ms, Coconut M&Ms- the list goes on and on. I know my boyfriend loves when I take him on hunts to find all of these different flavors.

Find a bag of the White Chocolate Peppermint M&Ms and bake up a batch of these cookies. They are soft and full of holiday flavor! 

White Chocolate Peppermint M&M Cookies

Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

3 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup white chocolate peppermint M&Ms

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and vanilla. Continue to beat until fully incorporated.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients. Mix until well combined.

Turn off the mixer. Add the white chocolate chips and white chocolate peppermint M&Ms. Mix with a spatula until combined.

With a medium sized ice cream scoop, scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheet. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.

Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.