Surprise Cookies

These cookies will always hold a special place in my heart. They were my one of my sweet sister-in-law's signature cookies. As I've said before, anything Bunny baked turned out perfectly. I learned early on to never pass up one of her sweets.
The cookies are incredibly moist and chocolaty. Add the marshmallow and chocolate frosting and you have a sweet and sinful treat.


Surprise Cookies
Adapted from Martha Stewart Cookies
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 t coarse salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup whole milk
1 t vanilla
about 15 marshmallows, halved crosswise (just cut them in half with some kitchen shears or clean sharp scissors)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Make Cookies: sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt into a bowl.
Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk and vanilla. Mix in flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, until combined.
Using a 1 3/4 inch cookie scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until firm, 8-10 minutes. Immediately press a marshmallow half on top of each cookie. Bake until marshmallows begin to melt, 2 minutes more. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.
Make frosting.

Chocolate Satin Frosting
from Joy of Cooking

6 oz unsweetened chocolate

1 cup evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups sugar

6 T unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 t vanilla

Roughly chop chocolate. Set aside.

In small saucepan, bring evaporated milk to boil. Remove from heat and add chocolate pieces, without stirring. Cover and set aside for exactly 10 minutes. Scrape into bowl over mixer or food processor and add sugar, butter and vanilla. Process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and let sit in refrigerator until it reaches desired consistency (I let mine sit about 15 minutes)

This frosting keeps refrigerated for about 3 weeks, or can be frozen for 6 months. Let soften before using.

Spread about 1 tablespoon of frosting on top of each cookie to cover marshmallow. Let stand until set, about 10 minutes. Cookies can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.

Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

While these little goodies are labeled "cupcakes", I think of them as more of a brownie.

Either way, they combine two of my favorite sweet flavors together for one deliciously rich hand held treat.


from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

Cupcake batter
2/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Peanut Butter Filling
4 T (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Put butter and chocolates in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water; stir until melted. Remove from heat, and let cool slightly.
Whisk granulated sugar into cooled chocolate mixture. Add eggs, and whisk until mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture; stir until well incorporated.
Make Peanut Butter filling by combining butter, confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, salt and vanilla. Stir until smooth.
Spoon 2 tablespoons chocolate batter into each lined cup, followed by 1 tablespoon peanut butter filling. Repeat with another tablespoon of batter and top with 1 teaspoon filling. Swirl top of cupcake batter and filling with a wooden skewer or toothpick.
Bake, rotating tin halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, about 40 minutes. Transfer tin to a wire rack to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers.

"chips n salsa"

It's been a while, huh.

Remember this post?

The one about buns in the oven...
as in more than one bun...
no nuts....

Any of this a-ringin' a bell?

Salsa (l), Chips (r)

We welcomed our two little ones earlier this summer.

Since a lot of the conversation in this house revolves around food, it was fitting that our three year old nick-named them "chips" and "salsa".


Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips

Chips
4 (7-inch) flour tortillas
Cinnamon-sugar mixture (I like cinnamon, so I mix 1 T cinnamon into 1/2 cup sugar, use less cinnamon if you wish)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Combine sugar and cinnamon. Lightly brush the tortillas with water and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges and place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp. Remove from oven and cool on the pan.

Fruit Salsa
2 cups chopped fruit:
we used a combination of peaches, kiwi, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and blackberries
1 t lime zest
2 t lime juice (you should be able to get enough juice and zest from one large lime)
1 tsp sugar

Combine all salsa ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix gently.