Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk

I am getting so hungry thinking of these cookies! They are chewy inside and crunch when you bite into them. They have just the right amount of chocolate, too, and are best eaten warm when the chocolate can ooze out. I had one of these two days after making them, and with 10 seconds in the microwave, they tasted just like they did when they came out of the oven. Do you prefer chewy or crunchy?

Ingredients
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cold – cut up
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup chocolate chunks
1 cup rolled oats


Instructions
Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.
Cream butter and sugars in large mixer bowl. Add egg and stir.
Gradually add flour mixture. Stir in oatmeal and chocolate chunks. Make large disks of dough (a little less than 1/4 cup each). Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place dough on lined cookie sheets about 3 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-14 minutes. 
Yields 8 cookies.

Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

Peanut butter and chocolate is such a classic combination, and there are so many directions to go when combining the two. In the past I have done, Peanut Butter Cup Cookies, Peanut Chocolate Swirl Bars, and Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter. Today I wanted a softer cookie and something with just a hint of peanut butter flavor. This was just right! 

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg

1 1/2 cups peanut butter chips

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add egg. Gradually beat in flour mixture. 

Stir in chips. Drop by well-rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 11 to 13 minutes or until cookies are puffed and centers are set.

Yields 18 cookies.

Coolidge Corner- Zaftigs & Party Favors

Coolidge Corner is a great area with a "Main Street USA" feel. One of our favorite restaurants (Boca Grande) is there, so we could make an afternoon of our visit. This time, we tried cookies from two spots:

Zaftigs had a line out the door when we walked by, so we figured this deli had to be good. Fortunately, there was no line for bakery take out! Saucer-sized cookies are just $1 each. Only sugar and chocolate chip are available, so of course, I selected chocolate chip. When the cashier pulled a cookie from the jar, she commented "they're soft today", so I'm wondering if there's an issue with consistency. This chewy cookie was certainly delicious and chocolatey, so I understand the cashier's excitement. With the sweet and chocolatey flavor, I would probably enjoy it if it were crispy, too. For more details, visit their website: http://www.zaftigs.com/.

Party Favors was just a party supply store when we lived there, but now they have expanded and sell cookies, cakes, and chocolates. Small seasonal cookies are available from $0.69 to $1.39 in all sorts of cute shapes. The fall leaf cookies were just gorgeous and tasted like a classic sugar cookie. Sold by the pound (2 cookies were $1.70) in a separate case, they had their year round flavors- sugar, chocolate chip, etc. From here, I tried the pistachio cookie and pina colada cookie. In the pistachio cookie, I tasted just a regular sugar cookie with green food coloring. There were a few pecan pieces (not pistachios!) mixed in. The pina colada cookie had a tropical taste with a little bit of coconut and a lot of sugar. Both cookies were very sugary, though. For more information, visit their website: http://www.partyfavorsbrookline.com/

Next time I'm in Coolidge Corner, I'll definitely stop at Zaftigs and skip cookies from Party Favors. 

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! I hope you all are having a spooktacular day! While we are getting ready for a wave of trick-or-treaters, I've put together a list of my favorite candy cookies- perfect for leftover candy or any clearance candy you pick up tomorrow. Or, if you're like me and eat candy all year-round, you can enjoy these cookies throughout the year, too! Take a look at my posts from earlier this month for more ideas. 

Oatmeal Raisinettes Cookies

Chocolate Rolo Cookies

M&M Cookies- Take 2

Chocolate M&M Cookies

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Peanut Butter Delight Cookies

Candy Corn Rice Krispies Treats

Finale

I just got back from a great trip to my former hometown of Boston. I lived in the city for four years and loved it! Now that I am in Southern California, I really miss being able to walk or hop on the subway (locally known as the "T") to amazing restaurants and historical sites. I fell in love with the city (and met Mr. Sleuth while I was there!) and wouldn't trade my time there for anything (even the super cold weather)!

One of our favorite places to go when we lived in Boston was Finale. This incredible dessert restaurant has several locations in the city, but the Park Plaza location is definitely the best. For dine in, their molten chocolate cake is the best ever! They were on the bandwagon before everyone and their mother started serving molten cake. 

In their bakeshop, you can buy cookies, cupcakes, and mini desserts to go. Of course, I tried four of their cookies. At $1.99 each, they are not a big investment. The cookies are a little bigger than the average size you would make at home. 

Here's a quick recap of the cookies:

Triple Chocolate- Dense, rich, brownie-like cookie. It satisfies brownie and chocolate cravings but not a cookie craving.

Chocolate Chip- Favorite of the group- Instead of chocolate chips, this cookie had layers of chocolate. Yum!

Chocolate Chip Walnut- Traditional and buttery- This cookie had lots of chocolate chips and walnuts.

Snickerdoodle- Bread-like, lacks flavor. With all of the other great desserts Finale makes, it's hard to believe this came out of their kitchen. After two bites, I decided to save it for breakfast the next day.

I could go on forever about Finale, but I will spare you the dissertation. Email me or leave a comment if you have questions. Visit www.finaledesserts.com for more information.

Kit Kat Bar Cookies

Kit Kats are some of my favorite candies to have at Halloween! I always try to find the variety packs with dark, milk, and white chocolate bars. This time I've tried out another way to enjoy these delicious chocolate covered wafers. As an added bonus, these are easy to prepare! The cookie itself is soft, so it pairs with the chocolaty crispiness  of the Kit Kat well. I thought it needed a little more chocolate, so I added mini chocolate chips, too.
What's your favorite Halloween candy?


Ingredients

3 Tbsp margarine

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 egg

2/3 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

6 packages of "fun-sized" Kit Kats, broken into large chunks

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray.

Cream margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and mix.

Gradually fold in the flour and baking powder. Stir in chocolate chips.

Put half of the dough on the bottom of the loaf pan. Place Kit Kats in a layer on top of the dough. Spread remaining dough on top of the Kit Kats.

Bake for 15 minutes until lightly browned on top.

Yields 8 servings.

Rice Krispies Treats with Skittles

Here's the second Rice Krispies treat recipe I promised! If you like your cereal with a fruity twist, then this is the treat for you! It sounds odd, I know, but it is hard to go wrong with this combo. I liked the Skittles mixed in, but you can certainly make regular Rice Krispies treats and top them with Skittles instead.

Ingredients
1 Tbsp margarine
1 1/2 cups marshmallows
2 cups Rice Krispies cereal
1 fun sized package of Skittles


Instructions
Melt margarine and marshmallows in a sauce pan. When melted, remove from the heat and stir in cereal and Skittles. Press mixture into an 8x8 pan and allow to cool before cutting into squares.
Yields 16 squares.