Chocolate Peanut Crinkles

This is only the second time I’ve eaten a chocolate crinkle, and I LOVE them! These soft, fudgy, chewy cookies with white, cracked confectioners’ sugar resemble the ordinary chocolate crinkle cookies you see at Christmas time, but the similarity stops there. The difference in these is the gentle crunch you taste from the crushed peanuts before the cookies seem to melt on your tongue like a soft chocolate ganache. Feel free to use any type of nuts you have on hand – hazelnuts, walnuts, peanuts, or almonds would work just as well in this recipe.

This Chocolate Peanut Crinkle cookie recipe comes from Bill Yosses and Melissa Clark’s cookbook, “The Perfect Finish: Special Desserts for Every Occasion”. Bill Yosses is the Executive Pastry Chef at the White House. Enjoy!!!

PS- I must give credit to my mom and sister for making the dough of these cookies. I was out shopping in Dallas for the afternoon while they were back at home baking! However I was home in time to help roll and bake the chocolate peanut crinkles!

In a food processor, finely chop the nuts with the granulated sugar.

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate.

Cream together the brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, until incorporated.

Beat in the melted chocolate, stopping the mixer to scrape down the sides before beating again.

Mix in the milk and vanilla.

Mix in the flour mixture in three additions.

Fold in the nuts.

Form the dough in a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Measure out powdered sugar/confectioners’ sugar in a shallow bowl.

Scoop out a heaping tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Coat generously with powdered sugar and transfer to a baking sheet.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until cracked, but not completely firm.

Cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Serve the crinkles with a cold glass of milk. Enjoy!!

Chocolate Peanut Crinkles
Ingredients
2/3 cup toasted, skinned unsalted peanuts
2 tbsp granulated sugar
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 60 to 66% cacao content), chopped (about 1 cup)
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups light brown brown sugar
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus additional for the pan
2 large eggs
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

Directions
1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, finely chop the nuts with the granulated sugar. In the top of a double boiler or in a bowl set over (not in) in a pot of simmering water, melt the chocolate.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, until incorporated. Beat in the melted chocolate, stopping the mixer to scrape down the sides before beating again. Mix in the milk and vanilla. Mix in the flour mixture in three additions. Fold in the nuts.
3. Form the dough into a ball and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for 3 hours or overnight.
4. When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 11 x 17-inch baking sheets with the unsalted butter. Place the confectioners’ sugar in a wide, shallow bowl. Scoop out a heaping tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Coat generously with sugar and transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and sugar.
5. Bake the cookies, turning the baking sheets from back to front and switching them between the top rack and the bottom halfway through, until cracked but not completely firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet so they can firm up a bit, about 2 minutes, then use a spatula to transfer to a wire rack to cool. These can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Yield: 3 dozen (1 3/4-inch) cookies

Chocolate-Hazelnut Gelato

This is my favorite “chocolate” flavored ice cream/gelato. I usually request vanilla ice cream/gelato or custard with crushed oreos on top. I am not a huge chocolate fan, so this gelato is perfect because the chocolate is not dark or bitter, rather it has a light, milk chocolate, and hazelnut flavor. This is my Dad’s favorite gelato recipe and he requests it all the time! Enjoy!

Heat milk, cream, and sugar over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Whip the egg yolks and sugar in electric mixer until thick and pale yellow, about 4 minutes.

Pour 1/2 cup of the warm milk mixture into the eggs and stir.

Pour egg mixture back into milk mixture and heat on low until very thick, about 7-10 minutes.

Pour custard mixture through strainer into a large bowl.

Add hazelnut (Nutella) and vanilla and stir completely until it dissolves.

Chill mixture completely before pouring into ice cream maker.

Pour chilled custard into an ice cream/gelato maker and prepare according to manufacturer’s directions. Ours took about 30 minutes.

To serve, scoop into individual bowls and top with chopped hazelnuts, if desired.

Chocolate-Hazelnut Gelato
Ingredients
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup
4 egg yolks
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (Nutella)
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, crushed, for garnish

Directions
1. In a saucepan combine the milk, cream, and 1/2 cup sugar over medium heat. Cook until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whip the egg yolks with the remaining sugar using an electric mixer until the eggs have become thick and pale yellow, about 4 minutes.
3. Pour 1/2 cup of the warm milk and cream mixture into the egg mixture and stir. Add this mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 7 to 10 minutes.
4. Place a strainer over a medium bowl and pour the custard mixture through the strainer. Stir in the vanilla and hazelnut spread until it dissolves.
5. Chill mixture completely before pouring into an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s instructions to freeze.
6. To serve, scoop gelato into serving bowls and top with hazelnuts.

Yield: 6-8 servings (about 4 cups)

Seven-Layer Bars

Seven-Layer Bars aka Magic Bars or Hello Dolly Bars are one of my all-time favorite desserts. Ever since a friend made them for me in high school, I have fallen in love with them. I love the graham cracker crust, the mix of coconut, chocolate chips and butterscotch chips, topped off with the sweetened condensed milk. This time I was short of butterscotch chips, so I added white chocolate chips and some milk chocolate pieces. These always turn out amazing, are impossible to mess up. This recipe came from “The Gathering of Friends” cookbook by Michelle Huxtable and Alyse Christensen. Enjoy!

Melt the butter in a 9 x 13 inch pan.

Sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs over the butter and press into pan.

Layer chocolate chips and butterscotch chips over crumbs.

Sprinkle coconut and nuts over chips.

Pour milk over the mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Cool and cut into squares.

Seven-Layer Bars
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 (6 oz) package butterscotch chips
1 (6 oz) package chocolate chips
1 (7 oz) package shredded coconut
1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)
1 (14 oz) can Eagle Brand milk

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt butter in 9 x 13 inch pan.
3. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over butter and press into pan.
4. Layer butterscotch chips and chocolate chips over the crumbs.
5. Sprinkle coconut and nuts over chips.
6. Pour milk over mixture.
7. Bake for 25 minutes.
8. Let cool, then cut into squares.

Nutty Chocolate Chunk Cookies (David Lebovitz)

My mom loves trying new recipes for chocolate chip cookies. This is probably her 20th chocolate chip cookie recipe to try. They come from David Lebovitz’s newest cookbook, “Ready for Dessert”. When making these, my mom used a food scale and actually measured out the flour, sugar, and nuts in grams rather than in cups. Weighing ingredients on a scale is actually a more accurate way to measure.

If you like nuts, you will love these cookies! We toasted macadamia nuts, walnuts, and pecans, and added Nestle chocolate chunks. Enjoy!

Whisk together dry ingredients, then add to butter, sugars, vanilla, and egg mixture. Stir in chocolate chunks and nuts.

On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into quarters.

Shape each quarter into a log about 9 inches long. Wrap logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 24 hours.

Bake cookies for 10 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through at 350 degrees.

Nutty Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups (350 g) flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup (8 oz/225 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (215 g) packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups (225 g) nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, and macadamia nuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
14 oz (400g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into 1/2 to 1 inch chunks or 3 cups (340 g) chocolate chunks (Regular chocolate chips are designed to resist melting, so I use chocolate chunks instead so they will melt and create a gooey cookie).

Directions
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt
2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until just smooth.
3. Beat in eggs one at a time until thoroughly incorporated, then stir in the flour mixture followed by the nuts and chocolate chunks.
4. On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough into quarters. Shape each quarter into a log about 9 inches long. Wrap he logs in plastic and refrigerated until firm, preferably 24 hours.
5. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
6. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
7. Slice the logs into disks 3/4 inch thick and place the disks 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
8. Bake, rotating the baking sheets midway through baking, until the cookies are very lightly browned in the centers, about 10 minutes. If you like soft chocolate chip cookies, as I do, err on the side of underbaking.
9. Let cookies cool on baking sheets until firm enough to handle, then transfer to a wire rack.

Yield 48 cookies