White Chocolate-Dipped Oreos

Talk about a good dog!! I know everyone says they have the best dog in the world, but does your dog have as much patience as Skippy, our 10-year old chihuahua, pictured above?

I mean, talk about self control! Look at Skippy….just eying the cookies. Waiting patiently for the cookie he will never get. They say chocolate can kill dogs, but if it did, Skippy would not be alive to this day!

Four years ago when I was teaching school, my students gave me a few bags of candy for an upcoming holiday (it was either Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or my birthday…unfortunately I can’t remember). In the clear, cellophane-wrapped bags were Hershey’s Kisses, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and M&Ms…. all chocolate!

Well, I put the candy in my school bag, and when I got home, I placed my school bag where I placed it every day – tucked away in the corner near the kitchen table.

It was a Friday night and Matt and I went out to eat as we always do on Friday nights. When we came home, you’d thought someone had broken in with all the mess that was on the floor! There were silver Hershey’s Kisses wrappers and brown Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup wrappers torn up in a thousand little bitty pieces scattered all across the floor.

DSCN2154 - Version 2 — #tbt This picture is from 2008, before Matt and I were married. Look how young we all look!

And then there was Skippy. His face pled guilty all over! While we were out, he had gone through my school bag, opened the cellophane bag containing all the candy and then proceeded to open and eat nearly 3/4ths of my holiday candy!

Not only was I upset that Skippy ate the good stuff…there were no Reese’s left…. I was also upset that he would die from since “chocolate kills dogs”. Fortunately Skippy survived. 🙂 Not only did he NOT get sick, but he didn’t even have an upset stomach!

If you know Skippy, you’ve heard that he LOVES peanut butter…hence the name “Skippy” peanut butter right? lol. (We adopted him and his name was already Skippy). I think he smelled the peanut butter in the Reese’s and just couldn’t resist….plus he was bored, apparently.

While Skippy is extremely obedient in person, (hence not eating the Oreos in the picture above), he is revengeful behind your back. He will act up when you are not around, so watch out!

Anyways, if you’re a white chocolate and Oreo cookie fan, you’ll love these White Chocolate-Dipped Oreo cookies. I know they sell these pre-dipped at the store, but the homemade version is so much better.

white chocolate dipped Oreos — Melt your white chocolate bark (or vanilla almond bark) in a microwave. Dip 3/4 of the Oreo cookie in the white chocolate and place on parchment paper.

Using whatever you have on-hand, you can decorate with any colored sprinkles while the chocolate is setting up.

I made these for the 2014 Super Bowl party that we hosted and they were a hit. Super simple and super popular. Enjoy!

White Chocolate-Dipped Oreos

Serves: 50 cookies

Ingredients

1 (14.3 oz) package Nabisco Oreo sandwich cookies
1 package Vanilla Flavored Almond Bark (I used Kroger’s brand)
Decorative sprinkles of your choice

Instructions

Melt vanilla flavored almond bark according to package directions. I melted the bark via the microwave.
Dip three-fourths of an Oreo cookie into the bark and place on parchment paper to set and cool. Repeat until you use all Oreo cookies.
While the cookies are setting up, decorate using colored sprinkles of your choice. I used black sprinkles.

Nutella Cookie Cups

Matt and I hosted small groups at our house tonight for church and as always, I was volunteered to make the dessert. 🙂

If it were up to Matt, I’d make chocolate chip cookies every time we had small groups. But I get sick of making the same thing over and over again, and so I wanted to try out these Nutella cookie cups.

My friend Julie made them a few months back for a work luncheon and they were a huge hit!

nutella cookie cups

There’s just something magical about that delicious chocolate hazelnut spread. With only a handful of ingredients: skim milk, cocoa and hazelnuts, the unique taste of Nutella is something to rave about.

From cookies and toast to apples and ice cream, you can put Nutella on just about anything!

These cookie cups are surprisingly easy to make. All you need is your favorite sugar cookie dough recipe, jar of Nutella, and a mini muffin pan.

I used this M&M cookie dough recipe and left out the M&Ms. It might be worth it to add mini chocolate chips to the cookie dough cups to make them extra chocolatey!

What did Matt think? He said they were terrible, but that’s because he didn’t know how to peel of the paper muffin liners completely! These little suckers are rich, but not too rich. The chocolate hazelnut spread adds a nice sweetness that is not nearly as overpowering as a scoop of straight chocolate. I’ll definitely be making these again.

Enjoy and good luck eating just one!

Nutella Cookie Cups

Serves: 24

Ingredients

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 (13 oz) jar Nutella hazelnut spread

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a mini muffin pan or line with paper muffin cups.
In bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugars, egg, vanilla and beat on medium-high speed until well-creamed, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt and mix until just combined, about 1 minute.
Roll dough into balls about 1.5 inches thick (or you can use an ice cream scoop), and place into the mini muffin tin.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown but not too dark around the edges. When done, remove from oven and let sit for about 2 minutes. Then make wells for the Nutella with a shot glass or similar object. Add 1 tablespoon Nutella to each cup.
Let cool 15-20 minutes in tin. Remove from tin and enjoy. Nutella will solidify in about an hour, which makes them safe to transport.

Gordon, Texas and Nila’s Skillet Cookies

This past weekend my sister and I headed to “out to the country” to visit relatives who just built a house in Gordon, Texas.

99% of you have probably NEVER heard or Gordon, and there’s a good reason why.

Gordon: Population: 519. At least that’s what the sign said. 🙂

The little town is about 30 minutes west of Weatherford off I-20, and is the epitome of Texas country. It has everything you’d ever image from a small Texas town including windy dirt roads and rolling hills, a 6-man football team, cows, cowboy boots, cowboy hats, horses, and stables. It’s peaceful and perfect. Almost like what you would expect from the movies.

gordon texas — Brittany and I went running and stopped for a picture at the top of the hill. It doesn’t look like a big hill, but trust us, it was!!

Our cousins had a blast on their horses.

We had breakfast at a little cafe. The pancakes were as big as the plate and this cow was staring at us the whole time!

We also got to visit with my great aunt Nanny. She’s 91 years old and still LOVES sweets, especially chocolate thus we brought her my Mom’s secret ingredient brownies.

Nanny’s older sister was Nila, my grandmother. Recently my mom, sister and I had been going through Nila’s old green recipe box and tabbing the ones we wanted to make. One of those recipes were these easy no-bake skillet cookies.

skillet cookie recipe — Nila’s handwritten recipe for Skillet Cookies.

All our relatives at Gordon LOVED the skillet cookies and thus we kept going back for seconds and thirds. No one, including us had ever heard of a cookie like this, and while the ingredient list (dates, pecans, coconut, sugar, butter and eggs) doesn’t sound too appetizing, the cookies are surprisingly good!

Not only are the skillet cookies pretty (I think they look like little truffles rolled in finely shredded coconut), they take less than 30 minutes to make.

Sometimes old-timey recipes are the best ones; case in point: these skillet cookies. Now we’ll just have to see what other recipes Nila has in that old green box of hers!!

Nila’s Skillet Cookies

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Nila’s Skillet Cookies

Ingredients

2 eggs (well-beaten)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1/2 stick unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. Karo syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
1 package (8 oz) chopped dates
1 cup chopped pecans
3 cups Rice Krispies
Coconut, unsweetened and finely shredded

Instructions

Combine eggs, sugar, butter, Karo and dates in a large skillet.
Cook for 8-10 minutes on medium-low, stirring constantly. We saw tiny little bubbles start to form, but we did not bring to a full boil.
Remove from fire/heat and add vanilla, nuts and Rice Krispies.
Mix well and let cool slightly.
Butter your fingers (butter works better than cooking spray), and pinch dough into balls. Roll the balls in the coconut.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

No, I’m not vegan. However, I LOVE cookie dough and found a healthier way to indulge in the oh so sweet cookie dough cravings I get.

This recipe, adapted from Averie at Averie Cooks, is vegan, packed with protein, healthy fats and hearty whole grains.

These cookie dough balls kind of remind me of my favorite healthy energy bar: Lärabars. The taste is very similar due in part to the nutty cashews.

The chocolate chips add a touch of sweetness and could be substituted with white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, raisins, craisins, or a mix… totally up to you!

Enjoy one or two or even four for a quick pick-me-up snack!

Simply blend the oats and cashews together in a blender.

Add the vanilla and maple syrup. Blend again.

Fold in chocolate chips. If your dough gets too sticky (like mine), place the dough in the refrigerater for at least 30 minutes. That should to the trick…your dough will firm up and will be much easier to shape into balls.

Roll into small, 1-inch balls and dig in!

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

Serves: 1 dozen

Blend cashews and oats together in blender. Add the honey, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Blend again. Ad chocolate chips by hand. Transfer dough to a plate or clean working surface. If your dough is too sticky, gummy or runny, refrigerate for a half an hour, then you should be good. Roll into 1-inch balls. Yield: a dozen cookie dough balls

Ingredients

2/3 cup raw cashews
1/3 cup oats
2 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Blend cashews and oats together in blender.
Add the honey, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Blend again.
Ad chocolate chips by hand.
Transfer dough to a plate or clean working surface. If your dough is too sticky, gummy or runny, refrigerate for a half an hour, then you should be good.
Roll into 1-inch balls.

Notes

Adapted from Averie Cooks

Easter M&M Cookies

Springtime is officially here, and while it doesn’t quite feel like spring (it’s actually been pretty chilly here in Dallas), Easter is already upon us!

If you’re feeling festive, here’s a great recipe adapted from my friend Averie over at Averie Cooks for soft and chewy M&M cookies. This recipe is so tasty, you could probably use it as a chocolate chip cookie recipe and substitute M&Ms for chocolate chips or chunks or even white chocolate and cranberries.

I’ve actually never had a cookie with just M&Ms. I’ve had monster cookies but those include oats, M&Ms, chocolate and peanut butter.

Funny story. As a little elementary school kid, I did not like M&Ms. My mom would pack me a ham & mayo sandwich, chips, fruit, and a dessert. I loved it when she included Rice Krispies treats, Kudos granola bars, or money to me buy the Blue Bell ice cream sandwiches at school. However when she included that brown package of milk chocolate M&Ms I was a little disappointed. Not sure why I didn’t like them, but I didn’t.

Years later, I’ve come to love all the M&M varieties and my all-time favorite are the pretzel M&Ms. If you haven’t tried them, go to the store right now! (You could even use them in this cookie recipe). I would have used them, but I wanted to use the pretty pastel milk chocolate M&Ms in honor of Easter.

Enjoy and Happy Easter weekend!

Beat butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla in a stand mixer. Add flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt and beat some more.

Add the M&Ms and gently fold (or do so by hand).

Now for the hard part: Shape into 2-inch balls and place them in the refrigerator for 2 hours or up to 5 days. Trust me on this… if you let the cookies set up in the fridge they will not only taste better, but they won’t spread as much.

Place on silpat-lined baking sheet or parchment paper and bake for 8-10 mintues at 350 degrees F.

Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking pan.

Serve with a tall glass of milk and more M&Ms!!

Easter M&M Cookies

Serves: 22 medium-sized cookies

Easter M&M Cookies

Ingredients

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate M&Ms (Easter colors)

Instructions

To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugars, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well-creamed, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt and mix until just combined, about 1 minute. Add M&Ms and fold in by hand.
Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, form heaping mounds. Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds slightly with your palm, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough because cookies will spread.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, line a baking sheet with a silpat non-stick baking mat, parchement or spray with cooking spray. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until edges have set and tops are just beginning to set, even if slightly undercooked, pale and glossy in the center. Do not bake longer than 10 minutes as cookies will firm up as they cool.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.

Notes

Source: Adapted from Averie Cooks

Dallas Duo in Aspen & Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Have you ever been to Aspen, Colorado? If not, add it to your bucket list, because it’s one of my favorite places on earth to visit! Last week, the Dallas Duo took a trip with the family to Aspen to enjoy the cool Colorado temperature, the gorgeous tree-lined trails, the Roaring Fork River, and of course, all the five-star + restaurants Aspen has to offer!

Before I get to the food, you’ve got to hear about our journey to Aspen…it wasn’t as easy as we had planned, but we sure made an adventure out of it!

Everything was going as scheduled as we arrived at the airport; plenty of time to spare, and even a little leisure time to spare in the American Airlines Admirals Club.

However, just 5 minutes before we boarded the plane, an announcement was made over the speaker that the winds were too strong in Aspen, and our plane was probably not going to make it. After 30 minutes of trying to figure out if they were to send us to Grand Junction or Vail or request volunteers to get off the plane, they finally came to a decision.

$500 vouchers were offered, per person, to the first 30 people who volunteered to get on another flight to Vail, Colorado. We jumped at the offer, fearful that if we stayed on the Aspen flight, we might get diverted mid-air to Grand Junction, Colorado.

If you’ve ever traveled to DFW, you know its a HUGE airport…I’ve heard the 3rd largest in the U.S., but don’t quote me. Anyways, we were in Terminal C, and the Vail flight was in Terminal B, so we high-tailed it on the sky-link tram, and 15 minutes later were sitting on a nice, big 757 ready to take off. Because of our flight dilemma, the passengers on the Vail flight had to wait an extra 35 minutes for thirty of us Aspen passengers to make the trek over to Terminal B…no one on the Vail flight seemed to complain though :).

DFW Airport

Finally, an hour later than I had hoped, we departed out of Dallas and made our trek to Vail. Shortly after takeoff, it was snack time! The glory days of free pretzels or nuts may be over, but for a few dollars, you can order a “Triple Shot” Chocolate Chip Cookie (it contained oats, cranberries & milk chocolate chips).

Oh my…. was it GOOD! It was probably one of the best prepackaged cookies I’ve ever eaten! I looked on the label, and the cookies are actually from a Southlake, Texas bakery called Cookies Crumbs and Crust. You need to try it! () I could taste the cinnamon and brown sugar in the cookie, which made it amazing! (PS…I think I’ve seen other Cookies Crumbs and Crust sweets at Neiman Marcus!)

“Triple Shot” chocolate chip cookie on American Airlines.

After a short 2 hour flight, we landed in Vail. If anyone knows my husband Matt, you know he’s a talker and very social. Anyways, we got to talking to some random people on the plane and pretty much hitch-hiked a ride to Aspen with two fellow passengers! (The rest of the Aspen passengers road in 15-passenger vans that American Airlines had scheduled for us when we landed).

The car ride from Vail was quick…about an hour and thirty minutes. The lady driving was very nice and was actually staying in the same hotel we were: the Hyatt Grand Aspen. The other lady in the car was on a business trip to Aspen to redesign the St. Regis…what a cool job she has!

Driving from Vail to Aspen.

Finally, about 3 1/2 hours later than expected, we arrived to Aspen. After nearly what felt like a full day of traveling, we had made it. Time for the relaxation to begin! Stay tuned….great Aspen restaurant reviews to come!

Grand Hyatt Aspen

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

Perfect for any time of the year, the oatmeal in these cookies yield a tender bite and the coconut lends a a wonderful chewy texture.

My mom, sister and I made these cookies two weeks ago. As chocolate chip cookie fans, we’re always in the mood to try new cookie recipes, and this one from The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook did not disappoint. While yielding 2 dozen cookies, we managed to have leftovers, so I took some to my coworkers the next day.

I must tell you, my coworkers are “smart cookies”. The previous week I made Neiman Marcus chocolate chip cookies and portioned one cookie per person. Well, somehow I either mis-counted or someone ate two cookies, because one guy didn’t get his. I felt sorry for him and made him a half-dozen the next day. Well, the other coworkers learned from that, and when I brought these chocolate chip oatmeal cookies in, they all waited until the afternoon to eat their cookie. Why??? They were in hopes someone would eat the cookie meant for them, and then I would make another half-dozen. Clever!!!

Now for the specifics. Here are a few baking tips:

For crisper cookies, bake longer.
When adding mix-in elements like oats, chocolate chips, nuts or coconut to the dough, be sure to fold them in gently with a rubber spatula, rather than with a standing mixer.
- The force of the mixer can break these ingredients into smaller pieces, thus changing the overall desired texture of the cookie.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. coarse salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
12 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats (not instant)

Directions
1. Set the oven in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick silicone baking mats; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside.
3. In a bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway through. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
4. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients, beating until the flour is absorbed. Gently fold in the chocolate chips and shredded coconut with a rubber scraper. Gently fold in the oats.
5. Use a 1/4 cup (2 inch wide) ice cream scoop to scoop out the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, placing the scoops about 2 inches apart.
6. Bake one sheet at a time, rotating the sheet about two-thirds of the way through the baking time, until the cookies are set and browned on the edges but still very soft in the center, 15-18 minutes.
7. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to the rack and let cool completely.

Yield: 18 large cookies
Recipe from: The SoNo Baking Company Cookbook

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

These are probably some of the best peanut butter cookies out there…at least, that’s what I’ve seemed to glean from the people who ate them.

Last Sunday we had small groups at church and of course, I signed up to bring dessert. Lucky for me (and my guests), I was able to try a new peanut butter cookie recipe that my sister recommended, from Ina Garten’s cookbook – Barefoot Contessa Parties!

For those you who don’t know, Ina Garten (also known as Barefoot Contessa) is one of my favorite chefs on Food Network. Some of my favorite recipes come from her cookbooks since they are simple, delicious, and slightly fancy. I also like Ina because she seems so motherly & sweet, and reminds me of my aunt Jolene who is kind, caring, generous, and also a wonderful cook.

These peanut butter chocolate chunk cookies are Ina’s favorite variation of the old Barefoot Contessa chocolate chunk cookie recipe. They have the combination of flavors in a Reese’s Peanut Buttter Cup…yum! They are moist on the inside while slightly crisp on the outside, and the larger chocolate chunk pieces seem to just melt in your mouth.

All my friends at church seemed to love these, especially the guys who were eating anywhere between 3 and 5 cookies. On Monday, I took the remaining cookies to work where my coworkers also raved how delicious they were. The next day upon returning to work, the cookies were gone!

Look’s like I’ll be making this recipe sometime in the near future. Enjoy.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs at room temperature
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup good smooth peanut butter
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 pound (16 ounces) good semisweet chocolate chunks

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one a a time. Add the vanilla and peanut butter, and mix.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and add to the batter, mixing only until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks.
4. Drop the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, using either a 1 3/4-inch ice cream scoop or a rounded tablespoon. Dampen your hands, flatten the dough lightly, then press the tines of a wet fork in both directions.
5. Bake for exactly 17 minutes (the cookies will seem underdone). Do not over bake. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Yield: 36-40 cookies
Recipe from: Barefoot Contessa Parties!

“Flat as Flapjacks” Chocolate Chunk Cookies

As the common saying goes: “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover”, so don’t judge these cookies by their looks because they are ugly and “flat as flapjacks”. I’ve never made cookie that flattened out as much as these, and was quite shocked in their texture. However…

… after my first bite, I absolutely fell in love with these chocolate chunk cookies! My mom had not eaten a cookie yet, and was just about to throw the entire batch away in the trash (since they were so ugly), until I stopped her. Seriously, these cookies are now one of my FAVORITE chocolate chunk cookies ever!

What makes these cookies so good you ask? Well for one, the recipe calls for chunks, not chips. Chunks make these cookies richer, more chocolately, and seem to “melt in your mouth” better than chips. In addition, these cookies have a “secret” ingredient….cinnamon! The cinnamon is definitely noticeable, but it is not over-powering. It almost makes these cookies taste like a cross between a snicker doodle and chocolate chip cookie… absolutely, positively, unbelievably delicious!

In addition this is a super easy recipe, thus it doesn’t take a gourmet chef to whip up a batch of these homemade cookies. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients
1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter (12 Tbsp.), room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chunks

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (or 325 degrees F if using a convection oven).
2. In a bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugars, vanilla and cinnamon on medium speed, about 3-4 minutes. Add the eggs and mix on medium-low speed until combined.
3. Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Add all at once into the batter, mixing on low speed until combined and flour is incorporated.
4. Fold the chocolate chips into the dough with a spatula or spoon.
5. Flatten dough into a shallow pan, such as a pie plate, and freeze for 20 minutes.
6. Coat two cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
7. With a 2-ounce ice cream scooper, scoop cookie dough onto each sheet.
8. Bake for 15-17 minutes until just golden on top (for a more chewy cookie, decrease the baking time). Cool cookies on a wire rack.

*Note: Do not flatten the scoops of cookie dough. Allow them to keep their round shape and they will naturally flatten in the oven.

Yield: 12-14 cookies
Recipe from: Clinton Street Baking Company Cookbook: Breakfast, Brunch, and Beyond from New York’s Favorite Neighborhood Restaurant

Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies

At church, when someone has a baby, a sign-up list goes out asking for volunteers to bring them meals for dinner. It makes life easier on these couples, and since I LOVE to bake, I had no problem signing up to bring dinner. Even though it was 70 degrees this weekend in Dallas, the temperature dropped and it never made it out of the low 50s the next day. With the cool front that rolled it, I thought it fitting to bring over taco soup and perfect cornbread to my friends (and new parents) at my church.

I had debated on what dessert I should make for them all day. I had narrowed it down to coconut chocolate chip bars…until I talked to my sister. For those of you who don’t know, my sister is an extremely talented baker! She bakes sweets for the entire Oklahoma State cross country team before each one of their races. As I was telling her my cooking plans, she mentioned some chocolate chip Oreo cookies (from the Picky Palate blog) that she made for her fiance, Colby.

Colby, like me, LOVES Oreo cookies! He likes the double-stuffed kind, the regular, the inside-out version…any kind of Oreo. Despite his love for the black and white cookie (and cotton candy), Colby does not like sweets…weird…but probably a good thing! 🙂 However, this past year, my sister has been working on getting him to eat more desserts, especially cookies. When she told me that he ate SIX of these chocolate chip Oreo cookies, I knew they must be delicious. Colby normally eats one to two cookies at a time, not six!

Let me know what you think of these. It is the perfect combination of cookie and Oreo, and satisfies both cravings. The Oreos add a slight crunch, as well as contributes to a more chocolately, chocolate chip cookie. Enjoy!

After combine ingredients, gently fold in Oreos and chocolate chips.

Using a medium-sized cookie scooper, place dough onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 mintues at 350 degrees F.

Let cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Serve with a tall glass of milk, like you would a plain ‘ole Oreo cookie!

Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter
6 Tbsp. sugar
6 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soday
1/2 tsp. salt
8 broken pieces Oreo cookies (we used regular Oreos, NOT double-stuff)
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter and sugars until well combined. Add egg and vanilla until mixed well.
2. Place flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl, stir to combine. Slowly add dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Stir in Oreos and chocolate chips until just combined.
3. With a medium cookie scoop, scoop onto a parchment or silpat-lined baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cooked, but still soft.
4. Let cook on baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Yield: 2 dozen
Recipe from: Picky Palate

This recipe is featured on Tuesday Tutorials Link Party {No. 20} at The Kurtz Corner