Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

These sweet little guys are the perfect treat after a long day at work.  Soft pumpkin cookies with melty chocolate chips. Yum.

I make these with oat flour (oats that have been run through a blender until they are the consistency of flour), but regular all-purpose flour can easily be substituted 1:1.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tbsp brow sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup oat flour
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, honey, and egg with a mixer.  Add in brown sugar.

In another bowl, combine cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and oat flour.

Combine wet and dry ingredients until just combined.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill dough for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Scoop out dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 6-8 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Chelsea's Messy Apron

Pumpkin Magic Bars

Magic cookie bars are just so good.  They are one of those desserts that are perfect for potlucks because you know they will go quickly and be enjoyed by children and adults alike.  I was a little skeptical about adding pumpkin into the mix, but boy oh boy, it was worth it!  My teaching team DEMOLISHED these during our meeting one week (hence why the only picture I could get was on a paper plate - they were eaten too fast!)

Ingredients:

• 1 box spice cake mix
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon works too)
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

Combine cake mix, oil, and eggs with an electric mixer.  Spread in bottom of pan.

In a small bowl, combine milk, pumpkin, and spice.  Pour over cake batter mixture in the baking pan.

Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top and then coconut.

Bake 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool at least 10 minutes on counter before cooling in the fridge for 2+ hours.

Recipe from Mix and Match Mama

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

I love pie.  And I don't mind making pie - except for the crusts.  And it just so happens that I was told by my mother many times growing up that homemade pie crusts aren't worth the work.  Sometimes I still try to rebel and make my own crust, but I also usually have a pre-made crust in the freezer for the occasion when I need pie and don't want to attempt - and fail - at making a crust.

This day was one such occasion.  I am well overdue in posting this, as I made this pie for pi day (3.14).  I woke up in the morning and realized I had forgotten to get pie supplies at the store to make the cherry pie I had planned, but I wouldn't be a true nerd if I didn't always make a pie on pi day.  I came across this recipe and knew it would do the trick.

This was quick, simple, and delicious with just enough crust to balance out the gooey chocolate chips and soft cookie.

Ingredients:

• 1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell (if frozen, thaw completely before using)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 sticks butter, softened (12 Tbsp)
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325.

Beat eggs in large bowl on high speed until foamy.  Beat in flour, sugar, and brown sugar.  Beat in butter.  Stir in chocolate chips.  

Spoon into pie shell.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean. 

Cool on wire rack.  Serve warm.

Cookie party!

Everyone knows how much I love cookies, and how much I love Christmas, so it was no surprise when I called up some of my friends for a cookie party before Christmas.

We had too much fun baking, decorating, sipping champagne, and catching up to take many pictures, but it was a perfect evening!

We only made iced and decorated sugar cookies and peanut butter blossoms because we were having too much fun decorating to keep baking!

Butterscotch protein bites

After how successful my protein bite adventure was, I decided to try another variation.  They're not even cold yet, and I already know I like them!

Tall Dark and Nerdy has been trying to eat a little healthy since he got home from Nepal, and I know how bad his sweet tooth is for my baked treats, so I'm trying to make healthier treats so I can support him in this.  This is the perfect snack for the sweet tooth when we're trying to eat somewhat-healthy foods.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oats
• 1/3 cup unsalted cashews
• 1/3 cup butterscotch chips
• 3 1/2 - 4 Tablespoons simple syrup (1 part water to 1 part sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter

Directions:
Combine oats, cashews, and butterscotch chips in blender or food processor, and run until it's near a flour consistency.
Add remaining ingredients, combine using blender, food processor, or hands.
Roll into small balls.  If mixture is too dry, add more simple syrup.
Place balls in a wax paper-lined container.  Refrigerate or freeze.

Adapted from Sunday Baker

Protein bites

This was one of my most adventurous concoctions so far, and it was so fun and such a success!  I had been seeing recipes for months for "energy bites" and "oat balls" and "pregnancy cookie dough" and liked parts of them all, but thought this was a great opportunity to make something perfectly me.

I could not have been happier with how these turned out!  They tasted like a cross between a peanut butter and honey sandwich - one of my childhood favorites - and oatmeal chocolate chip cookie dough.  How could I not love these?

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oats
• 3 Tablespoons chia seeds
• 1/2 cup unsalted cashews
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Run oats and chia seeds through blender or food processor until smooth and floury.  Add cashews and blend until the large chunks are broken up.
Add to medium bowl with all other ingredients.  Combine well.
Roll into bite-size balls.  Place in waxed paper-lined container.  Refrigerate or freeze.

Adapted from Smashed Peas and Carrots, Sunday Baker, and Super Healthy Kids.

Chocolate peanut butter cookies

In my opinion, there is no better combination than chocolate and peanut butter.  And I love cake...and cookies...and cake cookies, so these chocolate peanut butter cake mix cookies were a winner.

Directions:

• 1 box Devil's food cake mix
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup peanut butter chips

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl.  You can start with an electric mixer, but be warned it will probably be too thick and sticky to continue at a certain point, so switch to a strong spoon.
Stir in peanut butter chips.
Spoon 2 Tablespoons of dough onto parchment for each cookie.
Bake 12 minutes.  They will be soft - that's the cake part - but they are done after 12 minutes.

Barely adapted from Mix and Match Mama

Coffee mug cookie

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a wicked sweet tooth.  And sometimes it just NEEDS a baked treat, but it doesn't have the patience to wait for me to bake a whole batch of cookies or brownies.  This little guy has come through for me on many occasions, and while it's not a real cookie, it's pretty delicious and does the trick.

Also, it only requires one measuring spoon, which is an awesome bonus!  Plus, I get to use the wonderful latte mugs Papa Rist gave me for Christmas.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons melted butter
• 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 4 Tablespoons flour
• 2-3 Tablespoons chocolate chips
• 2 Tablespoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• pinch salt

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a coffee mug.  Microwave for 1 1/2 minutes.


I have been in a peanut butter mood lately, so I like to do half chocolate chips and half peanut butter chips to get all the cravings satisfy.  Add a little vanilla ice cream on top and life is great.

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

My GIANT zucchini.  This is what's
left AFTER making a double batch
of this recipe!

Tall Dark and Nerdy has a great garden.  It seemed small to me at first (because I was comparing it to my mom's monster garden), but last summer I realized that it may be small, but it sure is mighty!  It produced kale, tomatoes, and zucchini like CRAZY (among other things in reasonable amounts).  I had never eaten kale before last summer, then all of a sudden I had it in nearly every meal it seemed.  Same with zucchini.  A vegetable that I had previously only been able to stomach in Grams's zucchini bread became something I ate regularly and enjoyed.

Yet, I didn't know how to cook it.  All I knew how to do with it was bake - surprise, surprise!  Once I told TDN this, he made sure to give me all the giant zucchini that aren't as yummy to just eat but still do great when baking (just cut out middle part with the seeds)  This chocolate zucchini bread/muffin recipe became my most-used recipe of the summer, and I can't wait to use it again this year!

Ingredients:

Who knew veggies could
look so good?

• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 6 Tablespoons cocoa powder (unsweetened)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3 cups grated zucchini
• 3/4 to 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Grate your zucchini if you haven't already.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour muffin tins or 2 loaf pans.  If using loaf pans, after greasing, use a paper towel to wipe the top 1 inch of the pan (to keep the loaf from getting a funny edge).  Set aside.

Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder in a small bowl and set aside.

Just stirred in the zucchini.

Beat oil, sugar, brown sugar, and eggs until combined and slightly fluffy using and electric mixer.

Add vanilla and sour cream.  Mix until combined.

Gently stir in the grated zucchini.

Mmm chocolate AND
chocolate chips.

Stir a spoonful of the flour mixture in with the chocolate chips so they will combine with everything evenly.

Add the rest of the flour mixture to the batter.  Stir until just combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Divide the batter between pans.

If you want, you can sprinkle a mixture of equal parts brown sugar and white sugar with a little cinnamon on top.  (Do it, it's delicious!)

Ready to bake.  These have the
topping on them also.

For bread, bake for 45-60 minutes.  For muffins, bake around 12 minutes (I can't remember exactly how long they took).  When it's done, a toothpick should come out fairly clean.

Cool slightly on a rack, then remove from pans.


Adapted from Our Best Bites

Chocolate Better than Sex Cake

Since I love cake, and chocolate, and bundt cakes, and chocolate bundt cakes, and recipes that use cake mixes to make my life easy, this baby knocked my socks off!  

My friend Britt (B-Hugs) and I planned a date night together.  Date nights with friends always mean baking something delicious and chocolatey for this girl!  Spending time with a friend is made even better by smelling this delicious cake baking while watching a chick flick or sharing stories together.  She has a picture of this cake as her Facebook profile picture right now, and according to all our friends who haven't even tasted it, we need to make this again!

Ingredients:

• Cooking spray and flour for preparing the pan
• 1 box devil's food cake mix
• 6 ounces (1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1 small package (3.9 ounce) chocolate instant pudding mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1 stick butter
• 4 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup milk
• 4 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the center.  Lightly mist a bundt pan with cooking spray, then dust with flour.  Shake out the excess flour.  Set pan aside.
Mix together 2 Tablespoons of the cake mix, the chocolate chips, and the pecans in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Britt's first time with
pan frosting.

Place the remaining cake mix, the pudding mix, sour cream, oil, water, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and blend with an electric mixer.  Stop mixer and scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.  The batter should be thick and well blended.  Fold in the chocolate chip and pecan mixture until well distributed.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with the spatula.  
Bake 50 to 55 minutes, until the cake springs back when lightly pressed and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan.  
Remove pan from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then invert and remove from pan onto rack or serving platter to finish cooling (another 20 minutes, if you can stand it!).

She couldn't believe we
were using 4 cups of
powdered sugar!

Prepare chocolate pan frosting as follows:
   Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat, 2 to 3 minutes.
   Stir in the cocoa powder and milk.  
   Bring mixture just to a boil, stirring, then remove from heat.
   Stir in powdered sugar until the frosting is thickened and smooth.
Pour frosting over cake and enjoy!

Adapted from the Cake Mix Doctor

Chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting

I was overwhelmed by a need to bake something last week, but I was also pretty exhausted and was, surprisingly, not in the mood for a bundt cake.  I decided I couldn't go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter.

I love to bake, and it tends to happen randomly, and some of the people close to me wish they knew when to expect freshly-baked treats.  I think Tall Dark and Nerdy has started to develop this ability as a kind of sixth sense.  As soon as I pulled the cake out of the oven he called asking if I wanted to hang out and watch a movie when he got home from work in an hour.  Such a convenient sense for him to have.  I was able to make the frosting, frost the cake, put half of it in a container, pick up a movie, and head over to his house to surprise him, and he was pretty pleased.

This is not my prettiest or richest cake, but it's a really great cake for a normal day when you need a little chocolate and some peanut butter (which is nearly every day for me).  The frosting is delicious, and goes great with a cold glass of milk.

Ingredients:

• 1 package devil's food cake mix
• 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/3 cups milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mmmm look at all that peanut butter!

For frosting:

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 to 4 Tablespoons milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly mist a 13"x9" baking pan with vegetable oil spray and set aside.

Combine cake mix, cocoa powder, milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer.  Blend on low speed for 1 minute, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed.  Increase the speed to medium and beat for another 2 minutes until the batter looks thick and combined. 

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with a spatula.  Place the pan in the oven.

Bake 40-45 minutes until cake springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan.  Remove from the oven and cool for 30 minutes before frosting.

Peanut butter frosting.
Can't go wrong here!

While cake is cooling, prepare frosting as follows:

Blend peanut butter and butter in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, about 30 seconds.  Stop mixer and add the powdered sugar, 3 Tablespoons milk, and the vanilla.  Blend on low speed until the sugar is well combined, about 1 minute.  Increase the speed to medium and beat another minute until the frosting lightens and is fluffy.  Blend in up to 1 Tablespoon more milk if the frosting seems too stiff.

Have cake, will travel!
And will have a happy man!

Spread on the top of the cake and out to the edges with a rubber spatula.  Slice and serve!

Adapted from Cake Mix Doctor

Devilishly Delicious Chocolate Cake

Over wine and dinner of quinoa stuffed peppers with a friend, we realized we needed something chocolatey and delicious to finish our evening right.  We picked a recipe from my favorite dessert cookbook, The Cake Mix Doctor, and modified it a little for what I had in the house.  The result:  exactly what we needed.

Ingredients:

• Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
• Flour for dusting the pan
• 1 square (1 oz.) bittersweet baking chocolate, finely chopped (unsweetened works, too)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 package devil's food cake mix
• 1 package (3.9 oz.) chocolate instant pudding mix
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Chocolate frosting

Directions:

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.  Lightly mist and flour a Bundt pan, shake out excess flour and set pan aside.

Combine the chocolate and water in a small saucepan over low heat.  Heat, stirring constantly, until the chocolate is melted, 3 to 4 minutes.  Set aside.

Begin to combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.  Add in the melted chocolate.  Blend with an electric mixer, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.  The batter should look thick and well combined.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it out with a rubber spatula.  Place the pan in the oven.

Bake the cake 45 to 50 minutes, until it springs back when lightly pressed.  Remove the pan from the oven and cool for 20 minutes.  Invert cake and remove it from pan.  Allow to cool another 20 minutes, if you can (we definitely couldn't), then spread with warm frosting, and enjoy!

Adapted from The Cake Mix Doctor