The Rocco Cookie: Reese’s, Kit Kat & Snickers

Hi all! It’s been a while since my last blog post. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving stuffing your bellies while spending quality time with your families!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because well- there’s food involved and LOTS OF IT!

It’s also the one and only day in the year when my parents are off from work. Although we don’t do traditional Thanksgiving dinners with turkey, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce and etc. – we do get to share a meal together on Thanksgiving. Whether it’s going out for Vietnamese food, slurping soup dumplings in NYC or bringing home roast duck for dinner.

I’m hoping I can host a traditional Thanksgiving dinner next year.

It’s going to be quite a feat but I’m going to make everything from scratch- from the turkey to the side dishes, gravy and pies!

I feel like it’s some sort of rite of passage in the culinary world to be able to cook a whole turkey perfectly. I don’t know, I’m probably making that up.

Anyway, I had some left over candy lying around from Halloween [Yes, I’m surprised I haven’t eaten them all too.] so I decided to throw them into a cookie because who doesn’t love cookies right?

I used Kit Kats, Snickers and Reese’s but feel free to use any combination of your favorite chocolate bars!

I must admit that the combination of these three candies were freakin’ delicious.

The wafers from the Kit Kats gave them a nice crunch and the peanut butter from the Reese’s gave the cookies a nutty flavor.

The best part were the Snickers with their chewy caramel and fluffy nougat layers. I mean look at the caramel bubbling over the edges… You have to make this cookie!

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The Rocco Cookie

Ingredients
20 Kit Kat wafers
30 mini Snickers
30 mini Reese’s peanut butter cups
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut Kit Kat wafers into 1/4 inch pieces, snickers into quarters, Reese’s into quarters and set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, cream sugars and butter. Add vanilla and eggs and mix well.
3. Combine dry ingredients and gradually add to sugar mixture. Stir in half of the candy pieces.
4. Form into 1 1/2 inch balls and place pieces of candy on top of the cookie dough. Bake for 13 minutes and let the cookies cool. Yields 16 cookies.

 

Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies

Hello there! Hope you all had a nice weekend!

I kicked off my weekend by going to iPlay America’s “iPlay After Dark” event. My friend Keri was promoting the event at a Lindsey Stirling concert and I was able to score a free pass for unlimited rides. The best things in life are free!

Speaking of Lindsey Stirling she is AH-MAZING live! If you haven’t heard of her, she’s a violinist with electronic, pop and hip-hop influences.

Lindsey is a super passionate and quirky musician who was featured in America’s Got Talent. It’s incredible how she can dance around on stage while playing the violin. I was in awe during the whole concert!

Okay, getting back to iPlay America- iPlay America is an indoor amusement park with boardwalk games, an arcade and small rides.

Its target market includes young children and tweens. However, I also saw older teenagers and adults enjoying the attractions. You’re never too old to have fun!

The main reason I went was because I wanted to try Go Kart racing and laser tag! It was my first time experiencing both and I had a blast. My friend Jen, over at Bakers Block, tagged along and we went Go Karting four times!

I’m really competitive so I floored it the whole time and even got into a minor “accident” while racing. I was also on the red team during laser tag and we won!

Now, what’s a weekend without a baking sesh? I devoured these banana chocolate chip cookies!

These cookies are soft with a cake like texture.

I used chocolate chips but you can totally substitute it for walnuts, pecans or white chocolate.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup of sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 cup of mashed bananas (about 2 ½ large bananas)
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 cups of flour
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1 cup of chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg and continue to beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
2. In a bowl, mix the mashed bananas and baking soda. Let sit for 2 minutes. The baking soda will react with the acid in the bananas which will give the cookies their lift and rise.
3. Mix the banana mixture into the butter mixture. Mix together the flour, salt, and spices and sift into the butter and banana mixture and mix until just combined.
4. Fold chocolate chips into the batter. Drop in dollops onto greased baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Let cool on wire racks. Yields about 30 cookies.

Slightly adapted from Simply Recipes

Chocolate Avocado Cookies

I never used to like avocados but now I’m addicted!

It was not love at first sight when I saw avocados being used in a sushi roll. For some reason, its bumpy outer shell and large pit did not seem appealing to me.

The fact that the avocados were being used with raw fish also played a role in my dislike for the fruit. Back then, I didn’t like sushi because I couldn’t wrap my mind around eating raw fish.

Anyhow, around two years ago I decided to give avocados a second chance and actually try it before I made any judgments about its taste and texture.

If I remember correctly, the first time I tried avocados was in a Vietnamese avocado shake. Ever since, I constantly find myself hunting for avocados, $1 or less each, at grocery stores.

When I do get my hands on these divine beauties I eat them with fried eggs, salads and sandwiches or make guacamole. Man, I love me some guac.

The moral of the story is to never judge a fruit by its skin!

I recently came across a recipe for chocolate avocado cookies and had some overripe avocados so I decided to give it a whirl! I had never heard of using avocados in baking but this recipe included chocolate and you can’t say no to chocolate right?!

Plus, avocados are filled with monosaturated fats, vitamins, fiber and protein so these cookies are practically healthy! … Kinda.

Fun Fact:  Avocados are also known as alligator pears and are considered large berries.

Referred to as nature’s butter for its creamy texture and nutrition content, avocados are often used as a vegan substitute for butter in baking recipes.

If you love chocolate and avocados, try this recipe for a semi-healthy sweet treat.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup puréed avocado
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the oil and sugars together until creamy and smooth. Mix in avocado, vanilla extract and milk.
4. Add dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Roll cookie dough into tablespoon balls and place on a baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Slightly flatten the cookies with the palm of your hand and bake cookies for 10 minutes, or until set around the edges, but still soft in the center. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for two minutes and transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Yields 2 dozen cookies

Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

Milk and Cookie Shots: Bake it, then drink it

Dominique Ansel is a genius. He put together two things we have enjoyed for decades: chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk.

Instead of waiting in line and paying $3 for a cookie shot, make some yourself!

The materials and ingredients you will need are:

– 2 Small bowls
– Stainless steel shot glasses or a cupcake pan
-Premade chocolate chip cookie dough
– Oil
– Flour
– Chocolate chips
– Milk
– Vanilla extract

1. Take 1 cup of premade cookie dough and mix it with half a cup of flour until the dough is crumbly and has a sand-like texture.
   Premade cookie dough is too soft, so mixing it with additional flour will allow the cookie to hold its shape better.
2. Press and form the dough into a cupcake pan or oven-safe cup greased with oil. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 to 15 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown.
3. Place one-fourth cup chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 15-second increments. Stir every 15 seconds until chocolate is fully melted.
4. After the cookies have cooled, turn the mold upside down and carefully remove the cookie.
5. Pour a spoonful of melted chocolate into the cookie cup. Turn the cup around until the inside edges are coated with chocolate.
6. Quickly turn the cookie upside down over a bowl and allow excess chocolate to drip. You could also use a butter knife to spread the chocolate. Allow chocolate to harden for about 30 minutes.
   The chocolate-coated inside creates a barrier between the cookie and milk, making it less likely for the cookie to soak up the milk and cause the treat to fall apart.
7. Mix 1 cup of milk with a splash of vanilla extract. Pour milk into the cup and enjoy by taking a sip and then a bite of the cookie.

You can have fun with this and experiment with different types of cookie dough and milk. Strawberry or chocolate milk can take this treat to the next level.

Originally published in The Daily Targum

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

What could be better than a cookie inside a cookie?! It’s like food inception!

After coming across these oreo stuffed chocolate chip cookies from Picky Palate, I had to make some. There’s nothing like merging two classic cookies together into one delicious treat!

These cookies are so fun and easy to make. I made these for a bake sale at school and they were a big hit! Bring these to your next gathering or make them the next time you want to impress someone. Whatever it may be, these cookies are perfect for any occasion.

Ingredients:
2 sticks softened butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking soda
10 oz bag chocolate chips
1 bag Oreo Cookies

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter and sugars until well combined with an electric mixer. Add in eggs and vanilla until well combined.
2. In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt and baking soda. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips until just combined.
3. Using a cookie scoop take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of an Oreo Cookie. Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of Oreo Cookie. Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until Oreo Cookie is enclosed with dough. Place onto a greased baking sheet and bake cookies for 9-13 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes before transferring onto a cooling rack. Yields 2 dozen cookies.

Original Recipe from Picky Palate