Godiva Chocolate Chunk Trio Cookies

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 YIELD: ABOUT 5 1/2 DOZEN COOKIES

DIFFICULTY: EASY
PREPARATION: 30 MINUTES PLUS BAKING AND COOLING TIME

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 bars (1.5 ounces each) GODIVA Milk Chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 bars (1.5 ounces each) GODIVA Dark Chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 bar (1.5 ounces) GODIVA White Chocolate, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup English toffee bits
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two baking sheets.

2. Mix together flour, baking soda and salt.

3. Beat butter in mixing bowl until creamy, using electric mixer at medium speed. Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

4. Beat in flour in three additions, using low speed. Stir in chocolate chunks, toffee bits and pecans. The dough will be very stiff. Drop dough by slightly rounded tablespoonfuls about 1 1/2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets.

5. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes or until no imprint remains when touched lightly with finger and edges are lightly browned. Cool cookies on baking sheets for 2 minutes. Remove from baking sheets and cool completely on wire racks. Store cookies in airtight container.

 

Source: Godiva Chocolate Chunk Trio Cookies.

Chocolate Chip Confetti Cookie Recipe

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So colorful and yum! Try this new Chocolate Chip Confetti cookie recipe from Bakerella!

Servings: 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup pecans, finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups M&M's
  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate wafers – or morsels : )
  • Confetti sprinkles
  • Sea salt

Instructions

  1. Sift together flour, soda and salt with a wire whisk and set aside.
  2. In a mixer, cream butter and sugars together for about two minutes until light and fluffy.
  3. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
  4. On low, add flour mixture and mix until just combined.
  5. Stir in chopped pecans, M&M's and chocolate wafers.
  6. Chill dough for about 30 minutes.
  7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  8. Scoop chilled dough with a 2-inch scoop. Gently press tops in a small dish of confetti sprinkles and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Note: If using regular M&M's you can top with primary color confetti sprinkles to match.
  9. Sprinkle tops with sea salt if desired.
  10. Bake for about 16 minutes or until lightly brown. If using a smaller scoop, then bake for about 12-14 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool and repeat with remaining cookie dough.
  11. Enjoy warm with a big glass of milk.
Source: Bakerella.com

25 Vintage Baking Tips

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Here are 25 time-tested vintage baking tips!

 

  1. Butter and sugar can be creamed easily when butter is hard by warming the sugar slightly.
  2. Light-colored molasses can be darkened to make dark gingerbread by adding a teaspoonful of melted chocolate to each cup of molasses.
  3. Cream which is hard to whip will whip quickly by adding a few drops of lemon juice.
  4. Molasses can be prevented from sticking to the measuring cup if the cup is first greased with butter or lard.
  5. Shortening can be measured exactly. If recipe calls for 1/3 cup, fill measuring cup two-thirds full of water, add enough shortening to bring water to top of cup, pour off water and you have exactly 1/3 cup of shortening.
  6. Sour milk can be made by adding two (2) tablespoonfuls of vinegar to one (1) cup of sweet milk and then letting it stand for a few minutes. Your baking will be just as light as if real sour milk were used. Also see Handy Substitute Recipes For Baking.
  7. Whipped cream substitute, delicious in flavor, can be made by adding a slice of banana to the white of an egg and beating until stiff. The banana will dissolve completely.
  8. Cornstarch is sometimes used in place of eggs when recipe calls for more than you have on hand. A tablespoonful is used for each missing egg. In making custard, omit one or two eggs, and use cornstarch instead (1/2 tablespoon for each egg).
  9. Custards will not curdle so readily if a tablespoon of flour mixed with sugar is added.
  10. Boiled frosting will not be brittle or break when cut, if a teaspoon of vinegar is beaten into the frosting when the flavoring is added.
  11. Add one tablespoonful of jam or jelly to cookie dough. It will add flavor and make the cookies stay moist longer.
  12. Doughnuts will not absorb grease if a teaspoonful of vinegar is added to cold fat.
  13. Fruit Cake: When baking, place a cup of water in the oven to keep enough moisture in air and prevent cake from drying out while baking. Also see Fruitcake Baking Tips.
  14. Muffins: Drop a teaspoonful of peanut butter in each muffin pan, over which pour batter. This gives muffins a delightful nutty flavor. Also see 10 Tips For Baking Muffins.
  15. When a recipe calls for a quantity of melted butter, take care to measure the butter after melting, not before.
  16. To soften butter, fill a small china bowl, one just sufficiently large to cover the butter, with boiling water; let stand a minute or two or until thoroughly heated, then empty the water and immediately turn the hot bowl upside down over the butter. In a few minutes, the butter will be softened so it is just right.
  17. When separating the yolk from the white of an egg, if you drop a portion of egg yolk into the whites, moisten a cloth with cold water, touch to the yolk and it will adhere to the cloth.
  18. Never beat egg-whites in an aluminum pan, as it is sure to darken them.
  19. When baking a milk pudding, place the dish in a tin of water in the oven. Then prevents the pudding from burning or boiling over.
  20. When cream will not whip, add the white of an egg to your cream–chill it and it will whip.
  21. To avoid lumps in batter, add a pinch of salt to the flour before it is wet.
  22. How to sugar doughnuts? Shake the sugar and doughnuts together in a paper bag. The same method may be used with flour and chicken, or salt and french fried potatoes.
  23. Raisins for cakes and breads will be plump and juicy if soaked in warm water before being added to the batter or dough.
  24. Zip up your gingerbread and molasses cookies by adding a bit of grated orange peel to the batter.
  25. If chilled ice-box cookie dough shatters when cut with long sharp knife, let stand at room temperature for 1/2 hour to soften very slightly before slicing!

 

Source: Tipnut.com

New York Times Best Cookie Recipe

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Thanks Tender Crumb for this amazing Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe!

Jacques Torres' Secret Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Makes twenty-six 5-inch cookies or 8 1/2 dozen 1 1/4-inch cookies

Ingredients
1 pound unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups packed light-brown sugar
4 large eggs
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons pastry flour
3 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 pounds bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Reduce speed to low and add both flours, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, and chocolate; mix until well combined.
- Using a 4-ounce scoop for larger cookies or a 1-ounce scoop for smaller cookies, scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake until lightly browned, but still soft, about 20 minutes for larger cookies and about 15 minutes for smaller cookies.
- Cool slightly on baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

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Krispy Kreme Copycat Recipe

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Here's how to make your own Krispy Kreme donuts at home!

This yields 10-12 regular-sized doughnuts.

Doughnut Ingredients:

  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 2 1/4 cups bread flour, divided
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 2 tablespoons superfine sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • vegetable oil for frying

Glaze Ingredients:

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons milk

Doughnut Directions:

  1. Heat the milk to 100 degrees.  You can do this in the microwave or on the stove top.
  2. Stir in the yeast until it is dissolved or close to dissolved.
  3. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl and mix in 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the bread flour. Stir until smooth.
  4. Cover the bowl (I like to use my cloth bowl covers for this) to prevent drying out and place in a warm spot to rise.
  5. When the batter has doubled in size (about an hour, depending on the temperature of your house), add it to a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
  6. Add the egg yolks, superfine sugar, and salt. Mix on low speed until smooth.
  7. Mix in vanilla extract and butter until smooth.  
  8. With the mixer running, slowly add the rest of the flour (1 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons). Keep mixing until the batter just comes together into a smooth dough. It will be quite wet and sticky, but should be able to hold together as one “lump” of dough. If not, add a bit more flour, one tablespoon at a time.
  9. Lift the ball of dough up and brush the bottom of the bowl lightly with vegetable oil.  
  10. Cover the bowl again and place in a warm spot to rise.
  11. Once the dough has doubled in size (another hour or so), refrigerate it for 15 minutes. This will make it easier to roll out.
  12. On a well-floured surface, gently roll out the dough to about 3/8” to 1/2” thickness.
  13. Use cookie cutters to stamp out whatever shapes you like.  I used a 3 1/2" circle for the large doughnuts with a 1 1/4" hole.  For the minis, I used a 1 1/2" circle with a 15/16" hole (all of these cutters come in the same set).  Save the holes to fry up as well, or roll the batter out again to make more doughnuts.
  14. Place the stamped dough on a parchment- or Silpat-lined cookie sheet, cover with plastic, and allow to rise again in a warm spot.
  15. Once the doughnuts are almost doubled in size (another hour or so), heat oil in a large pot or deep fryer until it reaches 360 F.  I strongly prefer to fry in a deep fryer.  It keeps everything so much cleaner and perfectly regulates the temperature.
  16. Fry the doughnuts in batches until golden brown on each side (you'll need to flip them mid-fry). The total frying time will be under 2 minutes. Use tongs to flip and retrieve them.
  17. Set hot doughnuts on paper towels to absorb extra oil.

Glaze Directions:

  1. Mix all ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. 
  2. Drizzle over piping hot doughnuts.

Nutella Hot Chocolate

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Perfect for Nutella fans!

 


Ingredients:

  • 1-2 tablespoon Nutella
  • 1 cup water

Place the Nutella and water in a sauce pan.  Heat on medium stirring until the Nutella is dissolved.  Bring to a boil. Pour into your favorite mug and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings or marshmallows.

Variations:

Microwave method:
Pour water/milk into microwavable cup and heat for 2 min.  Add Nutella and microwave for another minute. (Ezara mentioned below that if you have a higher power microwave these times are a bit high; try heating the water for 1 minute, add the Nutella and heat for another 40s). Stir and serve.

Make it creamier:
Replace all or part of the water with milk/cream.  Stir/whisk constantly while heating. Froth up the milk if you have a frother.

Make it more chocolaty:
Add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder.

Make it spicier:
Add a pinch (or more) of cayenne pepper and/or a teaspoon of cinnamon.

Make it more caffeinated:
Add a 1/2-1 teaspoon instant espresso powder or replace some of the water with brewed espresso.

Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookie Copycat Recipe

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You don't have to wait for Girl Scout cookies once a year. Make Thin Mints at home with this recipe:

 

1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix
2 Eggs
2 Tbl. Water
2 Tbl. Cooking Oil
1/2 Cup Cocoa
1 pkg. Chocolate Chips
2-3 drops Wilton's Candy Mint Flavoring

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine cake mix, eggs, water, cooking oil,
and cocoa. You will need to blend this together well, this will be a
very sticky mess. Let stand for 20 minutes, and then shape into very
small 1/2 inch balls. Place these balls on a cookie sheet 2 inches a part,
and smash down flat. You will need to spray a large spoon with Pam to
make them flat. Bake for about 8 minutes. Let cool until they reach
room temperature.

Heat chocolate chips in either the microwave, or in a double boiler.
When completely melted add a couple drops of the mint flavoring.
Be carefull not to add too much, it is a powerfull flavoring.
You can either spread the melted chocolate on the cookies,
or you can dip the cookies into the chocolate.

Outback Steakhouse Bloomin' Onion Copycat Recipe

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Finally the secret is out! Here is how to make the famous Outback Steakhouse Bloomin Onion @ home:

4 Vidalia or Texas Sweet Onions

Batter:
1/3 C. Cornstarch
1 1/2 C. Flour
2 tsp. Garlic -- minced
2 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
24 oz. Beer

Seasoned Flour:
2 C. Flour
4 tsp. Paprika
2 tsp. Garlic powder
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper


Mix cornstarch, flour, and seasonings until well blended. Add beer,
mix well. Cut about 3/4" off top of onion and peel. Cut into onion
12 to 16 vertical wedges, but do not cut through bottom root end.
Remove about 1" of petals from center of onion. Dip onion in seasoned
flour and remove excess by shaking. Separate petals and dip in batter
to coat thoroughly.

Gently place in fryer basket and deep-fry at
375 to 400 1 1/2 minutes. Turn over, and fry an additional 1 1/2 minutes.
Drain on paper towels.
Place onion upright in shallow bowl and remove center core with circular
cutter or apple corer. Serve hot with Creamy Chili Sauce.


Creamy Chili Sauce:
1 pint Mayonnaise
1 pint Sour cream
1/2 C. Chili sauce
1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper

Ihop Pancakes Copycat Recipe

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Perfect for Sat. morning breakfast!

 

Nonstick Spray
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup cooking oil
pinch of salt

1. Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Use a pan with a nonstick surface
or apply a little nonstick spray.
2. With a mixer, combine all of the remaining ingredients until smooth.
3. Pour the batter by spoonfuls into the hot pan, forming 5-inch circles.
4. When the edges appear to harden, flip the pancakes. They should be
golden brown.
5. Cook pancakes on the other side for same amount of time, until golden
brown.

Makes 8 to 10 pancakes.

KFC Chicken Copycat Recipe

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11 herbs and spices- now you know the secret!

 

1 frying chicken, cut into frying pieces
1 1/2 cups flour
1 Pkt. (dry) Good Seasons Italian Dressing (THE 11 herbs and spices!)
1 Envelope Lipton (or other brand) Tomato Cup of Soup
2 eggs, well beaten
2/3 cup milk
Vegetable oil to cover bottom of your skillet; about 1/2 inch deep.

1. Combine eggs and milk. Set aside.
2. Combine flour with the Italian dressing and soup mix.
3. Dip chicken pieces in milk-egg mixture and roll them in the
flour-seasoning mixture. Repeat procedure.
4. Fry pieces over medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes, turning often.
5. Remove from fire. Drain and serve.