Chewy Chocolate Cookies with Green Mint Chips

Hello Readers!

Let me start out by saying I have fallen into the bad habit of checking out what's on sale in the baking aisle of the grocery store. About a month ago, this led to me buying some Guittard Green Mint Chips. This habit has also led to about 3 other bags of assorted chips hanging out in my pantry, so I should be baking more cookies in the future...

Anyways, onto the mint chips! I thought they would be both delicious and look great in some chocolate cookies, and I think I was totally right. These are probably the best cookies I have ever baked, so I am quite satisfied. These guys expand and flatten out in the oven, but stay pretty soft once they cool. I started with a Martha Stewart recipe, but made a few changes to adapt to what I actually had on hand. Bake and enjoy!

Chewy Chocolate Cookies and Green Mint Chips:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
4 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate
1 stick unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Guittard Green Mint Chips (I had a 12oz bag, but I would say used about half of it. I'll explain why!)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
Melt coarsely chopped chocolate with the butter in a small heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.
Transfer chocolate mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add sugar, eggs, and vanilla; mix on medium speed until combined. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture.

Fold in mint chips. Here is where I had a spot of trouble. Contrary to popular belief (or maybe my own belief), 12 oz of chips isn't essentially the same as 4oz of chopped milk chocolate. Oops.

(So many chips!)

Luckily, this batter was not super sticky, and it was fairly easy to take out a few chips from the cookies that would have essentially ended up as mint balls.



Drop batter in about 1 1/2 inch spoonfulls about 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until cookies are flat and surfaces begin to crack, about 15 minutes. Transfer on parchment to wire racks. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.



Make sure you have milk in the fridge. Nothing tastes better than some delicious cookies and a cold glass of milk!

Cupcake with Nutella Buttercream

Hey everyone. Sorry it's been ages since my last update, but I have been super busy and haven't had too much time for baking. I made these cupcakes last night, and let me tell you, I am a fan. I don't know why, but for some reason I had been thinking about baking with Nutella earlier in the week. Then I thought "Hey, I wonder if I can make a Nutella buttercream" and I totally could! It's really easy and came out really delicious.



For Vanilla Cupcakes (Magnolia Bakery recipe):

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I always add extra vanilla. I love it.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in 4 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

For the buttercream, I basically took a normal frosting recipe and added Nutella. I had a little trouble with the consistency, so you might have to play around until you get to to how you like. Mine was a little too thick, so perhaps you can leave out some sugar. I just added more milk and it worked out fine. Spreading was a little tough because the cupcakes are so tender, so I switched to a piping bag halfway through. Anyways, without further ado...

Nutella Buttercream:

1/2 (1 stick)Butter, softened
4 cups (1lb) confectioners' sugar
1/4 + extra Milk ( I used 2%)
1tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2-3/4 cup Nutella (This was tricky. I started with about a 1/4 cup, decided it didn't taste enough like Nutella, and added more. I think I was closer to 3/4 cups)

Cream the butter in a large bowl. Add 3 cups of the sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in the milk and the vanilla, and gradually beat in the remaining cup of sugar. Heat the Nutella in a microwave safe bowl for about 20-25 seconds, until it is smooth and spreadable. Fold into your frosting. If it's too stiff after this (like mine was) add some more milk to soften it up. Frost cupcakes and enjoy!