Chocolate Crackle Cookies

It's a jungle out there. 

Driving a few blocks takes an hour.  

The parking lots look like scenes from Braveheart.  

I swear the woman that cut me off was wearing war paint as she came roaring out of oblivion and stole my spot in the mall parking lot.  Did she really need to yell expletives and flip me off?  She got the darn spot.  

 

Let's lock ourselves inside.   If you're in my part of the country, let's crank the air down and act like we are experiencing winter.   Let's make spiked cider and watch Christmas Vacation.   Let's blast Andre Bocelli's Christmas album and sing Celine Dion's parts (do this one for me... I've been banned from singing too loud due to a husband who needs his peace and quiet to study for the Bar exam).  Let's make our houses smell like chocolate.  Let's make it snow in the kitchen with powdered sugar. 

Yep, that will do it.  That will feel like Christmas.

These cookies are unreal.  Chocolatey as chocolate can get.  Smooth and creamy with a barely crusty exterior that is rolled and dusted in sugar.  Whoever you spend your Christmas weekend with will be very happy you brought these along. 

Leave a plate for Santa... he'll be impressed.  

From my little kitchen to yours... Merry Christmas.

Chocolate Crackle Cookies
Recipe Notes
I have a sifter and sometimes I still don't feel like messing with it.  If you do not have one or you are not in the mood, mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.  Using a fork, fluff and sift all the ingredients with a fork.  Make sure all ingredients are well mixed and no lumps of flour or cocoa powder remain.  Chocolate is the star here so I used Godiva cocoa powder and bittersweet chocolate.   The dough will be unbelievable sticky when first mixed.  I had to spoon it onto the saran wrap.  But don't worry... after two hours, it will be firm enough to work with. Make sure to take only one ball of dough at a time and I sprayed my hands with cooking spray, which helped to keep the dough from sticking to my hands.  The dough will get harder to work with the longer it is out of the refrigerator.
Ingredients
8oz. bittersweet chocolate
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cups cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
11/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup whole milk
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup powder sugar
Step by Step
Melt chocolate in a double boiler then set aside to cool. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

In a mixer or using a hand mixer, beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Mix in eggs, vanilla, and then the melted chocolate.  Reduce speed to low mix in flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the milk. Divide dough into four equal pieces. Wrap each in plastic; refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350. Take one ball of dough out of the refrigerator at a time.  Working quickly,  pinch off the dough and roll into one inch balls.   Roll in the granulated sugar to coat, then in powder sugar to coat.  Space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake until surfaces crack, about 12 to 14 minutes rotating sheets half way through. Take cookies out when edges are set, but be careful to not over bake.  Cool on a wire rack and store at room temperature.

Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Men

Alright, now that we are all nice and skinny, let's head straight into cookie season.

Gingerbread men... a holiday classic.

Another adjective to describe these little guys would be barely gingery. Yeah, that's right.  Gingery.

Definition by me...
Gingery (adj.) :  The amount of kick from spice and ginger that is contained in one's gingerbread recipe.

I happen to prefer my men to have a slight hint of ginger and spice rather than a pungent kick.

I believe this recipe is for those who like the holiday spirit of gingerbread men (but not the taste of ginger) or maybe looking for  a kid friendly recipe.

This one's a star.  I also see the world only one way when it comes to the texture of these holiday studs.  I like them soft and chewy.  I personally could even have a little more gingery taste, but a crisp little man is not for me.

 

Hope your December is off to a great start.

From my little kitchen to yours... Merry Christmas.

Soft & Chewy, {Barely Gingery} Gingerbread Men
Recipe Notes


Adapted from allrecipes.com
Ingredients
1 (3.5 ounce) package cook and serve butterscotch pudding mix
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 large or extra large egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out dough
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

parchment paper
Icing & Decorations
Milk, a couple of tablespoons
Powdered sugar, about a cup
Red Hots
White Sprinkles
Directions
In a medium bowl, cream together the dry butterscotch pudding mix, butter, and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the egg. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, and cinnamon; beat into the butterscotch mixture on low until just combined. Cover, and chill dough until firm, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).  Lay out a piece of parchment paper on a clean surface.  Sprinkle with flour.  Remove half of the dough from the refrigerator and roll into a 1/4 inch thickness.  Dough will be very sticky so sprinkle flour on top of the dough as well to keep the rolling pin from sticking.  Place parchment paper with rolled out dough on a cookie sheet and place in the refrigerator.  Let chill for 15 minutes.  Remove from refrigerator and cut into shapes.  Repeat with remaining half of dough.  Place cookies 2 inches apart of parchment lined cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until cookies start to set on the edges. Cool on wire racks.

Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.

Easy Icing
I just used a little bit of icing for these cookies so I made a really simple mixture that would work to harden and hold on red hots or sprinkles.  Start by pouring about a cup of powdered sugar into a small bowl.  Add a little bit of milk... about a teaspoon.  Mix thoroughly.  Add milk, a few drops at a time until icing is about the consistency of glue.  You do not want it to runny, but you want it to squeeze through a small squeeze bottle.  Put icing mixture into a small squeeze bottle and pipe onto cookies.

Click here for more info on icing cookies.

{Pull yourself together} Kale & Kiwi Smoothie

So here we are.  The Monday after Thanksgiving and at the cusp of holiday treats, festive cocktails and party buffets.  Yes, my friends, just as soon as the Thanksgiving day closes, it seems Christmas and all the calories that come with it begin immediately.

So let's be good for just one day.

This green monster will make you feel good after the Thanksgiving holiday and give you plenty of room to splurge for the Christmas season (and it just so happens to provide a lot of energy in the meantime). Yep, this will erase anything.

Please allow me to introduce... the kale and kiwi smoothie.

Now I have a feeling that most of you would blow right past this post when you saw kale in a smoothie, but something about that extra slice of pie you had on Thursday and that leftover pie you had on Friday and Saturday kept you reading.

 

Don't be scared.  This is actually unbelievably delicious.

I would dare to say that if you found yourself on Top Chef and you were in one of those name the ingredient challenges, you would never guess kale.  Besides the groovy color, nothing about this tastes like kale.

So let's be super healthy and sneak a super food into fruit smoothie.  Let's feel light and airy and super skinny.  Am I over promising here?   Well maybe, but here is one more really exciting piece of info.  You do not need a juicer! I love the idea of a juicer, I love the idea drinking fresh juices, but there is just no way my tiny kitchen can take one more honking appliance right now.

Did you know kale and spinach will puree up beautifully in a blender?  Yay.

One for me and one for you... Cheers.

Kale & Kiwi Smoothie
Ingredients
1 frozen banana, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped kale, stems removed
1 kiwi, peeled and sliced
1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice
Step by Step
Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until blended smooth.   Pour into 12 ounce glasses and serve.  Add a fancy straw and feel good about yourself.

Makes 2 glasses.

How To: De-Stemming Kale

My line of kale I planted in the garden is busting at the seems with wonderful curly kale.  I am going to try and work this super food into some tasty dishes so before we begin, let's talk about what it means to "remove the stems>"

In most kale dishes you will want to get rid of the stem and just have the leaf so here we go.

Lay out each piece of kale.

Run your knife down each side of the thick stem in the middle.

And then it's ready to torn, chopped, pureed or left in whole chunks.

For an even speedier method, you can fold the leaf on top of each other, like this.  And then you only have to run your knife down the side of the stem once. 

Pecan Tartlets

 

I am 5'10.  I use to wear a size ten shoe, but if I'm honest with myself, my toes like me a lot better when I let them breathe in a size 11.

Mr. Hungry is 6'4.  We sleep in a California King.  If you are unfamiliar, it's basically a bed for giants... they shave inches off the sides and add them to the length.

You have to be at least 5'9 to possibly have the potential of reaching our microwave.

There is a good chance we could have gargantuan children in the future.

Where am I going with this?

This might just lead to my fascination with all things tiny.   I think these tiny dogs are the bomb, my favorite food growing up was baby corns...(creepy, right?) Anyway...

Mini desserts seem to be all the rage right now, but for good reason.  Who doesn't want to gobble up a few of these little guys?

Now let's get real with the each other..  These are not the fastest thing to throw together.  I tell you this because the last thing I want is for you to be making these the night before Thanksgiving cursing me as you press the crusts in.

What I do want you to do is make these NOW.  Stop reading.. go... come on!! Thanksgiving is soon and you need to get these puppies in the freezer.

 

Ah, and there it is... the reason I'm even more in love with the minis... they're freezable.  They are fantastic and they taste the exact same out of the freezer quickly warmed in the oven as they do freshly baked.  In fact, you might need to hide them from yourself because they are addicting straight out of the freezer.  And that batch of 36 you made might turn into about 6 if you sneak them away one by one.  I didn't do that... Okay maybe I did.  Whatever.

Once you pop you can't stop...

Come on, let's spice things up.  A slice a pie is so yesterday.  Mini pies are the way of the future.

Happiest Thanksgiving to you.  From my little kitchen to yours... Enjoy.

Pecan Tartlets
Ingredients
For the Crust
8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups all- purpose flour
For the Filling
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
Step by Step
In a bowl, mix cream cheese, butter, and flour together until soft and pliable.  Form dough into balls about the size of your thumb.  Press dough down against bottom and sides of the cups in mini muffin tins to form small cups.  Try to mold the crust as thin as possible without tearing the crust.  Press the ball of dough down in the pan first and then press up the sides.  Freeze for one hour.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy, and stir in melted butter. Stir in the brown sugar, white sugar and the flour; mix well. Last add the milk, vanilla and nuts.
Pour into prepared mini crusts, just below the crust line.   Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown.

To Freeze:  Let tartlets cool completely.  Place tartlets on a baking sheet, not touching.  Freeze for a few hours or over night.  Once frozen through, wrap tightly in saran wrap and then wrap with freezer wrap or a freezer ziploc.  Freeze for up to two months.  When ready to use, reheat in oven for 5 to 10 minutes at 325 degrees, until warmed through.

Makes 36-42 cups.

Pumpkin Nutella Cupcakes

 

At the ripe age of 27, I have yet to take the main responsibility for Thanksgiving dinner.  I have made a side dish or two, but the brunt of responsibility (and the turkey) have yet to come my way (and hoping I have quite a few years before that day comes).

Those that do have this responsibility should be given an award.  All those casseroles... one honking turkey... all hot at the same time with appetizers and pies on either side of the equation to make sure everyone is overly stuffed... big job... big, big job.

If you are in charge, good luck.

 If you are not, turn yourself into a really good guest and make these muffins/ cupcakes.

There is just something about Nutella that makes everything better.

If this looks a little familiar, that is because without the pecan topping and a different pan, you just saw this a few weeks ago in the form of loaves.

The Nutella surprise seems to be even better in cupcake form.  Bite into this oh so ordinary looking pumpkin bread to be met with a perfect pocket of Nutella.  Oh yeah, this is major.

But some occasions just call for the oh so wonderful and portable cupcake... and the pecans just added the perfect crunch to this combo.

Oh heavens you could be such a star at your relative's house when you show up with a plate of these.  Thanksgiving day is decadent... maybe share these for breakfast? Get the morning started right.

Pumpkin Nutella Cupcakes
Ingredients
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large or extra large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 can (15 ounces) canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
Cooking Spray
24 teaspoons of Nutella
1 to 2 cups chopped pecans
Cupcake liners
Step by Step
In a large bowl, combine sugar and oil until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, cloves and pudding mix; add to egg mixture alternately with pumpkin, beating well after each addition.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two 12-cup cupcake pans with cupcake liners. Fill each cup 1/3 full with the pumpkin batter. Place 1 teaspoon of Nutella in the middle of each cup on top of the pumpkin batter. Using a toothpick, swirl each dollop of Nutella slightly into the batter. Top each cup with more batter until they are filled 3/4 full. Top each cupcake with pecans completely covering the batter. Pack the pecans in tight because they will spread out once the batter rises a bit. Bake each pan for 25 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes and then remove from pan and cool completely.

Store in an airtight container for up to five days.