Chocolate Pretzel Bars

I have picked up a new hobby for when I’m bored. Instead of stalking people on facebook, as lame as it may be, I like to cruise through the internet, searching different baking blogs. The other day I came across Joy the Baker’s blog and her recipe for pretzel bars. They looked good, and it made sense that they would be a good mix of flavors since the sweetness of chocolate and the saltiness of pretzels is always a good combination. So, I decided to try then, and it turns out it was good just like I expected.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

Base-

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt


1½ sticks softened butter

1 cup light brown sugar


½ cup granulated sugar


2 large eggs


2 teaspoons vanilla extract


2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1½ cups coarsely chopped
 pretzels

Drizzle-

¼ cup chocolate chips

¼ cup peanut butter

¼ cup chopped pretzels

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. In a larger bowl, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, and finally beat in the eggs and the vanilla extract. Gradually add in the dry mixture until just mixed. Fold in the chocolate chips and chopped pretzels.

Place the bag in the microwave
for about 30 seconds &
then snip the corner.

Spread the batter evenly in the pan and press it down evenly with a spatula. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool completely.

In two sandwich baggies, melt the chocolate chips and peanut butter. Cut off a small corner on each bag and drizzle the chocolate and peanut butter over the top of the bars. Sprinkle the extra pretzels on top. Let the drizzle set and then cut the squares.

You don’t have do the drizzle on top, especially if you are baking these for someone with a peanut allergy, but it does make the bars look a lot more put together, and you can always leave out the peanut butter and just drizzle on chocolate if nuts are a concern.

Chocolate Almond Cookies

My brother is coming home from college today, and my Mom always like to make sure the house is fool of food for when he arrives. Though the cabinets and fridge are now full of thinks to snack on, the kitchen is still missing one thing that I know my brother will want when he comes home- freshly baked goods.

Usually my Mom makes these decadent chocolate and caramel sandwich cookies for when my brother comes home, but I thought I would try something different. He loves nuts and chocolate so I thought to just put those two flavors in a cookie.

What came out were what my mom proclaimed were "THE BEST COOKIES EVER!"

So here's the recipe for you to try:

Chocolate with chocolate chips and nuts, what's not to like?

Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup softened butter

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar


2 teaspoons vanilla extract


2 eggs

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa

2 ¼ cups flour


½ teaspoon almond extract

2 tablespoons plain yogurt

1 teaspoon baking soda


¾ teaspoon salt


1 2/3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips


¾ cup chopped almonds

Don't cut the almonds too small, you
want to leave something to bite into.

Directions
:

Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease 2 baking sheets.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add in the vanilla, almond extract, and yogurt and eggs and mix well. Sift the cocoa, flour, baking soda, and salt in another bowl and slowly add this into the wet ingredients as you mix until just combined. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips and chopped almonds.

Scoop dough into large spoonfuls and roll into balls to place onto the baking sheets.

Bake cookies for 11-12 minutes and remove from the oven.

Let the cookies cool for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to finish cooling.

Sweet Potato Brownies

The other day my mom accidentally bought sweet potato puree instead of pumpkin puree. Since I didn't have any recipes using sweet potato puree and I wasn't really sure how to use it, I decided to turn to Martha, Martha Stewart I mean.

Since my family is pretty healthy anyways, I thought her recipe for sweet potato brownies looked worthwhile to try. I added in walnuts (which turned out to be a good addition) and they turned out to be immensely fudgey and good tasting brownies that you don't feel icky after eating.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

Using good cocoa really
makes a difference.

½ stick butter

2/3 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder

½ cup whole-wheat pastry flour

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup sweet-potato puree

1 large egg

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon instant coffee powder

½ cup walnuts

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square pan; set aside. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Remove pan from heat, and stir in cocoa. Let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

Stir in sugar and sweet-potato puree, then egg. In a small bowl, stir together vanilla and coffee until coffee is dissolved; add to cocoa mixture.

Add flour mixture to cocoa mixture and stir until no traces of flour remain. Spoon into prepared pan; smooth the top.

Make sure you smooth out the top
before placing in the oven.

Bake until surface of brownies looks barely dry and an inserted knife comes out with a few moist crumbs, about 20 minutes. Cool to room temperature before serving.

To make these more decadent, you could always add in a half cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips, but I would suggest you first try them to see if you want that added taste.

Very fudgey with walnut chunks.

Sweet potatoes are actually considered a "super food". One medium-sized sweet potato has ons of beta-carotene and a day's value of vitamin A as well as a third of your daily vitamin C's needs. One sweet potato even has as much fiber as a  ½ cup of oatmeal.

Peanut Butter Brownies

Peanut butter + chocolate = yum.

I have made peanut butter and chocolate treats before but these bars are a little different since they are truly peanut butter, instead of chocolate with peanut butter. 

I added in chocolate chips, but you can make this recipe and completely omit all of the chip to just make peanut butter brownies (which would be great lightly iced).

Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter

2/3 cup margarine, softened

11/3 cups white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

2/3 cup peanut chips

2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease a 9 x 13 inch pan.

In a bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and peanut butter. Add in the eggs and vanilla. Afterwards, gradually mix in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Once all these ingredients have been well mixed, mix in the mini semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Make sure to press down the batter evenly into the pan.

Pour this batter into your greased pan and sprinkle the 2/3 cup peanut chips and 2/3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips evenly over the top.

Place in the oven for 30-35 minutes and let cool before slicing into bars.

Right before entering the oven.

I made the batter for these during one of my free periods, but didn't have enough time to bake them so I left a sticky note for my mom for when she came home to pop them in the oven. When I came home from school, I went inside thinking I would be able to try them out, but it turned out that my mom hadn't even come home yet. 

Though I had to then wait some more time to preheat the oven and bake the brownies, it was worth it. These were peanut chocolate goodness in every bite. (The edges were my favorite.)

Chocolate Bar Cake

Ultra dense and intense chocolate flavor.

Last night some friends and I celebrated our friends Callie and Kiki's birthday. This time I really had to make a cake (I wasn't just trying to find some reason to occupy my time.)
Both Kiki and Callie love chocolate so I thought I would make a family recipe of chocolate bar cake. It is dense, rich chocolate that requires no icing, and is simply delicious.


Recipe:
Ingredients: Directions:
2 sticks butter
2 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 cup buttermilk/sourmilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 oz milk chocolate bars
1 small can/ 5 1/2 oz chocolate syrup


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 F and generously grease a 10" tube pan.

This was a mega-sized chocolate bar.

In a double broiler, pour in the chocolate syrup and break up the milk chocolate bars. Melt the chocolate bars into the syrup, using a spoon to stir to make sure the chocolates mix well together.
In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar and then add each egg one at a time. Mix the baking soda and buttermilk and alternate adding this buttermilk mixture and the sifted flour until both are mixed into the batter. Finally, blend in the chocolate mixture and vanilla completely.
Pour the batter into your already greased pan and place in the oven for 1 hour 15-20 minutes.

The perfect cake for anyone who loves chocolate. It can be easily decorated if you so chose, and its round shape makes it easy for slicing.

Chocolate Mint Cookies

So now I'm back from vacation with a tan and crutches.

The day before I was leaving for the DR, I had to get an MRI because my leg was hurting and it turned out that I have a stress fracture which literally sucks. After many tears, I was forced to get crutches, and this was all at 5 o'clock and I hadn't even packed yet. Anyways, I still had a great time away (my friends gobbles up the muffins at 5 in the morning), but now I can't run in the outdoor track season. However, I am obviously going to all the meets and therefore still must make the team treats for after running.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons peppermint extract

2 cups flour

2/3 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease cookie sheets.

Beat together the butter, brown sugar, eggs, peppermint and vanilla. One well blended, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt. 


Stir in the chocolate chips so they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.

Drop the dough by rounded teaspoons about 2 inches apart onto your prepared sheet. 


Bake 10 minutes and let cool before removing from the cookie sheets.

Yeah, those blobs don't look to appetising.

These cookies are incredibly easy to make and are moist with the right blend of chocolate and peppermint. 

My friend Olivia who loves peppermint is on the team too and I actually made her these cookies as a good luck for getting into Dartmouth and she did!

Ready to bring to the team.

Peanut Chocolate Eggs

Though I do not celebrate the Christian holidays, when Easter comes around I kind of wish I did. All the cute animals, pastel colors, and not to mention treats look so fun to make and decorate. But who says I still can't bake for Easter? I know plenty of people who celebrate the holiday, so I decided I would just make these absolutely amazing chocolate covered peanut butter eggs.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 ¼ cup creamy peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup graham crackers

¼ cup butter

4 tablespoons milk

1 ½ cups semi sweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons butter

¼ cup heavy cream

Sprinkles (for decorating)     

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, ¼ cup butter, graham crackers, vanilla, and milk until well blended. Shape the peanut butter mixture into a bunch of tablespoon sized eggs and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place them in the freezer for an hour.

To prepare the chocolate coating, place the 1 ½ cups semi sweet chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons butter, and ¼ cup of heavy cream into a saucepan over low heat. Constantly stir the mixture until smooth, making sure it does not burn.

Once ready, remove the eggs from the freezer and one-by-one, dip each egg into the chocolate. To make this easier you may use a fork to dip each egg in. Tap off the excess chocolate and place the eggs back onto the parchment paper.

Make sure to sprinkle the sprinkles on before the
chocolate hardens.

You may then decorate with sprinkles or other icing if desired.

Wait until cool before eating.

Wait for them to harden before removing them from the paper.

These came out soooooooo well. They are nice and fluffy on the inside- better than any store bought Reese's candy.

Easy Chocolate & Peanut Chip Squares

I like to have an easy, quick recipe on hand for it I ever need to whip something up in a moment's notice. One of my easiest recipes is my chocolate and peanut chip squares, which are perfect to make when a friend calls you over, upset about something, and all they need is someone to take to and something comforting to eat.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter 

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

1 cup peanut butter chips  

Directions: Heat oven to 350°F and grease an 8x8 inch pan.

Melt the stick of butter and then mix it in a bowl with the graham cracker crumbs. Press this mixtureevenly to the bottom of the pan. Afterwards, sprinkle the semi sweet chocolate chips and peanut butter chips evently over the graham cracker mixture and then use a spatula (or your hands) to press down the chips into the graham cracker mixture. Once done, open up the can of sweetened condensed milk and pour it evenly over all of the chips.

Place the bars into the oven for 25-30 minutes. Let them cool before slicing.

You can use your hands too to press it down firmly.

Cranberry Chocolate Chunk Cookies

My Dad absolutely loves tennis and has for a while now volunteered to teach tennis to underprivileged children on the weekends with the program Grassroots. As a special treat, my Dad invited some of the kids over to our house to watch a tennis match and have pizza. In order to top off their meal, I decided to make special cookies for them to enjoy after pizza. 

They scarfed them up instantly and told me they were the best cookies they ever had.

Right out of the oven.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/44 cups oats

1 stick softened butter

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup sugar

1 egg

1½ teaspoons honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup dried cranberries

2/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chunks

½ cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F and grease cookie sheets and set them aside.

Beat together the butter and sugars and slowly add in the egg and vanilla.

In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Slowly stir this dry mixture into the wet mixture until well mixed. Afterwards, stir in the oats, and finally the cranberries, chocolate chunks, and walnuts.

Roll the dough into small balls and place on the greased baking sheets.

Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes so the centers are still soft.

Let cool and then remove from cookie sheets.

Toffee Cookies

I used a cellophane bag and a large cupcake
liner to package the cookies nicely.

Being a senior in high school there has been a lot of news lately coming in from colleges for my friends. In the beginning of the year when people were hearing from their ED schools, I made some good luck cookies for my friends Brandon, Zack, and Olivia. They got into Cornell, UPenn, and Dartmouth respectively, so we deemed by cookies to be good luck charms.

My friend Steven is hearing back tomorrow from school and I promised I would bake him something for good luck.

Bake until they are slightly brown on the edges
so they're a mix of crispy and soft.

I hope he gets in!

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 stick softened butter

½ cups sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

1 egg

½ teaspoon vanilla

½ cup toffee bits

¼ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F and grease two baking sheets.

Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda in one bowl and in another beat together the butter in sugar. Once mixed, beat in the eggs and vanilla to the butter and sugar mixture. After it is well blended at in the dry mixture until mixed. Finally, stir in the walnuts, chocolate chips, and toffee bits.

Spoon 1-inch balls of dough onto the greased cookie sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool.