Chocolate Roll-Out Cookies
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Wanting to make something easy to bring to the office for Valentine’s Day, I decided to finally give this recipe from Smitten Kitchen a whirl. Not needing any special ingredients, I made the dough the day before, whipped up a batch of the cream filling I used for the Homemade Oreos, sandwiched the cookies together, and expected to fall in love.
But I didn’t, I was disappointed.*** (Sorry Deb’s mom.) And well, I likened these cookies to online dating; stay with me for a sec. They’re like the picture where the guy looks friendly and happy then you meet him in person and he’s silently pining over his ex and you kick yourself for wasting your time having drinks when you could have been home in your PJs watching Teen Mom 2. (Don’t lie, you watch it too.) These cookies are cute and nice looking then you try them and you wish you hadn’t wasted your calories. Get it?
Anyway, I found the dough difficult to gather together and roll out–it kept cracking and was really dry. I thought the cookies were a little bland and not very sweet; if I were to make these again I’d sprinkle the cookies with sanding sugar or something to sweeten them up a bit. Of course, I’m curious to see what my coworkers say tomorrow, as they sometimes love things that I’m not very fond of.
***Update: These were a hit at the office. Maybe I just had a bad tasting day or something.
p.s. Happy Valentine’s Day from Nosh With Me!
Cookie Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
Cookie Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk dry flour, salt and baking powder in bowl and set aside. Mix butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and cocoa in mixer. Gradually add flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least one hour.
Roll out cookie dough on floured counter. Cut into desired shapes, brushing extra deposits of flour off the top. Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 8 to 11 minutes (the former for 1/8-inch thick cookies, the latter for 1/4-inch cookies) until the edges are firm and the centers are slightly soft and puffed.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Vanilla-Cream Filling Ingredients
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room-temperature, unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Filling Preparation
Place butter and shortening in a mixing bowl, and at low speed, gradually beat in the sugar and vanilla. Turn the mixer on high and beat for 2-3 minutes until filling is light and fluffy.
Cookie recipe from Smitten Kitchen.
Peanut Butter Oreo Cupcakes
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Have you discovered Pinterest yet? If you haven’t, DON’T. It’s crazy addictive and it’s where I found insane recipes like this one. But if you’ve already discovered the time suck, then you should follow me.
So anyway, about this recipe. It’s a chocolate cupcake. But it’s not your everyday chocolate cupcake. Oh no, it has an Oreo on the bottom. And a mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup in the middle. And peanut butter cookies and cream frosting on top. This is a chocolate cupcake on crack. And it’s delicious, but crazy sweet. (Shocking, right?)
Side note: I went to the store on the Saturday before the Super Bowl (yes, it was crazy) to buy the ingredients and since I was overly anxious, I didn’t read the quantities and realized I didn’t have enough Oreos to double the recipe and make the frosting. However, because the frosting requires you to remove the cream filling from the Oreos, I decided to just make a quick batch of the chocolate cookies I used for the Homemade Oreos a while back rather than brave the store on the day of the game. Plus, the temptation is then gone to eat the cream filling, because you know I totally would.
Cupcake Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 ounce bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup buttermilk
16 chocolate sandwich cookies
16 mini peanut butter cups, unwrapped
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 16 muffin cups with paper liners. Place an Oreo in the bottom of each liner.
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl then stir in the chopped chocolate.
In a large bowl or the bowl of stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on high until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the buttermilk and allow to incorporate for 30 seconds.
Pour in the flour mixture and beat on medium until fully incorporated, about 1 minute. Divide the batter evenly among the paper liners, filling each about 2/3 full.
Bake for 9 minutes, then remove from oven and press a peanut butter cup into the center of each cupcake. Allow to bake for 9 more minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then remove cupcakes from the muffin tin to cool completely on a wire rack. Frost with Oreo peanut butter buttercream. Store in a sealed container at room temperature.
Frosting Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 cup peanut butter
2-3 cups confectioners sugar
2-3 tablespoons milk
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons Oreo cookie crumbs
Frosting Preparation
Separate 12 Oreo cookies and discard the cream filling. In a food processor or plastic bag, crush the cookies into fine crumbs.
In a large bowl, beat butter and shortening on high until fully combined. Beat in peanut butter.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add 2 cups of the confectioners sugar, 2 tablespoons milk, and a pinch of salt. Start the mixer on slow, then eventually crank it up to high and beat for 2 minutes. Add more confectioners sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.
Add the cookie crumbs and beat on high for 2 minutes.
Recipe from The Sweet Life.
