Raspberry Chocolate Coffee Cake

.  Spring has sprung!

Or I guess you can call it Summer at this point.

But regardless, the heat has arrived and I won't ever complain about the humidity [very much...].  I mean, it took April snow storms for this weather to get here.  So I'll just shut up and be happy about it!

So to kick off my summer baking [yay!], I picked out a real doozy.  Whatever a doozy is.  But I picked it.  And you'll want to get your chompers on this one.  I.  Promise.

I made this luscious Raspberry Chocolate Coffee Cake last weekend for Robbie's mom for Mother's Day.  His family lives in Omaha, so we're able to see them much more often than my own family.  And they also get the honor of testing out any of my baked goodies I force pass on their way.  Don't know if that's a good or bad thing though...

Anywho, Robbie and I picked out a lovely floral display for his mom and I made this breakfast treat for he and his family to enjoy on Mother's Day.  We don't want her making her own breakfast Mother's Day morning, right?!  I didn't get a chance to taste my creation but word on the street is that it was spot on.  And let's be real...my pictures don't do this sucker justice {cough, I need a real camera, cough], so you can only imagine the [subtle] decadence this recipe produces.  Layers and layers of summery, chocolatey goodness, to be exact.

So here's the gist of it.  Three layers of soft, uber moist, classic vanilla coffee cake.  Three layers of chocolate streusel.  And three layers of plump, tart, fresh raspberries.  Hmm...that's a no brainer.

Gather those ingredients and get bakin'!  

P.S. I do want to fill you in on the Mother's Day present my family got for our beloved mamacita because I'm oh-so-excited about it!  So you may have read that Robbie and I finally made the big jump and got engaged, which obviously leads to a wedding.  And lots of wedding planning.  

So first things first, Robbie and I decided that we'll be getting married in Arizona where his parents have a house in Desert Mountain.  There's a beautiful clubhouse there that I'm beyond excited about, so for Memorial Day weekend Robbie, Robbie's parents, and I are trekking down South to meet with the venue coordinator and a couple of different wedding planners.  Well of course I want my parents involved in this whole process more than anything, but we all have a lot going on in our lives at the moment so we initially thought they wouldn't be able to make the trip.  But after some discussions with my loving dad, we decided to surprise my mom with a plane ticket to AZ to take part in all of this crazy planning!  So for Mother's Day, that's what my mom got.  Which was followed by lots of happy tears and laughter.  So needless to say, I can't even wait for the next two weeks to go by and to spend some quality time with my best friend during such a special time.

So wish us luck!  And if any one knows of any wedding planners they'd recommend, suggestions are SO welcomed!  .

P.S.S. check out our wedding website at The Knot, I updated the About Us section so you can read a little about how Robbie and I first met!  .

My Notes:

• Don't be intimidated by the layering, it's very simple and you can't really mess it up!  
• I chose to use milk chocolate for my topping but for pure eye appeal I'd probably use semisweet chocolate next time.  The darker chocolate would look so pretty against the light cake!

Adapted from Cooking Melangery

Ingredients:

Vanilla Coffee Cake:

3 c. all purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1-1/4 c. sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. sour cream

1 c. semisweet or milk chocolate, melted

Raspberry Chocolate Filling:

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. packed light brown sugar

1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 c. fresh or frozen raspberries

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.  Butter or spray with nonstick cooking spray a 9- or 10-inch bundt pan.  
2. For cake, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).  Add eggs, one at a time, until completely combined.  Add vanilla extract and beat until combined.
4. On low speed, in alternating additions of 3 each, add in dry ingredients and sour cream just until blended (do not over mix the batter).
5. For the filling, combine the sugar, light brown sugar, and cocoa powder.  Scoop 1-1/2 cups of batter into prepared pan and spread evenly to cover bottom.  Sprinkle 1/3 of the cocoa mixture over the batter and 1/2 cup of raspberries.  Scoop 2 cups of batter over filling to cover and repeat steps with the 1/3 of the filling and 1/2 cup of raspberries.  Repeat one last time with the remaining ingredients to make 3 layers.  Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Let cake cool for 30 minutes before unmolding.
6. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate and pour over the bundt cake.  Use the remaining 1/2 cup of raspberries to decorate the top of the cake.  

Yield: 10 servings

Brownie Fantasy Bars

.  And the chaos continues.

I'm not really sure how it's happened but the next month or two of my life is jam packed with events, including babies, weddings, and a special baking opportunity I'll fill you in on later.

It's all very exciting but a touch overwhelming when you throw in the fact that I work 8-5 err'day.  And 99% of the time, work is on my mind anyway.  Boo.  But I can't complain, none of these upcoming things are obligations, so it should all be fun-filled...I hope.

But one thing I am uber excited about is the trip to Colorado Robbie and I will be making this weekend.  In our typical fashion, this trip was decided upon maybe last week and we're setting out for the beautiful mountains Friday after work.  Word has it [and the Weather Channel confirms] that Colorado is filled with massive amounts of snow, and though I'd like to get away from this winter-weather-in-spring climate, I can never get enough of the Colorado scenery.  So give it to me.

But before we head off, I figured one last treat was in order.  And this is one monstrous dessert, comparable to the mountain slopes I'll be hittin' in a few days.  And I'm fo reals...no joking here.  This is easily the thickest and most decadent bar I've made to date.  Brace yourselves.

Brownie Fantasy Bars are pretty much that.  One big fat fantasy of a baked goodie.  Not just one, but two batters are somewhat swirled together and absolutely stuffed with crunchy rice cereal, gooey marshmallows, rich semisweet and milk chocolate chips, chewy dates, decadent Oreo cookies, nutty walnuts, and a trio of baking chips topping.  

Whoa.

Now I know what you're thinking, how could all of those things really come together to make an unforgettable bar?  Well...how can they not?!

Trust my taste buds, which have sacrificed themselves for the better of the baking community and tested more cookies and bars than I care to even admit.  These are legit.  And you.  will.  love them.

Have a wonderful rest of the week my dearest readers, until Monday!  .

Adapted from A Passion for Baking

Ingredients:

Blondie Batter:

3/4 c. unsalted butter, melted

1-1/2 c. firmly packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1-1/2 c. all purpose flour

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

Brownie Batter:

1 c. unsalted butter, melted

1 c. sugar

3/4 c. firmly packed light brown sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 c. cocoa powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. all purpose flour

2 c. rice cereal

1 c. mini marshmallows

1 c. semisweet chocolate chips

1 c. milk chocolate chips

1 scant c. chopped dates

2 c. chopped Oreo cookies

1 c. chopped walnuts

Topping:

1/4 c. semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 c. butterscotch chips

1/4 c. white chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 325°F.  Generously spray 13x9-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
2. For the blondie batter, blend butter and brown sugar.  Mix in eggs and vanilla extract.  Fold in flour, baking powder, and salt to make a soft batter.  Set aside.
3. For the brownie batter, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and flour and mix well.  Fold in cereal, marshmallows, semisweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, dates, Oreos, and walnuts, using a large spatula or wooden spoon.
4. Place the brownie batter into the prepared pan and use wet hand to spread the batter evenly.  Spoon the blondie batter over the brownie mix and spread evenly.  Using the handle of the spatula or a knife, marbleize the two batters by using up and down motions with the handle.
5. Bake 45 minutes or until set and spots of the blondie batter seem set and slightly browned. Immediately sprinkle on the semisweet, butterscotch, and white chocolate chips and smear with a knife as chips melt.  Refrigerate two hours before cutting.

Yield: 2 dozen bars

A Birthday and Chocolate Chip Scotchies

.  So I kind of held out on you guys.

No, nothing really worthwhile like a groundbreaking, decadent recipe.  I wouldn't do that to you.

Nope.  But it was my birthday yesterday.  Ya, ya, happy birthday, woopdy doo.

Just kidding guys, I'm not that much of a grinch.  But not gonna lie, this birthday 1) crept up on me and 2) I wasn't all too excited for it.  Why, you may ask?  Well...26 isn't much to get excited about, you know?  Last year I was surprised for my quarter-of-a-century birthday by my irreplaceable family and friends here in Omaha so I guess number 26 had a lot to live up to.  And being a 'Monday' birthday wasn't something to get revved up for either.

But you know what?

I had one of the most memorable birthdays I can recall.  No, seriously.  I really did.

The day started out rather ordinary, nothing too crazy at work but the usual busy-ness as of late.  But after lunch, the front desk called me down where I found a lovely box of a dozen cupcakes from Bliss Bakery, a local spot in downtown Omaha that holds a special place in my heart because it was started by two sisters.  Gotta give some respect to the entrepreneurs of this world, right?!

Anywho, it was my lovely parents who had the special treats sent to my work.  My mom's reasoning is that since she couldn't be there in person to bake me a cake [as you may know, my parents live in MN], then the cupcakes were going to have to be the next best thing.  Hey, I ain't complainin'!  But really, what wonderful parents I have.  Can't say this more than enough.

So the rest of the afternoon was spent attempting to get some things done at work while also chatting with some fellow co-workers and trying to dish out these [ridiculously] beautiful [and even better tasting] cupcakes.  But then I got another call from the front desk because lo' and behold, I had flowers.  I had flowers?!  Honestly, the first thing that went through my head was wtf?  Because I knew my parents hadn't sent them...

But guess who did?!?!?!

Yep, MEL!  Remember the lady I ranted and raved about a few weeks back because she was coming to visit me?  Yep, her.  I had talked to her a few days prior to my birthday and told her I wasn't too amped about the upcoming day because it was just a typical ol' Monday.  Well, she took the liberty of sending me flowers to take away those Monday Blues and duh, it worked.  I was overly delighted and for the second time that day, couldn't believe that someone had taken the time to send me something.  Geesh.  She's beautiful and thoughtful!  But sorry guys, she's taken.

So, in summary, I had an exquisitely simple birthday but one filled with reminders of all of the extraordinary people I am so blessed to have in my life.  I honestly think people take for granted the simple gestures in life, seemingly 'little' things that you may not even realize how big of an impact they have on someone's day.  Or better yet, their life.  All in all, in a good reminder.

And now that you've gotten a full recap on my birthday [whether you wanted it or not], I guess it's time for these cookies.  They're legit.  Simple as that.

Coming into my birthday weekend [yes, birthdays have apparently now rolled into weekends], I was craving a cookie.  A simple, classic cookie.  I know, hold your gasps.  Because that rarely happens.  As my dad would know [and jokes constantly about], I tend to gravitate towards recipes with a little twist and tend to steer away from the staple recipes because well, you see them everywhere.  So sue me.

To fulfill my craving, I headed straight to my Milk and Cookies book because I knew I'd surely find a winner.  Remember my White Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies?  Those came from Milk and Cookies and are undoubtedly one of the best oatmeal cookies I've ever had.  And that was exactly what I was looking for.

So I opted for the Scotchies, which consist of the oatmeal cookie dough base I can't get enough of.  But then you add in a generous dose of cinnamon to fill every nook and cranny and jam pack the dough with addicting butterscotch chips.  But to adhere to my reputation, I had to add something in!  So I threw in a good helping of milk chocolate chips just for the fun of it.  Again, sue me.

These cookies were nothing short of amazing and fulfilled every dream I had of an oatmeal cookie.  Crisp edges, chewy centers, buttery, cinnamoney, and butterscotchy flavors all throughout.  What's not to love?  That's right...nuttin'!  So get baking!  .

My Notes:

• I substituted some of the butterscotch chips for milk chocolate chips.  But the great thing about this recipe is that you can use any types of chips you can get your hands on, just make sure it all adds up to two cups!
• When scooping out your dough, I found it best to make sure the dough is pretty packed together.  Otherwise some of my cookies spread out way too much and even burned a bit.

Adapted from Milk and Cookies

Ingredients:

1 recipe oatmeal cookie dough base (excluding orange juice, cherries, and white chocolate)

1 c. milk chocolate chips

1 c. butterscotch chips

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.  Light spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
2. Once cookie dough base is mixed but still streaky (do not overmix), using a wooden spoon, gently stir in milk chocolate and butterscotch chips.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in freezer for about 10 minutes or until dough firms up.
3. Using a tablespoon or cookie scoop, place scant balls of dough onto prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.  
4. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges (centers should be slightly soft to the touch).  Remove from oven and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars

.  So I'm a little bummed.

I try not to complain about anything on LSM because let's be real, who wants to read about the poor woes of another?  But life happens and sometimes you just gotta vent.  And luckily, it's nothing life changing or dramatic.

It's my knee.

Okay, that sounded dramatic.

I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned this on LSM, but lately I've been getting into running a bit more than normal.  I decided to team up with a friend of mine [an avid distance runner] to train for the Omaha Half Marathon coming up September 23.  The training has been great and I started to run distances I thought only 'crazy' people did [sorry, but it's true!].  But a couple of weeks ago, I tweaked my leg somehow and it's been downhill from there [figuratively speaking].  At times I couldn't even keep a slow jog going without my knee hurting and often times it even effected walking.  I tried putting off exercise for a number of days but lo' and behold, I was back out [painfully] running again. 

Well, the knee has just been too much lately.  Before, I was able to do the Stairmaster but now it's gotten to the point where my knee hurts even doing that.  Every work out session has become a pain in the a** [excuse my frustration] and I've just had enough.  So despite my efforts to resist modern medicine, I'm heading to the orthopedist this Monday to see what's going on.  All I hear is 'cha ching!'

And that's all I have in regards to that.  Thanks for hearing me out.

But you know what cheers up any and every person on this Earth?  I do.  And I bet you could guess, too.

Cookie Dough.

Whether you like to admit it or not, I know that during your lifetime you've snuck a finger swipe here or there of mom's chocolate chip cookie dough.  And then went back for more.  Well, I seemed to have found the perfect treat for you cookie-dough-lovin' spirits out there [myself included] and I know you won't be able to get enough of this stuff.

Basically this bar is one big slab of cookie dough topped with a heavenly, thick, and rich layer of melted chocolate and peanut butter [the best combination known to man].  Cookie Dough.  Chocolate.  Peanut Butter.  HELLO!  Nothing more needed here.

I think my knee even feels better now  .

My Notes:

• The ingredients list says to use milk chocolate chips for the topping, but feel free to also use the left over semisweet mini chocolate chips.  Up to you!

From Gingerbread Bagels

Ingredients:

Cookie Dough:

1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened

3/4 c. packed light brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. all purpose flour

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

2 c. mini chocolate chips

Topping:

1 c. creamy peanut butter

2/3 c. milk chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together butter and light brown sugar until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).  Add vanilla extract and beat until combined.
2. With the mixer on low speed, alternate mixing in flour and sweetened condensed milk and mix until combined.  Gently fold in mini chocolate chips with spatula.
3. Line 8x8-inch pan with parchment paper.  Press the cookie dough into the pan (the cookie dough may be sticky, so lightly flour your hands).
4. Cover the bars with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight until firm.  
5. For topping, combine the peanut butter and milk chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and heat until smooth.  Spread the mixture over the cookie dough bars.  Chill the bars for 1 hour or until topping is firm.  

Yield: 16 large bars

TWD Baking with Julia: Chocolate Truffle Tartlets

.  TWD?  Baking with Julia?  Did you miss something here?

No, no, nothing has slipped by you.  I've actually been waiting for over one year to make this announcement.  Over one year for this very post.

You all know that I'm part of a couple monthly challenges, both SRC and ICC [the Secret Recipe Club and the Improve Cooking Challenge, for you newbies].  But since the day I started blogging, one group was always out of my grasp.  Yes, the infamous Tuesdays with Dorie (TWD) club.  For those of you who don't know of Dorie Greenspan, well, she's basically THE baker woman and a well known cookbook author.  So much so that there is an entire blog and following dedicated to honoring her work [obv the group I speak of now!].  You can read the entire TWD history for the full story, but the group is based around recreating recipes from Dorie's books or from books written by her and other authors.  The first book adventure, Baking: From My Home to Yours [by Dorie], began in 2008 and officially wrapped up in December 2011.  That's FOUR YEARS people!  Fortunately I started blogging when the group only had one year left [ha!], but here I am now.  An official TWD member!

So beginning in February 2012, the TWD club commenced, this time making recipes from Baking with Julia, written by Dorie and Julia Child.  There's basically only one major rule to the group: every month, two recipes are chosen from the book and members are encouraged to post about both of them, however, only one monthly post is required.  The actual recipes are posted on the blogs of the hosts for the month, where you can also find the links to other members' posts.  That's it!  Unfortunately, I wasn't accepted into the group until about a week or so before the first post, so I opted to skip that one [it was White Bread, in case you're curious!].

Consequently, I was left with Chocolate Truffle Tartlets.  Left?  Ha, that makes it sound like it was a chore.  Hmm?  No.  When you get something this dang good, it's anything but an obligation.  Dorie and Julia completely outdid themselves with this one.  And I can guarantee I will be saying that, oh, every TWD post ☺

So to be frank, these tartlets are pretty fancy pants.  They look fancy, taste fancy, and the name 'tartlets' just screams  fancy!

I will forewarn, these take a couple of steps, but I was quite caught off guard by how easy they were to make.  And the product?  Rich decadence.  Pure bliss.  I swear.

Let's start from the outside: a chocolate crust.  Uh, yum?  Yes sirree.  The crust itself is flakey and well, chocolatey.  Not an outrageous chocolate flavor though.  No, there's enough chocolatey-ness in the filling to complement this subtly sweet and buttery crust.  But I know you are all curious as to what make these tartlets so special.  And yes, you guessed it.  It's that filling!  Not only do you get to sink your chompers into a chocolate truffle middle, a seriously soft and creamy filling, but you'll also get to indulge in chunks of milk chocolate, white chocolate, and bits of biscotti.  Okay, kind of random combination if you ask me, but BOY [or girl], does it work!  How could all of that together not be good, anyway?  Answer?  It can't.

To be honest, I was a tad intimidated to attempt this recipe.  I'd never made tartlets before, so I had no clue what to expect.  But the directions were spot on and I can't really think of any hitches I experienced?  The only thing I can recall is that the crust can have a tendency to be crumbly, so just be patient with it.  Otherwise, you should be golden!

For my first TWD post, I think things went rather well!  I even sent 'sneak peak' pictures to my mom because I was so excited [and shocked!] that the tartlets turned out.  So head on over to Spike, Jaime, or Jessica's blog to find the recipe for Chocolate Truffle Tartlets and experience these heavenly rounds for yourself!  .

Tried & True Tuesday: Cheesecake Truffle Bombs

.  Don't judge a book by it's cover.  An important lesson in life, no?  Well the same goes for this post.  Don't judge the cheesecakey deliciousness of this recipe by the oh-so-crap picture below.  Remember, my Tried & True Tuesday posts are of [quality] recipes I've made long before I ever knew the blogging world existed.  Hence, my photography is terrible [not that it's good in the first place!].

These Cheesecake Truffle Bombs are actually quite simple but fabulous nonetheless.  What we have is creamy cheesecake encased in the rich chocolate of your choice.  That's it?  That's it.  Sometimes the simple things in life are all we need.

I made these for a graduation party some years ago and I figured this Tried & True Tuesday post should highlight a treat perfect for the big night.  The big New Years Eve night, that is.  These goodies have it all: wonderful flavor, easy assembly, bite size [gotta make sure we fit in those dresses ladies ;) ], and wow-factor presentation fit for either a party or casual gathering.

So now that we have New Years covered, how was everyone's Christmas?!  Mine?  Well.  Lovely.  In every way.  As I mentioned before, my Christmas weekend began with the arrival of my parents in Omaha Friday afternoon, followed by a gathering of former softball friends and families.  Christmas Eve was very laid back, filled with football, some last minute shopping [cough, Tyler, cough], and our traditional pizza making.  Onto Christmas, we began the day with gift openings, which was followed by lots of eating, lounging, and basketball.  Overall, a very memorable couple of days with my loved ones.  Don't worry, I'll be getting some pictures up after our upcoming weekend in Arizona.  Yes, we're taking another trip.  More to come on that one though.

Happy Tuesday!  .

My Notes:

• Shape wise, you can cut the cheesecake into circles, squares, rectangles, or whatever other shape you can think of.
• It's best to make sure that the cheesecake is very firm and cold before dipping into the chocolate.  Otherwise the cheesecake bits can be hard to work with.
• Remember that you can use whatever combination of chocolate to dip the cheesecake in that you'd like.  One fun suggestion is dipping the cheesecakes into one chocolate and then dipping half of the cheesecake bit into another type of chocolate.  Pretty and yummy!

From A Passion for Baking

Ingredients:

Cheesecake:

1 lb. cream cheese, softened

3/4 c. sugar

3 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/3 c. heavy whipping cream

Pinch of salt

Chocolate Casing:

12 oz. milk chocolate

10 oz. semisweet chocolate

10 oz. white chocolate

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper.  Line 8- or 9-inch square pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil and spray with non stick cooking spray.  Place pan on prepared baking sheet.
2. In food processor, blend together cream cheese, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, heavy whipping cream, and salt.  Pour batter into pan.  Bake 30 minutes or until set (cake should be firm to the touch but not dried out or curling in at the sides).  Cool well in refrigerator.  Cut cheesecake into desired shapes.  Place on parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for 1 to 2 hours.
3. When cheesecake bits are ready for dipping, melt chocolate(s) in individual bowls.  Using a fork, dip and turn each cheesecake in chocolate to evenly coat and place on parchment-lined baking sheet.  Decorate as desired.  Freeze briefly to set.

Yield: 24 to 32 servings

Chocolate Moose Munch

.  Wow, what a whirlwind of a week.  Oh and look at that, it's over!

Not much has been going on around here, this week has been quite busy at the office so that's kept me fairly occupied.   I'm not complaining though, whatever gets us to the weekend faster, right?!

Aside from work, my mind has been consumed with the festivities December is bringing my way.  Let's see, we have [numerous] birthdays, a potential softball reunion, family coming to town, Christmas, and of course, New Years.  Whew, do I have some shopping and planning to do!

One thing I'm struggling with is present ideas.  Gah, it seems to get harder every year.  But I'll admit that I absolutely adore shopping for gifts for people.  Yes, it gets a tad stressful running from corner to corner of the city, but nothing beats finding the perfect gift [even though I always tend to second guess myself after the purchase!].  But isn't it a great feeling to give something to someone they wouldn't normally buy for themselves?  Well, at least I think so.  By the way, does anyone have any fun, creative ideas for presents this year?

Anywho, I know most of you are fully partaking in the hustle and bustle the holiday season brings, which doesn't leave time for many other things.  Am I right or am I right?  I find myself methodically planning every move I make in order to maximize efficiency.  Crazy?  Yes.  So what could be better than a fantastic, easy snack that takes little to no effort?  But will delight both the kiddies and adults alike?  Well, nothing!  And I have the solution here for you today.

I came across the recipe for Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Moose Munch over at Something Swanky.  Mmm let me tell you, I'm a sucker for Moose Munch.  And so is Robbie.  So this was a recipe I was going to try out as soon as the time presented itself.  And we were not disappointed.  Now, the add-ins I used when I made the Moose Munch kind of transformed the dish, so that's why I'm calling it Chocolate Moose Munch.  Take a glance at my pics and you'll see why.  But what you get is a rich bowl of confectionary goodies.  Popcorn, caramel, chocolate, pretzel bits, and any type of candy your sweet little heart desires.  Crunchy, sweet, and salty.  Decadence.  Pure decadence.  Enjoy!  .

My Notes:

• I didn't intend for the chocolate to completely cover all of the popcorn, but that's what I ended up with.  I didn't quite think things through, I was too excited to stuff my face ☺ If you'd rather have a more traditional Moose Munch, I would suggest letting the popcorn cool a little, so the chocolate chips/canides don't completely melt.  Or melting the chocolate chips and then drizzling the chocolate over the popcorn and letting it set.  I think that would be really pretty!
• The fun thing about this recipe is that you have complete freedom in deciding what add-ins you use.  I decided on chocolate chips, pretzels, and Robbie's favorite, Reese's Pieces.  But you basically have as many choices as there are candy boxes.  And we all know there's no shortage of variety there.  And just think of the lovely holiday candies you could incorporate!!  Oo, I just got excited.
• I will warn that the melted chocolate got a little messy in the pan and once cooled, some pieces stuck to the bottom of the pan.  But, ha, it's oh-so-worth-it!

Adapted from Something Swanky

Ingredients:

6 tbsp. butter

3 tbsp. corn syrup

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 large bag popped popcorn

1-3/4 c. milk chocolate chips

1-3/4 c. white chocolate chips

2 c. mini pretzels, crushed

1 bag Reese's Pieces

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 300°F.  Pour popcorn into 13x9-inch pan.  Combine butter, corn syrup and brown sugar over medium heat.  Cook and stir until mixture boils.  Continue boiling at a steady rate for 4 minutes without stirring.

2.  Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla extract.

3.  Pour caramel over popcorn and stir to coat.  Bake 10 to 15 minutes (10 minutes for a chewy snack and 15 minutes for a crunchy treat).

4.  While hot, add toppings and stir to melt milk and white chocolate chips and completely coat the popcorn.  Let cool and set (I put my pan in the freezer to speed up the process).

Yield: Hmm, A LOT!

Not Neiman Marcus' Chocolate Chip Cookies...Round II!

. Redemption!!

I'm so happy about it.  And I think Brett was, too.  Let me explain.

It's been a long few weeks with work and all, so Robbie and I decided that this last weekend was a good one to just get outta town.  So we packed up our bags and the pups and headed down to Kansas City to visit Robbie's sister, Kelli and [her hubby] Brett.  Unfortunately Kelli had to be back in Omaha this weekend, so we ended up just switching places with her.  We realized that Brett had probably been looking forward to a weekend on his own but that didn't stop us.  Sorry, Brett...

But to make up for it, I decided to bring Brett some of my all time favorite cookies.  All.  Time.  Favorites.  You may be familiar with these if you've been reading my blog for awhile, I posted about the Not Neiman Marcus' Chocolate Chip Cookies on a Tried & True Tuesday post a while back.  However, the [one] picture was absolutely horrendous [taken before I even knew about the blogging world} so I know these cookies haven't gotten the attention they deserve.

Anywho, I didn't want another disaster happening like the Fourth of July trip to Colorado.  So I made for certain these babies were making it to KC.  And guess what?  They did!  The entire plate, dog slobber-free!  See, I told you I redeemed myself.  And here's my proof.

I took this just so you know I'm not lying.  They really did make it!

These cookies are to die for.  They have a great thickness, ultra chewy, lovely texture from ground up oats, and fully loaded with both semisweet and milk chocolate.  This is a go-to recipe of mine, I seriously can't get enough of these suckers!  Someone vouch for me, please.  Robbie?  Brett?

I suppose you may be wondering what the name of this cookie is all about, too.  Well from a little research, I found out.  So basically, a woman was eating at a cafe in Neiman Marcus (surprise, surprise) with her daughter and the two enjoyed a chocolate chip cookie for dessert.  The cookie was so fantastic that the woman asked the waitress for the recipe.  The waitress informed the woman that she could purchase the recipe for 'two fifty' and the woman readily agreed, telling her to add it to her tab.  However, when she received the bill a month later, she was astounded to find out that the clerk had meant '$250'!  Enraged, the woman preceded to e-mail the recipe to every she knew to get back at the department store.  Which now brings us here!

Just kidding, that situation is actually a myth.  But it is the story behind this wonderful cookie, not sure if I would pay $250 for it but I would definitely front some cash [wink, wink].

Our weekend trip turned out really great, by the way.  We got into town late Friday night [after a couple several wrong turns] and then Saturday morning, after a quick walk with the pups, Robbie and I headed to The Plaza for a little bit of work time and shopping!  Not gonna lie though, the shopping trip was kind of a bust.  Both Robbie and I were beyond exhausted for some reason so we weren't exactly in the shopping mood.  I felt like I was fighting my eyelids the entire day, not fun.  So we headed home, picked up Brett, and headed out to our all time favorite BBQ joint [all time favs were in abundance this weekend].  And what place is this you ask?  You may have seen it on The Food Network, or maybe not.  But if you're ever in the area, put Arthur Bryant's on your to-do list.  GAH!  This place is one fabulous hole-in-the-wall.  No offense.  HUGE servings, juicy meats, best-ever baked beans, fries, and homemade BBQ sauces.  What's not to love?  I think one of Robbie's secret motivations for taking the trip to KC was that he knew we would be making a visit to this place.  It's that good.

Irritated.  He wanted to eat, not take pictures!

Well hope every one had a wonderful weekend!  And if you didn't, make a batch of these cookies.  They'll brighten your mood up in no time .

My Notes:

• Depending on what you're going for will determine how much you ground up the oats.  Last time, I ground the oats quite a bit so you most likely wouldn't have known they were even there.  They just added volume to the cookie.  However, this time around, they didn't get ground up quite as much, which you can tell by the pictures.  The oat flavor was a bit more prominent and the texture resembled more of an oatmeal cookie.  Either way, they're still my favorite!
• Also, last time I made these cookies, I used light brown sugar as the original recipe called for.  However, I wanted the cookies to be a little more eye appealing.  So I chose to try out dark brown sugar and the cookies looked beautiful!  It gave them that golden brown look and I loved it.  But taste wise, you can definitely use whatever you have on hand.
• I chose to use three bars of Guittard semisweet chocolate and chopped them up and also Guittard Milk Chocolate Chips [another one of my favs!].  I also excluded the nuts this time, but I know they would add fantastic flavor and crunch!
• The directions say to let the dough rest for a few minutes to set up.  I found that my dough was quite sticky so I stuck in the fridge for that time.  Also, keep the dough refrigerated in between baking batches, the dough will be much easier to handle.

Ingredients:

2 c. old fashioned oats

2 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 c. light or dark brown sugar

1/2 c. sugar

2 tbsp. light corn syrup

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

1 (4 oz.) milk chocolate bar, coarsely grated or finely chopped

1 c. walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 350F.  Move oven rack to upper third of oven.  Grease baking sheets or line with parchment paper.

2.  In a food processor or blender, grind oats to a very fine powder.  

3.  In a medium bowl, thoroughly stir together oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

4.  In a large bowl, with electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla extract and beat until evenly incorporated.  Add half of flour mixture and mix until just combined.  Beat in chocolate chips, chopped chocolate, and nuts (if using).  Beat in remaining half of flour mixture and beat until evenly incorporated.  Let stand 5 to 10 minutes or until dough firms up just slightly.

5.  Divide dough into quarters.  

6.  Divide each quarter into 5 or 6 equal portions.  Shape each portion into balls with lightly greased hands.  Place on baking sheets about 3 inches apart.  Pat down balls to 1-inch thick.

7.  Bake 9 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned and centers are just beginning to firm up.  Transfer baking sheets to wire rack and let stand until cookies firm up slightly (about 3 to 4 minutes).  Transfer cookies to wire rack and let cool completely.

Yield: 2 dozen cookies