Best of 2012

2012 was the year of chocolate chip cookie variations, plus chocolate in general.

Oreo-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Thicker, chewier, Oreoier, a one-pan wonder.

Holiday Dark Chocolate M&M Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
More festive, less batches

Chocolate Waffles
Like chocolate cake, but more fun, especially with toppings

Killer Salty-Espresso Chocolate Blondies
A twist on the blondie, with more wonderful things than normal

Bonus: Orange Things

Okay, these are definitely favs too, even though they are not chocolate.

Southwestern Chicken Mac and Cheese
Sure to be a potluck or cozy home dinner favorite for forever and ever

Carrot Souffle

Creamy, fluffy, Thanksgivingy, sweet goodness with veggie in there somewhere

Happy 2013, y'all, and cheers to all the food it will hold!

Easter M&M Cookie Bars

The latest in my chocolate chip cookie obsession: Add a heaping cup of dark chocolate M&Ms to a cup of semi-sweet chips in Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.

 

You might just have to bake another batch to replicate that perfect gooey texture in each square that you can't get with round spoons full of dough, no matter how much chocolate you add. Then you can pack them in a pretty tin, carry them onto a plane and share with friends in a far off land like Texas for  sugar power to survive, quite joyfully, hours of bridal shopping.

 

But first, take food photos in your backyard, even if their beauty might prevent you from being able to face a kitchen table shoot again.

Happy Easter week! May yours be filled with the darkness of the crucifixion and the hope and power of the Resurrection.

More Easter treats:
Friday Brownie Bites, Sunday Blondie Bites 
Easter Cupcakes

Recipe: Oatmeal 4th of July Cookies

I decided to break from my Tollhouse cookie obsession and try a more festive oatmeal cookie that met my requirement for sufficient amounts of chocolate by tweaking this Cook's Illustrated recipe on Who Wants Seconds?. These turned out more crispy than chewy, and even though I personally prefer chewy, they were still quite buttery-chocolatey tasty. 

One word of caution: take these off the cookie sheet immediately. Otherwise you might have to hack at them with a spatula with great force like I did after waiting a little more than 5 minutes. Then again, there's always the possibility that I screwed up something to create this special glue-like bond with the cookie sheet. 

Also, Mars really should consider more widely distributing red, white and blue m&m's in late June. I was dedicated enough to this baking cause to sort one cup of red and blue candies from a large bag of regular ones, but this could end in an unpatriotic disaster if put in the hands of a less anal-retentive baker.

Crispy Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip and M&M Cookies

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

2 sticks butter, softened

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

3 cups oats

1 cup m&ms

1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preaheat oven to 350 degrees, and line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Whisk flour, salt and baking powder together in a medium bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, by hand or by mixer, beat butter until creamy. Add sugars and beat the mixture until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time.

4. Stir dry ingredients into butter-sugar mixture with a wooden spoon or a large rubber spatula. Stir in oats and chocolate chips.

5. Place dough cookie sheets by large spoonfuls (about 2 tablespoons each), leaving at least 2 inches between.

6. Bake until cookie edges turn golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Slide cookies onto cooling rack. Let cool, and store in airtight container.

(Madoline's lazy version: Skip step 2. Stir in flour, salt and baking powder in step 3 without mixing together beforehand.)