Almond Joy Cookie Cups

The cookie cups are back! For a while, I considered stopping, but I still had a few more ideas I wanted to try, so for now, stay tuned for more. This time, I decided to do a cookie cup based off of the Almond Joy candy bar - chocolate cookie stuffed with a sweet coconut filling, doused in melted chocolate, and a sprinkle of almonds on top.


Now, I'm not the biggest coconut fan in the world, but I know that a lot of other people are crazy about it, so this one's for all of you. But, even though I'd rather have, say chocolate and peanut butter, I still have to admit that these were quite yummy.


Of course, everything in moderation, so I ate one and then promptly evacuated the rest of the batch out of my house and into the hands of some very happy teenage girls.

Almond Joy Cookie Cups (created by Sweet as Sugar Cookies)

1 c. salted butter, at room temperature (if using unsalted, add 1/2 tsp. salt)
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2/3 c. cocoa powder
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda

Coconut Filling (adapted from Over at Julie's)

3-4 oz. unsweetened coconut
5 Tbsp. sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar

melted chocolate and chopped almonds

For the cookie cups: Cream the butter and cream cheese with the sugars. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well. Mix in the cocoa powder. Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda and mix to combine.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease mini muffin tins. Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full with the dough. Bake for 10 min. or until a toothpick comes out clean. If the cookie cups have risen above the muffin cups, simply use a spoon to flatten them down so they are level with the muffin cups.

While still warm, make a well in the center of each cookie cup with a small spoon or your finger. Chill the muffin tins in the fridge for 30-60 min.

For the coconut filling: Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and powdered sugar and mix well.

For the assembly: Put 1 tsp. of coconut filling into each cookie cup. Drizzle with melted chocolate and top with chopped almonds.

Sweets for a Saturday #79

1. Decadent Lemon Cupcakes - Lemon Drop



2. Coffee Cake in a Mug - Chocolate Chocolate More Chocolate



3. Hot Chocolate Coffee Creamer - A Mrs. in the Making



4. Homemade Apple Fritters - The Newfangled Housewife



5. Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Cake - The Royal Cook



The Rules:

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2. Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
3. Share your delicious sweets from this week. If you've made more than one during the week, feel free to link them all up.
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Spiced Cranberry Sweet Rolls

This past weekend, my mother asked me to make her favorite rolls - Tyler Florence's Parker House Rolls. I was more than happy to oblige, so I made up a batch of the dough and put it in the fridge to rise overnight. Then, seeing as how it was after midnight, I began getting ready for bed.


While I was doing so, however, I kept thinking about making a new type of bread, one that would be sweetened with honey, spiced with cinnamon, and bursting with cranberries. I knew that I wouldn't be able to sleep until I tried my idea out, so back to the kitchen I went, even though it was now past 1am. I began mixing up the dough, throwing in a little of this and that as I went along - honey, dark brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger powder, and the dried cranberries. I had absolutely no idea if the bread would be any good, but I had high hopes that it would.


The next morning, I began playing with the dough even more as I decided how I wanted to shape it in the muffin cups. With some of the dough, I simply rolled it into small balls and put three into each cup. With the rest of the dough, I rolled it into a rectangle, sprinkled it with some brown sugar, cut it so that it looked like mini cinnamon buns, and then put three of those into the rest of the cups. Finally, before baking it, I brushed them with an egg wash and sprinkled them with cinnamon-sugar.


After baking them, I eagerly bit into one and they were awesome! I loved how the juicy cranberries matched so well with the cinnamon and how the fluffy bread was sweetened just to my liking. If you really wanted to get fancy, or if you have an extra sweet tooth, you could also top these with a powdered sugar glaze or even an orange powdered sugar glaze. I may try making them that way too one day, but for now, I like them just the way they are. Having these for breakfast made my day!

Spiced Cranberry Sweet Rolls (created by Sweet as Sugar Cookies)

1 Tbsp. yeast
1 c. + 3 Tbsp. warm water (105F - 110F)
5 Tbsp. honey
4 Tbsp. brown sugar
7 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger powder
3/4 tsp. salt
3-4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. dried cranberries (or more if desired)

1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Combine the yeast with the warm water and a pinch of sugar and let sit until foamy. Add in the honey, brown sugar, and butter and stir to combine. Add in the cinnamon, ginger powder, salt, and 2 cups of flour. Mix well. Gradually add more flour until the dough no longer sticks to the bottom of the bowl. Knead the cranberries into the dough and continue kneading the dough (adding in flour as necessary) for 5-6 min. until it is smooth and elastic (bounces back when you push your fingertip into it). Put into a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a dishtowel, and let sit in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size. Alternately, you can put it into the fridge to rise overnight.

Grease muffin tins. After the dough has risen, divide it into 12-16 equal pieces.

Variations:

1. Roll each piece into a 2 x 4 inch long rectangle. Sprinkle with some brown sugar and roll up from the short side. Slice into three equal pieces (like mini cinnamon rolls) and put the pieces side by side in the muffin cup.
2. Divide each piece into three little balls and put the pieces into the muffin cup.

Cover with a piece of greased plastic wrap and a dishtowel and let rise in the muffin tins for 30 min., or until doubled in size. Before baking, brush each roll with the egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. Bake at 375F for 25 min. or until the tops of the rolls turn golden brown.

Sweets for a Saturday #78

1. Apple Fritter Bread - Making Memories with Your Kids



2. The Butter Buffin - A Flock in the City



3. Chocolate Zucchini Bread - A Little Nosh



4. Strawberries and Cream Pie - Brandy's Baking



5. Take Six White Cake - Lisa Takes Six



The Rules:

1. Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your treat.
2. Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
3. Share your delicious sweets from this week. If you've made more than one during the week, feel free to link them all up.
4. Leave me a comment telling me that you've linked up.
5. Please visit at least two others and comment on their wonderful additions to this party.

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Almond Roca Cookie Cups

Almond Roca always seems like such a special treat. Each piece is wrapped up in shiny gold foil like a little present. Then, there's the layers of flavors - the almonds on the outside, then the chocolate, and finally that buttery sweet chunk of toffee. Rather than bite into it all right away, I used to eat all the almonds and chocolate off first then savor the toffee last.



Thinking of Almond Roca made me want to create a cookie cup that would bring all those flavors together once again. So, I made some chocolate almond cookie cups, filled it with caramel ice cream topping, and topped it off with more almonds and chocolate. These may not be wrapped up in gold, but they're still pretty special to me.

Almond Roca Cookie Cups (created by Sweet as Sugar Cookies)

1 c. salted butter, at room temperature (if using unsalted, add 3/8 tsp. salt)
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2/3 c. cocoa powder
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. chopped almonds

1/4 c. caramel ice cream topping
4 tsp. all-purpose flour
chopped almonds
melted semisweet chocolate, for drizzling

Cream the butter with the sugars. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well. Mix in the cocoa powder. Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda and mix to combine. Stir in the chopped almonds.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease mini muffin tins. Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full with the dough. Bake for 10 min. or until a toothpick comes out clean. If the cookie cups have risen above the muffin cups, simply use a spoon to flatten them down so they are level with the muffin cups.

While still warm, make a well in the center of each cookie cup with a small spoon or your finger. Chill the muffin tins in the fridge for 30-60 min. before removing the cookie cups.

Mix the flour into the caramel ice cream topping to thicken it. After the cups have chilled, remove from the tins and fill each one with 1/2 tsp. caramel ice cream topping. Sprinkle with the chopped almonds and drizzle with the melted chocolate. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

PB&J Sandwich Cookie Cups

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches always remind me of my childhood. Anytime I wanted a home lunch to take to school, I'd ask for a good old PB&J. And it seemed like only my mom could make it just right. Somehow she knew how to spread the jelly so that it wasn't all clumpy in places and you'd get a perfect ratio of peanut butter to jelly in every bite. So, I decided to create a cookie cup in homage of this classic childhood fave.


To start with, I used a simple sugar cookie cup since it's fairly neutral in flavor and would seem almost like white bread, just a little sweeter. Then, I filled each cup with a dollop of creamy peanut butter and topped it off with some grape jelly. And, there you have it, a cookie cup that tastes just like (or at least very close to) a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. One bite and it'll take you back to your childhood.


Oh, and by the way, did I mention that these are now my favorite?

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Cookie Cups (created by Sweet as Sugar Cookies)

Sugar Cookie Cups (adapted from Dreaming of White Chocolate)

1 c. butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened (I used neufchatel)
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 large egg
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda

creamy peanut butter
grape jelly (or your favorite jelly)

Cream the butter and cream cheese with the sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add the vanilla and egg and beat well. Add in your dry ingredients and mix until just combined. (I recommend chilling the dough for at least 1 hour so that it's easier to handle.)

Grease four 12-cup mini muffin tins. Scoop up the dough and fill each muffin cup 3/4 full with the dough. Bake at 350F for 10-12 min. until a toothpick comes out clean. If the cookie cups have risen high, take a spoon and flatten them down (while they're still warm) so that they are level with the sides of each muffin cup. Using a small spoon or your finger, make a dent about halfway down in each cookie cup. Chill in the fridge for at least 30-60 min. before removing from the tins.

After the cookie cups have chilled, fill each halfway with a dollop of creamy peanut butter. Then, fill the rest of the way with grape jelly or your favorite flavor of jelly.

Makes 48 cookie cups

Gingerbread Biscotti - SRC

It's time for another Secret Recipe Club post! This month, I was assigned to Isabelle's blog, Crumb. I was totally familiar with her blog having made her Chocolate Mint Crackle cookies before, which my sister and I devoured. So, I was thrilled to have the chance to officially make something from her blog for this month's SRC.


She had many tantalizing recipes on her site, but the one that caught my eye was for Gingerbread Biscotti. I simply love gingerbread and I'll take it in any form - cookie, cake, scones, ice cream - they're all delicious to me. It doesn't matter that it's not anywhere near Christmastime or that it's like 80 degrees outside. There's just something about that warm combination of spices that makes my tastebuds dance. But, for me, a little spice is just not enough. I need a LOT of spice to satisfy me.


Which makes this Gingerbread Biscotti perfect because it is packed with spices! It uses a whopping three tablespoons of ginger powder alone, not to mention the cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice for a total of one whole quarter cup of spices. Now we're talking!




This biscotti did not disappoint one bit. The spicy flavor came through in every bite and it was the best gingerbread biscotti I have ever eaten. I drizzled mine with some dark chocolate and sprinkled on some chopped almonds, but you could also use white chocolate like Isabelle did.

Thanks Isabelle for one awesome recipe!

Gingerbread Biscotti (adapted from Crumb)

1/3 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1/4 cup molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
3 tbsp ground ginger
1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp each ground cloves and allspice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup crystallised ginger, finely minced (I left this out)

dark chocolate, melted
chopped almonds

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a cookie sheet.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until mixture is smooth; add molasses and vanilla.

In another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and spices; stir in the minced ginger. Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until the dough begins to come together. Turn out dough onto a clean surface and knead gently until combined.

Divide dough in half and shape into two 12″ long rolls. Place the rolls on the prepared cookie sheet, and then pat each one down into a flat log, which should be roughly 3 inches wide and 3/4 inches thick, leaving at least 2 inches of space between the logs.

Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.

When cool enough to handle, place the logs on a cutting board and cut with a serrated knife held slightly at an angle into 3/4 inch wide slices.

Arrange the slices on the baking sheet, placing them cut side down, and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes per side or until crisp. Set on a wire rack to cool completely. If desired, drizzle biscotti with melted dark chocolate and sprinkle with chopped almonds.

Sweets for a Saturday #77

1. Lofthouse Sugar Cookie Bars - The Royal Cook

Oh boy do I ever know how good these are!

2. Peanut Butter Bars - The Royal Cook

Peanut butter and chocolate are the perfect combo!

3. Gooey Cookies n' Cream Bars - In Her Chucks

This picture is worth a thousand words.

4. Texas Sheet Cake - Marty's Musings

Mmm, chocolate!

5. Rainbow Swirl Cookies - Food Fun Life

These cookies are like a work of art!


The Rules:

1. Please link up to the URL of your post, not the URL of your main blog. When it asks for "Name", type in the name of your treat.
2. Please leave a link back to this post in your post or Grab My Button.
3. Share your delicious sweets from this week. If you've made more than one during the week, feel free to link them all up.
4. Leave me a comment telling me that you've linked up.
5. Please visit at least two others and comment on their wonderful additions to this party.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Filled Peanut Butter Cookie Cups

I realize it's been a while since I posted about anything, really. But, I recently got a new job that's keeping me hopping and working late hours. As a result, I haven't been able to bake until this past weekend and boy did it feel good to be back in the kitchen whipping up something sweet. Talk about baking withdrawal! But, I'm back now with, surprise, surprise, another cookie cup.


A while back, I posted about some Chocolate Cookie Cups with a peanut butter filling. Well, since I said you can't go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter, I then had to do another cookie cup, this time with the flavor combo in reverse. So, I made a peanut butter cookie cup and filled it with my Muddy Buddy Filling (chocolate + peanut butter). And OMG, I was in absolute heaven when I took a bite of these. Seriously, if I get stranded on a desert island someday, I hope I wash up there with a supply of chocolate and peanut butter. I'll be good to go. At least until my supply runs out. In which case, I hope I'll also wash up on the island with a satellite phone so that I can either get more or leave the island.



But, I digress. If you're a chocolate peanut butter fan like me, and I have a hunch you are, you're gonna want to make these cookie cups. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone if you devour the whole batch yourself. I totally understand.

Muddy Buddy Filled Peanut Butter Cookie Cups (created by Sweet as Sugar Cookies)

Peanut Butter Cookie Cups (adapted from Beantown Baker and Magnolia Bakery Cookbook)

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 c. peanut butter
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp. milk (I omitted this)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. chopped peanuts (I added this)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Filling (Sweet as Sugar Cookies)

1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 c. creamy peanut butter

For decorating:

melted peanut butter (optional)
melted chocolate (optional)
chopped peanuts (optional)

Melt the chocolate chips with the peanut butter in the microwave or in a double boiler. Stir together to combine.

Preheat oven to 350F. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Beat the butter and peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the chopped peanuts.

Grease several mini muffin tins. Scoop up the dough, 3 Tbsp. at a time, and fill each muffin cup. Bake for 20-25 min. until a toothpick comes out clean (the time may vary, depending on your oven).

Remove from oven, and, while still warm, make a dent the size of a mini muffin in the center of each one with a spoon or your finger. Chill the muffin tin in the fridge for at least 30-60 min. before removing the cookies.

When cookies are cooled, remove from the tins and fill with the chocolate-peanut butter filling. Drizzle with melted peanut butter or chocolate or top with more chopped peanuts, if desired. Chill in the fridge to help the filling set.