The lovely purveyors of TCHO were kind enough to send me three samples of their chocolate flavors: Chocolatey (which I’d reviewed in a previous beta version), Fruity, and Nutty. After having a few squares and submitting our feedback online CK and I still had quite a bit of chocolate kicking around in our fridge. So I decided to make good on my previous idea that this rich dark chocolate would be an excellent addition to cookies.

I’ve become obsessed with sandwiching sweet things to other sweet things with even more sugary things lately. So it only seemed natural to make mini TCHO laced Chocolate Chip Cookies (a mixture of chopped up fruity and nutty) and secure the two halves together with a rich filling made with melted TCHO Chocolately squares.

The resulting cookies, if I do say so myself, were a chocolate overload of tastiness. But you don’t have to take my word for it. CK’s boss, Dave, had an extremely exuberant reaction to them.

TCHO Beta Stuffed Cookies
(Cookie based on the Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip cookie recipe published in the Got Milk? Cookie Book by Peggy Cullen)

2 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
6 tablespoons white sugar
6 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (6 ounces) chocolate chunks or chips (Note: I used a mixture of finely chopped TCHO Fruity & Nutty)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugars, salt, and vanilla until well combined. Beat in the egg. Scrape down the bowl using a rubber spatula and beat for a few more seconds.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix on low speed just until absorbed. Add the chocolate chunks and stir into the dough.

For perfectly uniform cookies, scoop the dough using a small diameter ice-cream scoop (around 1 3/8”), leveling the dough off across the top before dropping onto the silpat lined (or greased) baking sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until edges are golden. Let sit for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

TCHO Chocolate Filling:
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons Crisco
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 ounce melted dark chocolate (Note: I used TCHO Chocolatey)
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1-2 tablespoons of water (Optional)

Mix the first five ingredients together in a small bowl. If the mixture doesn’t appear smooth enough add in 1-2 tablespoons of water until you reach a spreadable consistency. If the mixture is too wet, simply stir in a little extra confectioner’s sugar.

To assemble, gently spread filling onto half of the cooled cookies and top with the remaining cookies.

One of my grocery store foes happens to be the mini peanut butter cups at Trader Joe’s. Every time I go to pick up perfectly acceptable items like zucchini and milk I walk by the aisle that they live in and stare at them with barely concealed mouthwatering longing. For three years I’ve managed to reign myself in and not add them to my cart, but last week the temptation proved too great and I came home with a box. As I suspected, I had absolutely no will power what-so-ever when it came to these miniature peanut butter minions as I promptly sat down the next afternoon and allowed them to keep me “company” while watching a tivoed Project Runway episode. If CK hadn’t come out of his office before Tim Gunn started telling everyone to “make it work” I’m quite sure I would have eaten them all.

So In an effort to curtail this bad snacking behavior I decided my best course of action would be to bake the evil treats into something and send them into the world for other people to enjoy and establish peanut butter addictions to. But if we’re going to be bad, I figured, be bad all the way.  So with a few simple additions to the previously showcased Chocolate Chip Filled Melting Moments recipe I created a silky peanut butter version of the cookies, gloriously sandwiched with a buttery peanut butter icing and studded with mini peanut butter cups. Get that gallon of milk ready and make sure it’s skim because you’re going to need it!

As for me, I’m hopefully back on the candy free wagon.

Triple Peanut Butter Melting Moments
Inspired by the Chocolate Chip Filled Melting Moments recipe found in Elinor Klivans’s The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook published by Chronicle Books

Cookies
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Filling (Note: I tend to double the below icing recipe so that my melting moments are a bit overstuffed).
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/8 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup miniature peanut butter cups (Note: I purchased mine at Trader Joe’s)

Position a rack in the middle of he oven. Preheat the oven to 300º F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Make the cookies. Sift both flours, the cornstarch, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, peanut butter, and powdered sugar until smooth and lightened slightly in color, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the owl as needed during mixing. Add the vanilla and mix until blended. On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just until it is incorporated and a smooth dough forms.

For each cookie, roll a level tablespoon of dough between the palms of your hands into a smooth ball. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Use a fork to gently flatten the cookies to 1 1/4 inch disks, leaving an impression of the fork tines. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the tops feel firm and the cookie bottoms are lightly browned, about 30 minutes; the tops of the cookies should not color. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the filling. In a medium bowl, use a wooden spoon to stir the butter, peanut butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla together until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter cups.

Turn half of the cooled cookies bottom side up, and use a thin metal spatula to spread a rounded teaspoon of filling evenly over each one. Place the remaining cookies right side up on the filing, and press gently.

The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

For the record I have been so incredibly impressed with all of the Tovolo products I’ve been using over the last few weeks. The molds I used for Popsicle Week were all distributed by Tovolo and the ice cream sandwich molds I tested for this post were no exception. With the assistance of these cute contraptions making ice cream sandwiches becomes incredibly easy. You begin by baking your favorite soft and chewy cookie recipe. I made a batch of Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, of course. Next, you allow them to cool slightly before cutting out the cookies with whichever shape you decide to use. This kit comes with a heart, star, and a squircle. I’m not making that up. They actually refer to the odd shaped mold as a “squircle.”  There’s also a kit that comes with animal shapes (a chicken, cow, and pig) if that’s more your style. After cutting out your cookie shapes let them cool completely on a wire rack. Finally, assemble the cookies by placing one cookie in the mold, adding a scoop of ice cream, topping with an additional cookie, and firmly applying pressure with the cookie press. Voila! A cute ice cream sandwich is born. If you aren’t going to eat the treats immediately you’ll definitely want to place them in the freezer as they start to melt quickly.

I can definitely imagine using something like this for a child’s slumber party, birthday party, or even as an interactive end to a grown-up dinner party. Just bake the cookie shapes ahead of time and set out the molds, ice cream, and bowls of sprinkles for your guests to use.

Note: There’s actually an “xoxo” engraved on the cookie press. I was really excited about this because it made me think of that show Gossip Girl. It’s hard to see in my photos, probably because of the type of cookie I baked, but I believe if you used a lighter colored sugar cookie or peanut butter cookie you’d be able to see the detail much more clearly.

PS: Many thanks to Anna D for giving me these as a birthday gift last month! Do my friends know me well, or what?

Don’t forget! You have until Noon (EST) on Friday, June 13 to enter the contest to win your very own copy of The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook. Simply follow this link and leave a comment. It couldn’t be easier.

I don’t know what you’re feelings are on this, but in our home baked goods are often eaten for breakfast. Not by me though. Yes, CK has a serious morning sweet tooth. Cookies, brownies, cupcakes, or pie are all fair game in his eyes. His rational for consuming sugar laden treats before 9:00 AM is as follows: if I can eat a muffin, why can’t I eat a cookie? I don’t know guys…it makes sense to him. So while I’m choking down Grape Nuts or a Sweet & Salty Granola bar, he digs into a plate of cookies and a tall glass of milk. At least he chases it all with a multi-vitamin.

Instead of discouraging his habit though, I’m an enabler and make recipes like this one for Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. At the very least this cookie has some actual breakfast appropriate aspects to it (hello?! bananas! oatmeal!). I might even go so far as to call it a “breakfast cookie” if that label takes away any guilt we might feel after secretly scarfing down this amazing concoction in the wee hours of the morning.

Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Elinor Klivans’s The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook published by Chronicle Books

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup oatmeal (not quick-cooking)
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
2 bananas, cut into 1/4 to1/3 inch pieces

Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and butter the paper (Note: I just used a silpat).

In a small bowl, stir the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together, set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smoothly blended, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until blended, about 1 minute. The mixture may look slightly curdled. On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just until it is incorporated. Mix in the oatmeal. Mix in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Use a large spoon to mix in the banana pieces, mixing just until they are evenly distributed and some of the pieces are mashed but most are still visible, about 20 seconds.

Use a tablespoon to drop heaping spoonfuls of dough (about 3 level tablespoons each) onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies 3 inches apart. Note: I used a large scoop.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the edges are lightly browned and the tops look dry, about 18 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, than use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container, layered between sheets of wax paper, at room temperature for up to 3 days.

UPDATE: Don’t forget! You have until Noon (EST) on Friday, June 13 to enter the contest to win your very own copy of The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook. Simply follow this link and leave a comment. It couldn’t be easier.

If I had my way, every cookbook published would have to include an image of each recipe housed between its covers. Now, if I were an omniscient being, something similar perhaps to the bizarre alien main character in Stephanie Meyer’s new novel The Host, I would totally conduct a study of people surrounding me whether or not they try recipes in cookbooks when they don’t have a corresponding image. I know from my own personal experience that I’m much less likely to make something, especially if it’s a recipe for a dish I’m unfamiliar with if there isn’t a gorgeous picture adjacent to the instructions. I don’t care if Charles Dickens himself writes a resounding review of the world’s most decadent dessert, if there isn’t an illustration your chances of ever being brought to my table are lowered exponentially.

Thankfully Elinor Klivans, the author of The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook, or perhaps her production team, had the good sense to include a heavenly reproduction of the Chocolate Chip Filled Melting Moment cookies. I couldn’t possibly resist the airy qualities of these treats. Even full of sugar and butter they retain a light and delicate texture that screams Victorian tea party. So invite over Mrs. Havisham, Pip, and company and dig in. These cookies go quickly. Note: I actually doubled the filling in the below recipe. I’m a bit of a glutton when it comes to cookie filling. You can follow my example or not, but I’m definitely of the “more is best” camp when it comes to buttery icings.

Chocolate Chip Filled Melting Moments
Adapted from Elinor Klivans’s The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook published by Chronicle Books

Cookies
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flour
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Position a rack in the middle of he oven. Preheat the oven to 300º F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Make the cookies. Sift both flours, the cornstarch, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and powdered sugar until smooth and lightened slightly in color, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the owl as needed during mixing. Add the vanilla and mix until blended. On low speed, add the flour mixture, mixing just until it is incorporated and a smooth dough forms.

For each cookie, roll a level tablespoon of dough between the palms of your hands into a smooth ball. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Use a fork to gently flatten the cookies to 1 1/4 inch disks, leaving an impression of the fork tines. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the tops feel firm and the cookie bottoms are lightly browned, about 30 minutes; the tops of the cookies should not color. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the filling. In a medium bowl, use a wooden spoon to stir the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla together until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Turn half of the cooled cookies bottom side up, and use a thin metal spatula to spread a rounded teaspoon of filling evenly over each one. Place the remaining cookies right side up on the filing, and press gently.

The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

I’m an impulse shopper, especially when it comes to kitchen gadgets and products.  If you show me something pretty, shiny, or god forbid pink and it somehow relates to cooking than I absolutely have to possess it.  So when I got a new product email from Williams-Sonoma last week featuring animal crackers on parade and the promise of making them in my own home I went temporarily insane and made a beeline straight to the store to pick up the cookie cutters and a mix to try at home.

In some ways these purchases remind me of the way it used to feel when I was a kid and I would successfully talk my mom into buying me yet another She-Ra doll even though someone really should have put up a “no vacancy” sign at the Crystal Castle long ago.  The fictional inhabitants of the Whispering Woods were already experiencing some serious overflow into my Victorian dollhouse, and the dollhouse dwellers were unimpressed cohabiting with a group of buxom, pastel haired gladiators.  Or so I would imagine… but I had to have more!

Today I decided to test out the animal cracker kit so I mixed up the dough, chilled it, and cut out the cute little circus shapes.  I had a hard time at first.  The lions were being stubborn and I broke a lot of the giraffes’ necks, but somehow via some miracle I didn’t have a fit and I got everything cut out, chilled again, and properly baked.  The cookie mix was very good.  It almost tastes exactly like animal crackers from the store.  The clerk at Williams-Sonoma told me that he had tested the mix as well and he thought the baked cookies tasted like the animal crackers he ate as a kid, which apparently are not how animal crackers taste now.  While I can remember copious details about She-Ra, I’m at a loss when it comes to flavor memory so I’ll take his word for it.

I think that kids would love making these!  I don’t have any, but I have a CK and he happily munched a small plate with a glass of milk.  So now I own animal cracker cookie cutters forever and ever.  Who thinks I’ll ever use them again?

Note: Just so that you’re aware, if you purchase the cookie cutters the back of the circus car shaped box has a recipe on it so you don’t necessarily have to purchase a pre-made mix.