Marbled Chocolate Brownies

Oh man, it's the last recipe! I can hardly believe it. Luckily, I received the Perfect Brownie Pan for Christmas, and I used it for this last recipe for lower fat, lower calorie brownies. Some notable ingredients include margarine, egg whites, lower-fat cream cheese (neufchatel cheese), and unsweetened applesauce. This is also interesting in that it's one of those brownie recipes that uses both melted semi-sweet chocolate and unsweetened cocoa powder.

I could swear that I may I have tasted some of the applesauce, but my mom said she didn't. Anyway, these brownies are pretty incredible. Their texture is extremely smooth and melt-in-your-mouth. Like, I'm not sure I've ever had such a smooth brownie before. It's pretty amazing. I'd give these a 4 out of 5. I would make them again. =)

Well, that's the end of the experiment! I've enjoyed it, and I hope those of you who got to share in it did as well.

Cheers!

~Jesia <3

Good-for-You Choc-Oat-Chip Cookies

Ahh, another lower calorie, lower fat recipe. These cookies involve unsweetened applesauce, margarine, egg whites, cinnamon, oats, nuts, and semi-sweet chocolate chips. The cinnamon isn't overpowering, but rather accents the chocolate and oats nicely. While the recipe says you can bake for 9-10 minutes for chewy cookies or 12-13 minutes for more crisp cookies, I baked them for 11 minutes and they're pretty much perfect. They're nice and chewy without being under or over-done.

These cookies are pretty darn tasty. I think I'd give them a solid 4 out of 5 rating. You really can't even tell that they're lower in fat and calories. That's pretty awesome, if you ask me. =)

One more!

Cheers!

~Jesia <3

Lower-Fat Blonde Brownies

This recipe was pretty mundane - nothing strange about it, really, except that there's a lot of brown sugar and no white sugar. Since it's a low-fat recipe, it calls for margarine, egg whites, and water. (I don't really understand the water part. I would think skim milk would be better, but whatevs.) The batter was kind of wet and really sticky, so I used a rubber spatula to spread it in the pan. I used foil and non-stick baking spray to make the finished brownies easier to get off the pan. It calls for a 10"x15" jelly roll pan, but the closest I have is about 11"x16", so that's what I used.

The one problem I had was this: The recipe said to bake for 20-25 minutes, and that it was done when the top was golden brown. After 20 minutes, the top was definitely, distinctly golden brown, but I was skeptical about its actual doneness because it was so soft. Fearing overbaking, I didn't put it back in the oven. That was probably a little mistake. The finished blondies were extremely, overly moist. So I'm pretty sure they were a little underdone... Oh well. You live and you learn.

These were pretty good blondies, but nothing special. I'd probably give them a 3 out of 5.

Only two more recipes!! And then what? ....No idea. But the experiment will officially be over once 2011 starts.

Cheers!

~Jesia <3

Chocolate Gingerbread Boys and Girls

I'd never made gingerbread men before today, and I enjoyed it. The spices (ginger and cinnamon) aren't overpowering, and they accent the chocolate nicely. 1 1/2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate is mixed into the dough instead of cocoa, along with 1/2 cup of molasses, making these cookies extra dark and flavorful. This is one of those recipes that requires planning ahead, since the dough needs to chill for at least an hour before being rolled out and cut. The dough is pretty dense and a little difficult to work with, but it makes some tasty cookies. ^_^ I drizzled them with semi-sweet chocolate as directed in the recipe, but I ended up not decorating them further with icing. The white cookie icing I bought wasn't meant for any kind of detail work; I think it was more for icing an entire cookie as thin as it was. Oh well. You live and you learn. (It was Betty Crocker brand cookie icing in a little bag, by the way.) A thicker icing that hardens would be ideal, like maybe royal icing.

I'd give this recipe a 4 out of 5. It's a great holiday cookie recipe, especially if you're looking for something a little out of the ordinary. (At least, I hadn't heard of chocolate gingerbread until this recipe.) So yep, if you like chocolate and spice, definitely give these a try. =) I'm leaving out a couple for Santa Claus tonight.

Cheers, and Merry Christmas!

~Jesia <3

Super Easy Chocolate Mint Triangles

I had to wait until after Thanksgiving to make this recipe so that I could get ahold of the limited edition dark chocolate and mint morsels that Toll House puts out during the holidays. The crust is made of finely crushed chocolate sandwich cookies - I used holiday Oreos with red cream in the middle. On top of the crust is 1 1/2 cups of nuts, 1 cup of coconut, and 10 oz. of chocolate and mint chips, and it's drizzled with sweetened condensed milk. The sweetened condensed milk pretty much makes everything stick together. These triangles are really chewy, and the mint is nice and refreshing. This is another one of those recipes that is difficult to deal with as far as cutting, but I did my best and had my mom help me. I'd recommend refrigerating before cutting to minimize loss of the topping.

Like I said, these are extremely chewy. The mint and chocolate flavor is great. I just personally don't like coconut and nuts... I'd give these a 3 1/2 out of 5. The recipe also says that you can substitute pretty much any other flavor of chips for the mint chocolate, which is nice given that the mint and chocolate ones are now seasonal.

Only four more to go! Cheers!

~Jesia <3

Double Chocolate Chip Brownies

I do believe this is the first time I've dealt with a lower-fat recipe that involved applesauce, though I have heard of using it. It was pretty interesting. You melt together semi-sweet chocolate chips, sugar, unsweetened applesauce, and a little margarine over low heat on the stove, then stir in the rest of the ingredients like usual. Again, this recipe used egg whites, and I was a little surprised at how much sugar was called for (1 cup) given that apple sauce was also in there to add some natural sweetness. Though, it might be that the apple sauce is there to add moisture moreso than sweetness, because these brownies are nice and chewy and moist. Having some whole chocolate chips inside the brownies makes them nice and chocolatey too. You can't even really tell that they're lower in fat and calories than regular! And again, it would be interesting to use Splenda in place of sugar to see how different it might be, and it would also cut out even more calories.

I left the nuts out since they were optional. Like I said, these brownies are chewy, moist, and chocolatey. You can't taste the applesauce in them - they taste just like regular brownies. That's a pretty exellent "light" recipe, if you ask me. I'd give them a 4 out of 5. Good stuff, good stuff.

Only five more recipes! Three of them are light recipes, and the other two I saved specifically for the holidays. Toll House finally released their limited edition dark chocolate and mint chips for the holidays, so that's a relief. My back-up plan was to use Andes chips, but I don't think it would've been quite the same. I'll be back and baking again after finals week! Look out, world. The Toll House Experiment is almost complete!

Cheers!

~Jesia <3

Slimmer Chocolate Crinkle-Top Cookies

I have to say that this is quite excellent for a lower-fat, lower-calorie cookie recipe. Melted and whole semi-sweet chocolate chips make these cookies chocolatey, and a roll in powdered sugar makes them especially sweet. The edges are a little crisp while the centers are chewy. These cookies are a little messy since they're covered generously in powdered sugar before baking, but it's sooo delicious. <3 I mean, who doesn't like sugar? I used an ice cream scoop like usual, then rolled the scooped dough in powdered sugar. I used parchment paper instead of cooking spray, which is less messy. Like the previous "light" recipe, margarine and egg whites are used instead of butter and whole eggs to cut down on the fat and calories. As I suggested before, it may be possible to use Splenda in place of granulated sugar to further cut calories.

This wasn't a difficult recipe. The only downside of it is that the dough must firm up in the refrigerator before you can bake. I would definitely make this recipe again. The texture and sweetness are just excellent. I give this recipe a 4 out of 5. Good stuff. ;)

Only 6 more recipes to go! =O
Cheers!

~Jesia <3

Sensibly Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies

I think this is my first time "baking light." Toll House recommends that, when using margarine, to make sure that it is no less than 60% vegetable oil (so no "diet" margarine or "spreads"). I went with Best Life brand buttery baking sticks, since they are specifically made for baking and are 65% vegetable oil. Also to make this recipe "light," you use egg whites instead of whole eggs, as well as some water. Since there's little fat in these cookies compared to regular ones, the recipe calls for lightly greasing the baking sheets. Instead of lightly greasing I used parchment paper, which I find works just as well and is less messy.

I would imagine that, to make this recipe even lighter, one could use Splenda or a similar no-calorie sweetener that can be used cup-for-cup in place of sugar; Splenda has both white and brown varieties. I haven't tried this, but it would be an interesting experiment to see if it turns out more or less the same.

These cookies turned out a little thin; I'm not surprised that they spread so much because the batter was pretty wet and sticky. The edges are a little crisp, while the centers are chewy and soft, which is great. I have to say, that in comparison to regular chocolate chip cookies, these aren't AS good. But that is to be expected! They're pretty good for being about 94 calories and 4 grams of fat apiece (since I didn't use nuts, I imagine my cookies are just a little less than that). As far as compared to regular recipes, I'd give these a 3 out of 5. They aren't anything special, but again, they're pretty good for what they are!

Cheers! Only 7 more recipes to go!

~Jesia <3

Pumpkin Spiced and Iced Cookies

I saved this recipe specifically for Thanksgiving since they contain pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice; I figure it's like pumpkin pie in a cookie! They also have semi-sweet chocolate chips, and they're drizzled with vanilla glaze. The walnuts in this recipe were optional, so I opted out. It wasn't an unusual recipe to put together. The batter was interesting though, since it contained an entire 15 oz. can of pumpkin. The cookies don't really spread in the oven, so they turn out small and puffy. My dad describes their texture as "fluffy," and I would agree with that.

I'm not really a fan of pumpkin, but the chocolate and pumpkin pie spice make an interesting combination. The vanilla glaze keeps the cookies sticky and moist and sweet. I'd give them a 3 or 3 1/2 out of 5. I'm sure I would like them better if I liked pumpkin, but at least other people enjoy them. It's a good thing I have friends who like pumpkin, because this recipe makes 5 1/2 dozen! Sara went out of her way to get some, and Luke ate one in one bite. =)

Happy Thanksgiving! Cheers!

~Jesia <3

Chocolate Fudge Peanut Butter Brownies

Mmm, nom nom nom... This is the same recipe that I last posted (Chocolate Fudge Brownies), except this time they've got a swirl of sweet peanut butter through them to make them even more decadent. Peanut butter and chocolate is one of my personal favorite flavor combinations, and this recipe doesn't disappoint. These brownies are chewy, soft, and moist. And the peanut butter swirl is easy to do as well! Just combine 1/2 cup of peanut butter (creamy or chunky; I used creamy), 3 tablespoons of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of milk; microwave for 45 seconds on high; and stir. You spoon the peanut butter mixture on top of the brownie mix in the pan then swirl it before putting it in the oven. Yum!

I'd give this a 4 out of 5. The peanut butter swirl definitely adds some pizazz to an otherwise plain brownie recipe without sacrificing the moist and chewy texture. Good stuff, Toll House, good stuff. It's lucky that I was able to get a picture of these brownies before they were all gone - the ones in the picture were the last two left when I got up this morning!

Thanksgiving is coming up soon, and for that I saved a recipe called Pumpkin Spiced and Iced Cookies; they have pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, chocolate chips, and a vanilla glaze. It should be interesting!

Cheers!

~Jesia <3

Chocolate Fudge Brownies

These brownies are super chocolatey, chewy, and moist. <3 It was interesting to make, too. You cook butter, sugar, and water in the microwave for 4-5 minutes, then stir in 4 oz. of unsweetened chocolate baking squares until they've melted and the concoction is smooth. Then you stir in the rest of the ingredients and bake it for 15-20 minutes. Tada! You would almost think that they're from a box with how chocolatey and delicious they are.

I'd give these at least a 4 out of 5. They're an excellent basic brownie. I am actually making these again next weekend because there is a variation to the recipe which includes a swirl of peanut butter. Mmm... <3

Cheers!

~Jesia <3

Triple Chocolate Cookies

Three words: soft, chewy, chocolatey. Oh yeah, and a little nutty. These chocolate chocolate chip cookies are like chewy little brownies with nuts. What makes them triple chocolate is cocoa powder, melted chocolate, and chocolate chips. I think I'd like them better without the nuts, myself, but they're good. You melt chocolate and butter together on the stovetop and handmix the rest of the ingredients from there to make a sticky dough. I used parchment paper to make them easy to get off the pans (the recipe calls for lightly greasing the cookie sheets). The cookies don't spread much in the oven and puff up a little, making them nice and moist and chewy.

I'd give these a 4 out of 5. They're good stuff, but not particularly remarkable or novel.

Cheers!

~Jesia <3

Macadamia Nut White Chip Pumpkin Cookies

This recipe is an autumn twist on a classic - white chip macadamia nut cookies with pumpkin, cinnamon, and cardamom. I'm not personally a fan of pumpkin, but these cookies are pretty good. They're very soft and moist, sweet with just enough spice, and relatively easy to make. I honestly didn't know where to find canned pumpkin; I looked in the baking and canned vegetable aisles to no avail, but then found it on the bottom of a display shelf. Also, I was shocked at the price of ground cardamom, a spice I've never used before: $10 for a cannister. It really does add a nice flavor to the cookies, but if you don't want to spend that much there are suggestions for cardamom substitutes on the Internet (usually involving mixtures of ginger and other spices). I'd give these cookies a 3 1/2 out of 5.

Cheers! This the end of the recipes for October. The next couple of weekends are going to be busy, so see ya in November!

~Jesia <3

Peanut Butter Chocolate Layer Bars

This recipe is basically as follows: combine crumbled Nutter Butter cookies and butter and press into a pan to form a crust, then top with chopped peanuts, chocolate chips, and flaked coconut; to finish it off, drizzle a can of sweetened condensed milk to make it all stick together, and bake it. Like other recipes of this type, it was a little difficult to cut and take the pieces apart. I let it cool overnight, and my mom turned the pan over onto wax paper, peeled the foil off the bars, turned them back over, and cut them again. Apparently that method worked quite well. Thanks, Mom!

These bars are extremely chewy. The odd combination of ingredients makes for an interesting texture and taste. The peanut and chocolate flavors are most potent, while the coconut gives the bars a chewy texture. I'd give this recipe a 3 out of 5. I had actually forgotten that Nutter Butter cookies exist and at first I was going to use peanut butter Oreos; I bet that would be an excellent choice too, though! Especially for chocolate lovers.

Cheers!

~Jesia <3

Mini Morsel Shortbread Squares

Warning: This recipe is rated PDT for "Pretty Darn Tasty." Shortbread is a really simple kind of cookie, usually soft in texture. This recipe is basically a shortbread cookie plus chocolate, and it's great. You can mainly taste the butter and chocolate in this recipe, and who doesn't like butter and chocolate? (That question is rhetorical, by the way; I realize that people have different tastes.) I feel like this recipe captures the simplicity of the shortbread cookie while mixing things up a little with the mini morsels. It's a simple dough to make and bake. After baking, you take the reserved mini morsels (that you didn't put in the dough) and sprinkle them on top. Once they're shiny, you spread them with a spatula until it becomes a smooth chocolate topping. While dense-looking, these cookies are soft and just right in texture - not too heavy, dry, or crumbly. I'd give these a 4 out of 5. ^_^

Cheers!

~Jesia <3

Rocky Road Squares

Sooo, this recipe is a good idea in theory, but... In reality it is very messy. First off, I had trouble finding the right kind of fudge brownie mix - 21.5 ounces calling for 1/2 cup of water. All but one box of mix called for only 1/4 cup of water; the one I ended up with was 20.5 ounces, calling for 1/2 cup of water, and was a low-fat fudge brownie mix. Anyway, you mix it up as directed except you replace the 1/2 cup of water with 1/2 cup of evaporated milk, then bake as directed. Once it's out of the oven you top it with 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 1/2 cups of coursely chopped walnuts, and 2 cups of miniature marshmallows, then you put it back in the oven for 3-5 minutes. Then there was trouble with cutting and pulling the brownies away from each other evenly. I'm not sure if there really is a good way of cutting brownies with toppings like that. (Though, I am asking for a Perfect Brownie pan for Christmas.)

The brownie itself is nice and chewy, which is great. Overall though, these brownies are just pretty good. I personally don't like the nuts, but the rest of it is good stuff. I'd give these a 3 1/2 out of 5. I wouldn't be in a hurry to make them again, unless I had that Perfect Brownie pan.

Cheers!

~Jesia <3

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brittle

So, I've heard of candy called "brittle," and I've made a peppermint "bark" before, but I didn't realize that there was such a thing as cookie brittle. The dough is easy to make. There is no leavener (baking soda or powder) and no brown sugar, probably to keep the cookie a little more dense and less chewy. I used a regular cookie sheet with raised edges since I don't have a 10"x15" jelly roll pan, and I used foil as usual with my bar cookies to make them easier to lift out of the pan. The sheet of cookie dough baked up nice and golden brown and took a while to cool. The only real issue I had with this recipe was the chocolate drizzle... I used a quart-sized freezer Ziploc bag, and when I got the bag of chocolate out of the microwave and began to knead it, the bag busted. v.v I went ahead and cut a small hole in the corner like usual and did my best. I really don't know why I've had so much trouble with drizzle lately... After the chocolate set, I lifted the brittle out of the pan with the foil and broke it up with my hands into uneven pieces.

This recipe is pretty good. You can definitely taste the butter in it. I think I'd give it a 3 1/2 out of 5. While I would consider making it again sometime, the taste isn't quite "wow" worthy. Also, there is a cup of nuts in this recipe, but because they were finely chopped they hide well within the dense cookie. The recipe does note that omitting the nuts could make the brittle dry, which makes sense since nuts contain fat (the good kind, mind you). Good stuff, Toll House, good stuff.

Cheers!

~Jesia <3

Easy Butterscotch Chip Cookies

These cookies really are incredibly easy as well as tasty. All you need is a box of chocolate cake mix, 1/2 cup of oil, 2 eggs, and a bag of butterscotch chips (you can also add 1/2 cup of pecans, but I opted out on those). I mixed the first three ingredients together by hand to make a really thick chocolatey dough, and then added the chips. It was a little difficult stirring the chips into dough that thick by hand, but I managed. =) Then just scoop out cookies onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. *Ding!* It's that simple. I love recipes like this that involve using a mix for other than its originally intended purpose. It's just so clever! x3

I'd give these babies a 4 out of 5. They're good and I would make them again, definitely (and maybe try out different flavors sometime). The chocolate cake mix and butterscotch chips somehow meld together to make something magical with minimal effort, which is perfect for busy people.

Cheers!

~Jesia <3

Chewy Cocoa Brownies

This is a very basic brownie recipe, and since nuts were labeled "optional" I opted out of using them. Once nice thing is that you could probably find all of the ingredients in your kitchen without having to make that extra stop at the grocery, and if you happened to have nuts or chocolate chips or frosting on hand you could use that to make them a little extra special. Like I said, they're very basic, so much so that I honestly would rather use a brownie mix if given the choice between the two. There's nothing bad about the recipe, it's just more trouble than a mix, and I think a mix may even be more flavorful (since they "add pudding" and such to a lot of mixes these days). But like I said, if you have all the ingredients on hand and don't want to go out and get a mix, it's a good recipe. The sprinkle of powdered sugar adds a nice touch, too.

These are pretty average, so I'd give them a 3 out of 5. They are very moist and chewy as the name implies, and you don't need any chocolate chips or chocolate baking squares or any of the like - just some regular baking cocoa powder.

Cheers!

~Jesia <3

Cream Cheese-Chocolate Chip Pastry Cookies

Oh man, these are pretty awesome. Definitely something that you could serve at a cafe. Also, it's easy to put together and only takes four ingredients: frozen puff pastry, milk chocolate chips, cream cheese, and sugar. The only downside is all the waiting time involved in this recipe. First, you let the frozen puff pastry thaw according to the package directions (40 minutes, in my case). Then you roll one of the puff pastry sheets out on a floured surface until it's about 10"x14". You mix together 8 oz. of cream cheese with 3 tablespoons of sugar, and spread half of it on the rolled out puff pastry. Then you sprinkle one cup of milk chocolate chips, roll it up into a log, and seal the edge using a little water. You repeat this process again with the remaining ingredients and put both logs in the fridge for an hour (see what I mean about wait time?). After refrigerating, you cut the logs crosswise into one-inch rolls; each log makes a dozen cookies. I actually cut off the ends of the logs where there was little or no filling so that the cookies would be as consistent as possible. They're baked at 375 degrees on a lightly greased pan for 20-25 minutes. I went ahead and baked the log-ends too and ate them. Lol.

So, again, this recipe is easy and doesn't require many ingredients, but you definitely have to plan in advance to make them. It's not something you can just whip out last minute, not only because of the wait times but also because the ingredients aren't likely to be on hand in your kitchen. Or, at least, they're not in my kitchen. =P The only thing I don't like about the way these cookies baked was that some of the chocolate chips on the bottoms of the rolls kind of spilled out a little, which I don't find terribly attractive. But the taste is simple and great. The cream cheese isn't overwhelming, and there's just something about pastry and chocolate together that is just wonderful. I wouldn't be inclined to call these cookies any more than I'd be inclined to call cinnamon rolls "cookies," but oh well. It doesn't matter what they're called as long as they're tasty, and they are. <3 I'd give these a 4 out of 5. It was tempting to drizzle a little icing; maybe I'll try that sometime. =)

Cheers, and on to October!

~Jesia <3

Chocolate Oatmeal Bars

This recipe was pretty simple - a cookie crust flavored with milk chocolate chips, oatmeal, finely chopped walnuts, and cinnamon, topped with melted milk chocolate and finely chopped walnuts. The dough is pretty standard, except that there's no salt or leavener (baking soda/powder) involved. Once out of the oven, you sprinkle the remaining milk chocolate chips on top of the hot crust, wait a couple minutes, then spread the chocolate until smooth and top it with the remaining nuts. I was a little surprised that the directions didn't recommend refrigeration at some point, since the chocolate remains shiny and melty even after sitting a while. Of course, there's nothing wrong with this, but I decided not to stack them to lessen the chance of a mess.

I like that this recipe uses milk chocolate, since it's nice and sweet. Also, the cinnamon complements the chocolate well without being overpowering; there's just enough cinnamon to give it flavor, but not too much. The bars are a little dense and chewy, and the melted chocolate on top is just excellent. I'd give these bars a 3 1/2 out of 5. They're good, but not one of my personal favorites.

Cheers!

~Jesia <3

Banana Bars

Well, this was just a fruity kind of weekend! This recipe involves mashed bananas and mini semi-sweet chocolate morsels. The dough was easy to make and bake. Like usual with bar cookies, I lined the pan with foil and used cooking spray. However, these bars come out a little delicate after baking. Once they cooled I cut them into bars, sifted powdered sugar over them, and when I had trouble getting them up with a spatula I started picking up each bar and peeling the foil off the bottom with my fingers. This worked well, except that a thin layer of the bar usually stuck to the foil. Oh well, you can't win them all, and it worked well enough. =)

You can definitely taste the banana flavor in these bars, but I wouldn't say it's overwhelming. The bars are pretty soft and relatively mild tasting. I'd give this recipe a 3 out of 5. Of course, if you love bananas and chocolate, you'll probably love these.

Cheers!

~Jesia <3

Butterscotch Apple Cookies

I saved this recipe for fall because it has grated apple, apple juice, butterscotch, cinnamon, and nuts. Some of the things I think of when it comes to fall is caramel apples and the local apple festival, so it sounded like a great match to me. I guess the only difficult part about making the dough was grating a whole apple. Luckily I had my fearless assistant Lucas to help me - once I got the apple down to a certain point, I was afraid of cutting my fingers on the grater. So Luke jumped in and finished it off down to the core, and without hurting himself! Yay! =) When it came to putting the butterscotch glaze on the cookies, we actually ran out (like I did when I made the Frosted Maple Pecan White Chip Cookies), but luckily I had some butterscotch morsels leftover from a previous recipe and we made some more. If you try this recipe yourself, it might not be a bad idea to use just a little bit less of the chips in the dough than the recipe says so that you can have plenty to make the glaze. I also used a little bit more apple juice in the glaze so that it wasn't too thick but also so that it still firmed up.

This was a fun fall recipe. The cookies look kind of like caramel apples (you'd just have to put a stick in them), so that was cute. One thing I didn't like was that the cookies were a bit difficult to get off the pan without some of the bottoms of them coming off onto the spatula (even though the recipe calls for lightly greasing the pan). Also, the cookies are pretty soft and delicate, so you have to be careful when moving them around so that you don't break them. Despite the bits of difficulty with this recipe, I'd reccomend it for fall holiday parties or even if you just like apple. I'd give it... a 3 1/2 out of 5.

Cheers!

~Jesia <3

Double Espresso Brownies

There's nothing like the smell of chocolate and coffee. It's the epitome of "bittersweet." These brownies could easily be served in a cafe like Starbucks, or in a nice restaurant as an after-dinner treat to be served with coffee. The recipe was pretty different in that everything took place on the stovetop, including making the frosting. The brownies are flavored with a tablespoon of instant coffee crystals (I couldn't find instant espresso powder) and a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips; similarly, the icing contains a teaspoon of instant coffee and a cup of chocolate chips. I suppose the only tricky thing about this recipe is making sure you don't burn anything, which is easy to do on the stovetop. It also took quite a while for the mixtures to come to a boil, so this recipe requires patience.

They're quite delicious, though maybe not something I would want to make often. These brownies are rich as well as unique, and while I don't consider the coffee flavor to be overwhelming, people who dislike coffee aren't as likely to enjoy them. I would give this recipe a 4 out of 5.

Cheers!

~Jesia <3

Frosted Maple Pecan White Chip Cookies

I'm not sure what it is about the combination of maple and pecan, but it makes me think of fall. So I thought that this would be a good recipe to start out the month of September. This cookie recipe calls for both butter and shortening, which is definitely unusual. And while I'm not a fan of nuts, I felt that 1/2 cup of chopped pecans wasn't enough for the amount of dough this recipe makes. I felt like there needed to be either less dough or more nuts to make the mixture more even. I'm sure many of the cookies didn't get any nuts in them at all. Anyway, I ended up with 6 and a half dozen cookies total, and it took me quite a while to frost and top each one with a pecan half. Actually for the last dozen and a half or so, I had to make more frosting and substitute walnut pieces for pecan halves; I ran out!

These cookies are soft and chewy, and the maple and white chocolate flavors go wonderfully together. They're also cute! The frosting and pecan half on each cookie makes them visually appealing as well as tasty. I'd give this recipe a 4 out of 5 stars. It's a good start to a new month!

Cheers!

~Jesia <3

German Chocolate Brownies

This recipe was a bit of a challenge, mostly just because melting the caramels with the evaporated milk can be such a delicate - not to mention super sticky - process. I really like that this recipe uses a boxed chocolate cake mix for the base; it's easier and incredibly rich and delicious. Despite the use of nuts in this recipe, I think it's one of my new favorites. Unfortunately, tragedy struck for the second day in a row.

The brownies were still cooling in the pan when my parents and I were leaving the house for my mother's 50th birthday party. I decided to take the brownies with us in hopes of essentially "getting rid of" most of it (after all, I bake a lot!). I clipped the lid on to the pan, and as I stepped into the garage... one of the hinges on the lid popped off and the pan dropped, most of the gooey brownie mess ending up on the dingy, grey floor... I literally gasped, and my heart sank. We saved some of the brownie, but decided to leave it at home since it was no longer "cuttable." I mean, it was pretty much just a chocolatey, caramel gooey mess that you had to eat with a spoon at that point. Luckily, it was still warm, and we all had a taste before we left.

Despite dropping on the garage floor, these brownies were absolutely A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I will most definitely make them again sometime. They were warm and gooey with caramel, and just awesome. <3 I didn't even care that there were nuts in it. I'd give these babies at least a 4 1/2, if not a 5. They are seriously just... Oh. My. God. Awesome.

Cheers! And on to September!

~Jesia <3

White Chip Brownies

My dad affectionately calls these "The World's Best Brownies." I've made them several times before, and they're especially good warmed up and paired with vanilla ice cream and a little chocolate syrup. It's a pretty standard homemade brownie recipe, nothing too difficult about it... But for some reason I had trouble with the drizzle this time. =/ You see, you reserve 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips, melt them in a Ziploc bag in the microwave as per Toll House's directions, cut a small hole in the corner of the bag, and do a nice, pretty white drizzle finish over the brownies before serving. As you can see, the brownie in the picture is sadly naked... But it was not for a lack of trying.

For whatever reason, each time I tried to do the drizzle, the white chocolate became too hard in the bag for it to come out of the hole and, well, drizzle on top of the brownies. I tried FOUR times, using an entire bag of white chocolate chips, trying to get this right. It was bizarre because I've never had this much trouble with it before. I tried both quart-size and gallon-size freezer-grade Ziploc bags; I tried microwaving the chips for less time and more time than indicated; I tried placing the bag straight in the microwave and on top of a saucer... But each time the chocolate hardened in the bag. It was very disheartening and frustrating for me. ='(

Anyway, despite the lack of white drizzle, these brownies are still pretty darn amazing. They deserve a 4 1/2 (preferably with drizzle), and if you serve it up warm with ice cream it becomes an instant O-M-G 5-star dessert.

Cheers!

~Jesia <3

Chocolate Cinnamon Nut Bars

While I'm not sure how I feel about combining chocolate and cinnamon (it just seems odd to me, maybe because I'm not used to it), these bars are easy to make, look nice, and are very flavorful. The nuts add some bulk to the crust, and surprisingly they don't overwhelm the other flavors. Also, while there is a small amount of cinnamon in the crust, you can definitely taste it. I was a little concerned, because it didn't sound like much, but it's actually a good amount. The chocolate topping is a mixture of melted chocolate and other ingredients, and the batter is actually pretty gooey and thick, almost like brownie batter. It's an interesting recipe all the way around.

I'd give this a 4 out of 5. The taste is actually pretty amazing, even if I do think it's an odd combination.

Cheers!

~Jesia <3

Chocolate Walnut Pie Bars

This recipe is basically a sweet crust topped with a mixture containing chocolate chips and walnuts. I'm kind of amazed at how much sugar is in this recipe - there's 1/4 cup of brown sugar in the crust, 3/4 cup each of light corn syrup and sugar in the filling, plus the sugar in the semi-sweet chocolate chips. These bars are pretty good, even though I don't like walnuts. I'd give them a 3 out of 5. A lot of the other people who tried it loooooved it.

Cheers!

~Jesia <3

Frosted Brownies

These brownies are pretty basic and easy to make - they're chocolate brownies with nuts inside and topped with chocolate fudge frosting. The most difficult part was actually finding a certain Toll House ingredient necessary for this recipe, called Choco Bake. They're 1 ounce packages of pre-melted unsweetened chocolate. I suppose I could've melted unsweetened chocolate pieces that I already have in the pantry, but I wanted to make sure I got this right. According to Toll House's website, Wal-Mart was supposed to carry this ingredient, but I couldn't find it there or at IGA. Thankfully, I finally found it at Kroger. I seriously wondered for a while if I would be able to make this recipe since I couldn't find the ingredient, and at the time I wasn't sure exactly what it was and what would be a good substitute. I thought maybe Choco Bake had been discontinued since I couldn't find it, but nope! You just gotta look around a little harder and utilize Toll House's ingredient search to find a store nearby that sells it.

Despite the frosting, these brownies are not overly rich. I enjoy that they're nice and chocolatey, but not too much so, and they're nice and simple. They're a classic, I'd say. I'd make these again, therefore I'll award this recipe a 4 out of 5 star rating. ^_^

Cheers! The next two bars involve nuts... "THAT'S A LOT OF NUTS!"

~Jesia <3

White Chip Meringue Dessert Squares

These were pretty easy to make. It's a simple, sweet crust topped with white chocolate chips and nuts (I used slivered almonds), then spread with brown sugar meringue and sprinkled with more nuts. Of course, as I've said before, I don't like nuts, and I think I especially hate almonds. >< I found these bars to be a little dry and too nutty. The crust is nice and sweet, but for me at least the flavor of the almonds ruins the bar overall. Of course, if you like white chocolate, almonds, and meringue, you'll probably love this. I personally think it's my least favorite of all the recipes so far, and I'd give it a 1 1/2 out of 5 rating.

I have higher hopes for the next recipe: Frosted Brownies.

Cheers!

~Jesia

Craggy-Topped Fudge Brownies

Like the Moist and Minty Brownies, this brownie recipe starts out on the stovetop and doesn't involve the mixer. They are made chocolatey with melted semi-sweet chocolate morsels, and after baking they are topped with nuts and more morsels while still hot and covered with foil. This method of sprinkling the morsels on the brownies while they're hot out of the oven and then covering with foil and chilling in the fridge seems to work well, though I still lost some of the chocolate chips on top when I cut the brownies.

These are pretty basic brownies, nothing really special. I actually find them a little bland; I think maybe some melted chocolate or some frosting would help. I'd give this recipe a 3 out of 5.

Cheers!

~Jesia

Moist and Minty Brownies

These brownies are pretty amazing. I'd have to agree with what a friend of mine said about these brownies reminding him of Andes Mints. If you like mint chocolate, these brownies are right up your alley. The recipe is interesting in that it starts out like a candy-making recipe. You bring butter, sugar, and water just to a boil on the stove-top and then add and stir in the other ingredients (this is another of those recipes that doesn't involve the mixer). Not only do these brownies taste good, but they're pretty once they're frosted and decorated with vanilla and chocolate icings. I couldn't find exactly the type of chocolate decorating icing tube that was described in the cookbook, so I got the closest thing I could find, which was a 7 oz. tube of Betty Crocker Brownie Toppers dark chocolate icing. It worked out great and tastes pretty awesome.

I'd give these brownies a 4 out of 5. The only thing I don't like about the finished product (other than how messy they are with the icing), is that the mint chocolate chips that remain whole in the brownies (instead of being melted into the batter) seem dry. Other than that, if you love mint chocolate, brownies, and icing, you'll have to try these brownies. I'd imagine this recipe would be great for a holiday party. On that note, as mentioned in a previous mint chocolate recipe post, I used a bag of Toll House dark chocolate and mint chips I bought on clearance after last Christmas, since the company doesn't make their mint chocolate chips anymore, which is pretty unfortunate.

Cheers! And on to August!

~Jesia

Chocolate Macaroon Bars

If you love chocolate and coconut, this bar cookie is definitely for you. The base is made from chocolate cake mix, butter, and egg, and it's very thick, chocolatey, and moist. The middle layer is a mixture of sweetened condensed milk, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and coconut, and the whole concoction is topped with more flaked coconut. After baking, the coconut on top is toasted and brown, yet the coconut in the middle is still chewy, giving these bars an interesting, soft and chewy texture. It all comes together nicely, I think (and I don't even like coconut). My parents love these.

Despite my dislike of coconut, I appreciate the texture and form of these bars. I'd give it a 3 1/2 out of 5. The recipe is very easy, and if you like chocolate and coconut it's a great dessert.

One more recipe for July, then it's on to August!

Cheers!

~Jesia

Hoosier Bars

This recipe was definitely interesting. The crust is basically a bar cookie with chocolate chips and honey roasted peanuts mixed in, and the topping is pretty much what I like to call a "brown sugar meringue" with more chocolate chips and peanuts sprinkled on top to finish. I'd previously never heard of whipping egg whites with brown sugar (instead of regular granulated sugar), but it's a pretty cool idea. These bars turned out reasonably dense, but not too much so.

These are pretty good, but not the best I've made of this type of cookie. I'd give them a 3 out of 5. It seems to me that it needed some peanut butter somewhere, but that's just my opinion.

Two more for July, and then it's on to August! We're knee-deep in the bar cookie chapter. ;)

Cheers!

~Jesia

Fudgy Peanut Butter Bars

This recipe was nice and simple, so much so that you don't even need to use the mixer. To make the crust you just mix the ingredients in the baking pan and press it down, then bake it as directed. The topping is made of chocolate chips and peanut butter melted together, with a little powdered sugar mixed in. After spreading the topping on top of the cookie crust, you just refrigerate and then cut. These bars are pretty darn delicious. I really like that there are peanuts in the crust and peanut butter in the topping. Anyone who enjoys chocolate and peanut butter should love this.

I'd give this recipe a 4 out of 5. It was quite good, and I would definitely make it again.

Cheers!

~Jesia

Fruit and Chocolate Dream Bars

These bars are basically a crust topped with strawberry (or raspberry) jam, a crumbly pecan topping, and then milk chocolate chips to finish.

Well, this recipe was honestly kind of frustrating for me... It's slightly more difficult in that you have to use a pastry blender to blend two different flour and butter mixes by hand, but that wasn't the really frustrating part. What I really disliked was how the bars turned out when I cut them. You see, you use a whole bag of milk chocolate chips on top of the bars, and after baking the chocolate is a little melty. So when I went to cut them with a metal spatula, the chocolate chips stuck to the spatula. >_< I tried to get some of the sticky mess back on to the bars where they belonged, but a lot of the chocolate ended up getting trashed... =/ I'm thinking there's a lesson to be learned here. When there's whole chocolate chips on top of a bar cookie, it might be best to refrigerate before cutting, and also use a small, thin knife - something that the melty chips won't cling to. Or, I was also thinking it might be advantageous to simply bake the bars without the chips on top, and simply melt and spread the chocolate after baking and cooling.

Anyway, that's my rant about this recipe... The bars didn't turn out pretty, and quite a bit of chocolate was sady wasted. =( I suppose I'll get over it. =P

As far as taste, they're actually pretty good, even though I don't like pecans and I'm only so-so when it comes to jam or jelly. The crust turned out pretty crisp, the jam adds tartness, and the pecan topping and milk chocolate chips add sweetness. I'd give this a solid 3 1/2 out of 5, despite the frustration I had with making it.

Cheers! Then next two recipes involve peanuts and chocolate.

~Jesia <3

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Very simple recipe, but these bars are AMAZING. If you love peanut butter and chocolate (and I do), this recipe is for you. The dough is extremely thick, almost like Play-Doh, making the bars nice and dense and moist after baking. The recipe is kind of interesting in that it doesn't use brown sugar or salt, though I'm sure there's enough salt in the 3/4 cup of peanut butter.

I'd give these a 4 1/2 out of 5; I would definitely make them again. Make sure you have a glass of milk on hand when you bake these.

Cheers to peanut butter and chocolate!

~Jesia <3

Black Forest Brownie Squares

Well, I'm back and baking again! Recipe 32 is Black Forest Brownie Squares - super rich, fudgy brownies topped with Cool Whip and cherries. The brownies are made with a cup each of melted and whole semi-sweet chocolate chips, which makes them incredibly rich. One would think that the Cool Whip would help cut the sweetness of the brownies, but I didn't really think it did. (These brownies need vanilla ice cream, in my opinion.) Somehow I ended up with cherries that weren't quite what the recipe called for, but everyone still really liked it. I actually brought it to a family get-together, and more of the brownies got eaten than the birthday cake. =P

I can't quite decide what to rate this recipe... I'm thinking either 3 1/2 or 4. The only reason I would give it the lower score of 3 1/2 is because of the richness. It was just a little too much for me. I think I'll lean toward a 4 though, because they were very good and everyone who tried them loved them. =)

Onward with the baking!

Cheers!

~Jesia

Butterscotch Cream Cheese Bars

Wellll... the recipe itself is interesting enough, but I feel that these bars lack in the taste area. Even though you melt butterscotch and butter together and add 2 cups each of graham cracker crumbs and nuts (to make the crust and the topping), you really can't taste the butterscotch. The ingredient I tasted most was the nuts, and since I don't like them I'm not fond of this particular recipe. The cream cheese filling was very basic - a pound of cream cheese, a little sugar and flour and a few eggs, plus a couple tablespoons of lemon juice. Why the lemon juice? I don't know, but I'm guessing the acidity of the juice does something to the cream cheese mixture.

One technical problem I had was with finding a pan that was the right size. This recipe called for a 10"x15" jelly-roll pan. At first, I thought I had used a very small pan the last time a recipe called for this, but after I pressed the crust into it (thankfully, I used aluminum foil), I realized there was no way the pan was deep enough to hold the crust and the cream cheese mix and topping. So, I put down some foil on a larger cookie sheet (a little bigger than 10"x15", but hey, it was the closest thing I had) and pressed the crust into it. That worked out muuuuch better. It isn't a difficult recipe. You just have to be patient when melting the butterscotch and crushing up the graham crackers and such.

Another small issue I had was with cutting the bars. The recipe says you can cut them into diamonds or squares; for something different and to follow the recipe more closely, I wanted to try the diamond shape. The book describes how to do it, but since it was my first time trying it I got a lot of variation in size. One thing I do recommend though is using foil on the pan. That makes it so much easier to lift the bars out, and after cutting you can just pick them up and peel the foil off the bottom. The foil works very well.

As far as taste, I'd give this recipe a 2 out of 5... I just wasn't impressed. Like I said, I couldn't taste the butterscotch, which I think is a darn shame. Butterscotch is tasty, but only if you can actually taste it.

Well, that's it until I get back from Japan. So far I've completed 31 recipes, and I have 38 more to do before the year is out. Wish me luck! <3

Cheers!

~Jesia

Chocolate Mint Brownie Cookies

I had to make a couple of small modifications when making this recipe. For one thing, I didn't quite have 3/4 of a cup of nuts (almost!) and didn't feel like opening a whole new bag; and for another, Toll House doesn't make the mint chocolate chips anymore. The closest thing you can get is the "dark chocolate and mint" chips during the holidays (they're dark chocolate chips mixed with green mint chips). Luckily, I was able to snag a couple bags after the last holiday season for 50 cents apiece and they're good until September.

The recipe calls for melting half of the chips and adding it to the batter and then just adding the rest of the chips along with the nuts at the end. The cookies themselves turned out a little odd, I thought. They didn't quite look like the picture in the cookbook; while I realize the real thing often differs slightly from the pictures, it appeared as though the texture was different (or maybe I'm just imagining things). The batter was extremely gooey and sticky, and the cookies spread and became crackled on top. The bottoms also weren't smooth, and if you leave the cookies a little too long on the pan then they're more difficult to scrape off.

They're pretty soft and chewy, and the mint chocolate flavor isn't particularly overwhelming. In fact, the mint flavor actually lingers on the palate a little, and it feels sort of refreshing. I didn't like the nuts in this recipe (besides the fact that I don't like tree nuts anyway); I don't see how nuts and mint chocolate go together, but that's just me... Overall, this is a pretty good recipe (I LOVE mint chocolate), but it wasn't as chocolatey as I would've liked. I suppose the flavor was a little too mild for my personal tastes... Anyway, I guess I'll never know how it would've turned out had I been able to get a hold of the original mint chocolate chips that were discontinued. I'd give this recipe 3 1/2 out of 5.

One more recipe this month! It involves butterscotch and cream cheese.

Cheers!

~Jesia

Island Cookies

This is a reasonably simple recipe. The work is in the prep - chopping nuts (I used macadamias) and toasting coconut (toasting it is optional). Like before with the peanuts, I microwaved the macadamia nuts, but then I used an off-brand Slap-Chop type device instead of a chef's knife (it's called a "Euro Chop," lol). I looked up online how to toast coconut, and apparently there are a couple different ways. I chose the oven: 325 degrees, spreading the flaked coconut in a thin layer on a cookie sheet, and baking for ten minutes. Halfway through I took the cookie sheet out and used a spatula to move the coconut around. For less prep work, you can skip toasting the coconut and buy pre-chopped nuts (macadamia or walnuts, though I couldn't find any pre-chopped macadamias). I decided on macadamias for something different, and also it seemed more appropriate for a tropical-type cookie.

These cookies are exceptionally sweet with the milk chocolate chips and coconut. While I'm not fond of the coconut and nuts, they're good cookies. I'd give them about a 3 1/2 out of 5.

We're halfway through May. Cheers!

~Jesia

Double Chocolate Dream Cookies

My assistant Lucas came over to help me make this recipe. It's a standard chocolate cookie with chocolate chips, but what makes them interesting is that they don't spread much in the oven. Instead, they puff up a little. I'll quote my dad, who compared them to "little brownies." They were especially good right off the pan when they were still warm and the chocolate was gooey and melted. <3 Mmmm... This recipe came just in time for Mother's Day, since my mom looooves chocolate. ^-^ I'd give this recipe 4 1/2 out of 5. You defintely need a glass of milk to help wash these down.

Cheers!

~Jesia

White Chip Orange Cookies

So, before this recipe I have never had any reason to "zest" any kind of fruit. This is just another example of how this project is teaching me things along the way. =) It was kind of frustrating because you have to grate a lot of peel before there's enough of it to fall off the grater. I actually ended up using my fingers on the inside of the grater to pull the zest out (had to be careful not to grate my hand o_o). While the recipe called for 2-3 teaspoons of zest, I didn't actually measure it. I just kept grating until it looked like enough. I had read online beforehand that it's imperative to not grate down to the "pith" of the orange (the white part of the peel), because it's more sour. So I was pretty cautious in my grating, perhaps a little too much so. The cookies turned out great, but I think they could've used just a little more orange zest. Oh, and as far as texture these are amazingly soft cookies, but at the same time they're not incredibly delicate. Very nice.

These were a big hit with my family. ^_^ A couple of them mistook the cookies for white chip macadamia nut, since they're white with white chips, but everyone was intrigued by the orange flavor. I'd give this at least a 4 out of 5. It's definitely different.

Do you know about those "chocolate oranges"? It's a ball of chocolate cut into slices, wrapped in foil to look like an orange. You pick it up and smack it against a table, unwrap it, and the slices that make up the ball fall away from each other. It's usually milk or dark chocolate with orange flavoring, and it's DELICIOUS. So, I can't help but wonder if, instead of white chips, milk or semi-sweet or dark chocolate would be even tastier. I guess I'll just have to try it sometime. =P

Cheers!

~Jesia

Chocolate Peanut Cookies

Mmmm, chocolate and peanuts = yum. Melted semi-sweet chocolate mixed into the batter makes it chocolatey, and honey-roasted peanuts are an amazing compliment. These cookies are surprisingly soft and not too rich. I went ahead and chopped up the peanuts the night before to save time this morning when I baked. I microwaved the peanuts in a bowl for 20 seconds and chopped them with a chef's knife. It took a while, and a few rounds of microwaving, but it worked. I also put the chopped nuts in a strainer to strain out all the peanut "dust." It was probably a good thing I did, because I chopped too much anyway. =P

I'd give these a 4 out of 5. My dad also loves chocolate and peanuts, and he says this might be his favorite cookie recipe yet. =) Hooray!

Cheers!

~Jesia

Crispy Polynesian Butterscotch Cookies

So, I don't even like coconut... but these cookies are AMAZING. I'm pleasantly surprised at how yummy these are. It's an odd recipe, using both butter and oil. What really makes it interesting though is the mixture of other ingredients: butterscotch chips, oats, crushed Corn Flakes cereal, coconut, and chopped nuts. These cookies have a really unique, light and crispy texture. And I love the butterscotch chips. <3 Mmm, yum. Even my brother, who usually isn't vocal about liking my baked goods, said he really liked them. So that's an excellent sign. I'd give them a 4 1/2 out of 5. ^_^

Cheers!

~Jesia

Giant Decorated Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are exactly what they sound like - they are ginormous. In fact, the recipe says that it should yield only 10 cookies; I ended up getting 9 out of it. But believe me, these babies should be shared. To emphasize the largeness of these cookies I included a quarter in the picture for size reference. Anyway, on to other matters. These are a lot like the Cookie Pops; they contain milk chocolate chips (instead of semi-sweet), raisins, and nuts (instead of oats). Incredibly enough, they only bake for 10 minutes. I did have a little trouble though, because for some reason one cookie on the pan would consistently underbake. See, each cookie is a full 1/2 cup of dough spread out into a 4-inch circle. I put three cookies at a time on the baking sheet, and for some reason the leftmost cookie would come out less done. It wasn't a huge problem, but it was annoying when one completely fell apart and another almost did. I used a big, big, thin spatula to move them, carefully, and I actually had to get out a second spatula to help move a couple without breaking them.

Other than all that, these cookies look great plain or decorated with frosting and candy. <3 I'm sure they'd be a hit with kids or at parties (as long as they don't mind the raisins and nuts). Again, I'm not a fan of raisins or nuts, but these cookies are tasty. ^-^ Of course, the icing helps a lot. Personally I'd like these better made with oats and peanuts instead of raisins and finely chopped walnuts, but they're still good. I'd give this recipe a 4 out of 5. ^_^ As far as fun though, definitely a 5 out of 5. I happened to have some friends over when I was decorating and they helped. Good times. <3

One more recipe for this month! And it looks really... interesting.

Cheers!

~Jesia

Milk Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Mmmm, these are tastttyyy... <3 It's a simple recipe, and I love that it uses milk chocolate for a change, and the cinnamon really adds something extra. However, since there was only one cup of oats involved (I would have liked more, personally), the cookies turned out rather flat. The good thing about this is that they were chewy with crisp edges, which is one of my favorite types of cookies as far as texture. Mmmmmyum. <3 The bad thing about these cookies is that they're delicate; they easily fall apart. My parents really like these cookies too. I'd give this recipe a solid 4 out of 5. ^_^ I'd definitely make these again.

On that note, on the pages of recipes in the cookbook that I've rated 4 or better I've been adding stickers to make them stand out for future reference. =) I've loved doing this project so far because it's forced me to make all kinds of recipes I wouldn't have normally considered trying. It's become a sort of regimen. It's something that I've made a long-term goal of, and upon successful completion I can celebrate victory knowing that I've proved to myself I have the self-discipline required for these types of goals.

Thanks for reading. Cheers!

~Jesia

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Thumbprint Cookies

I've been looking forward to this recipe, because I LOVE peanut butter and chocolate. It was a pretty standard recipe, other than the fact that the dough is made chocolate with both melted semi-sweet morsels AND unsweetened cocoa powder. That plus 1/3 cup of peanut butter and a cup of semi-sweet morsels makes for a rather thick dough, which is chilled for a little while to make it nice and firm for "thumbprinting."

It's possible I may have overbaked them a little, but I didn't want them to be too delicate to handle. The cookies are pretty dense, since it's a thick dough and doesn't spread much. To me, they look like Buckeyes: peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate. Except in cookie form, of course. Although I expected them to be richer, they're pretty tasty. ^^ I'd give them a 4 out of 5.

Cheers!

~Jesia

Deep Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

These things are rich. Like, whoa. Verrrry chocolatey. <3 This has the same kind of crust as the Chocolate Amaretto Bars, made simply of flour, butter, and brown sugar. I think I may have overbaked the crust a bit, because it was difficult to cut into. >.>; It's an okay type of crust, but I prefer graham cracker crumb crust myself. Not a difficult recipe at all - very rich and chocolatey. Whoo~

I'd give these babies a 4 out of 5 overall. Even if you're a total chocoholic, I think you'll need a big glass of milk to wash these bars down with. Mm, tasty!

Cheers!

~Jesia