Last year, I threw together a batch of these cookies without really measuring any ingredients or thinking about it at all! I took them to a dinner with friends. My brother-in-law would not stop talking about how delicious they were, so this year I tried really hard to re-create what I had made last year. I had him sample the results, and he was very happy that I had re-captured the original magic.

These cookies are chewy and doughy with crisp edges and buttery centers. The combination of creamy white chocolate, tart cranberries, and just a hint of spice is perfect for the holiday season. I hope you will give them a try!

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
adapted from my dad’s famous chocolate chip cookies

2 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg – set aside. In a large electric mixing bowl, cream butter, sugars, and vanilla. Add the eggs, beating well until incorporated. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture – blending until a very stiff dough forms. Using a wooden spoon, stir in your chocolate and cranberries until evenly distributed. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 7-10 minutes, or until lightly golden brown on top. Cool on racks.

Ever find yourself in a pinch where you just NEED brownies (I mean… NEED!) but you only have cocoa powder on hand? Do not despair!! I only had some lovely, rich, Dutch-process cocoa powder on hand the other day, when the need for brownies completely overcame me. Luckily, I came across this stellar recipe. I cannot recommend it highly enough. A little tweaking, and voila!! Deliciously rich, chewy, dark cocoa brownies. Enjoy!

Dark Cocoa Brownies
adapted from Best Cocoa Brownies

3/4 cup butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch-process is the way to go!)
a pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cold large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
a pinch of baking powder
2/3 cup walnut or pecan pieces (optional)

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees, and place the rack in the lower third of the oven. Line an 8×8″ baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.

In a heavy saucepan, heat the butter over low heat until almost completely melted. Add the sugar, cocoa, and salt. Stir over low heat until butter is completely melted and mixture is hot to the touch. Remove from the heat.

Add eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously after each addition. Add vanilla. As you add these ingredients, the mixture will thicken slightly and turn smooth and shiny.

Sprinkle in the flour and baking powder, stirring until the dry ingredients disappear. Then stir for 40 more strokes. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Top the batter with the nuts, if desired.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean. Cool completely. Remove the brownies by lifting up the ends of the parchment paper. Cut into squares, as desired.

I decided to clean out some goodies in my baking cabinet and throw them all into some cookies!  These cookies are absolutely bursting with flavor.  They are chewy, melty, soft, buttery and . . . well . . . just delicious!!

Oatmeal Toffee Chocolate Coconut Cookies!
Adapted from the Heath Toffee Bits package recipe

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups oats
1 1/3 cups (8-ounce package) toffee bits
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper, and set aside.

In a large electric mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt, and stir until completely combined.  Stir in the oats, the toffee bits the coconut, and the chocolate chips.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheet.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 1 minute before removing to a wire rack. Yields about 3 dozen cookies.

Looking for that perfectly balanced combination of savory, sweet, and snacky-licious? Well, you have met your match. Popcorn bark and pretzel bark are so easy to make – a wonderful kitchen project for kids – and satisfyingly balanced in their combination of sweet-and-savory goodness!

Popcorn Bark

3-4 cups of lightly salted popcorn
4 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup lightly salted mixed nuts

Spread the popcorn out in an even layer on a large piece of parchment paper.  Melt your semi-sweet chocolate using a double boiler or the microwave.  Use a spoon to drizzle the chocolate evenly over the popcorn.  Finally, sprinkle the nuts, trying to get them into the areas where the drizzled chocolate is heaviest so that they will stick.  Allow the chocolate to harden for approximately 2 hours.  When the chocolate is set, break pieces apart and store in an air-tight container for up to a week.

Pretzel Bark

3-4 cups of lightly salted pretzels
3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
3 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 cup lightly salted mixed nuts

Spread the pretzels out in an even layer on a large piece of parchment paper.  Melt your semi-sweet chocolate and your white chocolate separately, using a double boiler or the microwave.  Use a spoon to drizzle the white chocolate evenly over the pretzels.  Next, sprinkle the nuts over the chocolate, trying to get them into the areas where the drizzled chocolate is heaviest so that they will stick.  Finally, drizzle the semi-sweet chocolate over the top.  Allow the chocolate to harden for approximately 2 hours.  When the chocolate is set, break pieces apart and store in an air-tight container for up to a week.

Well, dear readers, this is a *first* for me.  I am loathe to share any recipes with you here that involve cake mixes, pudding mixes, and the like – even if they are doctored up quite a bit.  I don’t know why, but I just tend to be of the mind that these creations cannot compare to a from-scratch style of cake.

With that disclaimer, I will tell you that the recipe I am about to share with you is a wonderful family recipe that comes to me from my aunt, through my lovely cousin, the Meat Lady.  And I must admit, the cake she made for us was surprisingly delicious.  It is moist. tender  and flavorful, and the topping is absolutely to-die-for!

So without further ado, I give you . . . Devil’s Food Pound Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting!

Devil’s Food Pound Cake
from my cousin, the Meat Lady

1 box devil’s food cake mix
1 box chocolate instant pudding mix
4 eggs
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup oil

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and grease well a bundt pan.

Blend all ingredients together for 2-3 minutes, and pour in the prepared pan.  Bake for 50-60 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then flip pan, and cake should fall right out. Frost as desired.

Peanut Butter Frosting
also from the kitchen of my cousin, the Meat Lady
1/2 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1/3-1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Using an electric mixer, blend all ingredients together until light and fluffy. Next, put the mixture in a small saucepan over very low heat, until it becomes slightly runny.  Remove from heat and spoon over the cake.  Garnish with crumbled pieces of chocolate-peanut-butter cups!

This is a deliciously tender and flavorful muffin studded with rich chocolate chips. I made up this recipe for the little cafe. It is already a favorite with my dad, who makes sure to pick up extras every time he comes by!

Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup whipping cream, beaten until soft peaks form
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Grease muffin pans or line with paper liners, and set aside.

Combine the dry ingredients well, and set aside. In a smaller bowl, combine the egg, buttermilk, and oil, mixing well.

Use a spoon to make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Then pour the liquid ingredients into the well.

Use the spoon to stir together JUST until the dry ingredients are almost moistened. Gently fold in the whipped cream.

Finally, fold in the chocolate chips, being careful not to over-mix.

Fill the muffin cups about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the tops are lightly golden brown. Remove to racks and cool.

Uuuhhh, looks a little scrummie if you ask me . . .

Here is my Auntie Moo Moo Chocolate Pudding Scrummie. Back in the 1950s, she would make this dessert for her three daughters so that they could have a special treat when they came home from school.

This dessert is like the fudgiest brownie with a built-in chocolate syrup! The consistency is half-cake-like, half pudding-like. The crispy toasted top gives way to tender cake and steamy chocolate goo underneath. Top it off with some freshly whipped cream, and you have . . . well . . . scrummie!!

Disclaimer: This dessert is very, very sweet – hope you have a sweet tooth!!

Chocolate Pudding Scrummie
from my Auntie Moo Moo

1 cup flour
¾ cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 cup cold water

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8×8-inch square pan.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, cocoa, baking powder, walnuts, milk, butter, and vanilla. Spread evenly in the bottom of your prepared pan.

Next, mix together the brown sugar, white sugar, and cocoa powder and sprinkle over batter in pan. Pour the cold water over the top, and do not stir!

Bake for 45 minutes. Serve warm or cold – topped with whipped cream or ice cream!

I discovered this recipe when I was in college – it is the perfect comfort food. It will make you feel cozy and warm with just one bite. I’ve tweaked it over the years to make it a bit softer, more chocolaty, and more delicate – sublime.

Chocolate Oatmeal Cake
adapted from AllRecipes.com

1 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup butter
1 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
A pinch of cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease well a 8×8 inch square baking pan.

In a large bowl, mix together the rolled oats, butter, and boiling water. Set aside to cool.

Beat together the brown sugar, eggs and vanilla; add to cooled oat mixture, mixing until completely combined.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cocoa, and cinnamon. Add to wet ingredients and mix well. Pour the batter into your prepared pan.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

O, mon dieu, chers lecteurs. This is a fab find!

I’m at home alone (with the dogs) tonight – hubby’s away at a leadership conference. I decided to make dinner easy – boiled gnocchi with Newman’s Own tomato sauce . . . garlic toast on the side.

What do you crave after eating Italian? My mom and I always have a taste for chocolate! But here I am, all alone. It would be wasteful (right?) to make brownies, to go out and get a pint of ice cream, to open a new box of Oreos . . . What’s a girl to do in this kind of emergency???

Enter . . . Emergency Chocolate Cake.

Moist, fluffy, chocolaty heaven. A mug full of cupcake. Satisfaction, in two minutes flat.

I think I may have another . . . this time with a pinch of cinnamon perhaps?

Emergency Chocolate Cake
I got this from the Rookie Chef, who got it from One Particular Kitchen

2 tablespoons cake flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 (slightly heaping) teaspoons cocoa powder
a pinch of salt
2 tablespoons of milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons oil

Spray the inside of a microwave-safe coffee mug with nonstick spray. Measure the ingredients into the mug and stir with a fork until smooth and no lumps remain. Microwave on high for 60 seconds.

That’s it!!!

You can eat it with a fork straight out of the mug (as I did) , or turn it out onto a plate and top it with chocolate syrup or whipped cream. Perfection!

Raspberries ‘n’ Cream Chocolate Cake
based on my favorite Betty Crocker’s Cookbook Chocolate Cake recipe

2 1/4 cups flour
1 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup cocoa
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup seedless raspberry preserves
3 cups whipping cream
8-10 fresh raspberries

Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease 2 round 9″ cake pans.

Measure all ingredients into large mixer bowl. Blend 1/2 minute on low speed, scraping bowl constantly. Beat 3 minutes high speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter into cupcake tins until 2/3 full. Bake for 23-35 minutes. Cool on racks.

Whip the cream until it reaches a good spreading consistency. Spread the raspberry preserves over the top of the first layer of cake. Gently place the next layer on top. Ice the outside of the cake with the plain whipped cream. Decorate the top of the cake with the fresh berries, and serve immediately. Enjoy!