Whopper Cookies

Whopper Cookies

One time I went on vacation with my dad, and he tried to take a box of whoppers through the line at security. It had already been opened, and they wanted to check inside the box. He then had a legit argument with the TSA about how if they wanted to dig inside his candy box, they were going to need to buy him a new one.

Whopper Cookies

Well, I’m sure you’ll be shocked to know, they bought him no new box of candy. I mean, you just don’t argue with the TSA. Listen, I don’t like it any more than you do when they put me in that machine that basically shows them my naked body (does anyone else feel like this is the most awful part of traveling????) butI like to actually be able to get on the plane, so I would rather keep my mouth shut.

Whopper Cookies

Steve likes to make things difficult, and refuse to get him, so they make him get a pat down. I feel like that would be, umm, way worse, but he is stubborn. Anyway, enough about airport security. Cookies are, like, 5 zillion times cooler!

Whopper Cookies

I feel malt is sooooo under rated. I really don’t know why I haven’t put it into every baked good I’ve ever made. The sweet, strong taste pairs perfectly with milk, chocolate, beer, you name it!

Whopper Cookies

These cookies give you a double dose with malted milk powder in the cookie base, and then the dough is stuffed with chocolatey malty Whoppers candy, and of course chocolate chips for an extra dose of chocolate–extra chocolate is always necessary. The Whoppers get a little soft as the cookies bake, but as they cool, they quickly return to their crunchy texture bringing a nice texture to these ultra-soft cookies.

Whopper Cookies

Peanut butter cookies are usually my favorite,. but these babies give my normal peanut butter love a run for it’s money. They stay soft for days too–if you can keep ‘em around that long. ;)

 

Whopper Cookies

yield 3 dozen

  • 2 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup malted milk powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • dash salt
  • 1 cup fat free (or reduced at) cream cheese, softened
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 5 oz box of Whoppers

Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, malt powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixture, beat softened cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in sugars until well combined. Add vanilla. Beat in eggs one at a time.
  3. Slowly, stir in dry ingredients until combined, scraping down sides of the bowl when necessary. Gently, fold in chocolate chips and Whoppers.
  4. Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375. Line two large baking sheets with Silpat or parchment paper.
  5. Roll chilled dough into 1″ balls and transfer to baking sheet. Bake until edges are golden and cookies are just set, about 10-12 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in a not quite airtight container (if they don’t breathe, they lose their texture, but I wouldn’t leave them next to a vent either) for 5-7 days.

Take 5 Cookies {HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO LISA!!!!!}

Take 5 Cookies.jpg

Today is a very special day!! It’s my amazing, wonderful friend Lisa’s birthday! I’ve known Lisa since my sophomore year of college, which doesn’t seem like that long ago, but when I do the math, I realize that it was almost 9 years ago. Yikes. I’m old. But it’s okay because Lisa is older.

Take 5 Cookies

I will never forget when I went away to college (I stayed local at community college before transferring to Idaho), I had a hard time being away from friends and family on my birthday, and Lisa always sent me the BEST care packages! This year, I wanted to make her feel extra special, so I sent her a care package that *hopefully* will arrive today with these cookies, and a flashcard timeline of our friendship. Complete with stick figure humans and dogs.

Take 5 Cookies

I may or may not have cried for about half of the time it took to put this together. I also cry picking out cards for all occasions. What can I say? We all know I’m an emotional human. Anyway, Lisa’s favorite candy bar is a Take 5. I’d never had one when I met her, but she introduced me, and I was instantly hooked. I haven’t had one in years and years (except for a couple pieces in the cookies I saved for “taste testing”), but I remember loving the combination of creamy chocolate, sweet caramel, peanuts, peanut butter and salty pretzels. It is everything amazing in the world of candy all mixed into one bar!

Take 5 Cookies

I knew I wanted a peanut butter cookie base to partner with the Take 5 candy bars, so I went with my favorite peanut butter cookie base, and used White Chocolate Wonderful because Lisa loves it as much as I do. Then, I added white chocolate chips because I knew I wanted a little extra add in.

Take 5 Cookies

The result? They were everything I hoped they would be, and the perfect way to send lots of love to one of my favorite people in my life.

Take 5 Cookies

 

Take 5 Cookies

yield 1 1/2 dozen

  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 4 oz light cream cheese
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 full size Take 5 candy bars, chopped
  • 1/3 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 large cookie sheets with silpat or parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl (I used my stand mixer), beat together cream cheese, peanut butter, and sugars until combined. Beat in egg, then vanilla. Gently, fold in chopped Take 5 bars and white chocolate chips. I ended up just using my hands to get everything combined.
  4. Roll dough into balls just over 1″ and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Bake until edges are golden and cookies are just set, about 12-15 minutes. Do not over bake.
  5. Let stand for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store completely cooled cookies in a tupperware with the lid sitting on top, but not sealed–these will get mushy if they are in a completely airtight container–for up to one week.

 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Cups

 

Sometimes I think that once my fundraising is over, I will never want to make an other cup for the rest of my life.

Then I take one of these out of the freezer, eat it, and head directly to the store to buy more ingredients, so that I can eat 7 more, then make more.

These were probably the most popular. Everyone loves sweet and salty.There’s also a lot of great textures between the pretzel, the chocolate, and the peanut butter. In fact, they’re almost like those chocolate covered peanut butter pretzels from Trader Joe’s. I never buy those, because I know once I opened them, they would last approximately 6 minutes. I know my weakness, ok.

Hungry yet? If you live in the Phoenix area (chocolate doesn’t ship well when it’s 117 out, and yes, that was the temperature an hour ago), you can order them @ $10 a dozen. As always, 100% of that goes directly to Chances for Children, and your purchases are tax deductable.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Cups

yield 24 cups

  • 20 oz all natural dark chocolate chips
  • approx 1/2 cup all natural peanut butter
  • 1 scant tbs unrefined virgin coconut oil
  • 24 mini pretzels (gluten-free pretzels work great!), whole or lightly chopped*

Directions:

*Option 1 (for whole pretzels)

  1. Line 24 mini muffin tins with paper liners.
  2. In a medium bowl, melt chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring after each, until melted.
  3. Spoon enough chocolate to cover the bottom of each baking cup. Add 1-2 tsp peanut butter. Top with chocolate until peanut butter is completely covered and top is smooth.
  4. Gently, press the bottom of one pretzel about half way into each cup.
  5. Freeze to set. Keep in freezer or fridge.

*Option 2 (for chopped pretzels)

  1. Line 24 mini muffin tins with paper liners.
  2. In a medium bowl, melt chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring after each, until melted.
  3. Spoon enough chocolate to cover the bottom of each baking cup. Add 1-2 tsp peanut butter. Add one lightly chopped pretzel. Top with chocolate until peanut butter and pretzel are completely covered and top is smooth.
  4. Freeze to set. Keep in freezer or fridge.

*I made the cups both ways, but only photographed them with the pretzel sticking out. I love them both, and continue to make them both ways. I think the pretzel on top looks cool, but with a chopped pretzel, you get more pretzel in each bite. I like to savor my desserts and take many bites :)

White Chocolate Nutella Crunch Cups

Remember these? And these? Well, as part of my Chances for Children fundraising, I am selling homemade candy cups. They’re actually doing pretty well, and people seem to be loving them! I’ll gradually be putting up all of the recipes on here, but if you’re anxious in the meantime, you could purchase some for your very own ;)

These cups are silky and chocolatey with the perfect crunch in the center.

I don’t know about you, but as soon as I hear the word “Nutella” I am pretty much shoving the food in my mouth before you can get the rest of the title out. Lord help me if someone ever offers me something gross like Nutella Sock Lint. That could be bad.

Do you know there are people out there that have actually never experienced this chocolate hazelnut amazingness? For you people, I am sad, and I also I want to feed you Nutella with a spoon. Is that weird?

Wait, do you mean to tell me you don’t like to be fed new foods by strangers on the internet whom you’ve never met in person? That just sounds silly. I think it’s time for an intervention. Or a Nutellavention. Okay, that wasn’t funny at all. I’m really sorry. Let’s look at more pictures of delicious candy cups, because clearly that is my strength, and not clever wit.

 

White Chocolate Nutella Crunch Cups

yield 24-30 cups

  • 2 10 oz bags all natural white chocolate chips
  • 1 scant tbs unrefined virgin coconut oil
  • approx 1/2 cup Nutella (or other chocolate hazelnut butter)
  • approx 1/2 cup crisp brown rice cereal

Directions:

  1. Line 24 mini muffin tins with paper liners.
  2. In a medium bowl, melt white chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring after each, until melted.
  3. Spoon enough chocolate to cover the bottom of each baking cup. Add 1-2 tsp Nutella, followed by 1 tsp brown rice cereal. Top filling with white chocolate until Nutella is completely covered and top is smooth.
  4. Freeze to set. Keep in freezer or fridge.

**It’s too hot here in Phoenix to send these through the mail, but if you’re local, and you would like to contribute, or you just really like chocolate cups, I’m selling them for $1 a piece. And, really, how often do you get to use dessert as a tax write off? ;)

White Chocolate Cake Batter Cups

I’m sorry for this.

You see the thing is, you will have to make these. They are ridiculous.

I will never buy a Reese’s peanut butter cup again. I mean, these aren’t peanut butter, but in case you didn’t notice, I’m on a bit of a kick here with the home made candy cup business.

The cake batter dip in the center is the perfect soft and silky consistency covered in the delicious white chocolate shell.

I made these as a going away gift for my wonderful, amazing friend Kara. You know my very favorite running and spinning buddy? Yeah, life as I know it is over, and no I don’t want to talk about it. I just want to drown my sorrow in white chocolate and cake batter. IS THAT SO WRONG????

I know, you’re probably devastated as well. Care to join me in this sorrow drowning?

It may not be healthy, but I will say, it’s far less unhealthy than it sounds…

White Chocolate Cake Batter Cups

yield 26-30 cups

  • 2 10 oz bags Sunspire all natural white chocolate chips
  • 1/2 tbs coconut oil (optional)
  • approx 1/2 cup cake batter dip (I used Cinnamon Spice, but you could also use the original)

Directions:

  1. Line 24 mini muffin tins with paper liners.
  2. In a medium bowl, melt white chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring after each, until melted.
  3. Spoon enough white chocolate to cover the bottom of each baking cup.
  4. Add 1-2 tsp Cake Batter Dip.
  5. Fill with chocolate until Cookie Butter is completely covered and top is smooth.
  6. Freeze to set. Keep in freezer or fridge.