Cake Batter Chip Sprinkle Cookies

I wanted to make something colorful

Then Elyse showed me this amazing recipe!

These guys aren't the usual "cake batter" cookies. That is - they're aren't just funfetti cake mix with different portions of ingredients.

They really are more cookie dough with cake batter mix as an addition, rather than a main ingredient. Then they're stuffed (!!) with a mix of chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and sprinkles galore! But don't worry, they still taste like cake batter...gosh just writing about these makes me want to make another batch.

I froze these in the freezer for a week and then thawed them out, and it tasted brand new so it's an easy way to keep and share later!

So pretty! Perfect for spring!

Cake Batter Chip Sprinkle Cookies
Adapted from sallysbakingaddiction
Makes about 2 dozen cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups white boxed cake mix
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup sprinkles

In a large bowl, mix together your flour, cake mix, and baking soda. In another bowl, cream together your sugars and butter until well incorporated. Add in your egg and vanilla. Finally, slowly add in your dry ingredients to your butter mixture until fully combined.

Fold in your chips and your sprinkles (!) and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight. I found that folding in with clean hands (a la kneading bread) works best.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Take your cold and firmed dough and make 1 heaping tablespoon balls. Drop onto the sheet about 2 inches apart. The blog I adapted this from suggested making them taller than they are wide (as in the following picture) in the hopes that this will make the cookies fluffier rather than flattened.

However, when I compared this "tall cookie technique" verses the usual cookie ball technique I found no difference. So feel free to play around, I ended up making balls - it's easier. Make sure you put your dough back into the fridge in between batches to keep it firm and cold. 

Bake for 10-11 minutes (they will be soft) and left them cool for 2-3 minutes on the hot baking sheet before moving over to a cooling rack. Carry over cooking will do the trick and ensure that these guys are cooked but oh-so-soft when they're cooled. 

Enjoy! They're so much fun and so delicious!

Sam

White & Dark Chocolate Cake Bars

This bar cookie has it all! So many delicious layers, so little time.

Ingredients:

1 box devil’s food cake chocolate cake mix (or your favorite boxed chocolate cake mix)

1 stick butter, melted (and slightly cooled so you don’t end up cooking the egg)

1 egg

1 to 2 tablespoons cold water, if needed

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 can (14-ounces) sweetened condensed milk (I used fat free…that makes this healthy, right?)

½ cup (4 ounces) cream cheese, preferably at room temperature

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Based on a recipe from this brilliant baker. 

Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Combine the melted butter and egg.  Add the cake mix and stir to form a cookie dough-esque mixture.  You can add a tablespoon of water if it's too dry. Press this dough into the prepared pan.  

Sprinkle the dough with the chips.

With a hand mixer (or by hand), soften the cream cheese. Slowly beat in the sweetened condensed milk so you get a smooth mixture. Stir in the vanilla as well. Pour this mixture over the chips.

Bake for about 24 minutes. The edges will start to brown, but the middle will still have a jiggle when it’s done.

Cut into squares and store in the fridge! 

Elyse

Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Hello gorgeous!

No seriously, gorgeous.

And no oven involved? Yup.

Hope you guys are okay with the occasional Instagram filter ... I am!

This cheesecake is so pretty, I squealed. The top layer is speckled with the profile of fresh raspberries, the middle layer is whipped chocolate deliciousness, and the bottom is ...well, it's chocolate graham cracker crust - how do you think it is?

Really though, I was squealing for a while.

Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Adapted from: tasteofhome

For the crust:
2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs ...orrrrr...chocolate teddy grahams gone for a ride in the food processor :(
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

Combine ingredients and press into the bottom and up the sides a bit of a 9" springform pan. You can also conceivably do this in a normal rectangular pan, but you won't be able to lift the sides off. Just don't let the pan stop you from tasting this!

For the filling
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
3/4 cup cold water
2 cups heavy whipping cream
19 ounces of cream cheese, softened.
1/3 cup sugar
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips or bar broken into pieces
1 cup fresh raspberries

Get some bowls ready!

Melt your chocolate first - taking 30 second spins in the microwave until fully melted, stirring after each 30 seconds. Set aside and let cool.

Sprinkle your gelatin over the cold water into a small sauce pan. Let this stand for a minute and then heat over low heat. Stir every minute or two or until the gelatin has dissolved and it looks like a crystal clear mixture in the pan. This should take about 5 minutes. No need to let it boil, just let the heat melt the gelatin. Leave in the pan and turn off the heat.

Here come the bowls!
Bowl 1: beat your whipping cream until you get nice stiff peaks. Hand mixer highly recommended.

Bowl 2: beat cream cheese and sugar. Slowly add in gelatin which at this point should be slightly cooled, but not hardened. Your mixture may look clumpy and gross - hand mixer to the rescue! Mix mix mix and it'll become incorporated into one homogenous mixture. Adding the gelatin mixture in slowly also helps.

Bowl 3: Add in half of bowl #1, half of bowl #2, and fold in your melted chocolate. Fold so you don't lose all that lovely air you put into your whipped cream! Yes, this is the chocolate layer. Once well incorporated, pour over your crust.

Bowl 4: Add in the other half of bowl #1, the other half of bowl #2, and fold in the raspberries. Begin squealing. Pour this layer over your chocolate layer and carefully spread out the top with whatever you please. If you have an angled spatula, I have to recommend it. Worked like magic.

No more bowls! Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight. When you're ready to remove the sides of your pan, run a knife along the edge and the lift away. I garnished the top with some more raspberries - totally optional. Dig in! I also froze a huge slice for a special visitor, and snuck a bite. It's awesome frozen.

Enjoy!

Sam

Chocolate Orange Magic Cake

Have you noticed these “magic cakes” popping up on different blogs recently? I wanted to try one out, and this is the result! The cake separates into different layers as it bakes. I’d like to try it make it more chocolately, and maybe add more of the orange liqueur, or maybe some orange zest. 

Ingredients:

1 stick butter, melted and cooled
2 1/2 cups milk , warmed to lukewarm
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
4 eggs, separated
1/8 teaspoon distilled vinegar
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp Cointreau
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Based on a recipe from here 

Preheat the oven to 325°F and lightly butter a 8 x 8 baking dish.

Combine the flour and cocoa powder.

Whip the egg whites with vinegar until stiff peaks form and set aside.

Beat the egg yolks and sugar until light in color. Beat in the melted butter, Cointreau, and vanilla extract for about 2 minutes.

Add in the combined flour and cocoa alternately with the milk into the batter.

Fold in the egg whites, 1/3 at a time. The batter will be somewhat lumpy.

Pour the batter into the greased pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. The cake should have a slight jiggle when done.

Garnish with confectioner’s sugar and orange slices. 

~Elyse

Cherry Pie Bars

These are really good. 

Also, they're pretty easy. I made them as a thank you gift and they were perfect for cutting up and sharing. The crust and topping are very reminiscent of sugar cookie with a kick of almond extract. I think of it as a blend of coffee cake and cookie which is basically saying - tastes like awesome in your mouth.

I made them with cherry pie filling, but I'm sure blueberry, strawberry, any-berry would be just as fantastic. 

Also made some in the shape of an actual pie and gave it the old instagram filter. These were served as slices. 

Cherry Pie Bars

Adapted from: therecipecritic

1 cup butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract (the perfect flavor!)

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 (21 ounce) cans cherry pie filling

For the Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

2 tablespoons milk

Preheat your oven to 350F. Butter a 15 inch x 10 inch pan. You can use smaller pans, but keep an eye on the cooking time as it will be longer. 

Cream together butter and sugar. Once well incorporated, add in your extracts and egg and enjoy the smell. Stir in your flour and salt until well mixed. See? Easy! Spread about 3 cups of this sugar cookie like mixture into the bottom of your pan - I found that fingers worked best. Then, spread your pie filling over this layer. 

Take your remaining dough and break off little chunks all over the top of your pie filling. Again, fingers work best. You don't need to completely cover the pie filling as some filling showing through makes for a beautiful product. 

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until your topping is just started to take on a golden brown color. Let cool.

Assemble the glaze by mixing all of the ingredients together. Drizzle onto your bars and you're done! Time to cut for sharing, eating, and enjoying!

Sam