Deep dish chocolate chip cookies

We all know cookies are the greatest. And if you know that, deep dish cookies just might be the next step. The next step up.

I'm a sucker for any cookie- or brownie-like thing with ice cream. Particularly the black and tan brownie with Tillamook vanilla bean ice cream from McMenamins. I don't know what my deal is, but I can never hold back. Which is a problem. Because we go there almost weekly. And Zack makes fun of me because it's not like this brownie is the best brownie there ever was, but it just always hits the spot.

What is it about cookies (or brownies, for that matter) with milk? I think it's the way the warm cookie counter balances the cold milk. Or the way the cookie soaks up the ice cream. Or maybe it's just sweet and that's why everyone likes it.

This all comes down to a wonderful recipe, found on Pinterest, from a blog called the White on Rice Couple.

Deep dish chocolate chip cookies w/ vanilla Tillamook ice cream

As adapted from the White on Rice Couple, whose cookie dough recipe was adapted from The Professional Pastry Chef.

Yields: 8 deep dish cookies (each cookie is a good amount to share between two people)

Ingredients for cookie dough:

3/4 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 cup unsalted butter

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

3 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 pound dark chocolate chunks, cut into 1/2 inch chunks or smaller (I chopped a mixture of milk and Semi-sweet chocolate chips because that is what I happened to have on hand) 

Vanilla ice cream

8 4-inch ramekins

Note: There are many options for this recipe. If using this cookie dough for regular sized cookies (versus deep dish), follow cooking instructions as found here. Otherwise, use the instructions as follows, below. You may choose to bake 4 deep dish cookies, and save the remaining 4 in the freezer for later use. Also, you may choose to fill 4 ramekins with dough and then roll the remaining dough into slightly flattened balls to freeze and bake later, if you don't want 8 deep dish cookies. If doing this, put your formed cookie dough balls on a baking sheet so they are not touching each other, put the baking sheet into the freezer until cookie dough is frozen, then transfer frozen cookie dough balls into a freezer bag to store. Bake your frozen cookie dough (no need to thaw, unless you want to) at the original temperature the recipe calls for, but bake for a few minutes longer than instructed.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (or 350 degrees F for convection oven). Beat together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy in a mixer with the paddle attachment. Add eggs, vanilla extract, and salt; mix to combine. Sift flour and baking soda into a separate mixing bowl; stir into batter and mix until combined. Add chocolate and mix. Fill your 8 ramekins evenly with raw cookie dough. Place ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet and put on middle rack in preheated oven. Bake until the top of the cookies turn pretty golden, about 25 minutes. (This baking time is pretty approximate, so keep an eye on your cookies once you hit 20 minutes and monitor until desired doneness is reached.) Remember you want them slightly undercooked and soft in the middle, but not doughy. Remove from oven, top with a couple scoops of ice cream, and enjoy. 

I apologize for the very long "notes" section in this post. The original recipe recommends filling the ramekins a 1/2 inch full, but they did not account for all the dough that would be left over. Hence, I filled mine a little fuller and opted to freeze some of them to pull out in the future to enjoy. As stated earlier, the options for dealing with your abundance of cookie dough are endless. Furthermore, feel free to enjoy with any ice cream you like. I am partial to Tillamook ice cream; we used old-fashioned vanilla, but I'm sure vanilla bean would be lovely as well.

This cookie dough is very good. It has a lot of butter and flour for a reason. This is definitely an indulgence. But what would life be without some of those once in awhile? Everything in moderation. Enjoy your indulgence. Cheers.

Banana-Walnut Chocolate Chunk Cookies

When you see those overripe bananas going brown, I know the first thing you think of is banana bread. Well, at least I do. But now, I have options. Because I've found this incredible banana cookie; thanks to Martha Stewart's Cookies.

Chopped walnuts and rolled oats provide a great texture, and the combination of two classics (banana bread and the chocolate chip cookie) is unbeatable. Especially if you use super ripe bananas; the flavor is concentrated and that much more rich and tasty as a result.

Just be sure to mix well. I'm always trying not to over mix my cookie dough. I don't know why. But then you may end up with a bite of baking soda when you're expecting delicious cookie. I think I'm going to dump my dry ingredients through a sieve (even if the recipe doesn't mention sifting) from now on. It works really nicely for not only breaking apart chunks, but for providing an even distribution of the ingredients prior to mixing as well.

If you like banana bread and chocolate chip cookies, then this might be a dream...

Pumpkin Bread

Well, haven't been cooking anything too new for a few days now. Just repeats. Or not much at all. I've really just been eating a lot of Halloween candy. Been busy I guess. Looks like I may have some work coming my way in the near future though, so prayers, good vibes, or whatever you're into would be greatly appreciated!

I do have a yummy pumpkin bread recipe though. This is supposedly a "healthier" version, but it doesn't compromise great texture or flavor. Throw in some chocolate chunks and you have a winner.

When I was thinking about making this relatively simple pumpkin bread, I knew exactly what Zack was going to say when he tried a piece: "This is really good, but it would be that much better if it had chocolate chips in it. Everything is better with chocolate." In my opinion, some things are just better simple. I love smooth pumpkin bread with no chunks of anything in it, and I love the plain pound cake my mom makes versus her other version with mini chocolate chips. Never the less, I made this bread with chocolate chunks in honor of Zack. Hope he reads this and appreciates my generosity. Ha ha. :)

I have to admit, the chocolate chunks were satisfying in this recipe though. And really, is there anything better than pumpkin bread in the fall? Cinnamon and nutmeg give it great spice, and the combination of all-purpose flour and whole-wheat flour makes for great texture. There was also a bit of low-fat plain yogurt in this recipe; maybe that adds to the moistness? And the pumpkin....need I say it again? Love that flavor. Happy fall. :)

Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, and Pecan Cookies

So this recipe must be good. Because it survived the absence of a sort of crucial ingredient. Who puts brown sugar in cookies anyways? Apparently, I don't. When the cookies weren't really browning the way cookies usually do, I looked over my ingredient list, and sure enough, I had forgotten the brown sugar. You can't blame me. I mean, it was hidden at the top of the second column...apart from granulated sugar.

When these little miracles came out of the oven, I had to try one. To make sure I hadn't completely wasted a solid amount of baking ingredients. After the third cookie (they were little, okay?), I realized they couldn't be half bad. I mean, I kept eating more as if that would help me determine if they were good or not. But I couldn't be sure until Zack came home and tried one. Sure enough, he thought they were great!

If these were good without brown sugar, I can't wait to make them with it. These drop cookies are crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. Does it get better than that?

Double Dark Chocolate Biscotti

This is one of the dessert recipes from Power Foods. (A lot of my recipes are from this cookbook, so I've provided the book link from Amazon this time.) Dark chocolate, walnuts, and hazelnuts (my addition) make an incredible biscotti. Well, if you like twice-baked cakes. They're kind of strange. Are they crunchy cake? Are they a hard cookie? Are they a weird sort of cake-like cracker? You get the point. But hey, I'm all about trying new, weird things. So I chose this recipe yesterday morning. Not quite sure if Zack was as thrilled, but I thought these were really delicious.

You basically mix all ingredients into a very stiff dough. Then with moistened hands, you form the dough into two "logs." I know. How appetizing. But then you bake the logs (as if baked logs are any better) until the tops are set, let cool, cut into diagonal slices, then bake again until crisp. These really are good. The dark chocolate is bold and rich. And I love the chunks of chocolate and toasted nuts inside. A great biscotti for a light dessert or a welcome companion for your afternoon coffee. Cheers.

Oreo Crumb Cupcakes

So, I kind of love cupcakes. They're enticing. They're the perfect size. For whatever reason, cupcake shops just lure me in. Thus, when I discovered that a girl I went to high school with had an incredible cupcake blog, I was hooked. Her recipes are always good, and they're really creative. If you haven't checked out Your Cup of Cake, you really should. Seriously. These Oreo Crumb Cupcakes are all Lizzy Early. Pure genius. Pure delight.

I love cupcakes. I love cupcakes. I love cupcakes. 

Chocolate Espresso Cookies

Okay, I know. What's with all the muffins and cookies, lately, Abby? Believe me. Some meals of sustenance are in the future. Until then, passing an oh-so-hard dental hygiene board exam calls for celebration (a.k.a. cookies), right?

These will knock your socks off. My mom has a "chocolate crinkle cookie" (well, that's what we call them) recipe very similar to this one. Man, sometimes I just long for those cookies. Which makes me realize now that I should probably just ask her for the recipe. These chocolate cookies, however, have the addition of instant espresso coffee granules. It adds a little kick. Maybe the kick that knocks your socks off (ha ha). Anyways, if you've never had crinkle cookies, you got to get some somewhere. Somehow. Ugh. They're so amazing. As you bite into them, they just sort of crack in a crinkly sort of way and then the melting begins. You taste the confectioner's sugar, then it disappears ever so softly. And before you know it, the chocolate just hits you. And the espresso. It's so rich. It's so delicious. It makes an impression. An I-need-you-for-the-rest-of-my-life impression. Find one. Somewhere. And if you can't, I'm going to make boat loads of these during Christmas time (and probably before then), so do ask. By the way, if anyone ever wants one of these recipes, just comment on my post; I'm happy to share. Sharing is caring. And I care about you because you're reading my blog. Thanks for doing so. Cheers.