MONSTER Cookies

I can't believe I haven't posted this recipe yet. I love making these for people because I make them HUGE, so they're really exciting to recieve as a gift or a thank-you. Thanks to Audra Croft for the original recipe, I have altered it slightly to fit my tastes. And you may want to play around with the nuts and chocolate and find your favorite. I choose to use equal parts white chocolate and bittersweet chocolate, because I think they complement each other nicely, but feel free to try semi-sweet chocolate, M&M's, or a different type of nuts to make them your own.

MONSTER COOKIES
(If you make these cookies as big as I do, this recipe makes about 3 dozen)

2 cups butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
5 cups uncooked regular oats
2 cups (12 oz.) bittersweet chocolate chips
2 cups (12 oz.) white chocolate chips
2 cups chopped pecans

Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time and vanilla.
Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and gradually add to butter mixture.
Stir in oats, chocolate and nuts.
Shape cookie dough into 3-inch balls, 2" apart. Flatten each ball to a 2.5" circle. (For me this means they are so big I can only fit 6 at a time on the baking sheet) Bake at 375° for 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
Cool slightly on baking sheets before removing, then finish cooling on a wire rack.

Crumb-Topped Pumpkin Pear Tart

This recipe didn't sound that great to me, but I had all the ingredients and wanted to make something seasonal without repeating Thanksgiving's Pumpkin pie. I turned out really good! I might even like it better than regular pumpkin pie!

From a Nestle cookbook

Ingredients:
Pastry
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold butter
3 tablespoons ice water
Pear Layer
2 medium-sized pears, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Pumpkin Layer
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Crumb Topping
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup chopped walnut or pecans
5 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons butter, softened

Directions:
Crust: Mix flour and salt in a medium bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender until crumbly. Gradually stir in water until flour is moistened (adding more if needed). Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until ready to use. Let dough sit on couter 5-10 minutes to warm up then roll into a circle big enough to cover your tart pan. Transfer to 10 or 11 inch tart pan with removable bottom and trim edges.
Pear Layer: Combine pears with sugar, flour and cinnamon. Toss and layer in the bottom of the tart shell.
Pumpkin Layer: Combine eggs, pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, butter, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in a bowl; pour mixture over pears.
Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with the topping.
Crumb Topping: combine flour, nuts, and sugar in a bowl cut in butter with a pastry blender.
Bake for 15 minutes more. Cool, then remove side of tart pan and serve.

Rocky Road Tart

(marthastewart.com)
This was a fabulous recipe. Perfect for a party as it's big and you can't eat more than a slice (or 2 if you've got a sweet tooth like me). It looks like candy poured into a crust and hardened, but it's actually very creamy and soft, heavenly.
(I used Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Chips, but the better the chocolate the better the flavor)

FOR THE CRUST
8 ounces graham crackers (about 15)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE GANACHE AND FILLING
15 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 3/4 cups heavy cream
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 cup salted almonds with skins, lightly toasted

FOR THE TOPPING
3/4 cups mini marshmallows
1/4 cup salted almonds with skins, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (about 1/3 cup)

Directions
Make crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Process graham crackers, sugar, and salt in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl, and stir in melted butter. Mix until combined.
Pour mixture into a 10-inch tart pan or springform pan. Press crumbs with your hand or the bottom of a glass to form an even layer on bottom and up sides of pan. Bake until crust just starts to turn golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on sheet on a wire rack.
Make ganache: Melt 10 ounces bittersweet chocolate in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; keep warm. Meanwhile, bring cream just to a simmer in a medium saucepan over high heat; remove from heat. Whisk 1/4 cup hot cream into the beaten egg yolks, then whisk the yolk mixture into the remaining cream in saucepan. Whisk cream mixture into the melted chocolate, and set the ganache aside.
Coarsely chop remaining 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, and transfer to a large bowl. Toss in 2 cups mini marshmallows and 1 cup whole toasted almonds. Scatter mixture all over bottom of cooled crust. Reserve 1/2 cup ganache for topping, and pour the rest evenly on top of the filling (do not overfill the crust). Refrigerate tart, uncovered, while you make the topping. Meanwhile, cover reserved ganache with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature.
Make topping: Toss together 3/4 cup mini marshmallows, 1/4 cup chopped toasted almonds, and 2 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate; sprinkle over filling. Drizzle reserved 1 cup ganache over tart, and refrigerate 10 minutes more before cutting into slices. Tart can be refrigerated, covered, up to three days.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

(from Krystina Castella)

Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes (makes 12)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup (2 ounces) unsweetened chocolate, melted
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
1/2 cup chocolate milk
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Insert liners in standard muffin pan.
2. In a large bowl cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy (3-5 min)
3. Beat the melted chocolate into the butter mixture. Add the eggs, peppermint extract, and chocolate milk. Beat until creamy.
4. In a seperate bowl sift together flour and baking soda.
5. Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture and beat until well blended then stir in the chocolate chips.
6. Fill cupcake liner 3/4 full. Bake 15-18 minutes. Cool completely, top with Mint Cream Cheese
Frosting. Decorate with Andes Mints or chocolate chips.

Mint Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
8 ounce pkg cream cheese
6 tablespoons butter
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons peoppermint extract
green food coloring (optional)

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth.
2. Slowly stir in the sifted powdered sugar and beat until lumps are gone. Add green food coloring, vanilla and peppermint extract.

Molten Chocolate Cakes

(from BAKERS)

Ingredients:
6 oz Dark Chocolate
10 tablespoons butter
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
½ cup flour
3 whole eggs
3 egg yolks

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Grease your pan of choice (I made 12 standard cupcake/muffin sizes, or you can do 6 (6 oz.) custard cups)
3. Melt chocolate and butter together in the microwave on 50% power for a minute, then stir. Melt for additional 10 seconds stirring after each until smooth.
4. Sift in powdered sugar and flour
5. Add whole eggs and egg yolks, beat until well blended
6. Divide batter into cups (you can fill them pretty full as they don’t rise much. Next time I will probably fit the batter into 10 standard size cupcake liners)
7. Bake. If you use a standard muffin pan bake 6-8 min., with custard cups it will take 12-14 min. When they are done these cakes should still be wiggly in the center. Let stand 1 min.
8. Invert cakes onto dessert dishes and garnish with powdered sugar, fresh berries, or ice cream. Serve immediately.

Chocolate Mint Sandwiches

Warning! These are intense! But so yummy!

Makes 3 dozen
(thanks to marthastewart.com)

COOKIES
1 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
Confectioners' sugar, for work surface
GANACHE
1/4 cup heavy cream
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, very finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
GLAZE
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, very finely chopped


Directions
1. Make cookies: Whisk together cocoa powder and flour in a bowl. Put butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg until well blended. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Divide dough in half, and shape each half into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Transfer dough to a work surface lightly dusted with confectioners' sugar. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut out cookies using a 2-inch round cookie cutter; space 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining scraps of dough. Bake cookies until firm, rotating sheets halfway through, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.
3. Meanwhile, make ganache: Bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chocolate. Cook, stirring constantly until chocolate is smooth. Stir in peppermint extract. Let cool slightly, 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Spoon 1 teaspoon ganache onto the bottom of 1 cookie; sandwich with another cookie. Repeat with remaining cookies and ganache. Refrigerate until firm, about 10 minutes.
5. Make glaze: Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring constantly. Let cool slightly. Dip one flat side of each sandwich into melted chocolate to coat; gently shake off excess. Place sandwiches, chocolate sides up, on wire racks set over baking sheets. Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes. Cookies can be refrigerated in a single layer in airtight containers up to 2 days.

Soft Ginger Cookies

I'm not usually one for gingerbread, but these were big, soft and yummy!
(allrecipes.com)

INGREDIENTS
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup margarine, softened (seriously, use margarine)
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons white sugar


DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Just made these again and this time I used margarine instead of butter and they were even better. They kept their shape and were fluffy, yet still substantial. Here is a pic of the margarine ones, you can see the difference. Much prettier too, don't you agree?