Chocolate Cream Cheese Cookies

The Cream Cheese Cookies I made on Sunday were so delicious, I just had to whip up another batch!  This time, I added some cocoa powder...can't ever have too much chocolate!

Chocolate Cream Cheese Cookies

4 tbsp butter

2 oz cream cheese

1/2 c brown sugar

1/4 c sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1+ tsp ginger powder

3/4 tsp vanilla

2+ tsp cocoa powder

1 egg

1/2 c wheat flour

1 c flour

handful of craisins

handful of mini chocolate chips

bake @ 375 for 10-12 minutes

These cookies hold their shape very well while baking.  The tops may look slightly under-done when you take them out, but they will firm up the rest of the way while cooling on a wire rack.  You don't want to over-bake the cookies, or the bottoms will burn.

I received a bottle of Smooth Ambler Old Scout Rye Whiskey for my birthday.  Cracked open that bottle this evening and tried it with the cookies.  Perfect match. 

Fruity Chicken Salad II

Ingredients

3 b/s chicken breasts

rice vinegar

cranberry juice

veggie stock

large handful of red grapes

1/4 c craisins

1 large granny smith apple

1 tbsp mustard

3 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp mustard powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

Directions

Clean the chicken breasts and place them in the bottom of a pot.  Sprinkle with rice vinegar.  Add enough water to come about halfway up the sides of the chicken.  Add veggie stock until just below covering the chicken.  Add cranberry juice until well covered.  Cook on the stove on medium heat until it begins to boil.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 20 minutes.  Remove the chicken from the pot and shred with a fork.  Mix with the ginger, mustard, and turmeric.

Chop the grapes and apple, then add them to the seasoned chicken.  Mix in the craisins.  Mix together the mustard and mayo, then stir the mixture into the chicken/fruit.  

Pumpkin-Craisin-Choc Chip Cookies

I've had an actual stand mixer in my apartment for a whole week now and I didn't get around to breaking it in until this evening.  But somebody has a birthday coming up and will be receiving some cookies in the mail.

(Hopefully on time...but no promises. Who has time to go to the post-office?)

my new toy:

So this evening, I made cookies for the first time in 5 years without having to melt the butter first.  And I didn't have to use a fork to mix the dough.  Craziness.  Guess now I should stop bragging about how I can make delicious cookies without a mixer.

Pumpkin-Craisin-Choc Chip Cookies

1/2 stick butter

1/2 c brown sugar

1/4 c sugar

1/2 c vegetable oil

1 egg

3-4 tbsp pumpkin

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp vanilla

1/2 c wheat flour

1+ c flour

This is my basic cookie recipe, but I added the pumpkin.  I normally use 3/4 c white flour, but ended up adding quite a bit extra because the dough seemed too soft.  I have no idea how much I ended up adding.  

These are the "fluffiest" cookies I have made in a long time.  

Often my cookies end up pretty flat.  But even when I get the dough cold enough not to spread really thin, they don't usually end up as tall as this batch of cookies did!

Ginger Craisin Cookies

Ginger Craisin Cookies

1 stick butter

1/2 c vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp powdered ginger

1 c brown sugar

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c wheat flour

2 c flour

1/4 c mini chocolate chips

1/4 c (scant) craisins

(I didn't actually measure the chocolate or the craisins...so 1/4 c is just a guess)

bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes

makes about 40 cookies

I took these cookies out to the people hard at work in the State Forest building a new trail.  

There were no complaints.  

The trail is looking awesome and I can't wait to run it!