Jessy Bakes

Chocolate is one of my most favorite indulgences.  This big ol’ bar of dark chocolate is from Trader Joe’s and I LOVE it!  It’s 17.6 ounces of joy.  The whole thing costs around $4 and is enough to replace the chips in 4 batches of cookies for me.  I like my cookies FULL of chocolatey goodness though.  So, if you use one row of chocolate squares per batch it could actually last you 8 batches.  Either way, that’s cheaper then a bag of chocolate chips.  These bars come in milk chocolate too.

Anyhoo, I was craving chocolate big time the passed couple of weeks and decided to throw together a batch of my favorite chocolate chippers.  Wait!  Hadn’t I just purchased the above-mentioned gargantuan bar of goodness?  Why not beat the living daylights out of a piece of that to add some zing to my cookies?  More chocolate?  Well ~chuckle~ ~chuckle~  of COURSE I could find a way to add MORE chocolate!  And I did:

Jessy’s Choc-A-LOT Cookies ~ Makes 18~

3/4 c. flour

1/4c + 1/8c cocoa powder (I use Hershey’s)  *for the 1/8 c. I just eyeball about halfway up the 1/4c. cup*

1/2tsp. soda

1/2tsp. salt

1/2c (1stick) butter, softened (or just cut the cold stuff into small squares and nuke for about 13 seconds)

1/4c + 1/8c sugar

1/4c + 1/8c brown sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 large egg

desired amount of chocolate chips or pulverized chocolate bar of choice

~PREHEAT OVEN 375 DEGREES~

1. In a small bowl use a whisk to combine flour, cocoa, soda and salt.

2. In a separate bowl beat together sugars and butter.

3. Add egg and vanilla and beat together, scraping down sides.

4. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.

5. Toss in chocolate chips or chunks and mix with a spoon or spatula until evenly distributed (a chocolate chunkless cookie is a sad sad thing).  *To break up my chocolate squares into chunks I place them in a plastic baggie and pound them into submission with the “knife sharpener” that came with my knife set.  It’s metal and heavy.  Works!*

6. Drop onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.

7. Bake 9 – 11 minutes.  10 minutes of perfect in my oven!

I usually bake one dozen and drop the remaining dough onto a separate cookie sheet, placing it in the freezer until the balls of dough are firm.  Then I put them in a plastic freezer bag.  That way I can have a couple of freshly baked cookies on a whim without the prep and dishes.

nnn nnn n nnn?  Oh excuse me… talking with my mouth full…  I mean, need I say more?

I really wanted brownies this week!  Since I tried to bake the ones from Riot Wife I can’t bring myself to try another recipe.  So, I decided to add a couple of simple touches to make these brownies my own.

Jessy’s Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Brownies

Ingredients:

1/2 C. unsalted butter (1 Stick), room temp ~ I just cut it into squares and nuke it for                 13 sec~

1 C. dark brown sugar ~that’s what I had on hand~

1 egg

1/2 C. Hershey’s cocoa

1 tsp. vanilla ~I use “Pure Bourbon Vanille Extract from Trader Joe’s~

1/2 C. flour

Pinch of salt

1/2 c. chocolate chips ~I use the Nestle semi-sweet mini morsels (I put them in my                    store in case you can’t find them at your local grocery~

Nutella ~also in my store if you can’t find it~

Directions:

Preheat oven 350 degrees.  Lightly grease glass baking dish.  I use an 8 x 6 Pyrex Baking Dish (I put something similar in my store).

Combine flour, cocoa, and salt in a small bowl.  I generally use a whisk to quickly combine my dry stuff.

In a larger bowl cream together butter and sugar.  Add egg and vanilla and mix well.

Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until evenly combined.

Mix in chocolate chips.

Pour into  baking dish and bake 15-20 minutes.  ”Never Longer!” According to Riot Wife  I take my out at around 18 minutes and let them cool for 1 hour.  That makes them just fudgey enough for me.

Once the brownies are completely cooled, add a layer (whatever thickness you desire) of Nutella.