Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

Oh I don't even know where to start with these bad boys! This is one of my favorite posts yet! I had family over today and served these for dessert, I think they went quicker than any dessert I've ever made. Who doesn't love cookie dough? Okay okay so truthfully I wasn't that into it (what was wrong with me!? =) until just a few months ago, then I got a more refined palate and became obsessed with it, and now with these I'm dangerously addicted. I can't stop eating them!
Of course I made these to be egg free, and to replace the moisture from the lack of eggs (I also didn't want to add more than a stick of butter) I decided to add what better than heavy cream! My life motto: every things better with cream haha kidding (kind of). If it wasn't so fattening I'd pour cream over my cold cereal replacing milk for breakfast, I love the stuff. The cream gives these cookie dough bites the perfect texture. Ah don't you just wish you had one now to sink your teeth into and let it slowly melt in your mouth? So go make them, you won't regret it (well maybe you will a little when you can't stop eating them... but it's worth it. I'd rather run a few extra miles to enjoy a few more of these).
Make these and where ever you take them they will be worth more than gold, seriously they should replace money. Bonus, less waiting for baked cookies and less mess. I'm going to be seeing a lot of these around my place.
Note: I know many cookie dough truffles/bites use mini chocolate chips but I never keep the minis on hand that's why I used regular chocolate chips and just chopped them up a bit. Plus I love how it gave them the little slivers of chocolate throughout the cookie dough bites, but if you don't want to do the chopping and you have minis feel free to use that. You could even use mini M&M's. I listed in the recipe my personal preference which is half milk chocolate chips half semi-sweet but if you prefer one over the other then use that. Add extra if you'd like too. Enjoy! Hide them from everyone, I think next time I'm going to. Sometimes, just sometimes it's okay to be greedy =).

Creepy, do you see the little guy looking up saying "eat me"?

 Now I can't stop looking at it...

 That serving will be mine...

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites
Yields about 30 (so barely enough for 2 people =)


Ingredients:
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar*
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup milk chocolate chips, chopped (the idea is to get them to be about 1/2 - 1/3 their original size)
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, chopped


Optional Topping:
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips


Directions:
In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip together butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and salt until pale and fluffy about 3 - 4 minutes. Stir in cream and vanilla extract. Add in flour and mix just until combine (dough will seem dry at first but it will come together). Mix in chopped chocolate chips. Scoop dough out 1 equal tablespoon at a time and roll into balls. Place on parchment or wax paper. If drizzling with chocolate, place 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips in a microwave safe container and microwave on 50% power in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted and smooth. Pour melted chocolate into a small ziploc bag, seal bag and cut a very small tip off the corner of the bag. Drizzle chocolate over tops of truffles. Place truffles in freezer for several minutes until chocolate sets and hardens (mine only took about 3 minutes), then enjoy! For more firm cookie dough bites, chill 1 hour in refrigerator. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.


*for an even creamier truffle omit 2 Tbsp of the granulated sugar and replace it with 2 Tbsp coffee creamer powder. It's delicious!


Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

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My Idea of the Perfect Scrambled Eggs

After posting banana bread pancakes the other day I realized I haven't even posted the sides I always serve with my breakfast entrees. Well it's about time I do. Most often I serve the the entree with a side of these scrambled eggs and breakfast potatoes, then on special occasions with bacon. 
This is one of those recipes I had to actually had to sit down and measure out what I put in it because it's always been a little of this and a dash of that. I believe one of the most important factors to perfect, fluffy scrambled eggs it stirring/folding them constantly. Every cook has their opinion on what temperature they should be cooked at, some say low and slow and other say high and quick. In my opinion medium - high is perfect. 
The seasoning used for these is one I've been using a lot lately, most often in breakfast dishes. I think I would say it's slightly Italian. It compliments eggs perfectly. You can use the remaining seasoning for burgers or chicken. It's a quick, simple way to add delicious flavor. Enjoy!


Scrambled Eggs
Yields about 4 servings


Ingredients:
8 large eggs
1/2 cup milk*
1/2 Tbsp butter
2 oz grated Cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese (I use 1 oz of each)
1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp herb seasoning, recipe follows or salt and pepper to taste


Directions:
Preheat a 10" non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Crack eggs into a blender, add in milk  (cover with lid) and blend mixture on low speed for 10 seconds. Melt butter in saucepan by spreading it along bottom and edges of skillet. Once butter has lightly begun to bubble, pour blended egg mixture into pan and immediately sprinkle with cheeses and seasoning. Stir eggs CONSTANTLY (a key to perfect eggs) with a spatula, making sure to scrape along the surface of the pan to prevent bottom from browning and a skin from forming. Cook eggs for 3-4 minutes to desired wetness/dryness of eggs (note: they will continue to cook slightly once removed). Remove from heat and serve immediately.


*sometimes I like to do 1/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup buttermilk


Add in ideas:
Diced ham
Fresh salsa (reduce amount of milk if adding this)
Sliced mushrooms
Diced tomatoes
Spinach
Diced avocados
Crumbled bacon


Herb Seasoning


Ingredients:
1 Tbsp salt
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper (call it your workout for the day)
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp dried thyme


Directions:
Whisk together all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Store in an airtight container for up to several months. This seasoning is also great for burgers, chicken, twice baked potatoes and breakfast potatoes.

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The Best Chocolate Cake You Ever Ate

Ahh chocolate cake, doesn't it just make life good? And what makes life really good? A moist, lightly fudgy, perfectly chocolaty, slightly dense, kissed with cinnamon piece of the perfect chocolate cake frosted in a rich, fudge-like frosting. Haha I'm kidding, kind of. I know if someone were to hand me a piece of this cake on "one of those days" it would rapidly change from being "one of those days" into being a fabulous day =).

I got this recipe from my sister, whom got it from allrecipes. I'm quite certain it's a recipe for chocolate cake that cannot be topped. There's not outdoing this one. It is simply as it's named "The Best Chocolate Cake You Ever Ate." I may call it The Best Chocolate Cake You Will Ever Eat, because it's likely to be a lifelong favorite. Everything about this cake is divine. I made several of my own adjustments to the recipe, just follow the allrecipes link above to view the original recipe. 

I almost forgot to mention the best part of this recipe (after it's incredible taste of course), you frost it right out of the oven while it's hot. No waiting an hour for the cake to cool to frost it! Amazing no? Just one more reason this is truly the perfect chocolate cake.

The Best Chocolate Cake You Ever Ate
Yields about 16 servings

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup applesauce 
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Recipe Chocolate Fudge Frosting, recipe follows

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, set aside. Melt butter in a saucepan then stir in applesauce, cocoa powder and water and bring mixture just to a boil, whisking constantly. Pour hot butter mixture into flour mixture and stir. Add in buttermilk, eggs and vanilla and whisk mixture until well combine. Pour mixture into a buttered 13x9 baking dish and bake 25-28 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, prepare frosting during the last 5 minutes of cake baking. Immediately after removing cake from oven, pour (or dollop frosting by the spoonfuls) over hot cake and gently spread over entire cake.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup milk
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, combine butter and cocoa powder and bring mixture just to a boil, stirring constantly to break up cocoa powder. Remove from heat and stir in milk, powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until well combine. If mixture is too thick to stir by hand beat it with an electric hand mixer on low speed until well blended.  Immediately spread over hot cake before frosting begins to set. (Also, note if you are adding sprinkles the frosting does begin to set quickly so you will want to garnish with sprinkles immediately or they don't stick well).

Recipe Source: adapted slightly from allrecipes

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