Tag Archives: chocolate

Ooey-Gooey Cookie Recipe

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It’s Valentine’s Day this Friday! I’m sure you already have something planned for your snuggle muffin (yep, that’s what I call MG). But do you have something prepared for your friends and coworkers?

Remember in elementary school when you decorated your brown paper bag so that your friends could give you Valentine’s Day cards? I picked out the best ones for your best friends (Don’t lie, you did this too). Maybe even add a piece of candy here and there. Those were the days… when your biggest decision was “which card to give whom?”

For this Valentine’s Day, remember what this day is really about – showing people that you love them. I don’t know what that means to you, maybe it’s a nice dinner to set aside time to catch up apart from your busy lives. That’s definitely the case for MG and I. He’s been really busy with work, so we’ll be going out to dinner on Monday for a date night. It will be time well spent, and I’m looking forward to a special date night out.

Another way to show love is to bring treats to work on Valentine’s Day. It’s such a nice way to give someone something without having to spend too much money. My go-to treat, cookies! Simple recipe, you can make them in bulk so it won’t take a lot of time, and they are easy to carry to work.

Cookies

This chocolate and caramel cookie is one of my favorite recipes! The chewiness of caramel makes for a delicious cookie. Crunchy on the outside, chewy in the middle with bits of chewy caramel, and melty gooey chocolate throughout.

Ooey-Gooey Cookie Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 2 cup and 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter (at room temperature)
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs (at room temperature)
  • 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup of caramel bits (I use Kraft)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Beat the eggs, then add the vanilla extract.
  3. Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a separate bowl.
  4. Mix the granulated sugar and brown sugar together. Then blend the butter into the sugar until light and fluffy.
  5. Blend the eggs and vanilla into the sugar mixture. Add in the dry ingredients.
  6. Mix in the chocolate chips and caramel bits.
  7. Form dough balls onto a baking sheet. I like to make bite-sized cookies, so I use a 1 teaspoon measuring spoon to help me form the dough balls.
  8. When the oven is ready, put the tray into the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes, or until golden brown.

Dough balls
Whenever I have extra dough, I freeze it. You never know when you might have guests so prepped homemade cookies is the perfect sweet!

Displayed
Got this sweet stand as a wedding gift – from the Royal Albert collection at Macy’s 

Cookies
I can easily eat a dozen of these! Though I must’nt

Yum
Ready for Valentine’s Day with my red nails and pink lips!

Do you bring goodies to your friends and colleagues for Valentine’s Day? What will you be bringing this year? What are some other items you like to give?

All my love,
Jay

Chewy Chocolatey Rice Crispies Recipe

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Who has a sweet tooth?

Yum

I do! These rice crispy treats are the perfect sweet. I love chewy treats and am a huge fan of caramel. This recipe has melted chocolate and bits of caramel, perfect for any sweet craving.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 4 cups marshmallows
  • 5 cups rice cereal
  • 3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup of caramel bits

Ingredients
Since I used brown rice cereal, it makes this a bit healthier right?

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large pan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until it’s melted and blended. Remove from heat.
2. Add cereal and stir until pieces are well coated.
3. Add chocolate chips and mix well.
4. Add caramel bits and mix well.
5. Use a spatula and press mixture together into a 13 x 9 inch pan and let cool. Once cooled, cut into squares and serve!

Product

It’s such an easy treat to make and extremely satisfying. Those caramel chewy bits MAKE this recipe the perfect after dinner dessert. Or midnight snack. Or afternoon snack. Or breakfast… Yeah!

Bits

Caramel bits can be hard to find. Another option is to cut up bits of Werther’s chewy caramels.

Who’s craving something sweet? I would also like to know, who’s the lucky person you would you make these treats for?

Yum,
Jay

Chocolate Chia Bites

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Set

We’ve been having so much fun with Chia seeds – putting them in juice and making strawberry jam! Now let’s make some chocolate bites!

I don’t have a sweet tooth, I’m definitely a savory girl. Give me Cheeto’s or beef jerky before bed, but there are some days where I like to end on something sweet. Now that it’s getting colder, give me a glass of wine and throw in some of these chocolate chia bites! Doesn’t that sound lovely?

These little treats are super easy to make! Save them for yourself or give them away as holiday gifts. I’m sure you’ll be quite popular if you bring them to work for your colleagues!

ingredients

What you’ll need:

  • Dark Chocolate Chips
  • 1/2 cup of chia seeds
  • Trail Mix (I bought my big jar from Costco)
  • Silicone mat (or parchment paper)
  • 1 Ziploc bag
  • Scissors

Directions:

1. Half your bag of chocolate chips into the Ziploc, and microwave for 10 second bursts until the chocolate has melted. Do NOT overheat or the chocolate becomes thick.
2. Once melted, snip off a corner of the Ziploc.
3. Now pipe the chocolate onto the mat or parchment paper. Squeeze lightly so that the squirts are bite sized.
4. Once all the chocolate is piped, sprinkle chia seeds and add trail mix. Lightly push the trail mix into the chocolate so it stays when set.
5. Let the chocolate harden for about 10 minutes. I like to stick them in the fridge so that it sets quicker and the chocolate is a bit cold. Once the chocolate is hard, you should be able to pop each chocolate chia bite off one by one.

ReadyLay everything out so it’s accessible – makes things easier

MeltMelted chocolate – I like to microwave in burst and squeeze the chocolate around in the bag so it melts evenly

SnipSnip the end for piping

SquirtSquirts

SetLet it set for about 10 minutes – quicker if you put them in the fridge

I call these my healthy chocolate bites, wouldn’t you agree? It’s definitely justified if you have more than 5, maybe 8, okay fine, 10.

Serve

Is this something you will try to make? Will you be making these for yourself or someone else?

Enjoy this recipe! Yay for Chia!
Jay