Cookie Sundae Sunday

Earlier this week I asked my bf what kind of dessert he wanted me to make this weekend.  And of ALL the recipes for sweets I have, he chose cookies.  And from all of the different types of cookies I could make, he chose chocolate chip cookies.  Boring.  LOL  So I have to do something to spice them up, right?  But WHAT?  So I decided I'd make some cookies for him, some cookies for me (Reese's Chocolate Cookies) and attempt to make big cookies that we could make sundaes out of.

The recipes are courtesy of Hershey's (Chocolate Chip and Reese's Chewy Chocolate).  I actually halved these recipes today because Lord knows I do not need dozens of cookies laying around my place.

First, the chocolate chip cookie ingredients:

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Heat the oven to 375°F.


Stir together flour, baking soda and salt.  Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until creamy.

Add eggs; beat well.

Gradually add flour mixture, beating well.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 5 dozen cookies (or about 3 dozen Kelly-sized cookies).

Next, the Reese's cookie ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups (2-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips


Heat oven to 350°F. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; set aside.

Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until fluffy.

Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.

Gradually add flour mixture, beating well.

Stir in peanut butter chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 9 minutes. (Do not overbake; cookies will be soft. They will puff while baking and flatten while cooling.) Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4-1/2 dozen cookies (again, about 3 dozen cookies the way I make them).

Before spooning out the dough for the cookies, I pressed some dough into two mini springform pans I have (after spraying them with non-stick cooking spray first, of course):

I then baked them at 350 for about 15 minutes.  I worried about leaving them in any longer and burning, so they were a little gooey in the middle.

Added a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream, Hershey's Special Dark hot fudge, whipped cream and mini morsels and voila! 

Linda's Italian Wedding Soup

This recipe was provided by my boyfriend's mother.

1 large plus 2 small cans of chicken broth
2 bone-in chicken breasts
Fresh pot herb or 1 pinch of thyme and 1 pinch of parsley
1 pinch of pepper
1 diced onion
3 chopped carrots
3 chopped stalks of celery

Cook the above ingredients for 30 minutes.  Remove the chicken breasts and allow to cool.

1 lb lean ground meat (can use ground beef or ground turkey)
1 egg
Parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Onion powder

Place the meat into a medium bowl, shake enough Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder to cover the meat.  Add 1 egg and mix well.  Add additional Parmesan cheese until the mixture is sticky.  Form into small meatballs and add to soup mixture.

Cut the cooled chicken breasts into small pieces and add to soup.

Cook 1/2 cup pastina in a separate pot and then add to soup.

Add 1 box of frozen chopped spinach to the soup and then cook until desired.

Chocolate Covered Pretzel Cupcakes

This recipe is a mash-up of a few different recipes...Cupcake Project for the pretzel crust, Hershey's for the cupcake, Martha Stewart for the icing and Cupcake Friday Project for the assembly and chocolate covered pretzel topping.

Pretzel Crust:

3/8 cup butter, room temperature

1-1/2 tbsp brown sugar

1-1/4 cup crushed pretzels

Preheat oven to 350 F.  In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients.  *I used a pastry knife to get the pretzels, butter and brown sugar mixed well.*  Line cupcake tins with paper liners. Press a tablespoon of the mixture into the liners.  Bake for 10 minutes.

Cupcakes:

1 cup sugar

7/8 cup all-purpose flour

3/8 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup boiling water

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of electric mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

1-3/8 cup confectioners’ sugar

3/4 cup cocoa powder

Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and cocoa powder, and beat for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Chocolate Pretzel:

2 oz semisweet chocolate

1/2 tsp shortening

mini pretzels

Melt the semi-sweet chocolate in the microwave in a microwave-safe bowl covered with parchment paper. Dip pretzels in one by one with a fork, submerging into the chocolate. Shake off the excess chocolate and place on wax paper. Refrigerate for 10-20 minutes.

To assemble, pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes, then either roll or pat the bottom edges of the frosting with pretzels bits. Top with a chocolate-covered pretzel and enjoy!

Makes 15-16 cupcakes.