Double Chocolate Mint Cookies

I was so excited a couple of weeks ago when Hubby came home from helping out at the Food Bank with two beautiful bags of Hershey's chocolate mint chips! These are not always easy to find in stores, so it of course got me thinking about all the scrumptious things I could make.

First off, I checked the back of the bag since Hershey's always has amazing recipes on their packaging. Sure enough "Double Chocolate Mint Cookies" just leapt off the bag and into my oven! Well, okay so maybe it didn't happen quite like that, but it might as well have. Just under my fanatical love of the chocolate/peanut butter combo is the absolutely genius marriage of chocolate and mint. Mint especially shines on a backdrop of rich, super chocolaty chocolate.

Like these cookies. The dough is dense and fudgy and rich, and there is even more chocolate in the chips themselves!

So what do you think I should make with the second bag?

Double Chocolate Mint Cookies

(printable version)

by Hershey's

makes about 2 1/2 doz.

2/3 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour

1/2 cup Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 2/3 cups (1 10 oz. pkg.) Hershey's Mint Chocolate Chips

Heat oven to 350.

Beat butter and sugar together in a large bowl until creamy. Add egg and vanilla; beat well.

Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually add to butter mixture, beating well.

Stir in mint chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 9 min. or just until set- do not overbake. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

Chicken Divan

I think the cooler weather makes me more prone to go back to those old, familiar recipes that have been tried and tested and loved for years on end, especially those that remind me of cooking with my mom or celebrating birthdays (always a big deal in our house).

This particular casserole (affectionately renamed "Chicken Curry" by our family) was a favorite of my older brother and I think he requested it for his birthday dinner every year that I can remember. It was also a "company dinner" staple, being all fancy with the slivered almonds on top and easy to make enough for a crowd. The broccoli and chicken in a creamy curry-tinged sauce is perfectly paired with the crunchy cheesy-almond topping.

I still have vivid snapshots of memories stirring the sauce, chopping the chicken, pouring steaming broccoli into the baking dish, grating the cheese and tearing up the bread for the topping. So not only is this a tasty, satisfying meal, it also holds those special memory triggers reserved for the beloved foods of our childhood.

That being said, I did however, lighten it up just a teensy bit. As a kid I thought nothing of dumping a heaping scoop of mayo into this delectable dish, but as I am a little bit more health conscious (and, let's be honest, the main reason was because my mayo jar was almost empty) I decided to sub the mayo for fat free greek yogurt. Zero fat, plus great proteins and other good-for-you stuff and I couldn't taste the difference. Still the same great creamy sauce! Yay!

Chicken Divan

(printable version)

serves 4-6

1 10 oz. package of frozen broccoli

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

1/2 cup mayo or greek yogurt

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp curry powder

1 TB melted butter

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup slivered almonds

Hot cooked rice

Preheat oven to 350. Cook broccoli according to package directions.

Place broccoli in greased 8x8 pan. Layer chicken over broccoli.

In a medium bowl, combine mayo (or yogurt), soup, lemon juice and curry and mix until well blended. Pour over chicken. In another bowl, combine butter, bread crumbs, cheese and almonds and mix. Sprinkle over the top of other ingredients.

Bake 45 min to an hour or until sauce is bubbly and topping is golden. Serve over hot cooked rice, if desired.

{Crock-Pot} Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

Do remember a couple of days ago when I was going on about yummy, comforting soup recipes?

Well, here you go!

This soup is not only totally healthy- packed with veggies- but it also contains CHEESE and is thereby amazing. It's sort of a take on broccoli cheddar soup, but with way more vegetables (count 'em- 6!- if garlic counts as a vegetable!) AND I converted it for the crock pot. Of course.

So. Go make yourself some.

Oh, and while it's in the crock pot, get all domestic and whip up some of this fantastically easy Italian bread!

Crock-Pot Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

(printable version)

adapted from Lulu the Baker

serves about 6

2 TB butter

1 med. onion

1 cup chopped carrots

2 celery sticks, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2 medium broccoli crowns, chopped into small florets

3 14 oz. cans chicken broth (about 6 cups)

2 large baking potatoes, peeled and diced

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

1 TB flour

1/2 cup water

1 cup milk

2 heaping cups of cheddar cheese, shredded (I used a blend of extra sharp white cheddar and medium  cheddar)

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery and saute until tender. Add garlic and saute 1 or 2 minutes more. Place onion mixture in crock pot. Add broccoli and potatoes; pour in broth, add bay leaf and salt and pepper. In a small jar, combine flour and water and shake vigorously to combine. Stir into crock pot. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

Before serving, remove bay leaf, then remove about half of soup from crock pot and puree the other half using an immersion or "stick" blender (this can also be done in batches in a blender) to your desired consistency. Stir in reserved soup, milk and cheese and heat until hot and cheese is melted.

Meals for a Month {October/November}

Okay so I'm in full-on fall mode! Having had my Dutch Bros. pumpkin spice latte, hunted for squash in the supermarket, filled the crock-pot with soul-warming soup goodness, crunched leaves beneath my feet on my way to the post office (and Instagramed a picture of the gorgeous tree dropping said leaves of course), and burned cinnamon smelling candles in my home, I think I more than qualify as one of the fall-embracers. If there's one thing I totally love about fall it's the soup. I look so forward to our Wednesday nights coming home exhausted and yet hyped up from Awana to a delicious smelling home and a bowl full of warm goodness. Whether it's beef stew, chicken barley soup, some kind of creamy vegetable or spicy chicken tortilla, I'm a sucker for the warm soups this cold season brings.

Week 1 (Oct. 16-20)

Tuesday

Chicken Divon with Rice

Wednesday

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder with Italian Bread

Thursday

Upside Down Mexican Pot Pie

Friday

Pizza

Saturday

Sweet Potato Breakfast Biscuits with Poached Eggs and Bacon

Week 2 (Oct. 23-27)

Tuesday

Slow Cooker New Orleans Red Beans and Rice

Wednesday

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Thursday

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

Friday

Pizza

Saturday

Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Pancakes with Cinnamon Syrup

Week 3 (Oct. 30-Nov. 3)

Tuesday

Chicken Paprikash with Noodles

Wednesday

Crock Pot Chicken Stew

Thursday

Butternut Shells

Friday

Pizza

Saturday

Baked Pumpkin French Toast

Week 4 (Nov. 6-10)

Tuesday

Shepherd's Pie

Wednesday

Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

Thursday

Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwiches

Friday

Pizza

Saturday

Gorgonzola Penne with Chicken

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies

What could be more natural to pair with a soft, spicy molasses cookie than a healthy dose of pumpkin?

Nothing.

These cookies are flavored fabulously with creamy pumpkin puree, which of course gives them a beautiful golden-orange hue, but definitely maintain their identity as molasses spice cookies. Besides the healthy heaping tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice, a dash of black pepper gives them a delightful kick!

After a crisp, cool day of romping through the leaves, roaming the pumpkin patch or trick-or-treating, treat yourself to a cup of tea and a couple of these soft, comforting cookies that look and taste like a beautiful bite of fall.

Pumpkin Molasses Cookies

(printable version)

by My Baking Addiction

makes 24-32 cookies (depending on size)

2 1/3 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 TB pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp black pepper

8 TB butter, room temp

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup molasses

2/3 cup pumpkin puree

1 egg

1/2 cup sugar for rolling

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or an electric mixer), beat the butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar, molasses, and pumpkin puree and beat for 2 min., scraping down the sides as needed. Add the egg and beat for 1 more minute. Reduce speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing until the flour and spices disappear. Dough will be very soft and sticky.

Divide dough in half and wrap each in plastic wrap. Freeze at least 30 min. or refrigerate at least 1 hour. The dough is sticky, so the longer time it has to chill, it will be easier to work with.

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment or spray with cooking spray.

Put the sugar in a small bowl. Working with one half of dough at a time, divide it into 12-16 pieces (each piece should be about a heaping TB). Roll each piece into a ball and roll each ball in sugar to coat. Place on baking sheet- do not overcrowd. Using your palm or the bottom of a glass, flatten each ball slightly.

Bake 12-14 min. or until the top feels set to the touch. Cool 5 min. on the sheet, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Repeat with second batch of dough.

Mom's Hamburger Stroganoff

As the temperatures drop, a definite craving for warm comforting foods begins to emerge. One of my husband's (and mine!) all time favorite comfort-foods is his mom's recipe for hamburger stroganoff.

This delicious pasta dish was passed down to me when I joined the family as the newest Mrs. Cochran and not only is it affordable and quick, it is creamy and simply soul-warming!

Mom's Hamburger Stroganoff

serves about 4

1 lb. hamburger

4 TB chopped onion

1/4 cup butter

1 can golden mushroom soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 whole bay leaves

4 cups egg noodles

8 oz. sour cream

Brown the hamburger. In another pan, melt butter over medium heat and add onion. Saute until just done. Add both cans of soup plus 3/4 of a can of water for each. Bring to a boil. Add hamburger, noodles and bay leaves. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 15-20 min. or until noodles are tender. Stir in sour cream just before serving.

Buckeye Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Okay, you all know that the marriage of peanut butter and chocolate is one of my favorite things ever. So we won't go over that.

But have you ever had a buckeye? Not the actual nut, but the delectable candy made to resemble it?

Someday I need to make them myself and post the recipe here because ohmygoodness they are so yummy! A beautiful expression of the aforementioned perfect pairing.

So, these cookies.

Buckeye cookies!! Peanut butter cup cookies!! Whatever you want to call them, with a fudgy chocolate outside, concealing a creamy, sweet, peanut buttery filling, seriously, how could you go wrong?

Oh, and you want a confession? I actually was short on peanut butter when I made these, and I substituted Nutella for the peanut butter in the chocolate dough!

Buckeye Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

(printable version)

by Brown Eyed Baker

makes about 2 dozen cookies

Cookies:

1 1/2  cups flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp

1/2 cup sugar (plus more for rolling)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

Filling:

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

3/4 powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Set aside a dish of sugar for rolling.

With an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together butter, sugars and peanut butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat to combine. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture and mix until combined.

In a separate bowl, mix together peanut butter and powdered sugar until smooth.

Take about a heaping TB of cookie dough and flatten in with your hands. Take about a tsp of peanut butter filling and place it in the center of the chocolate dough. Wrap the chocolate dough around the peanut butter center, pressing to seal. Roll the cookie into a ball and roll in sugar to coat. Place on baking sheet about 2 in. apart. Flatten each cookie slightly with the palm of your hand.

Bake 7 to 9 min. Let cool on the baking sheet for 2 min., then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.