Softbatch Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Averie Sunshine on June 23, 2013

I’ve been wanting to bake cream cheese into cookies for ages.

I finally did. And I’m in love with the results.

In my cookbook, I have a recipe for Carrot Cake Cookies with cream cheese baked in, but I’ve never tried it with chocolate chip cookies or as a way to substitute for butter until now.

I adapted my favorite Chocolate Chip and Chunk Cookie recipe and replaced some of the butter with cream cheese and am in love with the results.

My favorite recipe calls for 3/4 cup of butter and for these cookies, I used a combination of 1/2 cup butter and 1/4 cup cream cheese.

You wouldn’t think that just a simple quarter-cup swap of butter for cream cheese would effect results that much, but it did.

They’re so soft, moist, and with a richness to the dough like no other cookies I’ve tried.

The dough seems more buttery, which is ironic since there’s actually less butter used, not more.

I can’t taste the cream cheese, but it adds depth, density, and richness that my regular chocolate chip cookies don’t have.

Don’t use light, fat-free, or a whipped cream cheese because your dough will become runny. I tried the recipe with some light cream cheese I had on hand, and the cookies baked thinner and spread.

Use cream cheese in a block or the spreadable kind. Smoosh it into a one-quarter cup measure and cream it with the butter and sugars.

Make sure to chill your dough for at least two hours before you bake to ensure your cookies bake thick and puffy. Warm, limp dough bakes into limpy and wimpy cookies. I want my cookies to be thick, with puffy centers that are overflowing with chocolate.

I used a combination of 2 1/4 cups of chocolate chips and chunks to ensure plenty of chocolate in every bite.

And then some.

The cookies are super soft without being cakey, and remind me of Softbatch cookies. The edges are slightly chewy, and the thick interiors are soft, tender, and moist.

Cornstarch is my secret weapon for creating super soft cookies.

The reason pudding cookies turn out so soft is because ‘modified food starch’, or cornstarch, is one of the first ingredients in pudding mix. Same principle here, minus using actual pudding mix.

After trying these cookies and not being able to keep my hands off of them, it’s made me wonder what’ll happen if I replace some of the butter with cream cheese in some of my other favorite cookie recipes.

I’ll can’t wait to start taste-testing and make up for lost time.

Print Save

Replacing some of the butter from my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe with cream cheese created cookies that are soft, thick, moist, and tender. Although you can't taste the cream cheese, the cookies have a richness and depth of flavor like no other cookies I've tried. Plus there's an abundance of chocolate in every bite. The dough can be made in advance, refrigerated, and baked as desired, up to 5 days later. A great option to have for fresh, warm cookies without having to mix up dough. I highly recommend these cookies!

Yield: about 28 medium-small cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Total Time: 3+ hours, for dough chilling

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened (use cream cheese in a block or spreadable, don't use fat-free, light or whipped)
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt, optional and to taste
2 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks (I used 1 cup chips and 1 1/4 cups chunks)

To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, cream cheese (measure it by smooshing it into a 1/4-cup measure), sugars, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well-creamed, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes (or use an electric hand mixer and beat for at least 7 minutes).Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, optional salt, and mix until just combined, about 1 minute.Add chocolate chips and chunks, and beat momentarily to incorporate, or fold in by hand.Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, form heaping mounds (I made 28). Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds slightly with your palm, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough because cookies will spread and bake thinner and flatter.Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat or spray with cooking spray and place mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet). Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just beginning to set, even if slightly undercooked, pale and glossy in the center. Do not bake longer than 10 minutes as cookies will firm up as they cool (The cookies shown in the photos were baked with dough that had been chilled overnight, allowed to come to room temp for 15 minutes, and were baked for 8 minutes, with trays rotated at the 4-minute mark. They have chewy edges with soft, pillowy centers). Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.

Recipe from Averie Cooks. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.

Chocolate Chip and Chunk Cookies – Soft, chewy, tender, moist, stay soft for days, are a snap to make, with two kinds of chocolate. A fuss-free, straightforward recipe for chocolate chip cookies that yields fabulous results every time. and the dough base that Ive adapted over and over

Soft and Chewy Snickers Chocolate Chip Cookies – Of all the candy-bar stuffed cookies, these are my favorite

Twix Bar Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soft and Chewy M&Ms Cookies – The exact same cookies as the Snickers and Twix, except they use M&Ms. They’re popular on Pinterest and with readers

Caramel Corn Chocolate Chip Cookies – There’s more add-ins than dough in these extremely well-stuffed cookies. If you like eating caramel corn by the handful, baking it into cookies is even better

Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups – No issues with spreading cookies because they’re baked in a muffin pan. They’re dense, with nuttiness and richness from the browned butter and the perfect balance of chewy edges, squishy in the middle, and loaded with chocolate

Chocolate Chunk Cookie Sticks – No butter used in these fast and easy cookie sticks that can’t spread because they’re baked in a pan. It’s faster and easier to make these sticks than individual cookies

Reese’s Pieces Soft Peanut Butter Cookies

Soft Batch Dark Brown Sugar Coconut Oil Cookies – One of my favorite cookies, ever. If you’ve never baked with coconut oil, you’re in for such a treat. The cookies don’t taste coconutty, but have a depth and richness that’s unbeatable

Mini Cream Cheese Pound Cakes – Fast, easy, soft, moist and the recipe makes just two little cakes

Thanks for the 20 Favorite Crunchy Snacks and Healthy Chips Maker Giveaway entries and the $500 Apple iPad Giveaway entries

What do you make or bake with cream cheese?

Favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe?

View the original article here

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

by Averie Sunshine on June 19, 2013

These cupcakes have been months in the making.

They were well worth the wait because they’re the best carrot cake cupcakes I’ve ever had.

I love carrot cake and wanted to turn one of my favorite cakes into cupcakes, but the road was paved with snags.

I love this Carrot Cake Loaf, but the recipe was written to be made as a loaf cake rather than as cupcakes. The cake is incredibly moist and I knew it would produce dense, heavy cupcakes. I wouldn’t mind because I think good carrot cake should be on the denser and heavier side, but others may prefer their cupcakes a bit lighter.

I have this Carrot Pineapple Banana Bread, a tropical spin on carrot cake. And Cinnamon and Spice Sweet Potato Bread, which uses similar spices to carrot cake, but neither are cupcakes.

A couple months ago I tried to make carrot cake cupcakes and accidentally overfilled my muffin pan. I wound up with splooging mushrooms rather than cupcakes.

Instead I made Soft and Chewy Spiced Carrot Cake Cookies. They turned out to be some of my favorite cookies of 2013 so far, so all was not lost.

And there’s a recipe in my cookbook for Carrot Cake and Cream Cheese Cookies, which have cream cheese baked in and they’re great cookies, but they’re not cupcakes.

Now I finally have my cupcakes and I love them. They’re fast and easy to make, and ready from start to finish in under 30 minutes. The batter comes together in one bowl without a mixer.

They’re soft, the perfect balance of dense yet light, and so moist. There’s nothing worse than dry cake and cupcakes tend to dry out even more so than cake, and these are anything but dry.

They’re oil-based rather than butter-based. Oil keeps cakes, breads, and quickbreads softer, springier, and more tender than butter.

The carrots themselves add moisture and texture, as do the raisins. If you don’t like raisins, you can omit them. I’m a raisin lover and they’re a must. If you like nuts, add some, but I prefer to keep those little pebbles out of my soft, tender cupcakes.

Bland carrot cake isn’t worth eating and the cupcakes are pleasantly spiced in a way that’s robust enough to complement the natural flavor of the carrots. They’re sweet, but not overly so.

The tangy cream cheese frosting, which is a must-have, balances the sweetness and rounds out the flavors. I just spooned it on, but pipe if you prefer. I only pipe unless I absolutely have to because so much precious frosting sticks to the bag and is wasted.

Many times I donate our extra goodies to friends, neighbors, my husband’s coworkers, my daughter’s teachers because our family of 3 does not need it all. But my husband insisted we hoard these. I agreed.

All my trials and tribulations of getting to these cupcakes were so worth it.

Print Save

I love carrot cake in any way, shape, or form, and these soft, moist, tender cupcakes are the best carrot cake cupcakes I've ever had. They're fast and easy to make, and come together with one bowl and a whisk in minutes. They're soft, springy, and the cream cheese frosting adds the perfect tanginess to these well-spiced and flavorful cupcakes.

Yield: 12 to 13 cupcakes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Cupcakes
2 large eggs
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup sour cream or thick Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
pinch salt, optional and to taste
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups coarsely grated carrots (2 to 3 medium/large carrots, peeled)
1/2 cup raisins, optional
1/2 cup nuts, optional

Frosting
1/2 cup (4 ounces) cream cheese (light is okay), softened
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
about 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, more or less as desired

For the Cupcakes - Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 12-count muffin pan very well with floured cooking spray or use liners (Cosmetically, I prefer avoiding the ripples and ridges that liners produce)In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the first 11 ingredients (through optional salt) until combined.Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and stir until just combined, don't overmix.Fold in the carrots, optional raisins and nuts. Note about the carrots - I use a box grater on the coarsest blade and it takes less than 2 minutes to grate them. I prefer the consistency of doing it by hand rather than using a food processor. Don't use bagged, pre-shredded carrots from the grocery store; grate them yourself.Turn batter out into prepared pan. Fill each muffin cavity between 2/3 and 3/4-full. Do not exceed 3/4-full because they will overflow. You may have batter remaining for a 13th (or 14th) cupcake and it's better to either discard it or bake it in another pan even though it's a pain for just 1 cupcake. I have overfilled, and then overflown, trying to make it all work in one pan.Bake for about 20 minutes, or until cupcakes are domed, set, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. Allow cupcakes to cool in pan for about 15 minutes before removing and turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.While cupcakes cool, make the Frosting - With an electric mixer, beat together first three ingredients on high power until combined and light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.Slowly add the confectioners' sugar and beat to incorporate. Play with sugar ratio based on desired frosting consistency. If you accidentally add too much sugar, add a bit more cream cheese to thin it out.Frost the cooled cupcakes. I spoon on about 2 tablespoons frosting per cupcake. Pipe it with a piping bag if desired. If you have extra frosting, it will keep airtight in the refrigerator for many weeks. Frosted cupcakes will keep airtight in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Unfrosted cupcakes will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or frozen for up to 3 months.

Recipe from Averie Cooks. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.

Carrot Cake Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting

Soft and Chewy Spiced Carrot Cake Cookies

Carrot Pineapple Banana Bread with Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting (small-batch recipe, makes 6)

Cinnamon and Spice Sweet Potato Bread

Oatmeal Raisin Carrot Cake Bites (no-bake, vegan, GF)

Coconut Spice Cheesecake Bars

Do you like carrot cake? Have a favorite recipe?

View the original article here

Bacon Cheese Swirls

© Reiman Media Group, LLC., 2013

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

View the original article here

Pizza Recipes: Goat Cheese Pizzas

Jan 06, 2005 This is easy and actually quite elegant. I used goat cheese that was already in crumbles that I purchased at the grocery store. I also used mini pitas instead of regular size pitas, and I cut them in half when they came out of the oven. As a reviewer suggested, I made a balsamic vinegar reduction to drizzle over the pizzas after I sprinkled them with fresh torn basil leaves. My guests all loved this recipe. It was really quite easy and impressive.

—AMY LAMPERT 

View the original article here

Cottage Cheese Topper

Whenever I make banana pudding with sugar-free instant pudding mix and fresh bananas, I crush up…

Read more »

Following an old family recipe, Cindi B. of Lynden, Washington ensures a tasty beef roast by…

Read more »

View the original article here

Parmesan Crusted Fondue Grilled Cheese and Grilled Cheese Academy Recipe Showdown

April ended, May wormed its way in under a blanket of snow and announced the official end of Grilled Cheese Month. Sigh.

While many blogs are moving on to Mother’s Day celebrations—all pretty and lacy with flowers and sweets galore—I have just one more grilled cheese to share with you. Just because I can’t help myself.

And because I couldn’t bear it if you missed out on the chance to win some crazy, great prizes by simply creating your own grilled cheese sandwich, I really needed to remind you just one last time about your chance to wow the world with your cheeseness.

I’ll be one of the judges of the Grilled Cheese Academy’s Grilled Cheese Recipe Showdown next month, eating my way through toasted bread and gooey middles to choose the finest cheese sandwich of 2013.

The entries have been rolling in but I couldn’t resist giving you one more prod, one more push to enter for yourself because the prizes are just too good to not give it a go.

If I could enter, I oh so would. But I can’t, so you need to.

You only have until May 12 to enter the contest, and here are over 5,000 reasons you should…

Gold Skillet Award will go to 1 Winner

$4,000 Gourmet Kitchenware including:

10-piece Copper Core Cookware Set (a serious brand name I totally covet)

7-piece Knife Block Set (from THE German knife maker)

10-piece Cast Iron Cookware Set (and more serious names)

$1,000 MasterCard Gift Card

Wisconsin Cheese Basket

Inclusion in the 2013 Grilled Cheese Academy Recipe Book

Silver Spatula Award will go 2 Winners

$500 Williams-Sonoma Gift Card

Wisconsin Cheese Basket

Inclusion in the 2013 Grilled Cheese Academy Recipe Book

Bronze Butter Knife Award will go to 8 Winners

$100 Williams-Sonoma Gift Card

Wisconsin Cheese Basket

I’ve had a cadre of different grilled cheese sands I’ve created for the blog and this is probably the most stripped down I’ve done yet. Although you can hardly call it uncomplicated.

My inspiration was to create a grilled cheese that embellishes the cheesiest treat around: Fondue. A sandwich that combines the essence of that popular 70’s group noshing fest with the centerpieces nutty gruyere and melty baby swiss.

The bread is toasted and Parmesan crusted, brushed with garlic butter and layered with cheese and pepper jelly. I couldn’t help myself in keeping it cheese only. Will I ever find my simplicity again?

Parmesan Crusted Fondue Grilled Cheese with Pepper Jelly

Ingredients

2 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced 8 ounces baby swiss cheese, sliced Instructions

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat with sliced garlic. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until butter begins to brown and garlic becomes fragrant then remove from heat and discard the garlic slices. Brush garlic infused butter on one side of each slice of bread, then flip the bread buttered side down and repeat with the remaining bread slices. Stack the bread slices, buttered sides together and press a sprinkling of grated parmesan into each of the buttered bread slices. Stack the baby swiss cheese then a teaspoon or so of the pepper jelly and then the gruyere cheese onto the bread slices. Place the cheese topped bread, parmesan and buttered side down, in a non-stick fry pan over medium-high heat and top with the other slice of buttered bread. Cover with lid and let cook for 3-4 minutes or until golden. Reduce heat to medium and flip sandwich to the other side and cook for 2-3 minutes or until bread is toasty golden and the cheese has melted. The second side will cook faster than the first so watch carefully. Repeat process with the other sandwich ingredients to make the rest of the grilled cheese sandwiches. Enjoy hot.http://www.foodiecrush.com/2013/05/parmesan-crusted-fondue-grilled-cheese/Can’t wait to see what grilled cheese you come up with to enter in the Grilled Cheese Recipe Showdown,

Tagged as: cheese, grilled cheese, lunch, pepper jelly, sandwich

View the original article here

Mini Cream Cheese Pound Cakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Glaze

by Averie Sunshine on June 4, 2013

I almost never make pound cake. With all my other baking, we don’t need a pound of cake.

But two little mini cakes is a different story.

I’m not sure who eats traditional pound cake that’s made with a pound each of flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. That’s one heavy cake.

They must have super-human metabolism.

For my version, I added cream cheese in addition to the butter. It adds extra flavor, richness, and moisture. Pound cake is prone to dryness, and there’s nothing more inedible than dry cake. Why bother. The cream cheese helps combat that pesky problem.

The batter comes together in just minutes. All at once, cream together butter, cream cheese, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Fold in the dry ingredients and you’re ready to bake.

I baked them as two mini loaves because mini food is cuter, of course. And I find it easier to control the overall browning and dryness levels when I bake dense batters in smaller loaf pans rather than as one big loaf.

I love this Set of 4 Mini Loaf Pans for $9.99, but if you don’t have mini pans, it can be baked in a 9×5 pan. You’ll likely extend baking by 10 to 15 minutes, and if necessary, tent it with foil midway through cooking if your loaf is becoming overly browned.

I love the cracked tops. I’ve read that a cracked top on banana bread is the signal of a great loaf. It indicates that the wet and dry ingredients, as well as leaveners, were all combined in proper ratios to create steam, which escapes via the crack.

When I see a crack, I know the loaf is going to be a keeper.

The cake has a very dense and tight crumb, yet they’re surprisingly light. It’s just sweet enough and very subtly flavored with cream cheese. The cream cheese plays more of a role in adding moisture so the little cakes stay soft and moist.

The vanilla cream cheese glaze was the icing on the cake. Literally. It’s tangy yet sweet, and enhanced the cream cheese vibe.

Or try this heavenly Apricot Cream Cheese Glaze or your favorite jam or fruity topping. A handful of fresh strawberries, sprinkled with a touch of sugar, and allowed to macerate for an hour would be lovely draped over a slice.

The mini size is perfect to satisfy my once a year craving for a slice or two of pound cake, without having a ridiculously large amount of cake leftover. Let’s face it, no one wants to eat dried out pound cake on day 4 that’s leftover from a huge 10-inch tube-cake of pound cake.

Not a problem here.

And they make adorable gifts. One for you, one for a friend. That is, if you don’t scarf them both down.

They’re mini after all.

Print Save

I like this recipe because it makes just two little pound cakes, perfect when you only want a slice or two to satisfy a craving, and don't want a big cake leftover. The pound cake is dense and rich, yet light. It stays soft and moist from the cream cheese in the batter, and the vanilla cream cheese glaze is the literal icing on these small cakes. Make one for yourself and give one to a friend if you can part with one of these mini cuties.

Yield: two 5x3 mini cakes, or one 9x5 cake

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

For the Cake
2 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened (I used Trader Joe's Soft Spreadable Light Cream Cheese with great results)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch salt, optional and to taste

For the Glaze
2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
about 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more if necessary

For the Cake - Preheat oven to 325F. Spray two 5x3 Mini Loaf Pans with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour the pans; set aside. (Cake may be baked as one 9x5 loaf, possibly as one 8x4 loaf, although I have not tested either. Adjust baking time accordingly, probably by adding 5 to 15 minutes, tent with foil if necessary to prevent over-browning)To the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and hand mixer), add first 5 ingredients (through vanilla), and beat on medium-high speed to cream them until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the final 3 ingredients. Mix on medium speed until just incorporated, don't overmix.Turn batter out into prepared pans and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until cakes are domed, golden, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I baked for 47 minutes and rotated pans midway through baking. I would bake for about 45 minutes next time. If at any point your cakes seem to be browning too quickly, tent with a sheet of foil; however this was not an issue for me.Allow cakes to cool in pans for about 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cakes are best enjoyed fresh, but will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. While cakes cool, make the glaze.For the Glaze - Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and beat on medium-high speed until smooth and silky, playing with sugar ratio if necessary until desired consistency is achieved.Drizzle glaze on top of loaves or spread on the interior of the slices; I prefer the later version. Extra glaze will keep airtight for many weeks in the refrigerator.

Recipe from Averie Cooks. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.

French Almond Cookie Cake with Apricot Cream Cheese Glaze

Baked Orange Banana Coconut Donuts with Orange Coconut Vanilla Cream Cheese Glaze

Blueberry and Jam Buttermilk Coffee Cake with Buttery Vanilla Glaze

Fluffy Vegan Coconut Oil Banana Muffins and Mini Muffins

Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

Little Banana Yogurt Muffins and Little Banana Bread Loaf

Baked Eggnog Vanilla Donuts with Eggnog Rum Glaze (use regular milk in place of the eggnog this time of year)

Carrot Cake Loaf with Cream Cheese Frosting

Thanks for the entries in the Favorite Mini & Petite Treats and Cookbook Giveaway – very timely with this post and ends tonight 6/4

Make sure to also enter the Peanut Butter Comfort Cookbook and KitchenAid Hand Blender Giveaway

Today is a very happy day for me because it’s the official release date of my cookbook, Peanut Butter Comfort. Thank you to everyone who’s picked up their copy and for already writing to tell me you received your books. I’m so grateful for your support!

Do you like pound cake?

Ever made mini cakes of any kind?

View the original article here