Krispie Chocolate Chip Cookies

I needed a dessert for Fourth of July. I've had Stephanie's Krispie Chocolate Chip Cookies printed out for awhile, I even bought the Rice Krispies to make them awhile back, so I figured it was time to make them happen.

These cookies take some planning because you need to chill the dough twice before baking. I can't stand when cookies spread because the butter in the dough is too warm, so I appreciate taking the extra time to make sure these don't do that.

The Rice Krispies add an interesting texture to these cookies. Even after we finished the batch I still couldn't decide if I was a fan or not. Don't get me wrong, the cookies were delicious, but the cooked cereal gets chewy and I prefer a moist, cakey chocolate chip cookie rather than a chewy one. It didn't stop me from eating them, though. Wink, wink.

Krispie Chocolate Chip Cookies
As seen on Stephanie Cooks

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoons hot water
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup chocolate chips

Whisk or sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, beating until just combined. Add the hot water and vanilla and beat until combined.

Add the flour mixture, in two batches, beating just until combined � be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Using a wooden spoon, fold in the chocolate chips and Rice Krispies. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer.

Scoop out 1 tablespoon of dough at a time and roll into a ball. Place all the dough balls on one baking sheet and chill at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Remove the dough from fridge and place 12 balls on a cookie sheet, evenly spaced apart. Bake until the middle looks just set and the edges begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Don't overcook. Remove and let sit on the baking sheet for 1 minute. Move the cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Chocolate Pudding

It's recipe swap time again. The theme this month was Blogger's Choice, which can be both fun and nerve wracking. This month I was given Eva's blog. Eva is a baker. I don't bake. I was a little worried.

I spent a great deal of time looking through Eva's blog trying to decide what to make. Unfortunately the first recipe I chose was a flop, but I'm forever grateful because it brought me to this recipe for Chocolate Pudding.

Guys, seriously, if you like chocolate pudding you NEED to try this recipe. Thick, rich, and chocolately beyond compare. This is the ultimate chocolate pudding. And simple as all get out. I couldn't believe it used pantry ingredients and took less than 30 minutes, most of which was spent whisking it on the stove while checking Facebook on my phone. Easy peasy lemon squeezy, as Baby Girl would say.

We brought this to my parent's house for dessert one Sunday and we were all amazed by how good it was. I was practically licking my ramekin clean. Next time I'll double the recipe because there weren't any leftovers. Thanks for an amazing recipe, Eva!

Chocolate Pudding
As seen on Eva Bakes, originally from The Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 cups milk
a pinch of salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the chocolate, sugar and milk in a medium-sized, heavy saucepan. Heat gently over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat.

Put the salt and cornstarch in a medium-sized bowl. Pour half the milk mixture into the bowl, whisking vigorously until all the cornstarch is dissolved. Whisk the contents of the bowl back into the saucepan.

Return the pan to medium-low heat and whisk constantly for about 10-15 minutes, or until the pudding becomes thick and glossy. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

Transfer the hot pudding to a serving bowl or individual ramekins. Lay a sheet of waxed paper over the surface of the pudding, pressing down gently, so a skin doesn't form. Chill completely before serving.

To see what other recipes were made click on the links below.

An InLinkz Link-up

Triple Chocolate Cookies

SP is making an effort to get back into the kitchen, at least on weekends. During the week he gets home from work so late I have to have dinner already prepared. We take dinner to my parent's house every Sunday so that's usually a good opportunity for him to make something.

We usually shy away from desserts but he's been itching to make cookies after he came across this recipe for Triple Chocolate Cookies on an app he has on his phone.

He decided at 2pm that he wanted to make these so we had to soften the butter in the microwave. As a result, the first batch of cookies spread a bit. I told him to refrigerate the dough and he ended up baking the rest of them while I watched the Downton Abbey season finale (sob!!) I've modified the instructions to include chilling the dough as well as allowing the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing them to a cooling rack.

These are incredible. I'm actually a little annoyed that he made them because they're so good and we certainly don't need sweets sitting around the house tempting us. Since I don't like white chocolate he used 2 cups of regular chips, but I think a peanut butter or cinnamon chip (or even a mint chip, if they make those) would be great in these. Since Baby Girl is allergic to nuts peanut butter chips aren't an option for us, but I did spread some peanut butter on one of the cookies and it was delicious.

Triple Chocolate Cookies
As seen on All the Cooks

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup flour
2/3 cup cocoa
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup sugar, for topping

Preheat oven to 350�F.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy using a hand mixer on medium speed. You could also do this in a stand mixer. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until evenly incorporated.

Add the vanilla, baking soda and salt. Beat on medium speed for 15 seconds.

Add the cocoa and stir by hand using a wooden spoon. Add the flour and mix to incorporate. Fold in the chocolate chips. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for 30 minutes. You can also leave it overnight.

Drop tablespoons of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Leave at least 2" between the cookies.

Place the 1/4 cup of sugar on a small plate. Dip the bottom of a drinking glass into the unused cookie dough to get it moist (you only need to do this once) then dip the bottom of glass in the plate of sugar. Lightly press the glass down on each mound of cookie dough to flatten it. Repeat for each cookie.

Bake the cookies for 8 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool.

Recipe Swap - Lemon-Basil Blueberry Muffin Top Cookies

Want to see what other Fruit recipes were made during the swap? Here is the link to the Fruit Recipe Swap Roundup

Now that spring is here and we're starting to see more fruit in the supermarket I thought fruit would be a great theme for the recipe swap. I submitted a savory recipe (my favorite Thai Pineapple Rice) but many of the participants chose sweet recipes, like this one for Lemon-Basil Blueberry Muffin Top Cookies from my friend Jessica over at The Jey of Cooking.


Jey couldn't stop raving about these cookies when she sent me the link for the swap and when I read her blog post I got even more excited about making them. I loved the idea of the basil mixed with the lemon and blueberry. And muffin tops are my favorite part of the muffin so I knew these would be a hit. I had some basil leftover from my Weeknight Spaghetti and Meatballs, so I decided to make these immediately.


I let Baby Girl have half a cookie as she watched me take these photos and she absolutely loved them. She rarely has cookies (this kid does NOT handle sugar well), but I was impressed that she enjoyed all the complex flavors. These are certainly not your traditional cookies. I also brought about half the batch to church on Sunday since we had signed up to bring food for fellowship after the service. They were a big hit and someone even asked me for the recipe. Yay!


I'll definitely be making these again over the summer when my basil plant gets out of control. Jey's original recipe listed 3 large basil leaves but that alone only yielded 1 tablespoon when chopped, so I used the rest of the plant (about 1/4 cup total) and that was perfect.

Make these soon and you won't be sorry!

Lemon-Basil Blueberry Muffin Top Cookies
The Jey of Cooking

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
Zest of 2 lemons, 1 1/2 tablespoons reserved
1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped, 1 tablespoon reserved
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup buttermilk*
1 cup blueberries
Confectioner�s sugar (powdered sugar)
Juice from about 1/2 lemon

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add sugar, lemon zest and basil to a small food processor and pulse to combine.

Beat the butter, in a stand mixer or a regular bowl using a hand mixer, until creamy. Add the sugar mixture and beat again until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, then turn the mixer down to low. Slowly add in the flour mixture and buttermilk, alternating in batches beginning with 1/3 of the flour, then 1/2 of the buttermilk, 1/3 of the flour, the other half of the buttermilk, then the rest of the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Fold in blueberries.

Using a cookie scoop or a leveled tablespoon, drop dough onto the baking sheet, leaving about 1 1/2 inches between cookies.

Bake each sheet for 12 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes, then transfer to a cookie rack.

Whisk together confectioner�s sugar (about 1/2 cup), lemon juice and reserved lemon zest and basil until you reach your desired consistency and flavor. Drizzle on top of the cookies. Allow to cool completely and the glaze to harden before serving.

* To make you own buttermilk, put 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice into a glass measuring cup. Add enough milk to equal 1 cup. Stir and allow to sit for about 5 minutes, until the milk begins to curdle. Stir before using in a recipe. For this recipe I did 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and enough milk to make 1/3 of a cup.

Recipe Swap - Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Want to see what other Secret Recipe Club recipes were made during the swap? Here is the link to the Secret Recipe Club Recipe Swap Part 2 Roundup


The SRC-style Recipe Swap was so popular last time that I decided to make it a regular theme. This go-round I ended up with my good friend Jaida's blog, Sweet Beginnings. Jaida actually reached out to me because of the recipe swaps, which she had seen on my blog. She wanted to start a blog of her own and we found ourselves emailing and chatting on a regular basis. That's one of the things I love about the blogging community - I've met so many great people through my blog. One day I'll make it out to Texas or she'll make it out to PA and we'll actually get to meet in person.


As much as I love being able to choose whatever recipe I want for the SRC-style swap, sometimes having to make that decision can be difficult. Jaida's blog is full of delicious recipes I want to try and narrowing it down was hard. As you'll see in Tuesday's post, I couldn't pick just one thing so I opted to make one savory and one sweet recipe. I recently won a McCormick giveaway on Chocolate Moosey, so I decided to finally bake these Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies I've been drooling over for months. Like Jaida, mint chocolate chip is my favorite ice cream flavor. I've always loved it and 8 out of 10 times that's the flavor I'll pick if we're having ice cream. I couldn't wait to try it in cookie form.


Now we all know I don't bake, so this was a big deal for me. And I decided to bake these on a Wednesday night, which just goes to show how easy they are to make. I started at 7:50pm and had all the cookies baked and cooling by 8:35pm. That's impressive for me. I didn't even need to bust out the KitchenAid stand mixer; I just used my trusty hand mixer and it did a great job. What impressed me the most about this recipe was that the cookies didn't spread in the oven. That's always my biggest complaint when I make cookies. I like a moist, chewy, puffy cookie, not a crispy, thin cookie. These were perfect.

Since the recipe makes approximately 36 cookies I baked them in batches. And as you can see, my cookies aren't green. Sadly, I don't own food coloring (remember, I don't normally bake). I think the green color is fun and definitely alerts folks to the minty flavor, but it isn't necessary for a tasty cookie. I tried one after they'd been cooling for a few minutes and I had to physically restrain myself from eating another. This is why I don't bake, people. The results are just too tempting.

Thanks for a wonderful recipe, Jaida!

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sweet Beginnings

1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon mint extract
8-10 drops green food coloring
1 egg
2 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 bag (12 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat together butter and sugar on low speed (using a hand or stand mixer) until fluffy. Stir in vanilla, food coloring, and egg; mix well. Sift together flour and baking powder in a small bowl and slowly add to the sugar mixture, combining well after each addition. Once combined, stir in chocolate chips using a wooden spoon.

Drop heaping tablespoons onto a foil-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake 7-9 minutes until just set. Remove to cooling rack.

Makes approximately 36 cookies

Cake Batter Cookies

We all know I don't really bake, so when our friends invited us to their house for dinner and asked that I bring dessert I figured I'd end up buying something at a bakery. Then I remembered seeing these Cake Batter Cookies on Stephanie's Top Ten Recipes of 2011 and thought it would be a nice way to use up some cake mix I had in the pantry and get Baby Girl in the kitchen with me.


These could not have been easier to make since all you are really doing is dumping the cake mix in a bowl and adding baking powder, eggs, oil and chocolate chips. Like Stephanie says, I bet these would be fun using different kinds of cake mix and different add-ins like nuts or M&Ms, raisins or even dried fruit. The possibilities are endless and because the dough is so simple the sky's the limit.

Baby Girl had a blast helping me (she especially loves stirring and dumping things into bowls). She even had her own spoon to take the dough from the bowl and put it on the cookie sheets. I love getting her into the kitchen and she loves helping so it's a win-win. My only complaint is that my cookies spread in the oven. Next time I'll chill the dough a bit before putting it on the cookie sheets. I've modified the directions below.

Cake Batter Cookies
Slightly Modified from Stephanie Cooks

1 (18.25 oz.) box cake mix
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a medium bowl, stir together the cake mix and baking powder. Add eggs and oil, then mix until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips, or your choice of add-ins. Cover the bowl and chill for 30 minutes. Once chilled, drop by rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes approximately 30 cookies