milk chocolate

Triple Hot Chocolate Cookies

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This recipe is from the Tasty Kitchen blog, Pioneer Woman’s recipe sharing community.  I sometimes forget to look here for recipes, but thanks to my Google Reader I am reminded to check it out every now and then when there is a new post.  The site is organized well, and is easy and fun to search through.  If you haven’t checked it out, you should.  Here is the link to the recipe for these cookies.

These cookies have three kinds of chocolate, and that is never a bad idea.  To make these cookies chocolate, you mix in hot chocolate mix instead of cocoa which creates a lighter chocolate flavor and color.  I loved the combination of different kinds of chocolate and the subtle chocolate flavor in the cookies themselves.

I had three chunks of Callebaut chocolate left over from various things I’ve made, and so I chopped that up to get my white, milk and dark chocolate pieces instead of using chips.  This process seems to infuse every bite with soft chocolate since you end up with some shards of chocolate and some chunks when you chop a block of chocolate.  The shards melt into the cookie and don’t keep shape like a chip would, so the texture is different.  If I had the $$$ to buy this kind of quality chocolate for every baked good I would use it every time.  Although, a chocolate chip cookie isn’t quite the same without Nestle semi-sweets.  So, I guess there are exceptions.

The only other change I made was to use a smaller scoop.  I used an ice cream scoop roughly equal to golf ball size.  I baked them for 9 minutes, let them cool for about 4 minutes and then transferred them to a cooling rack.  They should look just a little too soft when you take them from the oven.  These are quite treat to enjoy while still warm with a glass of really cold milk.  But not to worry, they will not disappoint you if you eat them the next day.  Enjoy!

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Chocolate Chunk Pudding Cookies

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In college a friend gave me a recipe for chocolate chip cookies that uses pudding mix in the dough resulting in an extra soft and tasty cookie.  Of course I lost the recipe in one of the 4 moves I’ve made across Texas in the last 5 years.  I came across this recipe this past weekend and decided to see if they were like Ashley’s.

I found the recipe on Kraft foods website. Here is the link.

They were not quite the same, but they were good.  I used some high quality milk and white chocolate in these cookies which made them extra special.  Good chocolate really does make a difference.  Chopping off a block of chocolate instead of using chips also makes a difference in the texture of the chocolate in the finished cookie.

I used half butter and half shortening in these, which makes the cookies more sturdy and causes them to spread less, but I will use all butter next time.  Some cookies can take the half shortening short cut without much of a sacrifice of flavor….but not this cookie.  For some reason they tasted too fake to me and too much like a grocery store cookie instead of a homemade one.

All of that negativity doesn’t make these cookies at all un-tasty.  I really liked how soft and chewy they were and absolutely loved the white and milk chocolate chunks.  Crazy good.

Chocolate Chunk Pudding Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter, room temp
  • 1/2 cup shortening (or butter)
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 package (3.4 oz) vanilla pudding mix
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 taespoon baking soda
  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 6 ounces chopped milk chocolate
  • 4 ounces chopped white chocolate
Directions
  1. Heat oven to 375°F.
  2. Beat butter, sugars, dry pudding mix and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until blended.
  3. Add eggs and baking soda; mix well.
  4. Gradually add flour, beating after each addition until well blended.
  5. Stir in chocolate.
  6. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough, 2 inches apart, onto baking sheets.
  7. Bake 8 to 10 min. or until golden brown. Cool 3 min. on baking sheets. Remove to wire racks. Cool completely.