Chocolate Mint Brownie Cookies for your Valentine

Valentine's Day has always been a bit toooo much for me. Maybe it started in first grade. A little boy named Ronnie dropped his cache of Valentine cards. I kindly told Mrs. Hiatt I would help him pick them up. As I was bending down, he planted a soggy, wet kiss on my virginal cheek. I did what every self-respecting tomboy would do: I slugged him with a lean upper cut to the ribs followed by a kick to the shins. Then in fourth grade, Louis asked me to be his Valentine on February 13th. I told him "Up your nose with a rubber hose." The next day I got a Valentine from Louis. "Dear Prudy, I hate you. Love, Louis. " By the time I got to Junior High, everyone who was anyone was sending a candygram. You could pay fifty cents to have a lollipop and a love-note delivered to your secret love during sixth period. I think I got three, a couple from my best friend Wendy Foss and one from a hefty boy named Dan that I'd been hiding from for the last six months. Dan wrote: "Dear Prudy, Everytime I call your house, some kid answers and says you're not home. Are you avoiding me? I love you. Dan" I tore the note up and threw it in the trashcan, then I ate the lollipop. On the other hand, my sister Michelle got so many candy grams that she couldn't even carry them. Wendy and I had to help her heft them home. " Dear Michelle, I think we might get married some day." "Dear Michelle, You're like totally the prettiest girl I ever saw. Let's make out during Home Ec." "Dear Michelle, you are soooo much more awesome than your sister. How can you stand her?"

See what I mean? Valentine's Day! And now I'm happily married with a bonafide Valentine, but he's out of town on a business trip. Maybe I should send a candygram to his hotel. "Dear Quiet Man. It's lonely without you. I miss your....quiet. Your calm. Your stillness. Come home soon and we will sit in solitude. Together." Love, Prudy

Here's a Valentine that will always work out for you-Chocolate. I baked up these lovely chocolate mint cookies last night while the charges were filling out their Valentines. I found the recipe on the Nestle Very Best Baking website. They've got all sorts of fantastic Valentine treat ideas, so swing by and check it out. I found what I was looking for. These cookies have got just the perfect amount of mint and vanilla to make them refreshingly delicious, plus they are easy and cheap to make. I wish I could send some to Ronnie, Louis, Dan and most especially my Quiet Man. Here's hoping they all have a chocolate-y Valentine's Day.

Chocolate Mint Brownie Cookies from Nestle

Estimated Cost: $3.50 for about 2 and 1/2 dozen

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (9 oz.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels, divided
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3/4 cup chopped nuts

MELT 3/4 cup morsels in small, heavy saucepan over lowest possible heat. When morsels begin to melt, remove from heat; stir. Return to heat for a few seconds at a time, stirring until smooth. Cool to room temperature.COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, peppermint extract and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in melted chocolate. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in remaining morsels and nuts. Drop dough by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.BAKE in preheated 350° F. oven for 8 to 12 minutes or until sides are set but centers are still soft. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Next Up:

Cheddar Fondue

Double Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies

My friends Denise and Kellie hosted a Cookie Swap this week. I didn't think I would be able to make it (finals!), but then how could I miss it? Cookies! Friends! Fun! promised the invitation. I rearranged my schedule and called my favorite babysitters (mom and pop) and looked for a knock-your-socks-off cookie recipe. You'd think I'd have one by now, but I wanted a brand new knock-your-socks off cookie recipe. I spotted this brand new cookie recipe in the December Bon Appetit. You know how I feel about chocolate and peppermint at Christmas time, but still, it had to be extra special. I checked the Internet to see what any other cooks had to say about Double Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies-four forks and rave reviews all the way around. Can I add my forks to the pile? Yum! This is my new favorite Christmas cookie. Sorry Santa, I doubt you're getting any. Take a look: The cookie base is like a rich crackly brownie with chunks of chocolate. It's topped with more melted chocolate and sprinkled with crushed candy canes.
And this is what you end up with. Candy Canes and Chocolate. A Christmas match made in heaven. Like Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. Holly and Ivy. Scrooge and Jacob Marley. Frosty and um....Mrs. Frosty. Rudolph and Clarice. Grinch and Max.

I might have eaten all the cookies myself, but then I remembered the Cookie Swap! I packed these little treasures up in a tissue paper lined box and headed over to the Cookie Swap at Denise's gorgeous house.

Denise and Kelly made the whole party so pretty. Look at all these adorable decorations!

All of the beautiful cookies and recipe cards were arranged on the counter top for sampling.

It was hard not to be greedy since the cookies were amazing, but then I remembered that I was going to be taking some home so I settled down. A little. The cookies were second only to the conversation. Remind me to take a break and talk to friends more often. I think I'd like to do this once a week. Or once a day. Or maybe twice a day. Or maybe I should just move in. Denise? Kellie? Could you clean out the spare bedroom?

Look at all the cookies I came home with!

Kellie's butter cookies: The butter flavor is so luxurious!

Lainie's M and M cookies. I know these guys. They're like old friends that you never see enough of.

I'm not sure if these whoopie pies came from Jen or Robyn but all I know is I didn't get one bite. West ate all three of them in less than 24 hours. Please don't call social services. Once in a while he eats something that grew in the ground.

Nancy and Lexie brought these white chocolate coated ginger cookies. They pack a whopping ginger punch and I couldn't get enough of them. I might have to make some tonight.

Denise made these darling little coconut-marshmallow-chocolate balls. It was almost like a bumpy, rich little truffle. You'll love them.
And these? You recognize these, don't you?

I raced home after the party and then the babysitters and charges had another party with the cookies. Within 48 hours, I didn't have a single cookie left. But I've got the recipes and you can bet you'll be seeing them right here.

Money Saving Tips: But chocolate chips on sale throughout December. These cookies are a good use for already broken candy canes.

Double Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies

$5.00 for 50 small cookies

2 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (do not exceed 61% cacao; 15 to 16 ounces), divided
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
2 large eggs
4 candy canes or 16 red-and-white- striped hard peppermint candies, coarsely crushed Read

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Stir 2 cups chocolate chips in medium metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Measure 2/3 cup melted chocolate; transfer to small metal bowl and reserve for drizzling.
Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until creamy. Add sugar and both extracts; beat until smooth. Add eggs; beat to blend. Beat in melted chocolate from medium bowl. Add dry ingredients; beat just to blend. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Measure 1 level tablespoonful dough; roll dough between palms to form ball. Place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing cookies 1 1/2 inches apart.
Bake cookies until cracked all over and tester inserted into center comes out with large moist crumbs attached, 8 to 9 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes. Transfer cookies on parchment paper to racks to cool completely.
Rewarm reserved 2/3 cup chocolate over small saucepan of simmering water. Using fork, drizzle chocolate over cookies. Sprinkle crushed candy canes over, arranging some pieces with red parts showing. Chill just until chocolate sets, about 20 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 weeks ahead. Store airtight in freezer. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Up Next: Gingerbread Cupcakes with Maple Frosting and Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Marshmallow Filling

Bark in a Splendid Variety

I really like writing "Bark in a Splendid Variety." It has the clunkiness of something translated from a foreign film. "Bark in a Splendid Variety." I've got bark in splendid varieties and lots of it! Yesterday I made ten plate fulls of the lovely stuff. It took less than thirty minutes of active work and I didn't wash a single dish. This might just be the easiest treat you'll ever make. If you can spread chocolate chips in a single layer on a foil-lined cookie sheet, then you can make bark.

Put the chips in the oven at 325 for about 2-3 minutes.
If you can find the mint chocolate/dark chocolate chips from Nestle, then you can make Jackson Pollock bark.

Just swirl the melted chips around with a toothpick. It will come out ridiculously gorgeous.

Sprinkle some nuts, if you like. Yep, nuts. They're suprisingly good with mint. After you sprinkle the toppings on, hold the pan a good six inches above your counter and drop it down with a thud. It'll wake the dead and keep your toppings in place. Two good things in one.

Here comes my white chocolate bark with Grasshopper cookies. Kim wrote me a comment to suggest I use Oreos, but I didn't have any and I almost cried bitterly. But then I found these cookies in my cupboard and wiped the tears and forged ahead. It was in high demand from the kitchen scroungers, i.e. the kids and me.

I call this one "Candy Cane Lane" Bark. It's just so Christmas-y. Marshmallows, Candy Canes and Christmas sprinkles deck the halls of dark chocolate. Santa's getting some on his plate this year.

I also made a Candy Bar Cunch bark. It's in the back on the left and consists of a lovely blend of milk chocolate, rice krispies, cornflakes and roasted peanuts. I could have sworn I took a picture of it. Where did it go? Where oh where did it go?

After all the bark has cooled, break it into pieces and arrange on paper plates. I tried putting the bark in pretty boxes, but the bark is too pretty to hide its light under a bushel. Let it shine, baby, let it shine.

See what I'm talking about?

I made four double batches and got ten plates of bark in a splendid variety. Maybe I spent $20. Maybe even a little less. I'm doing a repeat today. For complete instructions, click here.

And one more thing before I go. Here's your chance to do something so easy and good today. Nuskin has developed a product for malnourished children all over the world. Vitameal is specifically formulated to target the nutritional needs of the poorest little people all over the world. Each Vitameal pouch contains 31 child-size meals-enough for a whole month for a hungry little soul. Here's what you can do: like this page on Facebook (click here) and Nuskin will donate a pouch. Easy, right? Spread the word and spread the love.

And one more one more thing before I go. I'm going to a Cookie Swap tomorrow and I don't know what I'm making yet. Any suggestions?

Next Up:

Salted Browned Butter Cookies

Candy Cane Chocolate Sheetcake

I know, I know. I was planning on making bark, and lots of it, sistuh. I'm armed with multiple bags of chips-white, mint, milk chocolate, semi-sweet, peanut butter, and butterscotch. Oh, I've got the nuts, too. (Don't even go there.) I'm talking about peanuts, almonds, cashews, pecans. I just don't happen to have any bark to show for all my bite. But I do have peppermint sheetcake. I called my niece to wish her a Happy 10th Birthday on Saturday. She's my little namesake, Prudy-leigh Jr. My sister had just put a Texas sheet-birthday cake in the oven. I can't hear the word Texas sheetcake without going into cold sweats and deep longing. I ditched the bark and started baking. Don't judge me too harshly; I actually needed a dessert to take to a church party that night. I made the Texas sheetcake and then I covered it with a CHOCOLATE frosting and crushed peppermints. It looked scrumptious. I sliced up about half of the cake and toted it off magnamimously to share with other church goin' folk. I planned to photograph the rest in the morning so I could share it with all of you, who are home in your pajamas presumably. I have this little trick with myself where I hide especially tempting food in the oven. It is such a clever, sly little trick. I forget that the sugar-devil is in there and I can stop munching. It works, it really does! I don't see it, so I go about my business, hmm, hmm, hmm, grading papers, hmm, hmm, hmm, folding laundry, hmm, hmm, hmmm, preheating the oven for dinner, hmm, hmm, HMMMM????? Sniff, sniff. Yep, I burnt my precious sheetcake. Out of sight, out of mind. I sent my sugar-devil straight to Hades, covered in warped Saran wrap. But don't worry. I'm making more tonight. I've got another party; who doesn't this time of year? I'm putting the cake in a baby front carrier and toting it around the kitchen this time. There's no way I'm going to let it out of my sight, even for a second. Of course it might be all gone by the time the party starts, but at least I know that someone will have enjoyed it. Namely me. Here comes the recipe. Turns out I had pictures of my last peppermint sheetcake with vanilla frosting. I'm not sure which one is better. I'll let you decide.

Candy Cane Chocolate Sheetcake

Estimated Cost: $5.00 for at least 16 servings

Money Saving Tips: Use already-broken candy canes or peppermints. By using some vegetable oil, the cake will stay moist the next day and cut the cost of using all butter. Make your own buttermilk substitute, by combining 1 teaspoon vinegar with 1/2 cup milk. Let stand for five minutes.

1/2 cup cocoa powder, such as Hershey's

1 cup water

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

For Vanilla Frosting:

1/2 cup butter

6 tablespoons cream or milk

4 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

about 3/4 cup smashed candy cane bits

Notes: For chocolate frosting, simply add 6 tablespoons cocoa powder and an extra tablespoon of cream when you melt the butter.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour large cookie sheet. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring cocoa powder, water, butter and oil to a boil, stirring just until well combined. Meanwhile, combine flour, sugar, soda and salt in large bowl. Pour boiling chocolate mixture over dry ingredients and mix well. In a separate small bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 18-20 minutes, or until center springs back at touch. While cake is baking, melt butter in medium saucepan. Add cream and mix until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool for five minutes. Whisk in powdered sugar, adding more cream if needed to make a thick glaze. Pour over warm cake and smooth out with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle with candy cane bits.

Up Next: Bark in a splendid variety

The Easiest Bark you'll ever make....

First things first.

The winner of the Nestle gift basket is #25-Jen, who likes it sweet and salty. Congrats! (E-mail me your address at prudencepenny@aol.com)

But wait! Have you made the Magic Mint Bark yet? Do not pass go. Do not collect $200 dollars. Go directly to the kitchen and make some. In betweeen my classes last night, I went to Target and stocked up on Nestle Dark Chocolate and Mint chips last night for $2 a bag. (Your Target should have them on sale this week too.) I bought white chocolate chips, butterscotch, milk chocolate, and semisweet too. That's really about all you need for the bark. So think: For around $2 bucks, you could make nice little neighbor gifts, all wrapped up in cellophane. Easy, fast, and fab. Oh, I know bark has been around forever, but this Nestle recipe is a revelation. No careful melting, no dishes to clean, no worrying about the correct temperature for the chocolate. All you have to do is spread a single layer of chocolate chips on a foil lined cookie sheet. Bake at 325 for about two minutes and then swirl the chips around with a knife. Sprinkle on a topping (nuts, pretzels, peppermint, sprinkles,dried fruits, etc) and then pick up your cookie sheet and wham it down on the counter. Shazam! The impact imbeds the toppings just enough so that they remain visible but stay put. Last night, I tried making some Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pretzel Bark. It honestly took all of three minutes. All I did was spread the chips on a foil lined baking sheet and place them in the oven for two minutes.

West broke up some pretzels for me while the chips were melting.

I sprinkled the pretzels on top of the melted mass and smacked the cookie sheet on the counter. This is what I've got.

I've ravaged a few edges (who could blame me?) and the stuff is sweet and salty and heavenly. It's like an inside out chocolate dipped pretzel only better, since it's more chocolate than pretzel. You better believe there's going to be a few more variations made today. Click here for the original Magic Mint Bark Recipe from Nestle-then use your imagination.

If all goes well, I'll be back this weekend with Smore's Bark and Peppermint Marshmallow Chocolate Bark and Milk Chocolate Cereal Bark. Somebody stop me before I go too crazy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

My little sister just informed that I have not yet posted my pumpkin chocolate chip bread. Her apron was on and she was ready to bake. Where was the recipe? Of course she must be mistaken! I churn out loaves of this perfect pumpkin bread every year. Here's why it's perfect: The recipe uses the entire can of pumpkin (waste not, want not), has just the right combination of pumpkin flavor, cinnamon, and chocolate, uses common, inexpensive ingredients and is a snap to make. The end result is three delicious loaves for sharing with neighbors and friends. Of course I must have posted it already! Right???? Right?

Wrong. I even took a picture last year, but never posted the recipe. So here it is, better late than never. Thanks for the reminder, sistuh. You've given me a good idea of what to do with the rest of my afternoon.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Estimated Cost: $4.00 for threestandard loaves, or 8 mini loaves

Notes: You can swap out the nuts for an equal amount of extra chocolate chips.

1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin

1 cup vegetable oil

3 cups sugar

2/3 cup water

4 eggs

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 and 1/2 cups flour

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup chocolate chips tossed with 2 tablespoons flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 3 standard loaf pans. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, oil, sugar, water and eggs, mixing well. Add in cinnamon, soda and salt. Very gently, stir in flour until just combined. Stir in walnuts and chocolate chips. Separate into 3 separate loaf pans. Bake for one hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool on a rack for ten minutes before removing from pan.

Next Up: Mini Freeform Meatloaves

Cookie Bookie VI: Girl Detectives and Mysterious Ghosts

Welcome to the final days of Cookie Bookie.

It's my third year to dedicate an entire week to shivery stories and sugary sweets. Scroll down if you've missed any posts. Don't forget to follow along by clicking on the sidebar in the upper right corner. Today is extra special, since my 9 year old (going on 19) daughter Sailor is guest-posting.

Hi, everybody. It's me, Sailor. I'm really excited to be a guest blogger today. Maybe I'm a little bit nervous, too. I hope you will like what I have to say. I am a big reader. Actually I am a little reader with a big appetite for books, and a big appetite for cookies too. Ha, ha. I read lots of scary stories and then I have trouble sleeping at night, but it never stops me. It's impossible to put down a good book, especially when there's a villain lurking in the shadows ready to pounce on you the moment you close your eyes. My favorite scary stories are the Nancy Drew Mysteries. Today I'll be sharing one of the best: The Ghost of Blackwood Hall. If you like Nancy Drew Mysteries, then you know that the stories follow a certain formula. Nancy finds a mystery to solve and meets the villain in the first couple of chapters, then she spends most of the book hunting him down. She makes a lot of mistakes, and I always feel like shouting, "Don't go in there, Nancy!" but she never pays any attention to her readers. Ha, ha. In this book, Nancy hears mysterious organ music and then sees a disappearing figure, a ghost in Blackwood Halls. Later she meets a woman who has seen the ghost of her dead husband. The ghost asked her to bury her jewels in the woods by a walnut tree. Later she decides to go back and get the jewels, and when she takes them to be cleaned she discovers that they are all fakes. Can a ghost be a jewel thief or is there a human being posing as a ghost? Read the story and find out for yourselves. (Doesn't this sound a little bit like it could be a Scooby Doo episode? Zoinks! Ha, ha.)

I have a cookie to go along with this bookie. I made the cookie all by myself (except for slicing and taking them out of the oven). My mom didn't even know I was baking until she smelled the good smell in the house. I made a peanut butter oatmeal bar, covered with thick dark chocolate to remind me of Blackwood Hall. Then I placed a marshmallow ghost on each square to remind me of the ghosts in the story. I think they are really yummy. You can put chopped peanuts instead of ghosts on top for grown-ups.

Well, that is all for my Cookie Bookie, except I have a question. I'm trying to decide if I should wear my last year's witch costume for Halloween, or this new Mary Poppins costume that my mom made. I really love my witch costume and it might not fit next year. What do you think?Would you please help me decide? Leave me a comment! Maybe I should be Nancy Drew next year. Thanks, love Sailor
The Ghost of Blackwood Hall Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

from 101 Gourmet Cookies

Estimated Cost: $3.00 for 20

1/2 cup softened butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup peanut butter

1 eggs

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 scant cup whole wheat flour

1 cup quick cooking oats

1 cup chocolate chips

marshmallow ghosts or chopped peanuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter, sugars, vanilla, and peanut butter. Add egg and stir until well blended. Add baking soda, then flour and oatmeal. Pour batter into greased 9 by 13 inch pan. Bake for 15 minutes and remove from oven. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and let stand for five minutes. Spread chocolate over bars. Let cool completely (yah, right!) and cut into squares. Cover with chopped peanuts of a marshmallow ghost.

Thanks, Sailor! A plus, kiddo.

Next Up:

The best Cookie Bookie for last: the scariest book I've ever read and my new favorite cookie. See you tomorrow.