CHOCOLATE MINT CHIP COOKIES

Not being Irish (or fun), I don’t get too hopped up about St. Patrick’s Day.    It is, however, an opportunity to put a green bowtie on the dog and bake something minty, and for that, I can get a little excited.  So here’s Max in his St. Patrick’s Day finery (don’t be Dublin over with laughter):

And here’s my baking nod to St. Patrick’s Day — Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies.  Their taste is reminiscent of Girl Scout Thin Mints, minus the waxy “chocolate” coating.  I ordered the mint chips from Nuts.com, and they are indeed minty (in a good way, not like toothpaste):

The cookies are best when baked at least a day before you plan to eat them.

5 from 1 reviews
CHOCOLATE MINT CHIP COOKIES
Author: 
Serves: 24 cookies
 
Ingredients
  • 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
  • ½ cup packed light brown sugar
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup mint chips (can substitute with any kind of chip)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips in a microwave-proof bowl (1-1/2 minutes, longer if necessary)
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
  4. Place butter and sugars in a large bowl and beat using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the melted chocolate. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and mix until fully incorporated. Stir in mint chips.
  5. Using a 2-tablespoon scoop, scoop six cookies onto cookie sheet (they spread quite a bit). With lightly moistened fingers, gently flatten each into a 2-inch cookie. (If desired, add a few chips on top of each cookie.) Bake for approximately 14 minutes, until just set around edges and still soft in the center. Allow to cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

Ready for the oven

Mmmmm . . . minty

I hope I’m not pushing my luck here, but consider this your green light to have a happy St. Patrick’s Day!

NUTTY COCOA KRISPIES FOOTBALLS

I have never been invited to a Super Bowl Party (or a book club or bunco group, for that matter).  It may because I don’t care for football (gasp!). So I have to make my own fun for Super Bowl LVIII (or at least the commercials), which will include Nutty Cocoa Krispies Footballs.  If you, however, have been invited to a Super Bowl Party, and bring these little treats, they will be intercepted quickly.  Hope your team wins!

Pro tips — (1) Mini marshmallows melt quicker than regular-sized ones (duh); (2) Jif peanut butter is my favorite and is not as sweet as some other brands; (3) You have to work quickly to form the footballs.  I find it best to dump the mixture in a 9×13 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray, and spray my hands as well.  If you leave the mixture in the pot, it will turn to mortar (trust me); (4) when piping the stitching, don’t let perfect be the enemy of good; (5) they look great nestled in edible Easter grass (which I know everyone keeps on hand just for such occasions).

5 from 1 reviews
NUTTY COCOA KRISPIES FOOTBALLS
Author: 
 
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 10-ounce package marshmallows
  • 6 cups Cocoa Krispies
  • ½ cup creamy peanut butter
  • Prepared vanilla frosting*
Instructions
  1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Stir in peanut butter. Remove from heat. Add Cocoa Krispies and stir until well coated. Working quickly (and I do mean quickly), shape mixture into 3-inch footballs. Use prepared icing to pipe on stitching (a ziploc bag with the corner snipped works just fine if you don't have or don't care to use a piping bag and piping tip).
  2. *You can make a frosting by mixing 1 cup of powdered sugar with ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and 2-3 tablespoons of heavy cream (just enough to make it piping consistency -- if too runny, add a little more powdered sugar).

Are you ready for some footballs?