My Recipe Reviews

Recipe Reviews, Recommendations, Tips and Musings. Thanks for visiting!

chocolate chip cookies

Orange Truffle Cookies

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Orange Truffle Cookies

A lot of fellow bloggers have been baking and cooking up a storm during the stay-at-home orders. I’ve done the opposite because I can’t get out to take the goodies to my friends. They end up in the freezer or in my chubby little mouth, so I’ve backed off the baking a bit.

These Orange Truffle Cookies, though, have been in my make-this-sooner-than-later pile, and it’s time to make them.

I put together two of the things I love – chocolate and orange. You know those chocolate-orange slices you crack open and devour? That’s what these taste like to me. Plenty of orange, tons o’ chocolate.

Orange Truffle Cookies

On one bake I added a quarter cup of chopped dried cherries to the batter. Talk about a great flavor combination!

Orange Truffle Cookies have simple ingredients, most of which you probably have on hand. I always have navel oranges, but this time only found blood oranges in my drawer of fruit.

I love blood oranges. They make me think I’m eating something exotic. The blood orange zest adds a little different flavor to the cookies and is actually quite good.

Orange Truffle Cookies

They’re not the prettiest cookie, but they’re one of the best and very different. Soft with lots of chocolate and slightly browned and crisp around the edges. Don’t over bake them. They’re still quite blonde at 12 minutes in the oven, but trust me – they’re done.

There’s quite a bit of orange zest, giving these cookies a balanced, definite orange flavor. It’s up to you to drizzle the tops with melted chocolate. I thought they were chocolaty enough without the drizzle, but Bret said ‘never too much chocolate – go for it.’ I like the chocolate swirls the best.

I hope you enjoy these cookies. They’re different and delicious. Enjoy!

Orange Truffle Cookies

Another great orange cookie – Frosted Orange Cookies

Orange Truffle Cookies

Orange Truffle Cookies

Yield: 2 dozen
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 27 minutes

Soft in the middle and crisp around the edges. Full of chocolate and orange. Great cookie.

Ingredients

  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • 3 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 C granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp grated orange zest
  • 1 C. all-purpose flour
  • 3/8 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 9 oz semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare baking sheet(s) with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, cream cheese, sugar, and egg. Mix until smooth and creamy.
  3. Add the vanilla and orange rind and beat well until combined.
  4. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, salt and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. Stir in 6 ounces of the chocolate chips (leaving the rest for the drizzle if you're going to use it).
  5. Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls onto the cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, just until the edges turn golden brown. The cookies will be fairly blonde. Cool the cookies on a wire rack that has wax paper under it.
  6. For the glaze, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave-safe bowl in 20 second bursts, stirring between each session until smooth (about 3 times).
  7. Put the melted chocolate in the plastic sandwich bag and clip a small bit off of the corner of the bag. Drizzle the chocolate over the cooled cookies and let set before storing.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

I put the dough in the refrigerator between bakes and it was easier to handle. 

The glaze is entirely optional.  I like the cookies without it, Bret like them with it.

Careful when putting the glaze into the bag - it's hot!

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1 cookie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 133Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 106mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 1gSugar: 10gProtein: 1g

Nutrition Values are Approximate

© sblades
Category: Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies from Back In The Day Bakery

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Several years ago I cleaned out my cookbook collection, getting rid of about 20 of them because my poor shelves were getting to be swayback from all the books I had.

Just lately I’ve been in buying mode again and have found a few cookbooks that I’m so excited about digging into. One of those is from the popular Back In The Day Bakery based in Savannah.

It’s said that there would be a riot in the bakery if these chocolate chip cookies weren’t there everyday, so they must be good! They’re giant – about four inches in diameter – and filled with chocolate chips (the original used chocolate chunks).

This recipe rivals and is similar to my favorite (from Pillsbury) in that it’s chewy in the center with a crunchy outside. There’s also a very light sprinkle of sea salt on top before they’re baked and that adds a different flavor level to the cookie.

It’s a light enough sprinkling not to be salty and complements the sweet. You can leave that off if you want and the cookies will be just as good.

Bret gave a thumbs up to these and he’s very picky about chocolate chip cookies. I give them a thumbs up, too, which is hard to do while using my hands to stuff the cookies into my mouth. Don’t forget the tall, cold glass of milk on the side.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies from the "Back in The Day Cookbook"

Yield: 24 giant cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 17 minutes
Total Time: 32 minutes

Excellent, giant chocolate chip cookies.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1/2 lb (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1 C granulated sugar
  • 1 C packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 C semisweet chocolate chips
  • Fleur de sel for sprinkling

Instructions

  1. Move a rack to the bottom third of your oven and preheat to 350°.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and sea salt.  Set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter, vanilla, and both sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple of times.
  4. Add the eggs and mix for no more than 1 minute - just to mix in. Turn the speed down to low and add the dry ingredients 1 cup at a time and beat until just combined.  Add the chocolate chips and stir until completely and evenly incorporated.
  5. Use a large ice cream scoop or a 1/4-cup measuring cup to form the cookies and place about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets (about 6 per sheet).  Lightly pat down the tops of the cookies and barely sprinkle a bit of sea salt on the tops of all six cookies.  
  6. Bake one sheet of cookies at a time for 15-17 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time for even doneness.
  7. Remove the cookies when they are lightly brown around the edges - they will still be light in the center.  Let the cookies cool in the pan for 3 to 4 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a rack.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

The original recipe calls for unbleached flour an unsalted butter, but I used regular bleached flour and salted butter because that's what I had.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1 cookie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 184Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 197mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 1gSugar: 23gProtein: 2g

Nutrition Values are Approximate

© sblades
Category: Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Crescent Cookies

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Oh my!  These little Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Crescent Cookies were brought to a potluck lunch last week and I bet I ate six of them throughout the day.  

You know how they leave stuff out so you can graze on everything the rest of the day?  My office is next to the break room and I could sneak in there and grab one or two every now and then.  

I’ve never heard of these, but they’ve been floating around cyberspace waiting for me to find them.

There are only five ingredients in this cookie – cream cheese, vanilla, sugar, chocolate chips and crescent rolls. They’re easy to throw together, but the crescents stay a little flimsy and are a little awkward to roll up and wrap in saran wrap for the chilling part.  

Bret helped me roll them up and he looked at the funny-looking rolls skeptically, wondering what I’d come up with now.  Just looking at the assembled parts tells you these are going to be good!

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Crescent Cookies

Nitishia (from the potluck) uses a combination chocolate, caramel and cherry chips, but I couldn’t find any cherry chips, so just used chocolate and caramel chips. I also put a few more than called for because you can’t go wrong with more chocolate.  I was right.  

These Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Crescent Cookies are heavenly right out of the oven.  You can see the layers from the crescent rolls and the gooey cream cheese swirled with softened chocolate chips.  Here’s a close up shot (you know how I love my close ups):

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Crescents 3

My mind was whirling with combinations for these cookies: a little cinnamon added to the cream cheese and covered with cinnamon chips, maybe butterscotch chips with a drizzle of glaze on top.

What about orange zest in the cream cheese with chocolate chips and an orange glaze?

I have one more can of crescent rolls and am going to try these with Neufchatel (1/3 less fat) cream cheese to see if you can even tell the difference. I don’t want to change the melt-in-your-mouth goodness of these, though.  They’re wonderful!

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Crescents 2

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Crescents

Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Crescent Cookies

Yield: 2 dozen
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes

Soft, chocolaty cookie that practically melts in your mouth.

Ingredients

  • 1 can, (8 oz) crescent rolls
  • 1 (8 oz.) block cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/4 C sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 C chocolate chips, (your choice - mini, caramel, semisweet, or a combination)

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla together until smooth.  Unroll the crescent rolls onto a sheet of waxed paper and lightly pinch together the seams.  Stretch the dough out slightly.  It should be in the shape of a rectangle.
  2. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the crescent dough, leaving about 1/4" from the edges so it won't squish out when you roll it.  Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly on top of the cream cheese and then roll up the dough as firmly as you can without losing your filling.
  3. Cut the dough in half and wrap each half in cling wrap.  Store in the refrigerator overnight or the freezer for a couple of hours to firm up the dough.
  4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cut the cookies into 1/2" slices, cleaning the knife between slices, and place on a parchment-covered cookie sheet.  Cook for 14-15 minutes or until the cookies are lightly golden brown.  Let sit on the cookie sheet for a minute or two, then transfer to a rack for cooling.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

You can buy seamless crescent roll sheets somewhere in this civilized country, but not in my neighborhood.  It would be much easier to handle with the seamless sheets.

To keep the dough from sticking to the wax paper, you can lightly spray it with cooking spray.  It was a little tacky to pick up after rolling.

The dough will never harden, but it will firm up so you can slice the cookies.

Keep your family away from the warm cookies or you'll turn around and they'll be gone....

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1 cookie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 51Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 11mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 0gSugar: 6gProtein: 0g

Nutrition Values are Approximate

© sblades
Category: Cookies