Hot Chocolate Chip Cookies

These Hot Chocolate Chip Cookies make for a nice, fun alternative to classic chocolate chip cookies. Again, I packed away over half of them to give to Matt's coworkers so I wouldn't eat them all myself. They loved them! One of his friends even said it was his new favorite cookie! This cookie was soft but remained perfectly chewy. In many ways, it literally tasted like hot chocolate. The recipe calls for a blend of 3 different types of chocolate chips--white, milk & dark chocolate, and I decided to add marshmallows on top just to give it that hot chocolate feel & taste. These are one of the most irresistible cookies when they come out from the oven because the marshmallows become golden, melted & gooey. This recipe was definitely fun to make and would be perfect for any party, get together, or late night craving :) 

Enjoy! - Samantha

Hot Chocolate Cookies | Slightly altered from original recipe here

Ingredients:
2 sticks room temperature butter
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/4 cups flour
4 packages Hot Chocolate Mix (not sugar free)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup each white, milk, and semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used butterscotch instead of milk)
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

Instructions: Cream together both sugars and the butter until light and fluffy. In another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Slowly add in the dry ingredients. I did this in stages, scraping the bowl each time. Add the chocolate chips to the cookie dough. This part gave my Kitchen-Aid a bit of a workout. The recipe says to chill the dough for an hour. Oops. I forgot to do that. They were still wonderful. Drop onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. I used my favorite tool for the job. My trusty ice cream scooper. Bake them in a preheated 350 degree oven for 9 to 11 minutes. At the last 2 minutes of bake time, add 3 marshmallows to each cookie. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan.

Blackberry Lemon Ricotta Muffins

When life hands you lemons...and blackberries...and a tub of ricotta that's going to expire soon...what do you do?!?  You make Blackberry Lemon Ricotta Muffins! With all these ingredients lying around, I debated the endless possibilities of things I could make (mostly with the soon-t0-expire ricotta cheese). I considered lasagna and lemon ricotta cookies, but when I came across this recipe, I knew instantly that I had to try it. 

About an hour later, the most delicious muffins I have ever made came out of my oven. They were heavenly.  The combination of ricotta with lemon and blackberry was spot on. No flavor was overwhelming, but each one complemented each other perfectly. The anatomy of this muffin was dynamic: The topping was perfect--crumbly and sweet, adding delectable texture to the soft, less sweet body of the muffin. The blackberries added the most wonderful juicy burst into each bite. I instantly took a plate of them to my neighbors to avoid gobbling them all up by myself! 

I noticed they tasted better the second day. Like banana bread and cookies, they flavors come out after they've been allowed time to rest and cool off. (Although even with this knowledge I can never resist trying them straight out of the oven!) But this recipe especially needs the cool off time since blackberries tend to be very tart. The tart from the cooked blueberries was a bit overwhelming when they first came out of the oven, but the next morning the tart had died down dramatically. 

I can't wait to make these again! Perhaps I'll try subbing the blackberries out for blueberries :)

-Samantha

Blackberry Lemon Ricotta Muffins 

Yield: Makes 12 muffins    Cook Time: 20 minutes

Slightly Altered from Original recipe here

For the Muffins:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup granulated sugar

Zest of 2 lemons

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup ricotta cheese (whole or low-fat is fine)

1 large egg

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup fresh blackberries

For the Topping:

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Set aside. For the topping: In a small bowl, stir together sugar and lemon zest. Rub between your fingers; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a small bowl, add the sugar and lemon zest. Rub the lemon zest and sugar together with your fingers. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar and lemon zest mixture together until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add the ricotta cheese and beat until smooth. Beat in the egg, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, fill each muffin cup half way with batter. Add three blackberries to each muffin cup. Top the muffins with remaining batter so blackberries are covered.  Sprinkle the topping mixture evenly over the muffins. Bake muffins for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown. Let muffins cool for five minutes and serve.