Monthly Archives: March 2014

Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Posted by Lindsey @ Baking Bytes in Baking, Cookies, Dessert and tagged with ,

I was originally planning to share a lemon bundt cake with you guys today, but the recipe was almost a total flop. Still edible, but not a recipe I’d ever use again, and definitely not pretty enough to entice anyone into making it anyway. Instead, please enjoy this cookie recipe, and hopefully in a week or two there actually will be a lemon bundt cake featured here.
Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies {{Baking Bytes}}

Four years ago my mom emailed me a recipe entitled “Best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies”. I labeled it under “recipes” in my Gmail account, and then promptly forgot about it.

Until now.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies {{Baking Bytes}}

When M is in town, I try to bake cookies every week so he can have them in his lunches. I do occasionally miss a week (at which time he makes his own, because it usually means I made a pie instead), but most of the time Sunday is cookie day. Peanut butter chocolate chip are a household staple, as well as oatmeal raisin chocolate chip, or oatmeal Craisin white chocolate chip. (One of these days each of these recipes will make an appearance on here.) One week however, I wasn’t feeling like the regulars and when I asked M for suggestions all he came back with was “something with chocolate chips.”

So helpful.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies {{Baking Bytes}}

I perused my recipes folder and rediscovered the email with this one. Since I had everything on hand, I decided to give it a shot. This was a wise decision as it is easily the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever made, and probably one of the best cookie recipes, period. Unlike your average oatmeal cookie, this one calls for the oatmeal to be finely ground in a blender before adding it to the dough, resulting in the wholesome flavor of oatmeal without the usual telltale texture. Super soft even a week later (in case you, too, forget one in your backpack) and a bit less sweet than most chocolate chip cookies, this recipe has definitely become a new staple at our house. I even made it two weeks in a row, which is a pretty rare event around here.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies {{Baking Bytes}}

Using both white and brown sugar gives the soft texture and very slight caramel flavor generally found in peanut butter cookies, while the oatmeal lends a wholesome flavor that almost makes you feel like you’re eating something healthy. (Pro tip: you aren’t.) The original recipe calls for chocolate chips and a chopped up chocolate bar, but I decided to use the bag of Nestle chocolate chunks I had in the cupboard. (I have a slight addiction to buying random bags of baking chips. Shh.) Due to their size, I opted to forgo my usual one tablespoon cookie scoop in favor of the three tablespoon size I generally reserve for cupcakes. This was my second wise decision of the day, as we ended up with three dozen bakery-sized cookies perfectly saturated with chocolate chunks.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies {{Baking Bytes}}

Pour a glass of milk and have a couple. You can thank me later.

Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Makes 3 dozen large cookies

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups (310 g) flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup (200g) white sugar
1 cup (150g) brown sugar, lightly packed

2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups (250g) oatmeal, finely ground

~12 oz (360g) package chocolate chunks

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
  3. Cream butter and both sugars until fluffy.
  4. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until just combined.
  5. Add flour mixture and beat until just combined.
  6. Push dough to the bottom of the bowl, add ground oatmeal, and stir until just combined.1
  7. Push dough from the beaters, add the chocolate chunks, and stir until chocolate is well distributed.2
  8. Use a 3 Tbsp cookie scoop and place dough balls at least 2″ apart on a cookie sheet.3
  9. Bake for 12-14 minutes, let cool on the pan for a few minutes, then remove cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
  10. Store in an airtight container; cookies stay soft for at least a week (at which point ours were all eaten.)

Notes

1 If you don’t push the dough off the paddle, it likely won’t mix properly.
2 It may be necessary to mix the last bit of oatmeal into the dough by hand.
3 I couldn’t fit more than 9 cookies on a sheet at one time.

 

Chocolate Pudding Pie and Baileys Whipped Cream

Posted by Lindsey @ Baking Bytes in Baking, Celebration/Holiday, Dessert, Pie, Sauces and Frostings and tagged with , ,

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I have to admit it’s not my favorite “holiday”, but it has the redeeming quality of being near my birthday. I turned 25 on Saturday (yes, I’m an Ides of March baby) and celebrated by running my first half marathon of the year. One down, five to go. I got a new PR of 2:17:03, which makes me feel very confident I’ll meet my yearly goal of 2:10, and hopeful that maybe I’ll even meet my stretch goal of 2:00 (or close to it). My best friend also completed her first 10k which is super exciting! Judging by her smile, I’d say I didn’t completely scare her away from running. (Phew.) (Parentheses!)

Running!

I usually celebrate my birthday with a chocolate pie, but after the race and then attending a party with one of M’s Antarctica coworkers I didn’t feel up to making one. Instead, I made one yesterday and added a teensy bit of Irish flair for today’s post.

Chocolate Pudding Pie with Baileys Whipped Cream {{Baking Bytes}}

Chocolate pie is a long-standing favorite of mine and probably my most requested birthday dessert, although cherry pie would be a close second. Even from scratch, chocolate pie is an easy dessert to make, and a hard one to screw up, which makes it great for beginners. I can even personally attest that whipped cream is stiff enough for regular birthday candles, although I skipped those this year.

Chocolate Pudding Pie with Baileys Whipped Cream {{Baking Bytes}}

Flaky pie crust, creamy pudding, and fluffy whipped cream are a combination that can’t go wrong, unless you are one of those weird people that doesn’t like sweets. (Seriously, I do not understand this. No judgments, just confusion.) But if you are one of those people, you probably aren’t reading this post anyway.

This pie is fairly rich, but the whipped topping helps keep it from feeling overly dense. Even so, you may want to start with a smaller piece than I have in my pictures, and make a note to go back for seconds. It should keep for a few days in the fridge, but it would be best to have a few friends over to share it. I’m sure they won’t mind helping you out.

Chocolate Pudding Pie with Baileys Whipped Cream {{Baking Bytes}}

If you’re new to homemade pies, pudding, or whipped cream, have no fear! This is a great starter pie and will be sure to give you some confidence in the kitchen. If you’re still apprehensive, feel free to substitute a pre-made pie crust (but please, use the roll out dough) or a cookie crust. Or skip the crust entirely and pour the pudding into individual serving glasses. (Although this rather deviates from the “pie” idea.) You could also use cool whip for the topping: just thaw it in the fridge and add some Baileys. I’ve included recipes for homemade versions of all three steps if you really want to wow your audience (and your taste buds.)

Pre-baked Single Pie Crust

Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens
Makes one 9″ pie crust

Ingredients

1/3 cup shortening

1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt

4-5 Tbsp ice water

Directions

  1. Measure shortening into a small bowl and place in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
  2. Pour water and a few ice cubes into a cup and set aside.
  3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk the flour and salt together until well combined.
  5. After shortening is cold, combine with the flour and salt and mix with a pastry blender (or a fork) until blended into pea-sized pieces.
  6. Add ice water one tablespoon at a time, mixing gently after each addition. Repeat until all pastry is moistened and it all sticks together.
  7. On a lightly floured surface, gently flatten pastry into a disc, and then roll out large enough to fit your pie plate.
  8. Transfer dough to pie plate and crimp the edges.
  9. Prick liberally with a fork over the entire bottom and sides of the crust in order to prevent shrinkage.1
  10. Bake crust for 10-12 minutes, then set aside while you make the filling.

Chocolate Pudding Pie with Baileys Whipped Cream {{Baking Bytes}}

Chocolate Pudding Pie

Adapted from Ezra Pound Cake
Makes one 9″ pie

Ingredients

1 pre-baked pie crust

2 cups milk
1/2 cup half and half
5 ounces chopped semi-sweet chocolate

4 large egg yolks2
3/4 cup sugar

3 Tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp dark cocoa powder (optional)3 

Directions

  1. Place milk, half and half, and chopped chocolate into a medium sauce pan. Over medium heat, warm the mixture until chocolate is melted, stirring occasionally.
  2. In a separate bowl, stir together egg yolks and sugar until well mixed.
  3. Add corn starch, vanilla, salt, and cocoa (if desired) and stir until completely combined.
  4. When the chocolate is melted, slowly pour the hot liquid into the egg mixture, whisking constantly until smooth.
  5. Return entire mixture to the saucepan, and heat on medium until it thickens and bubbles slowly. (5-10 minutes)
  6. Remove from the heat and stir gently until pudding is smooth, then pour directly into prepared pie crust.
  7. Cover immediately with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the filling to prevent a skin from forming.
  8. Refrigerate at least two hours, or until ready to serve. Then top with whipped cream.

Baileys Whipped Cream {{Baking Bytes}}

Baileys Whipped Cream

Borrowed from The Cupcake Project
Makes about 6 cups

Ingredients

2 cups heavy whipping cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp Baileys Irish cream liqueur4 

Directions

  1. Using an electric mixer (whisk attachment for a stand mixer) beat the cream until very soft peaks form.
  2. Gently stir in the sugar and Baileys until just incorporated.
  3. Continue beating the cream until soft-medium peaks form.
  4. Spoon onto chilled pie, then use a spatula or spoon to create swirls.5
  5. Top with chocolate jimmies, mini chocolate chips, or chocolate curls, if desired.
  6. Return to fridge, or serve immediately.

Chocolate Pudding Pie with Baileys Whipped Cream {{Baking Bytes}}

Notes

1 I really don’t think you can over-prick a pie crust.
2 Don’t throw out the egg white, make meringues!
3 I like richer chocolate flavor, but if you’re not into dark chocolate just leave this out. It’ll still be delicious.
4 If you just want regular whipped cream, use 3-4 tsp vanilla instead.
5 You will probably have about a cup or more left over. Store in a sealed container in the fridge and it’ll keep for several days. It’s great to use on hot chocolate or ice cream or to eat with a spoon.