Dark Chocolate, Sea Salt Caramel Peanut Butter Cookies for #theleftoversclub

If you like dark chocolate, ooey gooey caramel, peanut butter and a sprinkling of sea salt (and honestly who doesn't?) then you will love these cookies!

 

 

The theme for this month's Leftovers Club exchange was salt. My intentions were to come up with a unique recipe using salt, but time got the best of me, as it often does, and I defaulted to everyone's favorite salted ingredient...salted caramel. I guess you can never go wrong with salted caramel right?

Well, I took this step even farther. Instead of making my own salted caramel (which I highly recommend), I cheated and used Rolo candies cut in half with a sprinkling of sea salt. Voila! Instant "cheaters" salted caramel!

 

For this recipe, I used my Whoopie Pie pan which I received as a gift a few years ago! I really like baking cookies in this pan. They turn out large and thick without spreading out too much and each one is the same size!

 

 

 

 

This month I was paired with Alli from Tornadough Alli! Don't you just love her blog name? Alli is one of 3 new members to The Leftovers Club and I for one know we're really excited to have her in our group!

 

 Alli sent me these delicious Sweet & Salty Ruffle Treats. They were so good!! Thanks Alli!

 

 

 

With this being Alli's first swap with the group, I knew I had to make a good impression. Not only did I send my package out to her early (normally I'm very last minute), but I also included these artisan salts handmade in Vista, CA where I live! I know Alli will come up with a creative use for them!

 

 

 

If you're interested in swapping delicious treats each month with a fun group of fellow bloggers, sign up to join over at Alwayz Bakin! You'll really enjoy it!!

 

Now onto the recipe...

 

 

 

Dark Chocolate, Seat Salt Caramel Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes 16 large cookies

 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar (I used golden)

1 large egg, room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup crunchy peanut butter

1/2 cup extra dark chocolate chips (I used Guittard)

20 rolo candies cut in half or thirds

Sea Salt & Extra dark chocolate chips for sprinkling on top

 

Directions:

 

Preheat oven to 350f



Place the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugars together at medium speed until light and fluffy (approx. 3 minutes) scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

Add the egg, vanilla and peanut butter and mix at med-low speed until combined. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. Fold in the dark chocolate chips.

Scoop about a tablespoon and a half of dough into each cup of your whoopee pie pan then smooth the dough out to the edges. The cup should be about 3/4 full but not all the way to the top.

Place a few cut up pieces of Rolos on top of each cookie. I like to alternate them with the cut side face up and face down. Then sprinkle a few dark chocolate chips on top. Sprinkle a little sea salt on top of each cookie making sure you put some on top of the caramel.

Bake at 350f for approx. 10 minutes. The edges should look set but the middles may still be soft. Do not over bake.

Remove the pan from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack to cool. Allow cookies to cool and set in pan for about 15 minutes then carefully remove by running a knife carefully around the edges and then lifting them out of the pan. Place on a wire cooling rack after removing.

Enjoy!

Store leftovers tightly covered at room temp for up to 2 days.

An InLinkz Link-up

Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Chunk & Pretzel Granola for #theleftoversclub

For this month's Leftover's Club I was paired with Elizabeth from Food Ramblings. Elizabeth just had an adorable baby boy, Jonah, about 2 months ago so I wanted to send her something a new Mom would enjoy.

 

As a mother to 3 boys, I know that new Moms are always super busy and never really have time to take care of themselves. I remember barely even having time to eat! I wanted to send Elizabeth a delicious, indulgent, somewhat "healthy" snack she could munch on while doing the million-and-one things new Moms do. That's how this granola was created.

It all started off pretty well with a few healthy ingredients; oats, peanut butter and nuts, but then I veered off course and threw in cinnamon and white chocolate chips I had in my pantry along with pretzels for salty crunch, chunks of dark chocolate cut from a leftover Trader Joe's chocolate bar and a healthy drizzle of melted dark chocolate. That's where the indulgent part comes in...

 

 

Every new Mom deserves a special treat. I hope Elizabeth enjoys it! And I hope her little man enjoys the little something I included for him too...

If you have a blog and would like to receive delicious treats in the mail each month, sign up to join The Leftovers Club here

 

Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Chunk Pretzel Granola w/Dark Chocolate Drizzle
Makes about 10 cups of granola

Ingredients:
1 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup rice crispy cereal
1 cup walnuts
1 cup raw almonds
1 cup coconut
1 cup pretzels
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup dark chocolate chips + 1 cup for melting
1 cup cinnamon chips
1 cup white chocolate chips


Directions:

Preheat oven to 250f

Place the peanut butter and butter in a medium size bowl and microwave until melted. Stir well to combine.

Place the oats, cereal, walnuts, almonds, coconut and pretzels in a large bowl. Top with the remaining ingredients. Pour the melted peanut butter mixture over to top and mix well until combined.

Place the mixture on an ungreased rimmed baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15-20 minutes. During the last part of the baking, I like to pack the mixture down to help the granola clump together during the cooling process which creates chunks/clusters when you break the mixture apart.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Break the mixture apart into chunks. Add the cinnamon chips, white chocolate chips and 1 cup of the dark chocolate chips and toss to combine.

Place the remaining 1 cup dark chocolate chips in a bowl and microwave in 30 seconds intervals, stirring well after each interval, until melted. Drizzle over the granola and allow to cool completely.

Store at room temp in an air tight container for 1 week.

An InLinkz Link-up

Dark Chocolate & Espresso Cookies with Smoked Sea Salt for #theleftoversclub

I may be tardy to the party, but have you discovered smoked, flaked sea salt? Have you ever sprinkled it on chocolate chip cookies? The flavor combination is amazing! The smokiness of the sea salt adds a depth of flavor you don't get with just regular flaked sea salt. Now add dark chocolate and espresso to the equation and you have a cookie that means serious  business.  
 

These cookies right here are my new obsession...

My partner for this month's Leftover's Club is Kathia from Basic and Delicious. Kathia and I have been partners before and she actually lives in the same city (well county) that I do...San Diego! I was really excited that my partner lives so close, because let's face it, stale cookies are no fun. I knew these cookies would arrive to her while still fresh and I am a stickler for freshness when it comes to baked goods. Honestly, I could have just hand delivered them straight from my oven to her door. Why didn't I think of that sooner?
 

I think Kathia will really enjoy these cookies. They're bold, sophisticated and fun!
 

If you'd like to join in on the fun and swap baked goods each month with a fellow food blogger, please sign up at Alwayz Bakin. We'd love to have you in the group!

Dark Chocolate Espresso Cookies w/Smoked Flaked Sea Salt
Adapted from Alice Medrich
Makes approx. 20 cookies


Ingredients:
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup coconut oil
4 ounces of unsweetened chocolate, chopped
6 ounces of dark chocolate cut into chunks
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp espresso powder


Directions:

Place the coconut oil and unsweetened chocolate chunks in a bowl placed over a pan of barely boiling water. Heat until melted stirring often. When completely melted, remove the bowl from the heat and allow the chocolate mixture to cool to room temperature.

Place the eggs, sugar, vanilla extract and espresso powder in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use a large bowl and your electric hand mixer). Mix on med-high speed until light and fluffy (approx. 5 minutes). The mixture should stream from the paddle in thick ribbons.

Using a rubber spatula fold in the cooled chocolate mixture, then fold in the flour mixture, then fold in the dark chocolate chunks.

Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, preheat your oven to 350f and line a few baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a small cookie scoop, place scoops of dough onto the prepare cookie sheets approx. 2" apart. Sprinkle the cookies with the smoked, flaked sea salt.

Bake one sheet at a time (unless you have double oven) for approx. 10 minutes, rotating the cookie sheet front to back halfway through the baking time. Sprinkle a little more sea salt on each cookie halfway through the baking time if needed.

Remove from oven and allow the cookies to cool directly on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Remove from the cookie sheet and place on a wire cooling rack.

An InLinkz Link-up

Birthday Cake M&M Funfetti Cookies

They're here! Birthday Cake M&M's!! With the popularity of "Birthday Cake" flavored desserts and candy, it was only a matter of time...

 

 

 

And with that said, it was only a matter of time before these Birthday Cake M&M Funfetti Cookies happened...

 

If you've never had Birthday Cake M&M's, they're basically a chocolate M&M with a hint of vanilla flavor. They are sweeter than the basic chocolate M&M so I wanted to add dark chocolate to help balance out the sweetness. I also wanted to highlight the "birthday cake" factor and what screams birthday cake more than sprinkles?

 

This is an easy, fun and delicious cookie and it doesn't have to be your birthday to enjoy them! I hope you give them a try!!

 

 

 

Birthday Cake M&M Funfetti Cookies
Makes about 2 dozen cookies
Adapted from here

Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup golden brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups Birthday Cake Flavored M&M's
2 cups Dark Chocolate Chips (I used Ghiradelli Bittersweet Chips)
1/3 cup sprinkles + more for garnish

Directions:

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a medium size bowl. Whisk to combine. Set aside.

Cream butter and both sugars in the bowl of your electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy (approx. 2 minutes).

Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix at low speed until combined.

Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing at low speed just until combined.

Add the M&M's, chocolate chips and sprinkles and pulse a few times just until combined.

Cover and chill dough for 30 minutes.

After dough has chilled, preheat oven to 350f and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Roll into 2" balls and place on parchment lined baking sheets.

Press down each ball of dough slightly and carefully add some sprinkles to the tops, pressing the sprinkles slightly to make them adhere to the dough.

Bake approximately 12-15 minutes (rotating sheets halfway through the baking process) or until edges are golden brown.

Remove baking sheets from oven. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes then remove the cookies to cooling racks to cool.

Store leftovers tightly covered in an air tight container for up to 2 days.

Pumpkin Bread with Dark Chocolate Walnut Streusel for The Leftovers Club

I have never been a big fan of leftovers. There's something about eating day old food that just doesn't sound appealing to me. Even foods that typically taste better the next day get the big thumbs down. Chili? Nope. Meatloaf? Not happening. But someone else's leftovers'? Now that's a whole nother matter.  When I read about The Leftovers Club on Food Ramblings, I knew it was an idea I could embrace - swapping leftover baked goods with fellow food bloggers? Count me in!

 

For this month's Leftover Club, I was excited to be paired with Joanne from Eats Well With Others. I have actually been a fan of Joanne's blog for a while and have pinned a few of her recipes. (Ok, to be honest, I was a little intimidated and had a hard time deciding what to bake). In the end, I decided to go seasonal...and what ingredient embodies the flavor of Fall more than Pumpkin? While the options for baking with pumpkin are endless, I knew I had to bake something I could ship in the mail that wouldn't disintegrate and would stay fresh for a few days.

 

This Pumpkin Bread with Dark Chocolate Walnut Streusel baked in pretty paper bundt pans is not only both delicious and shippable, but they make a great holiday gift as well!

** If you're interested in joining The Leftovers Club, please click on this link for details **

Pumpkin Bread with Dark Chocolate Walnut Streusel
Makes 1 large bundt cake or 3 small 6" bundt cakes
Adapted from Mama's Gotta Bake

Cake Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon (use Vietnamese if you have it)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (use fresh if you have it)
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cloves
1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temp
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temp
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
1 cup pumpkin puree

Streusel Ingredients:
3/4 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup dark chocolate chopped

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350f and lightly spray paper bundt pans with non-stick cooking spray. If using a regular bundt pan, grease and lightly flour the pan.

In a small bowl, combine the streusel ingredients and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients and spices.

In the bowl of your electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy (approx. 2 minutes).

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing at low speed until combined scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.

 Mix in the vanilla extract, pumpkin and sour cream at low speed until combined.

With the mixer at low speed, gradually add the flour mixture until just combined.

Divide half of the batter evenly between the 3 bundt pans (or into one regular bundt pan if using). Top with half of the streusel mixture, then divide the remaining batter evenly between the 3 bundt pans (to prevent overflow, your pans should be no more than 3/4 full).  Sprinkle with the remaining streusel topping.

Place the bundt pans on a rimmed baking sheet (to catch any overflow if it happens) and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Don't forget to adjust your bake time if you're baking in a regular full size bundt pan.

Tips for baking in a regular size bundt pan:
~ Place baking pan in center of the oven
~ If bread starts to brown too quickly before it is done baking, tent with a piece of foil to prevent over-browning
~ If you are concerned about the streusel on top becoming overly browned during baking (since bake time is longer), you can omit the streusel on top and just sprinkle it on the inside only

Remove to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Store leftovers tightly covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Spooky Chocolate Spice Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache Icing

Halloween is still one of my favorite times of year. I love the decorations, costumes, pumpkin carving and of course the sweets. When my boys were younger, it was so much fun to dress them up in their costumes and take them trick-or-treating. As much as I wanted to dress them up in cute homemade costumes, they always wanted to be something scary and store bought. (They didn't have much faith in my costume making skills).

One of my best memories was when my youngest son, Nick, was two years old and still not quite old enough to understand what trick-or-treating was all about. We decided to take him for a quick trip around the block while his brothers went out with a group of friends. One of our neighbors was out taking her own kids trick-or-treating and had left a large bucket of candy on her porch with a note instructing kids to "take just one piece of candy" (yeah right!). Being too young to read, Nick saw the bucket full of candy, walked right up to it and promptly dumped all of his own candy into the bucket. With that, our night of trick-or-treating was done. While my secret plot to eat all of Nick's Snickers and M&M's was foiled, I got something even sweeter - the memory of a little boy selflessly giving away his Halloween candy.

Now that the boys are older, their tastes are more grown up. They actually prefer the flavor of dark chocolate over milk chocolate, but they still like their treats on the scary side. These cupcakes are made with dark cocoa with a hint of spice. The bittersweet chocolate ganache frosting is simple and not too sweet. They're so good it's scary.

Spooky Chocolate Spice Cupcakes
Adapted from The Craving Chronicals
Makes 12

Cupcake Ingredients:
1/2c fresh brewed coffee
1 stick unsalted butter
heaping 1/3 c unsweetened dark cocoa
1 c all purpose flour
1 c sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/3 c sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 c mini semi-sweet chocolate chips


Frosting Ingredients:
3.5 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 T confectioner's sugar
2 T unsalted butter cut into pieces

Optional:
2 oz white chocolate chips (to make the spider webs)
1 c chocolate cookie crumbs or brownie crumbs (to simulate dirt)


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 and line 12 c muffin tin with paper cupcake liners. Set aside.

Place the butter and coffee in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and salt.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat sour cream and egg until well combined. Gradually add coffee/cocoa mixture, beating constantly until combined. Add flour mixture and beat slowly at low speed until just combined. Fold in mini-chocolate chips.

Divide batter evenly between the 12 cupcake liners. They will be a little more than 2/3 full.

Bake at 350 for approx 15-18 minutes or until done (toothpick inserted in center should come out clean). Cool cupcakes in pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.

To make icing:

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pot of barely simmering water. Remove from heat.

With a rubber spatula stir confectioner's sugar into the warm chocolate. Add butter a few pieces at a time, stirring until melted and incorporated.

Dip each cupcake top into the ganache. Spreading as needed.

To decorate:

Spiderwebs - in a small bowl melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave (microwave in 30 second intervals stirring well after each interval until melted). Scoop the melted chocolate into a small sandwich bag and cut a small hole in one corner of the bag to form a piping bag. Starting at the center of each cupcake and working your way outwards, pipe a spiral on top of each cupcake. Using a toothpick, start at the center and drag the toothpick through the spiral and icing several times to make a spiderweb.

After...........................................................Before

Graveyard - make crumbs with the chocolate cookies or brownies. Top the cupcake with the crumbs and insert a paper tombstone that has been taped to a toothpick on top.

Note: If you don't have dark cocoa powder, you can use regular cocoa powder, you just won't have that dark chocolate taste. The flavor of the spices is very mild, but if you want to omit them, you can.