Triple Chocolate Threats

Evil temptress chocolate treat

 

Sometimes I question which is it that I am most addicted to, the consumption of sugary

goodness or the creation of such treats?  I enjoy both, but if I had to choose but one, I’m

pretty sure that creation would win.  Oh, don’t get me wrong, I would have a really hard

time shaking the sugar monkey off my back.  He’s been with me for deep.  But, I know I could

do it.  I’m just not ready yet.

Now, the thought of never baking another cake, cookie or pie strikes fear into my very soul.

Severe depression would be inevitable if I could never bake again.  Ya’ know, let’s just

not go down that path.

Many posts ago I shared a recipe and pictures of Lemon Coconut Pixies.  The recipe came from

the Hershey Company.  I have a recipe tin that was given to me as a birthday gift in 2009

and it sat on our kitchen counter for 10 months  before I ever made anything from it.  That

post was 13 months ago, so it’s time for another recipe from the tin.

HERSHEY’S Triple Chocolate Cookies

48 Hershey’s Kisses Milk chocolate or Milk Chocolate with Almonds (that’s what I used)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened (I used butter, of course)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 tablespoon milk
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Hershey’s cocoa (I used cocoa powder form that bulk bins at WinCo)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup Hershey’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate chips ( I used Safeway brand)

1.  Heat oven to 350 degrees F. 

What else was I going to do with all this candy left over from Christmas? I did play poker with it the night before I baked the cookies!

 

Mmmmm.......chocolate!

Remove wrappers from chocolates.
2.  Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium

speed in a large bowl until well blended.  Add eggs and milk; beat well.
3.  Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into butter mixture,

beating until well blended.  Stir in chocolate chips. 

Make all the comments you want, it still tastes good

 Shape dough into 1 inch balls. 

Oven bound

Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Fresh out of the oven and hot

4.  Bake 10 – 11 minutes or until set. 

Press kisses into the center of each cookie while still hot

 Gently press a chocolate into center of each cookie.  Remove to wire rack and cool completely.

VARIATION:  For vanilla cookies, omit cocoa powder and add an additional 1/3 cup all-purpose flour.

I made the recipe verbatim, but I wanted to see how they would look with a little added sparkle.  I rolled the dough balls in granulated sugar before I baked another round.  Here is what that looked like.

Roll in granulated sugar for added sparkle

Both versions taste great. 

So good when they're still warm. The chocolate kiss in the center and the chocolate chips are all soft and gooey.

I can clearly state, with authority, that these are delicious.   After all, chocolate, chocolate AND chocolate?  How could they not be tasty?  These beauties will be added to my chorus line of confection.

Oh, great!  One more sweet memory to send packing with that monkey.

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Everybody Must Get Sconed!

That was a tag line for my website when I owned Naked Baker.  I had one of those license plate holders made at the mall for my car.  You know the ones with sayings like “My grandchild is cuter than yours” or “Zero to Bitch in 24 seconds?”  Mine said “nakedbaker.com”on the top and “Everybody Must Get Sconed” on the bottom.  Someone stole it right off my vehicle in a parking lot in broad daylight after having it on my bumper for one week!  So much for free advertising.

People loved my scones.  Customers would say “I just got back from London.  Your scones are better than the ones at Harrods!”  “I was just in New York  and your lemon scones are so much better than the scones at The Plaza”.  I never got tired of the compliments.  They never got tired of the scones.

Break time with Apricot Scone and a hot cup of coffee

 BASIC SCONE

3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 heaping tablespoon baking powder

1 stick (1/4 pound) unsalted butter, very cold and cut into small pieces

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup half n half or heavy cream

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

dash of nutmeg or spice of choice

1/2 cup dried fruit or nuts

Preheat oven 400 degrees.  Parchment or Silpat lined baking sheets

Place flour, sugar,  baking powder  and salt in food processor.  Add cold butter pieces and pulse until mixture is somewhat crumbly.  Transfer to a mixing bowl.  Add dried fruit or nuts.  Make a well in the center of flour/fruit mixture.  Stir together half n half, egg and vanilla.  Pour into the center well and quickly mix by hand until flour incorporated the liquid.  Do not overwork the dough.  Dump out onto a floured surface and gently knead and smooth into a round disk shape.  Flatten with your hands or use a rolling pin until the dough is about 3/4 of an inch thick.  Cut with a floured biscuit cutter or cut dough disk into wedges.  Place on a parchment or Silpat lined sheet pan.

You can (A) brush the tops with melted butter and bake, (B) Melted butter and sugar and bake or (C) Do what I like to do:

Equal amounts of butter and sugar.  Before you make the scone dough, cut butter into chunks and freeze.  Put frozen butter and sugar into food processor and pulse until you have fine crumbs.  Working quickly and with cool hands, top each scone with the butter/sugar combo. 

Bake for 17 minutes in the center rack of oven.  Bottoms should be browned and tops firm