Oatmeal Chocolate Cherry Chip Crisps

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups old-fashioned oats

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup dried tart cherries 

1 pkg. Nestle Toll House Cherry Filled Delightfulls

1/3 cup white chocolate chips

Position 1 rack in bottom third and 1 rack in top third of oven; preheat to 375°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Blend first 4 ingredients in bowl of a stand mixer. Add eggs and beat until blended (about a minute).  Add next 4 ingredients.  Continue beating until mixture is blended. Transfer to large bowl. Mix in cherries, Delightfuls and white chocolate chips.

Spoon batter by rounded tablespoonfuls or using a tablespoon size scoop onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart (cookies will spread). Bake until tops of cookies are golden brown, rotating baking sheets after 7 minutes, about 14 minutes total. Transfer cookies to rack; let cool. Repeat with remaining batter.

(Recipe adapted from Epicurious)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

My husband's birthday is Halloween.  He loves anything with chocolate chips and especially chocolate chip cookie dough.  I made these cupcakes for him as the following day his team at work is having a Pot Luck and he signed up for dessert.  So, with cupcakes, we can celebrate his birthday by indulging an then he gets to take the other 22 to work for the Pot Luck.  Win-Win!

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

3 sticks unsalted butter (1 1/2 cups), at room temperature

1½ cups light brown sugar

4 large eggs

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the filling and frosting:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temp

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips (you may want more to put on top)

Preheat the oven to 350° degrees. Line cupcake pan with 24 liners.

For the cupcakes: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together to blend. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Blend in the vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the filling and frosting: With a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar at medium speed. Add the vanilla and beat well. Add the flour and salt and mix until combined. Add just a little milk until it's cookie dough consistency. Once it is, gently fold in chocolate chips. Then take half of the mixture out and chill it in the fridge. This will be the filling. For the frosting you'll want a little thinner consistency. Add more milk to the remaining mixture gradually until desired consistency is reached. This is your frosting.

To fill the cupcakes, cut a cone-shaped portion out of the center of each cupcake. I found this a little tricky to get the hole out but then you get to eat what you take out! Fill each hole with a chunk of the chilled cookie dough mixture.

Frost cooled cupcakes. Store in refrigerator.

My husband thinks they are best served chilled. I think they are way better at room temperature where the frosting just melts in your mouth.

Recipe adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything.

Happy Birthday to my Loving Husband!