Deep Dish Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie

Dustin and I love chocolate chip cookies.  I try to keep some in the freezer to bake whenever the desire for chocolate chip cookies strikes, but I had recently run out of dough.  Oh no!

I decided to make a deep dish chocolate chip cookie, and because I had just made caramels I decided to put caramel in the chocolate chip cookie too.  The caramel was a very very good choice.  The cookie is chocolaty and doughy and the caramel is chewy and rich.

The deep dish caramel chocolate chip cookie is a great dessert.  The flavors are complex and familiar, and everything comes together into a delicious bowl of cookie and caramel!

Deep Dish Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 24 cookies
Author: Happy Food Happy Home

adapted from Dash and Bella at Food52

2 1/8 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup room temperature unsalted butter

1 cup light brown sugar, tightly packed

½ cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup dark chocolate chips (preferably large flat ones)

1. Sift or whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
2. In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add the eggs one at a time.  Fully incorporate the first egg before adding the next one. Completely mix in the second egg and the vanilla.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
4. Add half of the dry ingredients and mix to combine.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
5. Add the second half of the dry ingredients and the chocolate chips.  Mix until the flour just disappears. 
6. If just making cookies form two ounce cookies and bake for 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees until edges are golden, but the centers are still doughy and delicious.  

Chocolate Chip Caramel Deep Dish Cookie

makes 1 deep dish cookie-16 servings 
Author: Happy Food Happy Home

1 recipe chocolate chip cookie dough

16-20  ½ inch caramels (either unwrapped store bought caramels or homemade)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Grease a 8 by 8 inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter.  Make sure to grease up the sides.
3. Use your hands to place a half inch layer of cookie dough on the bottom of the dish. 
4. Evenly space the caramels over the top of the cookie dough. 
5. Put another layer of cookie dough around the caramels.  Allow some caramel to poke through the top to show of the deliciousness inside!
6. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until the edges are golden brown.  The middle of the cookie will still be slightly doughy.  You can bake it for a little longer to set the middle, but watch the edges closely to keep them from getting too brown. 
7. Allow the cookie to sit for approximately 10 minutes to allow the caramel to firm up a little before spooning the cookie onto a plate, topping with ice cream, and devouring. 

Caramel Cookie Idea from Pinch of Yum

The deep dish caramel chocolate chip cookie was delicious and caramel-y.  I couldn't stop eating it!  With a big glass of milk to wash it down, this caramel chocolate chip cookie was the perfect dessert!  

Behind The Scenes

It's the end of another good week.  And also almost the end of my Spring Break.  Back to teaching on Monday, but for right now I'm wringing every possible moment out of my last three days!

On Monday Mom and I went to Ikea.  She was looking for baskets for her new kitchen.  I was looking for a stool.  Of course we both came home with way more than that! And we had lunch.  I need to make Swedish meatballs at home, because I devour them at Ikea!

I met my beautiful friends for dinner on Tuesday.  We had delicious tacos and margaritas on Mass Ave. in Indianapolis.  Then we volunteered for Gleaners Food Bank.  Good food and good karma!

Boomer enjoying his doughnut treat.  It sure was crunchy!

Breakfast for supper is my favorite! Maybe because we never did that when I was little.  We had to wait for the weekend for bacon :)

And finally--I had a friend while I was getting ready this morning.  I'm pretty sure this cute squirrel has moved into the tree behind our house.  He seems friendly so far; though Boomer is highly suspicious of him.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!  We're having friends over and have some fun things planned!

Braised Mushrooms

I love mushrooms!  Pizza, omelettes, salads..I love mushrooms on them all.  I found a beautiful big box of baby portobello mushrooms at the grocery store and decided that they needed to be dinner.

After they were washed and cut in big chunks I braised the mushrooms in a little bit of broth to really bring out the mushroomy flavor and create a delicious sauce.  Herbs were added and these braised mushrooms were a tasty dinner when added with mashed potatoes or polenta.

I did try them with pasta, and while very good the sauce kind of got lost beneath the pasta.  When I ate the braised mushrooms with mashed potatoes the sauce got captured and acted a lot like gravy!  It was such a good dinner.

Just a heads up, while braising the mushrooms do cook down a little.  I used 24 ounces of mushrooms, and Dustin and I devoured them as a meal.  I would cook about 48 ounces for 4 people--which is a lot of mushrooms, but they're so good you'll eat them all!

Braised Mushrooms
Author: Happy Food Happy Home

Serves 2

2 tablespoons butter

1 clove of garlic, minced

½ teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon thyme

salt

½ teaspoon pepper

24 ounces baby portobello mushrooms

1 cup chicken broth

1. Wash the mushrooms. Cut them into large chunks.  I cut most of mine in half.
2. Melt the butter in a large high sided skillet over medium heat.
3. When butter is melted add the minced garlic and toast for 30 seconds.
4. Add the thyme and oregano, and heat for 15 seconds.
5. Add the mushrooms.  Top with salt and pepper  Toss the mushrooms in the butter and herbs, then allow to sit and brown for 1 minute. 
6. After 1 minute stir the mushrooms.  Stir occasionally, about once a minute, until mushrooms start to release moisture--approximately 5 minutes.
7. Add the broth to the mushrooms.  Scrape the bottom of the skillet to release all the delicious flavor there.
8. Bring mixture to a simmer and allow to cook and reduce for about 5 minutes.
9. Taste the mushrooms for seasoning.  Add more as needed. 
10. Serve braised mushrooms over mashed potatoes or polenta. 

To make vegetarian--Replace butter with olive oil or butter substitute, and chicken broth with vegetable broth. 

Braised mushrooms make such a great meal.  They taste meaty and delicious, and are a super filling vegetable based dinner.  I hope you try to make these soon!

Healthy Double Chocolate Muffins

What comes to mind when I say double chocolate muffins?  For me it's those big-as-a-softball, sugar and oil laden creations from the grocery store.  And while those muffins are delicious, they might not be the best breakfast.  Sorry if I burst your bubble :)

So I set out to create a chocolate muffin that I wouldn't hate eating for breakfast.  And that wouldn't create a sugar crash mid-morning.  Healthy double chocolate muffins came to mind.  They are made with whole wheat flour, applesauce, and Greek yogurt.  No butter!  

My healthy double chocolate muffins are tasty, filled with chocolate, and are a filling breakfast.  I normally pair mine with some fruit and the ubiquitous coffee, and they keep me full and happy until lunch.  Try these healthy double chocolate muffins for your breakfast soon!

Healthy Double Chocolate Muffins

1 ¾ cup whole wheat flour

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup water

1/3 cup brown sugar

¾ plain Greek yogurt

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)

1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (chopped if large)

1/3 cup bittersweet chocolate chips for topping 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.  Grease the liners with cooking spray.
3. In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together water, sugar, yogurt, applesauce, vanilla, and espresso powder.  Whisk until mixture is smooth and totally combined.
5. Add chopped chocolate chips to wet ingredients.
6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry in two parts. Mix gently until just combined.  Be careful not to over mix. 
7. Scoop batter into liners.  Fill ¾ full with muffin mixture. 
8. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.  They're done when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
9. Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes, then remove from muffin pan onto a wire rack and let cool completely.

The muffins are good warm, but store them in a closed container in the refrigerator after they have cooled completely.  Because they have no preservatives they might go bad pretty quickly at room temperature--in the fridge is best.   Double chocolate muffins are a great addition to your breakfast rotation.