{The Love of My Life: Espresso Brookies}

So there I was, spacing out in class... like usual, thinking about food and practically drooling....another daily occurrence. What would I bring to the volleyball banquet tonight? I was thinking just brownies or maybe those yummy snowball cookies. I asked my friend sitting beside me. "Oh! Oh! Oh! What about those chocolaty cookies your brought to lunch last year and the whole table gobbled them up so quick. Remember all the people crowded around the table?" She said laughing. The french teacher shot us some looks, so we shut up. Of coarse! Why didn't I think of those Brookies sooner! The best cooking, oh my goodness everyone loves them! I still get people asking me for the recipe and the last time I made them was last year. It was definitely time to get out the chocolate!

~

 Chocolaty pit of heaven..<3

Chocolate Espresso Cookies

{yielding around 3 dozen cookies}

2⅔ cups (around 16 oz.) bittersweet chocolate, chopped

4 tablespoons of butter, softened

4 eggs                                 

1⅓ cups of granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup of all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon espresso

1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler, stirring occasionally, until a smooth mixture forms. While chocolate and butter are melting, combine eggs, vanilla, and sugar in a large bowl and set aside.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and espresso. Beat chocolate and butter into the egg mixture until well combined. Gradually beat in flour, baking powder, and espresso until a smooth batter forms. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop tablespoons of batter (I used a big ice cream scooper but filled it only half way) on to your parchment paper–lined cookie sheet. Give them a little space, because they will spread out a bit. Bake for 8–10 minutes, or until they’re firm on the outside.

(Note: Your batter will probably be slightly runny, but you can still easily scoop it up. I've found that if you leave it out for 15 minutes or so it gets a lot thicker; a good consistency)

 If you cook then too long (11-13 minutes) they will be hard :( and lose their chewyness (the best part!)

 Crispy edges, gooey inside, crackley melt-in-your-mouth top. What more could you ask for?

Bon Appetit!

Pumpkin Woopie Pies

Does anyone know how "woopie" is really spelled? I sure don't. I mean, it could be woopy or woopie or maybe to be dramatic WOOPIE. Who knows... Anyway, I had never ever had a woopie pie until I saw a picture, and had to make them for Halloween. Of coarse they were AMAZING. Advice: DOUBLE THE RECIPE. Believe me, you'll be glad. :)
Everyone will love these sticky, soft, tasty cookies filled with Maple Cinnamon Frosting. Yum.


Pumpkin Whoopie Pies w/ Maple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
Makes 8-12

Ingredients:
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tbsp ground ginger
1/2 tbsp ground cloves
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1.5 cups pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves.

3. In another large bowl (I used my Kitchen Aid), whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined. Mix in the pumpkin puree. Add eggs and vanilla - whisk until fully incorporated. After that, sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk again till everything comes together.
4. Using tablespoons (or small ice cream scoop), drop heaping tbsps of dough into prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.5. Transfer to oven and bake around 10 mins , until these cakey cookies are just starting to crack on top, and toothpick inserted into the center of each comes out clean. Let cool completely on pan.

Frosting:
2.5 cups (or so)  powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temp
4 oz cream cheese, room temp (You can easily take out, I did)
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (Or more if your like me!)

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat again. Add powdered sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon and vanilla, then beat until well combined. Add more sugar to desired thickness.

To assemble: Turn half the cooled cookies upside down. Pipe about a tbsp of the frosting onto that half (I used plastic bag with hole in one end, worked wonderfully!) . Place another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling. Press down slightly so that frosting spreads to the edge of the cookie. Refrigerate the whoopie pies for about 30 mins before serving.


Vwa LA! Ooooh la laaa <3