Chocolate Chip Cookies are my BFF

 

The secret is out. Even though my last name is "Cupcake", I LURVE (that's my word for extra credit love) chocolate chip cookies. Making chocolate chip cookies is a fun hobby for me. I don't sell them anywhere.I've baked them for many reasons.One..is that I eat the dough and never eat the cookie ♥♥♥♥ 

Perfect gift idea: Scoop the dough into a jar and give it to a friend to eat with a wooden spoon. Or throw yourself a **me** party and gift it to yourself! Just to be safe, if I am eating the dough only, I substitute 1/4 cup milk in place of the eggs. It works and still tastes just like cookie dough!

I have used the eggless cookie dough recipe to make chocolate chip cookie dough balls dipped in candy melts. Heaven on earth. ♥ What's better than cookie dough on a stick?!

I throw sprinkles in my chocolate chip cookie dough because I'm a big kid.
I love giving these to kids of all ages. (Hmm maybe a back to school treat or great for a college care package?!)

But did you know..there is something that a chocolate chip cookie does to fill a void in your spirit?! A warm ball of soft gooey slightly crispy chocolate chip cookie in your tummy replaces a hole and makes you feel better if even just for the moment you are eating the cookie.That's why I  hand deliver generous sized packages of them to people who I know are grieving. ♥

What tummies will your chocolate chip cookies travel to?

The possibilities are endless. Don't be afraid to add bits and pieces of the things that you crave. (Sprinkles, m&ms, sparkles, white chocolate chips, cherry chocolate chips, marshmallows?! Use your imagination)!

Recipe below ♥
This recipe takes patience, so make sure you plan at least 24 hours in advance.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients needed:
2 Cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
A little dab of salt
3/4 Cup Unsalted Butter, Softened
3/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup Fine Baking Sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract
1 small box of white chocolate instant pudding mix (dry powder form)
1 egg
2 cups chocolate chips
optional: 1 cup rainbow sprinkles

**Note, to make this recipe eggless for cookie dough treats: replace the egg with 1/4 cup whole milk. Omit the pudding.

Method:

1.  In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the egg, softened butter, sugars, and extracts together.

2.  In separate bowl, whisk the dry ingredients (flour, salt, pudding mix, and baking soda) together.
3.  Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed ingredients and beat until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl to make sure there are no forgotten bits of valuable ingredients ♥
4. Fold in chocolate chips and sprinkles.

5. Line baking pan with parchment paper. Scoop cookies onto baking pan. I like using a cookie scoop to make sure they are all uniform in size.
6. This is the secret to amazing puffy cookies that won't flatten when you bake them: Cover cookies with plastic wrap and refrigerate them on the pan overnight.

7. Get up the next morning, and bake at 325 for appx 12-15 minutes. I like to under-bake my cookies and take them out at about 10-12 minutes so that they are super soft and gooey.

A few chocolate chip cookie tips:

♥Cookies last forever in the freezer when covered in an airtight container (my "forever": is about half a year)...but I don't think these will last long enough. They are toooooo yummy!!!! ♥ Cookie dough can also be frozen for up to about 90 days.

♥If you want to add more color and sparkle to your cookies, top them with extra chocolate chips, m&m gems, mini peanut butter cups, or sprinkles immediately after you remove them from the oven.   The extra pieces will add more color and will "melt" just enough to stick to the top of your cookies!

♥And as always..don't be afraid to sprinkle some edible glitter on top!

Fresh chocolate chip cookies always taste good with cupcakes....and coffee! ♥♥♥

You are the Cookie On My Cupcake. ♥

I am Amanda Cupcake, and I've been hiding the cookie monster within me for far too long.

I love cookies.

I can probably eat more cookie dough than you can imagine. ♥ It's all gone before I even realize.

So I am in big trouble.

And you might be too.

For one, the word cookie is so cute.
Cookie.

Say it.

It draws you in.

Now say "Snickerdoodle Cookie". (so cute, right)?

Add some edible sparkles and call it a "Sparkledoodle".

Awwww. ♥

Now add your Sparkledoodles to a creamy dreamy white swirl of heavenly frosting fluffed like a dream on top of a vanilla cinnamon cupcake.

A Sparkledoodle Cupcake!

♥

A cookie to add to my cupcake.

Cherry Chip Chocolate Chip Cookies with Cherry Red Velvet Cupcakes too ♥

My cupcake darlings, it is up to you to decide how you will eat these cupcakes!

Cookie First, then Cupcake?
Use the cookie as a scoop to eat the frosting?

Or pretend it's your first birthday and eat the whole thing at once?!

♥

Recipe for Cherry Chip Chocolate Chip Cookies:

(Adapted from Forme-Foryou chocolate chip cookie recipe!)

Dry Ingredients:

2 Cups Minus 2 Tablespoons of Cake Flour

1 2/3 Cups Bread Flour

1 1/4 tsp Baking Soda

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt or kosher salt

Creaming Ingredients:

1 1/4 Cups Unsalted Butter

1 1/4 Cups Brown Sugar

1 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar

2 Eggs (large)

2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

My little magical addition:

1 Bag of Mini Chocolate Chips

1 Bag of Cherry Chips

A *hint* of almond extract.

This is how magical it is:

1.  Combine your Cake Flour, Bread Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, and Salt in one bowl. Whisk together.

2.  In your stand mixer, Cream Room Temperature Butter with Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar.

3.  Gradually add eggs and vanilla.

4.  Now gradually add your dry ingredients to the blend, and you have cookie dough.

4.  When you add your chips to the cookie dough use, a spatula to mix in-you don't need to use a mixer attachment.

5.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

6.  Using a small cookie scoop, scoop little mounds of cookie dough onto your cookie sheet. Make sure they are spaced out enough so they have room to puff ♥. 

5.  Bake for appx 10-15 minutes at a preheated 350 degrees (ovens vary so just watch to see if the tops of the cookies turn slightly golden. I like my cookies somewhat underbaked so they stay really soft as they cool).

Tip: There are rumors that this cookie tastes *BEST* when cooled for 24-36 hours and then baked. I think they are wonderful either way.

Megpops ♥

I know a pretty lady named Meg.

She makes the best cookies on the planet.

She is married to my photographer friend Dan Woolf.

Last week when I visited them for another cupcake photo shoot, Meg fed me the yummiest butterscotch chip & chocolate chunk cookies.

Ok. let's back track. Before she baked the cookies, she took out her *persimmon* kitchen aid mixer. I loved the color and even complimented her on it.

While she was mixing up the batter, she fed me big chunks of her fresh amazzzazing cookie dough on a spoon.

She sent me home with a beautifully wrapped bag of about 8 gigantic delicious cookies.

I devoured a few of them...but this is what I did with the rest.

I call them Meg Pops.

The "M" is for Megan.

The inside is Megan's butterscotch cookie combined with a little of my white cake and cream cheese frosting.

Instead of eating this off of a stick like a regular cake pop, I used a spoon. Inspired by the spoonfuls of chunky amazing heavenly cookie dough I ate straight from her persimmon colored Kitchen Aid Mixer.

I tried my best to make the "M" for Megan *persimmon* colored to match her Kitchen Aid Mixer.

Megpops are simple and fun to make.

Megpop Ingredients:

•  Cookies (If you are lucky they'll be Meg's cookies)
• Wooden Spoons (You can get them at craft stores in the kiddo aisle)
• Or..if you want to be really festive you can find some decorative vintage looking spoons!
• Frosting of your choice
• Candy Melts
• Butterscotch chips (or chips of your choice)
• Parchment Paper
• Cookie Sheet
• A bowl or a melting pot for your candy wafers
• Great Memories of Delicious Cookie Making for Inspiration.

Directions:
1.  Select a medium or large bowl for your cookie brew. (Hopefully it is colorful and fun, like Meg's persimmon Kitchen Aid Mixer).
2.  Crumble up your cookies.
3.  Throw in about a spoonful of your favorite frosting (don't worry if it feels too dry you can always add more).
4.  Mix all the cookie crumbs and frosting together with delight.
5.  Form into cake pop balls and set on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
6.  Now freeze. (not you..the cake pops)! For about 20-25 minutes.
7.  Use a melting pot if you have one and melt your candy wafers. If you don't have a melting pot, you can melt your candy wafers carefully in a pot on the stove while stirring continuously.  Or you can use a deep bowl and melt the wafers in the microwave in 30 second increments. (stirring in between until melted & smooth).
8.  Set up a clean sheet of parchment paper on your countertop (this is where you'll put your finished megpops).
9.  Take the cake pops out of the freezer. They are ready to be dipped. ♥
10.  Dip your cake pop in the melted chocolate using a lollypop stick or a spoon.
11.  Quickly set the cake pop down on your parchment paper and remove the lollypop stick while it is still soft.
12. Use the melted chocolate as your "glue" to attach your spoon to the cake pop as shown in the photos above ♥
13. Add excess-think cookie dough! Chocolate Chunks, Butterscotch chips, more melted chocolate, disco dust, anything your heart desires.
14.  Let dry.  Once they are dry, you can lift the little pops of wonderful off of your parchment paper with the spoon!

Somehow using a spoon just makes it all seem more sinful. ♥ And wonderful. 

The Megpops were so much fun that I kinda went crazy and made some more cake pops with a wooden spoon instead of a stick. So very indulgent.

A cake pop made with strawberry pie crust, strawberry chunks, and strawberry cake.

Cake pops with oreos inside.

See, they really are spoons!