Chocolate Monster Cookies from Baking Basics and Beyond- A Review and Giveaway!

A couple weeks ago I shared a recipe for Cowboy Cookies that had crushed cornflakes in them. I really liked that addition so when I was sent this cookbook, Baking Basics and Beyond by Pat Sinclair, for review I knew I'd be making Chocolate Monster Cookies. These cookies were LOADED with flavor from oats to cornflakes to little candy coated chocolates. What makes these cookies different is that there's cocoa in the dough. Why didn't I think of that?

This recipe makes a boat load of cookies- a whopping 8 dozen! I cut the recipe in half and made about 4 dozen large cookies, still quite a bit for sharing. I chose to add Spring colored M&M's to my dough but you could also use chocolate or butterscotch chips. The thing is, the dough is so flavorful I'd be happy without the added bursts of chocolate. And when have you ever heard me say that? These cookies were crisp on the outside and had a slight chew in the center. I liked them a minute or two underbaked for a chewier cookie. They were excellent with a tall glass of ice cold milk.

Baking Basics and Beyond is a great book. It's loaded with all kinds of basic information from how to grease and flour pans, to how to make whipped cream, melt chocolate to how to assemble and frost a layer cake to how to make the perfect pie crust and what "blind baking" means. There's a wealth of knowledge in this book. The recipes are thorough and come with Baker's Notes on how to achieve success with each baked good. There are both sweet and savory recipes in this book and while not each recipe is accompanied with a photo, the ones that are included are great quality and in color. With over 120 recipes in this book, there is something for everyone- most are from scratch but there are a couple that call for boxed brownie mix or jarred caramel sauce. This paperback is perfect for both beginner and skilled bakers and would make a great gift or a nice addition to your cookbook collection.

Chocolate Monster Cookies from Baking Basics and Beyond
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• 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups quick cooking oats
• 2 cups cornflakes, lightly crushed
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, butterscotch chips or 12 oz. M&M's

Heat oven to 350 degrees F with oven rack in middle. Lightly grease cookie sheets (I used parchment paper).

Mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a very large bowl.

Beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in a bowl of a heavy-duty mixer on medium-high speed until creamy, scraping down sides of bowl once or twice. Add the vanilla and eggs and mix well.

Reduce mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat til dough forms.

Scrape dough back into the very large bowl. Add the oatmeal, corn flakes, and chips and stir until well mixed. (I added the fillings to the mixing bowl and stirred them in by hand).

Using a 1/4-cup ice cream scoop, drop dough onto cookie sheets. Drop 6 cookies onto each cookie sheet.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until set in the center and the edges are lightly browned. For softer cookies, reduce baking time slightly. The cookies will still look a little moist in the center. Cool cookies 1 minute on the cookie sheets them place them on wire cooling racks.

These cookies should be stored loosely covered at room temperature.

Makes about 8 dozen cookies.

Reprinted with permission from Baking Basics and Beyond, Second Edition, by Pat Sinclair, Agate Surrey, December 2011.

GIVEAWAY: I mentioned there was a giveaway, right? Agate Publishing is giving away one copy of Baking Basics and Beyond (Second Edition) by Pat Sinclair to one lucky reader. All you have to do is leave me a comment on this blog telling me why you want to win this book. I'll announce a winner on Friday, April 20th. One comment per person, please.

Super Bowl Eats- Take 2!

Last year around Super Bowl time I posted baked corn dogs. I thought they were neat and clever and they served a crowd. But I didn't really like the corn bread all that much and by the time it baked all the way through it was a little dry. Now I've tried MANY different recipes for cornbread and I still think Jiffy Cornbread is still the best. You can argue with me and swear by your recipe (and I've tried a few of those too) but I still like Jiffy. And at 35 cents a box, I'm okay with that :-)

So I originally thought I would take that pan of baked corn dogs and use Jiffy instead but then I saw that Coleen of Coleen's Recipes made corn bread muffins and I thought "duh!". Why didn't I think of that? Actually it was her genius daughter that came up with them first so ever since seeing them last summer I have made them. I made them every few weeks when I actually have hot dogs in the house- which is not that often. I like to buy Hebrew National.

So anyway, we love these and they are so simple to make. I like them with some mustard and ketchup and a spoonful of dill pickle relish. Mr. H likes to top his with chili. Each box of muffins mix makes about 7 muffins but it's easy to double or triple this recipe. They would be awesome this weekend at your Super Bowl party. Go Cowboys! Oh wait, who's playing?

Baked Corn Dog Muffins inspired by Coleen

• 1 box Jiffy Corn Bread Mix (plus milk and egg as directed on box)
• Hot Dogs (2-3) or Kielbasa Sausage
• Grated Cheddar Cheese

Make corn bread mix according to the package instructions and set aside. Spray 7 openings of a muffin tin with nonstick spray and set aside. Chop hot dogs into 3rd (about 1 1/2-2 inch pieces).

Place a tablespoon or two of the cornbread mix into greased muffin tins. Add a piece of the hot dog and a sprinkling of cheese. Top with more corn bread mix filling each tin about 2/3 of the way full. Sprinkle with a little more cheese.

Bake in a preheated 400F oven for 15-20minutes or until lightly golden on the edges. Let cool for a few minutes before removing from tin. Serve with condiments of your choice such as ketchup, mustard, chili, cheese or relish.

Use whatever toppings you like on your corn dogs or hot dogs and let the kids have fun!

I hope your team wins!

Loaded

Here's my happy little corn zipper hanging out in the corn!

I love making cornbread and chili during the cooler months. The problem is, it doesn't get very cold here until late November. I still make this even when it's warm outside, but it's so much nicer to curl up on the couch with a mug of chili than it is to be sweating and eating chili. Don't you think?

I was surfing the web a few months ago and spotted this recipe. It looked really hearty and filling. And I thought it would be a nice accompaniment to my chili. I generally prefer to bake Jiffy cornbread muffins with a little added sugar for sweetness. I LOVE sweet cornbread and this brand is consistently good and it is so inexpensive (like 40 cents). I've tried different mixes and they don't usually compare to Jiffy. I have also made homemade cornbread and it's not as good either.

This cornbread had a nice texture to it. It was very similar to my favorite brand, but with all the added goodness of cheese, fresh sweet corn, bacon, and green chiles. These were not as spicy as I anticipated though. And I think they needed a little something extra- maybe more salt, more pepper, more garlic, a sharper cheese??? They were very good and did not over shadow the main course. I may make these again and tweak the ingredients. Ooh, sausage crumbles would be good in these!

Spicy Cornbread Muffins adapted from What We're Eating

Dry Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups corn meal
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Add-ins:

• kernels from 2 ears of fresh corn
• 1 small can chopped green chiles, drained
• 4 thick slices of bacon, cooked crispy then chopped
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 oz sharp cheddar, shredded

Wet Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter or spray 2 12-cup muffin tins or line with muffin liners and set aside.

Add all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.

In a separate bowl, add the milk, buttermilk oil and eggs. Whisk ingredients together, making sure the egg yolks are broken up and well combined. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir til just combined. Place all of the add-ins into the batter. Stir batter until just combined. Do not overmix or you'll end up with tough muffins.

Pour the cornbread batter into the prepared muffin tins. Fill each muffin tin nearly to the top with batter. The muffins won’t rise too much while baking. Bake on the top rack in the oven for about 20 minutes or until just baked through. Insert a toothpick into the center of one of the muffins, if it comes out clean (without crumbs), they're done.

Allow muffins to cool in pan for at least 10 minutes before removing. Serve warm with butter or at room temp.

NOTE: This cornbread can also be baked in a cast-iron skillet or glass baking dish. Make sure to adjust the cooking time to about 30-35 minutes and test with a toothpick if using one of these alternate baking methods. I made 12 muffins and one pan of cornbread. The muffins baked for 20 minutes and the glass dish of cornbread for 30 minutes.

These weren't as spicy as I expected, perhaps it's because I didn't use the Serrano chiles the recipe suggested. They were still good, but mild. For a spicier version, follow the original recipe. The only things I changed were: I didn't add cilantro (because I don't like it- ick!) and I added a small can of green chopped chiles instead of roasted Serrano chiles.

Use any leftovers in my favorite Cornbread Stuffing.