100 BOTTLE WINE FRIDGE

Chocolate Sugarsnaps Cookie Mixes (1 Large Mix)

"""The best cookies that we have ever had."" So said a family in Seattle. Your family will declare these pretty, rich, brownie-like cookies a ""best cookie"" also. These brownie-like cookies are so good--with crackly sugar topping and chewy centers--that your family will keep coming back for more. The chocolate melts in your mouth and the large sugar crystals create a bit of crunch. These cookies are quick, easy, and convenient. Mix the ingredients, form round balls with the dough, roll them through the special sugar crystals, and bake. They are fun to make with the kids or grandkids.

Each package contains two mixes. Each mix makes about four dozen cookies depending on the size you choose to bake. This mix is about 55% larger than most mixes found in the grocery store. Butter and eggs are not included.

Editors note: We tried these with and without the sugar crystals and crystals really make a difference. It's like a brownie with crunch. ""[The mixes] don't cost anymore than at the local grocery and the quality is much better.""-- MS in FL

""This is a very good cookie. My daughter says that she doesn't like chocolate but she came back for more.""-- NH in ID"

The other dessert I made for Thanksgiving at my sister’s this year, a peanut butter–chocolate cheesecake with an Oreo cookie crust. I served this with bourbon–caramel sauce. The base cheesecake recipe is derived from one from Cook’s Illustrated, if memory serves.

Ingredients

2 tbl. unsalted butter
24 Oreo cookies
2 lb. softened cream cheese
1 1/4 c. sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. sour cream
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate
2 tbl. dutch process cocoa powder
3/4 c. creamy peanut butter

Directions

Preheat your oven to 325°F. Place a roasting pan on the middle rack of the oven. Line the outside of a 9" springform pan with aluminum foil (to help make it water-tight from the outside, since we'll be cooking in a water bath). Place a large pot of water on high heat on the stove to boil.

Pulse the cookies into crumbs in your food processor. Melt the butter, combine with the cookie crumbs, and press into an even layer on the bottom of the springform pan, and put the crust into the refrigerator to firm up while you prepare the other ingredients.

Beat the cream cheese at medium speed, then add sugar and continue beating until the sugar is dissolved. Add the eggs one at a time while continuing to beat the cream cheese mixture, scraping down the bowl between each egg to ensure that no lumps of plain cream cheese will remain in the batter. Fold in the vanilla, heavy cream, and sour cream, then separate the batter into two equal portions (I use my kitchen scale for this).

To one half of the batter, add the peanut butter and blend just until combined.

Chop and melt the chocolate, and add the still-warm chocolate and cocoa powder to the other half of the batter and blend well.

Pour the peanut butter batter into the springform and spread with a spatula to an even layer. Carefully pour the chocolate batter on top and even out that layer as well. Alternately, add the two batters in dollops and marble by running a butter knife through the batter, being careful not to disturb the crust.

Place the springform pan into the roasting pan, and pour the boiling water into the roasting pan, enough to come about halfway up the side of the springform pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes, until the edges are set and the center continues to jiggle like gelatin. Turn off the heat, prop oven the oven door slightly (a wooden spoon is great for this), and allow the cheesecake to sit in the oven for another hour. Remove, cool to room temperature in the pan, then transfer the pan to refrigerate until cold (several hours, preferably overnight).

Run a thin knife around the outside of the pan before removing the ring from the springform pan. Place parchment or plastic wrap on the top, invert carefully onto a plate, remove the bottom of the springform pan, then invert carefully onto your serving platter and remove the parchment or plastic.

This is very rich, and should serve 16-20.

Pimp that snack! This is the ultimate chocolate chip cookie cake. I included a gingersnap and almond for scale in this photo so you can see how truly gigantic these cookies are.

Here's the recipe if you want to give it a go! I made half this cookie dough recipe which was enough for 4 - 6" cookies. Some notes:

-even if you do the full recipe, chill the dough for 30 minutes so that it holds shape during baking
-get creative with the mixin's! i used mini semisweet nestle morsels in these cookies. for half recipe, you'll need 1c of mini chips.
-i made up the cream cheese frosting after reading a blogger's review that the original wasn't sweet enough. sweeten yours to your satisfaction or maybe experiment with vanilla buttercream.

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake (Adapted from Martha Stewart & Culinary in the Desert)

For the cookie dough

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 cups bittersweet chocolate chips

For the frosting (* I haven't frosted my cake yet but I'm hoping this will be enough for half the batch of the above recipe)

2-8 ounces containers of cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1t vanilla extract

To make the cookies

Preheat oven to 350

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.

In a large mixing bowl, add butter and sugar - mix until combined. This will most likely look dry and not creamy as you would expect. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing until well combined after each. Mix in vanilla. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the cream. Stir in the chocolate chips.

You need to make 5 cookie layers for this cake. Drop about 1 cup worth of batter on a piece of parchment paper - use an off-set spatula to spread the mixture into an evenly round 8" circle. Bake one at a time and keep the rest of the cookie dough in the refrigerator until you make the next round.

Bake until the edges are a rich golden brown and the center looks lightly golden on top, about 18 to 24 minutes, turning around halfway through. Remove to a wire rack and let cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookie dough until you have 5 rounds.

To make the frosting

In a large mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, vanilla and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Spread mixture onto 4 of the giant cookies. Stack the cookies on top of each other and place the final unfrosted piece on top. Cover and place in the refrigerator to set the cream cheese, about 20 to 30 minutes. Serve at room temperature.

"""The best cookies that we have ever had."" So said a family in Seattle. Your family will declare these pretty, rich, brownie-like cookies a ""best cookie"" also. These brownie-like cookies are so good--with crackly sugar topping and chewy centers--that your family will keep coming back for more. The chocolate melts in your mouth and the large sugar crystals create a bit of crunch. These cookies are quick, easy, and convenient. Mix the ingredients, form round balls with the dough, roll them through the special sugar crystals, and bake. They are fun to make with the kids or grandkids.

Each package contains two mixes. Each mix makes about four dozen cookies depending on the size you choose to bake. This mix is about 55% larger than most mixes found in the grocery store. Butter and eggs are not included.

Editors note: We tried these with and without the sugar crystals and crystals really make a difference. It's like a brownie with crunch. ""[The mixes] don't cost anymore than at the local grocery and the quality is much better.""-- MS in FL

""This is a very good cookie. My daughter says that she doesn't like chocolate but she came back for more.""-- NH in ID"