#48. Pillsbury Baking Blitz, Part II: Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups With Chocolate Cream

If you think using pre-made Pillsbury dough as a base for making cookies is an unforgivable cop-out, stop reading now.

If, however, you are an enlightened, generous person who recognizes that “semi-homemade” baked goods still have merit for the time and creativity involved in their preparation, then please enjoy my five-part Pillsbury Baking Blitz.

Part II: Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups With Chocolate Cream

What more fun than eating a cup of chocolate whipped cream? Being able to eat the cup when you’re finished BECAUSE IT’S A COOKIE!!

The recipe below is slightly adapted from Pillsbury website.

Ingredients

• 1 package Pillsbury refrigerated chocolate chip cookies

• 1 cup whipping cream

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

• 2 Tbs unsweetened baking cocoa

• 1/4 Tsp vanilla

  Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 24 muffin cups with cooking spray. Place 1 piece of cookie dough in each muffin cup; press in bottom and up side, forming cup shape.

2. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely in pans on cooling racks.

3. In chilled medium bowl, beat whipping cream with electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar, cocoa and vanilla. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.

4. Carefully remove cookie cups from pans. Pipe chocolate cream into cups. Store in refrigerator.

#47. Pillsbury Blitz, Part I: Sugar Cookie Truffles

If you think using pre-made Pillsbury dough as a base for making cookies is an unforgivable cop-out, stop reading now.

If, however, you are an enlightened, generous person who recognizes that “semi-homemade” baked goods still have merit for the time and creativity involved in their preparation, then please enjoy my five-part Pillsbury Baking Blitz.

Part I: Sugar Cookie Chocolate Truffles

Confession: These are aren’t my favorite type of truffles. I prefer this variety:

And while those that know me, know that I would, with minimal prompting, eating a whole savory truffle by itself, the sweet kind are infinitely more poppable. (And actually less likely to give me a sick stomach.)

Ingredients

• 1 package (16 oz) Pillsbury™ Ready to Bake!™ refrigerated sugar cookies 

• Chocolate-flavored candy coating

• Festive sprinkles

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Shape each cookie into a ball; place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.

3. Bake 9 to 12 minutes or until edges are light golden brown (center of cookies will be soft).

4. Cool on cookie sheets 5 minutes. Shape each cookie into a ball. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes or until completely cooled and firm.

5. Line a third (cool!) baking sheet with parchment paper.

6. In medium microwavable bowl, microwave candy coating uncovered on High 1 minute to 1 minute 30 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth. MAKE SURE THERE IS NO WATER IN BOWL OR CHOCOLATE WILL SEIZE.

7. Dip cookie balls, one at a time, into melted candy coating. Immediately decorate with candy sprinkles. Refrigerate truffles about 10 minutes or until coating is set. Store covered in refrigerator.
   

#42. Chocolate-Dipped Sugar Wafers

Tis the season for freezing temperatures and melting chocolate! I am a fan of pretty much chocolate-dipped anything; a solid cocoa coating can do wonders to enhance plain pretzels, and of course, cookies.

The hardest aspect of this recipe is melting the chocolate in a perfectly dry bowl. A single drop of water left over from the dishwasher can (I kid you not) cause your chocolate to ‘seize’ and become totally worthless.

Directions

1. First, make the wafers, and allow them to cool completely.

2. Line two baking sheets (not the ones you used for the cookies, duh) with wax paper.

3. Place your melting chocolate (you can use wafers but I prefer bars) in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt the chocolate in the microwaves in 30-second intervals and remove when chocolate is just transitioning from solid to liquid form. Stir vigorously.

4. Dip wafers halfway into chocolate. Leave plain or sprinkle with additional chopped candy bars. Set on baking sheets to allow chocolate to re-harden.

#41. Pumpkin Spice M&Ms Pumpkin Cookies

Don’t you just love a bargain?

Well, I do, obviously, given my infatuation with discounted ingredients like this bag of pumpkin spice M&Ms I picked up at Kroger for 50 cents.

Mr. Orange M&M is deeply afraid. BUT OF WHAT???

And what better way to batter these highly processed squash-flavored treats than with some pumpkin spice cookie dough (significantly less processed).

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened

• 1 cup white sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 egg

• 1 cup pumpkin puree

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

• 1 bag Pumpkin Spice M&Ms, preferably discounted

Directions

1. Preheat over to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla using a hand-held mixer.

3. Beat in egg and pumpkin puree until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.

5. Gradually incorporate dry ingredient mixture into wet ingredients, beating on medium speed.

6. Mix in M&Ms using a wooden spoon or spatula.

7. Place golf ball-size spheres of dough evenly spaced apart on cookie sheets.

8. Bake for 11-13 minutes until barely brown. (Or longer if you want a more cake-y cookie.)

#27. Strawberry Hamantaschen

Hamantaschen are traditionally associated with the Jewish holiday of Purim (which was February 28th-March 1st in 2018), but there's no law (religious or secular, hah!) against enjoying them any time of the year. 

I enjoy making them not only because of the delightful contrast between the sweet fruit jam and buttery dough but also because I get to practice my pinching technique to form the signature triangle shape.  Btw, although fruit or poppyseed are standard fillings, more unorthodox flavors of hamantaschen (pistachio and triple-chocolate) are arising all over the interwebs. 

The recipe below is adapted from Saveur.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs

• 1 cup white sugar

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 2 Tbs lemon juice

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 5 cups flour

• 1 1/2 cups strawberry preserves

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line at least 2 cookies sheets with wax or parchment paper.

2. Whisk eggs and sugar together in large bowl until foam forms.

3. Add oil, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.

4. In a separate bowl, combine baking soda and flour. Gradually add this dry ingredient mixture to wet ingredients until a stiff dough forms. You may have to knead a bit by hand to thoroughly combine.

5. Lightly flour a clean work surface and turn the dough out onto the surface. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to an even ¼-inch-thick sheet.

6. With a round cookie cutter or the rim of a glass, punch circles in the dough. 

7. Fill center of each dough circle with approximately 1 tablespoon of strawberry preserves.

8. Fold in the dough from three sides and press the edges together to seal, leaving a small opening over the filling. When all of the cookies are shaped, place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

9. Bake cookies until lightly brown on bottom (about 20 minutes).

10. Enjoy with a tall glass of milk.