Jessica Merchant's Blog, page 400

Banana Muffins with Olive Oil and Dark Chocolate.

It’s muffin Monday! Let’s make that a thing.

The good news is that I’m sort of already making it a thing. Every Monday I’ve been making a batch of muffins for Max (read: Eddie and I, at like 9PM once Max is asleep and we’re blowing through our DVR) to snack on throughout the week. It’s not quite margarita Monday, but maybe it’s sort of close for this season of life?

Yeah… no.

I freaking love banana muffins. It’s no secret that I obviously love everything banana – be it the fruit itself, bread, smoothies made with frozen ones or banana pops dipped in chocolate and peanut butter.

But the real truth is that muffins come in first place. They are SO easy to make. They don’t need to bake for 60 minutes and cool for nearly as long like banana bread does. They can be thrown together and made in 30 minutes. They are an easy, portable snack, albeit one with a few crumbs, but nothing like an actual slice of banana bread crumbling all over the place.

And THEN when you add olive oil and dark chocolate (oh, hi antioxidants), they are practically a health food. I love the way this works.

I adore the olive oil here. It’s SIMPLE. Hugely simple. I often make muffins with coconut oil which requires me to melt it first – unless I guess, I stuck it outside in the garage overnight or something. But olive oil is always on my counter and such an easy hack. And I don’t find there to be any bitterness in the muffins. They taste as wonderfully delicious to me as they always do.

Plus, the chocolate makes everrrrrything better. I just chop up some dark chocolate (around 80%) that I have hanging out in my pantry, but chocolate chips would surely work too.

If you have any of those. And don’t eat them straight from the bag with a spoonful of peanut butter like a psycho.

I know nothing about that.

The little itty bitty banana slice on top? It has to be sliced THIN. Super thinly sliced. If it’s too thick, it will weigh down your muffin and sink the entire thing.

I don’t know anything about that either. (It might have happened four times before realizing my slices were overzealously thick.)

I’ve also been enjoying these muffins in the afternoon with some yogurt and fruit. It’s just enough sweetness that it tastes like dessert. Speaking of, Max calls this “banana cake.” He also calls my blueberry breakfast cookies “blueberry cake.” I think he had both of those things a week after eating birthday cake at a party? So he must have thought it was similar. And it just stuck.

I pretty much want to eat him up on the daily.

Now HERE’S a question. What kind of butter should be slathered on chocolate chunk banana muffins? I’m thinking we need a salty version. Something with toasted almond or pistachio or maybe honey sea salt? Give it all to me.

Banana Muffins with Olive Oil and Dark Chocolate

Yield: about 15 muffins

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat pastry or all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 large egg
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup olive oil
3 large bananas, mashed
2/3 cup milk
6 ounces high-quality dark chocolate, chopped



Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Set aside. Line a muffin tin with liners.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg and brown sugar together until smooth and no lumps remain. Add in vanilla extract, olive oil and bananas, whisking again until combined. Gradually add in dry ingredients, mixing until just incorporated. Stir in the milk and mix until just combined. Fill each muffin liner 2/3 of the way full with batter (I use a 1/4 cup measure to get the muffins to be of equal size). If you'd like, you can place a very thinly sliced banana slice on top of the muffin before baking.

Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until tops are no longer wet and become slightly golden. Remove and let cool until cool to the touch.

[adapted from these banana streusel muffins]

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag your recipes with #howsweeteats! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page. I appreciate you so much!

Look at those melty bits!

Currently Crushing On.

Hiiii from my most favorite place ever! We are in Northern Michigan and I’m a little late with my weekly favorites due to spotty wifi, but I’m here, I’m here! There was so much goodness on the internet this past week, FYI.

What are you up to as we fly past the middle of August? (

I’m sharing lots of our trip over on instagram and snapchat (howsweeteats). Would love it if you followed along.

Also! Some videos for you: my favorite pitaya bowl, summer chickpea salad and blueberry breakfast cookies. DELISH.

Stay tuned over on Crumbs for lots of vacation posts (and maaaaybe even a video!) this week.

the goods:

thai noodle salad with glazed salmon? yes please!

this peanut butter bundt cake. OH MY GOSH.

dying to try this fresh tomato summer pie.

I’m seriously ALWAYS craving a killer chicken caesar salad.

lemon zucchini bread is also really calling my name.

totally losing it over fig and lime shaved ice.

is this real life?! cajun stuffed tomatoes over grits?! whoa.

these banoffee tartlets are insanely easy and look incredible.

super dreamy: blackberry buttermilk ice cream sandwiches.

hello, i would like a DIY flair chair.

mango chipotle fish tacos that look too good to be true.

so much love for this one pot summer pasta!

cherry cheesecake danishes that are adorable.

there is never not a time for buttermilk brownies.

Heirloom Tomato and Burrata Grilled Cheese.

Say it with me!

BURRATA GRILLED CHEESE.

My life is changed forever. Is your life forever changed? Mine is. Forever. And ever. I swear. Forever-ever.

No more grilled cheese without burrata, that’s for sure.

What on earth have I been doing with my life that I’ve completely NEGLECTED to put burrata in my grilled cheese? I desperately need someone to tell me because I have no clue. It’s like life didn’t even begin until I ate this sandwich.

No, I am not dramatic at all.

I’m also almost certain that the reason I started eating tomatoes a few years ago is because the heirlooms are just way too gorgeous to pass by. I mean, how could I NOT want to eat something so beautiful?

It was kind of like what I did with coffee. Everyone else was drinking coffee and being all cool, so I started drinking coffee because I wanted to be cool. Everyone was eating heirlooms on instagram, so I started eating heirlooms on instagram.

Cady Heron was wearing army pants and flip flops, so I was wearing army pants and flip flops.

You know. You get it.

So, what else is sort of special aside from the seasoned tomatoes and melty burrata cheese?

Oh, no big deal, just some brown butter that we cooked the grilled cheese in. Toasty, brown buttered sourdough bread.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is one of those simple summer meals that doesn’t require tons of ingredients, but tastes insanely delicious.

I cannot take it! Buuuuut I so can.

Heirloom Tomato and Burrata Grilled Cheese

Yield: serves 2

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 balls of burrata
4 slices "sturdy" bread, like sourdough
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese for sprinkling
fresh basil leaves



Directions:

To make the brown butter, place the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and immediately begin whisking. Stir as it bubbles, and after 3 to 4 minutes (or sooner!) you should see brown bits appear on the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat immediately and continue to whisk for another 30 seconds or use. Pour the butter into a bowl and and stick the bowl in the fridge or the freezer so it comes to a solid, spreadable form. You can do this ahead of time and just leave the butter sit at room temperature.

Pat the tomatoes dry with a paper towel, especially if they are extra juicy. Do the same with the burrata cheese since it was most likely soaking in water or brine.

Heat a large skillet or grilled over medium-low heat. The key is cooking the sandwiches low and slow. Sprinkle garlic salt and pepper all over the tomato slices. Pull apart the balls of burrata so you have 4 pieces total. On the bread slices, layer one piece of pulled-apart burrata cheese, then layer tomatoes on top. Cover with the other piece of burrata. Spread the outsides of the bread with the room-temp brown butter.

Cook the sandwich until the outsides of the bread are golden brown and crunchy and the cheese is melty. If at any time it seems like you need more butter, add it or add a drizzle of olive oil to the pan. Remove from the skillet and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Slice and serve immediately with fresh basil.

Note: the key here is to use a thick and sturdy, even grainy bread. If your bread is very soft (such as white bread, hawaiian bread, etc), the cheese and tomatoes will cause it to be very soggy.

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag your recipes with #howsweeteats! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page. I appreciate you so much!

Fighting with summer to never end.

Lava Flow Cocktail Pops.

HELLO! Very important news. Very. I have made you a portable cocktail.

You know, portable by my standards at least. Portable as in – hey, let’s walk around the back yard. Sit on the deck. On the beach! Watch the sunset with a cheese plate where I will eat all the good cheese and save the fruit and shelled pistachios for you.

Errr. Are you telling me that ALL cocktails are portable then? Where have I been.

It’s t-minus 24 hours until I leave on vacation and while we’re not going anywhere TROPICAL per se, we will still be on a beach which absolutely counts. I plan on smelling like the worst 1990’s coconut sunscreen you can imagine and drowning in at LEAST four books. In fact if you give me a portable CD player filled with Backstreet Boys, Toni Braxton or Ma$e, I really might have the most accessible key to a time machine.

So. That’s why we’re having our cocktail in frozen form today. In popsicle form! Which means it totally makes for an acceptable snack. That’s what I consider popsicles to be, anyway. Just forget about the rum in there.

The rum! Ooooh these babies are fun. We have a boozy strawberry layer topped with a boozy tropical layer. Tons of coconut, pineapple and banana. So creamy and fruity.

It’s just like a smoothie.

Essentially a health food.

I mean, just look at that! Can strawberries and rum be the base of my smoothie bowl this morning? It’s summer. I think it’s only fair.

While these popsicles were super difficult to photograph in a *fun* way, I adore using these little zip packets to make homemade ice pops. I’ve made so many different “molds” of popsicles over the years and these were by far the easiest to consume in the summer heat!

And oooh yes I did. I called them ice pops. That’s what I’ve always called them! Maaaaaybe a handful of times the name “freezer pops” has come out of my mouth. What do you call them? Don’t even tell me “otter pops.” That makes NO sense to me. Whyyyyyy. It actually makes my skin crawl. I’ll forgive you though.

You’ve gotta try your hand at these tropical beauties. Super refreshing and a fun idea for happy hour. We can cheers together!

Lava Flow Cocktail Pops

Yield: makes 12 ice pops

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen strawberries
1/4 cup light rum
1 (14-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
1 banana, frozen or fresh
1/2 cup frozen pineapple chunks
1/4 cup coconut rum



Directions:

In a blender, puree the strawberries and light rum until smooth and creamy. Pour the mixture into a measuring cup or bowl. Quickly rinse out the blender and add the coconut milk, banana, pineapple and rum. Blend until pureed and smooth.

At this point you can fill regular popsicle molds or use the plastic molds for ice pops like I did. Slowly pour in the strawberry puree and fill the mold halfway. Pour the coconut mixture over top. Freeze the molds for at least 6 hours, or overnight.

Note: you can use all fresh fruit, I just had frozen fruit on hand!

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag your recipes with #howsweeteats! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page. I appreciate you so much!

This is certainly a few servings of fruit.

Baked Peaches and Cream Oatmeal.

I made you breakfast!

Copious amounts of coffee included, obviously.

Okay SO. If you’re been reading as long as I’ve been rambling (hi, seven years) then you know that I was freakishly obsessed with quaker peaches and cream oatmeal as a kid. Even today, I love the artificial peach taste and a packet made with milk is complete comfort food for me. I even bought a box of it when Max was born and ate it once a day.

Shhhhh. Don’t tell anyone.

STOP JUDGING ME.

I go back and forth with oatmeal, aside from my love of the instant stuff that food lovers with sophisticated palettes consider to be trash. I really enjoy steel cut oats and overnight oats. I’d prefer to eat my oats cold, but it’s mostly just a texture thing. And that’s why I’ve always enjoyed baked oatmeal. So much texture!

It’s almost like eating an oatmeal cake or something. Chewy with a few crunchy bits and whatever flavors you love to add.

Now why is this so wonderfully delicious? It has peach jam baked into the oatmeal.

Oh my gosh. It’s dreamy. It is theeee closest recipe I’ve found to those packets from my childhood and tastes like a big old bowl of nostalgia.

My friend Rebecca is the ULTIMATE canner. You’ve heard me rave about her candied jalapeños time and time again – just making a quick version and not canning my own – because they are wildly addictive and make everything taste incredible. And I’m so excited to tell you that she came out with a new book: Not Your Mama’s Canning Book. So cute. And?

THE RECIPES!! I die.

You guys. I’ve never canned anything. I don’t have the tools or the supplies to can anything. I’m not overly interested in it (does it require standing over a hot pot of water or something? That just doesn’t sound fun.) and figured that I would make a recipe from Rebecca’s book anyway. I made the oatmeal and used some of my favorite red haven peach jam, because her recipes are always spot on.

And then, I ended up tagging a million pages in her book of canning recipes that I want to make.

And then I remembered that I had amazon prime.

And then I decided that this year I had to can all of the things. I have a ton of plums in my kitchen right now. When I get back from vacation, I’m going hog wild with the peaches. Maybe I can do something with blueberries??

I’m into it. She even has stuff to can with bourbon. SOLD.

Plus, her book just makes it look so EASY. I’ve always been ridiculously intimidated by the whole canning process but now I feel like I can actually DO it.

Also, can I just tell you that I adore Rebecca so much. She inspires me and encourages me; she is a wonderful person and hilarious and she has FIVE boys. And she ate a smoked blue cheese chocolate truffle with me fours years ago and well – do you even NEED anything else for friendship?

Baked Peaches and Cream Oatmeal.









Ingredients:

1/4 cup unsalted butter
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1/2 cup peach jam or peach butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 large peach, thinly sliced
milk or heavy cream for topping
whipped cream for topping
toasted almonds for toppings



Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the butter in an 8x8-inch baking dish and set it in the oven until the butter just melts. Remove the pan once melted.

In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, peach jam and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients stirring until everything is combined and wet. Scrape the mixture into the buttered dish and stir until most of the butter is incorporated, but leave some pockets of butter in the corners. Smooth out of the top and add the peach slices.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Serve hot with a splash of heavy cream, extra peaches, whipped cream and toasted almonds.

[from not your mama's canning book]

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag your recipes with #howsweeteats! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page. I appreciate you so much!

Whipped cream cannonballs please.

Tuesday Things.

1. The sushi burrito still scares me. There I said it. But I’m SUPER into this pokeritto!

2. Last year I wrote about hating iMessage on my macbook, and now I’m so conditioned to using it that when someone doesn’t have an iPhone and I actually have to text FROM my phone and not my computer? I’m annoyed. The worst kind of millennial is me.

3. Facebook is killing me with the Olympic winner spoilers. I’m not actively searching the winners out but if I even bring up Facebook to post something for the blog, I inevitably see something! Killing me smalls.

4. Speaking of, we aren’t watching anything on TV right now except for the Olympics. Eeeep! The gymnastics excites me like no other (omg, except for that horrific leg break, did you see it?!), I’m hooked on swimming and diving, love it all so much. The talent and passion are incredibly motivating.

5. Six habits of champions. Hello, I’m a self help addict.

6. I am absolutely one of those people who wants all notifications off their phone at all times.  If I have a text, it has to be read. All emails must be cleared. (< yeah, right.) This does not bode well for instagram stories + productivity.

7. What your go-to candy says about you. This made me giggle – but mine (snickers) is hilariously accurate. WEIRD.

8. Guys! My tomato plants are just not sticking it out this year. The leaves are now turning yellow – what does that even mean? Too much water? Too much sun? Plants just hate me?

Chicken Tinga Tacos with Grilled Corn Guac.

Are you an I’ll-start-Monday person?

Let’s taco ’bout it!

(Sorry.)

I can’t resist a pun, pretty much ever.

I’m MAJORLY an I’ll-start-Monday person. To a fault, With absolutely everything! Right now, I’m in I’ll-start-meal-prepping-on-Monday-again mode. Guys, it’s been bad. I’ve been absolutely horrific with planning our meals the last few weeks. Eddie was traveling, it’s hot and I don’t want to eat anything warm, I want to live on sweet corn, tomatoes, basil and balsamic glaze and we’ve found ourselves scrambling for dinner so many nights lately.

Which is hilarious, because we have TONS of food. But it’s one of those things where you open the overflowing fridge or the stocked pantry and you’re like WE HAVE NO FOOD for dinner.

Such brats.

These tacos though! They are getting me back on backwagon. At least this week, before we head on vacation.

They are super smokey and roasted and wonderful. I love ’em!

Chicken tinga tacos NEVER called out to me before because they are based on a tomato-sauced shredded chicken and we all know how I feel about tomato sauce. But a few weeks ago, while Eddie was away and I was desperate to do, well, ANYTHING, we drove to Cleveland to see my brother and SIL and had chicken tinga tacos.

We had them at a place called Coastal Taco, and while there were a few things left to be desired, the first taco I tasted was the chicken tinga and I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. I wish I would have ordered another one (or three), but in true Jessica fashion I had to try multiple different tacos on the menu because who is boring and get’s just ONE kind?!

Not I.

That week when we got home, these were the first thing I made. The chicken is absolutely incredible – smoky and saucy with a touch of heat. It can be used in so many other dishes too – enchiladas, pasta, pizza, salad – the ideas are endless.

Of course, since I can’t leave well enough alone, I whipped up some guacamole with grilled corn. Because everything is better with both of those things: guac AND grilled corn. Finished off with a quick pico and a spritz of lime, it’s heaven on a plate.

Now margarita monday, that’s up next.

Chicken Tinga Tacos with Grilled Corn Guac

Yield: serves about 4

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 chopped chipotle pepper
2 tablespoons adobo sauce from a can of chipotles
12 corn or flour tortillas
queso fresco cheese for topping
lime wedges for spritzing

quick pico

1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
1/2 sweet onion, diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 lime, juiced

grilled corn guacamole

3 avocados, chopped
2 ears grilled corn, kernals cut off
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
1/4 cup diced sweet onion
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 lime, juiced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper




Directions:

Heat a large oven-safe (like cast iron) skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken liberally with the cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Place the olive oil in the skillet and brown the chicken on both sides until golden brown.

Remove the chicken from the skillet (set it on a plate for now) and reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the onion and stir well, tossing to mix it in with any brown bits from the chicken. Cook for 5 minutes, until softened. Add in the garlic, fire roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, chipotle pepper and adobo sauce. Stir well. Cook until the mixture comes to a simmer, stirring often. Add the chicken back into the skillet. Cover and cook on medium-low until the chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the chicken (reserve the sauce, you'll use it in a minute) and place it on a plate to shred it. Or! I use my kitchen stand mixer to shred it. Once shredded, mix it back in with the saucy contents of the skillet. Keep it warm and build your tacos! Chicken on the tortilla, then some pico, guac, queso fresco cheese and lots of lime.

quick pico

Stir together tomatoes, onion, cilantro and lime. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir again.

grilled corn guacamole

In a bowl, mash the avocado with a fork. Stir in the grilled corn, pepper, onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Mix until combined and you have the desired consistency of smashed versus mashed (< your call!). Taste and season additionally with salt and pepper or more lime juice if needed.

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag your recipes with #howsweeteats! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page. I appreciate you so much!

Plus alllllll the chips!

adventures at idlewild. {a video!}

Last week we took Max to Idlewild, his first time at any sort of amusement park. While he’s still a bit too young to go on all of the kid rides, he loved the teacups and the turtle and the carousel. And storybook forest. Oh and the Daniel Tiger trolley!

And the ice cream. And the cheese fries!

Peek below at the quick video we made. (And please don’t miss him waving on the merry go round… !)

I wish summer would last forever. xoxo

Currently Crushing On.

{via}

Gooood morning! Hi! How are ya? We have a fun day of donuts and tacos planned along with some weekend swim and vacation prep. Eeeeep! What is on your agenda?

So what are your thoughts on instagram stories vs. snapchat? As much as I loathe change, I actually kind of love the stories right now. Snapchat has made it impossible to find people, track your audience and I just don’t have TIME to open another app!

I’m missing the pretty filters though… whomp whomp. Max is missing the puppy filter, obvs.

If you missed it last week, you can check out my July beauty faves and lifestyle faves. Loving so many things right now.

Would love if you guys followed me on facebook and pinterest too! Let me know what you are dying to see more of.

loves of the week:

this peach burrata salad. i wouldn’t complain.

i’ve been craving a s’mores brownie like whoa.

for next weekend: the best road trip playlist.

guys. spiralized (!) refrigerator pickles! so cool.

5 layer ice cream cake! i cannot.

super pretty watermelon gazpacho.

this cucumber thai basil gin and tonic sounds ridiculously refreshing.

crispy avocado egg rolls. need this in my life.

the happiest sprinkle cookie ice cream sandwiches ever. so fun.

check out how insanely cheesy this baked eggplant parmesan is!

whoa! this ratafruitie is super creative.

diner pancakes with bacon butter! i’m already in a delicious carb coma.

this lemongrass, coconut and blackberry cocktail is calling my name. OF COURSE.

Double Chocolate Chunk Raspberry Stuffed Cookies.

I have COOKIES for you!

Super fudgy, chocolatey, rich cookies that are studded with the most delicious sweet raspberries.

And more chocolate!

And lots of feelings. I baked ’em right into the cookies.

These cookies are modeled after some of my favorites EVER from a local berry farm, sandhill berries. (fyi, they make the best pie in the universe. fact.)

The funny part is that I didn’t even know they were my favorite ever cookies until I ate them a few months ago. I had never even tried them! Their version has white chocolate chips and black raspberries inside, but it’s almost like a raspberry fudge ganache. Maybe it IS a raspberry fudge ganache. I don’t know. I couldn’t tell for SURE. I only had to taste test about two dozen cookies to make sure I could get it right, and I’m still convinced I didn’t get it exactly right.

But I got close!

In this case, I stuffed a bunch of chocolate chips inside the cookies along with the raspberries and covered the cookie up like I did with my double dark chocolate peanut butter cup cookies. Super melty, super fruity, so much summer flavor! I love how the seeds sort of melt into the rest of the cookie and you find little pink jewels everywhere.

Adorable.

Also, yes, I realize that my exclamation point usage is over the top today. #friday

What’s a cookie without an extra fudge drizzle? They looked a little lonely. Needed something else.

On top of the chocolate, I even crushed and sprinkled some freeze dried raspberries and strawberries for more berry effect. Not only do they add a pretty color AND let you get an idea of what they cookies taste like just by looking at them – they add a teeny bit of texture too.

Cannot even handle it!

I just adore that this is a such a FUDGY cookie with a hint of raspberry – and then a big bite of it in the center with lots of melty chocolate. Hurry hurry! Make ’em before the berries are gone.

Double Chocolate Chunk Raspberry Stuffed Cookies

Yield: makes about 12 large cookies

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup loosely packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 cup fresh raspberries

topping

4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 cup freeze dried raspberries or strawberries, crushed



Directions:

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda and salt.

Place the cold butter in the bowl of your electric stand mixer and beat until the butter forms a ball or lumb of butter. Add in the sugars and beat until combined. Add in each egg, one at a time, beating until combined. Beat in the vanilla extract. The batter may look curdled or lumpy at this time. Slowly add in the flour with the mixer on low speed. Beat until it is just combined - even before it all gets stirred in. Fold in the chopped dark chocolate.

Separate the dough into 10 or 12 equal balls. Take each ball and pull it apart, then press a small handful of chocolate chips and raspberries into one of the dough pieces. Cover it with the other half of the dough, forming a ball around the chocolate and raspberries and covering them completely. Place all the dough balls on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake about 4 dough balls at a time - you want 2 inches on all sides between each piece of dough. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until just slightly set. Let the cookies cool slightly before topping.

topping

Melt the chocolate in the microwave on 50% power or in a double boiler. Once melted, stir in the coconut oil until it melts. Drizzle the chocolate all over the cookies. Top with the crushed freeze dried berries. Let sit for 30 minutes and firm up before serving/eating.

[slightly adapted from these peanut butter cup cookies]

Be sure to follow howsweeteats on instagram and tag your recipes with #howsweeteats! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the howsweeteats facebook page. I appreciate you so much!

I asked you guys on instagram story if I should post ^^that^^ picture of the insides (it’s sort of… weird, right?) but you needed to seeee!