Double Chocolate Cereal Cookies (★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆)

I don't know that I've ever related to a cookie more.

You see for the past month, I've been doing two people's jobs.  

Worn two (though similar) hats...

Tried to maintain the quality of my work along with the person's that I am covering for...

Dropping one to pick up the other...

And what does it result in?

Adequate performance.

Nothing crumbling to pieces.

Nothing amazingly praiseworthy.

Okay, enough of the business-y jargon,

Bascially, two people doing two jobs are better than one. 

And when thinking of how to describe these beauties, I couldn't help but notice the parallel.

These cookies, while salivating-ly gorgeous (am I right?!?), were trying too hard to be too many things to too many people.

And by no one's fault but my own.

It all started with a looming leftover box of Chex cereal from my Muddy Buddy Cookies.

Stupid Safeway, only had the ginormous box.

No one likes Chex that much.  

...it's not chocolate  

...there are no marshmallows  

...it's not chocolate 

...I didn't get the honey coated kind.  

...it's not...well, you know.              

[chocolate] couldn't help myself

Anyway, I bake too much to just throw stuff away.

Waste not, want not. 

So this remaining box of cereal just sat....for months...in my baking bin.

Until one fateful morning, when this morsel appeared in my inbox Chocolate Covered Cheerios.

How good do those sound????  And then the lightbulb  - *bling*

Chocolate covered Chex.

In a cookie.

A White Chocolate cookie.

With Chocolate Chips.

Ya, ya.  That sounds about right.

Only, it wasn't "about right."

It was "about" okay.

I was a little overzealous in my Chex adding.

Like, I just went for it.  

Waste not, want not remember?

And then my "white chocolate" batter just plain didn't work.

It should have dawned on me that this might be an issue when I couldn't find a recipe for white chocolate batter...anywhere...ever.  

I decided to melt white chocolate chips and add them to the batter.  

Easy, right?  

Only there is this interesting thing about chocolate chips - they don't like to be melted and runny...they like to be solid and together.  

So instead of white chocolate cookie dough, I had cookie dough with the tiniest, most minuscule white chocolate "flecks" splattered throughout.

I mean, these weren't terrible.

...But neither am I at juggling two jobs.

It's just, these weren't amazing...in fact, they were, dare I say, slightly disappointing.

...and well, I'm guessing you can fill in how I feel about the "job" part in this equation. 

So even though I'm about to spend a good chunk of time typing out the recipe below...I can't, in good conscience, rave and recommend making these.  At least, not without some tweaks.  

Like maybe only putting a cup of crunchy cereal...you know, instead of three.

And if that doesn't appeal to you - there are pictures.

Double Chocolate Cereal Cookies
[i.e. White Chocolate Cookie Dough, Chocolate Drizzled Chex, White and Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips]
adapted and inspired by The Better Crumb & Cookies and Cups

• 1 Cup Chex Cereal
• 1 1/2 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (Saving 1/2 Cup for later)
• 2 1/2 Cups Flour
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 12 oz Bag White Chocolate Chips (Saving 1/2 Cup for later)
• 1 Cup Butter
• 1/2 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1 tsp Vanilla

Preheat Oven to 325F Degrees
Cook Time: 8-12 minutes

Makes Approximately 20 Cookies

How to Make Chocolate Drizzle
1) Melt 1 Cup of Chocolate Chips in a microwave safe bowl, or a double boiler.  Let cool to almost
    room temperature. (The chocolate will be very hot and may burn you or melt the plastic bag we are
    going to place it in).
2) Once cooled, place melted chocolate into a ziploc bag.
TIP: I like to flip the bag inside out, pile the chocolate on the "inside" part of the bag, then flip it back
         right-ways in.
3) Just slip your hand into the middle of the bag while inside-out, cradle the chocolate with your hand
    and carefully pull the sides of the bag around it until the chocolate is now on the inside.  I do this to
    help keep the chocolate in one general area instead of sloppily spooned all over the bag.
4) Press all of the chocolate into one corner, twisting the top of the bag until a little "triangle" of
    chocolate is formed and packed.  Cut the tip of the corner with some scissors.  The smaller the
    opening the smaller the drizzle lines.
[NOTE]: After making these cookies, I found this "drizzle" step to be obsolete as the Chex just gets
               crumbled all to heck in the batter.  I'd skip this and save a good chunk of time.  Crushed
               Chex with white and semi-sweet chocolate chips is "chocolate covered" enough for me.  If  
               however, you want to take the time to hand dip each and every one...then more power to
               you.  Or, you can throw the Chex into a bowl with the melted chocolate and get them
               covered that way.  I recommend either of these options to the "drizzle."

5) If continuing on with the Chex drizzle: Lay out Chex flat on a baking sheet lined with parchment
    paper.  Drizzle chocolate over the tops.  Place in the fridge until chocolate sets and is firm to the
    touch.
6) In the meantime, you can start making the batter.  In a medium sized bowl, mix together flour, salt
    baking soda. Stir and set aside.
7) In a microwave safe bowl or double boiler melt white chocolate (set aside 1/2 cup of the chips for
    later). Let melted chocolate cool to almost room temperature. (We will be adding the butter next and
    we don't want it to melt).
8) Add cooled (but still melted) white chocolate to a medium sized bowl.  Add butter, cut into cubes.
    (This recipe doesn't call for softened butter so in order for it to mix well, it needs to be cut to a more
    manageable size).  Beat until combined and smooth.

9)   Add brown sugar, and combine.  

10) Next beat in the eggs, one at a time.

11) Add vanilla.  Next, add dry flour mixture a little bit at a time until thoroughly combined.

12) Here is where you add the Chex, and remaining 1/2 of white and semi-sweet chocolate chips that 

      you set aside.  I suggest adding the Chex 1st if you'd like them to be in smaller pieces, and 2nd if 

      you'd like them to be a little larger.  I added my 1st so I still had to add the chocolate chips.  By 

      the time I was done adding and mixing, I couldn't even see the Chex pieces anymore.  

13) Ideally, any batter will be chilled overnight, but if you don't have time it's not required here.  Place 

      heaping teaspoonfuls on a greased baking sheet and cook until "just done" - about 8-12 minutes. 

      Slightly golden and puffed, but not thoroughly set.  They will continue to cook on the baking sheet.  

      Leave on the sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack 

TIP: If you want to make these larger, you can.  I did for these pictures - and I liked them better that 

        way.  You will just have to adjust the time accordingly.  Also, because of the Chex, these cookies 

        don't spread well in baking, so you want to slightly flatten them out before baking - especially the 

        larger cookies.

Sure these "goodie goodies" didn't quite live up to their expectations,

But, in this case, I have to say:

Some cookies

Are better than none cookies at all.

Muddy Buddy Cookies (★ ★ ★ ★ ☆)

I’ve been a bad blogger mommy. 

(Yes, I’m a nurturer by nature and this blog is my baby.  And no, that’s not weird.)

Yesterday, I was stricken with a terrible disease.  I caught a case of the procrastinations. 

Gasp!

Actually, it’s something I’ve always dealt with, but I haven’t had an episode in so long that when it flared up again yesterday, I just didn’t know how to handle it. 

Granted, I was also nursing a pretty substantial migraine, but that had subsided by 10pm with the help of some Advil and cozy pajamies.  Sure, I could’ve gotten back to work, but by then I was so exhausted that all I wanted to do was watch Parenthood and bawl my eyes out. 

So I did.

And it was gooooood.

-----

I should really be writing these things at least by Tuesday night, but I thrive on pressure.  Every Wednesday night is like a thrilling cramming session.  Can I finish in an hour or will I be up till 2am like that one time I had absolutely nothing interesting to say? 

I know.  I know. I’m ca-RAy-Zay!

But today I let you down.  I know you just wake up every Thursday morning and think to yourselves, “Thursday’s are the worst.  It’s life’s last sick “ah ha” tease before the weekend finally comes to save me.  Well, at least I know I can read Nat’s blog.  That gets me through the day.  Makes me remember why I keep going on.”

I am a bad, bad person.  I’m devastated that I did that to any of you.

So here’s to faking myself out and pretending that my blog entries actually post on Wednesdays.

Just a side note. 

Today’s post is out-of-this-world delicious. 

Definitely worth the wait.  Promise. 

I am like a big kid. 

And frankly, I don’t think I’ll ever grow out of it.

I still get excited about going to Disneyland.  No, like, embarrassingly excited.  Like, Ride-Pirates-of-the-Caribbean-10-times excited.

I always bite the heads off of any cookie shaped like a living being before eating the rest.  If it’s a gingerbread man it’s even more methodical.  It goes: head, arm, leg, arm, leg.  Yes, I torture my holiday treats. 

I love eating way too much Kraft Mac and Cheese – from the blue box.  And now that I’m an “adult” I can eat a whole half of a box and my mom can’t stop me! 

I carry a teenybopper sized torch for Zac Efron and Justin Bieber.  Thank God, they grow older each year too so the creepiness factor doesn’t increase the older I get…it just stays the same!

I get giddy every time TSwift comes out with a new album, hanging out the dirty laundry of all of Hollywood’s hunks. Oh Jake, Jake, Jake.  She got you good this time.  Deciphering which song is about whom is to little girls what crosswords are to old people.

But you know what else floats my boat?  

Muddy Buddies.

Those peanut buttery...

                                      choc-o-chocolatey...

                                                                        cereal-y covered goodness.

Anytime I see them, I'm instantly taken back to my childhood.  My strongest memories?  That we hardly ever made them because the adults deemed them "too messy" and that even one small morsel would instantly send me into a state of ravenous hunger.  There was never enough. 

So when I saw recipes going around for a cookie version of these...

Well, they had me at "hello."

Only, I discovered some issues:

1) People were using either peanut butter cookie mix, from a package, or a recipe that called for flour.  
    Um, if we want legitimate peanut butter flavor, we definitely have to go flourless.

2) And none, get this, none called for Chex cereal.  I'm sorry, but isn't that like the main ingredient in 
     a Muddy Buddy?  I mean if we're talking ratios, Chex is pretty vital.

So I made them.  

And I made them right.  

And guess what?  They were fantastic.

Muddy Buddy Cookies

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies with Chex Cereal

• 1 Cup of Peanut Butter
• 1 Cup of Sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 tsp of Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1 cup Rice Chex Cereal (or Wheat/Corn)
• Pinch of Salt for sprinkling

Coating

• 1 Cup Chocolate Chips
• 1/4 Cup of Butter
• Approx. 1 Cup Powdered Sugar

Preheat oven to 350F

Bake for 9 minutes

Makes approximately 32 small cookies

For the cookies:

1) In a large bowl mix together peanut butter, sugar, egg, baking soda and vanilla.  Beat until well 

    blended.  Mixture will be crumbly. 

*Tip: If you spray the measuring cup with olive oil/cooking spray before measuring anything really sticky or gooey...like, just for arguments sake, say, peanut butter...then you will find that most of it slides right out and clean up is a breeze.  That's what my measuring cup looked like right after plopping the PB out of it.  No spatula, no scraping.

2) Lightly crush the Chex cereal into the PB mixture.  I just used my hand.  Using a hand beater
    blend until well combined.

3) Carefully fashion small (think teaspoon sized) peanut butter balls and place about an inch apart on a
    greased baking sheet. Dough will be very crumbly so getting a tight wad of is a little
    laborious, but doable.  Also, remember to think small.  You are going to be dipping these and
    shaking them up in a bag.  I feel like "smaller" can take more abuse.

4) Press balls of dough lightly with a fork.  Cross and press again.  Sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake for 9
    minutes in the oven until cookies are slightly golden.

5) Let cookies cool thoroughly before proceeding.

For the coating:
6) Melt chocolate chips and butter in a microwave safe bowl.  Start with 30 seconds and then stir. Heat
    in 15 second increments until smooth and melted.

7) Place cookies lightly, one at a time, into the bowl of chocolate. Using spoons to maneuver the cookie
    flip it over and coat any exposed areas.

8) Scrape as much excess chocolate off as you can. It's a messy process so don't freak out if it's not  
    perfect.

9) In a ziploc bag (quart or gallon size) add about a 1/2 cup of powdered sugar.  Start loading up the
    bag with the chocolate coated cookies.  Fill the bag with as many cookies as will fit comfortably, but
    still have some room to move around.  Close bag and shake. Make sure each cookie is thoroughly
    coated in powdered sugar.  They will be easily manageable and not sticky if coated properly.  Add
    more powdered sugar to bag as needed.  Repeat until all cookies are finished.

10) Store any uneaten cookies (if there are any) in the fridge.

The Bestie begged me to make these again for her birthday.

Ya, that's not till next June.  Can we say clingy? 

That's how good they are. 

---

And I've been meaning to post a picture of my super cool photo set up.  

So I present to you my homemade lightbox:
Bringing you awesome pictures from my counter.

-----

This was featured here: