chocolate swirled cream cheese chocolate chip cookies.

This is by far one of my new favorite cookie recipes.  You truly get the best of both worlds: a rich cream cheese chocolate chip cookie combined with a simple yet perfect chocolate cookie.  Since they are swirled, they look even prettier too!

These cookies take a bit of time to prepare since you have to make two different types of dough but it is still an easy, straightforward recipe. I had a blast making these and eating them too, of course! I hope you enjoy these gems as much as I did. 

~

chocolate swirled cream cheese chocolate chip cookies 

from averie cooks

Ingredients:

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup original block cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar (I used Stevia)
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt, optional and to taste
1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used part mini, part normal sized chips)

Chocolate Cookies:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup dark or light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt, optional and to taste

Instructions:

1. First, make your cream cheese chocolate chip cookie dough. Put butter and cream cheese into mixer and beat until well combined. Add both sugars, egg, and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
2. Gradually add flour, cornstarch, and baking soda until just combined. Scrap down mixer as needed.
3. Gently fold or mix chocolate chips into batter.
4. If you only have one mixing bowl, transfer cream cheese chocolate chip cookie batter to another large bowl and place in refrigerator.
5. Begin making chocolate cookies in mixing bowl. I didn't wash mine out since the chocolate color will take over and you are using the same ingredients anyway.
6. Put butter and sugar into your mixing bowl and beat until soft, creamy, and well combined.
7. Add egg and vanilla extract and continue beating until well combined. Scrap down sides as needed.
8. Gradually add flour, cocoa, cornstarch, and baking soda. Mixing on low, just until combined.
9. Start with your cream cheese cookie dough. Using a small cookie scoop (or filling up a medium cookie scoop halfway), drop dough onto cookie sheet. I got 12 on a sheet.
10. You will do the same with your chocolate dough (using a cookie scoop, a spoon, or clean fingers) except you will place the chocolate dough on top of each ball of cream cheese dough. 
11. With clean hands, roll each mound of dough into a ball. Then, slightly flatten each dough ball.
    
    

     
    
    
12. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-9 minutes (or 12-13 minutes for bakery sized cookies), just until edges are set. My edges weren't even brown yet but they firmed up and were perfect.
13. Repeat until your dough is gone. You will have slightly more cream cheese dough so you may have some plain cream cheese chocolate chip cookies (definitely nothing wrong with that!). I got 5 dozen cookies. The original recipe suggested making 15 bakery-sized swirl cookies and 1 dozen plain cream cheese chocolate chip.

funfetti cream cheese cookies.

Yes, you read correctly: funfetti cream cheese cookies. Cream cheese in cookies is easily one of the best baking ideas ever.  It gives cookies an extra boost of rich flavor while also making them super soft & gooey.

I didn't add quite as many sprinkles/nonpareils as suggested but it's pretty obvious when you have enough (or not enough). I also didn't chill the dough and my cookies were fine. If you are worried though, scoop out individual cookie dough and put on a plate for 10 minutes in the freezer.

These are perfect for any season or occassion- enjoy!

~

funfetti cream cheese cookies from the messy baker

ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 stick  unsalted butter

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

½ cup white granulated sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 egg, at room-temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

~⅓ cup sprinkles 

~¼ cup nonpareils

directions:

1. Cream together the butter, cream cheese, both sugars until pale and fluffy; about 3 minutes. Scrap down the sides of the bowl.
2. Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Whisk in vanilla and almond extract.
3. Gradually add in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Beat until the batter comes together and the dough is smooth, about 1 minute.
4. Beat in all the sprinkles/nonpareils. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give the dough one last stir to make sure the sprinkles/nonpareils are evenly distributed.
5. Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours or overnight. *I skipped this step and my cookies were fine*
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
7. Using a medium cookie scoop, drop dough 3 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 12-13 minutes, no longer. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

fruit pizza with greek yogurt cream cheese frosting.

Do you ever get sad when you eat the last piece of something you made? It doesn't happen to me too often because it usually means I get to make something else. :) Let me tell you though, I was very sad when I ate the last piece of this fruit pizza. Why? Because it was stinkin' amazing!

I think fruit pizza is one of the best things ever. I mean, come on, it contains 3 of the best foods ever. Just think about it- a cookie, fruit, and cream cheese. What's not to love?!

If you need a dessert for your next party or pitch-in, this one is sure to please. And it is sure to disappear fast! 

~

fruit pizza with greek yogurt cream cheese frosting 

sugar cookie crust ingredients*

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temp.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 cups  all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

greek yogurt cream cheese frosting

8 oz cream cheese, softened & room temperature

1/4-1/2 cup greek yogurt (I used vanilla)
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

plus your choice of sliced fruit

directions

1. To make the crust, in a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the softened butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar on medium speed until fluffy and light in color. Beat in eggs and vanilla. 
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cornstarch. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Once completely combined, cover the dough tightly and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and up to 1 day.** See my note below.
3. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray a 12-inch pizza pan with cooking spray. Remove chilled cookie dough from the refrigerator and press onto the pizza pan in an even flat circle. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until it is lightly browned. Do not overbake. Allow crust to cool completely before putting on frosting and fruit. If you are in a hurry, freeze or refrigerate for a few minutes to speed this process up.
4. Chop the fruit and make your frosting.
5. In a medium bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Add the confectioners sugar. Add the vanilla and more yogurt if needed to thin out. Spread over the cooled sugar cookie crust. Decorate with fruit.
6. Cut into slices, serve, and enjoy!
7. Store leftovers in the fridge.

*You'll notice I put mine in a 9"x13" pan. This given recipe is for a 12" pizza pan. If you want it in a 9"x13", multiply this recipe by 1.5

**I put the dough in the pan to begin with and froze it for 10-15 minutes instead. Speeds up the process a lot :)

 Recipe Credit:

 http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/05/23/fruit-pizza/ & 

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=2164627

cranberry bliss cookies.

These cookies are pure bliss, just like their name says. 

These cranberry-white chocolate chip cookies are soft, moist, and perfect. Added bonus? They are smothered with a cream cheese frosting that has white chocolate in it! Did you know cream cheese frosting could get any better?  I sure didn't.

Try these now! You won't be disappointed.  

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Ingredients

Cookies
• 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 2 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs*
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
Frosting
• 6 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, melted
Topping
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, melted

Directions

1. In bowl of stand mixer cream butter and cream cheese together until smooth.
2. Beat in brown sugar for 1-2 minutes until fluffy.
3. Add in eggs, vanilla, baking soda and salt and beat until evenly mixed. Turn mixer to low and add in flour.
4. Stir in white chocolate chips and chopped cranberries. Chill dough for 2 hours or overnight.**
5. Preheat oven to 375°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Drop dough on baking sheet about 2 inches apart and bake for 9-11 minutes, until edges are golden and centers are just set.
7. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
Frosting
8. Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Mix in powdered sugar and beat until creamy. Finally mix in melted white chocolate, beating until incorporated.
9. Spread frosting on top of cookies.
Topping
10. To garnish, sprinkle remaining chopped dried cranberries on top of cookies, evenly distributing them among all the cookies. Finally, drizzle melted chocolate on top.***

*I ran out of eggs so I substituted applesauce. I used 1/3 cup applesauce per egg. You can also use these substitutions: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/30821578673467398/

**I would recommend chilling them longer than 2 hours, possibly even overnight (if you can wait that long). My first batch in the oven spread a lot so I froze each scoop of cookie dough on a baking sheet for about 10 minutes before I baked them.

***As you can see, I didn't do this step because I was feeling a little lazy. They were just fine without the drizzled chocolate but the extra chocolate definitely wouldn't hurt!

Thank you Cookies and Cups for this yummy cookie recipe!

crock pot potato soup.

I guarantee this recipe will 

1. make any cold evening a little warmer.

2. make your house smell incredible.

3. make all the bellies in your family very happy.  

Ingredients

• 2.5 lbs russet potatoes, diced, NOT peeled
• 2.5 tbsp Tastefully Simple garlic garlic*
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 32 ounces chicken broth or stock 
• 8 ounces cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat)
• bacon, sour cream, chives or shredded cheese for garnish

*I didn't have this seasoning so I recommend using these ingredients to taste:

• 2 spoonfuls minced garlic
• 1/4-1/2 t garlic powder
• 1/4-1/2 t. dried dill
• 1/4-1/2 t. dried basil
• Some salt & pepper

Instructions

1. Combine potatoes, seasonings, onions and chicken broth in your crock pot.
2. Cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 5 hours.
3. Put cream cheese in crock pot with the potato mixture. With potato masher, mash up all ingredients together.**
4. Serve warm topped with bacon, sour cream, shredded cheese & chives. Just make sure the cream cheese is completely melted and combined ;)

**The recipe suggested using a food processor to puree the soup. You can do this if you'd rather it not be so chunky. I personally enjoyed it chunky, and it made fewer dishes to wash too :)

***Check out my updated about me page- 1/27/14***

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Recipe Credits:

http://hannahholzmann.com/crock-pot-loaded-baked-potato-soup/ 

& 

http://www.thesustainablecouple.com/2013/02/tastefully-simple-garlic-garlic-knock.html

carrot cake muffins [with cream cheese frosting].

some carrots to make us feel a little better about eating dessert and some cream cheese frosting because...it's just really good.

Here's what you need:

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup grated carrots, lightly packed; about 2 medium-large carrots
• 8 oz cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat)
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 
  

Here's what you do:

1) Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a standard 12-well muffin pan. Or line the pan with paper muffin cups, and grease the cups.

2) In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.

3) In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, and oil.

4) Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

5) Fold in the grated carrots, stirring to combine.

6) Drop batter (a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here) into each muffin cup (I probably filled it 3/4 full).

7) Bake the muffins until a toothpick inserted into the cake part of one (not into the cream cheese filling) comes out clean, about 20 minutes. The tops of the muffins will feel firm to the touch.

8) Remove the muffins from the oven, and as soon as you're able to handle them, transfer them to a rack.  9) Mix together softened cream cheese and powdered sugar to make frosting. Frost them when muffins are cooled.

[adapted from http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2011/04/06/inside-out-carrot-cake-%E2%80%93-carrot-cake-muffins/]

banana nut pound cake.

[adapted from Brenda Camp Orbell, grand prize winner of Better Homes and Gardens recipe contest]

This cake is moist and incredibly banana-y.  It's like banana bread...but so much better.

ingredients-

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

8 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

3 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs

2 medium bananas, mashed 

1/4 cup bourbon or fat free milk

1 tbsp vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans

Powdered sugar

directions-

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

2. Grease and flour 10 inch fluted tube pan.

3. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

4. In large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until combined.

5. Gradually add sugar, until light in color.

6. Add eggs one at a time, about one minute each.  

7. In a separate bowl, mix bananas, milk or bourbon, and vanilla. 

8. Alternately add flour mixture and banana mixture to butter mixture. Beat till combined.

9. Stir in pecans.

10. Spread evenly in tube pan. 

11. Bake 80 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

12. Cool cake in the pan for 10 minutes on wire rack.

13. Remove from pan, cool on rack.

14. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve up & enjoy! 

lemon blueberry cheesecake cookies.

[adapted from http://hotpolkadot.com/2011/08/18/its-12am-do-you-know-where-your-cookies-are/]

I had no idea what dessert to make for our life group so I let Grant decide. He LOVES cream cheese, fruity dessert, and cheesecake so he picked these blueberry lemon cheesecake cookies.  I'm not a huge fan of fruity desserts but I even liked these.  They are cakey yet chewy yet doughy all at the same time.  You just have to try these for yourself.  If you are a cheesecake lover or even just a cream cheese lover, these cookies are for you!

INGREDIENTS-

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 eggs
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 cup flour
1 cup blueberries

1/2 pkg cream cheese, cut into 1 tsp cubes

INSTRUCTIONS -

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and position a rack in the center. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.

2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy. 

3. Blend in the lemon zest, juice and eggs. Make sure to scrape off any bits of zest that stick to the mixer paddle.

                                     

4. In a separate bowl whisk together the baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour then mix it into the wet ingredients. 

5. Gently fold in the blueberries so as not to burst any. 

                                     

6. Refrigerate the dough for about 15 – 20 minutes to make it stiff enough to roll.

7. For each cookie, roll 1 heaping tbsp of dough into a ball then flatten it slightly into a disc shape. 

8. Place a 1 tsp cream cheese cube into the center and form the dough around it creating a ball again. 

9. Bake them for about 10 - 14 minutes until the edges brown slightly. 

10. Transfer them to a cooling rack and enjoy!

taco pasta.

[adapted from http://www.plainchicken.com/2010/09/taco-pasta.html]

This is a super easy, delicious meal. This is the second time I've made this recipe since I found it in January. Grant loooves  Mexican and I love pasta so it's a perfect combo! It literally tastes like a taco.  We ate some of the less pasta-y bites with tortilla chips and that was also reallll good.  Enjoy, my friends!

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef 
8 ounce small dry pasta shapes 
1 small onion, chopped (or 1 Tbsp minced onion flakes) 
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup salsa
1 packet taco seasoning (if you don't have this on hand, you can make your own! http://allrecipes.com/recipe/taco-seasoning-i/)
3 ounce cream cheese 
1/2 cup sour cream 
Salt and pepper
Shredded Cheese for topping

Note: I used less onion than this recipe calls for (probably just a few slices from a large onion).  I used 2 cloves of garlic because I looove garlic. Also, I used reduced fat sour cream and neufchâtel cream cheese (aka 1/3 less fat cream cheese).  

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, cook ground beef and onion until no longer pink. Drain fat and mix in garlic.  Cook until fragnant, about 30 seconds.
3.  Mix in salsa and taco seasoning. Let simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes.
4.  Stir in the cooked pasta, cream cheese, sour cream, and reserved pasta water. Continue to stir until cream cheese is melted. 
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste (I skipped this step).
6.  Top with shredded cheese and more sour cream and salsa, if desired.  Serve and enjoy!