Peanut Butter Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies & The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap

Peanut Butter Chocolate Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies More than the perfect chocolate chip cookie filled to the brim with chocolate-y goodness, a crispy rim and a chewy center is a chewy center. This has always been and always will be my favorite part of any cookie. So you crispy cookie people may want to move on. As a child, I endured the crunchy rim and saved every last moist bite of the center until the very end. The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap was the perfect opportunity for me to flex my cookie making abilities and create this idea cookie that had the perfect chew.Peanut Butter Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies

But enough about my love for chewy cookies, let’s talk about the cause! The Food Blogger Cookie Swap was created by Lindsay of Love and Olive Oil and Julie of The Little Kitchen to benefit Cookies for Kid’s Cancer. I’m beyond flattered to be apart of such an awesome cause seeing as how my father-in-law and wife both fought cancer and live to tell the story. It’s a beautiful thing when my love for dessert can be used to fuel research for such a life-threatning illness. And not to mention, the thought of receiving three dozen of cookies is a no-brainer, yes please!Peanut Butter Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies & The Great Food Bloggers Cookie Swap

I was thrilled like many other bloggers to receive my holiday inspired cookies and I’m already looking forward to next year. I mean, who doesn’t want cookies in their mailbox?Below, I have shared a photo of the cookies I received with a link to the blogger from whom it came from as well as a recipe for cookies! So I hope you enjoy and think about participating next year, you won’t be sorry.

 

Peanut Butter Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 sticks butter softened
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup Tucker’s Nut Butters (Cashew Butter)
2 eggs (room temp)
1 teaspoon Nielsen Massey vanilla
2 1/2 cups AP flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 ounces %67 Olive & Sinclair Chocolate (chopped)
3 Tablespoons Honey Roasted Peanut Butter

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a non-stick cookie sheet or silicone mat.

In a standing or electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together until fluffy. Add in the cashew butter and peanut butter to the mixture, beating until well combined. Beat in eggs one at a time and vanilla.

In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking soda and kosher salt. Add it slowly to the wet ingredients along with the chopped chocolate. Mix until just combined. Scoop onto a silpat or lined Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

In a stand or electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until fluffy. Break up the almond paste and add to the mixture, beating until well combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add to wet ingredients along with the chopped chocolate. Mix until just combined. Scoop onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet with a medium cookie scoop. You can make your cookies larger or smaller if you like but remember to change cooking temp accordingly. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until they are just a light golden on the top and outside and slightly undercooked in the center. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. And try to contain yourself, they are ridiculously delicious straight out of the oven, not that I’d know or anything…

Chocolate Peppermint Blossoms via The Great Food Bloggers Cookie Swap
Peppermint Blossoms via @stracciatellabella. You can visit her at http://www.stracciatellabella.blogspot.com
Butter Cookies via The Great Food Bloggers Cookie Swap
Butter Cookies via @kelly_ldbaking. You can visit her at http://www.longdistancebaking.com

 

Gingerbread Cookies via The Great Food Bloggers Cookie Swap
Ninja-bread cookies via @norhang. You can visit her at http://www.frommetovuu.com

 

Torched Marshmallow Pumpkin Pie with Olive & Sinclair Chocolate

Torched Marshmallow Pumpkin Pie with Olive & Sinclair ChocolateI feel as though the holidays snook in the back door on me this year. There I was mowing the grass and lounging at farmer’s market sorting through summer’s harvest and before I knew it, it was time for windbreaker’s and flu shots. But nonetheless, I love the holiday season and the first sighting of fiery leaves are an indication of warm family gatherings, the crackling of fire places and bottomless eggnog and hot chocolate. Check!

If you’ve been following along with me here at The Local Forkful long enough, then you know I’m a believer in eating dessert first, no shame necessary, because my sweet tooth is insatiable and we won’t discuss my gummy candy addiction, at least not in this post. Today, I made you a dessert that embodies the spirit of the holiday season to me–I mean, chocolate, pumpkin, graham cracker and marshmallows…how can we go wrong? (we can’t.) So dive head first into this delicious little holiday pie infused with some Olive & Sinclair goodness!

Torched Marshmallow Pumpkin Pie with Olive & Sinclair Chocolate

Thanksgiving is all about family, friends and delicious food. Luckily, the food blogging community is all about these things as well. To celebrate the holiday, Meghan from Cake ‘n’ Knife and Susannah from Feast + West are hosting Blogsgiving Dinner. There are 20 awesome blogs sharing 52 recipes

The idea is based on the old-fashioned progressive dinner party, in which you’d eat each course at a different guest’s home. Each blogger is bringing one or more dishes to the party on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of this week, so be sure to stop by each one and get some ideas for your own Thanksgiving meal. Be sure to check out today’s recipes for entrees, salads and side dishes.

We’ll be posting to social media with the hashtag #blogsgivingdinner. Hope you can join us!Blogsgiving Dinner 2014

Torched Marshmallow Pumpkin Pie with Olive & Sinclair Chocolate

2 cups roasted pumpkin or squash (pureed
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
smidge of kosher salt
2 eggs (room temperature)
2 tsp. Nielsen Massey Vanilla
1 cup miniature marshmallows

Temper Chocolate

1.5 ounces %67 Olive & Sinclair Chocolate
1 tsp. vegetable oil

Graham Cracker Crusts

1 1/2 cups crushed graham cracker
3 tbsp. AP flour
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
2 ounces unsalted butter (melted)
smidge of kosher salt

method

1. Using your fingers, combine graham cracker, flour, salt, sugar together and add butter one tablespoon at a time until mixture holds ball form when squeezed, set aside. Meanwhile, whisk together salt, pumpkin, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla and eggs in a bowl until smooth; set aside.

2. bring a small pot of water to a rolling simmer. chop the chocolate up and place it into a non-reactive metal bowl with the oil. stir chocolate with wooden/plastic spatula until chocolate is smooth, remove from heat and set aside.Do not leave unattended.

3. Heat oven to 375°. Place 3 tbsp of crust mixture into the bottom of a cupcake pan and using your fingers press the mixture around the sides and leave a pool in the center to pour the pie mixture into.Pour filling into crust; drop a dollop of chocolate into the center and swirl a toothpick around to create a design, bake until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle, but avoid piercing an area with chocolate. about 20 minutes.

4. Turn your oven on low broil or whip out your blow torch and go to town. While waiting for the oven to come up to temp, strategically place marshmallows on the top of the mini pies. Place under broiler with the door cracked and wait, do not walk away from the pies, once they are a light brown, remove and let cool to room temperature before serving. And I always recommend a scoop of ice cream.

 

Here is the rest of today’s menu. Go check out what the other bloggers are providing for your holiday feast!

Dessert

Grandma’s Pecan Pie from The Wetherills Say I Do

Pumpkin Sheet Cake with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting from My Cooking Spot

Gluten-Free Apple Berry Crumble from Twin Stripe

Paleo Pumpkin Pudding from Wit Wisdom Food

Cranberry Almond Coconut Bars from Love & Flour

Torched Marshmallow Pumpkin Pie with Olive & Sinclair Chocolate from The Local Forkful

Poached Pears with Salted Maple Caramel Syrup from Home at Six

Sweet Potato Pie from Think Fruitful

Nutella Pumpkin S’mores Tart from bethcakes

Gluten-Free Acorn Squash Spice Bars from I Cook. I Eat. It’s Life.

Drunken Pecan Pie Bars from The Speckled Palate

Torched Marshmallow Pumpkin Pie with Olive & Sinclair Chocolate