I’m a firm believer that you are either a crunchy cookie person or an ooey-gooey cookie person. I’m an ooey-gooey person. I like soft, chewy, melt-in-your mouth cookies. These cookies do not fall into that category. They are crunchy for the most part, but the centers are soft. The recipe is super simple and I added some white chocolate chips in the mix – just because. :)

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
Recipe source: allrecipes.com
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1 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used 1 cup chocolate, 1 cup white chocolate)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; stir into the batter until the mixture is well-blended. Mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts (if you’re using them). Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8-10 minutes or just until set. Cool slightly on the cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

My love affair with fall continues. Nothing smells more like fall than apples baking in the oven! I love recipes that are SIMPLE yet delicious. My friend Laine sent me this recipe and raved about it. She was right. If you are unsure of what type of apple to use, I would recommend Braeburns. Tart apples usually contrast nicely with the sugar in the recipe.

Apple Crisp
Recipe source: Joy of Cooking
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Have ready an unbuttered 2-inch-deep 2-quart baking dish.

Peel, core, and cut into 1-inch chunks:
8 medium apples (about 2.5 lbs)
Spread evenly in baking dish.

Combine in a bowl:
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. white or packed brown sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 to 1.5 t. ground cinnamon
(1/4 t. grated or ground nutmeg-optional)

Add:
1/2 c. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Using a pastry blender to 2 knives, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Scatter the topping evenly over the fruit. Bake until the topping is golden brown, the juices are bubbling, and the apples are tender, 50 to 55 minutes.

I originally saw this information on Cake Spy and wanted to pass it along to my readers as well! Pillsbury has a “Love the Pie” campaign going on right now to promote making, eating, and sharing pies. Yum! You can read all about it at the Pillsbury Pie Page.

And since apple seems to be the most popular pie filling (and my favorite!), here’s a chart to help you with your apple-related baking projects!

Oh my heaven. I’m always a fan of any combination of chocolate and cream cheese. :) These brownies are really dense and rich!

Halloween Brownies
Recipe source: Betty Crocker
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Filling:
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
orange food coloring
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Brownies:
1 box Betty Crocker Original Supreme brownie mix (w/ chocolate syrup pouch)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
2 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease or spray bottom only of a 13″x9″ baking pan.
2. In a small bowl, beat filling ingredients with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Set aside.
3. In a larger bowl, stir brownie ingredients until well blended. Spread 3/4 brownie batter in pan. Spoon filling by tablespoonfuls evenly onto brownie batter. Spoon remaining brownie batter over filling. For marbled design, pull knife through batter and filling in wide curves; turn pan and repeat.
4. Bake 26-30 minutes or until set. Cool completely at room temperature, about 1 hour. Refrigerate at least 1 hour until chilled.

Mmmm. Mmmmmmmmm. Is there anything better than cinnamon + sugar + chocolate + cake? I didn’t think so. This recipe is pretty easy – and makes a big 9×13 cake!

Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Cake
Recipe Source: Smitten Kitchen
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1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 eggs, separated
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
16 ounces sour cream
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
12 ounces chocolate chips
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and 1-1/2 cups sugar, then mix in the egg yolks and vanilla. Sift flour, baking soda and baking powder together into a separate bowl. Alternately add sour cream and then dry ingredients into butter mixture. Beat eggs whites until stiff, then fold into batter. Mix last 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon together in a separate, small dish.
3.  In a greased 9″x13″ pan, pour in half of the cake batter. Sprinkle the top with half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture and half of the chocolate chips. Pour remaining batter on top, sprinkling the top with the remaining cinnamon-sugar and chocolate chips.
4. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.