Giant Chewy Oatmeal M&M Cookies

Things have been so quiet around here and I would like to apologize, but since I’ve been spending my time cuddling the world’s cutest baby instead of posting I’m kind of sorry not sorry. One day I hope to be able to better balance baby cuddling time with food blogging time, but until then, can I make it up to you by sharing a picture of the world’s cutest baby?

Are still trying to decide what kind of cookies to leave out for Santa? Can I make a suggestion? How about these Giant Chewy Oatmeal M&M Cookies? They are soft, chewy, giant, with the perfect touch of crunchy M&M chocolate. The oatmeal isn’t overwhelming, but it adds a nice texture to the cookies.

 

 

 

Ultimate Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

First, Happy Halloween! Even though our little pumpkin is too young for Trick or Treating (or even having a clue that today is Halloween!), I still couldn’t resist dressing her in spirited gear. I think she looks pretty cute, but I might be a little biased. Second, I have to admit that in this house black and orange are not just colors you wear on October 31st. They are colors we rock all year long in support of our hometown team – the Cincinnati Bengals! Truth be told, when I saw this special bag of chocolate chips at Target the first thing that popped in my head was “Tailgate cookies!” Because who doesn’t like to eat delicious and spirited cookies while watching football? But it just so happened that I used the chocolate chips the day before Halloween, so holiday spirit works too. 🙂

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If you are a fan of Sunny Side Up on Facebook (and why wouldn’t you be ;)), then you may have seen my post yesterday about my entire house smelling like chocolate. These cookies are the reason why my house smelled so delicious. They are called “Ultimate Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies” and the name is pretty much spot on. The cookies are rich with a crispy exterior and melt-in-your mouth fudgy interior. I used a bag of Halloween chips which were half orange-colored white chocolate and half semi-sweet chocolate, but you can use whatever chips you have on hand! All semi-sweet, all white chocolate, a mix of chopped up leftover Halloween candy… If it tastes good with chocolate, chances are it will taste good in these cookies!

 

 

Tuxedo Layered Cheesecake

In the Weekend Dish Post I wrote on Sunday I talked about how crazy it is that it is already August. It’s not crazy just because it’s a month before my due date. And it’s not crazy just because it’s already the 8th month of the year. It’s also a little bit crazy because it’s my birthday month. And not just any birthday. My 30th birthday. The big 3 – 0. I have officially said goodbye to my 20s and hello to my 30s. I needed to celebrate. With cake. A rich, chocolatey, over-the-top cake.

This cake met all 3 of my birthday cake requirements. I was initially inspired by Cheesecake Factory’s Chocolate Tuxedo Cream Cheesecake and I had hoped to recreate it, but the paranoid pregnant lady in me decided to avoid the eggs in the vanilla cream mousse. I think what I came up with instead was even better. Who doesn’t love a tall layered birthday cake?

 

 

 

Looking for more birthday cake ideas?

Chocolate Hazelnut and Salted Caramel Birthday Cake
Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Cookies and Cream Oreo Cake Birthday Cake
Not-Ice Cream Sundae Birthday Cake

Peanut Butter Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chip Streusel

I’m sure it’s no surprise to regular readers that Jesse and I have a thing for the chocolate/peanut butter combination. Yes, it is a true love affair. So, when Jesse asked me to bake something a few weekends ago and I asked, “Like what?” it’s not that surprising that his answer was, “Something with chocolate and peanut butter.” Referring back to all of those links I just shared, I have a lot of chocolate/peanut butter recipes under my belt. Which is awesome when I want a tried and true recipe to quickly whip up, but when I’m wanting something new I can share on here, it makes things a bit more challenging.

At this point, coming up with new chocolate/peanut butter combinations is challenging. So I sat and pondered. I thought of cookies, and cupcakes, and brownies… Then I started to think of Jesse’s other favorite sweet treats. Towards the top of his list of favorites is Cinnamon Crumb Cake. When I tell him I’m making crumb cake he gets a look in his eyes, like a kid hearing the faint music of an ice cream truck. So I wondered if there were a way for me to combine the chocolate/peanut butter combo with a crumb cake of sorts. After a bit of researching I found something that looked inspiring. She put chocolate chips right in the crumb topping?! Perfect! Of course, I am a huge fan of the recipe I always use (something about that mile high, truly crumby, crumb topping!), so I used her idea as base to adapt my usual recipe.

Trying not to brag here, but the results were AMAZING! The cake had a nice moist and tender crumb with just the right density (even though I was slightly worried it could be too dense with the addition of peanut butter). The crumb topping was thick and warm with just the hint of cinnamon that was perfectly paired with the chocolate chips. I liked mine drizzled with just a little bit of chocolate syrup, Jesse said it didn’t need it. He declared that it was one of the best baked goods I’ve ever made. And I think he might be right!