Amazing Double Chocolate Cookies

I always think my own cookies are too sugary... They crumble upon touch and sometimes taste too much like the raw ingredient. What these cookies lack in sugar they make up for in sweetness, and consistency thanks to condensed milk! Don't think about calories, just make them, and enjoy them!

These beauties are from Mary Berry's Baking Bible- a truly excellent book which any baking enthusiast would appreciate this Christmas!!

They look quite like my Three Ingredient Nutella Cookies  but they are so much more superior... In every way! Perfect for a gift, these will please any sweet tooth! What are you waiting for?? Go bake! :)

                                   

                               



Makes 2-3 dozen cookies

You will need: 
200g Plain Chocolate (I used 70% cocoa solids but she suggests 39%)
50g Butter
1 can CondensedMilk
225g Self-Raising Flour
1 Packet White Chocolate Buttons

1. Line 3 baking trays. Break chocolate and melt with butter in a heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally. 
2. Stir in condensed milk and allow to cool.
3. Mix in flour and chocolate buttons.
4. Chill until firm to handle.
5. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius.
6. Place large spoons of mixture, spaced well apart on the trays.
7. Bake for 15 minutes. As always, cookies will look soft, but take them out!!
8. Place to cool on a wire rack.
9. Enjoy with a glass of milk or steaming hot tea!

By leaving these out for Santa, I guarantee you'll get a heap of presents under the Christmas tree!

Stay sweet! x

Malteser Chocolate Chip Caramel Cookie Bars

Last week I was heading to a friend's house for a girl's night and I wanted to bring something to show my appreciation. I was stumped, and looked to the remains of the Halloween sweets for inspiration. 

Maltesers had already proved to make delicious cookies and I thought the caramel Chomp bars would be lovely and gooey! Bonus points: these bars take less effort than cookies!

Here's what you need to make a 6x6 tray of cookie bars:
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup soft brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1/2 cup chocolate chips
3 funsize bags of Maltesers
4 funsize Chomp bars

1. Line a 6x6 tray with baking parchment, snipping at the corners so it fits properly.
2. Preheat the oven to 180degrees Celcius.
3. In a plastic bag, bash at the Maltesers with a mallet until broken (not crushed).
4. Chop Chomp bars into small pieces.
5. Beat together margarine and sugars until combined.
6. Add vanilla and egg, and mix until combined.
7. Add the flour and mix until combined.
8. On a slow setting, add the chocolate chips and Chomp and Malteser pieces.
9. Place dough into prepared tin.
10. Bake for about 50minutes or until cooked through and golden brown in colour.
11. Allow to cool in tin before slicing.
12. Enjoy.

Come back for more Autumnal recipes this week!

Stay sweet! x

Thin Mints

If you thought the Week of Cookies had already peaked with homemade Oreos, take a look at these beauts!

I was always mystified by these American Girl Scout cookies so I took the plunge and baked some up! Think of an After Eight mint, in cookie form. *salivates* These are decadent, and reminiscent of the After Eight Cupcakes I featured here for St. Patrick's Day!

The best part is these are made with cookies, left over from yesterday's post sans buttercream. 

I got this chocolate in ALDI for 89c if I remember correctly? It's fab! Great for melting down, tastes amazing and not overtly bitter like some high cocoa chocolate!

Some recipes advised using a fork to dip the cookies into chocolate (by resting on the fork like rice, not spearing the cookies) but I found it easier to dip one cookie in, slather it up and rub off the excess chocolate onto another cookie! Messy and yummy! Definitely fun to do with kids!

All you need is... 
Single homemade Oreo cookies *without buttercream*
1 bar of 74% cocoa solids chocolate
Peppermint essence

1. Melt chocolate in short bursts in the microwave, stirring often (or over a double boiler if you prefer).
2. Add in 1/4tsp peppermint essence, stir, taste.
3. Add in more peppermint if you wish. *Be careful!! This is deceivingly potent!*
4. Dip in your cookies, covering with chocolate on both sides and allow to dry on wax paper.
5. Enjoy!

So, that's the end of the Week of Cookies here on Milis! I can't wait to do something similar next year! Again, if you missed any posts you can find the link below.

• Week of Cookies featuring tips, Nutella Pillow Cookies, Snickerdoodles, Nutella 3 Ingredient Cookies and Chocolate Chip Cookies.
• Jammy Dodger Hearts
• Vanilla Chocolate Swirl Cookies
• Scrumptious Oat-Rolled Cookies
• Marshmallow Malteser Cookies
• Ory's Oreos

Which are your favourites? Let me know in the comments box! :) 

Stay sweet! x

Ory's Oreos

Oh yes, you thought it couldn't get any better than Marshmallow Malteser Cookies? You thought wrong!

These are amazing, much tastier than the real deal! It's always a good sign when the dough tastes amazing raw!

This is super fast to make, and so easy to do! It only takes the bowl in your mixer so there's less washing up to do as well! 

I used a shot glass as a cookie cutter (classy!!) But be warned the yield here is four dozen cookies plus! So if you're not feeling Oreos that much, keep some cookies back and I'll show you what to do with them tomorrow! :)

Let me know what you think of these bad boys! Very messy bad boys it has to be said!

You will need:
Cookies
1 cup Butter (softened)
1 cup Icing Sugar
1 cup Cocoa Powder
11/2 cup Plain Flour
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Buttercream
1 cup Icing Sugar (sieved)
Knob Margarine
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 tbsp Boiling Water

1. Beat butter until fluffy.
2. Add icing sugar and mix until combined.
3. Add vanilla and cocoa powder, mix until combined.
4. Sieve in the flour and mix until combined yet crumbly in texture.
5. Cover with cling film and chill for 20 minutes in the fridge.
6. Line three baking trays with baking parchment.
7. Preheat the oven to 175degrees Celcius.
8. Lightly flour a worktop and rolling pin.
9. Knead the dough twice to loosen up.
10. Roll out to 1/8inch thick.
11. Cut out with cookie cutter/shot glass.
12. Bake in oven for ten minutes (centre will have risen but the edge will be baked, do not judge on colour because these bake the same colour as they are when raw!)
13. Allow to cool while you mix all buttercream ingredients together with a hand mixer.
14. Sandwich together.
15. Enjoy!

If you run out of buttercream, save the cookies! I'll be back tomorrow with another use for them! ;) 

I love this meme! #YOLO
Stay sweet! x

One Year Blogoversary... A Week of Cookies!

First off, a big apology for slacking on the blog front!! This has genuinely been one of the busiest Augusts ever for me- days in Dublin, leader at a camp in Limerick, the flu, GAA matches, and a little bit of thesis writing. Just some fifteen hour days at the laptop, running on three hours sleep thesis writing!! I've been so busy that my one year blogoversary completely passed me by! I felt so cheated that I missed it!

To celebrate, I wanted to give you a week's worth of cookies... But every Monday has been crazy (I'm being a little OCD here!) So, from today until Sunday stay tuned for everything you could dream of in the world of cookies!! :)

As it is the big one-year, I felt so overwhelmed!! I've come so far from the sweet little Banana Crumb Muffins I first blogged about! Blogging was so new and challenging to me last year I never imagined I could have kept it up! I've published seventy-nine posts, thirty-four podcasts, and who knows how many photos! Milis has really encouraged me to push my boundaries and try experimenting with my baking. I've come to love baking so much more and developed so many skills, just from blogging and reading other peoples' blogs- check out my favourite blogs on the left hand side or my reading list in the 'About me' tab! 

Thank you so much for reading Milis and listening to sUCCulent! 

Your comments, subscriptions and Facebook likes mean so much to me and give me so much satisfaction!

Without further ado, it's cookie time!!

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Here is an amazing guide I found recently that shows how ingredients and techniques affect the outcome of your cookies! 

Other top tips I've accumulated through the blogosphere...

• Jenny Flake suggests using Jell-O pudding in cookies
• Averie Sunshine chills her cookie dough to prevent spreading in the oven
• Amanda Green Bottoms uses box mixes to create fudgey cookies
• While Maria Lichty adds cornflour to produce soft-batch bakery style cookies
• My top tip? Don't overbake your cookies! They should be only pale on the outside and soft in the middle, as they will harden up when cooling.

If you missed it back in May, check out the National Cookie Day post and podcast on the history of the chocolate chip cookie and the story of Ruth Wakefield- including the original Tollhouse recipe!

Short on ingredients traditionally used in cookies? Check out my 3 Ingredient Nutella Cookies (feel free to omit the white chocolate buttons!)

Or if you're looking for a sugar rush try these White Chocolate Snickerdoodles!

These super sugary Chocolate Chip Cookies have a huge yield and taste better the longer the dough is chilled!

Or everybody's favourite cookie...

If you have yet to bake my delectable Nutella Pillow Cookies, make your Wednesday amazing and pop these babies in the oven!

Come back tomorrow for a brand new cookie recipe to continue the one-year blogoversary celebrations! :)

Stay sweet! x

White Chocolate Snickerdoodle Cookies

Averie Cooks has fast become one of my favourite blogs. Her writing style and photography is second to none, but her sense of humour and amazing recipes keeps me coming back every single day!

I tried her Snickerdoodles (intrigued by the name and both major ingredients...) 

What makes a Snickerdoodle I hear you ask? The cookie is rolled in cinnamon sugar before baking... nom nom nom! This was my first time ever tasting a snickerdoodle, and although the consistency and texture of the cookie was delicious (Averie puts this down to brown sugar!) they were very very sweet- I could eat no more than two! Beware, this is not one for the faint-hearted!

Anyways, I substituted large Milky Bar Giant Buttons (labelled for protection against thieves!) broken up for white chocolate chips which I couldn't find anywhere, and they worked great!

A top tip from Averie is to chill cookie dough before shaping, which works wonderfully for cookies that hold their shape in the oven! I think it would be great for Nutella Pillow Cookies!

Also, some of my cookies burned while the others stayed perfectly not-so golden. My oven is a super duper fancy Neff contraption so I don't think it's to blame and I was really vigilant with watching the cookies after this disaster so the jury's out.

Let me know what you think of them in the comments section below, or on the Facebook page!

Yield: 14 medium sized cookies
You will need:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg (or 2 medium/small)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cups cream flour
1/2 cup white chocolate chips or broken MilkyBar Giant Buttons

For sugar topping:
1tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup white sugar

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celcius.
2. Line two baking trays with baking parchment.
3. Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
4. Add the vanilla extract and egg and beat until just combined- do not overbeat!
5. Stir in the dry ingredients until just combined.
6. Stir in the chocolate chips.
7. Chill in the freezer for 10 mins (covered with cling film) or in the fridge for an hour plus.
8. Prepare cinnamon mixture in a cereal bowl or similar, mixing cinnamon and white sugar with a spoon.
9. Using an ice-cream scoop, scoop the chilled dough into balls.
10. Roll into cinnamon sugar and place on lined baking tray.
11. Bake for 8-10 minutes until barely set (still soft in the middle).
12. Allow to cool for another 5-10 minutes on the baking tray before devouring!
13. Enjoy!

How do you like Snickerdoodles? Let me know below!

Stay sweet! x

National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day (May 15th) & Eurovision

Chocolate chip cookies, an absolute classic dessert! I'll be honest, I'm not fussy when it comes to these- I'll eat a store-brand just as quick as a fancy artisan cookie. You really can't beat a good one though! That's what Andrew Nestlè thought when he discovered Ruth Wakefield's recipe... Listen here to find out more ;)

These Nutella-stuffed chocolate chip cookies were incredible, the recipe is coming up in the next post!

Feeling Eurovision Fever? Tune in to hear how you can have your own Eurovision party and tell me what you think of the acts!

Update: I was really surprised by Denmark's win! I didn't hear it prior to the announcement, but I loved it!! Also, so glad Ukraine were up there- I could get a job on the X-Factor yet ;) Hard luck for dear old Ireland... Maybe next year...? 

Over- Cook(i)ed

Last Saturday I was super bored, beyond bored. Living in a house that usually resembles Grand Central Station, everyone was either out of the house for the day. Aside from walking the terriers, I had no company, wa waaah! I know this should have been the opportunity to study and make good use of the day, but with an assignment due the night before I was burnt out! My brain was fried so the only thing I could do which didn't require much thought was bake. I borrowed this recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod, minus the caramel and with mini chips instead of regular. I was too tired to adapt a recipe and when this one had baking soda which I thought was a nice addition and wondered how it would turn out!

Now, this would have been good if my tired, tired mind took note of their recommended cooking time... 10 minutes. However, as the cookies still looked pale and flattened when I touched them. The cupcake-baker in me quickly snapped the door shut and left them in for another TEN minutes. BIG mistake! So the lesson here is, follow the instructions when it comes to cookies! :) Still, they weren't that bad... Just a tad crunchy! Think Hagrid's Rock Cakes! I joke I was the only person who seemed to care about them being hard, everyone else just dipped them into tea! Where there's a will, there's a way!

Lesson learned! Here are some cute photos of the cookies anyways, a feast for the eyes!

Don't forget to tune into UCC98.3fm tomorrow for the Mother's Day edition of sUCCulent! 

Until then,
Stay sweet! x

Friday Fave: 3 Ingredient Nutella Cookies- Plus White Chocolate Buttons!

Here are five reasons to bake these cookies.

1. You only need an egg, flour and Nutella- the white buttons are a decadent extra.
2. The take less than 20 minutes to bake.
3. They kick your chocolate craving without having to go out and buy 70% cocoa chocolate.
4. They taste amazing.
5. It's Friday!

 These were fantastic Christmas gifts, and tasted amazing with a glass of milk!


The cookie recipe which consistently cropped up throughout an internet search was brilliant and easy. The white chocolate buttons are not really even necessary but they look so cute, I couldn't resist! Even with this addition there are still hardly any ingredients!

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1 cup Nutella
• 1 cup flour
• 1 packet white chocolate buttons

1. Preheat oven to 180degrees Celcius.
2. Beat together egg, Nutella and flour.
3. When just about combined, add the buttons and mix at a gentle speed.
4. Spoon onto baking parchment-lined baking tray.
5. Bake for 7-8minutes.

For a more uniform cookie, flatten with the bottom of a glass before putting into the oven and bake for 6-8 minutes. However, I like the mountainous look of these, especially if munched during a Lord of The Rings movie night! :)

Stay Sweet! x

Copy Cat Cookies

One of my many weaknesses are Subway's chocolate chip cookies!! They have to be warmed, either in store, or at home in the microwave and eeeeeek at €2 for 3 let's just say obesity is on the horizon! I love love LOVE these cookies! I think I'm one of the only people who visits Subway and doesn't buy a Sub, only a cookie! :) 

Anyways, in my quest to copy the cookie I happened upon this recipe... I forewarn you, these are alas, not near as perfect as the fast-food variety but the heartwarming satisfaction of them being homemade makes up for this! 

The best thing about these is that the dough makes literally thirty cookies, and even better the cookies taste even yummier when made with yesterday's dough. So, when that loneliness hits after someone savages the last cookie, never fear! You can whip up another batch in a few minutes! 

If entertaining I would make the dough the night before and scoop out the cookies on the day, however they keep well in an airtight container so freshness isn't an issue either!

The recipe can be found here.

I still haven't found the perfect homemade recipe of the glorious Subway cookie... Watch this space!