Chocolate Chip Cookie Microwave Pudding + Recipe

Hello!

So I'm evidently riding a bit of a sweet-craving wave at the moment, and felt backed into a corner. I had a decision to make. Make a microwave treat and relinquish the right to dismiss them ever again, or use one of my precious and so recently made Double Choco Fudge Cookies that were posing as Emergency Freezer Cookies? Choices, choices. I decided to save my energy and not fight against the force of The Microwave, thus surrendering what little dignity I had left.

If you don't mind raw yolk, the mixture is good enough to eat!

I didn't want the mighty chocolate-y overload of the Chocolate Surprise Microwave Brownie Cake, so whipped up this warm cookie-style pudding instead. I have to say I have a certain satisfaction of using my nice ingredients for me, but this recipe is way too good not to share. I didn't 'taste the microwave' on this at all, and trust me I was looking, or rather, tasting for it.

Out of the oven

The texture was spongey, and I probably overcooked it by 10 seconds, but it worked. I'm feeling good.

Spoonful

I do urge you to try this recipe, even if you are a hardened cynic like me... this is one recipe that might sway you!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Microwave Pudding

Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 1 serving in a large microwave safe mug that can hold 12 fl ozStorage: batter can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, pudding can be stored covered in the fridge for up to 2 days. Best for a few seconds before serving.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp butter or mild flavoured oil, such as rapeseed
• 1 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 3 drops vanilla extract (can be substituted for a pinch of vanillinpulver, or scant 1/4 teaspoon of vanillijnsocker)
• 1 egg yolk (the white will not be used, so either reserve for up to 24 hours in an airtight container in the fridge or discard)
• pinch of sea salt (or any salt!)
• 1/4 cup baking flour (self-raising or plain are both fine)
• 2 tbsp chocolate chips (any type)

Method

1. Melt the butter in your mug in the microwave (should take less than 50 seconds on Medium power if the butter is cold). If using oil, simply add it to your mug.
2. Mix the sugars and vanilla into the butter/oil followed by the egg yolk and salt. Stir again.
3. Add the flour, and mix thoroughly until combined.
4. Add the chocolate chips, and stir to distribute.
5. Heat in the microwave on Medium power for 40 seconds.
6. Check the texture. Continue to heat in 10 second-intervals until you reach the consistency you like. I wanted a fairly firm pudding, so heated for 1.5 minutes.
7. The chocolate retains heat, so eat with caution, it's hot!

Cakey

Double Chocolate Fudge Cake Cookies

Recipe Base from Baker by Nature

I have some left over cream cheese that I want to use, and was certain I had saved a recipe on Pinterest that made some sort of black and white cookie that needed cream cheese. I had a look for it, but instead found a black and white cookie recipe that did not need cream cheese and a recipe for blueberry cheesecake cookies that I am figuring I confused in my mind.

In the oven. Magical

Although the black and white recipe seemed fairly simple, the ratios for both sides of the biscuit were not clear and I did not want to end up baking 70 biscuits.

I did a bit of browsing on my Biscuits, Cookies, and Pretzels board, and found an exciting recipe for quadruple chocolate pudding cookies, however the ingredients included cake mix that I did not have (and to be honest, would be reluctant to buy), so opted for this recipe base instead.

Hot Cake... Cookies!

The author is very particular about her methods but after a disaster attempt with coconut brittle this same day, I was grateful for her level of detail as it gave me the option to ignore or follow what I wanted to.

First Bite

The biscuits have a lovely cakey texture, and are so stuffed with chocolate and cocoa flavour that one is easily a dessert in its own right. I will be adding these to the store, post-haste!

Two bites!

Available at Samara's Baked Goods

Vegan Banana Cookies

Recipe based on Yammie's Noshery: LINK

I'm not sure how it somehow became a mild expectation, however my second year students seem to believe that at some magical point of the year I will bake something for them.

Last academic year (2014/15), I had a particularly lovely bunch of students in my second year classes, and decided to treat them the smaller class. Not out of favouritism, just unfortunate timing. I knew one of the students is a vegan, so I in order to include her, I had to ensure I made a 'young person appealing' biscuit or something that didn't include eggs.

I found a recipe on one of my favourite haunts at Yammie's, and made a few tweaks to make sure it stayed vegan, and also nut-free. I had attempted a recipe a few days earllier earlier for flourless brownie cookies, hence they were gluten free, and after attempting a vegan version of them, namely replacing eggs with bananas, I was rewarded with flat, unappealing, yet extremely yummy... things.

This time the result was a very soft, squidgy cookie. In hindsight, they were perhaps too soft and squidgy, so I will probably increase the flour content next time.

After all that, the vegan student was absent that day. Pity.

Curious little chappies

Cheeky stowaway emergency freezer cookie

Squidge!

Two different types of dark chocolate

10th December-15

I made these again for one of my smaller classes, and tried to juzz them up by adding a dollop of my homemade caramel... Before baking. As expected, it melted, making them quite unappealing appearance-wise. They tasted amazing though so I'm not abandoning the idea or these actual specimens. I consulted my ...Domestic Goddess bible by Nigella Lawson, and tried making an indent so I could fill the biscuits post-bake, but they smoothed out in the oven, so I decided to skip that extra flourish.

The taste was lovely, definitely one for the recipe collection.

Melted dark chocolate

In the tin

Fresh out of the oven

The stack

Available at Samara's Baked Goods

Pumpkin Cookies

Based on the recipe on Yammie's Noshery (LINK to be added)

Now that it is Autumn, everyone around me seems to be going crazy for pumpkins. The notion of pumpkin being used in sweet foods is a novelty for me. It wasn't a vegetable - or squash - that I grew up with.

I mean I knew what a pumpkin looked like, I wasn't oblivious about Jack o' Lanterns, but I had no idea it was but one member of a large family.
I remember bursting into somewhat unreasonable laughter at the comical butternut squash that was being bought by a supermarket customer at the store I worked at. I really had no idea what it was!

Being me, I refused to have anything be alien to me, so I strove to make squashes my friend. Butternut squashes. Not so much pumpkins.

Now I work in an international company, and as a nice way to finish the first 'quarter', they celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving that coincided with the time. Pumpkins, pumpkins everywhere! Well, it certainly felt that way.

I decided to clamber on to the bandwagon in the misguided belief that I would suddenly appreciate and love pumpkin flavour.

I tried Pumpkin Donuts (please see next post!), and found that this recipe for pumpkin cookies would conveniently use up the rest of the puree I had from my open can.

From the oven

The recipe was straightforward, nothing to complain about, however this is the second time I have tried a cookie recipe from Yammie, and my quantities vary quite widely from hers. I guess my standard cookie size is a bit bigger than hers, and she does tend to vary from type to type, although the ingredient quantities/batter size stay more or less the same.

Taster

I know I keep making the mistake of trying warm cookies, but I did it again, and found that the taste was not for me. Not the same situation for my colleagues, who really appreciated them.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess!

Hob Nobs

I came across this recipe from Lovefood.com who I subscribe to, and give various inspirations for my cooking and baking, so decided to use it as a base. LINK

I certainly felt my pedantic, 'put your money where your mouth is' side coming out, when I read the claim that these are better than the famed (and beloved) shop bought type.

Now I'm a huge advocate of DIY, however I have somehow always thought of my edible creations as satisfying a different need (treats for friends, family, and colleagues), rather than replacing a current one (I need sweet stuff, buy the shop stuff!). If that makes sense.

Anyhoo, to cut a long story short, I wanted to try these, as English biscuits (when available) are ridiculously expensive here in Stockholm, which goes against my thrifty ways, which nevertheless miraculously vanish in the face of Immediate Need.

So I did indeed try them; the ingredients and measurements are simple; a quarter of a kilo for the base of SR flour, sugar, - not specified which type, so freestyle! - butter; I used unsalted, but I think salted would be fine, and oats - I've been looking for a loose reason to use my jumbo ones, and the lack of specification let me do just that!

The instructions advise you to roll the dough out, however I felt my mixture was a bit loose (perhaps the use of jumbo oats didn't help), so I opted to shape the individual biscuits by hand. This also showed me that the mix was a bit greasy, I reckon it wouldn't hurt to reduce the butter by 20-50 g.

I made 29 biscuits in all, and they do indeed taste like the hob nobs many of us know and love, and I do give my Baking Fanatic stamp of approval: they are better than the shop bought ones!

Tin o' Biscuits

I have since tried these using a finer oat, and no other changes. They were still scrummy!

Available at Samara's Baked Goods

Swedish Butterscotch and Sea Salt Cookies

Recipe base from Not Quite Nigella (LINK)

I was drawn to this recipe as I am yet to try Swedish baking (minor crimelet as I live in Sweden), and this seemed remarkably simple. It did not disappoint! Very easy to make, tasted lovely, despite some improvisation with the ingredients; milda margarine rather than unsalted butter, ground salt instead of sea salt, vanilpulver rather than vanilla extract (the last being more authentic to Sweden, so nyeh!).

As I have a 'hasty' oven, I removed the biscuits after 10 minutes, but other than that, the instructions were followed.

They were very tasty, and as noted by Not Quite Nigella (NQN), a reward far outweighed by the effort.

Definitely one to do again! I also had two Swedes try them out, and they said they tasted authentic: result!

Easy Peasy

Oat and Raisin Cookies

Recipe base from Hummingbird Bakery book.

I have made this recipe several times, and only just realised with my last bake that I was meant to use dark brown sugar, rather than light brown.

I can't say that it has been hurt by the use of the light muscovado sugar.

They always seem to be a bit different when I make them, at least different to the image I have in my head! I don't think they have ever looked like they do in the picture. I would like to say that it is down to the non-use of dark muscovado sugar, however I am not convinced that this is the reason.

This time I added a little bit of cardamom, perhaps 1/5 teaspoon, however perhaps I would add a bit more next time, as I couldn't taste it at all.

They were still delicious.

I baked six to a tray at 170°C for 13 minutes, which was a minute longer than recommended. This was because despite flattening the ball shaped dough with the back of a wet fork, they didn't spread very far, and I wanted to ensure the centres were baked through.

The recipe said it would make 24 cookies; I made 35.
I would like to say that I am not making my Hummingbird Bakery cookie the 'correct' size, however the recipe also recommends just four baking trays, and to use just this, I would have to increase the cookies by approximately 50%, and I cannot see how six of that size would adequately fit on to the baking tray... unless my baking tray is small?? Nah, it's standard.

Batch made in a fan oven - 24 cookies exactly!

Available at Samara's Baked Goods

Brown Butter Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles

Recipe base from The Recipe Critic (LINK).

This recipe was sent to me by a colleague who I misguidedly believed was actually going to make them himself. After two or so weeks, I realised that the expectation was for me to bake them. So with some misgivings, I did.

'Why the misgivings?', I hear you cry, or more likely not. Well, firstly, I have never even heard of a snickerdoodle*, let alone know what one is meant to taste like. Secondly, the recipe involves Cream of Tartar (not commonly available as far as I know in Sweden), as well as caramel squares (after looking at the pictures, I think this is what I as a Brit, would refer to as fudge). Thirdly it requires browned butter, and after the last recipe that required this (see Triple Chocolate Merlot Bundt Cake), I was sceptical about going through the process for what I viewed as very little reward. Do Americans habitually brown butter for their baking?? I have only used it for one recipe, in which its unique flavour is key, and therefore is worth the trouble.

There! My three reasons for not doing them. I ploughed on, as once a recipe has piqued my interest, it will keep tickling my brain until I try it.

*I have since found out that a snickerdoodle is a biscuit (US cookie) rolled in cinnamon and sugar prior to baking.

Alterations to/Notes for recipe:
I had grand ideas of making my own fudge (yeah, right), so settled on that awful 'pick 'n' mix' fudge instead. I bought around 300g, which was more than enough for two batches. Upon reflection, I would get a better quality, or at least, softer fudge that would melt more readily to get the desired effect.
I used freshly ground salt that was at home - I do not think it was sea salt, however it seemed a smidgeon better than table salt.
All purpose flour is self-raising flour (not plain as I thought it would be) - 313g*
Butter - 227g
Dark Brown Sugar - used dark brown muscovado sugar - 250g
Granulated Sugar - 100g
Greek yoghurt - replaced with filmjölk (closer to buttermilk)
Cream of Tartar - replaced with white wine vinegar, added to the egg, egg yolk, filmjölk and vanilla extract
The batter was very soft when it came together, therefore was very easy to combine - I love recipes that require the butter to be soft (melted rather than browned).

First batch:
I refrigerated the batter for around an hour, and it was still very pliable and easy to handle.
I had cut the fudge into very small pieces, so used two or three pieces within the ball of dough.
After the first tray with six biscuits, that spread more than I expected, I reduced the number of biscuits per tray to four.
I think I made 20 biscuits, baking at 170°C for 9 minutes per tray.

Second batch:
Batter was refrigerated for around 6 hours, so was a lot stiffer. I would disregard the note to chill the batter overnight, as it would be impossible to work with.
Learning from the first batch, I cut the fudge lengthways into halves or thirds so that rather than using three cube-like pieces, I would use one or two slab-like pieces.
Four to a tray again, I made 21 biscuits, baking at 170°C for 9 minutes per tray.
Consistency next day, and day after that was still pleasantly chewy.
The browned butter definitely made a positive addition to this recipe.
I felt the 'rolling' sugar and cinnamon could have been reduced to 40g and 1.5 teaspoons respectively.

I may make these again, however I found them exceedingly sweet even with the contrasting salt sprinkling, so will not be rushing to make them again.

*correction! All purpose flour is plain flour. Not sure which information led me astray before!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe base from Hummingbird Bakery book

The batter was lovely and smooth, no complaints. I added more chocolate than was recommended, and I mixed white and dark chocolate rather than just dark.

I baked the cookies for 11 minutes each, and as with the Double Chocolate Chip cookies (see earlier post), I think this would have been alright with just 10 minutes as I found the biscuits a bit hard the next day.

The thing is I don't like homemade chocolate chip cookies, they always seem to taste a bit eggy to me, and this recipe was no different. I have been told about a Nigella Lawson recipe from her Kitchen book, that I may try, but I'm not sure I can be swayed on this.

The recipe should have produced 24 cookies; I managed to make 41.

Available at Samara's Baked Goods

Double Chocolate Cookies

Recipe base from Hummingbird Bakery book.

Once again, I committed the cardinal sin of melting butter and chocolate directly in the pan. I have to say, I doubt I will change this method; I'm impatient, and have no time to mess around with water-not-touching-the-bowl-above-which-will-overflow-anyway-as-I-don't-have-a-suitable-bowl faff.

I also knew that my laziness would mean that 'roughly chopped chocolate' would end up with ginormous chunks that wouldn't really work with the batter, so resorted to using chocolate chips instead. As I had about 100g of milk and dark chocolate each in chips, I used these rather than opening another bag of my precious dark chocolate chips, and convinced myself that it was alright as too much dark chocolate would be far too sweet. I also neglected to check my cupboard and didn't have enough light muscovado sugar, so topped up about 1/4 of the recommended amount with regular granulated (I wasn't going to use my hard-to-find caster sugar on this!).

The batter was very liquid, which I wasn't expecting - not sure why I didn't as the biscuits are mainly chocolate, and very little flour. Due to my aversion to sticky fingers (ironic, seeing as I love to bake), and also just the sheer impracticality of the attempt, I just used a dessert spoonful to mete out the cookies. The recipe said it should make 12, however I got 18 good sized cookies from the mixture; perhaps these were meant to be giant ones... the recipe didn't really state how large to make them, and any bigger would have resulted in more pans being used than the two that were recommended (I used three as I had 6 cookies per tray).

I found baking them for 12 minutes got them to the consistency and appearance that I thought was required, however in retrospect, 11 minutes would have probably been alright, especially to produce the chewiness that would be desirable in such a cookie.

I would definitely like to make these again.

Alongside Ginger and Oat Cookies

Available at Samara's Baked Goods

Stem Ginger and Oat Biscuits

Beautiful recipe based on Tesco.com (LINK).

Comments added as Baking Fanatic from first attempt:

Absolutely fantastic recipe! I completely agree with cookielover below; I used 1tsp of ground ginger, and half tsp of cinnamon, and it didn't hurt the recipe.
I wasn't sure what 'balls' of ginger were so I used about a fat index finger's worth - approx 2.5" - of root ginger, grated it, and squeezed the juice out through a tea strainer (not sure that clarifies anything!).

I have since looked up through the shopping list what was meant by stem ginger.

I did not bother to cube the butter seeing as it was to be melted.


Lovely chewy consistency - a much more comforting biscuit compared to the hardness and harshness of a 'regular' ginger snap. I managed to make 18 biscuits from this recipe.


Mine did not turn out as golden as the ones in the picture; perhaps my syrup was not golden enough, however I have a huge bottle to work through, so maybe I will try using some dark muscovado sugar next time to give a bit more colour... maybe replace 10 - 20g of light muscovado with dark muscovado.

Second attempt - I found Stem Ginger! Amazeballs!

The biscuits turned out lovely and chewy, however as it has been a while since the first attempt, I cannot compare the two.

They had disappeared by 9.30am in the office anyhow!

Will definitely do again.

Alongside Double Chocolate Cookies

Available at Samara's Baked Goods

ANZAC Biscuits

Combined recipes from BBC Good Food, and Lovefood.com

Personally, I was not pleased with the outcome, however I have to remember that both biscuits and cakes taste better when they are cool. Colleagues enjoyed them anyhow!
Comments made on BBC Good Food under samaraspuff

Rating: 6/10