Chocolate crinkle cookies with a Rolo surprise

I love hiding edible treasures inside baked goods. The obvious perk is consuming said treats, but I also love seeing others' reactions upon biting into something unexpected. "Oohh, what a good coo....OHHHh! Is that CANDY?! CARAMEL?! WHAT IS THAT?!!" The only thing better than pleasing a friend with a holiday cookie is double pleasing a friend with a holiday cookie. 

This was my first attempt at a crinkle cookie and also my first time baking with black cocoa, which added a delicious touch of richness. If you are unable to find black cocoa, replace it with unsweetened cocoa. The cookies will still make you squeal, I promise.

Here is Day #7 of Twelve Days of Christmas Treats!

In a medium bowl, combine:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup black cocoa (substitution: unsweetened cocoa)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Mix well.

In a large bowl, combine:

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Using a hand-held mixer, mix on medium speed until smooth.

Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. 

Using your hands, pat the batter into a giant ball and wrap it up in plastic wrap.

Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours, or until completely chilled.

While your dough is chilling, unwrap 24 Rolos candies and set them aside.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

I turned around to find a gigantic chocolate tower that had been constructed by my youngest helper. Nice, Sammy!

Pour 1 cup of confectioners' sugar into a small bowl and set aside.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Scoop out a large spoonful of the dough and flatten it into a disc, using your fingers. Place a Rolo into the center of the disc.

Wrap the dough around it, forming a ball. Smooth out the creases in the dough as much as possible.

Roll the ball in the confectioners' sugar and coat completely. Do this twice! 

Repeat this process with the remainder of the dough and place on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Enjoy your weekend (and, um, these cookies)!

Printable recipe: Chocolate crinkle cookies with a Rolo surprise

Rolo-stuffed marshmallow brownies

I have started and stopped writing this post about two dozen times, for a thousand different reasons. I won't get into that, but I will tell you that I came up with this brownie recipe during a recent bout of insomnia. I woke up at 3:00 a.m. and started doing my usual stressing/worrying/thinking. I decided to turn my thoughts into something productive, so I started thinking about food! And what better food to ponder than brownies?

I have been loving the "stuffed" treats lately, so (after some pondering) I came up with the idea of brownies stuffed with one of my all-time favorite candies, Rolos. I needed just a little something extra, and roasted marshmallows seemed like the perfect thing to throw on the top.

Most treats that I make end up being shared with my coworkers. These brownies did not get shared with my coworkers. My husband and I ate the ENTIRE batch by ourselves. Every last crumb. I can't even tell you how sinfully delicious they were. 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, combine:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup light brown sugar

Add:

1 egg 

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix well.

Add the flour mixture in two batches just until combined.

Stir in a 12-oz. package of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Spread half of the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish. Top with a layer of (unwrapped) Rolos (12-oz. bag).

Top with the rest of the cookie batter and bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.

Preheat your broiler. Top the brownies with 1 1/2 cups of miniature marshmallows and place in the oven for 2-3 minutes. Keep a close eye on them, as the marshmallows will brown very quickly! I do like my marshmallows a bit on the crisp side, but you may cook them to your liking. 

Well worth being awake in the middle of the night!

Click here for a printable recipe!