Tuesday, February 16, 2010

TWD: Creamsicle Blondie Bites (aka. My Best CCC's)





Kait of Kait's Plate chose this week's TWD recipe, what Dorie Greenspan calls, "My Best Chocolate Chip Cookies" on p. 66 of Baking: From My Home to Yours.

I felt like exercising my creativity this week so I omitted the nuts, used white chocolate chunks, added 1 tbsp orange zest and baked this in mini-muffin tins. I also made sure to clock-watch obsessively so I wouldn't overbake them. The result was a Creamsicle Flavored 2-Bite Blondie! I was really pleased with the results - very moist and chewy with a slightly crispy top and just the right balance of vanilla/orange. I made regular drop cookies with the last few tablespoons of dough, but I prefer the denser, richer texture of the blondie bites.

Be sure to spray your mini-muffin tins well and to remove the bites before they are fully cooled otherwise the chocolate hardens and sticks to the pan making removal a bit of a pain. I have posted the (adapted) recipe below because I made so many changes. For the original, check out Kait's blog (link above).



Creamsicle Blondie Bites
30 bites | Adapted from Dorie Greenspan

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp orange zest (feel free to use more if you want)
2 large eggs
12 oz white chocolate chips or chunks

Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Grease 24-36 mini muffin tins.

Combine the flour, salt and baking soda. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter at medium speed for about 1 minute, until smooth. Add the sugars and beat for another 2 minutes or so, until well blended. Beat in the vanilla and zest. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients in 3 portions, mixing only until each addition is incorporated. On low speed, or by hand, mix in the white chocolate.

Press the dough into mini muffin tins. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. If they are slightly underbaked that's okay, it gives more of a moist/fudgy texture. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to rest for 5 minutes, then run a thin knife around each blondie bite and transfer to a cooling rack. Store air-tight.

16 comments:

Mary said...

Those look amazing! Wish I had thought of that--then I wouldn't have ended up with super-flat cookies. Great job, and I bet they were delicious.

Natalie said...

these look super-yummy! and as far as the little CCC plate, it's from Pier One. :)

k.a.r.e.n said...

What a neat idea. Those look delicious!

Hindy said...

What a great variation! These sound delicious.

Natalie said...

how creative! I love the creamsicle flavor...definitely going to try this sometime!

Sweetflutterbys3 said...

Oh, your blog is wonderful! I can't wait to try some of your recipes.

Thanks for visiting my blog too!

Jencrafted said...

Impressive! So creative, as always! This looks so good! I've got to try these one day! Thanks for the out-of-the-box idea. Love it!!

Katrina said...

You win for most creative, yummy changes!

Jannett said...

great idea...look so yummy.... :)

Jaime said...

wonderful adaptation!

Leslie said...

What a great twist! It totally eliminates the flat and thin problem these cookies have.

AmyRuth said...

Nicely done. I like your variation a lot. Thanks for the citrus twist.
AmyRuth

Liz said...

Cute! I love the mini muffin shape. I also love the orange zest addition. Sounds delish.

Justin said...

this sounds cool. i've got a bag of white chips in my cupboard calling my name now.

Anonymous said...

Those look great! What a fun idea.

Shandy said...

What a great combination and in muffin tins? Incredible! I love the flavors.