Turtle Cookie Balls - Valentine: I Turtle-y Love You + Printable Gift Tag

I am a sucker for a corny Valentine.  Especially if a food pun is involved.  Even though Little Devil is grown up and we are far removed from the days of school Valentines, I think I will always celebrate the day by making something fun and silly for friends and family.  In the past I've done Coca-Cola Cupcakes (Valentine I SODA Like You) Copycat Beaver Nuggets (I'm EAGER to be your Valentine) and Banana Crumb Muffins (Valentine I'm BANANAS for you).  In fact if you search "Valentine" on my blog, you'll see a lot of Valentine inspiration.  Valentine's Day is right up there with my favorite holiday: Halloween.  It's January 6th as I'm typing this and I already put out my Valentine's Day decorations.  January is dreary and boring and I'm ready for fun!   Last year, I made Turtle Cookie Balls with the theme of "I TURTLE-y Love You" and they were a huge hit.  This made a large batch for sharing and the little no-bake cookie balls were surprisingly easy to make.  They had all of the flavor of  delicious turtle candy with chocolate, caramel and pecans in a fun and giftable cookie form.   I found the cutest little containers for gifting and designed a little gift tag to go along with the theme.  Valentine's Day is right around the corner and I'm already brainstorming ideas for this years punny, funny Valentine idea so stay tuned.  In the meantime, enjoy a batch of Turtle Cookie Balls! 

These cookie balls, reminiscent of a
delicious chocolate-caramel-pecan
turtle candy are great any time, and make
an adorable gift or dessert. 

Perfect for Valentine's Day with the
theme, "I TURTLE-Y Love You"

All bagged up in the cutest Valentine 
cartons with matching gift bags.

Boxed up and ready to go.
All they need is a cute gift tag!

Feel free to use my Turtle
Valentine Gift Tag.  
Just click on the picture to enlarge
it, right click to save the image and
resize to your liking and print onto
cardstock.

Happy Valentine's Day!  
I would TURTLE-Y Love it if you made these
Turtle Cookie Balls.

TURTLE COOKIE BALLS

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
approximately 70 vanilla wafer cookies, crushed (2 and 1/3 cups)
3 tablespoons caramel ice cream topping
16 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate (or chocolate almond bark) melted for dipping
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

In a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese, crushed vanilla wafers and caramel topping until well blended.  Shape into approximately 42 (1-inch) balls.  Place on a cookie sheet and freeze for 10 minutes.  (NOTE: I used my smallest cookie scoop to help me form the balls in the same size.) Remove the balls from the freezer and using a fork or dipping tool, dip into melted chocolate.  Shake off the excess and place onto a waxed-paper lined tray.  Sprinkle with the chopped pecans before the chocolate sets up.  Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the balls to firm up before serving.

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies for National Cookie Day!

Christmas season is here and everyone is in full baking mode.  Whether it's cookie exchanges or cookies for Santa, this recipe has the true look and taste of the season.  Easy to prepare (from a boxed cake mix!) these beautifully crimson cookies dusted with powdered sugar will remind you of Santa's red velvet suit dusted with snow on Christmas Eve.  When I made these cookies, I have to admit it was for an Oklahoma Sooners Football Watch Party.  Of course they're ideal for Christmas with their red and white charm, but they're also ideal for Sooner fans whose team colors are crimson and cream.  Not to mention the Nebraska Cornhuskers.  Which speaking of the Cornhuskers, this recipe comes straight to you via my good friend Michaela at An Affair From the Heart.  When we were invited to a watch party last minute a few weeks back, I immediately went to Michaela's blog because as I've said for years, "Her recipes are tried and true and I know they will be a hit and I can make them with success and without a practice run."  These were the hit of the watch party, and I knew as soon as I made them I would be sharing the recipe with the holidays in mind. With all of the holiday festivities upcoming, be sure to check back here at The Devilish Dish for more great holiday recipes and gift ideas, and visit Michaela at An Affair From the Heart for more of the same! 

Aren't these just the cutest for a cookie tray?
They look like Santa's coat dusted in snow.

Only 4 ingredients...
So easy!

These fudgy bites are rolled in powdered
sugar just prior to baking for that sweet,
snowy look.

Ready for the oven.

These cookies capture all the colors and flavors
of Christmas.  Ideal for holiday cookie exchanges
or to give away as gifts!

Enjoy these sweet, fudgy flavorful cookies 
this holiday season.
Thanks Michaela for the recipe!

RED VELVET CRINKLE COOKIES

(From An Affair From the Heart)

1 Box Red Velvet Cake Mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper.  In a mixing bowl combine cake mix, eggs and vegetable oil until well-combined.  This will be a thick and sticky dough.  Place the powdered sugar in a bowl.  Using a small cookie scoop, scoop the dough into balls and then roll into the powdered sugar coating heavily.  Place the dough balls onto the parchment lined cooking sheets and bake for 8 minutes.  Let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.  Store in an air-tight container.  

 Makes approximately 2 1/2 dozen cookies. 

Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies - It's National Espresso Day

It's National Espresso Day, and I debated whether I wanted to post a demo of Mr. Devilish Dish making a perfect cup full of espresso at our home coffee bar, or whether I wanted to post an actual recipe.  The other night we attended a cooking class.  The chef made the most decadent chocolate sorbet an he discussed how adding instant espresso powder to recipes really amplifies the flavor of chocolate.  I've long known the addition of espresso powder to a chocolate cake recipe will make the cake even more decadent.  That's when I decided the espresso brewing demo would be another day and I would share the tastiest chocolate chip cookies with you.  What instant espresso does to enhance the chocolate flavor of a cake, does that same thing to enhance the flavor of the chocolate chips.  Think of your favorite childhood cookie, taken to the next level with the subtle hint of grown up espresso flavor.  And the sprinkle of flaky sea salt at the end enhances the flavors even more.  While these cookies are perfect alone, or with a tall glass of cold milk, they are even better with a hot cup of coffee or espresso.  Afterall, we are celebrating National Espresso Day!

The Ingredients

Steep the espresso granules in the melted butter

Strain butter through a fine mesh strainer
into the bowl of a stand mixer.

Follow the directions for making
the dough.  
THEN CHILL THE DOUGH.

Once the dough has chilled,
use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough.

Place onto parchment-lined cookie sheets
and bake.

Sprinkle with flaky sea salt
as soon as you removed the cookies
from the oven.

Cool completely on wire racks.

Enjoy with coffee.

A sweet and salty sensation,
enhanced by the addition of espresso granules.

I can't even begin to explain to you how tasty
the espresso-infused butter makes this recipe.
Celebrate National Espresso Day by 
trying it for yourself.

ESPRESSO CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter
1/4 cup instant espresso granules
3 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon espresso granules
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
12 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips
flaky sea salt such as Maldon

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.  Turn off the heat and add the 1/4 cup of instant espresso granules.  Stir well.  Cover the pan with the lid and allow the butter to steep with the espresso grounds.  Pour the butter through a fine mesh strainer in to the bowl of a stand mixer.  (Discard the espresso grounds) 

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, tablespoon of espresso grounds, baking powder, baking soda and Kosher salt.  Set aside.  

To the butter in the stand mixer, add the brown sugar and granulated sugar.  Beat together until mixture is fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time until combine.  Add in the vanilla and mix once more.

Add the flour mixture a little at a time until incorporated into the creamed butter mixture.  Once your cookie dough is combined, stir in the chocolate chips.

At this point, cover the dough and allow to chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour or over night.  Do not skip this part.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.  Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop your ball of dough onto the prepared cookie sheets.  With the size of my scoop, I placed 12 cookies per pan.  Bake 7-11 minutes (depending upon how chilled your dough is) or until the cookies are a medium golden brown.  Upon removing from the oven, immediately sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of flaky sea alt.  Allow to cool on the pan 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.  

Gluten Free Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

One of the hardest thing to give up when I went gluten-free was baked goods.  Yes there are some good baked goods out there that don't contain gluten, like my Nutella Brownies  or my Gluten Free Peach Fritters.  They are both delicious enough you would never miss the gluten.  But a lot of recipes are just so-so substitutes for the real thing.  And most of the time I don't want to make Mr. Devilish Dish eat gluten-free just because I'm craving a sweet treat.  And I'll admit most of the time I'm too lazy to make two different things just so I can have a handful of gluten free cookies.  The exception to this is when I make my Easy Peanut Butter Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches.  A simple 3-ingredient gluten free cookie, filled with ice cream and rolled in mini chocolate chips.  It is a real treat and one Mr. Devilish Dish totally enjoys because Peanut Butter Cookies are a favorite of both he and my dad.  They happen to be my all-time favorite too, but sadly, gluten filled so I don't make them much anymore.  The 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies are a tasty substitute, but face it they aren't the real deal, and they aren't the same texture.  They are absolutely wonderful as the ice cream sandwich, but I don't particularly love them as just a cookie to eat by themselves.  Mainly because I enjoy a soft, chewy peanut butter cookie.  Which I thought I would never enjoy again until now.  A few tweaks on the 3-ingredient style peanut butter cookie has resulted in a gluten free SOFT and CHEWY peanut butter cookie!  It's a 4-ingredient cookie, simple to make and the soft, chewy texture I love! I'm so excited to have a cookie that Mr. Devilish Dish, my dad and I can all enjoy.  

Only 4 ingredients

Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
AND
Gluten Free!

A cookie everyone will enjoy.

A few tweaks on a simple recipe.
The result is a wonderfully chewy cookie
that is soon to be a favorite with everybody!

Black Magic M&M Cookies

Halloween is finally here!  It's my favorite holiday of the year.  I normally go all out, but I'm so disappointed I didn't even get my decorations out.  As things would have it, we had a big ice storm in Oklahoma this week and branches and power lines are down every where, so I guess it is a good thing I did not decorate my porch to the nines like I usually do.  I do have one very lovely but lonely little white pumpkin sitting on my porch.  It was too pretty to carve, and I will probably wind up incorporating it into a Thanksgiving centerpiece for my dining table (which is currently serving as a home office for Mr. Devilish Dish.  WHAT A YEAR!) One thing that hasn't changed around here is my love of making Halloween treats for my friends and family.  With the chilly weather outside it has been a perfect time for baking.  Have you seen the M&M's Ghoul's Mix?  They are milk chocolate M&M's in zombie green, orange and my favorite color purple!  The colors are almost too pretty to eat and I knew the minute I saw them they would be ideal for Halloween baking.  I immediately envisioned them in some kind of black dessert (perfectly ghoulish!) and then I remembered my Lump of Coal Cookies from a few years ago.  They were a huge hit at the holiday season, and with lots of special dark cocoa powder the cookies actually looked like lumps of black coal without any unnatural food coloring.  I simply used the same recipe and substituted the M&M's for chocolate chips.  I just love how they turned out.  The bright M&M colors look awesome against the black cookie dough and the taste is spookily spectacular for any chocolate lover.  You still have plenty of time to whip up a batch of these cookies and I bet if you hit the stores Sunday for Happy Half-Priced Halloween Candy Day you can stock up for later too.  Have a happy and safe Halloween and eat all the candy you want...

Deep, Dark Devilish Dough 
with M&M's Ghoul Mix candies...
The perfect Halloween combination!

Check out how dark the batter is.
That's dark cocoa powder and not
food coloring.  

The M&M's bright colors look great
mixed into the black batter.

All bagged up and ready for gifting...

This deep, dark black dough is definitely
Black Magic!

Happy Halloween from The Devilish Dish!

Hatch Green Chile Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adding Hatch Green Chiles to a dessert might sound unusual, but I know for a fact it works!  Several years ago Mr. Devilish Dish and I taught a cooking class and the theme was "Do You Know the Way to Santa Fe?" Because you KNOW I do!  Whenever he taught classes, he always tasked me with the part of coming up with a dessert and presenting that during the class.  He once taught a Tailgating themed class called "Gridiron Gourmet" and I came up with my Browned Butter Pumpkin Pie Spiced Rice Krispie Treats as the dessert.  In keeping with the Santa Fe theme I made Hatch Green Chile Peach Cobbler and it was the hit of the entire class.  You may have noticed I've been absent from the Devilish Dish for the last several weeks.  I wish I could say it's because we were out having fun in our new boat, but alas I was sick the entire month of August.  I'm still recovering from pneumonia, and just getting back into the kitchen the last few days.  I've missed cooking and baking so much.  We've even had a few days of below average temperatures, which really make me feel like baking, so I was finally inspired to get back in the kitchen.  Plus it's time for the famous chile harvest in Hatch New Mexico.  We used to visit every Fall to load up on chiles.  Then we found out there was a chain of grocery stores in Texas that would import the chiles and roast them every August so we would head down to Dallas.  Recently a local grocery store chain here in Oklahoma celebrates the harvest by roasting the peppers on site, so we stocked up our freezer locally, at the end of last month so we can make Greg's Famous Green Chile Stew all winter long.  Since Hatch Chiles mean Fall to me, I'm excited to incorporate them into my recipes.  It's still a little hot for a batch of stew, but I was reminiscing with Mr. Devilish Dish about that Hatch Chile Peach Cobbler and decided to try another savory sweet combination.  The cookies were a total success!  The chiles are not a dominant flavor.  They just add a subtle hint of warmth and make you wonder what exactly is in the cookie besides chocolate chips.  I added a little cinnamon too, because the warmth from that is a great compliment to the warmth and savoriness of the chiles.  I also used vanilla bean paste (a little more than you would in a regular chocolate chip cookie) because I wanted an extra boost of sweetness to balance out the savory flavor of the chiles.  Finally I used Ghirardelli Chocolate Chips because I have to.  Our dog is named Ghirardelli "Elli" lol.  Don't be afraid to mad science a little in the kitchen.  Those delicious Hatch peppers aren't just for stew.  Ring in the Fall season and enjoy the flavors of the chile harvest in cookie form! 

Don't be afraid to try the unusual!
Hatch Green Chiles aren't just for stew...

Be sure to use
quality ingredients in this.
Real roasted Hatch Chiles and
Ghiradelli Chocolate Chips

Bake up a batch today.
You won't be disappointed.

The warmth from the chiles and cinnamon
is a great compliment to the sweetness
of the vanilla bean paste and chocolate chips.
I LOVE the Nielsen MasseyVanilla Bean Paste!

These won't last long I promise!
You'll enjoy watching everyone try to figure
out what makes this cookie so different.

Oatmeal Cookies (No Raisins!)

Whenever my father-in-law has a birthday, or other special occasion, Little Devil makes him Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, which she thought was his favorite.  Finally my Mother-In-Law let her in on a little secret:  He hates raisins.  Loves Oatmeal Cookies.  Not Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.  When Little Devil first started baking (which was many years ago) she asked if I had a go to Oatmeal Cookie recipe.  Now I don't like Oatmeal or Raisins so that answer is No.  But thankfully my friend Michaela from An Affair From the Heart made me the most treasured, beautifully handwritten book full of her family favorites.  It is one of my most used cookbooks, because it features tried and true recipes from both sides of her lovely family.  This recipe comes from Michaela's Mom, or Grandma Jane as they refer to her.  It's Jane's Recipe, with one little tweak:  No Raisins!

Papa Bear's Favorite Way...

Scoop onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake until light golden brown.
Don't over bake,
So they will stay chewy!

We even made a sign so he would know
we left out the raisins just for him!

Oatmeal Cookies (NO Raisins)

Adapted from: An Affair From The Heart


1/2 cup shortening
1/2 unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups oatmeal
(raisins optional)

In the bowl of an electric mixer cream shortening and butter together.  Add sugars until creamy.  Add eggs and vanilla.  In a separate bowl combine flour, salt and baking soda.  Add to the creamed mixture until blended.  Fold in oatmeal.  Scoop onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 9 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Leprechaun Shortbread Bites

Shortbread is a traditional sweet biscuit with bewitching flavor.  It's usually just made with three ingredients: flour, sugar and butter.  They come together in a magical combination.  With something so enchanting, it seems only appropriate to adapt it to a St. Patrick's Day treat.  Cutting the shortbread into little "leprechaun-sized" bites and tinting them with green sparkling sugar is the consummate way to lure a leprechaun into your trap!  

A magical treat to share with
some lucky friends.

You'll have no trouble trapping
a leprechaun with these little bites
of biscuit.

Buttery, flaky shortbread bites
with a hint of green.

Lure your own leprechaun or share
these magical treats with some lucky friends!

Here are some adorable gift tags if
you want to share your Leprechaun Shortbread Bites.
Click on the image to enlarge.
Right click and save to your computer.
Open with the software of your choice
and print onto cardstock. These images are my exclusive artwork.
Please be courteous when using these printables
and remember they are for personal use only

You might enjoy some of my other St. Patrick's Day
treats like Lucky Charms Bars...

Or Homemade Peppermint Patties
for St. Patties Day!