Giant Chocolate Fudge Peanut Butter Chip Cookie

Deciding on the first recipe to post to this blog was not easy for me. I have lots of tried and true Hoosier Cooker :go to" recipes that I find on sites like Food.com, Big Oven, and magazines like Martha Stewart, Good Housekeeping, Cooks Illustrated and Real Simple. I will do my best to credit any recipes I can re-locate. Many of them are stored in my head and I could not begin to tell you where they came from or I've altered the original. Please know up front that my intent is to share recipes I make in my kitchen that are easy and "do-able" from any home, not to take credit for another's recipe.

So, now that we have made that clear, what should I do first? Should I do a fancy main course dish? Perhaps an appetizer or a local favorite sandwich? I decided on to begin with one of my personal favorites in taste and easy to get to table readiness.

May I present, the Giant Chocolate Fudge Peanut Butter Chip Cookie.  This recipe is based on a basic cake mix cookie recipe you can find all over the web or in magazines and cook books. This one is so easy  that you can even teach your kids to make them. My daughter Gillian, who will be four next month loves to help me in the kitchen. These are also so good that you will not believe it only took you a few minutes to make them.


Warning: You may want to have a tall glass of cold milk close at hand, because these cookies are very rich.
If you are a fan of a fudge type brownie and peanut butter; quick, LEAVE NOW, because you will become completely addicted. These are so easy that your waist line WILL suffer if you make them too often.

Begin by pre-heating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Then  gather these  four simple ingredients: (1) box Betty Crocker Chocolate Fudge Super Moist cake mix. You can use any chocolate or devil's food cake mix, but this is what I prefer. You'll also need about 2/3 cup or half of a 10 oz bag of Peanut Butter Chips.I used Reese's here. Next is 1/2 Cup of Pure Vegetable Oil .I use Crisco, and finally two large eggs.

You will also need to gather your utensils, and kitchenware. I use a Pampered Chef classic batter bowl, and their classic scraper for mixing. The reason I like these is that you won't over mix using a scraper as you might with a mixer, and if something happens while I'm making them with the kids, I can just put the lid on and stick it in the fridge. You can use any bowl and any spatula or a even a big spoon if necessary. You'll also need a couple of cookie sheets and a spring lever ice cream dipper. Once you have that, you're ready to "throw" these babies together.


Step One: Pour your mix into the glass bowl.

Step Two: Break two eggs and pour into the well.

Step Three: Pour the 1/2  cup of oil into the well.

Step Four: Stir it up and pour in your 1/2 bag of chips! It will be thick and resist the urge to pour in the whole bag of chips. I've tried that and your cookies will not hold together the way you want them to if you do that. Use the scraper/spatula to go around the bowl's edges and don't forget the bottom.

Step Five: When the batter is ready it will look about like fudge. It should be very thick with a shiny coating from the oil. Now you are ready to dip one even ice cream dipper on to your cookie sheets. These will spread out to be GIANT, so you will only put 6 on one typical 9 x 13 pan.

Step Six : Bake the Cookies for 11 minutes and 30 seconds on 350 degrees. You will begin to smell them just before it is time for them to come out. This will make a soft, chewy cookie. If you prefer a crisper cookie, you'll want to go for 13 to 15 minutes. I recommend the soft ones! Once you take them out of the oven, let them sit on the pan for 1 minute and then transfer them to a cooling wrack.

This recipe will yield one dozen cookies using a typical ice cream scoop. If you want smaller cookies with a higher yield, use a tablespoon or mini scoop. This recipe produces a cookie that fits perfectly in the center of our every day saucer so it is the perfect casual dinner dessert.

There you have it! Sin on a plate. Don't forget the glass of milk! So easy, but so good.

Using this same easy cake mix cookie recipe, you can experiment with other favorite cookies. Carmel Cake mix from Duncan Hines with Nestle Semi-Sweet chips makes a great chocolate chip. Throw in some pecans or walnuts if you like it that way. I typically add 1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract to those.

Try yellow cake mix and roll in cinnamon and sugar for snicker doodles. Add 1/2 tsp of almond extract to the recipe made with a white cake mix and when cook you can ice and decorate with  butter cream icing for an old fashioned iced sugar cookie. My friend Scott likes me to use lemon cake mix and roll them in powdered sugar before baking for him. The only one I don't really recommend is the Red Velvet. They taste good but the color comes off on your hands when you are eating them. Unless you want to pass out gloves to those eating them, it's just not the best choice.


The possibilities are as big as your imagination. I guarantee this will soon become one of your favorite easy go to cookie recipes. Enjoy!




Recipe:
1 box chocolate fudge cake mix
2 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup or 5-6 oz. of peanut butter chips

* Hand mix ingredients together and dip with ice cream scoop on to two cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for eleven minutes and thirty seconds. Let the cookies cool on the pans for one minute before transferring to a cooling rack. Cool completely before eating.