Double Chocolate Cookies with Cadbury Eggs

I don’t like very many packaged chocolate candies because I think they are all kinda waxy and flavorless, but there is a very special place in my heart for milk chocolate mini Cadbury eggs. Every Spring I buy a couple of bags from the drugstore, but they never last very long…The shell is so thin and crisp, the chocolate isn’t horrible, they are pastel and speckly, and once the bag is open I can’t stop eating them.

They are also incredibly delicious, and adorable baked into cookies. I don’t know if I’ve ever gotten as many comments as I did on the photo of these cookies I posted on Instagram today. So, I am here, giving the fair people of Instagram their cookies! You could really sub Cadbury eggs in just about any cookie recipe that calls for chocolatey mix-ins, but they are super tasty in these chocolaty cookies. I bet they would be great in brownies or blondies too…

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CADBURY EGG COOKIES

adapted from ambitiouskitchen.com

makes about 3 dozen.

I’m a milk chocolate fan so that’s what I used here, you could surely use the Royal Dark Mini Cadbury eggs in these cookies or a combo of milk and dark or 1/2 chocolate chips and half eggs. Be free!

2 cups all purpose flour

2/3 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon espresso powder

1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

15 ounces Cadbury eggs (from 2, 10oz bags)

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder together.

Chop 1/2 of the Cadbury eggs into smallish pieces, rough quarters is about right. Some of the shells will fall off, don't worry about it.

In a large bowl whisk the butter and brown sugar together until smooth, add the eggs one at a time and mix until smooth. Add the vanilla.

Stir in the flour mixture followed by the chopped Cadbury eggs. Roll the dough into rounded tablespoon sized balls and place them 2-inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Press a couple of whole Cadbury eggs into the surface of each dough ball.

Bake until just set, about 9-11 minutes, rotating the pans from front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking. Repeat until all of the dough is used.

Orange Blossom Scented Baklava

I shared this recipe for baklava scented with the slightest bit of orange flower water (sometimes called orange blossom water) over on my Food52 column last week. I thought you all might like it too so I'm sharing it here. It's such a tasty recipe, and makes a ton of cookies that keep for a while. You can even freeze them!

My version of baklava is mostly traditional - packed full of buttery layers of phyllo pastry filled with walnuts and pistachios, but I added a few non-traditional extras to the syrup that is poured over the top. A split vanilla bean adds another layer of sweetness (and beautiful little seeds), and just a bit of orange flower water perfumes the cookies just slightly. If you are not a fan (or can’t find) the orange flower water a bit of cinnamon or cardamom is great in the syrup too.

For easy serving, transfer the individual pieces of baklava to cupcake liners or squares of parchment paper, then keep them in an airtight container at room temperature. Baklava can also be frozen, baked or unbaked. Just let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving or baking. 

Orange Blossom Scented Baklava

Makes one 9- by 13-inch pan, about 36 cookies

Syrup

1 cup sugar

1 cup mild honey

1 vanilla bean, split

1 cup water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon orange blossom water

Baklava

8 ounces shelled pistachios, plus a few more to garnish

8 ounces walnuts

3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

pinch salt

1 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 pound phyllo dough, thawed and at room temperature

To make the syrup: Bring the sugar, honey, vanilla bean, and water to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stirring occasionally, boil the mixture until it reduces to a slightly syrupy consistency, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and orange flower water and set the syrup aside to cool. Remove the vanilla bean pod when cool.

To make the baklava: Preheat oven to 350° F and butter a 9- by 13-inch baking pan. Trim the phyllo sheets so they will fit in the pan.

In a food processor, coarsely grind the pistachios and walnuts. Add the sugar, spices, and a pinch of salt and pulse to combine.

Line the pan with one sheet of phyllo dough and brush it with butter, repeat 5 more times. Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture over the top. Top with 6 more sheets of buttered phyllo dough, followed by 1/3 of the nut mixture. Top with 8 sheets phyllo dough, buttering in between each layer. ((Your grand total of sheets: 6 + 6 + 6 + 8.) Brush the top of the phyllo with butter and trim any overhanging edges.

Use a sharp knife to cut 6 lengthwise strips through the top layer of the dough. Slice each strip diagonally into about 6 diamond shapes.

Bake the baklava until golden brown and crisp, 45 to 55 m inures. Remove the pan to a rack and carefully cut through the scored lines. Pour the cooled syrup over the hot baklava. Let sit for a few hours before digging in. Sprinkle with additional chopped pistachios. Store covered, at room temperature for up to one week.