Rainy Day Baking: Chocolate & Cream Cookies

Is there anything better than baking on a rainy day?  One of my favorite things to do when the weather is a little dreary, especially if said day happens to fall on a weekend, is bake up a batch of cookies.  If I'm really having my way, I'm still wearing my pj pants & there is a movie I know every word to playing in the living room.  Addams Family Values anyone?

So when all of the recent storms came through, I pulled on my trusty, worn snowflake flannels & got to work.  I decided to add white chocolate & some crushed Oreos (double stuf of course) to my go-to chocolate chip cookie.  It was a good decision.  The best decision, really.  These cookies are decadent, with a little crunch & a lotta chocolate.  

I'm normally not a huge fan of white chocolate, but it blends so well with the milk chocolate, almost mimicking the Oreo cream & cookie.  Speaking of the Oreo cream, it melts into the batter & makes for an extra special bite that melts in your mouth.  Add in a few crispy bits of crushed chocolate Oreo sandwich cookie & it's quite a treat.

Chocolate & Cream Cookies

3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 white chocolate chips
1/2 mini chocolate chips
12 Double Stuf Oreo sandwich cookies


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together butter & both sugars.  Stir in cornstarch, baking soda, salt, egg & vanilla.  Slowly mix in flour, just until incorporated.  Add in both white & mini chocolate chips, as well as the Oreo cookies, breaking each on into a couple of pieces before adding it to the mixture.  Mix just until the Oreo cookies break up & the chips are mixed throughout the dough.

Using a cookie scoop or two teaspoons, portion out cookies onto parchment lined cookie sheets, leaving a couple of inches between each cookie.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, turning halfway through.  Once baked, leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before placing on a cooling rack.

S'mores Drop Scones with Kerbey Lane Mix

S'mores Drop Scones.  What better summer treat to celebrate on this super-hot August day?

Please note that I was given Kerbey Lane Pancake Mix to use for this recipe.  As always, all thoughts & opinions are honest & my own. 

As a girl, one of my favorite things about going on camping trips as a Girl Scout was making ooey, gooey s'mores.  The sleeping in a tent part was ok & starting a fire was fun, but I loved the taste of a warm marshmallow & melty chocolate.  Best part of camping? I think so. :)  I even had a fascination with burning giant marshmallows on our gas stove as a pre-teen.  Because the only thing better than a toasty marshmallow is a crispy on the outside, liquid on the inside burnt marshmallow.  Ammiright?

These days, I prefer s'mores inspired baked treats.  Less messy & you can make them anytime.  No campfire required!

Today's treat is made even simpler, with the help of Kerbey Lane Buttermilk Pancake Mix.  If you've ever had the pleasure of eating in one of Austin's Kerbey Lane Cafes, I hope you tried the pancakes.  Light, fluffy with a hint of sweet (no syrup required!) Kerbey Lane's Buttermilk Pancakes are delicious.  Which is why I thought their easy pancake mix would make for a great base for these scones.

Man, I was right.  Along with the mallow bits (find them here) and mini chocolate chips, the pancake mix makes for a not overly sweet scone that's big on flavor, but has no added sugar.  And it pairs perfectly with a warm cup of coffee.

S’mores Drop Scones

Makes 12 - 15 large scones

1 box Kerbey Lane Buttermilk Pancake Mix

1/2 cup finely crushed graham crackers

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup mallow bits (plus extra for topping)

3/4 cup mini chocolate chips (plus extra for topping)

1 to 1 1/4 cups half and half

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Whisk pancake mix, crushed graham crackers, baking powder and salt.  Add in mallow bits and mini chocolate chips, reserving a few extras to top the scones with before baking.  Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, mix in half and half.  Avoid over-mixing, and start by adding 1 cup of half and half.  If the mix is overly dry, add a little more half and half, a tablespoon at a time.  Once everything is incorporated, take two large clean spoons & drop scones onto parchment-lined baking sheets.  Be sure to leave ample room between each scone on the baking sheet.  After portioning out scones, top with extra mallow bits and mini chocolate chips.  This is key!

Place scones in oven and bake for 14 - 16 minutes, or until golden brown.  These are best served day-of.