Hey, y'all! Let's chat a minute about two of my favorite flavor combinations! Strawberries and white chocolate!! Oh My!! Seriously though, when strawberries are at their prime - big, red, juicy, sweet strawberries - is there anything better? Wanna hear how my love affair with white chocolate started many, many years ago? There used to be a great department store in downtown Knoxville, TN named Miller's (No relation, Lol). It was one of the fancier stores around and we only went there when they were having HUGE markdowns. The first time I went with Mama I was admiring all the beautiful items on display when what do I spy? A candy counter!! I had never seen an actual candy counter where they weigh the candy and all that. I was in awe! Mama bought us a small bag of white chocolate stars. One bite and I was hooked for life.
Photo credit: The Department Store Museum
http://www.thedepartmentstoremuseum.org/2011/06/miller-inc-knoxville-tennessee.html
Fast forward several years, I was browsing cookie recipes for some Valentine's treats and found a version of this cookie. It met all my requirements.
It combined strawberry flavor and white chocolate.
It was super easy and budget friendly.
It had a beautiful pink color that would be perfect on my Valentine's treat tray.
So, I started experimenting with it and my taste testers decided this is the version they liked best. The secret is the strawberry extract - gives it that extra strawberry punch!
Now, please, don't limit these to your Valentine's treats rotation only. They are delish anytime of the year. And you can switch out the cake mix flavors and the chips. You could even use little candies or nuts in place or in addition to the chips. The possibilities are endless!
Let's whip up a batch of these cookies! Here's the ingredients that you will need:
15.25 oz box of Strawberry Cake Mix (I prefer the Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker.)
2 eggs, room temperature
1 cup white chocolate chips (
plus a little extra to add after the cookies have baked - a little baker's secret...ssshhh don't tell)
2 tsp strawberry extract
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat and set aside.
Next, whisk together your cake mix and baking powder,
Now, combine your eggs, oil and strawberry extract.
Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture and mix it well. Fold in the white chocolate chips and grab a small cookie scoop or a couple of spoons. Or, heck, a large cookie scoop if you wanna make jumbo ones. I am gonna stick with the small scoop today.
Scoop the cookie dough onto your prepared cookie sheets. Bake for approximately 10 minutes. The only tricky thing about this recipe is the timing. All ovens differ and the weather can also affect cooking times. These little luscious treats will look like they aren't "done" yet and will be really soft. That's okay, they will firm up some as they cool.
The tops of the cookies will have a slightly cracked appearance. They are really quite lovely. But wait, there's more (cue the television commercial spokesperson)...here's the bakers secret. See the two pans of cookies in the picture below. The pan on the right is the winner, winner. When you bring your cookies out of the oven, lightly push a few extra chips into the cookies to make them look fuller and more professional. And, of course, to add more white chocolate! Yes!
I love easy desserts!! I like to gift my Framily (Family and Friends) lots of treats so I am always working on quick, easy, budget-friendly and delicious recipes. Try these and try them in other flavor combinations and let me know which are your favorites. I can't wait to hear from you.
Here's a few little tips that I have learned the hard way.
Don't overbake. It is crucial. 10-11 minutes is perfect in my oven. If you see they are starting to brown around the edges, it is definitely time to take them out. May have to experiment with a batch or two in your oven. Practice makes perfect and almost everybody will help you out by being a taste tester. If you can't find one - give me a holler!
These cookies do flatten out quite a bit so be sure to leave plenty of real estate on the cookie sheet for them to spread and not run together.
These cookies are kinda fragile. They definitely would not be a good choice to ship. Be careful with the little beauties. You will not be disappointed.
If you aren't already following me on social media, please head on over to Facebook and Instagram and get to know our community there! I am looking forward to seeing you there. When you make these delish cookies, please take a picture and tag me on social media. Yes, that does sound like fun! Let's do it! #ADashOfSouthernGrit @adashofsoutherngrit.
Take care, Y'all!
Till we dash again, xoxo
Jeanie
Comments