Cooking with my Air Fryer | White Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe.

I'm on a baking roll lately. I've been baking almost twice a week, ever since I've achieved my goal of baking a cake from scratch. Maybe because I have become more confident with my baking skills (after all, it's been almost half a year since I started experimenting with my air fryer), or maybe because my son is very appreciative of my cooking - he pretty much eats (and compliments) everything I cook or bake, and he devours it with so much gusto. 

Yue requested for cookies again today, because he wanted to snack on something sweet while studying for his exams. (Yes, it's hell week again, lol!) I made Chocolate Chip Cookies for him last week, so for a change, I made White Chocolate Chip Cookies instead. This recipe is inspired by Chef RV Manabat, whose YouTube channel is a treasure trove for homecooks/homebakers like me. Thank you, Chef RV for your easy-to-follow cooking videos! :)

White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup white sugar

1 large egg 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Because I have a cookie monster at home. :)

Procedure:

1. Preheat air fryer to 170° Celsius.

2. In a large bowl, mix the butter with the white sugar and brown sugar until well-combined. 

3. Stir in the egg and vanilla until incorporated.

4. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt until well-blended. 

5. Add the white chocolate chips and walnuts and mix until the chocolates and the nuts are well-coated with the flour.

6. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture until just combined. 

7. Scoop out 1 1/2 tablespoons of the dough and place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.

8. Set your air fryer to bake mode and bake at 170° Celsius for 12-15 minutes. (Kindly make adjustments to the temperature settings if you're using a conventional oven.)

Cooking with my Air Fryer | Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe.

If there's one snack that this house never runs out of (aside from Fuji apples and yogurt drinks), it has got to be cookies. Whether it's inside the fridge, in the cookie jar, or somewhere in the pantry, there has got to be cookies at my house almost all the time. And now that I have learned how to bake them myself, there's no way that this house will run out of Yue's favorite snack henceforth.

I've made cookies from scratch a few times since I got my air fryer, and after a few tweaks in the ingredients and some adjustments in the temperature, I can finally say that I have nailed this thing. Here's how I made my Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

Procedure:

1. Preheat the air fryer to 170° Celsius.

2. Heat the butter in a small skillet until about half of it is melted. Turn off the heat and continue whisking the butter until it is melted entirely. Let the butter cool for about 3-5 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, mix the butter with the white and brown sugar until well-combined.

4. Stir in the egg and vanilla until incorporated.

5. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.

6. Mix the dough until just combined. Do not overmix!

7. Fold in the chocolate chips.

8. Scoop out 1 1/2 tablespoons of the dough and place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.

9. Set your air fryer to Bake mode and bake at 170°C for 10 minutes. Switch to Convection Broil for 3-5 minutes to make the cookies look more brown. (Kindly make adjustments to the temperature settings if you're using a conventional oven.)

Choose your mix-ins! :)

Notes:

I use unsalted butter for baking. You may use salted butter if you prefer.

You may use other variants of chocolate chips. You can use dark, semisweet, white chocolate chips, or any combination of these types.

You may also use other mix-ins such as chopped peanuts, M&M's, or chopped chocolate bars.

Foodie Goodie | Oreo Coffee Smoothie.

On regular days, I like munching on Oreo cookies while sipping a cup of my favorite coffee.
But on an awfully hot day like today (it's 33 degrees outside, my goodness!), I'd prefer to have something cold and refreshing. Something like an Oreo Coffee Smoothie - the perfect way to cool off in this sweltering heat!

Oreo Coffee Smoothie

Ingredients:
9 Oreo cookies, divided
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
2 cups vanilla yogurt (or vanilla ice cream)
1 tablespoon coffee
1/4 cup Cool Whip Whipped Topping (optional)

Procedure:
1. Crush one piece of the cookies into fine crumbs; set aside.
2. Place yogurt, milk, chocolate syrup, coffee, and remaining 8 cookies in blender container. Cover, and blend until smooth.
3. Pour evenly into 4 glasses; top with whipped topping and the reserved cookie crumbs.

As seen on Snackworks.

Foodie Goodie | Peanut Butter Blossoms.

Aside from tofu, there is another food that will always have a special place in my heart stomach. Lol. It's peanut butter. Reese's Creamy Peanut Butter, to be exact. Even my son loves it too, so I make there's always a jar in stock at home.

Aside from being a bread spread, here's another way to enjoy Reese's Peanut Butter. And it comes together another all-time favorite - Hershey's Kisses!

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup Reese's® Creamy Peanut Butter
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
48 Hershey's® Kisses® Brand milk chocolates, unwrapped
Granulated sugar (optional)

Procedure:
1. Heat oven to 375°F.
2. In large bowl, combine the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, butter, peanut butter, milk, vanilla and egg.
3. Mix with electric mixer on low speed until stiff dough forms.
4. Shape dough into 1-inch balls then roll them in sugar.
5. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
6. Bake at 375°F for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Immediately top each cookie with 1 Hershey's Kisses, pressing down firmly so the cookie cracks around edge.
8. Remove from cookie sheets and cool completely.

Foodie Goodie | Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Cooking for your loved ones on Valentine's Day? How about adding this quick and easy red velvet dessert to your menu?

Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg
2 teaspoons red gel or liquid food color (use 2 1/2 teaspoons if needed)
3/4 cups Original Bisquick™ mix
1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1 cup white vanilla baking chips (add 1/2 cup more if desired)

Procedure:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with silicone baking mats or cooking parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in vanilla, egg and food color.
4. Add Bisquick mix and baking cocoa; beat on low speed until combined.
5. Stir in chips.
6. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.
7. Bake for at least 8 minutes. (Take note - Do not bake beyond 10 minutes.) 
8. Cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes.
9. Remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.

As seen on Betty Crocker.

Happy Hearts Day, everyone! And have a great weekend, too! :)

Foodie Goodie | Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies.

It's World Nutella Day!
Yes, the Italian hazelnut-chocolate spread that we all know and love (because I don't know of a soul who does not like this sweet treat) has a special day marked in its honor. How awesome is that?!

To celebrate, I'm sharing with you one of our (my son's and mine) favorite snacks - chocolate chip cookies stuffed with Nutella. :)

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup Nutella

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a stand or electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, continue to beat until well combined.
3. Combine flour and baking soda in a bowl, then add slowly to wet ingredients along with the chocolate chips.
4. Scoop a large spoonful of dough and flatten it into the palm of your hand.
5. Add in some Nutella into the middle, about 1-2 tsp. Then fold cookie dough back up so that it seals and covers the Nutella entirely.
6. Bake for about 10-14 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
7. Remove and let cool for a few minutes before serving.

As seen on Kirbie Cravings. 

Foodie Goodie | Sweet Bunch Cookies!

'Round here, everybody loves cookies. The kids (my son and my niece) feast on them each chance they get, while the adults (me and everybody else) indulge in a piece or two after meals, oftentimes paired with a cup of coffee.

This love for cookies paved the way to my discovery of Sweet Bunch, a home-based baking business that currently opened shop on Instagram.  Owned by mompreneur Joey Gaspar, Sweet Bunch offers a wide-range of homemade goodies such as cookies, crinkles, cupcakes, and other sweet delights. These tasty treats are made-to-order and baked fresh using quality ingredients.

I had the privilege of trying Sweet Bunch's goodies, thanks to Joey's daughter, Mars. She reached out to me via email, asking if she could me some samples of her mom's products. And who am I to say no to cookies? Of course, I said yes!

This box was delivered to my doorstep last week, and inside was an assortment of Sweet Bunch products.

Thanks, Sweet Bunch!

Truly, a sweet bunch.

Here's a closer look at the goodies that I received.

Chocolate Crinkles, Php 100/pack (8 pcs).

Fudgy and chewy with just the right sweetness, Sweet Bunch's Chocolate Crinkles are tucked with a white chocolate medallion inside. An added bonus for your sweet tooth!

Chunky Choco Chips Cookies, Php 100/pack (8pcs).

True to its name, the Chunky Choco Chips Cookies were indeed chunky! Meaning, each piece contained a generous amount of semi-sweet chocolate chunks. The cookie itself was soft and chewy, much to my son's delight. He finished two pieces in one sitting, but was kind enough to leave one piece for me to enjoy. Haha!

Choco Oatmeal Cookies, Php 100/pack (8 pcs).

For those who love the combination of chocolate chips and natural oats, this one's for you. Well, it's for me, too since I'm a fan of this yummy combination myself. Sweet Bunch's Choco Oatmeal Cookies are a bit crispy on the outside, but are soft and chewy, and filled with tasty oats and chocolate chips inside.

Ghirardelli Choco Oatmeal Cookies, Php 120/pack (8 pcs).

Now here's a fun twist to the classic choco oatmeal cookie. A combination of dark sweet choco chips and 70% cacao Ghirardelli chocolates, the Ghirardelli Choco Oatmeal Cookies are quite popular among chocoholics. Not surprising, since this variant is really packed with flavor. For me, it was love at first bite!

Oreo Choco Chip Cookies, Php 100/pack (8 pcs).

Here's another interesting variant - the Oreo Choco Chip Cookies. They're pillow-like chocolate chip cookies with mini Oreos inside. It's basically a cookie within a cookie!

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies, Php 100/pack (8 pcs).

Equally delicious are the Oreo Cheesecake Cookies. They're Oreo cheesecakes transformed into cookies, with chocolate chips added in the mix.

Brookies, Php 125/pack (5 pcs).

Finally, there's the Brookies, a Sweet Bunch original. This is a 'hybrid' between a brownie - that's the chocolate-y part on top, and a cookie - the soft and chewy part on the bottom.

Feasting on Brookies!

The Brookies were so yummy that I'm thinking of ordering two or three packs of this from Sweet Bunch. Oh, and yes, they actually deliver to San Pablo City, and nationwide for that matter. Orders from Luzon are usually delivered the next day, while those in the Metro can also opt for meet-ups in specific areas (Pasig, Eastwood, MRT stations).

Ah, the good stuff. :)

Aside from these cookies, Sweet Bunch's menu also includes Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls, Chocolate Banana Loaf, Sugarless Banana Loaf, Yema Loaf, and Chocolate Cupcakes.

To know more about Sweet Bunch, like them on Facebook and/or follow them on Instagram. For orders, you can text them at 09156635555, or send them a Viber message at 09279401535. Rush orders and bulk orders are accepted, and they're open to resellers as well.