January 2015 Recipe

Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Cookie Cupcakes

Yield: 16 cookie cupcakes

Prep Time: 25 min

Cook Time: 15 min

Ingredients:

COOKIES:

1 1/2 cups All Purpose Gold Medal® Flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 large egg 2 cups quick-cooking oats 6 ounces dark chocolate bar, chopped into chunks (or use chocolate chips)

You can throw in a handful of toasted, chopped walnuts

GANACHE (optional): 2 ounces dark chocolate bar, chopped into chunks (or use chocolate chips) 1/2 tablespoon cream (whipping cream or heavy whipping cream)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 16 muffin tins with nonstick spray.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to mix the sugar and butter until well-combined. Mix in the vanilla and egg. Then mix in the flour and the oats. Stir in 6 ounces of the chopped chocolate. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling each almost full. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, or until the cookie cupcakes are fairly well set and no longer squishy when touched. Remove the cookie cupcakes from the oven and let them cool completely. My best method for removing them cleanly from the pan is to refrigerate the cupcakes in the pan until cool, then use a sharp knife to edge the cookies out of the tins.

4. If you're adding the ganache, combine the chocolate and cream in a small bowl and microwave just until hot. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Carefully spoon the ganache into a zip baggie, snip a small hole in the corner of the bag, and drizzle ganache onto each cookie cupcake. Store the cookie cupcakes in a single layer in a covered container at room temperature (or in the freezer).