Here is the second recipe from the five finalists for the Second Annual AirBake Extreme Cookie Challenge, sponsored by Wearever!

Zebra-Pop Cookies
by Rebecca & Lindsey Ludens from Kalamazoo, MI

2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ cup butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups milk chocolate chips
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
7 oz. (1/2 bag) white chocolate chips
30 6-inch long lollipop sticks (can be found in the candy decorating section of any craft store)

1. Preheat over to 350°.

2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and brown sugar until completed blended.

4. Add vanilla and eggs to the sugar mixture and add the flour mixture until all ingredients are well integrated.

5. Place a sheet of parchment paper on an AirBake cookie sheet. Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to drop perfectly rounded half-circles of dough onto the paper. Before baking carefully insert a lollipop stick into each drop of dough. Twist and push the stick gently into the dough until you can feel it just about to come through on the opposite side.

6. Bake 10-12 minutes until cookies are golden brown. Let cookies cool completely.

7. Melt together the milk and semi-sweet chocolate chips in a double-boiler or in the microwave until smooth.

8. Carefully dip each cookie into the melted chocolate. Use a butter knife as needed to help spread and scrape the chocolate to completely cover each cookie smoothly. Place cookies back on a parchment paper covered tray in the refrigerator to cool completely, allowing the chocolate to harden.

9. Fill plastic decorator squeeze bottle half way with the white chocolate chips and place in a bowl of very hot water until the candy is melted and smooth. Squeeze white stripes across each chocolate covered cookie. Return cookies on the tray to the refrigerator to allow chocolate to harden.

10. To make the Zebra-Pop Cookies extra festive for a birthday party or other occasion tie a small piece of ribbon around each stick just below the cookie.

Makes 36 cookies

[image and recipe used with permission from Wearever]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

The Second Annual AirBake Extreme Cookie Challenge, sponsored by Wearever, was at FAO Schwarz in New York City last week, with a “Cookie-Off” hosted by Heroes actor Noah Gray-Cabey. The five finalists have been chosen and two of their recipes were sent to me to share with you!

Extremely Chocolatey Beaver Huts
by Jessie Grearson & Eleanor Sapat from Falmouth, ME

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup Quaker instant oats
1 Tbsp. cream or half and half
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
¼ cup white chocolate chips
¾ cup dark chocolate chips
¼ cup chopped walnuts
One Hershey’s kiss
5-6 Tbsp. Nutella
1/6 bag thin stick pretzels, some broken, for decorating huts

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. In large bowl beat together butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy.

3. In another bowl whisk together flour, cocoa, oats, baking soda and salt; stir into the butter mixture and add cream slowly, just enough to form a stiff, but well-blended dough.

4. Fold in chocolate chips and chopped walnuts (we think of these as rocks and stones).

5. Roll by large tablespoons into rough balls, about the size of a ping-pong ball (these are your mud huts) then hide a chocolate kiss “beaver” inside one cookie.

6. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes on an ungreased AirBake cookie sheet in the preheated oven until set (watch carefully).

7. After cookies cool, spread a small amount of Nutella as muddy layer over each hut and have fun adding pretzel “sticks” to the outside of each beaver hut.

Makes 20-24 cookies.

[image and recipe used with permission from Wearever]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes