Category Archives: Dessert

The Science behind Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dessert, Fun Stuff January 6, 2026 Leave a comment

This article was originally published on Facebook several years ago, the author is unknown. I wanted to share it on my website, www.KitchenMoxy.com for my own reference, and because the article is brilliant, and because science explains why there are so many different kinds of chocolate chip cookies, such as soft, chewy, overcooked, undercooked (the best), hard, and crispy. You might assume that everyone who makes chocolate chip cookies follows a similar recipe, but that is not the case. I have a recipe that I have used for 40 years, and my family always requests it when I bake cookies. This recipe results in cookies that are soft, chewy, and delicious. It includes a box of instant vanilla pudding mix and baking soda, but no baking powder. The article explains the science behind how these ingredients influence the cookie’s texture. I encourage you to experiment with different recipes and find your favorite type of cookie.

Here, relying on the experts’ help and based on the classic Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe:

  • Ooey-gooey: Add 2 cups more flour.
  • A nice tan: Set the oven higher than 350 °F. degrees (maybe 360°F.). Caramelization, which gives cookies their nice brown tops, occurs above 356°F. degrees.
  • Crispy with a soft center: Use 1/4 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda.
  • Chewy: Substitute bread flour for all-purpose flour.
  • Just like store-bought: Trade the butter for shortening. Note that this ups the texture but reduces some flavor; I suggest using half butter and half shortening.
  • Thick (and less crispy): Freeze the batter for 30 to 60 minutes before baking. This solidifies the butter, which will spread less while baking.
  • Cakey: Use more baking soda because it releases carbon dioxide when heated, which makes cookies puff up.
  • Butterscotch flavored: Use 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar (instead of the same amount of combined granulated sugar and light brown sugar).
  • Uniformity: If looks count, add one ounce corn syrup and one ounce of granulated sugar.

Note: Chilling the dough for at least 24 hours before baking deepens all the flavors.

Edible Glitter

Dessert, Fun Stuff December 5, 2025 Leave a comment

Who doesn’t need edible glitter for holiday baking decorations? If you run out of sprinkles for your holiday cookies I came across this recipe and you can make all the colors of the rainbow. Have fun and happy baking! 

 Try this:

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup Sugar
  • 1/2 Teaspoon of food coloring

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. degrees
  2. Mix sugar and food coloring together
  3. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Salted Caramel Cinnamon Cookie

Dessert December 1, 2025 Leave a comment

An amazing cookie with a salted caramel finish. Add to your cookie menu for the holidays or just enjoy throughout the year for a special treat.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup butter
  • 3/4 cup of brown sugar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tarter
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 1 egg
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1-1/2 cup of flour
  • ¼ teaspoon of sea salt
  • 1/2 cup caramel squares, cut into quarters.

Cookie Finish

  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
  • Coarse Sea salt for sprinkling

Directions

  1. In a medium sized bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, cinnamon, and set aside.
  2. To brown the butter, heat a medium saucepan to medium high heat. Add the sliced butter. It does not take long for the butter to begin browning on the bottom. When the butter begins to froth, watch carefully and stir. Once the butter turns light brown, remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. The butter will burn fast, so don’t walk away.
  3. While the butter is cooling, cut the caramel squares into quarters and set aside
  4. In a stand mixer, combine the brown butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar. Mix until blended and smooth.
  5. Beat in egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients until combined.
  6. Form the dough into a ball and cover with plastic. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
  7. Once you are ready to bake preheat the oven to 350°F.
  8. Measure about 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball, or use a cookie scoop.
  9. Flatten and place a quartered caramel square on top, wrap the cookie dough over the caramel and roll back into a ball.
  10. Mix ¼ cup sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and roll each cookie in the mixture. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet 2 inches apart.
  11. Flatten slightly with a fork, and sprinkle lightly with coarse sea salt
  12. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges turn light brown. The centers will be soft. Allow it to cool for 2-3 minutes and transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Old Fashioned Nuns Puffs

Bread, Breakfast, Dessert November 30, 2025 Leave a comment

A light, tender pastry that can be filled like a cream puff or eaten “as is” drizzled with

honey. They are so easy to make and you won’t be disappointed. They are not cake, a muffin, or a doughnut.  They are sunken after baking but oh so moist and delicious I guarantee you won’t eat just one.

INGREDIENTS

  • ½ cup butter
  • ¾ cup flour
  • 1 cup of milk
  • 4 eggs

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375°F. degrees

  1. Heavily grease 12 muffin cups, be sure to grease the tops and edges.
  2. Melt the butter in a saucepan.
  3. When the butter is melted, add the milk and bring to a boil.
  4. Add flour all at once and stir until a ball forms and does not fall apart.
  5. Remove from heat for 5 minutes.
  6. After 5 minutes, add one egg at a time and beat with a wooden spoon for one minute.
  7. Continue with each egg beating with wooden spoon for a minute.
  8. Divide the batter between each muffin cup.
  9. Sprinkle the top with sugar.
  10. Bake for 30 minutes.
  11. Remove from oven and remove buns from muffin tin.
  12. Drizzle with honey and enjoy while warm.

Moist Banana Nut Bread You’ll Love

Bread, Breakfast, Dessert November 28, 2025 Leave a comment
Banana Streusel Bread

There are so many recipes for Banana Nut Bread and truthfully, they are all pretty good. I found this recipe about 10 years ago and discovered it is hands down the best recipe I have ever made for Banana Nut Bread, moist, dense with an intense banana flavor highlighted by toasted walnuts or pecans and a cinnamon streusel topping.

Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup butter, softened
  • 1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened
  • 2 cups of sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 cups of all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 with dark spots)
  • 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts or pecans
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. Beat butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy
  2. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy
  3. Add eggs one at a time, beating until just blended after each addition
  4. COMBINE flour and next three ingredients
  5. Gradually add butter mixture at low speed until blended
  6. Add bananas, vanilla and nuts
  7. Spoon batter into two greased and floured 8 x 4-inch bread pans
  8. Top with streusel topping
  9. Bake for 1 hour in a 350°F. degree oven or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and sides pull away from pan.
  10. Cool pans on wire rack for 10 minutes and remove from pan
  11. Cool completely before slicing

STREUSEL TOPPING

Stir together ½ cup firmly packed brown sugar; ½ cup chopped toasted nuts; 1 tablespoon melted butter; 1 tablespoon flour; 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon. Sprinkle over batter before baking. It may be necessary to cover the last 15 minutes with foil to prevent overbrowning.

Moist Glazed Rum Cake for Holiday Desserts

Dessert November 1, 2025 Leave a comment
Moxy's Glazed Rum Cake

Moxy’s Glazed Rum Cake

I have made this delicious, moist, Bacardi rum cake on many occasions. It makes a dramatic ending to a holiday dinner or any meal. Use dark rum for this cake. After the cake is baked and cooled, spoon about a cup of rum glaze onto the cake. Continue to spoon and spread on cake until absorbed.

After the glaze has had time to soak into the cake, add about a cup of confectioner’s sugar to the remaining glaze to thicken. Drizzle the thickened glaze over the cake for a beautiful presentation. This cake is like eating a big glazed doughnut.

Ingredients
• 1 package yellow cake mix (You just use the cake mix as is, do not add other ingredients listed on cake box.)
• 1 small package of vanilla instant pudding mix.
• 4 large eggs
• 1⁄2 cup cold water
• 1⁄2 cup cooking oil
• 1⁄2 cup dark Bacardi rum

Ingredients for Glaze
• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 1⁄4 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup to ½ cup of dark Bacardi rum

Directions:
1. Stir together cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, oil and rum.
2. Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-cup Bundt pan
3. Bake at 325 in oven for 1 hour.
4. Cool 10 minutes in pan.
5. Invert onto serving plate and prick top with a skewer.

Make Glaze
1. Melt butter in saucepan.
2. Stir in water and sugar.
3. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Remove from heat.
5. Stir in rum.
6. Brush glaze evenly over top and sides of cake.
7. Allow cake to absorb glaze.

Icing

1. Add a cup of Confectioners’ sugar to the remaining glaze. 
2. Drizzle on top of cake until all the icing glaze is gone.
3 Sprinkle with chopped pecans or walnuts (optional).

Maple Bacon

Appetizers, Breakfast, Dessert, Dinner Ideas, Fun Stuff April 24, 2014 Leave a comment

maple baconMaple glazed bacon, who doesn’t love the smell and taste of bacon, dress it up with a coating of pure maple glaze and you have a gourmet dish or appetizer. Glazed maple bacon can add a savory note to desserts, just crumble the bacon into maple flavored frosting for cupcakes.  Or consider sweet and savory appetizers; wrap maple bacon around sweet potato slices, or asparagus before baking. Wrap around prawns or cream cheese stuffed jalapeno peppers, or small smokey links before baking. Maple syrup adds a sweet note to thick-cut bacon slices, which are obviously delicious served right  alongside pancakes, eggs or waffles.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup maple syrup (use the real stuff)
  • 12 slices good-quality thick-cut bacon
  • coarse ground pepper (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

  1. Pour the maple syrup into a shallow bowl and give each bacon slice (both sides) a generous dip in the syrup.
  2. Lay the bacon on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with pepper if desired.
  3. Bake for 20 minutes. Flip the bacon over and bake until it is crisp at the edges and caramelized on the bottom, another 10 to 15 minutes.*Note: this cooking time is depending on the thickness of your bacon, keep an eye on it while baking so it does not burn, especially if using a thinner bacon.
  4. Remove the baking sheet from the oven.
  5. Lift the slices from the liner so they don’t stick after cooling. Cool for about a minute, transfer to a long platter to serve.

Stuffed Banana Bites

Dessert, Fun Stuff August 22, 2013 Leave a comment

Don’t these little morsels look positively delicious, and they are pretty too! Found the recipe on Facebook.Banana Pic1 The treat prior to serving, but I think freezing them would also work. Great for an after school healthy snack, after dinner dessert, a buffet dessert table – well you get the picture. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

  • Straight 6” bananas (cut them into 3” sections)
  • Stuffing; Options: Creamy peanut butter, whipped cream, or marshmallow fluff
  • Chocolate chips – any flavor you want to dip your banana into, chocolate, white chocolate, peanut butter, cherry etc.
  • Chopped nuts or sprinkles

Directions:

  1. Try and find bananas with little to no curve for best results.
  2. Peel and slice off the ends of each banana. Cut the banana into about two 3″ long pieces.
  3. Stand your banana bites up on their flat, cut side.
  4. Hollow out the center using a straw
  5. Be sure not to go all the way down, leaving about a half inch banana, unhallowed, at the bottom.
  6. Melt your chocolate according to the package, pour your melted chocolate into a small, deep bowl.
  7. Dip the bottom half of your banana bites into the melted chocolate and roll in chopped nuts or sprinkles.

Banana Pic 2

    • Stand up on wax paper to dry. Refrigerate until chocolate has set and dry.
    • Once dry, remove the bananas from your refrigerator.
    • Transfer the peanut butter or marshmallow fluff to a pastry bag or a zip lock bag with the corner snipped off, and pipe it into your hollowed out bananas.
    • Enjoy!

Candy Corn Shots

Appetizers, Dessert, Fun Stuff July 30, 2013 Leave a comment

candy corn shotsWhat another great idea for an adult Halloween party or just a Fall cookout!  They are so pretty and can be paired up with the Caramel Apple Shots posted earlier.  If you know you saw a recipe and cannot find it – email me and I will send it to you.

Ingredients:

Directions:

  1. Cut the oranges in half and hollow them out.

For the orange layer:

  1. Boil one cup of water and stir in the orange jello.
  2. Once dissolved, remove from heat and add 1 cup of Cointreau.
  3. Pour the mixture into the orange peels, filling halfway.
  4. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours, until firm.

For the white layer:

  1. Add 1/2 cup of water, 1/2 cup coconut milk, Knox gelatin, and sugar to a saucepan.
  2. Over medium heat, stir until gelatin and sugar are dissolved.
  3.   Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup Cointreau.
  4. Pour mixture on top of orange jello layer and refrigerate overnight.
  5. With a sharp knife, cut the orange halves in eighths.

Serve.

Caramel Apple Shots

Appetizers, Dessert, Fun Stuff July 30, 2013 Leave a comment

apple shotsFall is around the corner at least in this part of the country where mornings are now in the 50’s and the day time temp reaches 80.  I saw this awesome recipe on Facebook and followed the link to a blog called “That’s Michelle.”  http://www.thatssomichelle.com  How much fun for an adult picnic or Halloween party?

Ingredients:

  • 10 small Granny Smith apples
  • 1 envelope knox gelatin (unflavored)
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup coconut milk
  • 2 drops yellow food coloring
  • 1 envelope of Land o Lakes Caramel Hot Chocolate
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ½ cup butterscotch schnapps
  • Lemon juice

 Directions:

1.      Halve your apples and hollow them out cutting from the stem down.  Use a spoon to hollow the applies. 

2.      After hollowing out your apples halves – spritz lemon juice on the halves, covering completely – or dip into lemon juice to prevent browning.

3.      Mix ½ cup water with the envelope of caramel hot chocolate in a medium sized sauce pan, whisk to be sure all ingredients are combined.

4.      Add ½ cup of coconut milk, whisk again

5.      Add ¼ cup sugar and simmer slightly until sugar is dissolved and combined with mixture

6.      Add food coloring until you get the caramel color you desire (2 drops)

7.      Let mixture cool to warm, pour in ½ cup of butterscotch schnapps.

8.      Place apple halves on a rimmed cookie sheet and pour the caramel jello mixture into the apples. Refrigerate overnight

9.      Cut halves into quarters and those quarters in half again and serve immediately.