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Chocolate Caramel-Swirled Peanut Giants and a Small Batch Baking Giveaway!

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It’s been too long. I just realized how long I haven’t baked with CHOCOLATE! What was I thinking?!?
Chocolate brings happiness to so many people. Chocolate makes grumpy people a little less grumpy. Chocolate makes my world go round. Does chocolate make your world go round?Smile

If your answer is yes, you must try to win this book by Debby Maugans: Small-Batch Baking for Chocolate Lovers. It is FABULOUS! I didn’t know where to start in this delicious book. Every recipe is perfectly crafted for TWO! Or for just YOU!

Debby Maugans is the author of Small Batch Baking, published by Workman Publishing in December, 2004, and Small-Batch Baking for Chocolate Lovers, published by Thomas Dunne in February 2011. She toured 25 large cities in one month to promote the first book, performing national television, radio, and newspaper interviews and cooking demonstrations in each market. Articles featuring Small Batch Baking appeared in newspapers with large circulations, such as the Chicago Sun-Times, as well as magazines such as Glamour. Maugans appeared twice on QVC featuring Small Batch Baking; she sold over 2,000 books in 7 minutes. Maugans writes a weekly “Tables for Two” food column for the Birmingham News; she regularly appears on WLOS in Asheville.

I was immediately drawn to these cookies! I happened to find a secret stash of candy strategically hidden from my kids.
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There were so many adorable mini Snickers bars in it! I also happened to have a gorgeous bottle of dulce de leche. These cookies would be fantastic even without the dulce de leche.

Here’s what you need to do to participate in this FABULOUS giveaway:

Tell me what your favorite chocolate dessert is!

This giveaway has closed.

Chocolate Caramel-Swirl Peanut Giants
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons well-beaten egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 fun-size (15-gram) dark chocolate Snickers bars, chopped
1/4 cup chopped cocktail peanuts
2 tablespoons dulce de leche sauce or caramel ice-cream topping

Directions:
Here’s my Snickers and peanuts chopped! Delicious!
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Combine the chocolate and butter in a small, microwave-safe bowl, microwave on high power until soft, about 2 minutes. Stir until the mixture is smooth. Let it cool to lukewarm.
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Place the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and whisk to blend well.

Place the sugar and egg in a small, deep mixing bowl and beat with a handheld electric mixer on high speed until the mixture is thick and pale, 2-3 minutes.
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Beat in the lukewarm chocolate mixture and the vanilla until blended.
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Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour mixture just until blended.
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Stir the candy pieces and peanuts with a wooden spoon.
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Drizzle the dulce de leche sauce over the dough, and fold in to swirl it into the batter but do not incorporate it.
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Cover the bowl and refrigerate the batter until it is firm enough to work with, about 30 minutes.
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.

Spoon 1/4 cup scoops o the batter onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them 3 inches apart.
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Using a spatula, press the cookies down to flatten them slightly. Bake the cookies just until the tops are dry and cracked but still soft to the touch, 18-20 minutes.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and slide the parchment paper onto a wire rack. Let the cookies cool completely on the paper. When completely cool, use a metal spatula to lift them off the paper.

Makes: *5 cookies

*I must’ve measured mine differently, I ended up with 8 cookies.
These cookies are as amazing as they look! Thank goodness there were 8 instead of 5! I tried to save some for my family. They each had one to enjoy!Smile

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! Good luck on this giveaway!!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jeannette says

    i think my favorite chocolate dessert is was and always will be nutella brownies. i can't get enough of them!!

    jpinnick86 (at) gmail (dot) com

    Reply

  12. Banana says

    My Favourite chocolate desert is flourless chocolate, peanut butter cake – so rich – so decadent

    Reply

  15. whoistracy says

    These look delicious! My favourite chocolate is just plain old chocolate candy- any way, doesn't matter. I just LOVE chocolate any way I can get it. LOL

    Reply

  30. A Thought For Food says

    Now don't those look good! And, you're right… it's been way too long since you've made something with chocolate. I've missed that!

    As for chocolate desserts, i'm always a fan of decadent flourless chocolate cake. Gets me every time.

    Reply

  32. Shulie says

    Small batch baking looks awesome following debby now on twitter and Like on FB and you of course I follow and like already on both!! Cookies look awesome!!

    Reply

  33. Anonymous says

    Oh my, the cookie dough looks so good I think I'd eat half of it before it ever makes it to the oven! Pick one fav chocolate dessert, not possible! 🙂

    Reply

  34. Anonymous says

    First these cookies look amazing, and I was actually looking for a recipe for a new chocolate cookie to try. SCORE!

    As for the giveaway, my favorite chocolate dessert would have to be chocolate brownies with peanut butter chunks in them and a peanut butter/chocolate frosting. Delicious!

    – Emily S.

    Reply

  40. Roxana GreenGirl says

    Hi Lora,
    a fabulous giveaway indeed. lately I've been doing my best to bake in small batches and these books looks very inspirational.
    Your cookies look great. I love everything chocolate-y.

    Reply

  74. Amy says

    Hi Lora :)! My favorite chocolate dessert is definately the brownie :)! This book sounds awesome, I am always baking things in smaller batches, since I have a small family. The cookies sound wonderful! Have a great weekend :)!

    Reply

  81. Lizzy says

    Oh, these cookies look amazing…and I just love the concept of a small batch! My favorite chocolate dessert (of the moment) is French silk pie:)

    PS…I already own this wonderful cookbook, so no need to enter me…just wanted to say hello. Have a fabulousl weekend!

    Reply

  82. Sommer J says

    Just looking at these makes me SMILE!! I love it. I needed a different cookie to send to my husband and these are definitely it. Thanks for posting, Lora!

    Reply

  98. Reeni says

    What delectable cookies! I love that they are a small batch – just enough to have a treat but not overdo it. The cookbook sounds like a gem! xoxo

    Reply

  102. Erin says

    How do I pick my favorite chocolate dessert, there are too many! But it might be a super fudgy delicious chocolate brownie!

    Reply

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