FRIDAY FRIDAY FRIDAY

Above you will see my little black cat who decided that it was necessary to make herself known while I was trying to take pictures of the fudge puddles.

Today was gloomy and yucky and a perfect day to bake.

I have once again taken up running. My new goal is to be able to run a 10K by June 15. Of to a good start this week...Tuesday was 4.95 miles, Wednesday was 5.3 miles and Thursday was 5.3 miles. Today is my day "off". So I decided to bake!

Last night...I made cut out cookies for Bella to take to school and this morning we frosted. Now...I say WE....that means that I frosted and she decorated....well...created a really big mess. So that is how my day started.

Then...I made rhubarb dessert to give to my grandmother who is currently not eating a whole lot...thinking that something high in calorie would be good for the 92 year old woman. Then on to Chocolate chip cookies...with a new recipe that I really kind of like...I will post it. THEN...because Shannon brought it up, I decided to make Fudge Puddles. Now this is a recipe that I found about 7 or 8 months ago when I first started this whole baking kick. And because Shannon raved about them so...I decided to try them. They are REALLY good. :) I would also like to try a few different variations as far as the chips are concerned, but here is the recipe....




Recipe adapted from: Fudge Puddles

Fudge Puddles
For the "crust" of the cookie:
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1-1/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt

In a large mixer bowl, combine butter, peanut butter, and both sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla:


Next, in a seperate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add flour mix. to the creamy mixture:




Chill in the fridge for at least one hour (or if you're impatient like me, in the freezer for about 15 minutes). Remove from fridge and form into 1" balls. I use a small melon baller scoop to make mine a uniform size. Grease a mini-muffin pan and add 1 ball to each muffin cup:


Bake in a 325 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until very lightly browned. Remove from oven and make an indentation in the center of each ball:



Let them cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes and then move to a cooling rack. Once all of the cookies are done baking, it's time to make the fudge filling:

Filling:
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. butterscotch chips (if you don't like butterscotch, just use milk chocolate chips)
1-14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 t. vanilla
chopped nuts or sprinkles(optional)

In a microwave safe bowl or saucepan, combine all of the ingredients except the nuts/sprinkles. Microwave for 1 minutes. Stir well. If there are still unmelted chips, continue to melt in microwave for 15 second increments until all smooth:






Immediately start filling the cookie cups with the filling. It will start to harden just a bit as you do it, so make sure to give it a good stir once in awhile. Sprinkle with the nuts or just leave plain. Let set for an hour or so. When I filled these, I put the chocolate mixture into a ziploc bag and cut off the end. I do believe that it was easier than trying to use a spoon!!


Tip: You can use the extra chocolate mixture over ice cream later on. Just store in the fridge and heat when ready to use. It's so good!