Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups

Okay, so I have to be honest.  This recipe was not what I intended to make when I started baking on Thursday.  I needed to take goodies to a baby shower for a mom in our playgroup.  My vision was of beautiful, buttery phyllo purses filled with sweet goodness.  But, I knew almost immediately it was going to be one of those days.  You know what I mean...the kind of day where anything you attempt in the kitchen is going to be a complete bust.  The butter burns when you try to melt it like you have done successfully 10,000,000,000,000 times before.  The chocolate just refuses to melt, despite being submerged in boiling cream (that you splashed on yourself) and lots of whisking.  The powdered sugar somehow spills all over you, your stand mixer, the floor and and the cat all at once (and your two year old yells, "Mess! Mess!" until you clean it all up).  And, the phyllo dough crumbles in your hands just for spite.

You know, one of those days.  You do have them, too, right?  Or is it just me?

Wait.

Don't answer that.  I don't want to know.

Ignorance is bliss.     

So, this recipe was born out of complete desperation at 8am for a yummy and pretty but quick and uncomplicated dessert.  I had been thinking of trying my hand at cookie cups for a while, and just hadn't done it.  I mean, how hard could it be?  I whipped up my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Pressed large scoops into a cupcake pan.  Baked.  Cooled.  Voila!  Cookie cups.  It really was that simple.  I then, of course, filled them with cream cheese frosting, and sprinkled a few mini chocolate chips on top.  They reminded me of the gooey cookie cups I used to get at the cookie stand in the mall as a child.  So good, but so, so bad for you.  Eat them with caution.

One final note - I did not make these milk free because I was baking for other people.  But, these would be easy enough to do, and I have included instructions below.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups (made from my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe):

12 tbsp. unsalted butter (or Earth Balance vegan butter), melted

1 cup brown sugar, packed

½ cup granulated sugar

2 cups plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 ½ cups Ghiradelli semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325.  Generously grease a muffin tin.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine melted butter and both sugars.  Cream until well combined.  While the butter/sugar mixture is mixing, combine flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside.

Once butter and sugars are well creamed, beat in the egg, yolk and vanilla, mixing well after each addition.  With the mixer on low, add in the flour mixture and mix just until combined.  Mix in chocolate chips.

Scoop out enough dough for a large cookie.  Press it into the bottom and around the sides of the muffin tin.  Repeat until each of the cavities in the muffin tin has been filled.  Bake for 13-15 minutes until edges are *just* beginning to brown.  Remove from oven and immediately use a knife to go around the edges and loosen so the cookies will pop out easier when they're cool.  If centers of the cookie cups have risen too much, use a small spoon to press them down a bit.  They will settle more as they cool.

Once the cups are cool, place an inverted cookie sheet on top of the muffin tin and flip them over, so the muffin tin is upside down and on top of the cookie sheet.  Use a knife or wooden spoon and tap each muffin well to loosen the cookie cup.  Carefully lift off the muffin tin and check to see if they've all popped out.  If a few are still left, just repeat the process of tapping and lifting the tin until each of the cookie cups pops out (if the muffin tin is very well greased beforehand this will be much easier).

Use whatever frosting you would like and pipe it into the cookie cups.  Sprinkle a few mini chocolate chips on top for garnish.  Enjoy Life chocolate chips are fantastic for baking without common allergens (or just baking in general), as they taste fantastic. 

For a vegan frosting scroll towards the bottom of this post.
For cream cheese buttercream, make half of the recipe found here.

*Frosting is colored with 2 drops of Americolor Sky Blue.

Source:  Adapted from Annie's Eats.