Chocolate chips are a staple on every bakers’ pantry. The semisweet chocolate chips – which contain no dairy, making them actually “dark chocolate” – have just the right balance of bittersweet cocoa and sweetness to them, which is what makes baked goods like chocolate chip cookies so popular. May 15th is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day and it offers the perfect excuse to pull a bag of your favorite chocolate chip brand out of the pantry and do a little bit of baking.
I recommend starting with my Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake (pictured above). This tender coffee cake is loaded with chocolate chips and offers chocolate-lovers a nice change of pace from fruit-laden coffee cakes. The cake is topped with just the right amount of streusel and pairs perfectly with a cup of coffee or a nice mocha.
Speaking of mochas, did you know that you can use chocolate chips to make an amazing Chocolate Chip Mocha? This hot coffee drink uses a generous handful of chocolate chips to add a rich, creamy chocolate flavor. It’s a bit more decadent than the usual hot chocolate mix + coffee mocha option – especially if you top it with whipped cream and more chocolate chips.
If the coffee cake isn’t enough for you, perhaps a batch of Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins might do the trick. These moist muffins are a nice alternative to a banana bread loaf because they can be made much more quickly. Both dark and milk chocolate chips work well in these, so feel free to mix things up!
There are dozens of chocolate chip cookie recipes out there, but you can’t go wrong with my Really Good Chocolate Chip Cookies. These cookies are crisp at the edges, chewy in the center and have a great buttery brown-sugar flavor to them. They’re also loaded with chocolate chips, so you’ll get plenty of chocolate in each bite.
Chocolate Chip Mini Cheesecakes look just as tempting as chocolate chip cookies, but they are a bit more indulgent. These little cheesecakes, which are baked in muffin pans, feature a graham cracker crumb crust, a tangy vanilla cream cheese filling, and plenty of chocolate. Like the banana bread muffins above, they’re also much quicker and easier to make than a full sized cheesecake – and that means that you have time to bake some tonight!
Cookies and cheesecake come together in these Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars. The bar cookies have a cookie base, a creamy filling and a sprinkling of cookie dough streusel on top. Despite the name, these bars are completely baked, so you won’t be eating any raw dough as you snack on them. You will, however, have a lot of chocolate chip cookie dough flavor to enjoy.
Leslie
May 15, 2015i miss all of the good food holidays! Hah, now I’m off to make chocolate chip pop overs. Thanks for sharing!