cookies

Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies with Chocolate Ganache

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I can’t believe we’re already very much in the holiday season! Christmas is 10 days away, and Hannukah started this weekend. One of the reasons it’s my favorite time of year is really because of all the cookies and baking. If cinnamony-sugary cookies (Taylor Swift Chai cookies) aren’t your thing and you’re more of a chocolate person, here’s a fun recipe you can try on your own or bake with kids!

These chocolate thumbprint cookies have become such a staple in our Christmas cookie rotation over the last few years. Even though I started making them after my grandma died, I always think of her while baking them because she was a self-proclaimed chocoholic and I know she would have loved these. I make them in her honor and it makes me happy that my dad and GM get to enjoy them too since they both love chocolate just as much.

Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies (With Chocolate Ganache)

Here’s what you need

For the cookies

  • 3 cups (about 360 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (80 g) Dutch process cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 ½ cups (330 g) packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • 4 egg yolks, at room temperature
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

For the ganache

  • 1 cup (200 g) semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • Festive sprinkles for topping

Here’s what you do

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.
  2. In a large bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar for about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and mix until fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
  3. Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
  4. Scoop about 1 Tablespoon of dough at a time and roll into a ball.
  5. Use a small measuring spoon (or your/your child’s finger) to press an indent into each ball.
  6. Chill the indented dough for at least 1 hour or in the freezer. I like to make these in early December and freeze until they’re just ready to bake before Christmas.
  7. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  8. Arrange the chilled dough balls about 1 ½ inches apart on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or Silpat mats. Bake for 10 minutes.
  9. When they come out of the oven, gently press the centers again with the small spoon if the indent rose during baking. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 6 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  10. While cookies are cooling, add chocolate chips to a small bowl.
  11. Heat the heavy cream in the microwave until just about boiling.
  12. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 1 minute. Then, stir ganache until smooth.
  13. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of ganache into each cooled cookie. Sprinkle sprinkles to the top if you want.
  14. Chill the cookies for 10 to 15 minutes so the ganache can set. I like to pop mine in the freezer for a few hours to ensure they’re hardened before storing.

Questions for you:

  • What’s next on your holiday baking list?
  • Are you team cinnamon/sugar/spice cookie OR team chocolate cookie?

Chocolate Brownie Sandwich Cookies

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In case you didn’t notice, I’m very much in the midst of holiday baking. So far, we’ve made some graham cracker Heath bar toffee and Taylor Swift Chai cookies – with plenty more on the way!

These were next up. I asked each of my kids to share their top 3 holiday cookies, and one of FW’s favorites were these. Last year was the first year I had ever made them, and I wasn’t even planning on making them this year (like the Chai cookies!), but since they were top on his list, we made them again.

I need to first disclose a few things. First, this is not my recipe. One of B’s cousins made these cookies at his family’s annual golfing reunion, and FW gobbled them up there, so I asked for the recipe. Second, this uses a box of brownies! You can try to make them with your own homemade brownie, but I promise you, this recipe is not just easy, but it’s so tasty, and FW loves them this way. B’s cousin’s original recipe called for boxed frosting too – which you could definitely use! – but I think most boxes/cans of frosting have a funky aftertaste, so I opted to make my own and this is how the recipe has morphed into our own.

Here you go – here is the Chocolate Brownie Sandwich Cookie recipe. These are rich and very sweet, so if you’re eating them as part of a cookie tray, you may only want half of one so you have room to try some other cookies. Note that I typically double the recipe so that I have enough for us to enjoy, plus to give away with other holiday cookies.

Chocolate Brownie Sandwich cookies

Makes 1 dozen sandwiches (or as FW calls them, “chocolate hamburgers” — I don’t think that is very appetizing though)

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Taylor Swift’s Chai Cookies – Updated!

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Guess whose birthday is coming up this Saturday?

If you guessed my dad, you’d be right (Happy early birthday, Dad!). But if you guessed Taylor Swift, you’d also be right! Taylor Swift’s birthday is December 13, and in honor of her upcoming birthday – and the holidays, I decided to remake her famous Chai Cookie recipe.

I’ve made Donna Kelce’s chocolate chip cookies (here’s the recipe!), and last year I made Taylor’s Chai cookies (original version here). I enjoyed them, but it was a lot of steps and I never really got the icing to set completely. So this year, I decided to nix the cookie and it wouldn’t go on my holiday cookie plate. That is, until I asked FW to share what his favorite holiday cookies are — and he said these were in his top 3! (He also named chocolate sandwich cookies, which I’ll share the recipe soon – they’re so easy! – and raspberry thumbprints). So, the Taylor Swift Chai Cookies went back onto my list, with a few tweaks – mostly to the frosting.

Here you go – here is the updated Taylor Swift Chai Cookie Recipe. These are similar to a spiced snickerdoodle cookie with a buttercream eggnog frosting. And because of the butter, this frosting actually hardened and was great/easy to freeze!

Taylor Swift’s Chai Cookies (Updated)

(modified from Joy the Baker)

Makes about 2 dozen

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Inside Out Chocolate Chip Cookies

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FW and LM go to school early in the mornings, and on the days I work from home, GM and I have about 45 minutes to an hour to kill before he goes to preschool. On those days, sometimes we go for walks, sometimes I start working, sometimes we read together, and other days – we bake! With Teacher Appreciation Week coming, GM said he wanted to make some cookies for his teachers. I started showing him several pictures of different types of cookies, and when I showed him photos of chocolate cookies, he immediately said he wanted them. I decided to add white chocolate chips because I love white chocolate and they were a hit! Each of my kids liked them – and that doesn’t happen often. They’re brownie-like goodness with milk and white chocolate inside. Yum! Make them for you, your kids, your teachers – or just because.

chocolate cookies with white chocolate and milk chocolate chips

Inside Out Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here’s what you need:

  • 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Here’s what you do:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a large baking sheet – I like to line with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix butter and sugars until smooth (about 2-3 minutes)
  4. Add eggs and vanilla to butter/sugar combination and mix until well combined.
  5. Gradually add the flour mixture to the stand mixer ingredients, about 1 cup at a time. Beat on low until just combined — do not overmix!
  6. Add in chocolate chips and stir with a spatula.
  7. Scoop up the dough with a tablespoon and place on the prepared baking sheet. At this point, I like to place a few more chocolate chips on the cookies so they look clean when they come out of the oven. Mine made about 3 dozen and I cooked 1 dozen a time on the baking sheet.
  8. Bake for 10 minutes; the cookies will be soft in the center. Cool on the baking sheet for about 3 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
  9. Enjoy! They freeze well, too.

Some questions for you:

  • Are you a chocolate chip cookie lover?
  • Thoughts on white chocolate?

I Made Taylor Swift’s Chai Cookies

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 1 Comment

Note: I’ve updated this recipe! I found the frosting/icing to be too runny and never set — here’s an updated version if you prefer a harder frosting: https://icrashedtheweb.com/2025/12/09/taylor-swifts-chai-cookies-updated/. For the original recipe with the thinner icing, view below.

A few months ago, I made Donna Kelce’s chocolate chip cookies (here’s the recipe!), and after making them, realized I wanted to make a Taylor Swift recipe.

Not only is my 6-year-old daughter in love with Taylor Swift (as most 6-year-old girls seem to be these days), but Taylor Swift has a Cleveland connection – at least by her boyfriend, Travis Kelce. Travis Kelce is from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and and we are often on “Taylor watch” when Kansas City is in town for football.

So this week was the PERFECT occasion to make the Taylor Swift cookies. Not only was Friday her birthday, but the Chiefs were in town playing the Browns! It was the perfect Taylor Swift weekend and my daughter and I celebrated by listening to Taylor Swift Christmas tunes and making her famous chai cookies.

I pretty much made this recipe exactly. I’ll admit that there were quite a few steps to make these with my daughter but they turned out great! They were like a spiced snickerdoodle cookie with eggnog frosting. YUM!

Would I make them again?

Maybe – they were good but there were a few extra steps and ingredients required that aren’t in my typical cookie recipe AND they require time to sit so they may not become my go-to cookie in a pinch. But they were good enough to share and my kids loved them! My oldest said they’re one of his top holiday cookies now.

Taylor Swift’s Chai Cookies

(originally shared from the Joy the Baker)

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I Made Donna Kelce’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 3 Comments

Do you know who Donna Kelce is?

She’s Travis and Jason Kelce’s mom. Which brings me to ask … do you know who Travis and Jason Kelce are?

I understand you may not. If you’re not 1) From Cleveland OR 2) A fan of football OR 3) A fan of Taylor Swift, the Kelce boys may not be on your radar. (And if they’re not – they’re brothers from Cleveland Heights, Ohio who now are in the NFL. Travis Kelce is currently dating Taylor Swift).

But we’re talking about cookies! Not football. Anyway, these cookies went famous after Mama Kelce was seen giving her sons a container of them before last year’s Super Bowl, and also gave the Today Show anchors a sample when she was on air with them. But it wasn’t until my phone sent me a link with the headline to this recipe a week ago that I first heard of them.

My phone suggests links based on my click habits – and surprise surprise, most of the links are baking OR running related. I normally would’ve tossed this recipe aside – who needs another chocolate chip cookie recipe – but I had book club and realized that would be the perfect venue to taste them!

I pretty much made this recipe to the T with the exception of two areas – I didn’t have Ghiradelli chocolate chip cookies (I used a combination of Nestle, Trader Joe’s and Target, because that’s what I had) and I didn’t have cold cream butter – I used Costco unsalted butter. I admit that I was unsure if I’d like them – I’m more of a big doughy cookie fan, and also don’t love cinnamon mixed with chocolate.

What was the verdict from my taste testers – my family and book club ladies?

They were a hit! Some guessed the cinnamon, others couldn’t even tell it was in there. Likewise, I was surprised with how much I enjoyed the texture – they weren’t big doughy cookies but they were crispy and chewy in just the right way.

Would I make them again?

Maybe – they were good but there were a few extra steps and ingredients required that aren’t in my typical cookie recipe AND they require time to sit so they may not become my go-to cookie in a pinch. But they were good enough to share and my kids loved them!

Mama Kelce’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

(originally shared from the Today Show website)

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Five-Ingredient Graham Cracker HEATH Bar Toffee

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Have you started your holiday baking yet? This past weekend I realized that I hadn’t baked anything yet (hello, 3 kids including one 4-month-old who wants to be held all the time plus a full-time job) and decided to change things immediately. When B offered to take the baby with him when he went out on Saturday, leaving me home with just the 3 and 5-year-old, I knew it would be the perfect time for baking!

One of my favorite things to make this time of year is graham cracker toffee. There are so many recipes for it, but my favorite is easy and very few ingredients – chocolate chips, butter, brown sugar, graham crackers and HEATH bar bits. If I make it during the holidays, I also add some festive sprinkles, but that’s it! Easy peasy as my preschooler would say. And yes, it is easy- she even helped me!

graham cracker toffee_i crashed the web

Five-Ingredient Graham Cracker HEATH Bar Toffee

Here’s what you need:

  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 15-18 graham crackers (enough to fill the baking sheet you have)
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup HEATH bits o’brickle
  • Optional: festive sprinkles for sprinkling all over

Here’s what you do:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Line a large jelly roll baking sheet (mine was about 11×15 inches) with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper. Place graham crackers side-by-side, face up, in a single layer on the baking sheet. To help you reach the end, you may need to break graham crackers in half – this is okay because you’ll be breaking everything at the end.
  3. In a saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar over medium heat, until it starts to boil. Simmer for 3-5 minutes, and stir so to ensure it doesn’t burn. Remove from heat, and pour mixture over graham crackers.
  4. Place baking sheet in oven and bake for 8 minutes. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top of the graham crackers. Let the chocolate chips sit for a few minutes so they’re able to melt. Spread melted chocolate with a knife or rubber spatula. Sprinkle HEATH bites and sprinkles (optional) on top.
  5. Let the toffee harden in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. After it’s hard, break the toffee into pieces or cut with a knife. Enjoy!

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My three and five-year-old helped spread the butter/sugar mixture on the graham crackers before they went into the oven.

Some questions for you:

  • What’s your go-to holiday cookie or treat you like to share?
  • Are you baking up a storm right now?

A Very Merry Weekend

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

Hello from New York! We are currently celebrating the holidays in New York with my family, and I’m off the routine, which means that this week in running will be a little off. But we’re having tons of fun while we’re here. Some of the highlights or our week so far:

FW and LM met Santa! He stopped by school last week and FW asked for some gifts (he asked for “presents.” When Santa prodded, he asked for “books and dinosaurs.”

LM got in some quality Nonna time.

And FW bonded with Uncle Greg over trains and music.

FW even got close to my parents’ dog a few times.

LM got to meet a good college friend of mine, whose parents live nearby.

We had my favorite local pizza, Defazios.

We braved the line and caught the lights in the park. FW loved them!

I also got to run outdoors by myself during the day! Time off from work, plus mild (cold but not snowy) weather, plus grandparents to watch the kids meant I got to spend some time outdoors, running. In fact, last week’s running went really well. We had a warm front and I was able to run outside every day this week, including one stroller run to kick off the week! I got in a 6.3 miler in NY, which put me at my highest post-LM mileage week thus far!

Here’s how the week looked:

I can’t complain! The week was great in running and beyond. I just love this time of year!

Some questions for you:

  • Has the weather been mild around where you are?
  • Are you in the holiday spirit?

I’m linking up with the weekly wrap.

1 Weekend, 2 Runs (Plus Some Good Food)

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 5 Comments

Before we had two kids, weekends looked a little different. Not only did we get in more sleep and stay out later, but weekends meant running. There was usually one long run and one shorter run. Weekends were time to spend hours on the roads, and whether I was running by myself or with B, I’d be getting in some miles.

Weekends are a little different now. Why? Weekends are time for me to spend with my family- any time I am outside on a run by myself, I’m not with the kids. Do I sometimes feel guilty? Yes, especially now that we have 2! But somehow this weekend I managed now 1, but 2 runs! Saturday by myself and then Sunday with FW.

In addition to the 2 runs, the weekend also included some good food. B made some great French onion soup Saturday night for dinner.

I also baked some cookies.

And check out these spooky sweet treats my niece and mother-in-law made!

And in some other exciting, running-related news, I’m excited to share that once again I’m a Cleveland Marathon Ambassador this year! Last year I ran the 5k/10k challenge series at 39 weeks pregnant (LM was born 4 days later) –we’ll see what this year’s race entails for me!

Some questions for you:

  • Have you ever made French onion soup before?
  • How often do you run on the weekends?

I’m linking up with the weekly wraps

WIAW: Birthday Treats!

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 5 Comments

 

Happy Birthday to ME! That’s right, my birthday was this week and B, FW and I had fun celebrating this weekend and enjoying some great weather, going for runs, spending time with friends, and more.

I also had some TREATS on Monday to celebrate my BIG DAY – so that’s what today’s What I Ate Wednesday is from!

The day started with going out to breakfast with B and FW! We went to Yours Truly (I know, I went there last week!) and this time I got the Eggs Bruschetta. They were so good! Two sunny side up eggs on top of spinach, tomato, parmesan and toast!

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Lunch was a leftover veggie burger, kale salad and a sweet potato. And La Croix 🙂

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Snacks during the day (in no certain order) included some energy bites! 20170123_095616

And mixed nuts …20170123_104724

Some tea and kombucha …20170123_095440

And an apple. Yup. I was snacky. 20170123_131547

And for my birthday dinner I chose sushi! It was so good – I got  veggie roll,  a rainbow roll and mackerel sashimi. And B and I shared this seaweed salad!20170123_191317

And with our dinner – some champagne. Because it was my birthday 🙂20170123_193001

Oh and some treats, of course! I made cookies and enjoyed these soft M&M cookies and some new Hershey’s Kisses. 20170123_173623 20170123_153658

And that was it! Happy birthday to ME! Some questions for you:

  • Do you like bubbly? I used to not be able to drink it but love it now!
  • What’s your go-to sushi order?