New products from Trader Joe’s continually make my day. My Halloween Pumpkin Quesadillas, Yuzu Miso Mahi Mahi, and Vanilla Joe-Joe Strawberry Cheesecake just wouldn’t have been the same without their orange quesadillas, Yuzu Citrus Tisane Beverage, and Vanilla Joe-Joes, respectively. And now TJs has come to the rescue one again!

A few months ago, I fell in love with Ben and Jerry’s Late Night Snack, a luscious vanilla ice cream swirled with fudge covered potato chips and ribbons of salty caramel, which was created my Jimmy Fallon. Mmm, the combo of flavors was just so unique and addicting that after my first bite, I immediately thought a cookie with similar flavors would also be fantastic. Unfortunately, my first two attempts to whip them up were utter failures because putting potato chips in cookie dough just doesn’t work so well – the flavor is muted and they don’t stay crispy. Luckily, my problem was solved the other day when I noticed Trader Joe’s is now selling milk chocolate covered potato chips – what a genius idea! Instead of baking potato chips into the dough, I decided to top my cookies with these chips instead.

I topped sugar cookie bars with a layer of Trader Joe’s Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce and a bit of pretzel crumble (because pretzels are also one of my favorite late night snacks!) and then sprinkled some chopped milk covered potato chips on top as soon as they came out of the oven. The chocolate melted just enough to adhere the chips to the bars, but the potato chips stayed nice and crispy – yum! Oh, and while I will continue to buy the chocolate covered potato chips from Trader Joe’s because I tend to make a huge mess whenever I temper chocolate, you could certainly make them yourself if you don’t have a TJs nearby!

Late Night Snack Bars
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup pretzel crumbs (I pulsed a handful of pretzels in the food processor until crumbs formed)
1/3 cup Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce from Trader Joe’s (from a 10 ounce jar)
1 cup lightly chopped Milk Chocolate Covered Potato Chips from Trader Joe’s

Directions:
Heat oven to 350˚F. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Mix in eggs and vanilla extract; stir in flour, baking powder, and salt until soft dough forms. Place 1/4 cup dough in a medium bowl and stir in pretzel crumbs until well incorporated. Spread remaining dough in bottom of a greased 8×8-inch pan. Bake 10 minutes at 350˚F or until dough is puffed in the center. Remove from oven and evenly spread caramel sauce on top with back of a spoon, leaving edges to the bars around the outside of the pan. Crumble pretzel dough evenly on top and bake an additional 10 to 12 minutes at 350˚F or until a toothpick comes out clean. Immediately top with chopped chocolate covered potato chips. Cool completely, about 1 hour, and cut into bars. Makes 16 bars.

Nutrition: 205 calories, 9.9g fat, 0.8g fiber, 2.5g protein per bar
Cost: $0.42 per bar

Whenever I need a little afternoon pick me up at work, I head over to the Starbucks across the street from my lab. I was never really into coffee until a few years ago when I tried lattes – mmm, just thinking about them makes me smile, and since a latte is mostly protein-packed milk, it’s a pretty healthy snack…..right? I especially love going during the holiday season because of all the festive choices – caramel crème brulee, pumpkin, gingerbread – so good! Peppermint mochas are also one of my favorites and I was inspired to make some fun brownie bites with this flavor combination.

I stirred espresso powder and peppermint extract into my brownie batter and baked little brownie cups in a mini muffin pan. As soon as they came out of the oven, I made an indentation in each one with the back of a teaspoon and then filled the valleys with a peppermint espresso chocolate ganache. After the ganache set, I topped them with whipped cream and mini chocolate chips. Crushed peppermint candies would be a great garnish too. These would be perfect for a holiday party!

Peppermint Mocha Brownie Bites
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Brownie Bites:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon espresso powder (I used this one)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract

Toppings:
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
24 tablespoons whipped cream (I just used a spray can)
2 1/2 tablespoons mini semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
To make the brownie bites, heat oven to 350°F. Microwave the butter and unsweetened chocolate in a microwavable bowl at high power until the butter is melted, about 1 minute. Stir until smoth, then mix in the vanilla extract. Meanwhile, beat the sugar and eggs in a large bowl and then add in the melted chocolate mixture until smooth. Stir in flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt until a smooth batter forms; stir in peppermint extract. Evenly spread batter into 24 cups of a greased mini muffin pan. Bake at 350°F for 17 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Immediately press the back of a teaspoon measuring spoon into each brownie to make a round indentation in each mini brownie bite. Let brownies cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove from the pan and place on a cooling rack and let brownies cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the ganache by placing regularly sized chocolate chips, heavy cream, and espresso powder in a medium microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds. Continue stirring until the chips are melted and the mixture is smooth, microwaving 10 additional seconds, if needed; stir in peppermint extract. Evenly spoon ganache into the indentation of each mini brownie cup. Place in the refrigerator and cool for an hour or until set. Right before serving, top each bite with 1 tablespoon whipped cream and mini chocolate chips. Makes 12 servings of 2 brownie bites each.

Nutrition: 260.4 calories, 15.6g fat, 1.3g fiber, 2.7g protein per serving
Cost: $0.47 per serving

So, I had this idea to make some Nutella mousse – slightly sweetened whipped cream mixed with a generous amount of chocolate hazelnut goodness. My original plan was to top some cute little brownie cups with it, but umm, by the time the brownies were cooled, there was only enough mousse left to top half the batch…no idea what happened to the rest of the mousse. No problem though, because I got a photo of the finished product and that’s all that counts, right?

Apolinaras always jokes that Nutella should be banned from recipe contests because it makes everything so delicious that using it is kind of like cheating. I have to agree with him – this mousse is just way too addicting!

Nutella Brownie Cups
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Brownie Cups:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup Nutella

Nutella Mousse:
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup Nutella
3 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

Directions:
To make the brownie cups, heat oven to 350˚F. Microwave the butter and unsweetened chocolate in a microwavable bowl at high power until the butter is melted, about 2 minutes. Stir until combined, then mix in the vanilla extract. Meanwhile, beat the sugar and eggs in a large bowl and then add in the melted chocolate mixture until smooth. Stir in flour and salt; stir in Nutella until smooth. Line a regular muffin tin with 12 paper cups and evenly divide brownie batter between the cups. Bake at 350˚F for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and immediately use the back of a 1/2 tablespoon measuring spoon to make a round depression in the center of each cup. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the Nutella mousse. Place heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract in a well chilled large bowl and beat with a mixer until stiff peaks form. Stir in Nutella until smooth. Top cooled brownie cups evenly with Nutella mousse and mini chocolate chips. Refrigerate for an hour or until set and remove paper liners. Makes 12 cups.

Nutrition: 446 calories, 27.4g fat, 1.4g fiber, 5.2g protein per cup
Cost: $0.60 per cup

I’ve still got mini cheesecakes on my mind. You can never have too many around, right? Well, I suppose that’s not entirely true, but people are usually happy to help out with any surplus goodies!

For this version, I mixed some rosemary into the cheesecake batter. Our rosemary plant is super hearty and growing out of control, so I’m always brainstorming ways to use up some of its leaves. This is tougher than it sounds since a small bit of rosemary goes such a long way!  I really enjoyed the little something special it added.

For the crust, I pulsed up some graham crackers and pine nuts, and then I smothered the cheesecakes with a nice layer of caramel that dripped down the sides. Finally, I topped the caramel layer with some finely chopped apples cooked down with a little bit of butter and brown sugar. These cute minis are the perfect fall treat to make after you’ve been apple picking!

Mini Rosemary Cheesecakes with Caramel Apple Topping
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Mini Rosemary Cheesecakes:
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (5 crackers pulsed into crumbs in the food processor)
1/4 cup pine nuts, pulsed until finely ground in the food processor
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary

Caramel Apple Topping:
2 apples, peeled, cored, and finely diced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup caramel sauce (this is my favorite recipe)

Directions:
To make the mini cheesecakes, heat oven to 350˚F. Spray a 12-cup mini cheesecake pan with cooking spray. Mix graham cracker crumbs, pine nuts, and melted butter in a small bowl. Distribute evenly among the cups of the mini cheesecake pan and push down evenly with your fingers. Bake at 350˚F for 7 to 9 minutes or until set. Reduce oven heat to 300˚F. Combine the cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl and beat on medium-high speed with a mixer for 3 minutes or until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Stir in vanilla extract and rosemary. Pour into the cups of the mini cheesecake pans and bake at 300˚F for 20 minutes or until edges are set and middle is slightly wobbly. Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours or until chilled and remove from the pan.

Meanwhile, make the caramel apple topping by placing apples, butter, and brown sugar in a small pot over medium heat; sauté for 10 to 12 minutes, or until apples are softened and lightly browned. To serve the cheesecakes, evenly top with caramel sauce and the apples. Makes 12 mini cheesecakes.

Nutrition: 298 calories, 19.9g fat, 1.3g fiber, 3.9g protein per mini cheesecake
Cost: $0.62 per mini cheesecake