Chocolate- for Survival!

I work in a museum, which means during the summer, things get a little intense what with the bajillion tourists, kids being out of school, Florida being hotter than the surface of the sun and us having A/C, etc. As most of you with children know, school is back in session in many places this week, including the county I live in. So I am breathing a deep sigh of relief that I might have a work week where I don't have to tell a child not to: feed our exotic animals french fries, run at a full sprint by expensive exhibits, try to pocket gift shop items, scream at the birds...The list is long, and I am tired. So tired. As someone who never wanted children, summertime in the museum industry only reaffirms I have made the right life choice for me and my sanity. So to celebrate my bravery for not spending half of summer hiding under my desk from children (think Mad Max: Toddler-dome), I brought together two of my favorite things: chocolate and Baileys. I know...I make a chocolate-Baileys-something at least once a month (I have to cope somehow; it's this, or I run away to Canada), but this is a brand new combination: a sinfully delicious dark chocolate cookie cup filled with Baileys chocolate cheesecake.

I mean, damn.

A single bite of one of these cups, and I forget all my troubles. Well, most of them. I'm still generally tense when I hear the sound of a child's laughter, but that will pass in a few week's time. These. Cups. Way more than one bite (trust me, I tried), and so yummy it's almost a transcendental experience to eat one. The dark chocolate cookie cup is so divine, and the lighter flavor of the Baileys chocolate cheesecake is the perfect pairing--it starts off decadent and finishes on all the right notes. Rich, but not too bold. Boozy, but not too overwhelming. If you're celebrating your children going back to school, or if you're a teacher, and the above hot mess I described is now your problem instead of mine, do yourself a favor and make these cups to either celebrate or cope. Dealer's choice. Did I mention they're only 230 calories a cup? And the recipe makes 20 cups--plenty to share with your celebrating MOPs group or shell-shocked fellow educators.

Everything starts with butter.

With a few easy ingredients, these cookie cups come together in no time flat. You'll need:

• 1 cup of butter at room temp
• 1/2 cup of Swerve granular
• 1 cup of Truvia brown sugar blend
• 2 cups of All Purpose flour
• 1/4 cup of regular cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup of dark cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350 and grease the hell out of two muffin tins (regular size). Cream the butter and sugars for 3-4 minutes until light and fluffy. While your stand mixer is earning its keep, sift together the flour, cocoas, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Once your sugar/butter magic has happened, add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well and scraping the bowl between each. Add the vanilla and a third of the dry mix you set aside. Blend until just incorporated, scrape the bowl, and add in another third of the dry mix. Repeat one last time.

I just wanted to eat the cookie dough all at once...that's how broken my spirit is after summer.

 Take a cookie scoop, grease it, and then drop two scoops into each muffin tin to make 20 cups.

Instead, I used my stress to fuel the flattening process. Coping!

Then flatten out each cup, ensuring they are relatively uniform and evenly flattened out. You don't want the sides/edges to be too high up from the rest of the dough or they will cook too fast and burn by the time the rest of the cup is ready. We'll indent later! Bake for 12 minutes at 350. The center will still be very soft and not all the way set; this is a crucial component in order to shape the cups, so don't over bake!

1/4 cup scoop, the perfect fit.

After you remove from the oven, place the muffin tin on a cooling sheet and get a 1/4 measuring cup out. Use it to gently but firmly press into the top of each cookie to create a well. I sprayed my measuring cup with cooking spray to keep it from sticking and ruining the cups. Repeat for all 20 cups, and then leave them alone. Walk away! No touchy! Let these cool off for 10 minutes, then use a dull butter knife or angled spatula to loosen the edges of the cups from the side of the tin. Once none of them are sticking, let these cups continue to cool off in the muffin tin until completely room temp. The residual heat from the pan will help the centers firm up.

Real tempting not to dig in with a spoon, though.

But worth the wait. Edible cookie bowls are the best kind of bowls. Deal with it, burrito bowls. You've had your moment.

Once fully cooled, finish removing from the pan and leave on the cooling rack. Time to prep that cheesecake filling! --Best prep work there is!

Because, booze.

This cheesecake filling is pretty light and fluffy, which goes against my general cheesecake belief that it should be so rich and so heavy that I need both a shovel and an iron will to eat it. But, considering how absolutely decadent the chocolate cookie cups are, a lighter cheesecake filling is necessary to offset the texture and balance out the flavors *just* right. You can always use less Cool Whip if you still prefer a heavier cheesecake, but I honestly think the cheesecake has the perfect amount of density to pair with the cookie cups. Any heavier and I might have trouble finishing a whole cup...and this is coming from the queen of eating her body weight in dessert, so heed my advice. For optimum cheesecakery levels, gather:

• 8 ounces of 1/3 less fat cream cheese at room temp
• 1/2 cup of Swerve granular
• 1/4 cup of Baileys
• 1/4 cup of melted semisweet chocolate chips, cooled
• 8 ounce tub of Cool Whip Lite (why can't I find Cool Whip Free anymore?!)

You are perfect in every way, fluffy filling. Like a Wendy's Frosty with Baileys. Mmm.

Start by blending the cream cheese and Swerve for 2-3 minutes until well mixed and not grainy. Add in the melted chocolate and Baileys. Mix very well. Drink with a straw for...reasons. Or don't. I don't know how rough your summer was, so I won't judge you if you actually drink this with a straw (it's delicious). Either way, finish up by gently beating in the Cool Whip. I put my filling into the fridge to firm up for 30 minutes because I wanted a nice piping texture; alternatively, you could just spoon the filling into the cups then chill and set for an hour. I'm a glutton for punishment, so I waited before loading up a piping bag with a large French tip by Ateco and the cheesecake filling.

Pipe away!

 I piped mounds, rounded twists, whatever I felt like for each cup. Not completely uniform but fun and carefree...two words I generally do not associate with myself (unless Baileys is involved). But because I'm also vain and a perfectionist (yep, those are the right adjectives), I finished off these beauties with a pièce de résistance: sprinkles.

Everything is better with sprinkles.

These cookie cups chocked full of boozy brilliance do need to live in the fridge during their very brief survival time before total consumption occurs. I do, however, nab a couple to sit out for 10 minutes so the cookie cups soften up before inhaling. Worth it. I have had these on my Pinterest board for months--waiting, not so patiently--for summer museum season to end so that I could bake these beauties and celebrate my survival. I'd say I'm also celebrating for my sanity, but that's checked at the Florida state line until we move. 'Til next time, my fellow eaters!