Chocolate Cookie Dough and Apple Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Hello again!  The semester is finally over and I am going to get back on track with this blog!  I tried out two of my new recipes this week and I think they are pretty fantastic.  I forgot to take pictures, of course (sorry!  I am going to try to be better about that: ).  Anyway...here we go!

Chocolate Cookie Dough- makes 4 dozen cookies

3 and a half cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 sticks margarine or salted butter ( I use salted butter)
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 large eggs
4 and a half cups all purpose flour, sifted
2 pkgs 3.4 oz instant chocolate pudding mix
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt


Cream together margarine/butter, brown sugar and vanilla.  Melt the chocolate in a double boiler pan or in a metal bowl sitting over boiling water.  Beat in eggs and melted chocolate.  Make sure to let the chocolate cool (but not set) before combining it with the batter or the hot chocolate will cook the eggs (no one wants scrambled eggs in their cookies!: ).  With a wooden spoon, mix in flour, pudding mix, baking soda and salt.  I found that after a little while it was easier to mix the dough with clean, wet hands.


I think this dough would probably be fine on its own, but mixing in things is so much more fun!  When I made the dough this week I divided it in half and made two different varieties.  I put slivered almonds and butterscotch chips in one and macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips in the other.  Both delicious!  You could also try walnuts, pecans, dark chocolate chips, whatever you want!

Okay, on to recipe number two!

Apple Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

1 pork tenderloin

fresh rosemary

fresh thyme

salt

pepper

2 granny smith or your preferred baking apples ( tart apples work the best ), cored and cut into 1 inch pieces

1 small red onion, diced medium or julienned

1 box pork stuffing

The night before you want to make the tenderloin, rub fresh rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper on the tenderloin and let sit overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare stuffing as directed on box and let cool.  Saute onions in a small amount of olive oil and let cool.  Mix stuffing, onions and apples together and set aside.  Butterfly the pork tenderloin (don't know how?  This video should help!  Either method will work.  I used the first).  Place stuffing mixture in the pork tenderloin and fold.  Place in a baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  Reserve any extra stuffing (I had a bunch).  Bake for 45 minutes, remove from oven and place extra stuffing mixture around tenderloin.  Bake for another 45 minutes or until the internal temperature of the tenderloin is 165 on an instant-read thermometer.

Enjoy!