M&M Cookies

I made these last week and forgot to blog about them. They were great, enough chocolate compared to the dough. I will keep these in my recipe book for sure!

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 12-ounce package M&M’S® MINIS® Milk Chocolate Candies
3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)


Preheat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla. In medium bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt; blend into butter/sugar mixture. Stir in M&M’S® MINIS® Milk Chocolate Candies and nuts, if desired. Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 13 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and centers are still soft. Do not overbake. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; cool completely on wire racks. Store in tightly covered container.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

This picture is thanks to my momma, she picked up the leaf doilies at the Dollar Store for $1 a package (there's like 20 in a package), and told me to use them for my food photography as well as scrapping, there is brown leafs, red leafs and pumpkins! Thanks Mom!!!
This recipe has been floating around the What's Cooking board for some time now. I was searching my starred blogs for a chocolate chip cookie recipe to make to again take to my in-laws over the weekend and once again turned to my girl Annie of Annie's Eats and came across this recipe once again, and man am I glad I tried it. As soon as hubby walked in the door and headed for the kitchen, I knew my first tester was available. He walked out saying how great they were, and they are, they are thick, crunchy, have just the right amount of chocolate in them...one word....WONDERFUL! This will be my go to recipe from now on! Make sure you cook them long enough, I had a hard time getting my first batch done but I will be cooking the next batch (they're in the oven now) for 17 mins!

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

12 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm

1 cup brown sugar, packed

½ cup granulated sugar

1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips



Directions:

Adjust oven racks to upper and lower-middle positions. Preheat oven 325°. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.



Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium bowl; set aside. With electric mixer, or by hand, mix butter and sugars until thoroughly combined. Beat in egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add dry ingredients and beat at low-speed just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.



Roll a scant half-cup of dough into a ball. Holding dough ball in fingertips of both hands, pull apart into two equal halves. Rotate halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, place formed dough onto cookie sheet, leaving ample room between each ball. Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy (approximately 11-14 minutes). Do not overbake.



Cool cookies on sheets until able to lift without breaking. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Source: adapted from Annie's Eats, originally from Baking Illustrated

Chocolate Chip Shortbread

I was looking over blogs and finding new ones I liked and could find good recipes from. I came across Good Eats 'n Sweet Treats. She has some great things on hers as well as these yummy looking Shortbread "sticks". I was looking for a little something sweet to make and with just 4 ingredients these looked like the perfect fix for my sweet tooth. I had been sick all day with what I believe is a sinus infection, yes again. I think that's what is going on at least. I didn't dip them as I wasn't feeling well and really just wanted to dig in to them. So I added a few extra chocolate chips instead, they are devine!

1 cup of butter (2 sticks)--softened
1/2 cup of confectioner's sugar
2 cups of flour
1/2 cup of Nestle mini chocolate chips

For dipping:
1/2 bag of milk chocolate chips (I used 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 tsp shortening)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Beat all ingredients together, except chocolate chips. Stir in chips.

Shape heaping tablespoons of dough into 3" think logs. Place on non-stick or lightly greased cookie sheets.

Bake until the bottoms are lightly browned. Took mine about 8 mins. Remove from cookie sheet and place on waxed paper, carefully, to cool. Freeze overnight or longer.

Melt a half bag of milk chocolate chips in a double boiler. If you do not have a double boiler, melt the chocolate in your microwave on high heat for 1 minute, at 30 seconds intervals, stirring well between each interval. If the chocolate is not completely melted, continue heating it in your microwave in 10 second intervals, stirring well between each interval, and being careful not to burn the chocolate. Dip each stick into the chocolate about 1/3 the way up. Immediately place on waxed paper. Chill to solidify chocolate.

Yield: Approximately 24 cookies.

Chocolate Monster Cookies

I was looking for a Monster Cookie recipe without peanut butter to make for a friend's 4th of July shin-dig. I came across this one on bakeorbreak's blog and OMG it is my new fave cookie, it's chocolatey, crisp, and oh so good. The only change I made was I used 1 cup of M&M Baking pieces and the mini Hershey Kisses baking pieces. You can pretty much change out these for anything you would like!

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 & 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 & 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup coarsely chopped cashews
Preheat oven to 350°.

Beat butter until smooth. Add sugars, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined. Add eggs, one a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla and beat until combined. Gradually add flour and cocoa powder until just combined. Stir in oats, chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and cashews.

Drop dough by 1/4-cup portions onto lined baking sheets. Place cookies about 3 inches apart.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until done. Let stand for 1-2 minutes on baking sheet. Then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 24 cookies.

Lemon Cookies for my hubby

My husband has a love affair with lemon. So when I saw this recipe in my mom's new Gooseberry Patch cookbook I knew I needed to make them for him. He absolutely loved them. I thought they lacked something, but I am also not a fan of lemon!

Mock Lemon Madeleines

8 oz pkg. cream cheese-softened
1/4 cup margarine-softened
1 egg
1 t vanilla
18 1/2 oz pkg lemon cake mix
1/2 cup chopped pecans (only mixed in to a few of them for me as hubby doesn't like nuts a lot of the time)
Garnish: Powdered sugar

Blend together cream cheese and margarine; add egg and vanilla. Stir in dry cake mix and nuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets (I used my silpads); Flatten slightly. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, until bottoms are golden. When cool, sprinkle with powder sugar. Makes about 2 doz.

No bake cookies

So last night my hubby calls me from work to check on me and asks "did you make any treats tonight?". I had not but was in the mood to make something. I had a couple of hours til I would need to leave to go to my best friend's house for Girls Dinner Club so I thought I would whip up a batch of these lovely little cookies. I remember being 9 probably and my mom would allow me and my 13 year old sister to make these during the summer. And every summer after that we would make these at least once or a hundred times! Since I was 10 and I'm still using the same recipe I have no idea where it originated from!

We called them Missouri No Bake Cookies (but we're from MO so I'm not sure about the correct name!)

Ingredients:
2 cups white sugar
1 stick margarine
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
3 cups quick cooking oats
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Line 2 large baking sheets with wax paper, parchment paper, or alum. foil and set aside.
Combine sugar, butter, milk, and cocoa in large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Remove from heat and cool 1 minute.
Add Vanilla, salt, peanut butter and oats.
Quickly drop mixture by heaping tablespoons onto lined cookie sheets.
Place in refrigerator until set. Once set remove cookies from sheet and place in air tight container in a cool, dry place.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies Take 2

I was on a wonderful new blog I found today called Cookie Madness and while I was browsing all of the wonderful cookies that are on there I came across this one. So the good people at Reese's changed the cookie on the back of the bag some years back and this is actually the one I made with my grandma all the time growing up! I am so happy to have it back in my recipe box, and this time I'm not gonna lose it!



Peanut Butter Chip Chocolate Cookies

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups unsifted all purpose flour
2/3 cup Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups (1 bag) Reese’s Peanut Butter Flavored Chips
(optional add-in) 1 cup of Reese’s Premier Baking Bits (I had some bags with only a handful or less in them of chocolate chunks and chips so I threw them in with my p.b. chips!)

Cream butter or margarine, sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture. Stir in peanut butter chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet, or chill until firm enough to handle and shape small amounts of dough into 1 inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees f for 8-10 minutes.

Optional Step — Quickly press a few peanut butter cups into each cookie while hot.

Cool 1 minute before removing from cookie sheet onto wire rack. About 5 dozen.

Heath Milk Chocolate Cookies

I think I should re-name this blog and start doing a daily cookie blog! I could make a different cookie everyday and probably never go through half of all of the ones I have flagged to make!

I had a bag of Heath Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits in my baking drawer forever and I was in the mood to bake. So I look on the back of the bag and there is a recipe for Heath Bits Peanut Butter Cookies and I thought that would be perfect....man was I right!

1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbl milk
1 tbl vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
Bag of Heath Toffee Bits (It called for only 1 cup and then you were to put some of them on top of each cookie before you baked but I didn't want to do that...so I didn't)
1/2 bag of milk chocolate chips (I added this)

Heat oven to 375.

Beat shortening, peanut butter, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Add egg mixing only until blended. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture. Stir in toffee bits and chocolate chips.

Drop by heaping teaspons about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet (I used the sil pad thingys). Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until set. Do not overbake. Cool 2 minutes. Remove to wire rack. Cool completely.

Yields about 3 dozen.

White-chocolate pecan chocolate crinkles

I was searching AllRecipes.com for cookie recipes for 2 baskets I needed to make. One for my parent's neighbor who lost a father and one for new neighbors that moved in behind our house. So I came across for this recipe for Brown Sugar Chocolate Crackle Cookies. They were really flat, but really good!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate as it's what I had)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil (used 1/3c since that's what some comments had said)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I used pecans)and I also stirred in a cup of white chocolate chips
1/2 cup sifted confectioners' sugar


DIRECTIONS
Melt the chocolate chips and combine with the brown sugar and vegetable oil. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well. Stir in the vanilla.
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to the chocolate mixture. Stir in the chopped walnuts. Chill dough for a few hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease baking sheets.
Drop teaspoonfuls of dough in confectioners' sugar and roll to coat. Place cookies on the prepared baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cookies cool on racks.

Reese's Chewy Chocolate Cookies

I have been making these cookies for years, I would call them my go-to cookie, how I've not blogged about them before I don't know. I originally found this recipe (it's just on the back of the Reese's Peanut Butter Chips) with my grandma, I was probably in my early teens and really got the cooking bug. I would go to my grandma's house in the summers when I was younger and then when I got a little older I would go at least once a week, just to hang out, eat lunch, and get wonderful words of wisdom, I miss her so much. So this post is dedicated to a great lady, I will always love you.

Reese's Chewy Chocolate Cookies
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa (I was using what I had left this time and it was a tad over the 3/4 cup and it made them even more chocolatey and so good!)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups (10 oz pkg) Reese's Peanut Butter Chips

Heat oven to 350.

Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in peanut butter chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet (I used a cookie sheet lined with parchmant paper). Bake 8-9 minutes.(Do not overbake; cookies will be soft, it took mine 9 mins, you can tell if they are not done in the cracks that will form) Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. Recipe says you will get 4 1/2 dozen, I got just shy of 4 dozen, but I like a bigger cookie!

Crystal's Double Chocolate Ginger Cookies

This is a combination of a couple of different ginger cookies I found off of Allrecipes. I also up'd the amount of spices because I like my ginger cookies spicy!

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup baking cocoa

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup margarine, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

1/4 cup molasses

2 tablespoons white sugar

About 1/2 a bag of mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, flour, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. I used a tablespoon worth of dough and rolled in Organic Sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

This also gave me an excuse to try out my new Wilton Christmas shapes cookie pan!

Chocolate covered Carmel Cookies

Okay this was my redeming dish this week. I had made some brownies that kinda failed and well I had to make something yummy to take the place of the bad brownies. I searched Allrecipes and came up with this dish. They are so freakin good!!!

INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chopped pecans, divided
1 tablespoon white sugar
5 rolls chocolate-covered caramel candies

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, 1 cup white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, and baking soda; stir into the sugar mixture until well blended. Stir in 1/2 cup of the pecans. Cover, and refrigerate dough for 1 hour, or until firm.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a shallow bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup pecans and 1 tablespoon of sugar; set aside.
Press 1 tablespoon of cookie dough around each chocolate coated caramel, forming a ball. Dip one side of each ball into the pecan mixture; and place pecan side up, 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake for 8 minutes in the preheated oven (the cookies will look soft). Cool on the pans for one minute before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

I made half of mine with the pecans just on the outside and half with no pecans at all because hubby doesn't like them. I made all but 10 of them with Rolos the other ones I just used plain carmels because I ran out of the Rolos. The ones with the plain carmels are good...almost better because you get more carmel in them!

These are the best cookies I have made in a long time and they are going on my list for possibilites for our Christmas cookie exchange.

SBD-Peanut Butter Cookies

Yes these are SBD friendly. You are supposed to use trans-free peanut butter, but I am not out of the "regular" yet so I haven't bought any trans-free yet. These were yummy and a nice sweet treat! This is from the SBD Easy cookbook I have!

3/4 cup sugar substitute (I used Splenda)
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 350. Mix sugar, egg and vanilla together. Add peanut butter then baking soda. Drop by rounded teaspoons on greased cookie sheet, then press down with fork. Bake 12-14 minutes.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

I have seen this on countless blogs. I had all the ingredients and was wanting to make them to go along with our chicken and noodles, they were a perfect end to a perfect meal!

1 cup peanut butter (I used a combo of smooth and crunchy)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 handfuls of chocolate chips

Mix together all ingredients. Drop by teasponfull onto cookie sheet (I lined mine with parchmant paper) and then smush down with a fork, I didn't do that with the first batch and they were still doughy on the inside. Cook for about 8 mins. These were very nice for a sweet treat, I got 18 out of one batch.

Snickerdoodles

The snickerdoodle is my mom's favorite cookie so when she asked me to make her some when I wanted to take something with us when we went and saw my sister, I made a double batch. This is from the Betty Crocker Wedding Cookbook.

1 stick butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 large eggs
2 3/4 flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp cinammon

Cream together butter, sugar, shortening and eggs in large bowl. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Roll dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. Stir together the sugar and cinammon. Roll balls into sugar mixture. Place on cookie sheet with parchmant paper. Bake on 400 for 8-10 minutes until set.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I doubled this recipe because I hate using only a half a can of pumpkin. These are wonderful when cold, they are very moist and chocolatey! From Beach Bride in MD with alterations by me!

1 can pumpkin
2 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups oats
4 tsp baking powder
4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp milk
2 T vanilla
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (optional, I didn't use)

Combine pumpkin, sugar, oil and egg. Mix well. In a seperate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and oats. Dissolve baking soda with the milk and add to pumpkin mixture. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.

Add vanilla and chocolate chips. (nuts if you want them)

Drop by tablespoonful on greaed cookie sheet (I used parchmant paper) and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly brown and slightly firm.

Crystal's Crispy Chocolate-Chip Cookies

I came across this totally by accident. I started making a recipe off the back of the chocolate chip bag and then another. Somehow I came up with these. They were really crispy when you cooked them just right. They were yummy and will stay in my cookie recipe box!

2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in small bowl. Beat butter and sugars in another bowl until creamy. Add eggs, milk and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in choco chips, mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoon (I used small ice cream scoop and put on waxed paper lined pan). Bake 9-10 minutes for chewy cookies or 12-13 for a crisper cookie. Cool on pan 1 minute then move to cooling rack to cool completely.