The Yummiest Lumps of Coal You Will Ever Eat!

I have a friend that LOVES Oreos. So when I saw this recipe I couldn't help but make them just for him and his wife!

Ingredients:
One 16 oz package of Oreo Cookies
5 cups large marshmallows
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Butter an 8X8 inch baking pan. Line the baking pan with parchment paper letting the paper extend up two sides of the pan and overhang slightly on both ends. Butter paper; set pan aside. *I used a mini muffin tin for mine. No cutting required :)

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse Oreos until ground.

Quick method: In a large, microwave safe bowl, melt butter and marshmallows in the microwave until puffed, about 1½ - 2 minutes. Stir in ground Oreo Cookies until combined. Transfer to prepared baking pan. Using a piece of wax paper, press rice mixture evenly into prepared pan.

Stovetop method: Combine butter, marshmallows, and cinnamon in a pan over medium heat. Stir continuously until no lumps are visible in mixture. Take off heat and stir in ground Oreo Cookies until combined. Transfer to prepared pan. Using a piece of wax paper, press Oreo mixture evenly into prepared pan.

Let set up for at least 10 minutes. If using 8x8 pan, Cut into bars and serve.

Yields: 16 bars or 24 mini's

Just like the Market - Sugar Cookies (but better)

Every time me and my hubby go to the market he is always drawn (like a magnet) to the Sugar Cookies at the front of the store. So light and fluffy with just the perfect amount of icing! So I decided to find a recipe so I could make them for him at home! This recipe was perfected by Betty Crocker®.

INGREDIENTS

Cookies
1 box Betty Crocker® Super Moist® white cake mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4  egg whites

Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup shortening
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon yellow gel or paste food color
1/4 cup candy sprinkles

DIRECTIONS

- Heat oven to 375°F (350°F for dark or nonstick cookie sheets). Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In large bowl, mix cake mix, oil, and egg whites with spoon until dough forms.
- Onto parchment paper-lined cookie sheets, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart.
- Bake 8 to 9 minutes or until puffed and almost no indentation remains when touched. Cool 1 minute; before removing from cookie sheet. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
- In medium bowl, mix powdered sugar and shortening with spoon. Stir in milk and vanilla until smooth. If necessary, stir in additional milk, a few drops at a time, until smooth and spreadable.
- Generously frost cookies using rounded tablespoonfuls of frosting. Immediately decorate with sprinkles; pushing in gently if necessary to make sure they stick to the frosting. Store loosely covered.

Fun night of Holiday Cookie Baking!

Last night my friend Britney took me out for my Christmas gift surprise! She had been building up the suspense for a few weeks and I couldn't wait to find out what it was! So after spending an entire day working on Christmas presents I headed over to her house all excited to find out what my surprise was! First we went to the Dollar Store - that in itself is awesome! Then we went to dinner and then to the community college in Sterling, Colorado. That's where I found out that she was taking me to a Holiday Cookie Baking Class! How fun is that! As we entered the room I got even more excited! We were going to bake Gingerbread Cookies and Sugar Cookies. The instructor, who is a Pastry Chef, told us all about the history of the cookie. Fascinating! Did you know that are 7 categories of cookies?

- Drop cookies are made from a relatively soft dough that is dropped by spoonfuls onto the baking sheet. During baking, the mounds of dough spread and flatten. Chocolate chip cookies (Toll House cookies), oatmeal (or oatmeal raisin) cookies and rock cakes are popular examples of drop cookies.

- Refrigerator cookies are made from a stiff dough that is refrigerated to become even stiffer. The dough is typically shaped into cylinders which are sliced into round cookies before baking.

- Molded cookies are also made from a stiffer dough that is molded into balls or cookie shapes by hand before baking. Snickerdoodles and peanut butter cookies are examples of molded cookies.

- Rolled cookies are made from a stiffer dough that is rolled out and cut into shapes with a cookie cutter. Gingerbread men are an example.

- Pressed cookies are made from a soft dough that is extruded from a cookie press into various decorative shapes before baking. Spritzgebäck are an example of a pressed cookie.

- Bar cookies consist of batter or other ingredients that are poured or pressed into a pan (sometimes in multiple layers), and cut into cookie-sized pieces after baking. Brownies are an example of a batter-type bar cookie, while Rice Krispie treats are a bar cookie that doesn't require baking, perhaps similar to a cereal bar. In British English, bar cookies are known as "tray bakes".

- Sandwich cookies are rolled or pressed cookies that are assembled as a sandwich with a sweet filling. Fillings may be with marshmallow, jam, or icing. The Oreo cookie, made of two chocolate cookies with a vanilla icing filling is an example.

We were then set up at our station where our group made Sugar Thumbprint Cookies with Candied Cherries. I have to say, our cookies turned out the best :) So pretty and uniform on the baking sheet, lots of color, and baked just slightly underdone so they were soft and chewy and melted in your mouth!

The other 3 groups made:
- Sugar Coated Sugar Cookies
- Ginger Bread Cookies with Toffee and Chocolate toppings
- Sugar Coated Ginger Bread Cookies

We got to take home a sampling of everyone's cookies! It was such a fun night and the best part is I got to do it with my BFF!

Strawberry Goodness

It has been so cold and windy lately, that I am hoping we get some sunshine soon! So, to encourage good weather, I am making Strawberry Sandies. My house smells so strawberry good right now that it is hard not to gobble up all of the cookies before I get to share them with my hubby and friends. Here is the recipe:

Strawberry Sandies

Makes about 2 dozen cookies
Prep: 15 minutes, Bake: 12-14 minutes
Cool: 17 minutes

Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
1 (18.25-ounce) box of Strawberry cake mix
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup water
1/4 cut butter, softened
1 large egg

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray (or use parchment paper). In a shallow bowl, place sugar.

In large bowl, combine cake mix, flour, water, butter, and egg; beat at low speed with an electric mixer until well blended. Using hands, shape heaping tablespoonfuls of dough into balls; roll in sugar to coat. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets, and pat gently to flatten.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until set. Cool on pans for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely (about 15 minutes).

Mexican Feast

I am in the process of cooking and baking for our Mexican Feast tomorrow. One of the first things I have to start making today is the pulled pork. I found a great recipe for pulled pork tacos on MarthaStewart.com, but I am using a crockpot instead. The reason I am starting this today is so it has time to "rest" overnight. The longer it rests, the more the flavors join together. So once my 6-8 hours are finished, I will take it out and out it in the fridge until a couple of hours before the feast.

Next I will move on to the 2 types of cookies:
Polvorones de Canele (cinnamon cookies)
Mexican Wedding Cookies

I will also be baking a new recipe that merges too very awesome things together, Sopaipillas & Cheescake.

Here is the recipe for Sopaipilla Cheesecake Squares:

Ingredients

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
2 (8 ounce) packages refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or almond extract
1/2 cup margarine or butter, melted
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon.
Confectioners' sugar (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 13" x 9" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, 1 cup of granulated sugar, and vanilla; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until smooth.

Unroll the refrigerated crescent rolls; press perforations to seal. Using a rolling pin, roll each dough piece into a 13" x 9" rectangle. Press 1 dough rectangle into bottom of prepared baking dish.

Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over dough in pan. Top with remaining dough rectangle.

In a small bowl, stir together 3/4 cup granulated sugar,butter and cinnamon. Using a teaspoon, dot mixture evenly over top of dough.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the crescent dough has puffed and turned golden brown. let cool completely in pan on wire rack (about 1 to 2 hours). Cut into squares. Dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

So since we can't just have desserts for the feast, I will also be making Chorizo & Ground Turkey w/ Cheese Enchilladas, Mexican Rice & Beans, Guacamole, and Salsa.

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chunk Cookies

This was one of two cookie recipes that I made for Superbowl Sunday. It was a crowd pleaser. Of course some of the guys (my hubby included) had a taste testing of their own before Sunday. Luckily they left enough for the party.

I got this recipe from MarthaStewart.com. She has such great and interesting recipes. This one is called Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chunk Cookies. I had a few changes to mine. I first tried them as "drop" cookies as they suggested, but they turned out very jagged and not very yummy looking, so I rolled them into a ball before placing them on the parchment paper. Second I first tried them at 12 minutes instead of 13-15 minutes and they came out brittle and and dry. So I reduced it to 9 minutes and it was perfect. So I would suggest watching the first batch to make sure you don't overcook them. Just slightly undercooked made these chewy and great tasting.

Ingredients

Makes 36

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
• 4 tablespoons ( 1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into chunks

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat peanut butter, butter, and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until smooth. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture, beating just until combined. Stir in chocolate chunks.
2. Drop dough by heaping tablespoons, 1 inch apart, onto two large baking sheets. Bake until golden, 13 to 15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool.

Peanut Butter Surprises

"Smooth peanut butter is sealed inside chocolate-chocolate-chip dough" Doesn't that just sound yummy!

This recipe I made along with another Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie for Superbowl Sunday. I got this recipe from MarthaStewart.com. What I love about this one is that everyone was trying to figure out how I got the peanut butter inside the cookie. I told them it was "magic". but here I will share the "secret".

Ingredients

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 cups firmly packed light-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with Silpats (French nonstick baking mats). Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and baking soda, and set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, vegetable shortening, granulated sugar, and 1 cup brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until fully combined between additions. Add vanilla; beat to combine. Gradually add dry ingredients; mix on low speed until fully combined. Add chocolate chips; mix on low just until combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap; chill until firm, about 1 hour.
3. In a small bowl using a rubber spatula, stir together peanut butter and remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar.
4. Drop 1 tablespoon of dough at a time onto baking sheets, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart. Make a thumbprint in the center of each cookie. Fill thumbprint with 2 teaspoons peanut butter mixture. Top with a second tablespoon of flattened dough. Carefully mold dough to cover the surprise.
5. Bake until firm, about 12 minutes, rotating halfway through. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Remove cookies from baking sheets, and let cool completely on wire racks.

From Holiday Cookies 2001, Special Issue 2001

Helpful Hint

Peanut filling can be made ahead and stored airtight in refrigerator up to one week. Bring the filling to room temperature before using.

A slight twist on Chocolate Chip Cookies

Made with a combination of all-purpose flour and fresh ground whole wheat flour.

I got this recipe from my new cookbook – 500 Treasured Country Recipes. I wanted to make some cookies for my hubby’s work. So I saw the “Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies”. The description read “Softer and chewier than most traditional chocolate chip cookies, these get their distinctive texture from using the electric beater…” PERFECT!!!

Last week a friend gave me fresh whole wheat flour that they had just grinded. So I thought, what a great recipe to try it in. I checked the cookbook to see how to substitute the flours. It said that you can substitute a third of the all-purpose flour with the whole wheat flour. COOL!!! So here is what I did…

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter softened (2 sticks)
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup light brown sugar (firmly packed)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon water
2 eggs
18 ounces (3 cups) semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift the flour before measuring, then resift with soda and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugars, vanilla, and water. Beat with electric mixer about 2 minutes until creamy. Add the eggs and beat until fluffy.
3. Gradually add the sifted ingredients. Beat with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes, until very well blended. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 10-12 minutes. Do not over bake. Remove from oven when the cookies are lightly browned and slightly crisp on the bottom; they may seem slightly undercooked. Cool 1 minute on the baking sheet, then remove to paper towels to cool completely. See notes for my changes.

NOTES:
There are only a couple of changes to this recipe that I did. I only left them in the oven for 9 minutes. This way they came out the way I wanted them. I used parchment paper on the cookie sheets instead of greasing them (easier to get out off the sheet and cleaner). And the last thing I changed was not leaving them on the cookie sheet for 1 minute after I removed them from the oven. I slid the parchment paper (with the cookies on them) to the cooling rack instead of placing them on paper towels.

Yield: About 4 dozen

This cookie was a big hit at my hubby’s work! No one could tell that I made them with mixed whole wheat flour and unbleached flour. Even my hubby couldn’t tell and he usually catches all of the sneaky (healthy) things I do to our food. So all in all, this recipe is a winner in my book! Hope you like it too!

Butterscotch Cookies

This afternoon while my hubby went to hang out with the guys, I decided that I really wanted to bake - something. I didn't know what, so I started looking through my cookbooks and magazines. I took out my new (to me) cookbook that I just bought on Amazon. It is called 500 Treasured Country Recipes by Martha Storey & Friends. While flipping through the pages I saw the Butterscotch Cookie recipe. It looked fun and not one that I had tried. So I went down the list and made sure that I had all of the ingredients. I DID!!

Here is the recipe

Cookie:
1/2 cup (1stick) butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sour cream

Frosting:
1 1/2 cups of confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 tablespoon hot water
dash of vanilla extract
dash of salt

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the flour, eggs, and vanilla, mixing thoroughly.
2. Add the salt, baking soda, and sour cream.
3. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.
4. To make the frosting, mix together the confectioners' sugar, butter, and water until smooth. Add vanilla and salt. If the mixture is too runny add more sugar.
5. Frost cookies while they are still warm.

Yield: about 4 dozen

What I liked about this recipe was that it was different. The cookies turned out very moist, but did not have a strong butterscotch flavor. So after the first batch came out of the oven, I added about 3/4 cup of butterscotch chips to the dough. These seemed to be better.