Sister Southwick's Triple Chip Cookies

 1 1/2 C shortening

1 C brown sugar

2 C white sugar

4 eggs

4 c flour

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

12 oz chocolate chips

12 oz white chips

optional: butterscotch chips

bake 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes

Sis Southwick bakes for 11 min 30 seconds

Let sit on tray for 5ish minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

Maryelle's Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
2 2/3 c + 2 TBSP all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cornstarch
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 c granulated sugar
1 c brown sugar, packed
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 c chocolate chips (semi, bittersweet or both)

Sea salt for sprinkling (optional)

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or baking mats, set aside.

2.  Place butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30-45 seconds (full strength) or until its almost completely melted  but has  a few soft pieces left. 

3.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cornstarch and salt. 

4.  In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer), beat together butter, sugars and vanilla for 1 minute.  Add the eggs one at a time, mixing in between additions.  Turn mixing speed to low and gradually add in the dry ingredients.  Beat until just combined or until a soft dough forms.  Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.  Now you can either bake the dough straight away, chill for 3 hours and bake, store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze it. 

5.  To bake the cookies, using a standard size cookie scoop (aprx 1.5 TBSP) to form balls of dough.  Place onto the prepared sheets, leaving 2 inches in between.  Sprinkle with sea salt if desired. 

6.  Place in oven and bake for 11-13 minutes, rotating the sheet half way through the baking process.  Remove from oven when cookies are golden brown in color around the edges.  Let cookies cool on pan for 3-4 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Recipe Source: Maryelle R, who found it online somewhere. 

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies-Updated!

I just replaced a previous "Best Chocolate Chip Cookie" recipe with this one.  I didn't compare the two recipes, but I know they were similar.  This recipe turns out PERFECT.....so perfect they looked like something you would buy at Mrs. Fields Cookies, plus they are delicious.  My husband's only complaint was that there were a bit too many chocolate chips....say what?!  They are perfect!  So, this is my new go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe.  Hooray!  As a side note, the previous recipe can be found here from The On Call Cook.  I lived in a very dry climate and The On Call Cook's recipe baked up great!  Now I live in a very humid climate, that particular recipe hasn't turned out as well for me.  Thanks to Mel's Kitchen Cafe, I have a new go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe that turns out perfect.  

Ingredients

• 2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour (about 10 1/2 ounces)
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar (7 ounces)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet or milk chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make sure an oven rack is in the center of the oven.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
3. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars together until well mixed. Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla. Mix well until the batter has lightened slightly in color, about 2 minutes. Add the dry ingredients and chocolate chips at the same time. Mix until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.
4. Form dough into tablespoonful-sized balls and place on parchment or silpat-lined cookie sheets. Frozen cookie dough can be stored for up to 2 months in the freezer.
5. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until the edges are set and just lightly browned (keeping in mind that ovens can vary in temperature so use your best judgment). Don't overbake or else the cookies will be tough and hard. If baking frozen cookie dough, add 1 to 2 minutes onto the baking time. Store the baked cookies in an airtight container (or baked cookies can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months).

Mel's baking tips:  I've had great success baking these cookies at 325 degrees for 13-ish minutes or 350 degrees for about 11 minutes (each oven will vary in time). Basically, do what you have the time and patience for. I usually stick with 350 because it is easier to remember and two minutes faster. Time is money, right??

For me, baking at 350 for 13 minutes was perfect.  

Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Photo Source: here

No Bake Energy Bites

This is a great healthier "cookie" recipe.  My kids loved it, even when I omitted the chocolate chips.  I included all of the notes from the original website, as I thought they might be helpful for me another time.  She also had Pumpkin No Bake Energy Bites, as well as a Cherry Pistachio flavor.  Sounds yummy!

No-Bake Energy Bites

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Yield: About 3 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 cup (dry) oatmeal (I used old-fashioned oats)
• 2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed or wheat germ
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips or cacao nibs (optional)
• 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp. chia seeds (optional)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Method

Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed. Cover and let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.

Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like. (Mine were about 1" in diameter.) Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Makes about 20-25 balls.

Ali’s Tip:

Substitution ideas can abound for just about any of these ingredients! Feel free to substitute in your favorite nut butter (almond butter, sunflower seed butter, etc.) for the peanut butter. And you could also add in some wheat germ in place of some or all of the flaxseed. I would caution, though, against substituting agave nectar for the honey, as the honey’s thickness helps hold things together.

Some other fun substitutions for the chocolate chips (or an addition to them) could include:

• chopped dried fruit (apricots, dates, raisins, etc.)
• dried berries (cranberries, cherries, etc.)
• chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts, or sunflower seeds
• other chips (butterscotch, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, M&Ms, etc.)
• other grains (different kinds of oatmeal, rice cereal, etc.)

Update: Many of you have asked about substitutions for other ingredients. The joy of these bites being “no bakes” is that this recipe is super flexible. If you end up needing to omit one of the dry ingredients (such as coconut or flax), just add in some extra of whatever other dry ingredient is remaining (for example, the oats). If you feel like your energy bites are too dry, add in extra honey or peanut butter. It’s also not required that you refrigerate these, but I find it helps them stick together much better. And for some reason, I love things like this a little bit chilled. Enjoy!!

Source: Slightly adapted from Smashed Peas & Carrots.

Complete Recipe and Photo Source: Gimme Some Oven

Monster Cookies

 These cookies are really good and I love that I usually have all of the ingredients in my pantry. They also are gluten free (aka...no flour)! Now I finally have something to put my oats and peanut butter to use, other than PB Bars.  Thanks again to Mel's Kitchen Cafe for another recipe keeper!

*Makes 2-3 dozen cookies

INGREDIENTS:
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 stick butter (8 tablespoons), softened
1 cup M&Ms
1 cup milk chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper, silpat liners or lightly grease with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter and butter. Mix until creamy and well combined. Stir in the M&Ms, chocolate chips, baking soda and oatmeal. Mix well. Roll the dough into tablespoon-sized balls and place about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Flatten the cookies slightly with the palm of your hand.

Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. Don’t overbake – the cookies should just be set and very lightly golden around the edges. Let the cookies sit for 1-2 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in a airtight container for 2 days (the baked cookies freeze well, also).

Recipe Source Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Photo Source Recipe Girl

Reese's Peanut Butter Blondie Cups

I got this recipe somewhere really classy-the back of a package of Reese's Minatures. Anyway, I loved the Valentines look to them with the holiday sprinkles, but you could adapt these to any holiday or just leave the sprinkles off for a delicious peanut butter/chocolate concoction. Also, since you use the mini baking cups and they come out "pretty", I thought they would be cute for a baby shower or party. I'll be honest, my husband and I were worried we would be wasting an ENTIRE bag of Reese's on this dessert and we were so glad when we realized we didn't waste a thing! Enjoy!

REESE'S PEANUT BUTTER BLONDIE CUPS

33 Reese's Minatures Peanut Butter Cups, divided

1/4 C (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, softened

1/4 C creamy peanut butter

1/2 C packed light brown sugar

1/4 C granulated sugar

1 egg

1 TBP milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 C all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

decorative sprinkles

COCOA DRIZZLE GLAZE

1 TBS butter or margarine

1 TBS unsweetened cocoa

1 TBS water

1/2 C powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

(Makes 1/4 C glaze, see below for directions)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 36 small muffin cups (1-3/4 inches in diameter) with paper or foil bake cups. Remove wrappers from peanut butter cups. Coarsely chop 24 peanut butter cups; set aside.

2. Beat butter and peanut butter until well blended. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, milk and vanilla; beat thoroughly. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in chopped peanut butter cups.

3. Roll dough into 36 equal balls (about 1 1/4 inches); place in prepared pans. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until set. Remove from oven; cool completely in pans on wire rack.

4. Cut remaining peanut butter cups into quarters; set aside. Prepare Cocoa Drizzle Glaze; drizzle over cookie tops, Immediately garnish with decorative candies, if desired. Before drizzle sets, top each cookie with peanut butter quarter. 36 cookie cups.

COCOA DRIZZLE GLAZE

Place 1 TBS butter or margarine in small microwave safe bowl. Microwave at Medium (50%) 20 to 30 seconds or until melted. Stir in 1 TBS unsweetened cocoa and 1 TBS water. Microwave at Medium 15 to 30 seconds or just until mixture is hot, slightly thickened and smooth when stirred. Do not boil. Gradually add 1/2 C powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, beating with whisk until smooth. If necessary, add additional water, a few drops at a time, until of desired consistency. Makes about 1/4 cup glaze.

Pilgrim Pies

Recipe Source Family Fun and my friend, Lauren.

Ingredients:

PUMPKIN COOKIES
2 eggs
2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

FILLING/CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 to 5 cups confectioners' sugar

Instructions
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the eggs, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until smooth. Stir in the pumpkin. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, pumpkin spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture a half cup at a time, blending each time until smooth.

2. Drop a heaping tablespoon of batter onto an ungreased cookie sheet, using a moist finger or the back of a spoon to slightly flatten each mound. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

3. Meanwhile, make the frosting. Beat together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract in a bowl until light and fluffy. Mix in the confectioners' sugar a half cup at a time, until the frosting is spreadable.

4. To assemble the pies, turn half of the cookies bottom side up and spread a generous amount of cream cheese frosting on each one. Top them with the remaining cookies (turned right side up).

Makes 10 to 14 Pilgrim Pies.

Cake Mix Cookies

German Chocolate Cake mix with chocolate chips

Red Velvet Cake mix with white chocolate chips


Cake Mix Cookies

Any cake mix you want
1/2 C oil
2 eggs


Mix and bake by rounded spoonful at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Homemade Oreos/Whoopie Pies

I have heard about homemade oreos my entire life-why did it take me so long to try them???!!! I even grew up in Utah, the capitol for homemade stuff. At any rate, these were the beauties I made for a baby shower recently. I just used food coloring to dye the frosting the colors we were using. Pure genius. These cookies were so good and I got lots of compliments on them. So, here is the recipe. Enjoy!



I'll add I got this recipe and the pictures from this website. Its not too classy for me to keep "borrowing" other people's food pictures, but my camera is so lame. Plus, I figure if I give the source and credit where its due, hopefully I won't get hit with a law suit :)




These turned out to be the size of regular oreos.
These "mini oreos" were what I attempted. We tried to have all of the food be mini sized. Mine didn't turn out quite as small as these, but they were still small and yummy so it didn't matter.

Cookie Ingredients
1 package of devil's food cake mix*
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
*I prefer to not use Duncan Hines Cake Mix. There is some ingredient in the mix that doesn't blend up well when making the cookies. It doesn't affect taste, but you can see 'little white specks' in the dough and cookies after they bake, which just bugs me :) Betty Crocker is now the brand I use every time for this recipe.

Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients
1/2 cup butter (softened)
8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

CHOCOLATE Cream Cheese Filling

Same ingredients as above, but add 1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder.

Hint-If the frosting is too thick, add a few tsp of milk to thin it out. I prefer to have the frosting less sweet, so I only add the sugar to taste. Also, this makes a lot of frosting, so your cookies will be VERY thick on the frosting side. Halve the above recipe for a smaller (and more reasonable) amount of frosting. :)

Cookie Instructions
Heat oven to 350°.
Add oil and eggs to cake mix and blend together.
Roll dough into 1/2" balls for mini oreos. (1" for oreo-sized cookies up to 2 1/2" for jumbo size).
Place on cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool for 1 min.
Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. They will be soft and appear not done, but they are.

Cream Cheese Filling Instructions
Cream butter.
Add cream cheese and mix well.
Add vanilla, stirring until well blended.
Slowly add confectioner's sugar until desired consistency is reached. (I used 3 1/2 cups)


Assembling the cookies:
Fill pastry bag or gallon size ziploc bag with filling.
Sandwich two cookies together by squeezing 1 tsp. (or so) of the filling onto the center of one cookie.
Add the 2nd cookie on top.
Lightly press the two cookies together to help the filling spread evenly to the sides of the cookie without spilling over the edges. (unless you prefer it).

You can either serve them as-is or freeze them for a frozen treat.
You can also make-ahead, freeze and bring to room temperature on the day of your event/party.

HELPFUL HINTS:
• Using a mixer, I use my paddle attachment and blend until the dough comes clean from the side of the bowl.
• Although it's recommended to use a greased cookie sheet for baking, I skip that part and mine are fine.
• If the dough seems too sticky to work with, I have found by letting the dough sit while you make the filling, works like a charm.
• Instead of piping the filling, you can also just use a butter knife and spread it on.
• If you are going to eat these as a frozen treat, I found that by reducing the baking time by a minute or so will allow for a less crunchy frozen treat experience. Basically, you want a softer cookie before freezing so that you can easily bite into the frozen treat and enjoy a less "crumbly" experience.
-If you are making these cookies for a special event (like a baby shower), assemble them a few hours a head of time so the frosting has time to set.

Recipe and Photo Source: Pen and Paper Flowers

No Bake Cookies

No Bake Cookies are so good for lots of reasons. 1-chocolate 2-peanut butter 3-oatmeal 4-no baking...need I say more?? They are full of sugar, but so good. I remember making these cookies in Jr. High home ec class....and we totally messed them up. Anyway, don't cut the sugar of else they won't really set up-trust me, I've tried. :) Enjoy!

No Bake Cookies

2 C sugar
1/2 C butter

1/2 C milk

1/4 C cocoa

1/2 C peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

3 C quick rolled oats

Combine sugar, butter, milk and cocoa in a sauce pan. Bring to a complete, rolling boil and boil for at least one minute. Remove from heat and then add peanut butter, vanilla and rolled oats. Stir until well-mixed. Drop onto waxed paper and let cool. Can place cookies onto a cookie sheet and place in refridgerater to speed up the cooling process.

*Tip: If you don't measure the ingredients EXACTLY, especially the sugar, they won't set up well. Also, if you don't let the mixture boil long or hot enough, it won't set up. Make sure you do these two things to get a good, solid cookie at the end!

Photo Source: here

Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Rounds

These cookies are really good. They are a mix between peanut butter cookies and oatmeal cookies-so yum. I have also made them before with mini Reeses Pieces (found in the baking section) sprinkled on top, which is the perfect touch. In this recipe I omitted the peanuts (I never put these in because the hubby doesn't like them) and added butterscotch and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter-Oatmeal Rounds
Source: Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book

Prep: 30 minutes
Bake: 10 minutes per batch
Oven: 375 degrees F

3/4 C butter, softened
1/2 C peanut butter
1 C granulated sugar
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
2 C rolled oats
1 C chopped cocktail peanuts or semisweet chocolate chips (or mini Reeses Pieces)

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and peanut butter with an electric mixer on medium speed about 30 seconds or until combined.


2. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.


3. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined.


4. Beat in flour with the mixer. Stir in rolled oats and peanuts or chocolate pieces.


5. (I always put the dough in the fridge for about 20 minutes at this point until the dough becomes firm enough to roll into balls without sticking to your hands). Drop dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for about 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer cookies to wire rack and let cool.

Ice Cream Sandwiches

Every other Tuesday we have Activity Days that I am in charge of bringing the treats for. I was going to just buy ice cream sandwiches....and then I decided to just make them because that would be cheaper than buying 2 boxes from the store. They were pretty easy and really good. The most time-intensive part was making the chocolate cookies. This chocolate cookie recipe is very good and I would use it for other things other than just ice cream sandwiches. The cookies turned out soft and moist, but sturdy enough to support the ice cream in the middle-a perfect combo!

The only thing I would do different is put more ice cream in the middle. The cookies are kind of overpowering if you don't have enough ice cream in them. After all, they are ICE CREAM sandwiches. Also, make sure to double the recipe if making more than a few for the family.


Ice Cream Sandwiches

Chocolate Cookies:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white granulated sugar

1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips or coarsely chopped white chocolate (optional)

Ice Cream (Vanilla, Maple Pecan, Strawberry or your favorite flavor) (Homemade or Store Bought)


Ice Cream Sandwiches:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In bowl of electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes).

3. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated.

4. First sift together the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and then add to the butter and egg mixture. Mix just until incorporated. (I didn't sift, I just dumped them in and mixed and they turned out fine).

5. Fold in the the white chocolate chips or chunks. (I didn't add these).

6. Drop the batter onto the prepared baking sheet, using either a 1 1/2 - 2 inch (4-5 cm) ice cream scoop or with a rounded tablespoon. Flatten the rounded mounds of dough slightly with your hands. (I put the dough in the fridge for awhile so they would be firmer and easier to roll into balls.)

7. Bake for approximately 8 - 10 minutes (I baked them 12 minutes) or until the the cookies are still soft in the center but are firm around the edges. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before removing the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 20 - 4 inch (10 cm) cookies. I doubled recipe to get the amount shown above! I wanted bigger cookies, so make sure you take that into account when making this recipe.

For Ice Cream Sandwiches: Take two chocolate cookies and place a scoop of your favorite ice cream between the two cookies. Gently press together and serve. (If not serving right away, put them into the freezer on a cookie sheet. They also don't travel very well so think about that when making these).

Recipe Source : here