Cake Mix Cookies

I'm always looking for super easy recipes using pantry staples - I like to have "go-to" recipes that don't require any shopping, just in case I need something quick! This is definitely one of those recipes. And I think there are so many different things you could do with this!

You could pick a variety of cake mixes. You could add peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, nuts, whatever you want. These were super easy - definitely a 20 minute recipe, start to finish, including baking time. The cookies are really yummy. Very chewy and soft and thick. I mixed in some chocolate chips to the second batch to see how they would turn out.

I think next time, I will use a chocolate cake mix and mix in peanut butter chips - you just can't beat peanut butter and chocolate!

Ingredients:
1 box cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. flour

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together.

Roll into balls and place on a cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for 11 minutes.

Yield: about 2 dozen cookies

Source: www.kitchenscrapbook.com

No Bake Oatmeal Cookie Balls

When I saw this recipe I immediately wanted to make it! I am all about no bake cookies in the summer - I have a very tiny condo and turning on the oven gets it really hot, really quick! Plus, this was one of those "pantry" recipes that required no grocery store trip. Always a plus.

Unfortunately, I will probably not be making these again. I have never really liked the taste of uncooked oatmeal, but I was willing to try it again. Maybe they will taste better in the morning after they have a chance to get all the butter soaked in and everything. So, we'll see.

Ingredients:
2 c. rolled oats
3/4 c. sugar
3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp. water
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 tbsp. peanut butter
1 c. powdered sugar

Directions:
Combine oats, sugar and cocoa.

Mix in all the other ingredients except the powdered sugar.

Wash hands, and then roll dough into 1 inch balls and then roll in powdered sugar.

Chill for 20 minutes.

Yield: about 2 dozen

Source: www.tasteandtellblog.com

Oreo Decadence Bars

I started baking today for next weekend already. The boy is hosting a golf tournament and a few guys will be staying at his house all weekend. So, being the good girlfriend that I am, I am going to supply him with some cookies, muffins, etc. The first thing on my list to make were these oreo bars. Now, in theory, these were a good idea. And they are super yummy. BUT, they are kind of messy and don't hold their shape very well. I stuck them in the fridge to see if that will help a bit. But they are good. :)

Edited to add: refrigerating them totally helped! The boy actually said he preferred them cold and they were gone in less than 16 hours. :)

Ingredients:
23 oreo cookies, coarsely chopped (not sure who came up with the number 23!?) :P
2 tbsp. butter, melted
3/4 c. white chocolate chips
3/4 c. mini marshmallows
3/4 c. peanuts, chopped
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350; line an 8x8 pan with foil and grease the foil.

Mix cookies and butter. Sprinkle 1 c. into pan.

Sprinkle with chocolate chips, marshmallows and peanuts.

Top with remaining oreos.

Pour condensed milk over the top of everything.

Bake 25-30 minutes.

Yield: 12 servings

Source: http://www.kraftfoods.com/

Chocolate Cream Fruit Dip

For dessert yesterday, I made chocolate cream dip and vanilla bean sugar cookies (up next!). This was so easy to make and it was yummy. Plus, I was able to make it in advance and just pop it in the fridge until I was ready for it!

Ingredients:
1 package cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. chocolate syrup
1 7 oz. jar marshmallow fluff

Directions:
Beat cream cheese and syrup.

Fold in fluff.

Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Serve with fruit, pound cake, angel food cake, or just eat it with a spoon... :)

Yield: 2 cups

Source: Taste of Home's "Quick Cooking Annual Recipes" 2002 edition

Cookie Dough Pops

So, I totally should've taken the time to take a better picture of these. I don't know what I was thinking. These were so easy to make. I love recipes like this - where it looks like I took hours and hours to make something, but it really only took me like, 30 minutes! Always a big plus in my book! I took some of these to work, and so I did take the time to make eggless cookie dough. I must say though, if it was just for me, I would make regular cookie dough or buy some in a tube :) I'll take my chances at salmonella poisoning. These were awesome though! I mean, how could they not be? Raw cookie dough. Covered in chocolate. On a stick. How in the world did it take someone so long to think of this??? My only change (since I even copied Risa's colors!) is that I would leave out the cinnamon next time. No one else noticed it, but the flavor was overpowering for me. Oh, and I need to figure out how to not have a flat side after chilling these :)

Ingredients:
1 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
Dash cinnamon
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. chocolate chips
1/2 package chocolate candy melts
1/4 c. blue candy melts

Directions:
Combine flour, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl.

In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add in vanilla.

Add flour mixture. Then stir in chocolate chips.

Roll into balls and insert lollipop sticks. Chill for several hours or stick in the freezer for about 20 minutes.

Melt candy melts according to directions on package.

Dip cookie dough balls into chocolate, tapping and rolling to remove excess chocolate and bubbles.

Place in a styrofoam block to dry.

Then, drizzle with an alternate color of candy melts.

Yield: 20ish. Depends on how big your balls are.

Source: www.bakedperfection.com

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes

Oy! I see how everybody gets behind on their blogging! Man have I been busy! So, last week was our monthly cooking contest at work. The theme was party food - in honor of March Madness. I had originally planned on making fried pickles. However, my bosses switched the day and we found out at 3pm the day before. So, no time to go to the store. That meant I had to make do with ingredients I had on hand. I happened to have two blocks of cream cheese, and mini cheesecakes seemed like a good idea. So, I went on a mission to find a recipe. Now let me tell you - this recipe lies. It said 15 minute prep time. If I had known it was a lie, I would've found a different recipe. The total time for this was supposed to be 40 minutes. Now, maybe I'm retarded, but this took me 2 freaking hours. That does not make for a happy baker!

So, I didn't win. The little cheesecakes weren't bad. I only brought home 3 out of the 50 or so I made, so I think that's a good sign. By the time I was done making them though, I didn't even want to think about cheesecake, much less eat any. Here ya go:

Ingredients:
1 c. chocolate graham crackers, finely crushed
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 3 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
1/3 c. creamy peanut butter
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted and slightly cooled

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325.

Line 12 muffin cups with liners, or 48 mini muffin cups.

Spoon graham cracker crumbs into each cup and press to form crust. Set aside.

Place cream cheese in mixer. Beat until smooth - about 2 minutes. Add sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute. Gradually add milk, then eggs one at a time. Beat for 30 seconds.

Transfer half of batter to another bowl.

Add peanut butter to mixer bowl. Beat until well blended, about 1 minute. Divide mixture among muffin cups.

Return reserved batter to mixer bowl (don't bother to clean bowl or beaters - I liked this part!) and added melted chocolate. Beat until well blended - about 1 minute. Divide mixture among muffin cups, spreading to cover peanut butter batter.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until centers are almost set. Cool completely on wire racks. Store covered in refrigerator.

Yield: 12 standard muffin cup sized cheesecakes, or 48 mini cheesecakes

Source: RecipeZaar

Sugar Cookie Bars. Again.

I think I am obsessed with these cookies. I have made them 3 times in the last month. You can find the original post with the recipe here. These were the best ones yet though! I made a full recipe (for a 9x13 pan), but then used an 8x8 pan. They were thicker and the middle was still a tiny bit doughy. Mmmm... perfect! The chocolate buttercream frosting is good, but I think that the vanilla frosting was the best. And yes, I ate more of the dough. Licked the bowl clean, actually. Oh, to be a fly on my wall...

Hand Pie

Sorry for the lousy picture. I was in a huge rush! I had a half can of cherry pie filling left, but didn't want to take the time to make more "pretty" pies, so I made simple hand pies instead. I made a variety of pies - cherry, cherry chocolate, chocolate, dark chocolate peanut butter... Lots of pies. They weren't bad. They would've been better if I had taken more time on them!

Ingredients:
1 pie crust
Filling of your choice
1 egg, beaten

Directions:
Use a biscuit cutter to cut out rounds from the pie crust.

Place filling in the center of each round. Seal edges with cold water and press with a fork to make it pretty.

Brush with egg.

Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookie Bars

I was so disappointed when my sugar cookie bars were gone. I just couldn't get them out of my head. They were that good. So, I made more. Quite honestly, I really just wanted to eat the cookie batter. I know, I know. Raw eggs, blah blah blah. I don't care. It hasn't killed me yet. And if I die from cookie dough, I will die a happy death and it will have been worth it.

Okay, back to cookies. I wasn't really feeling up to making frosting. Especially because I just wanted to eat the dough. So I decided to just sprinkle some chocolate chips on top and call it a day. I used the exact same recipe as last time and just added chocolate chips. The dough was amazing. The cookies weren't bad either. I had to suck it up and bake them though, because otherwise, I seriously could have eaten the entire bowl of dough. I know, some of you find that disgusting, and well, that is just un-American. :)

Valentine's Day Cupcakes

Woohoo! I can download pictures again! I had to buy an adapter thingamajigger to make it work. Best $15 I ever spent! So, I actually made these on Thursday night, so I could take them to work on Friday. No actual recipe. I was just proud of myself because not only were they very yummy, they actually turned out pretty!

So, basically, just go to the store. Buy a box of devils food cake mix, cream cheese frosting and a jar of maraschino cherries. Make cupcakes according to box. FYI, I don't know why it took me so long to figure this out, BUT, whenever I make cupcakes, they are always tiny. The tops don't even reach the top of the little cupcake cakes. Well, in case you didn't know - you don't have to make 24 cupcakes like the box says. You can just make 18, or however many. Yes, it took me 26 years to figure this out. Don't laugh.

Okay, so back to the recipe. After cupcakes have cooled, mix some cherry juice into the cream cheese frosting. I really just wanted pink frosting, but I didn't have any food coloring. So I used cherry juice. The subtle cherry flavor turned out pretty good though. Frost cupcakes. Done. :)

You should all know - I am very excited. I ordered a really cute apron on Amazon and I am so psyched to start wearing it! I was afraid that it would look stupid on me or be too big, since I am practically a midget. But it is perfect! I know. I'm a complete dork.

Valentine's Day Brown Sugar Blondies

Okay - still having camera issues. I switched memory cards and now I can't upload to my computer. So frustrating. Okay, these turned out ugly anyway. I don't know what I did wrong. So, you should definitely go look at the original picture HERE.

I saw this recipe and just couldn't help myself. I knew that I had to make it for Valentine's Day. It is just too cute! Unfortunately, I apparently am just the worst planner ever. Okay, not really. I actually love to plan and organize. I just happened to be incredibly unprepared to make these tonight. First, I ran out of vanilla. I didn't even know that could happen. I think I've only bought vanilla once in my entire life. So, I used 1/2 tbsp vanilla and then 1/2 tbsp maple syrup. Then, when I was ready to pour everything into the pan, when I realized that the pan I was planning on using was sitting in the fridge, with leftovers in it. I used an 8x8 pan instead. I don't think it made that big of a difference.

Ingredients:
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 c. M&Ms

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Melt butter and add brown sugar. Mix well.

Cool slightly, then add egg and vanilla.

Add flour mixture, and then 2/3 c. M&Ms.

Spread in a 9x9 pan. Sprinkle 1/3 c. M&Ms on top.

Bake 20-25 minutes.

Source: http://www.bakedperfection.com

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

These cookies are good. The boy did not like them, but he apparently doesn't like cooked fruit - I know, I thought that was weird, too. If you like chocolate covered cherries, you will like these cookies. Mine didn't turn out very pretty, but they taste good, and that is all that matters. It is definitely one of those things that look like they were complicated to make, but they are super easy! Even for me!

Ingredients:
1 10 oz jar maraschino cherries
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. sweetened condensed milk

Directions:
Drain the cherries, reserving 3 tbsp. juice. Cut cherries in half and set aside.

Beat butter and sugar together until creamy. Add the egg, vanilla and 2 tbsp of cherry juice. Beat until well blended.

Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gradually add to the creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place on parchment lined baking sheets. (The dough was very sticky for me. When I make these again, I will chill the dough for a bit before rolling into balls.) Press your thumb in the middle of each ball and place a cherry half in each indentation.

Combine chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until chips are melted and the mixture is blended. Stir in remaining 1 tbsp of cherry juice. Spoon 1 tsp. of the mixture over each cherry half.

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Source: http://nancysrecipes.wordpress.com/