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

Pecan Pie Cupcakes

Now these are good. And easy. I love it when I can make cookies or cupcakes and don't have to break out the mixer. And they taste like pecan pie. The only change I will make is the next time, I won't bake them quite so long. Other than that though, they are perfect! So yummy!

Ingredients:
1 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. flour
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 c. butter, melted
2 eggs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 and line a mini muffin tin.

Combine all ingredients and mix well.

Fill muffin tins 3/4 full.

Bake 18 minutes.

Yield: 24 mini muffins

Source: http://www.bakedperfection.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

Chicken & Black Bean Flautas

I have been cooking up a storm the last week or so... I just haven't posted anything :) So, get ready. It is my mission today to get caught up, since I will have some Memorial Day recipes to post next week! These chicken and black bean flautas were a quick and easy lunch last weekend. It definitely satisfied my Mexican craving, and it only took a few minutes to make! This is definitely a 30 minute meal - and 20 minutes of that is oven time! And, you could put whatever you want in these, depending on what you feel like eating :)

Ingredients:
1 small can Rotel tomatoes with green chilis
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 c. chicken, cooked and shredded
1 c. shredded cheese
4 small flour tortillas
Salsa

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Coat a baking sheet with non-stick spray

Place tomatoes, beans, chicken and cheese in a tortilla. Roll tightly and set seam side down on the baking sheet.

Spray tops of each flauta with olive oil cooking spray.

Bake 10 minutes, then flip and bake 10 more minutes.

Dip in salsa :)

Yield: 2 servings

Source: Adapted from http://www.fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.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...

Butterscotch Cake

So, I had really good pictures of everything I made today. But then when I stuck my memory card in the computer, it said it wasn't formatted and I lost everything. This is like, the fourth time that has happened so it is really starting to tick me off. So I had to pull everything BACK out and re-take all my pictures. I was kinda frustrated at that point, so I just hurried through it and didn't bother trying my best to take good pictures. Sorry :)

Anyways, I love butterscotch pudding, so when I saw this cake, I thought it sounded pretty good. It didn't look too hard and it was different from the stuff I usually make. All in all it turned out pretty good. I think that if I made this again, I wouldn't necessarily use butterscotch frosting. The cake itself was by far the most moist cake I have ever made. So, here ya go.

Ingredients:
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
5 large eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract (I didn't have any, so I just put in a little extra vanilla)
2 1/2 c. cake flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9x13 cake pan.

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time and then add extracts.

Whisk flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the butter mixture, alternating with milk.

Bake 25-30 minutes.

Let cool 10 minutes. Then, cover with parchment paper and cooling rack and invert.

Frosting Ingredients:
1/3 c. butterscotch chips
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 tbsp. milk (if necessary) (and it was totally necessary)

Frosting Directions:
In a microwave safe bowl, melt butterscotch chips and half of the butter on low heat. Stir.

Cream the other half of the butter and half of the sugar. Add the melted butterscotch mixture.

Add the other half of the sugar.

Add milk if necessary to create a more frosting-esque consistency.

Frost the cooled cake.

Source: www.kingarthurflour.com

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.

Teeny-Tiny Cherry Pie

Seriously, who doesn't love miniature food? I think everybody does. And if you don't, you should. I didn't actually MAKE any of this, I just put it all together. This was more of an experiment to see if I have the ability to make pretty food. I am pretty impressed with myself. These weren't nearly as hard as they look, which always makes me happy.

Ingredients:
1 pie crust
1 can of pie filling (I only used half a can)
milk or egg to seal crust
sugar to sprinkle over the top

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.

Roll out a pie crust and use a biscuit cutter (or cookie cutter, or glass top, whatever) to cut out small circles. Press into a mini muffin tin.

Spoon pie filling into each cup.

Top with pastry dough in shapes of your choice.

Brush with milk or egg to seal the tops so they don't pop off and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 10 minutes or so.

Yield: 10 baby pies

Roasted Chickpeas

Y'all are in for a ton of recipes today. I basically spent the last 5 hours cooking and baking. I know, I'm crazy. I've seen a ton of blogs with recipes for roasted chickpeas. Since the boy is on a diet, I thought that this might be a good snack for him. I kind of combined a whole bunch of different recipes that I saw. They aren't bad. I made them super spicy. I can see it being a good "go to" snack because they are super easy to make and you get the "crunchy fix" if that is what you need! I think that next time, I might try tossing them in hot sauce instead of olive oil.

Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas
Olive oil
Spices to taste (I used red pepper flakes and garlic powder)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375.

Drain, rinse and pat dry chickpeas.

In a bowl, toss with olive oil and seasoning.

Place on cookie sheet and stick in the oven for 40-50 minutes, shaking the pan every so often.

Mine weren't as crunchy as I wanted when I took them out, so I popped them back in the oven at 400 for about 5 minutes.

P.S. Check out that stellar picture!!!