Black cocoa cookies stuffed with cookies and cream spread

The other day, I made peanut butter cookies stuffed with smores spread.  I am following that up today with black cocoa cookies stuffed with cookies and cream filling. 

Another amazing Aldi find!

A few things about this recipe.   Scoop out the cookies and cream spread and freeze for several hours.  As always, scoop the flour from your flour bag and cocoa from it’s container so you get the right amount.  Make the dough and once you fill each one with a ball of the spread, freeze the doughs for several hours.  Only when you are ready to bake, take the dough out.  Directly bake, in a preheated oven at 350 degrees from freezer.  only bake 15 to 16 minutes.  And store them in the fridge after they are completely cooled.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar firmly packed into measuring cup
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 2/3 to 3 cups flour (i may use 3 next time to try and prevent spreading a little more)
  • 1 cup black cocoa
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • Cookies and cream spread, scooped into tiny mounds and frozen solid

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix in dry ingredients.   If dough seems too dry, add a tbs or two of heavy cream or milk.  Scoop out 1/4 cup of dough.

Divide in half and flatten each half.

On one half, place a frozen mound of cookies and cream spread. 

Top with other flattened half. 

Seal edges.

Freeze doughs for several hours.  When ready to bake, keep dough in freezer until oven is preheated to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on sheet.   Bake 15 to 16 minutes,  no longer.  Cool completely.   Store in fridge in covered container to keep filling firm.

Thanks for stopping by!

Peanut butter cookies stuffed with smores spread

I saw this smores spread at Aldi and thought it would be perfect to scoop it out, freeze each one and stuff them in cookies.  I chose peanut butter cookies this time. I baked the dough frozen to keep the spread inside, so i highly suggest doing that.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  And preheat  your oven to 350 degrees before baking.  Also do not take dough out of fridge until you are ready to pop them in the oven.  Gotta keep that smores spread inside the cookie!

  • Ingredients list
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed into measuring cup
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tbs milk
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup peanuts, finely ground
  • Smores spread, scooped into rounded tbs and frozen solid

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and sugar.  Add egg, vanilla and milk.  Blend in flour and baking soda.  Fold in peanuts. Scoop out 1/4 cups dough.

Divide in half and slightly flatten each half.

On one half, place a frozen smores ball.

Top with other flattened  half of pb cookie dough.

Seal cookie so smores ball is hidden. 

Freeze dough overnight.  Leave dough in freezer until oven has preheated to 350.   Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and stagger cookies on sheet. 

Bake 16 to 18 minutes. 

Cool completely.   Store in covered container.

Cinnamon sugar topped oatmeal cookies

I have not made good old fashioned oatmeal cookies in a while, so i thought it was time i did.   These use vegetable oil instead of crisco or butter.   Super easy to make and they come out pretty puffy as you can see.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  Also chill the dough for a couple of hours.  And preheat your oven before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 1/2 cups oats (i used quick, you can also use rolled or old fashioned)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar firmly packed into measuring cup
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil (any other oil would likely be fine too)

Directions- in a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.  Mix in vanilla, eggs and oil.  Scoop out 2 tbs dough.  Sprinkle tops with cinnamon sugar.   Chill for a few hours.  When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.   I lined up cookies 3 to each row (they did not spread).  Bake 10 to 12 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely and store in covered container.

If you want, you could frost these too.

Combine, in a bowl, one cup powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1 to 2 tbs milk. 

Peanut butter cookies stuffed with mini Mr. Goodbars

I had a bunch of extra mini mr goodbars and came up with the idea of stuffing them in peanut butter cookies.

It has been hotter than hell here the last 5 days, so i froze the dough to prevent too much spreading while baking.  

Remember to firmly pack your brown sugar into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  Also, spoon your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. And preheat your oven before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup crisco
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 1/2 cups flour

In a bowl, cream crisco, peanut butter, brown sugar and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.   Blend in dry ingredients.   Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough. 

Divide into half. 

Place a mini Mr  goodbar on one half. 

Top with the other half

and seal edges. 

Freeze a few hours.  When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees.   Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and stagger cookies on sheet.  

Bake 15 minutes.( No longer.)

  Cool completely.  Store in covered container. 

Sugar cookie bars

I am bringing in sugar cookie bars today, but I did not bake them today.  It is over 100 degrees so turning on an oven is not ideal.  So what i did was bake a couple of treats when it was cooler and froze them.  These are one of those treats.  They can also be celebratory treats for the USMNT’s win over Bosnia Herzegovina last night to advance to the round of 16 at the world cup.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 7 tbs vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 6 tbs powdered sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 3/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8×8 pan with tin foil and set aside.  In a bowl, cream butter, oil,  sugar and powdered sugar.  Add egg and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients.  Evenly spread into pan.  Bake 12 to 14 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely.  

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 tbs milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla

In a bowl, blend butter and powdered sugar.  Add milk and vanilla.  Frost bars.  Store in covered container in fridge.

Ode to the new little debbie treat

I saw that Little Debbie has unveiled a new treat  – the fudge rounds with vanilla cream filling (the cream filling is similar to what i use in the oatmeal cream pie cookies).  So i decided to make my own version.  My favorite little debbie treats were always the oatmeal cream pies and cosmic brownies.  These new one treats look pretty good too.

I think i made these a little too big, so i just cut them in half after I made the sandwich cookies.  Next time, I may add a little more flour and instead of flattening the doughs a little, I may just leave them puffy mounds so perhaps they won’t spread as much and be so large!

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  Also freeze or chill the individual doughs before baking.  And when ready to bake, preheat your oven to 326 degrees. 

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed into measuring cups
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 2 3/4 cups flour
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients.   Scoop out quarter cups of dough and form tall cylinders.   Freeze or chill in fridge for a few hours.  When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325 degrees.   Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and stagger cookies on sheet. 

Bake 15 to 17  minutes, no longer.  Cool completely.   I placed mine in the fridge to help firm them up.

  • Cream filling
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup crisco
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 tbs heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter and powdered sugar.  Add heavy cream and vanilla.  Add more powdered sugar if you want filling a little thicker.

Place one cookie, flatside up.

Top with filling.

Top with another cookie, flatside down.  

Store in covered container in fridge. 

Thank you for stopping by!

Lemon blondie bars with Lemon glaze

Another lemon treat, this time, lemon blondies.   Made in an 8×8 pan, with lemon glaze.   Tangy, yet sweet.  Very soft too!

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag so you get the right amount.  Also, Preheat your oven before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbs lemon extract
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Directions  – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper or tin foil and spray with pam.  Set aside.  In a bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs and extract.  Mix in dry ingredients amd lemon juice.  Evenly spread into prepared pan.  Bake 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs.  Cool completely.

  • Lemon glaze ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tbs lemon juice
  • Enough water to get consistency you want.

Ice blondies.  Store in covered container.

Tweaked tollhouse cookies

The tollhouse cookies recipe for me, like for most people, was the first ever chocolate chip cookie recipe made.  Lots of great memories of making them with my mom,  but the cookies always came out super flat, which isn’t how I want my cookies to turn out.  So I took the classic recipe on the nestle chocolate chips bag and tweaked it.  These are the result.  Not as puffy as I want,  but not flat like pancakes.  Perhaps I add a little more flour next time. 

I used a combo of all purpose and bread flour in these.  If you do entirely all purpose flour, I would go with 3 cups.  And if dough seems dry before adding chocolate chips, add a tbs or 2 of water.  Also, scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. 

Also freeze the individual doughs before baking and bake these directly from the freezer.   Also preheat your ovem to 325 degrees before baking. 

  • Ingredients list
  • 3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled at room temp until it solidifies
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup bread flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (i used a mix of semisweet, milk and white)

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Add egg, yolk and vanilla.   Mix in dry ingredients.  Fold in chips.  Scoop out 1/4 cups dough.  Form into tall cylinders. 

Chill or freeze several hours.  When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.   Stagger cookies on sheet. 

Bake 12 to 15 minutes. 

Tops will be gushy, but bottoms will be golden brown.  I let these cool and then popped them in the fridge to firm up. 

Store in covered container.

Smashed chocolate sugar cookies with 3 different kinds of frosting

Frosting 1 -peanut butter with melted hershey bars (and orange m&ms

Yesterday, I made smashed lemon sugar cookies with lemon frosting.  So today, I made a chocolate version with 3 types of frosting – peanut butter, chocolate chip cookie dough and chocolate.  I wanted to frost some with vanilla frosting, but I made too much chocolate frosting, so i just used that.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  Chill your individual doughs before baking and preheat your oven before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup greek yogurt
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3/4 cup baking cocoa
  • 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, oil and sugar.  Add greek yogurt and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients.   Scoop out 1/4 cups dough and roll into balls.  Spray  the bottom of a glass with pam and dip im sugar.  Lightly flatten cookies.  Chill several hours.   Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on sheet.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1/3 cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/3 cup baking cocoa
  • 1/4 cup heaby cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter and powdered sugar.  Blend in remaining ingredients.   Frost cookies. 

Frosting 3 – chocolate chip cookie dough with melted hershey bars

Store in covered container

Smashed lemon sugar cookies with lemon frosting

Everyone seems to love lemon.  So, I decided to make lemon cookies with lemon frosting.   (I have several other flavors of this recipe – chocolate, regular sugar cookie, gingerbread, oatmeal chocolate chip).   These are fun because after scooping out dough and rolling each one into a ball, I gently smash it with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar.  Then I bake and frost them after they are cooled.   These should not bake longer than 12 minutes.  They seem underbaked, but they should be that way.  Pop them in the fridge to cool.  And after frosting then, chill them again.

Scoop out your flour into the measuring cups so you get the right amount.  chill the individual doughs for several hours before baking.  And preheat your oven before baking.

Also, I had something very cool happen today..  while running errands, i was wearing my Bills hat that Rob designed for me and someone yelled “go Bills!”  That was pretty awesome!

  • Ingredients list
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup greek yogurt
  • 3 tbs lemon juice
  • 3 tsp lemon extract
  • 4 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, sugar and oil.  Blend in green yogurt,  lemon juice and extract.  Blend in dry ingredients.   Scoop put 1/4 cups dough.  Spray the bottom of a glass with pam and dip in sugar.  Slighly flatten cookies.  Chill several hours.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and stagger cookies on sheet.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes, no longer. Cool completely.

  • Lemon frosting
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tbs lemon juice
  • 1 to 2 tbs milk

Directions- in a bowl, combine ingredients and frost cookies.

Thank you for stopping by!