Mini chocolate chip cutouts

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I hope you can tell this is a Christmas tree

For my first cutout cookies of the season, I opted for a mini chocolate chip recipe and tossed in a few mini m&ms. I like my cookies thick, so these spread out a little more than I prefer. I will try to tweak the recipe to see if I can remedy that. I do recommend mini chocolate chips because the dough is easier to cut with cookie cutters.

These are very old, yet I can’t part with them!

I made my cutouts into cookie sandwiches because I am a terrible decorator. I use a simple vanilla and /or chocolate frosting.

A gingerbread man
Flip the gingerbread man upside down and you have a reindeer

Notes – remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup. If you chill the dough, take it out a few hours before so it is easier to roll. And preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so your oven cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup crisco
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips
  • 1 cup mini m&ms (or you can use another cup of mini chips)

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners or parchment paper. In a bowl, cream butter, crisco, brown sugar, sugar, vanilla and salt. Blend in yolks. Fold in flour. Dough may take a while to come together. Add a tbs or 2 or water if you want to help blend dough. Mix in chips and m&ms. On a floured surface, roll and cut. Place on your prepared cookie sheet. Bake one sheet at a time, for ten minutes. Cool completley.

Frosting – combine 2 tbs butter (melted), with 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tbs milk, 1 tsp vanilla. You can add more milk or powdered sugar to get the texture you want. I added green food coloring

These are a Christmas tree, Santa’s ans stockings
A stocking sandwich cookie.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Appreciate you!

For those who have not entered the “this is too sweet” phase of life.

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Tollhouse pie!

I am late posting this,but here is the recipe for the pie I made for Thanksgiving. It is a version of tollhouse pie (some also call it Derby pie). I opted to make a chocolate pie crust, but the traditional flakey pie crust works too.

It is pretty sweet, too sweet for me.. so I have apparently entered the “too sweet. Too salt. Too loud. Too tired” phase of life. Yowsa!

Remember to preheat your oven for 20 minutes before baking.

  • Ingredients for pie crust (king Arthur flour recipe)
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup baking cocoa
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 10 tbs butter, cut into cubes
  • 5 tbs cold water

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees before baking. In a bowl, combine flour, baking cocoa, and powdered sugar. Using a fork or pastry blender, blend in cubed butter. Mix in water, one tbs at a time. Once well mixed, roll into a ball. Press evenly into prepared 9 inch pie tin. Set aside. Do not bake yet.

  • Filling ingredients
  • 1 cup corn syrup
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup melted butter
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions – blend corn syrup and sugar. Add eggs and mix well. Blend in butter and vanilla. Mix in 1 cup chips. Pour batter into unbaked crust. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup chips on top. Bake in preheated oven, 350 degrees for 55 to 75 minutes, until top is relativelt firm. Keep an eye on the pie, as baking times can vary. Cool completley. Store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by today! I wish you much love and happiness. Also, remember to be kind. You never know what battle a person is facing

Pretzel Buns (bread machine)

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Pretzel buns!

These are amazing! And they are pretty easy to make. I use a bread machine – dough cycle only – for these. You could probably use a stand mixer and need it (but I am not sure how much time that would involve, plus kneading dough is not my strength). I baked them in my oven.

Remember to spoon your flour from your flower bag into your measuring cup so you get the correct amount.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup hot water
  • 1 packet instant yeast
  • 1 tbs sugar
  • 4 cups bread flour
  • 1 tsp salt

Directions – in your bread maker tin, pour in milk, water, sugar and yeast. Add flour and salt. Turn on bread machine and select dough cycle. Let it run through cycle. Spray your hands with Pam (trust me on this). Divide dough into 8 equal pieces and form into rolls. Let rise on a greased baking sheet for an hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees for 20 minutes. In a small bowl, beat an egg and set aside. In a pot, boil 8 cups of water and two tbs baking soda. Place 2 buns doughs at a time, and boil each side for 45 seconds. Place on greased sheet. Brush with beaten egg and Sprinkle with salt. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely. Store in a freezer bag and freeze. I think the rolls would take an hour to thaw put to eat.Buns!

Thanks for stopping by today! Hope you have a day filled with love and joy and peace!

Chocolate chip/chocolate chocolate chip cookies

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While trying to decide between. A chocolate chip and chocolate chocolate chip cookie, I just decided to combine them and present this monstrosity for the Bills victory cookies. Wow, does my mood change after a win.

I decided to brown the butter with these. You don’t have to, but browned butter can give treats a unique and delicious taste. I recommend chilling this dough. Remember to spoon your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup and to preheat your oven to 325 degrees before baking. I baked these for 18 minutes. I have no idea if they are done, but did not want to burn them. I think my ESPN friends will still be happy with them.

Here are some tips to brown butter – cook it in a pan over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, until you see little brown bits. Remove from heat and cool 5 to 10 minutes.

Cookie monster!
  • Chocolate chip cookie dough
  • 3/4 cup butter, browned
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 yolk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions – in a bowl, combine browned butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add egg, yolk and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. Stir in chips

  • Chocolate chocolate chip cookie dough
  • 3/4 cup butter browned
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 yolk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup baking cocoa
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions – in a bowl, combine browned butter, brown sugar, sugar. Add egg, yolk and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. Mix in chips.

Forming the cookies – scoop out 3 tbs of each dough and mold together, forming a tall mounds of dough. Chill a few hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Stagger cookies on it.

This is what I mean by staggering cookies

Bake 15 to 18 minutes (you will see a few golden patches on top). Cool completley. Store in covered container.

Now that’s a cookie!

Thanks for stopping by today!!! Sending you love, peace and joy!

The perfect chocolate chip cookies (puffy)

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Perfect and puffy chocolate chip cookie

These represent what I believe is the perfect chocolate chip cookie – puffy. I know a lot of people love flat cookies, UT I prefer mine to be puffy. I added a tsp of cornstarch to the dough to help with that and also chilled the dough for 2 hours.

Remember to spoon your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. Also, form your individual doughs into cylinders and chill your dough for a few hours before baking.

  • Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, cold and grated
  • 1/2 cup crisco
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 3.4 oz vanilla pudding mix
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, crisco, sugar, and brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Blend in pudding mix. Fold in flour, baking soda, and cornstarch. You may need to use your hands to blend completely the dough together. Fold in chips. Scoop out 2 tbs of dough and corn tall cylinders. Chill a few hours. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or nonstick baking liners. Stagger cookie cylinders on sheets. Bake 12 minutes (light golden patches on top). They will be a little undercooked on top, but will firm up as they cool. Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. If you make these, let me know how they turn out.

Brownies with chocolate chip cookies baked in

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Brownies with chocolate chip cookies baked in

I made these triple chip cookies (semisweet, milk, and white chocolate). They came out waaaayyyyy too flat, so I decided to break them up into large pieces and bake them in brownies. I think my ESPN Radio work friends will be pleased. And you don’t have to put cookies pieces in these brownies, you could add oreos, or the brownies are just fine on their own. 🙂

Remember to preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. And, remember to spoon your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup.

  • Ingredients
  • homemade chocolate chip cookies, broken into pieces (I used 5 very large, very flat cookies)
  • 1 cup butter
  • 11 oz bag of dark chocolate chips
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tbs baking cocoa
  • 1 1/4 cups flour

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a 9×13 pan with tin foil and spray with baking spray. In a microwave safe bowl, melt butter and chocolate chips on 40 second increments until you can stir smooth. Add sugar and brown sugar. Mix in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla. Blend in flour and baking cocoa. Spread evenly into prepared 9×13 pan. Lightly press cookies pieces in batter. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes put with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by today. Wishing you a wonderful day. And please remember to be kind. Everyone is fighting some sort of battle and your kindness may be just what they need.

Chocodiles – chocolate covered twinkies

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Chocodiles!

Today’s request from Rob – a chocodile. I had never heard of one before, but learned it is a chocolate covered twinkie. It gave me a chance to use my twinkie pan (one of many baking items I have that get little or no use. Hello – cherry maker, mini cake pop maker, mini pie maker, large cupcake pan, to name a few)

  • Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 yolk
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Spray a canoe or twinkie pan with baking spray. In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, yolk and vanilla. Blend in milk, then dry ingredients. Spoon batter into prepared pans 3/4 of the way full. Bake 15 to 18 minutes (a toothpick inserted in center of twinkie comes out clean) cool 10 minutes. Use a plastic knife to remove from pan. Cool completley.

Twinkie pan put to good use
  • Filling ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup marshmallow fluff
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla

In a bowl, beat ingredients together. Use the bottom of a wooden spoon to poke 3 holes in the bottom of a cooled twinkie.

Then using a pasty bag or decorating apparatus, carefully fill the three holes. Do not overfill.

Topping – in a microwave safe bowl, heat 1/2 cup cream for 1 minute. Add 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips. Let set 5 minutes. Stir smooth. Spread over top of filled twinkies. Store in covered container

I was a little messy with the topping 🙂

Thanks so much for stopping by. Wishing you a wonderful day. Remember to be kind. Life can be so hard, try to make someone’s day a little brighter. And, Go Bills!!!

Football friday week 9- treat # 2 – snickers stuffed peanut butter cookies

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Go Bills!

Another endeavor as I attempt to use up leftover Halloween candy. These are snickers stuffed peanut butter cookies. I recommend freezing the fun size snickers for an hour or so. It keeps them from melting too much when baking.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. Preheat oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so it cycles to the right temperature.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup crisco
  • 1 1/2 cups peanut butter
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 tbs milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • Fun size snickers, frozen (or other candy)

Directions – preheat oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners or parchment paper. In a bowl, cream peanut butter, crisco, sugar, and brown sugar. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. Scoop out 1 1/2 tbs dough. Flatten slightly.

Place a frozen snickers on top.

Scoop out another 1 1/2 tbs dough and flatten slightly

Seal edges and place on prepared sheets. Bake 9 to 11 minutes. You will see gold patches around the bottom edges. Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by!!❤️❤️

Football friday for week 9 part 1 – Brownie mix cookies

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Brownie mix cookies

A simple, yet great way to get your chocolate fix. Brownies, yet in cookies form. Plus, they take less time to bake than brownies, 10 minutes, as opposed to 20. Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into you measuring cup and preheat your oven for 20 minutes before baking.

  • Ingredients
  • An 18.3 oz brownie mix
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 5 tbs vegetable oil
  • 2 tbs water
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking liners. In a bowl, combine brownie mix, eggs, oil, and water. Fold in chips. Scoop out 2 tbs of dough and place on baking sheets. Do not put too close together bc they spread a little. Bake 10 minutes. Sprinkle warm cookies with powdered sugar. Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Cookie monster!

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you have a wonderful day, filled with peace, joy and love

Football Friday #8 and Happy Halloween!

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Go Bills and Happy Halloween!

These sugar cookies are awesome.. so easy to make and so soft. And no chilling of the dough is necessary. These cookies are my all-time favorite to make, bringing back memories of making cutouts with my mom. I am terrible with decorating, so these jack o lanterns are one of the few things people can decipher. I started out frosting some and decorating with mini yellow and green m&ms. That was too time-consuming, so I sprinkled a handful on top of some other cookies instead. Then, to speed up the process, I made sandwich cookies.

Jack o lantern

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. And, preheat your oven for 20 minutes before baking so the oven cycles to the right temp.

A handful of m&ms
  • Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups crisco
  • 1 1/3 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Line a cookie sheet with non-stick baking liners. In a large mixing bowl, cream crisco and sugar 3 to 4 minutes. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Slowly blend in dry ingredients. Lightly flour your countertop. Roll out dough to desired thickness (I like mine thick), and cut. Place on prepared cookie sheer. Bake 8 or 9 minutes. (Cookies will be light, but no doughy. Do not overcook). Cool completley.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 3 tbs melted butter
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • Milk (enough to get the consistency of frosting you want)
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Blend together. Frost or fill cookies. Store in covered container.

And the sandwich cookie!

Thanks for stopping by today!!! Wishing you love, happiness, and joy