Today is my hubby’s birthday.  So, I asked what he wanted me to bake and he said “a funni bone cake.” It is a chocolate cake with a layer of peanut butter in the middle (kind of like the inside of a Reese’s peanut butter cup), and frosted with chocolate frosting.  Although there is nothing wrong with Duncan Hines or Pillsbury cake mixes, I went homemade for this and used the Hershey’s Chocolatetown cake recipe.

Chocolate cake – 1/2 cup cocoa, 1/2 cup boiling water, 2/3 cup shortening, 1 3/4 cups sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 eggs, 2 1/4 cups flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 1/3 cups milk, 2 tsp lemon juice or white wine vinegar

Directions – preheat oven to 350.  combine milk and lemon juice or vinegar and set aside 10 minutes  to make buttermilk.  Stir together cocoa and boiling water.  In a separate bowl, cream shortening, sugar and vanilla.  Add eggs.  Stir in dry ingredients, then cocoa mixture.  Blend in buttermilk.   Divide batter evenly into two round cake pans sprayed with Pam.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes (until toothpick inserted in center comes out basically clean).  Cool completely.

Funni bone filling – 3/4 cup peanut butter, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 cups powdered sugar, 2-3 tbs milk.

Directions – Combine and mix with mixer.  You can add more milk or powdered sugar to get the consistency you want.  

Frosting – 6 tbs butter (softened), 6 tbs Crisco, 3 cups powdered sugar, 2 tsp vanilla, 1/3 cup cocoa, 1/8 cup milk or water.  

Directions – cream butter and shortening.  Blend in powdered sugar.  Add milk or water  and vanilla.  Beat to desired consistency.

Place one cake layer, flat side up on a plate.  Spread funni bone layer over, like this.

  Place second cake layer, flat side on top of peanut butter layer, and gently press down,  like this.

Then you frost, like this!

Store in covered container.

I asked my goddaughter Sara what treat I could bring for her 9th birthday party and she said “sugar cookies stuffed with brownies. ”  ask and ye shall receive.  I used a brownie mix (shhhh.  Don’t tell) and  my Swig sugar cookie recipe.  The cookie  dough can be a little soft, so you may want to add a little extra flour to the dough or flour your hands when stuffing the dough with the brownies to make the process easier. 

I always have this issue when I make treats.  I have too much cookie dough, brownies, frosting etc.  This time I had some leftover brownies, so I whipped up a little frosting and made suzy q’s in brownie form. (Pic at end  of blog)

Onto the brownie stuffed sugar cookies!

Ingredients – brownies (either a mix or your favorite recipe), prepared as directed and  cooled. I cut them into 24 squares and cut off any edges. 

Cookies – 1/2 cup butter,  1/4 cup + 1/8 cup oil, 1/2 cup + 1/8 cup sugar, 1/4 cup + 1/8 cup powdered sugar, 1 egg, 2 1/2 tsp water, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 3/4 cups flour, 1/4 tsp baking soda,  1/4 tsp cream of tartar, 1/4 tsp salt.

Directions – mix butter, oil, sugar and powdered sugar.  Add egg, water and vanilla.  Stir in dry ingredients.  Using floured hands, scoop out 3 tbs cookie dough and form around each brownie.  Chill 1 hour.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners, stagger 8 cookies to a sheet.  Bake 10 to 11 minutes (lightly golden on bottom).  Let cool on sheet 5 minutes.  Remove from sheet and cool completely.   Store in covered container.

Here are my suzy q brownies!

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Lately I’ve seen a bunch of recipes using Matcha tea, and since I’m  always looking for new things to bake, I thought “I love green tea, so why not try something with Matcha?” I contacted the folks at Tenzo Tea, and voila, I got a packet to bake with.   Matcha  is a stone ground green tea powder, and has a lot of cool health benefits (you can find out more at tenzotea.com).   I like to think I made some chocolate chip cookies a little healthier with some Tenzo Matcha 🙂  The Matcha made the cookies green, and you can not taste in the cookies.

If you are interested in trying Matcha in baking (or as hot or  iced tea), the link is at the end of this post.

Ingredients – 1 cup butter (melted), 3/4 cup sugar, 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar, 2 eggs, 2 tbs water, 2 tbs vanilla, 3 cups flour (scooped from your flour container into your measuring cup), 2 tsp matcha powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, 1 cup white chocolate chips.

Directions – combine butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Add eggs, water and vanilla.  Fold in dry ingredients.  Mix in chips.  Using a cookie scoop, roll into mounds of dough.  Chill at least 2 hours.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line cookies sheets with nonstick baking liners. Stagger 8 cookies on each sheet.  Bake 9-12 minutes.  Let stand on cookie sheet 5 minutes.  Remove and let cool completely.  Store in covered container.

And of course, I even topped some cookies with melted chocolate!  (Just melt 2 cups of milk chocolate chips with 2 tbs oil in 45 second increments until you can stir it melted.

If you are interested in trying the Tenzo Matcha, you can check out their products at  tenzotea.com

 I saw this oreo cookie spread at the grocery store and thought “I HAVE to bake something with this”  crushed oreos and butter and sugar?   Yes, please!  The recipe is really simple.  I basically took one of my peanut butter cookie recipes and substituted the oreo cookie butter/spread for the peanut butter.  I think the onlything i would change for next time is to chill the dough.  I prefer puffy cookies.  And chilled dough gives you puffy cookies.  You can also frost these or make them into sandwich cookies if you want, once they are completely cooled.

Ingredients –  1 cup shortening, 1 cup oreo cookie spread (I used a 13 ounce jar), 1 cup sugar,  1 cup brown sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 1/2 cups flour (scooped from a flour bag or flour container into your measuring cup, using a spoon)

Directions – cream shortening, oreo cookie spread, sugar, and brown sugar.  Mix in eggs.  Fold in dry ingredients.  Roll 4 tbs dough into balls.  (You can chill for an hour or so if you want).  Stagger cookies on cookie sheet that has been lined with non baking sheets like this.

Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 375 degrees for 9 to 14 minutes.  Immediately sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Cool completely. You may frost with your favorite frosting.   Store in covered container.  

Again, with temperatures near 90 degrees and a dew point near 70 for a seventh straight day,  I could not bring myself to turn on our oven to bake..so I went with these smores bars.    The marshmallows are broiled for a minute, but I used my toaster oven, which did not heat up our kitchen at all.  You can use one of those butane torches to toast the marshmallows  if you are so brave.  

These are easy, but a tad messy! 

Ingredients for the crust – 2 cups graham cracker crumbs,  2 tbs brown sugar, 2 tbs sugar, 1 stick of butter (melted). 

Directions – combine ingredients and Press into 8×8 pan.

Ingredients for filling – 2 cups Hershey kisses (or another type of chocolate chips), 1 cup heavy cream, 2 tbs butter

Directions – combine kisses and butter in a bowl.  Boil heavy cream in saucepan.  Pour over kisses and butter, stir smooth.  Pour over crust.  Chill 2 hours.

Spray cookie sheet or other pan with Pam.spread marshmallows evenly on top.  Broil 1 to 2 minutes or until golden.  Using a spatula, remove  from sheet and place on top of chocolate layer.  Chill 2 hours.  Store in fridge.  

To cut – use a wet knife.  Makes it easier to cut through.   

Both of my goddaughters chose a trest to make for today’s visit (and a baking video too).  Sara chose fudge with oreos. This is what I call “cheater fudge”.  3 ingredients.  Woo hoo! You can also put in candy, nuts etc if you want.

Ingredients – 2 cups chocolate chips, 14 oz can condensed milk, oreos

Directions – In microwave safe bowl, melt chips and condensed milk for 1 minute, or until you can stir melted.  Spread in a pan sprayed with Pam (8×8 for thicker fudge,  9×13 for thunger fudge.  Press oreos (or candy) in top ao that each piece of fudge has and oreo in the center.  Store in covered container.  

My beautiful goddaughters visited with their mom, Susan, one of the best friends I have and the girls wanted to make treats and a baking video.  Lyndsey wanted something with peanut butter and in suggested this.   No oven necessary, which is great on a day like to day : 92 and humid.  This will be a baking video as well!

Ingredients – 1 1/2 cups peanut butter, 1 stick of butter, 3-4 cups powdered sugar, 20-24 Graham cracker sheets, 2 cups milk chocolate, 6 tbs shortening

Break graham cracker sheets in half.  Melt chocolate and shortening in a microwave proof bowl for a minute (or until you can stir it melted).    dip the graham crackers on both sides and place on parchment paper (which is on top of a cookie sheet).  Freeze 10-20 minutes.  

Filling – mix peanut butter, butter and powdered sugar.  (You may need to use a mixer).  You can also use your hands!

Place 3 tbs peanut butter between 2 graham cracker squares to make your sandwich.  Top with additional melted chocolate.  Chill 1 hour.  Store in fridge.

I am wearing one of my Geneseo hoodies.  On July 14th.  It is 62 and rainy, one day after it was 90 with a dew  point of 70.. a cold day is a good baking day, right?   Today’s cookie features copycat recipes from this cookie place in NYC, Levain.  Have any of you been there?  The cookies apparently are huuuuge.  Half of this cookie i have made today is made with dough from a chocolate chip cookie with m&ms and the other half is chocolate chocolate chip dough with m&ms.  I stuffed them with oreos.

Chocolate chip cookies ingredients – 1 cup butter, 1 cup brown sugar (firmly packed into measuring cup), 1/2 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 2 tsp vanilla, 3/4 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tbs cornstarch,    3 1/3 cups flour (scooped from flour bag or container into measuring cup), 1 cup m&ms. 1/2 cup chocolate chips, oreos.

Directions –  Cream butter, brown sugar and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Fold in dry ingredients.  Mix in chips and m&ms.  

Chocolate chocolate chip cookies ingredients – 1 cup butter, 1 1/4 cups sugar, 2 eggs, 1 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips, 1 1 /4 cups flour, 1 cup plus 2 tbs bread flour (both flours scooped from flour container into measuring cup), 1/2 cup baking cocoa, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 cup m&ms, 1 cup chocolate chips.

Directions – melt chocolate in microwave safe container in 45 second increments until you can stir smooth.   Set aside.  Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs.  Stir in melted chocolate.  Fold in dry ingredients. Stir in m&ms and chips.

Using a cookie scoop, scoop out some chocolate chip cookie dough.  Form dough with an indentation in middle, like this- 

Do the same with the chocolate dough, with an indentation in the middle, like this.

Place an oreo in one dough.

Place other piece of dough on other side 

And form around oreo until covered. 

 Chill dough mounds 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350.  Stagger 8 cookies to a sheet that has been lined with nonstick baking liners.  

Bake 15 to 20 minutes.  Cool 5 to 10 minutes on sheet.  Remove.  Cool completely and store in covered container. 

It was 90 degrees and humid today (what a great combination), so I went with a no bake treat!  Peanut butter pie.   I used fat free cream cheese, low fat peanut butter and fat free cool whip for the filling.  For the crust,  I used  double stuff chocolate oreos.  You could use another kind of oreos or graham crackers, nilla  wafers etc, if you prefer.   This is a good pie, but not as good as the one our friend, Frank Foligno, made at Christmas time. 

Pie crust  – 25 oreos, finely crushed (I used a food processor), 1 stick of butter, melted

Combine and press into bottom and sides of pie pan.

Filling – 8 oz cream cheese (softened), 8 0z container of cool whip (thawed), 1 cup peanut butter, 2 cups powdered sugar.

Blend cream cheese and peanut butter.  Fold in cool whip.  Stir in powdered sugar.  Spread evenly into crust.  Chill 1 hour.

Topping – any kind of chocolate, melted (i.e. Hershey kisses, chocolate chips, peanut butter cups)  

Drizzle on top of pie.  Store in fridge.