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First playoff win in 15 years celebration bars

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These are quite a concoction to honor the Sabres first playoff win in 15 years in our first playoff game in 15 years.  I wondered how nervous I would be, as I would be working in studio for Sunday night baseball on espn radio.  The answer – very.  I was extremely antsy, much like for Bills playoff games.  And for 52 minutes, I did not take a breath.  We were down 2-nothing, scored 4 unanswered goals and beat Boston 4-3 in game one.  What i loved seeing is all the videos of people inside Key Bank Center and at various places indoors and outdoors, watching.   It was just awesome.  i am not sure how far this sabres team will go, but it just feels different.

Because it was such an impressive comeback win, these treats are a doozy- chocolate chip cookie layer on the bottom, a layer of oreos, a layer of brownies, and pieces of mini hershey bars pressed into the bars immediately after taking them out of the oven.

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

  • Chocolate chip cookie layer
  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 yolk
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9×13 pan with baking spray.   Place parchment paper on top of sprayed pan.  Set aside.   In a bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and sugar.  Add egg, yolk and vanilla.  Blend in flour.   Mix in chips.  Gently press into prepared pan.

Top with a layer of oreos.

  • Brownie ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa

Directions – in a microwave safe bowl, melt butter and chips in 45 second increments until you can stir melted.   Add sugar and eggs.  Blend in flour and cocoa.   Drop by large spoonfuls on top of oreo layer and spread evenly.

Bake 28 to 33 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Gently press Press pieces of hershey bars on top. 

Cool completely.    Store in covered container.

Smores cookies (for the Sabres first playoff game in 15 years)

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The Sabres play our first playoff game in 15 years tomorrow.  As I racked my brain to determine what treat might be special enough, I put the question to my husband – what kind of cookie – smores cookies, rocky road, brownie Rockies road, twix?  He settled on smores- a milk chocolate chip cookie dough with crushed graham crackers and mini marshmallow bits.  

Special enough?  I hope so. 

Note – my parents gave me this Sabres golf ball in 1999 and I have had it on display next to our kitchen sink since we bought our house in 2001.  Plenty of lean years since then, but my Fandom never left me. 

I started getting nervous/ excited on my drive home from work today at 5.   Not sure what i will be like tomorrow at work during Sunday night baseball.   Pray for my crew.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour  bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  preheat your oven to 350 degrees before baking.   I did not chill these and they puffed up nicely.  

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/3 cups brown sugar, firmly packed into measuring cup
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/3 cups finely crushed graham cracker crumbs
  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1 /2 tsp salt
  • 2 cups marshmallow bits
  • 2 cups milk chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.   In a bowl, cream butter and brown sugar.  Add vanilla and eggs.  Blend in dry ingredients.  Using your hands, mix in chips and marshmallow bits, like you would do with meatballs.  Scoop out 1/4 cups dough.  Stagger on prepared sheet.Bake 8 to 10 minutes, no longer (edges of bottoms will be golden brown)  cool completely.  

Store in covered container.

Mini Peanut butter m&m peanut butter cookies stuffed with Reese’s eggs

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My other treat for work, in honor of opening day of the NHL and NBA Playoffs and my Sabres first playoff game in forever, is for all my peanut butter loving friends- peanut butter cookies with mini peanut butter m&ms

And stuffed with reese’s eggs.  

Boom!

Remember to scoop your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  Also firmly packed your brown sugar into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  Chill the dough at least a few hours before baking to keep them puffy and preheat the oven before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup peanut butter
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbs milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup peanut butter mini m&ms
  • Reeses eggs, unwrapped  (not the regular size ones)

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and sugar.  Add egg, vanilla and milk.  Blend in dry ingredients then m&ms.   Scoop out 1/4 cup of dough and divide in half.  Flatten each half.  On one half, place a Reese’s egg.  Place other half on top and seal edges. Chill a few hours.  When ready to bake,preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on sheet. 

Bake 11 to 13 minutes, no longer.  cool completely.  

Store in covered container.

Italian (olive oil) chocolate chip cookies

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In honor of opening day of the Stanley Cup and NBA playoffs and my Sabres first playoff game in more than a decade on Sunday, I present italian chocolate chip cookies.  What makes them Italian, you ask?  I used olive oil instead of butter or crisco 😉

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  Firmly packed your brown sugar into your measuring cup.  I used mini chocolate chips, but you can use regular.  I do recommend freezing the dough for a half hour to an hour, or chilling it in the fridge for a few hours. And preheat your oven before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tbs vanilla
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, ground

Directions – in a bowl, combine oil, sugar and brown sugar.   Add egg, vanilla and water.   Mix in dry ingredients.   Fold in chips and nuts.  Scoop out 1/4 cups dough.  Freeze 30 minutes.   Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on sheet.

Bake 10 to 13 minutes, no longer.  

Cool completely.  Store in covered container.

Italian (olive oil) brownies

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  • Ingredients list
  • 11/2 tbs water
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2/3 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions- preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray an  8×8 pan with pam and line with parchment paper, set aside.   In a bowl, combine water, oil and cocoa.  Microwave 45 seconds.  Let sit 2 minutes.  Blend in eggs and vanilla.  Add flourand salt. Mix in chips.   Spread into pan.  Bake 18 to 19 minutes, no longer.

Ice cream hot fudge m&m cookie dough brownies with melted hershey bars

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Celebrating the Sabres first division title in a looooong time.   Next level cookie dough brownies, featuring a brownie mix.

Ice cream and hot fudge

Mini m&ms

And melted hershey bars

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 brownie mix
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup ice cream (not melted)
  • 1/4 cup hot fudge
  • 1 cup mini m&ms

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper.  Set aside.  In a bowl, combine brownie mix, eggs and oil.  Blend in ice cream and hot fudge.  Spread evenly into prepared pan.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes (toothpick inserted on center comes out with a few moist crumbs)  cool completely

  • Cookie dough topping ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tbs heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3/4 cup flour (scooped from flour bag into measuring cup)
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and sugar 2 to 3 minutes.  Add cream and vanilla.  Blend in flour then chips. 

Grab a spoon!

Evenly spread over cooled brownies.   

Top with melted milk chocolate. 

Cut and store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by.  Can’t wait for the playoffs!

Milk  chocolate chip chocolate banana bars

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I have not made any banana flavored treat in quite some time.  So today, I decided to make chocolate banana bars with milk chocolate chips and brown butter frosting.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  Also, preheat your oven to 350 degrees before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed into measuring cup
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9×13 pan with baking spray and set aside.  In a bowl, blend bananas and melted butter.  Mix in sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients then milk.  Fold in chips.  Evenly spread into prepared pan.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes (toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs).  Cool completely.

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

Directions – in a pan, cook butter over low-medium heat until browned, like below.  

In a bowl, combine  browned butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk.  Frost cooled bars. 

Cut and store in covered container.

Sugar cookie yellow cake mix (blue and gold version)

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I recently bought extra large cake pan and wanted the first thing I baked in it to be a  cookie cake.  

I though I would make one using a yellow cake mix,  sugar cookie mix, some eggs, melted butter, vanilla and top it with a simple vanilla buttercream frosting and sprinkle it with yellow and blue colored sugar (Go Sabres).

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 yellow cake mix
  • 1 sugar cookie mix
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup butter, melted
  • 1 tbs vanilla

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a large round cookie pan with tin foil and spray with baking spray.  Set aside. 

In a bowl, combine cake and cookie mixes.   Blend in eggs, one at a time, then butter and vanilla.  Press evenly into prepared pan.  Bake 18 minites, no longer. Cool completely.

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

Directions – in a bowl,  mix butter and powdered sugar.   Blend in milk and vanilla.  You can add more milk and/or powdered sugar to get the desired consistency.  Frost cooled cookies. 

  I sprinkled colored sugar on top.

Cut and storte in covered container.

All brown sugar Triple Chip cookies

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  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups butter, browned and cooled to solid stage
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 2 2/3 cups flour
  • 2/3 cup white chocolate chips
  • 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 2/3 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions- in a bowl, cream butter and brown sugar.  Add eggs, vanilla, and salt.  Mix in dry ingredients.  Fold in chips.  Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough.  Chill a few hours.  When ready to bake, Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Stagger cookies on sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake 12 to 15 minutes, no longer. 

Store in covered container.

Hot fudge brownie cookies with crushed nutter butters and peanuts butter chips

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A day late Sabres victory treat!

I didn’t have time to bake victory treats after our win over the Lightning, so I stepped it up today – hot fudge brownie cookies with crushed nutter butters and peanut butter chips! 

These are simple, using just a few ingredients  – brownie mix, flour, water, oil, egg, hot fudge, nutter butters and Reese’s peanut butter chips.  And yes, you can leave the nutter butters out, use a different crushed cookie, and also use a different chips flavor!

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 brownie mix
  • 1/2 cup flour (scooped from flour bag into measuring cup)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 5 tbs water
  • 1/4 cup hot fudge (room temp is easiest to work with)
  • 16 nutter butters, finely crushed
  • 1 cup peanut butter chips
Using a food processor is easiest way to crush nutter butters

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.  In a bowl, blend brownie mix, flour, egg, water and vegetable oil.  Blend in hot fudge, then nutter butters.  Mix in chips.  Scoop our 1/4 cups of dough and stagger on prepared cookie sheet. 

Bake 12 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely. 

I put mine in the fridge to help firm them up a bit.  Store in covered container.