Another mid week treat using a cake mix – marble cookies. I also added chocolate chips and topped them with melted hershey kisses.
These are made with a marble cake mix, vegetable oil, and egg and water.
Ingredients list
1 marble cake mix
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
5 tbs water
1 cup Chocolate chips
Directions – In one bowl, combine yellow cake mix, egg, oil and 3 tbs water. Add chocolate chips. In another bowl, combine fudge packet and 2 tbs water. Add fudge mixture to yellow cake mixture. Swirl gently with a knife to marble. Scoop out 1/4 cups dough. Chill for a few hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or nonstick baking liners. Stagger cookies on sheet.
Bake 12 minutes. Cool completely. I topped these with melted hershey kisses.
To celebrate the Sabres 11th win in 12 games – An easy mid-week treat. One for my non-chocolate loving friends at work – white cake mix cookies. Just a few ingredients – white cake mix, egg whites, vegetable oil, and almond extract. You can use 2 eggs if you don’t have egg whites and use vanilla extract instead of almond extract if you prefer. And they are topped with a simple buttercream frosting .
Ingredients list
1 white cake mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 egg whites or 6 tbs liquid egg whites or 2 eggs
1 tsp almond extract (or vanilla)
Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine ingredients. Scoop out 1/4 cups dough. Roll into balls and slightly flatten. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners or parchment paper. Stagger cookies on sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, no longer. Cool completely.
Frosting ingredients
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tbs milk
2 tsp almond extract (or vanilla)
Directions – in a bowl, combine ingredients and blend well. Frost cookies. Store in covered container.
For NFL week 18 and the final regular season home game at the place i have always called Rich Stadium, I present cinnamon sugar football cutout sandwiches with brown butter filling. I love my football cutout.
I have not been to a game there in a long time, but have a lot of wonderful memories. I went to my first game at age 7 with my family. I think we went to about a game a year until 8th grade. From Olean, we traveled up 16 through all the small towns. We stopped once so my dad could buy my brother a football so they could play catch in the parking lot. That little plaza is still there. My dad, who passed away in 2013, is the reason I love the Bills as much as I do. He would really enjoy these Josh teams. It would have been fun to dissect games with him. He will have a great seat in heaven when we win the Super Bowl. A lot of people pooh pooh the Bills and have no faith. I prefer to keep it positive. I acknowledge weaknesses and acting like Eyeore is not fun. Fandom is much more enjoyable.
I think that unless you grew up a Bills fan or married into it, it is hard to understand the connection with the team and even that building.
Anyways, onto the cookies….
Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. If you chill the dough, take it out a few hours before baking because that butter chills it up firm. Next time I might not chill the dough at all.
Ingredients list
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, sugar and salt. Add egg and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. If dough seems dry, add a tbs or two of water. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Lightly flour a flat surface and roll dough to desired thickness (I like mine on the thick side). Cut out footballs. Stagger on prepared sheet.
Bake 7 to 8 minutes, no longer. Cool completely.
Brown butter frosting ingredients
1/2 cup butter
2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Milk
Directions – place butter in a fry pan and cook over medium heat until brown specs appear.
Place browned butter in bowl. Mix in powdered sugar, then vanilla. Add enough milk to get the consistency you want. Place a scoop between 2 cookies. Store in covered container.
For my final treat of 2025, I made lemon frosted cake mix squares. I didn’t have a lemon cake mix, so I used a white one and added some lemon extract, along with the other ingredients. These are for my friend rib’s birthday and as luck for the Sabres, who go for their 10th straight win tonight against the Stars, one of the best teams in the NHL.
These are super simple, don’t require a ton of ingredients or time. You can leave them plain or frost them.
Ingredients list
1 white cake mix
1 sugar cookie mix
3 eggs
1 cup butter, melted
2 tsp lemon extract
Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 pan with baking spray. In a bowl, combine mixes. Blend in butter, then eggs and extract. Evenly spread into prepared pan. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, no longer. Cool completely.
Frosting ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tbs lemon juice
In a bowl, combine ingredients. Frost bars. Cut and store in covered container.
The German chocolate cake is a masterpiece of a dessert- German chocolate cake, pecan coconut frosting and chocolate frosting. The bakery in my hometown of Olean, NY – the former Ried’s food barn- made the nest German chocolate cakes. And I am sure the now olean food barn does too.
So I made a cookie sandwich version using a cake mix, canned coconut pecan frosting and a homemade chocolate frosting as the fillings.
You can make a homemade coconut pecan frosting, but I went with canned frosting today
Cookies ingredients
1 German chocolate cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. In a bowl, blend 3 ingredients. Scoop out 2 tbs of dough. Roll into a ball and slightly flatten. Stagger on cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. No longer. Cool completely.
Chocolate frosting filling ingredients
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tbs evaporated milk
1 tbs vanilla
Directions – in a bowl, combine butter and cocoa. Blend in powdered sugar, then evaporated milk and vanilla. Add more evaporated milk or powdered sugar to get the consistency you want.
Place cookies flat side up.
On one half, spread some coconut pecan frosting. On another half, spread some chocolate frosting.
Last year, I tried to make the keebler magic middles cookies. They were a shortbread cookies with mini chocolate chips, filled with a gushy fudge filling. Last year, they were more like a stuffed chocolate chip cookie. Today, I went for a more shortbread cookie, like a Mexican wedding cake. I froze the fudge filling and cookies before baking. Next time, I may just fill the cookies with a piece of chocolate baking bar.
It is important to freeze the fudge filling if that is what you want to stuff the cookies with. Then once you atuff them in the cookie dough, freeze the doughs before baking. My goal is to not have the filling spill out of the cookie.
Also, remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. And preheat your oven before baking.
Fudge filling ingredients list
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup chocolate chips
Directions – in a pan, heat cream to a boil. Remove from heat and add chips. Let sit for 5 minutes. Stir smooth and put in fridge for an hour to firm up. After an hour, scoop out teaspoons of dough, place on a paper plate in freezer for a few hours.
Cookies Ingredients list
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 to 2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips
Directions – in a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla. Mix in salt, flour and baking powder. Fold in chips. Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough. Divide in half and flatten each half. Place a frozen scoop of filling on top.
Place other flattened dough half on top and seal.
Freeze for a few hours. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Stagger cookies on sheet. Bake 25 to 30 minutes. Edges will be golden. Cool completely. Place in fridge to keep filling firm
Today’s game took years off my life. But a win is a win. Go Bills. Also, I love josh allen.
These are a soft, thick, puffy chocolate cookie with finely ground walnuts. You can leave them out if you want, use another kind, or throw in some chocolate chips.
These use a mix of bread flour and all purpose flour.
Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. Chill the individual doughs for a few hours and preheat your oven to 350 before baking.
Ingredients list
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cups chocolate chips (microwaved in a microwave safe bowl in 45 second increments until you can stir them melted)
1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup plus 2 tbs bread flour
1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbs cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup walnuts, finely ground
Directions – in a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in melted chocolate. Fold in dry ingredients. Blend in nuts. Scoop out 1/4 cups dough. Chill a few hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Stagger cookies on sheet. Bake 13 to 15 minutes, no longer. Cool completely.
For topping – in a microwave safe bowl, combine 35 unwrapped hershey kisses and 1 tbs butter. Microwave in 45 second increments until you can stir smooth. Spoon on top of cookies.
Today’s treat – brown butter peanut blossoms. I know they are very popular this time of year, so I whipped up a batch this morning. I added some finely ground peanuts, and rolled the doughs in sugar before baking. And of course, topped with hershey kisses!
These are also in honor of my college roommate, Christine, who’s birthday is today and loves peanut butter treats!
I recommend chilling the butter for a bit in fridge after browning, scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount, preheat your team before baking and only bake 8 to 9 minutes.
Ingredients list
1 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed into measuring cup
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbs water
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tbs cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup peanuts, finely ground
Extra sugar
Hershey kisses
Directions – in a pan, heat butter in a pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until brown specks form. Pour into bowl and place in fridge at least an hour. When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degreesm. In a combine butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs, water and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. Scoop our 1/4 cups dough and roll tops in sugar. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and stagger cookies in a row of 2, then a row of one.
Bake 8 to 9 minutes, no longer. Press an unwrapped hershey kisses.
I brought in monster cookies, so I needed a non peanut butter option for work friends who do not love pb. So I thought of sugar cookies. I wanted a little tweak so I used brown butter. Browning butter is super simple. Place the amount in a pan and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until you start to see little brown specs..
Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. I recommend chilling individual doughs once you scoop them out. And preheat your oven before baking.
Ingredients list
1/2 cup butter, browned
1/2 cup plus 2 tbs sugar
1 tbs vanilla
1 egg
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs cornstarch
Directions – in a bowl, combine sugar and brown butter. Add egg and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. Scoop out 1/4 cups dough. Roll in sugar. Chill a few 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. Frost if desired. Store in covered container.
If you love chocolate, this cake is for you. It uses a chocolate cake mix (I used dark chocolate fudge, but any one is fine), and a handful of other ingredients. The frosting is a buttercream with finely ground oreos. If you don’t have black cocoa, regular unsweetened baking cocoa is fine. I think I will make a golden oreo version of this with a white cake mix another time.
Ingredients list
1 chocolate cake mix
1 box chocolate instant pudding mix (3.4 oz)
1/2 cup black cocoa
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chocolate chips
Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a bundt cake pan with baking spray. Set aside. In a bowl, blend cake mix, pudding mix and cocoa. Blend in eggs, oil, greek yogurt and milk. Fold in chips. Batter will be thick. Spread evenly into prepared bundt pan. Bake 28 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Remove from oven. Cool 15 minutes in pan. Then pop cake onto a plate and cool completely.
I felt i left this cake in a minute too long, so I found a syrup recipe to help moisten it up. This is used before you frost it.
In a saucepan, combine 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar and 1/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa. Whisk constantly over medium heat just until it boils. Remove from stove. Pour in a pan and cool completely. Brush on cooled cake.
Oreo buttercream frosting ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup crisco
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 to 6 tbs heavy cream
14 oreos, finely crushed (i used a food processor)
Directions – in a bowl cream butter and crisco. Slowly blend in powdered sugar. Add vanilla and 4 tbs of heavy cream. Mix more cream, one tbs at a time, until you get the consistency you want. Blend in crushed oreos. Frost cake. Store in covered container.
cookies by christine 