Tag Archives: baking

Blondies with Chocolate Chips

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I do not know whether these are called blondies, toll house bars or chocolate chip bars.  They are basically a chocolate chip cookie in bar form.  Always a  big hit and super easy to make. 

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

And wait until these are cooled before cutting them.  This is on either Rob or Gracie.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 yolk
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9×9 pan with tin foil and spray with baking spray.  Set aside.  In a bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, and sugar.  Add eggs, yolk and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients.  Fold in 1 cup chocolate chips and spread evenly in pan.  Sprinkle  remaining 1/2 cup chips on top and gently press into dough.  In preheated oven, bake 25 to 30 minutes .  No longer.  Cool completely.  Cut and store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

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For part one of tomorrow’s treat for ESPN Radio – browned butter chocolate chip cookies.  Browned butter adds a slightly different flavor to the cookies.  It is pretty easy to “make.”  You place the butter in a saucepan pan, cook over low-medium heat, stirring occasionally,  until brown specks appear at the bottom.  Immediately turn off stove burner and remove from heat.

These also used bread flour, which makes the cookies a little thicker and more dense.  I would not sub all purpose flour in this recipe.  If you don’t have bread flour, I have plenty of other chocolate chip cookie recipes that use AP flour.  remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  Pouring flour directly into your measuring cup can result in packing in the flour, making for a dry cookie.

I recommend chilling the individual doughs overnight, so they stay puffy while baking.   Also preheat your oven before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, browned, then cool for 5 to 10 minutes
  • 1 1/4 cups brown sugar (packed into measuring cup)
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tbs heavy cream
  • 1 egg
  • 1 yolk
  • 2 1/4 cups bread flour (scooped from flour bag into your measuring cup)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions – in a bowl, mix browned butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Add eggs, yolk, vanilla and heavy cream. Blend in dry ingredients.   If dough seems a little dry, add another tbs of heavy cream.  Mix in chocolate chips.  Scoop out 1/4 cups dough.  Chill individual fridge overnight.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper or nonstick baking liners.  Stagger cookies doughs on prepared sheets.  Bake 10 to 14 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely.  If cookies seem too gushy, pop them in the fridge a bit to firm them up.  Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.

Hot Cocoa Cookies

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What better way to celebrate a perfectly, sunny, spring, 80 degree day than with hot cocoa cookies.  I am always looking for new tweaks for cookies, so I thought adding some hot cocoa mix and marshmallow bits would be a nice way to accomplish that. 

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  I also recommend chilling the individual dough mounds after scooping them out.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 1/4 cups flour (scooped from flour bag into your measuring cup)
  • 4 packets hot cocoa mix
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1 cup marshmallow bits

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Mix in eggs and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients.  Mix in chips and marshmallow bits.  Dough will be very soft.  Chill 30 minutes to an hour.  Scoop out 1/4 cups of  dough.  Chill a few more hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or nonstick baking liners.  Stagger cookies on sheet.  Bake 12 to 14 minutes.  Let set on cookies sheets 15 minutes or so.  Pop in fridge for a bit to firm them up (I left them overnight).  Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Puck cookies for the Frozen Four and to welcome the Stanley Cup to campus

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The Frozen Four begins tomorrow on ESPN2 (5 pm and 8 pm eastern), and the Stanley Cup will be on campus at ESPN Friday.   So to celebrate, I made puck cookies – soft chocolate sugar cutout cookies shaped like pucks.  Some are frosted with chocolate frosting and since I didn’t make enough of it, I topped the rest with melted Hershey kisses.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount (same goes for the baking cocoa).  Also preheat your oven before baking for the best cookies.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups flour (scooped from flour bag into measuring cup so you get the correct amount)
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa (scooped from the container into measuring cup)
  • 1 tsp salt

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  in a bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Blend in egg and vanilla.  Stir in dry ingredients.   Flour a flattened surface and rolling pin.  Roll and cut.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on it.  Bake 9 to 11 minutes.  Cool completely

  • Frosting list
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 4 tbs water
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tsp cornstarch syrup
  • 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips, melted

Directions – in a bowl, mix powdered sugar, water, vanilla and corn syrup.  Blend in melted chips.  Frost cookies.  Store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Frosted Cake Batter Cookies

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I am always looking for ways to tweak recipes and, while walking in the baking aisle, I noticed cake batter extract, so i added it to my flavoring collection (vanilla, almond, lemon, maple).  And today, instead of making vanilla flavor cookies, I went with cake batter.  Cake batter frosting too.  Some are topped with sprinkles, others with mini m&ms (bc the mini m&ms bag lasts forever).

Of course if you don’t have cake batter flavoring, vanilla is just fine. 

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  I also chilled the individual doughs overnight to keep them from spreading too much.

  • Cookie ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp cake batter extract
  • 4 1/2 cups flour
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, sugar, eggs and extract.  Blend in dry ingredients.  Scoop our 1/4 cups of dough.   Chill, in a covered container, a few hours or overnight.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or nonstick baking liners.  Stagger on prepared sheets.  Bake 13 to 15 minutes.   (Bottoms will be lightly browned).  Mine were a little gushy on top, so I popped them in the fridge to firm them up.  Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 3 cups powdered sugar (scooped from your container into your measuring cup so you get the right amount)
  • 1 tsp cake batter extract
  • 4 tbs milk

Directions- in a bowl, blend all ingredients well.   Frost cooled cookies.  Top with sprinkles or m&ms.  Store in covered container.  (I put mine back in fridge)

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Smores cookies

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My latest treat for work was a request from my hubby, Rob, who saw these smores cookies in a store.  A graham cracker like cookie, topped with melted chocolate and a toasted marshmallow.

So that is what I made today.  I have to be honest, putting a toasted marshmallow on top was no easy on some of these and I have no idea why!

A little messy with the marshmallow on top

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. And, I recommend chilling these individual doughs a few hours or overnight.  I might make these a little bigger next time and make them a little flatter too.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup crisco (or butter flavor crisco)
  • 1 1/3 cups brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • Milk chocolate
  • Large marshmallows

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, crisco, and brown sugar.  Blend in eggs and vanilla.  Fold in dry ingredients and graham cracker crumbs. 

Scoop out 2 tbs of dough, roll into a ball and slightly flatten.  Chill a few hours or overnight.   Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or nonstick baking liners.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Stagger cookies on sheet, like below.

Bake 10 to 11 minutes, no longer.  They will be a little gushy on top.  It is ok.  Let them cool a bit and pop them in the fridge to firm them up. 

While their cookies are baking, melt your chocolate.  I melted some milk chocolate chips for most of them.  I ran out of that and called an audible and melted some Reese’s eggs for the final 6.

To toast marshmallows – preheat oven to 450 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  I sprayed a little pam on the parchment paper.  Bake these 5 to 7 minutes or until the marshmallows are as toasted as you want.

Take a cookie and lay it on a flat surface.

Top with melted chocolate.

I sprayed my hands with pam and place a marshmallow on top.  Sometimes I did a fine job.

Other times, I did not.

Store in covered container. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I wish you a day filled with happiness, joy and love and remember to be kind

Carrot cake bars for Championship week Thursday

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I got some carrots to make a carrot cake, but changed things up a bit and made carrot cake bars.  I used melted butter, so they are a little chewier than carrot cake.  Also, they have way too much frosting!  But there are worse things in life.  I doubled this recipe and used two 8×8 square pans to bake them in.

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.

  • Bars ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 cup shredded carrots (wow, is that fun to do)
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions- line and 8×8 square pan with parchment paper and spray with baking spray.  Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.    In a bowl, combine butter, brown sugar and vanilla.  Blend in egg and yolk, then carrots.  Mix in dry ingredients.  Fold in chips.  Evenly spread in prepared pan.  Bake 28 to 32 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1/4 cup butter softened
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups powdered sugar

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter and cream cheese.  Add vanilla.  Blend in powdered sugar slowly.   Frost bara.  Chill in fridge. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Golden oreo stuffed Funfetti cookies

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I thought I would mix things up after baking a LOT of chocolate treats lately.  Today, I present funfetti cookies stuffed with golden oreos (although I did sneak some double stuff chocolate oreos in a few).

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  Also, i chilled them individual stuffed doughs overnight to try and keep them from spreading.

Ingredients list

12 tbs butter, softened

2/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp almond extract

2 1/4 cups flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup 🌈  sprinkles

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, sugar, brown sugar.  Blend in egg, yolk, and extracts.  Fold in dry ingredients.  Mix in sprinkles.  Scoop out 1/4 cup dough.

Divide dough  in half and flatten each half. 

Place oreo on top of one half. 

Place other flattened half on top. 

Seal edges. 

Chill doughs a few hours.   Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners or parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on sheet.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely.  Store in covered container

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

I wish you a wonderful day filled with peace, joy and love.

Frosted smashed red velvet cookies

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I attempted to make red velvet cookies for today’s treat, but I did not have enough red food color, so I added some blue to try and make them purple velvet.  That did not really work.  But I think they are still good!  I frosted some with a vanilla buttercream and others with a chocolate fudge frosting.

Remember to scoop your flour and baking cocoa from their containers into the measuring cups so you get the right amount.  Also, after scooping and smashing the dough into individual parts, i chilled them  to keep them from spreading too much, but if you don’t have time, that is fine.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 11/4 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tbs water
  • 5 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup baking cocoa powder
  • 1 top cream of tartar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbs food coloring

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, sugar and powdered sugar.  Add eggs, water and oil.  Blend in dry ingredients.  Scoop out 3 tbs of dough and roll into a ball.  Using a glass that’s been sprayed with pam, lightly smash each dough ball.  Sprinkle with sugar.  Chill and few hours.  Preheat oven to 350.  Line cookie sheets with nonstick baking liners or parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on sheets.  Bake 12 to 14 minutes,  no longer.  Let cool slightly and pop into fridge to firm them up.

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

Blend well.  Add more powdered sugar and/or milk to get the consistency you want. Frost cookies.

  • Chocolate fudge frosting
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 3 tbs milk
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions- in a saucepan over low-medium heat, combine butter, milk and sugar, stirring occasionally.  Once it starts to boil, remove from heat and add chocolate chips.  Pour in a bowl and place in the fridge to thicke .  Frost cookies.

Store in covered container. 

Thanks for stopping by today!  Wishing you a day filled with love, peace and joy.

Celebrating Josh’s MVP.  Treat #3 – frosted Sugar Cookie Bars

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To cap off the hat trick of treats celebrating Josh’s MVP, I present sugar cookie bars.   Not everyone loves chocolate, so here is the non chocolate option.

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

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract ( you can leave it out if you don’t have it)
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper and set aside.   In a bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs and extracts.  Fold in flour and salt.  Evenly press into prepared pan.  Bake 15 minutes (no longer).  Remove from oven and cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 4 tbs butter softened
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 to 3 tbs heavy cream/milk

bowl, a bowl, cream butter and vanilla.  Blend in powdered sugar.  Add cream/milk.   You may have to add more cream/milk and/or powdered sugar to get the consistency you want.  Frost bars.  Cut and store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by.  Please remember to be kind.