Week one victory monday cookies (for a tuesday)

So i asked Rob to choose the victory Monday treats, which i made today and will be brought into work tomorrow because I am off today.  He chose blondies with 3 kinds of chips – white, milk and semisweet.

It was a good win by the Bills, but a heart stopper, for sure.  I was at work and needed to not look at the game constantly in the final 2 minutes because of the stress, and, oh yeah, I needed to focus on my job.  I look up at one point, Houston is marching toward the end zone and there are 36 seconds left.  I look away and assume the game is done and there are… 30 seconds left.  Whenever one of my team is leading, the clock just stops, or seems to go backwards.  Yeesh.  Anyways.  1-0 is 1-0. 

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  Firmly pack your brown sugar into your measuring cup.   And preheat your oven before baking.   I think i may have taken these out a little too soon, but didn’t want them to wind up dry by overbaking by a minute or two, so i popped em in the fridge to firm up.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, melted and cooled 5 to 10 minutes (so your chips don’t melt)
  • 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed into measuring cup
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2/3 cup white chocolate chips
  • 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 2/3 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Line and 8×8 pan with parchment paper and set aside.  In a bowl, combine melted butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Add eggs, yolk and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients.   Mix in chips.  Evenly press into prepared pan.   Bake 30 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely.  If bars seems gushy, pop them in fridge for a few hours to firm up.  Store in covered container.

Go Bills.

Easy cake mix lemon bars

All you need are 3 ingredients for these – a lemon cake mix, eggs and miracle whip or mayonnaise (i used light/low cal miracle whip).  No, you can’t taste the mayonnaise, but it nicely brings out the lemon flavor.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 lemon cake mix
  • 2 eggs
  • 2/3 cup mayonnaise

I did put a light layer of frostinf on the bars while they were kind of still warm.  I think it adds to the moistness and sweetness.

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8×8 pan with tin foil and spray with baking spray.   Set aside.  In a bowl, combine ingredients.  Evenly spread into prepared pan.  Bake 20 minutes, no longer.   Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tbs lemon juice

Directions – in a bowl, combine ingredients.   frost bars.

Cut and store in covered container.

Brownie cookies stuffed with tollhouse bars

I made some tollhouse bars for Rob to take to his mom and had a lot leftover, so i decided to stuff the rest in brownie mix cookies.   Of course, you can stuff them with whatever you want.  I ran out of tollhouse bars, so the last 2 were stuffed with golden oreos. 🙂

Scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  Also chill the dough for a few hours before baking.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 brownie mix
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Tollhouse bars cut into small squares, or other stuffables

Directions – in a bowl, mix brownie mix, flour, eggs, butter and vanilla.  Scoop out 1/4 cups dough and divide in half.  Flatten each half slightly.

Place a tollhouse square on top of one half.

Top with another half. 

Seal edges and place on covered container.  Place in fridge for several hours.    When ready to bake, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Stagger cookies on sheet.  

Check cookies after 16 minutes to check how done they are.  Bake another 5 if needed, so cookies are no longer gushy. 

Cool completely.  You can put in fridge to firm them up.  Store in covered container.

Sugar cookie bars

I am bringing in sugar cookie bars today, but I did not bake them today.  It is over 100 degrees so turning on an oven is not ideal.  So what i did was bake a couple of treats when it was cooler and froze them.  These are one of those treats.  They can also be celebratory treats for the USMNT’s win over Bosnia Herzegovina last night to advance to the round of 16 at the world cup.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 7 tbs vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 6 tbs powdered sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 3/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8×8 pan with tin foil and set aside.  In a bowl, cream butter, oil,  sugar and powdered sugar.  Add egg and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients.  Evenly spread into pan.  Bake 12 to 14 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely.  

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

In a bowl, blend butter and powdered sugar.  Add milk and vanilla.  Frost bars.  Store in covered container in fridge.

Frosted Lemon cake mix bars

The sun is out, so i thought i would make some lemon cake mix bars.   Super easy, just a few ingredients, olus they are frosted!

  • Ingredients list
  • 2 lemon cake mixes
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/3 cups mayo or miracle whip (i used a light kind)
  • 3 tbs lemon juice

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9×13 pan with tin foil and spray with baking spray.  Set aside.  In a bowl, combine cake mixes, mayo eggs and lemon juice.  Evenly spread into prepared pan.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs.  Cool completely.  

I couldn’t resist and put a tiny bit of frosting on the warm bars.  I find it makes treats even sweeter!

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 3 to 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 6 tbs lemon juice

In a bowl, using a hand mixer, blend well.  Frost bars and store in covered container. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Payday peanut butter cookie bars topped with mini Mr. Goodbars

I wanted to go a little outside the box with incorporating candy into my treats, so i picked up some payday bars

And mini mr goodbars. 

I mixed in some cut up  paydays in a peanut butter cookie bar recipe, baked them and gently pressed in mini mr goodbars right after removing them from the oven. Perfectamundo, to paraphrase the Fonz, Arthur Fonzarelli.

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

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup brown  sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • Cut up payday bars
  • Mini mr goodbars,  unwrapped

Directions – preheat oven yo 350 degrees.  Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper and set aside.  In a bowl, mix melted butter and peanut butter.  Blend in sugar and brown sugar.  Mix in eggs and vanilla.  Fold in dry ingredients, then cut up paydays. Evenly press into parchment lined pan.  Bake 23 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs.  Immediately after removing from oven, gently press mini mr goodbars on top. 

Cool completely.   Cut and store in covered container.

Frosted malted blondies with mini chocolate chips and malted frosting

I wanted to make another recipe using my malted milk powder, so I opted for blondies with mini chocolate chips and topped with malted milk frosting.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the correct amount (do not pour from flour bag because that packs it in and can result in a dry blondie).  Also firmly packed your brown sugar into your measuring cup.  And preheat your oven before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup crisco
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup malted milk powder
  • 1 cup mini 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, cream butter, crisco, sugar and brown sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Blend in flour, baking powder and milk powder.  Stir in chips.   Spread evenly into prepared pan. 

Bake 30 to 33 minutes, until golden on top, no longer.   Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 2-3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/4 cup malted milk powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2-3 tbs heavy cream

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, milk powder and powdered sugar.  Add vanilla and heavy cream.  You may need to add more powdered sugar and /or heavy cream to get the consistency you want.  Frost bars.  

Store in covered container. 

First playoff win in 15 years celebration bars

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.

Milk  chocolate chip chocolate banana bars

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.

Blondies with chocolate chips

These are a request from my goddaughter Sara.  Blondies with chocolate chips.  She has the same taste in treats that rob does – chocolate chip cookies, blondies and brownies.

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

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 tbs water
  • 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed into measuring cup
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper. Set aside.  In a bowl, mix oil, brown sugar and sugar.   Add eggs, vanilla and water.  Fold in dry ingredients.   Mix in 1 cup chips. Evenly spread dough into pan.   Sprinkle remaining chips on top and gently press down.  Bake 18 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely.   Store in covered container

Thanks for stopping by!