Red velvet oreo bars topped with fudge and oreos

I wanted to whip up something for work tomorrow morning. I saw this box of red velvet cake mix and decided make it into bars with a fudge topping and crushed oreos. I also thought about adding m&ms, but that might have been a bit much! You can use whatever cake mix flavor you want.

  • Bars ingredients list
  • 1 red velvet cake mix
  • 2 eggs
  • 8 tbs butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes so it cycles to the right temp. Line a 9×13 pan with tin foil and spray with baking spray. In a bowl, combine cake mix, eggs and butter. Press evenly into prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes. (No longer). While bars and baking, make the fudge topping

  • Fudge topping ingredients
  • 1/3 cup evaporated milk
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 cups milk chocolate chips
  • 8 tbs butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla

In a saucepan, combine butter, sugar and evaporated milk. Cook, stirring occasionally, to a boil. Remove from heat. Add chips and stir until melted. Blend in vanilla. Pour over cooled bars.

Sprinkle with crushed oreos.

Store in covered container. Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you have a wonderful day, filled with peace, joy and love.

Chocolate stuffed cookies

Chocolate stuffed cookies

In an effort to use up our remaining Halloween candy (Rob bought 24 bags, but we only used 15), I opted for a stuffed cookie. These are chocolate and use melted chocolate chips in the batter. Half of these are stuffed with Reese’s peanut butter cups, the other half with oreos. We have a lot of oreos around too, plus not everyone loves peanut butter. So people can tell the difference, I placed 3 white chocolate chips on the top of the oreo stuffed cookies.

Remember to spoon your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. I chilled these overnight to keep the dough from. Spreading too much. Preheat yourboven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so your oven cycles to the right temp. Don’t bake these longer than 10 to 12 minutes because the bottoms will burn. These will firm up after you take them out of the oven.

  • Ingredients list
  • 10 tbs butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 2/3 cups dark chocolate chips, melted
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup baking cocoa
  • 2 tsp baking powder

Directions – cream butter, brown sugar and sugar. Blend in melted chocolate. Stir in eggs and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients. Scoop out 2 to 3 tbs of dough and evenly divide in half. Slightly flatten each half.

On one half, place a peanut butter cup or oreo

Top with remaining flattened half of cookie dough

Seal edges to completley cover oreo or peanut butter cup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or nonstick baking liners, stagger cookies.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes (no longer or else the bottoms could burn)

Cool completely and store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by! Wishing you a wonderful day filled with joy, love and peace

Small batch, XL Peanut butter cookies

XL Peanut Butter cookies topped with melted hershey kisses

It is rainy and windy here today, so I am baking more cookies (in addition to steak pizziaola), as we watch hockey. Instead of putting a Hersey kiss on top to make peanut blossoms, I melted a bunch of Hersey kisses and out that on top of the cookies instead.

Cookie monster!

A couple of notes about these cookies – I used a mix of cake flour and all purpose flour. If you don’t have cake flour, you make make it by adding 1/2 tbs of cornstarch to 1/2 cup flour and soft together. Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. I froze the cookie mounds for 30 minutes to help prevent spreading. I preheated the oven to 410 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. I did not cook these longer than 13 minutes. I did not want them to get too done and dry out.

These make 5 really big cookies. You can double the recipe and make 10 if you want.

  • Ingredients list
  • 12 cup butter, cold, grated with a cheese grater or cut into small cubes
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup cake flour
  • 1 cup flour

Directions – cream butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add egg, vanilla and peanut butter. Blend in dry ingredients. Divide evenly into 5 pieces of dough and roll into tall mounds. Roll each in sugar. Freeze at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 410 degrees for 20 minutes. On a cookie sheet lined with nonstick baking liners or parchment paper, place 5 cookies on it, leaving room between each because cookies spread. Bake 10 to 13 minutes. No longer than 13 minutes. Cool completely.

Topping – in a bowl, combine 20 unwrapped hershey kisses with 1 tsp vegetable oil. Microwave in 30 second increments until you can stir smooth. Spoon on top of cooled cookies. Store in covered container.

Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope you have a day filled with happiness, love and kindness!

Mini chocolate chip cutouts

I hope you can tell this is a Christmas tree

For my first cutout cookies of the season, I opted for a mini chocolate chip recipe and tossed in a few mini m&ms. I like my cookies thick, so these spread out a little more than I prefer. I will try to tweak the recipe to see if I can remedy that. I do recommend mini chocolate chips because the dough is easier to cut with cookie cutters.

These are very old, yet I can’t part with them!

I made my cutouts into cookie sandwiches because I am a terrible decorator. I use a simple vanilla and /or chocolate frosting.

A gingerbread man
Flip the gingerbread man upside down and you have a reindeer

Notes – remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup. If you chill the dough, take it out a few hours before so it is easier to roll. And preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so your oven cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup crisco
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips
  • 1 cup mini m&ms (or you can use another cup of mini chips)

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners or parchment paper. In a bowl, cream butter, crisco, brown sugar, sugar, vanilla and salt. Blend in yolks. Fold in flour. Dough may take a while to come together. Add a tbs or 2 or water if you want to help blend dough. Mix in chips and m&ms. On a floured surface, roll and cut. Place on your prepared cookie sheet. Bake one sheet at a time, for ten minutes. Cool completley.

Frosting – combine 2 tbs butter (melted), with 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tbs milk, 1 tsp vanilla. You can add more milk or powdered sugar to get the texture you want. I added green food coloring

These are a Christmas tree, Santa’s ans stockings
A stocking sandwich cookie.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Appreciate you!

For those who have not entered the “this is too sweet” phase of life.

Tollhouse pie!

I am late posting this,but here is the recipe for the pie I made for Thanksgiving. It is a version of tollhouse pie (some also call it Derby pie). I opted to make a chocolate pie crust, but the traditional flakey pie crust works too.

It is pretty sweet, too sweet for me.. so I have apparently entered the “too sweet. Too salt. Too loud. Too tired” phase of life. Yowsa!

Remember to preheat your oven for 20 minutes before baking.

  • Ingredients for pie crust (king Arthur flour recipe)
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup baking cocoa
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 10 tbs butter, cut into cubes
  • 5 tbs cold water

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees before baking. In a bowl, combine flour, baking cocoa, and powdered sugar. Using a fork or pastry blender, blend in cubed butter. Mix in water, one tbs at a time. Once well mixed, roll into a ball. Press evenly into prepared 9 inch pie tin. Set aside. Do not bake yet.

  • Filling ingredients
  • 1 cup corn syrup
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup melted butter
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions – blend corn syrup and sugar. Add eggs and mix well. Blend in butter and vanilla. Mix in 1 cup chips. Pour batter into unbaked crust. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup chips on top. Bake in preheated oven, 350 degrees for 55 to 75 minutes, until top is relativelt firm. Keep an eye on the pie, as baking times can vary. Cool completley. Store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by today! I wish you much love and happiness. Also, remember to be kind. You never know what battle a person is facing

The perfect chocolate chip cookies (puffy)

Perfect and puffy chocolate chip cookie

These represent what I believe is the perfect chocolate chip cookie – puffy. I know a lot of people love flat cookies, UT I prefer mine to be puffy. I added a tsp of cornstarch to the dough to help with that and also chilled the dough for 2 hours.

Remember to spoon your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. Also, form your individual doughs into cylinders and chill your dough for a few hours before baking.

  • Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, cold and grated
  • 1/2 cup crisco
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 3.4 oz vanilla pudding mix
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, crisco, sugar, and brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Blend in pudding mix. Fold in flour, baking soda, and cornstarch. You may need to use your hands to blend completely the dough together. Fold in chips. Scoop out 2 tbs of dough and corn tall cylinders. Chill a few hours. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or nonstick baking liners. Stagger cookie cylinders on sheets. Bake 12 minutes (light golden patches on top). They will be a little undercooked on top, but will firm up as they cool. Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. If you make these, let me know how they turn out.

Chocodiles – chocolate covered twinkies

Chocodiles!

Today’s request from Rob – a chocodile. I had never heard of one before, but learned it is a chocolate covered twinkie. It gave me a chance to use my twinkie pan (one of many baking items I have that get little or no use. Hello – cherry maker, mini cake pop maker, mini pie maker, large cupcake pan, to name a few)

  • Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 yolk
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Spray a canoe or twinkie pan with baking spray. In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, yolk and vanilla. Blend in milk, then dry ingredients. Spoon batter into prepared pans 3/4 of the way full. Bake 15 to 18 minutes (a toothpick inserted in center of twinkie comes out clean) cool 10 minutes. Use a plastic knife to remove from pan. Cool completley.

Twinkie pan put to good use
  • Filling ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup marshmallow fluff
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla

In a bowl, beat ingredients together. Use the bottom of a wooden spoon to poke 3 holes in the bottom of a cooled twinkie.

Then using a pasty bag or decorating apparatus, carefully fill the three holes. Do not overfill.

Topping – in a microwave safe bowl, heat 1/2 cup cream for 1 minute. Add 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips. Let set 5 minutes. Stir smooth. Spread over top of filled twinkies. Store in covered container

I was a little messy with the topping 🙂

Thanks so much for stopping by. Wishing you a wonderful day. Remember to be kind. Life can be so hard, try to make someone’s day a little brighter. And, Go Bills!!!

Red velvet whoopie pies

Red velvet whoopie pies

This whoopie pie recipe is super easy. I chose red velvet, but you can use any flavor. I opted for a cream cheese filling. And I even used my whoopie pie pans. (One of many baking items I have that really don’t have more than one use, along with my churro maker -looks like a foreman grill used for burgers, and a twinkie pan.

Remember to preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. You can use a cookie sheet, just line it with a nonstick baking liners or parchment paper. Also, I let the butter and cream cheese soften in a bowl on my countertop while I baked the pies, to speed up the process.

  • Whoopie pie ingredients
  • 1 red velvet cake mix
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Directions- preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. In a bowl, mix cake mix, eggs and oil. Scoop out 1 1/2 tbs of dough and roll into balls. Stagger on prepared sheet. Bake 8 to 9 minutes (no longer). Cool completely.

  • Filling ingredients
  • 4 tbs butter, softened
  • 4 tbs cream cheese, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Directions – cream butter and cream cheese. Blend in vanilla. Slowly, mix in powdered sugar. Spoon a generous amount between 2 whoopie pies. Store in covered container.

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

Football friday #6 – Monster cookies for a monster football game on Sunday

Go Bills!

For the 5th (!) time since the fall of 2020, the Bills are playing the Chiefs. Both teams are 4-1, and jockeying for the top spot in the AFC. Monster game calls for monster cookies! These are huge, filled with peanut butter, oats, chocolate chips, mini m&ms and milk chocolate chips. Go Bills!

Reminders- spoon flour from flour bags into measuring cups to get the right amount. Preheat oven to 400 degrees for 20 minutes before baking.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, cold, grated with a cheese grater or cut into tiny squares
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups peanut butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 yolks
  • 1 cup quick oats
  • 2 cups cake flour
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup m&ms
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions -preheat oven to 400 degrees before baking. Line 2 cookie sheets with nonstick baking liners. In a large bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and sugar. Add eggs and yolks. Blend in dry ingredients and oats. Mix in m&m and chips. (I actually ised my hands for that last part). Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll into balls. Flatten slightly. Bake 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool completley. Store in covered container.

That’s a lot of cookie!

Thanks for stopping by today! If you make these, let me know how they turn out!

Chocolate milk chocolate chip and m&m cookies for football Friday #4

Go Bills!

I have this bag of mini m&ms that seems endless.  No matter what I bake, there always appears to be a half bag left.  In my attempt to use them up, I present chocolate cookies with mini m&ms and milk chocolate chips.  Here’s to week 4!  Go Bills!

Remember to scoop your flour and baking cocoa from your flour bag into your measuring cup, so you get the correct amount.    Also, preheat your oven to 350 degrees or 20 minutes before baking so it cycles to the right temp.

Football Friday
  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup brown sugar (firmly packed into measuring cup)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 3/4 cups flour (scooped from flour bag into measuring cup)
  • 1 cup baking cocoa
  • 11/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup mini m&ms
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Direction – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  mix butter and brown sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients and fold in chips and candy.  Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough.  Using floured hands, shape dough into tall mounds and stagger on prepared cookie sheets.    Bake 13 minutes. (Do not overtake or they will dry out).   Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by!   Have a wonderful day!!