Frosted Chocolate Chip Banana Cookies

My best friend from college, Susan, and her two daughters (who are my goddaughters) are coming to visit tonight for a few hours.. so being the good hostess that I like to think I am, I asked the girls what treat they would like. Lyndsey picked frosted chocolate chip banana cookies. These are nice, soft cookies that smell INCREDIBLE as they bake. and let’s face it, frosting, just makes everything better.

* One kind cool thing I learned for this recipe – how to quickly ripen a banana. you bake it at 170 degrees in 8 minute intervals until the skin turns really really brown and softens the banana. my husband wasn’t sure what i had done when he saw the banana on the countertop to cool off 🙂

a few tips – remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the correct amount, chill the mounds of dough for a few hours to prevent them from spreading too much, and preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so that it cycles to the right temperature.

  • Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 ripe banana, smooooshed (see * above on how to quickly ripen a banana)
  • 1 yolk (makes cookies soft)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 3/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup chocolate chips (i used mini ones in these cookies)

Directions – cream butter, brown sugar and sugar. Blend in banana, yolk and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients. Mix in chips. Flour your hands (trust me on this). Scoop out 2 tbs of dough and roll into balls. Chill in fridge a few hours. preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. line a sheet with nonstick baking liners or parchment paper and stagger cookies. bake 12 to 14 minutes (likely browned on bottom. do not overbake or cookies will be dry). remove from tray after 10 minutes. Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 2 tbs butter, melted
  • powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • milk

Directions – place butter in a bowl, add a cup or two of powdered sugar. mix in vanilla. Add enough milk to get the consistency you want. Frost cookies. store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you have a wonderful day filled with peace and joy. Remember to be kind. Your kind gesture, no matter how small, may be what someone needs in their life at that moment.

Chocolate red wine cookies with peanut butter chips

When attending my college reunion last night, we went to a cookie shop in Geneseo and they had so many unique cookies, in addition to the ones that everyone loves (like chocolate chip). There were these chocolate red wine cookies with peanut butter chips and sprinkled with powdered sugar. There is not a lot of wine in these, but it adds a nice flavor. if you don’t want to use wine, you could try cold coffee instead. They spread a little, so I recommend chilling the dough for at least a few hours to prevent the spreading of the cookies. I also decided to add melted milk chocolate on the bottom of these! I am not sure why, just seemed like a good idea!

Reminders – scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount, chill the dough for a few hours so the cookies don’t spread too much. and preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so your oven cycles to the right temperature.

  • ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup red wine (i used sangria because that’s what we had in the house)
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 3/4 cup baking cocoa
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 bag of peanut butter chips

directions – cream butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add egg, vanilla and wine. Blend in dry ingredients. Mix in chips. scoop out 2 tbs of dough and roll into balls. Chill a few hours. preheat oven to 375 degrees before baking. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners or parchment paper. stagger cookies on the prepared sheets. bake 10 to 11 minutes. sprinkle warm cookies with powdered sugar. Cool completely. Sprinkle with more powdered sugar. I opted to put melted milk chocolate on the bottoms of the completely cooled cookies, but I am sure they are fine without it. 🙂 Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.

Oreo stuffed chocolate cookies

These are a request from my youngest goddaughter Sara, for her dance recital tomorrow. They are chocolate cookies stuffed with oreos. I have a couple of these recipes. For these, I used melted chocolate chips, in addition to baking cocoa. They came out huge because I used 4 tbs of dough. Next time I will use 2 tbs.

A yellow m&m signifies a golden oreo inside!
  1. Ingredients
  2. 2 cups flour
  3. 1/2 cup baking cocoa
  4. 2 tsp baking powder
  5. 1 tsp salt
  6. 2 2/3 cups chocolate chips, melted (I used a combo of milk and semisweet chocolate chips)
  7. 4 eggs
  8. 1 tbs vanilla
  9. 10 tbs butter, softened
  10. 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  11. 1/2 cup sugar
  12. Oreos!!!

Directions – cream butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in chocolate. Fold in dry ingredients. Dough will be a little soft. Chill for 30 minutes or so. Scoop out two tbs of dough. Cover an oreo. Repeat process. Chill a few hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. Bake 13 to 15 minutes. Cool completely. Store in covered container.

That’s a large cookie..and a lot of chocolate!

Brownie cookies stuffed with tollhouse bars

Brownie cookies stuffed with tollhouse bars

I have made many batches of chocolate chip cookies stuffed with brownies, so I reversed it this time and stuffed a tollhouse bar in a brownie cookie. I didn’t chill the dough, so they came out a little flatter than I prefer, but I think my coworkers will still like them. You can use any chocolate chip cookie bar recipe (homemade or a mix) you want. I recommend my Congo bar recipe on my blog.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 batch congo/tollhouse bars, baked, completely cooled and cut into small squares.
  • 1 brownie mix
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • Water (if you feel dough is too dry, add a tbs or 2)

Directions – combine brownie mix, flour, oil and eggs. Add water if you feel dough is top dry. Scoop out 2 tbs of dough and divide in half. Slightly flatten each half. Now, we assemble!

Place half of flattened dough on your countertop
Top with a tollhouse bar square
Top with remaining flattened dough piece
Completely cover tollhouse bar

Chill dough in fridge for a few hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or nonstick baking liners. Stagger cookies on your sheet. Bake 10 to 13 minutes. Cool completely

This is how I stagger my cookies

Thank you for stopping by. Hope you have a wonderful day filled with peace love and happiness

Brookies cookies

Brookie cookies

When you can decide between a chocolate chip cookie and a brownie, you combine them! No better way to celebrate a weekend of game 7s in the NHL and NBA Playoffs. 7 game sevens total. Wow! What an awesome time of year!

Cookie monster!
  • Chocolate cookie ingredients
  • 8 tbs butter
  • 2/3 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 3/4 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup baking cocoa
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/3 cup chocolate chips

Directions – in a microwave safe bowl, melt butter and chips in 45 second increments until you can stir mixture smooth. In a bowl, beat eggs, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Add chocolate mixture. Blend in dry ingredients then chips. Chill for 15 minutes in fridge

  • Chocolate chip cookie dough ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, cold, shredded with a cheese grater
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 yolk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3/4 cup cake flour
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions – cream butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add egg, yolk and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. Fold in chips.

Cookie assembly – using a 1 1/2 cookie scoop (or measuring spoons), scoop out your dough. Layer a scoop of chocolate dough, a scoop of chocolate chip cookie dough, another scoop of chocolate dough, and another scoop of chocolate chip dough (6 tbs of dough, total). Roll into a ball to marble the doughs. Chill a few hours or over night.

This is how I stagger my cookies

When ready to bake – preheat oven to 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners or parchment paper, stagger cookies on a sheet. I fit 7 to a sheet. They do spread a little. Bake 15 to 18 minutes. Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Thank you so much for stopping by today. I wish you a day filled with peace, love and joy.

Happy NFL draft day!

Chocolate chip cookies!

I love the NFL draft. I actually like all the pro sports drafts and seeing the joy of all these young people and their families celebrating the realization of a dream, after all the years of hard work and dedication. Four years ago, my beloved Buffalo Bills drafted quarterback Josh Allen. I was hoping at the time, we finally had our franchise QB, and it turned out for the first time since Jim Kelly retired on 1997, we did. I think Josh wins us a couple of Super Bowls too.

My recipe is based on the Nestlé Tollhouse classic. These chocolate chip cookies use crisco instead of butter because I wanted them puffy. I also added some cornstarch to keep them soft and puffy.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. I like to chill the dough before baking, but you don’t have to. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so your oven cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup crisco
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions – cream butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients. Mix in chips. Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough. Chill. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners or parchment paper. I stagger my cookies evenly , putting 8 on a sheet. Bake 12 to 14 minutes. There will be some light golden patches on top. Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Triple chip cookies celebrating the NHL debut of Owen Power!

These cookies are to celebrate the NHL debut of Owen Power, the Sabres top overall pick last year. I’m pretty excited to see him play at the NHL level, after watching him play at Michigan. The Sabres have had a tough go the last few years, but I love our coach and the guys we have now after some moves. I think the team is heading in the right direction. Here’s hoping!

  • Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup crisco
  • 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3.4 oz instant chocolate pudding mix
  • 2 cups flour (scooped from your flour bag into your measuring cup)
  • 1/4 cup bread flour (scooped from your flour bag into your measuring cup
  • 1/4 cup baking cocoa
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1-2 tbs heavy cream or milk
  • 1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions – cream butter, Crisco, butter, brown sugar and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in pudding mix. Fold in remaining dry ingredients. Mix in chips. Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough. Chill. Preheat oven to 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. Stagger cookies on sheet (alternating a row of 2, a single dough, a row of 2, a single dough, etc. Bake 12 to 15 minutes. Cool completely.

Thank you for stopping by today! Hope you have a wonderful day!

Brownie stuffed sugar cookies

I made some brownies and didn’t want to bring in “just brownies” to work, so I decided to stuff most of them in sugar cookies. I say most because I ran out of cookie dough, so a few “just brownies” will arrive with me tomorrow morning.

Didn’t do a good job of covering the brownie 😀

Reminders – scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. Also, preheat your oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes before baking, so your oven cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients
  • One pan of brownies, baked, cooled and cut in squares
  • 14 tbs butter softened
  • 2 tbs crisco
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder

Directions – preheat oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. In a bowl, cream butter, crisco, and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients. Scoop out 2 tbs of dough. Divide in half. Flatten one half. Place a brownie square on top. Flatten other half and place on top of brownie square. Completely cover brownie with dough. Place cookies on prepared cookie sheet. I fit 8 on a sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes. (Lightly golden on bottom) cool completely. Store in covered container.

This is how I stagger cookies on a sheet so they don’t spread into each other

Thank you for stopping by today. I wish you a wonderful day filled with peace, love and happiness. Remember to be kind. Your kindness might be just what someone needs in their day.

MLB opening day and masters first round chocolate chip cookies

Happy opening day x2!

These chocolate chip cookies are in celebration of baseball’s opening day and the first day of the Masters. Pretty cool sports day. And any day is a good day to celebrate with chocolate chip cookies! I used bread flour in these because I was in a hurry to make them, did not have time to chill them and felt the bread flour would keep them from spreading out too much.

The cookies monster!
  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, melted and cooled 10 minutes
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 yolk
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tbs heavy cream or milk
  • 2 1/4 cups bread flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 2 cups chocolate chips
Gooey goodness!

Directions – combine melted and cooled butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add egg, yolk, vanilla and cream/milk. Blend in dry ingredients. Fold in chips. Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough. Chill. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners or parchment paper. Bake 12 to 16 minutes, or until you see light golden spots on top. Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Mama,can I have a cookie, please?

Thank you so much for stopping by today! Wishing you a day of peace, love and happiness!

Golden oreo chocolate chip whoopie pies

Golden oreo chocolate chip whoopie pies

This is crushed oreo treat 2. ( I have a LOT of oreos.) This is a chocolate chip cookie recipe using crushed golden oreos. They came out a little flatter than I prefer, despite chilling the dough in the fridge.. so,I made them into half whoopie pies.! I will work on the puffiness another time. Perhaps adding more flour, or some baking powder will help. But i think my coworkers will be ok with them tomorrow.

Too flat!
  • Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions – cream butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients and oreos. Fold in chips. Divide dough evenly into 12 mounds and chill in fridge. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. Bake 10 to 12 minutes (light golden spots on top). Cool completely. Divide each cookie in half

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1-2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup marshmallow fluff
  • Heavy cream

Blend butter, powdered sugar and fluff. Add enough cream to get the consistency you want. Place a scoop between 2 cookie halves. Store in covered container.

Thank you for stopping by. Wishing you a day filled with peace, joy and love.