Week 17 football friday – happy new year!

Chocolate chip cookie bars

For week 17, I present the first of two treats on a football Friday at ESPN radio. These are chocolate chip cookie bars, made with a cake mix, and frosted with a quick homemade vanilla frosting. I used yellow cake mix and a vanilla instant pudding mix. (Use any flavor you choose for either). I ran out of patience and frosted them when they were warm, so the frosting also contained some melted chocolate chips. ☺

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cake mix, any flavor
  • 3.4 oz instant pudding mix, any flavor
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 3/4 cup oil
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • Frosting – combine 2 tbs melted butter and 2 cups powdered sugar. Add enough cream or milk to get the consistency you want.

Cookie bar Directions – preheat oven to 350 for 20 minutes. Spray a 9×13 pan with baking spray. Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water and oil. Stir in chips. Spread evenly in pan. Bake 18 to 22 minutes (may seem a little undercooked, but that is ok. If you cook too long, the bars will dry out). Immediately sprinkle with more chocolate chips and gently press down. Wait about five minutes and frost. Melted chips will swirl in frosting

Go Bills!

Cookie cups victory cookies

AFC East champs!

Today’s victory Monday treat celebrates the Bills first AFC East title since 1995 (back then, I was in my first year as a production assistant at ESPN, yowsa). Watching the Bills this season reminds me of why I love sports – for 3 hours I can forget about everything else and just enjoy/stress/lose-my-mind- about a football game. And in a year that has been so awful for so many, it is a welcome distraction. Here’s to a long playoff run!

The cookie cups are simple. All you need are 2 sugar cookie mixes, 1 stick of butter and 2 eggs. I got a mega sugar cookie mix package from bjs to use. You could also use your own sugar cookie recipe.

Go Bills!
  • Ingredients
  • 2 sugar cookie mixes (1 lb, 1.5 oz each)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 stick of butter, softened

Directions – preheat oven to 350 for 20 minutes. Spray a muffin tin (regular size) with baking spray. Combine sugar cooke mixes, butter and eggs until,well combined. Scoop,out 2 tbs of dough and roll into balls and place in muffin tins. Bake 12 minutes. Immediately – Spray the bottom of a wooden spoon or ice cream scoop with Pam and make an indentation in the center of each cookie cup. Cool completely

  • Ganache ingredients
  • 2 cups chocolate chips
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • Directions – miscrowave together in 30 second increments until,you can stir,smooth. Spoon into cookie cups. Store in,covered container.
☺

Friday football week 15 treats – Peanut butter cookies stuffed with brownie truffles and topped with melted chocolate

Peanut butter cookies stuffed with brownie truffles and topped with melted chocolate

I decided to up my cookie game for this football Friday before Christmas. (Go Bills!) Instead of a traditional peanut blossom (a peanut butter cookie topped with a Hershey kiss), I stuffed a peanut butter cookie with a brownie truffle and topped it with melted chocolate. For the brownie truffles, I smooshed up some brownies I made the other night and mixed in about a half cup of chocolate frosting. You could also use candy or Oreos, or you don’t have to stuff the cookies at all. These use Crisco and it keeps them nice and puffy. Remember to scoop your flour into your measuring cup, and to preheat your oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes before baking.

Yum!
  • Brownie truffles ingredients
  • 1 pan of brownies, prepared and baked, as directed, cooled completely
  • 2 tbs butter melted
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 4 tbs baking cocoa
  • Milk
  • Directions – combine butter, powdered sugar and baking cocoa. Add enough milk to make the frosting. Combine the frosting with brownies. Scoop out 1 tbs and form into balls. Set aside.
  • Peanut butter cookie ingredients
  • 1 cup Crisco
  • 1 1/2 cups peanut butter
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 4 tbs milk
  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda

Directions – preheat oven to 375 degrees. cream Crisco, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients. Scoop out 1/4 cup of cookie dough. Divode in half. Slightly flatten bottom half and top with a brownie truffle. Top with other cookie dough and seal around truffle. On a cookie sheet lined with non stick baking liners, stagger cookies. Bake 11 – 13 minutes. Cool completely. Top with melted milk chocolate. Store in covered container.

Go Bills!