Carrot cake bars for Championship week Thursday

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!

Frosted smashed red velvet cookies

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

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.

A Friday treat (not friday football.  Football and I are on a break right now)

Usually, on Fridays during football season, I bring in a Friday football treat.  But this post contains just  a Friday treat because football and I are taking a break. 

I did have something cool happen today though and it was football related.  Our midday show had Damar Hamlin on as a guest and I told one of our hosts, Joe, to tell Damar I love him.  He did and Damar replied “shout out to Christine.”  Made my day.

This is a simple chocolate cookie cake with a sweet chocolate frosting.  Both are easy.  And I sprinkled some mini m&ms on top.

Remember to scoop your flour and baking cocoa from your containers into your measuring cup so you get the correct amount. 

  • Cookie cake ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, melted
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 2/3 cups flour
  • 1 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1 tsp baking soda

Directions- spray a ten inch springform pan (or cake pan) with baking spray, then line with parchment paper.  In a bowl, combine butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Blend in eggs and vanilla.  Fold in dry ingredients.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Press evenly into prepared pan.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Remove from oven. Now make the frosting.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
This is what happens when the cookie cake is cut before the frosting sets

Directions – in a saucepan, combine butter, milk and sugar over low-medium heat, stirring occasionally.   Let mixture come to a boil.  Remove from heat.  Add chips.  Let stand a minute or two.  Store smooth.  Pour over cookie cake (even if it is warm).  Let frosting set as cookie cake cools  completely.  Cut and store in covered container. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  Wishing you a day of peace, joy and love (also wishing for Josh Allen to win NFL MVP tonight)

Football friday # 21 – sugar cookie bars sheet cake/ sugar cookie sheet cake bars

Ok, another Chiefs playoff matchup awaits my beloved Buffalo Bills.  The AFC championship game on Sunday at 630.  I remember when I was in college, one conference championship game was at 1, the other at 4.  I liked that a lot.  Now, I have to wait all day until 630.  But I am delighted to be in the afc title game for the first time in 4 years.

To celebrate the 21st football friday, I made this sugar cookie thing.  Not sure whether they are sugar cookie bar cake or sugar cookie cake bars.   Either way, I made them in a 15×10 cookie sheet and frosted them warm bc air  started baking late and ran out of patience, so I frosted them warm

  • Sugar cookie bar cake ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 tbs water
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 15×10 cookie sheet with tin foil and spray with baking spray.  Set aside.  In a bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Mix in eggs, water and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients.  Evenly spread into prepared pan.  Bake 12 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely.

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

In a bowl, blend all ingredients well.  Frost bars.  Cut and store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by today.  Life is hard for many of us, so remember to be kind.

Go Bills!

XL puffy frosted sugar cookies

A stress free week 18 for the Bills against the Patriots.  I can’t remember the last no stress regular season game, but it was a nice break before the playoffs begin.  I made some black cocoa snowballs yesterday and since not everyone i work with likes chocolate, I made these large sugar cookies.  

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, melted
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 yolk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Extra sugar

Directions – in a bowl, combine butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Blend in eggs, yolk and vanilla.  Fold in dry ingredients.  Divide into 12 equal pieces and roll into balls, then roll in extra sugar.  Chill a few hours.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. Stagger 6 cookies on a sheet.  Bake 12 to 13 minutes.  Do not bake longer than 13 minutes, or bottoms of cookies may burn.  Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 2 tbs butter, melted
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 tbs heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Directions – in a bowl, blend butter and powdered sugar.  Mix in heavy cream and vanilla.  Frost cookies

Store in covered container.

Anginette/Italian wedding cookies

We went to a Christmas party at our friends’ house last weekend and one of the desserts was Anginetti cookies.  They go by a bunch of names – Anginetti, Italian wedding cookies, Italian christmas cookies.    One of my grandmothers called them biscotti.    They are simple to make, not super sweet.  They bring back nice memories at my grandparents’ house when I was young.  My grandma would always whip up some sort of Italian cookie when we visited.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  I  recommend chilling the dough for a bit before baking to keep them from spreading too much.  I made them on the larger side than a traditional recipe would (2 tbs as opposed to 1 tbs).

  • Ingredients
  • 4 tbs butter softened
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 tbs baking powder (keeps the cookies puffy)
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, oil and sugar.  Add eggs and beat a couple of minutes.  Fold in dry ingredients.  Scoop out 2 tbs dough and roll into balls.  Chill an hour or so.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or nonstick baking liners.  Stagger on sheet.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes, no longer.  Bottoms will be light brown.   Cool completely.  

  • Frosting
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbs corn syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 tbs heavy cream

Combine these in a bowl.  Dip tops of cookies in frosting.  Let set before storing in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! 🇮🇹

XL Snickerdoodles

Shouldn’t snickerdoodles be made with Snickers? 😉

For NFL week 12’s football Friday, I present XL Snickerdoodles with a cinnamon frosting.  These smell amazing as they bake!

The Bills are on a bye this week, so I get a stress free football weekend.  Woo hoo!

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  I recommend chilling the individual doughs for a few hours, or freezing them for 30 minutes to try and keep the cookies from spreading too much.

  • Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup crisco
  • 3 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 3 1/2 cups flour (scooped from flour bag into your measuring cup)
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Cinnamon sugar

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, sugar, crisco and cream cheese.  Add eggs and cinnamon.  Blend in flour, baking powder and salt.  Divide into 11 equal mounds.  Roll in cinnamon sugar.   Chill a few hours or freeze 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on sheet.  Bake 15 to 18 minutes (no longer). Cool completely.   Place in fridge to firm up.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 2 tbs butter, soft
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 to 3 tbs milk

Directions – in a bowl, combine ingredients and mix well.  Frost cookies.  Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.  Place in fridge to firm up.  Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.   Please remember to be kind.  We are all fighting some sort of battle and a little kindness can make a big difference

Football friday # 6 Little Debbie brownie cookies

A simple, easy treat for nfl week 6 – little Debbie brownie cookies, frosted, with rainbow chips on top.  These are made with a brownie mix and a few extra ingredients.  They might not need frosting, but I think everything is better with frosting!  I don’t recommend baking these longer than 10 minutes.  They seem undone on top, but pop them in the fridge to firm them up before frosting them and keep them in the fridge for a few hours.   Better a gushy cookie than a dry, overbaked one, right?

Big game for my Bills this week – at the Jets on Monday night football.  Our third straight on the road and our 4th night game in 6 games this season.  I gotta admit the night games are killing me!

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 brownie mix (18 oz or 18.2 oz)
  • 2 tbs unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1 tbs chocolate syrup
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a bowl, combine brownie mix, cocoa, eggs, butter and syrup.  Fold in chips.  Scoop out 2 tbs dough.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes.  Cool

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tbs unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 2 tbs water
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tbs chocolate syrup

In a bowl, combine all ingredients.  If you want a thicker frosting, add additional powdered sugar.  Feost cookies.  Sprinkle with rainbow chips, sprinkles or m&ms.  Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Victory Tuesday treats – 2 days late!

Because the Bills game ended at 1030 Monday night, it was too late to bake victory Tuesday cookies.  Last night, our neighbor chatted us up as we were walking Gracie and it was too late to bake.  So tonight I was determined.  I present iced oatmeal cookies.  Some came out nice and thick like I wanted.  Others spread out.  Next time I will chill the dough for an hour or so and perhaps form the mounds a little higher.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1/3 cup crisco
  • 1 3/4 cups brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 yolk
  • 1 1/2 tbs honey or corn syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 cups flour
  • 4 1/2 cups oats (I used a combo of old fashioned and quick)

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, crisco and brown sugar.  Add egg, yolk, vanilla, honey,  salt and cinnamon.  Blend in half of flour and oats.  Blend in other half.  Divide into 18 even size pieces.  Roll into balls and chill and hour or so.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on sheet.  Bake 13 to 15 minutes (no longer).  Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tbs milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Directions – combine and drizzle on cooled cookies.  Store in covered container. 

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

Go Bills.