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.

Frosted chocolate chip cake bars (week 2 victory treat part 2)

For part 2 of the week 2 Bills victory treats, I present frosted chocolate chip cake bars.  You can use any flavor cake mix (I used French vanilla), any kind of chips (I used traditional semisweet), and any kind of frosting (I used vanilla).

  • Bars ingredients list
  • 1 cake mix
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • Extra chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper.  Set aside.  In a bowl, combine cake mix, oil, eggs, and vanilla.  Mix in 1 cup chocolate chips.   You may want to wet your hands for this next part – gently, evenly press dough into prepared pan. Sprinkle extra chips on tip.   Bake 15 to 18 minutes (toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs).  Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 4 cups powdered sugar (scooped from powdered sugar container into cup)
  • Milk or heavy cream

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter and vanilla.  Blend in powdered sugar and enough milk or heavy cream to get the consistency you want.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a wonderful day!  Go Bills!

Black cocoa brownies with peanut butter chips and black cocoa frosting

I could not bring in just one treat for a Bills victory Monday tomorrow.   So Rob suggested black cocoa brownies with peanut butter chips and black cocoa frosting.  Black cocoa is what makes oreos taste like oreos.  I found some on Amazon that I like to use.  Of course, my hershey’s classic is my standby/old faithful, but the black cocoa is nice to use once in a while.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1 /2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup corn syrup or honey
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup flour (scooped from your bag into your measuring cup)
  • 1/3 cup black cocoa
  • 1 cup peanut butter chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350.  Line an 8×8 or 9×9 baking pan with tin foil and spray with baking spray.  Set aside.  In a bowl, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar and corn syrup/honey.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Blend in flour and black cocoa.  Fold in chips.  Evenly spread into prepared pan.  Bake 13 to 17 minutes (toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs).  Immediately start prepping frosting.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 3 tbs butter softened
  • 3 tbs black cocoa
  • 1 tsp corn syrup or honey
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 to 6 tsp milk
  • 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions – in a bowl, blend butter and cocoa.  Add vanilla and corn syrup/honey.  Mix in powdered sugar.  Blend in enough milk to get the consistency you want.   Frost warm brownies.  Let cool completely.  Cut and store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Go Bills!

Half Moon/Black and White Cookies

These cookies are magical.  A soft cake-like vanilla cookies with one half frosted with vanilla buttercream, the other frosted with a chocolate fudge frosting.  I actually made these smaller than a traditional half moon/bw cookie and they are still pretty big

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

  • Ingredients list
  • 1/4 cup shortening
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 3/4 cups flour
  • 1 tbs baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup milk

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a bowl, cream shortening and sugar.  Add egg and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients and milk.  Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners.  Scoop out 2 tbs dough and place on sheet.  Leave some space bc these spread.  Bake 9 to 11 minutes.  Cool completely.

  • Buttercream frosting ingredients
  • 4 tbs butter, softened
  • 2 tbs shortening
  • 1 3/4  cups powdered sugar
  • 2 to 3 tbs milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla

In a bowl, cream butter and shortening, add powdered sugar.  Stir in milk and vanilla.

  • Fudge frosting
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/2  tbs butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 tbs corn syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2  tbs very hot water

In a microwave safe bowl,  chips and butter in 30 sec increments.   Blend in remaining ingredients. You can add more powdered sugar or hot water to get the consistency you want.

To frost, turn the cookies flat side up, like below

frost one half with vanilla, the other with chocolate.  Chill to set frosting.  Store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by today!

XL chocolate cake

I have a litany of baking items I rarely use – like a twinkie pan, whoopie pie pan, churr bake, cake pop maker and this 18×13 cake pan that I bought I long time ago for some reason.  So I put that 18×13 cake pan to use today and make a very large chocolate cake with chocolate frosting (hersheys recipe).  I am bringing in to work tomorrow for my espn radio friends working on Memorial Day.

You can also use a standard 9×13 pan, but obviously,  your cake will be thicker and take longer to bake (maybe check after 25 to 30 minutes, with the toothpick test)

  • Ingredients
  • 2 cups flour (scooped from flour bag into your measuring cups so you get the right amount)
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups hot water or coffee (coffee can bring out extra chocolate flavor)

Directions – line  a 18×13 pan with parchment paper.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a bowl, blend dry ingredients together.  Mix in milk, oil, eggs and vanilla.  Blend in coffee or water.  Pour into prepared pan.  Bake 20 minutes for 18×13 pan.  Check after 25 minutes for 9×13 pan (toothpick will come out with moist crumbs).  Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 2/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 tsp vania

Directions – in a bowl, combine butter and cocoa.  Blend in powdered sugar and milk.  With a hand mixer, beat to desired consistency.  Blend in vanilla.  Frost cake.  Store in covered container.

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