Tag Archives: homemade

Reese’s Pieces- mini M&M peanut butter cookies

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After a series of humidity-induced chocolate chip cookies, I wanted to see if I had the same issue with other types of cookies.  So I opted for peanut butter.  I threw in some Reese’s pieces and mini m&ms too.  These stayed nice and puffy.   I figure they will be a hit at work tomorrow.   Unless people don’t like peanut butter.  Then, that’s on them.

Remember to – scoop your flour from your flour bag into you measuring cup so you get the right amount, chill the mounds of dough at least a few hours and preheat oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so it cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup Crisco
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 1/2 cups flour (scooped from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount)
  • 3/4 cup m&ms
  • 3/4 cup Reese’s pieces
Cookie monster grabbed a hot cookie!

Blend crisco and peanut butter.  Mix in sugar and brown sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Stir in dry ingredients.  Add candies.  Scoop out 1/4 cups dough.  Chill mounds of dough a few hours.   Preheat oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Line a cookies sheet with nonstick baking liners. Stagger cookies on sheet.  Bake 9 to 11 minutes (golden brown on bottom).  Cool completely.   Store in covered container. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Remember to be kind!

Very large, very flat chocolate chip cookies

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The humid hot weather keeps sticking around, but it has not stopped me from baking. I was hoping these chocolate chip cookies would not be as flat as the last few batches I’ve made, but they were, sadly. I blame the humidity!

A few notes – scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. Chill the individual mounds of dough overnight. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so it cycles to the right amount.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, melted
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 cups mini chocolate chips

Directions – in a bowl, mix together melted butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Add yolks and egg. Blend in dry ingredients. Fold in chips. Scoop put 1/4 cups of dough and form into tall mounds. Chill overnight. Line cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Stagger cookie mounds on prepared sheet (4 per sheet). Bake 12 to 14 minutes (golden brown around edges and not too doughy on top). Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Thank so much for stopping by today! Wishing you a happy, joyful, day filled with loving kindness.

Chocolate Reese’s Pieces cookies

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I noticed a couple of boxes of Reese’s Pieces in my baking cabinet, so I decided to put them in some large chocolate cookies. These only make 8, so I cut them in half and put some melted chocolate chips on a few halves. Not sure why. Also not sure why I thought it was a good idea to turn on the oven and bake when it is hot and disgustingly humid. Anyways, we celebrate the home run derby with these tomorrow at work.

A few tips : Scoop your flour and baking cocoa from your containers into your measuring cups so you get the right amount. Chill your mounds of dough at least a couple of hours to prevent too much spreading. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so it cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients
  • 8 tbs butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 1 egg
  • 1 yolk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 cups Reese’s pieces

Directions – combine melted butter, sugar, brown sugar, and baking cocoa. Add vanilla, egg, and yolk. Blend in flour, cornstarch and baking soda. Dough will be very soft. Fold in Reese’s pieces. Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough. Chill a few hours on fridge. Preheat ovento 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. I put 4 on a sheet at a time bc they are 1/4 cups of dough each. Bake 12 minutes (no longer). Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Thank you for stopping by today. Please remember to be kind. We all need a little kindness.

Milk chocolate chip cookies (that are way too flat)

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Flat as a pancake!

I prefer the cookies I make to be tall, puffy and fluffy. These are the complete opposite of that. I think I may have let the butter soften on the countertop too long. These are so flat! My hubby said they are good (but very sweet. I used milk chocolate chips), so I am sharing this recipe. I am also a bit surprised how many people like flat cookies. 🙂

This is what happens when not enough space is left between cookies before baking

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. And preheat the oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes so it cycles to the right temp for baking.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 cups milk chocolate chips

Directions – cream butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients. Blend in chocolate chips. Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough and form tall mounds. Chill in fridge for 1 hour or so. Preheat oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. Leave plenty of room between cookies because these spread. Cook 10 to 13 minutes. They will likely be a little doughy when removed from oven,but they will firm up. Cool completley. Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. ❤️

Chocolate peanut butter chip cookies

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I have made a LOT of chocolate chip cookies (or some version of them) lately and was looking to break out of the box. I noticed I had some Reese’s peanut butter chips among my morsels collection, and thought I would put them in some large chocolate cookies. So here is that recipe.

Remember to spoon your flour and cocoa from their bag or container into your measuring cup so you get the correct amount. If you directly pour into the measuring cup, it gets packed in, and you can wind up with a dry cookie. Also, chill the mounds of cookie dough for a few hours to prevent spreading of the cookies in the oven. And, preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes so it cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 1/2 cups flour (scooped from your flour bag into your measuring cup, so you get the right amount)
  • 1 cup unsweetened baking cocoa (scooped from your container into your measuring cup)
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 bag peanut butter chips

Directions – cream butter, sugar and brown sugar. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients. Blend in chips. Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough. Chill in fridge a few hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes so it cycles to the right temp. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. Stagger cookies on prepared sheer – a row of 2, a row of 1, a row of 2, a row of 1 (I fit 6 or 8 on a sheet, depending on size of sheet). Bake 10 to 12 minutes (no longer. You don’t want the bottoms to burn). Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I wish you a day filled with peace, joy and happiness!

7

A tribute to Little Debbie brownies

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A Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies tribute

I loved Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies (and Oatmeal Cream pies, too) growing up. With the brownies, I always thought the topping was magical, so delicious. I’m not sure how I would like the cosmic brownies now (processed foods have not been my thing for a long time), so I present to you homemade version. These have cornstarch in them to make them softer. I err on taking them out a little earlier (about 20 minutes) than too late because a dry brownie is a grave sin.

Remember to spoon your flour and baking cocoa from your flour bag and cocoa container into your measuring cups so you get the right amount. Pouring directly into the measuring cup would pack in the flour, and that makes for a dry treat. I also preheated my oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so it cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients
  • 3/4 cup butter, melted then cooled for 5 to 10 minutes
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups flour (spooned from your flour bag into your measuring cups)
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Spray a 9×13 pan with baking spray and set aside. In a bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar and sugar. Blend in eggs. Fold in dry ingredients. Mixture will be thick. Evenly press into prepared pan. Bake 18 to 22 minutes (a toothpick inserted in the center will come out with a few moist crumbs). Cool completely.

  • Ganache ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I combined semisweet and milk chocolate)
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

In a microwave safe bowl, microwave chips and milk in 1 minute increments until you can stir smooth. Stir for a few minutes to thicken up. Spread over cooled brownies. Sprinkle with mini m&ms. Let ganache set. Cut and store in covered container. I put mine in the fridge to help with the ganache setting.

Look at all that fudgy goodness

Thanks so much for stopping by! If you try these, let me know how you like them. Have a wonderful day and remember to be kind!

Brownie cupcakes with fudge frosting

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I got an unusual request from Rob. Chocolate cupcakes topped with chocolate frosting and coconut. Normally, coconut is not his bag.. but luckily I had coconut in my stash of baking items (it is rare I am missing anything). So I made a small batch (5) of jumbo brownie cupcakes, frosted them and sprinkled them with coconut. Not sure what to do with the rest of the coconut. Of course, you do not have to use coconut. And you can use regular size cupcake pans and liners, but they will cook in less time.

All that chocolate goodness!
  • Ingredients
  • 1 stick butter
  • 4 oz unsweetened chocolate (I used a bar of baker’s and broke it into pieces
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup flour

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a jumbo cupcake pan with jumbo cupcake liners. in a microwave safe bowl, melt butter and unsweetened chocolate in 40 second increments until you can stir smooth. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes. Add sugar and brown sugar. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and stir until just blended. Spoon 2/3 cup batter into prepared pans for jumbo cupcakes. Spoon 1/3 into regular size cupcakes. Jumbo cupcakes take 18 to 22 minutes to bake. Regular take 15 to 19 minutes. (A toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few crumbs) The middles might seem a little soft, but they will continue to cook in the pan after being removed from oven. I always err of the side of underbaking. Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1/2 stick butter soft
  • 2 tbs unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tbs milk

Blend butter and baking cocoa. Add powdered sugar. Add milk. You can add more powdered sugar and /or milk to get the consistency you want. Frost cupcakes. Sprinkle with coconut.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful day filled with peace, love and joy. Remember to be kind!

Brownie stuffed chocolate chip cookies

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Now that’s a cookie!

To celebrate having one of our favorite co-workers on campus this week in Bristol – the one and only Harry Douglas, of “Fitz and Harry” on ESPN Radio, as well as day 2 of the 2023 NFL draft, I present brownie stuffed chocolate chip cookies. I “cheated” and used a mix for the brownies. But honestly, I think brownie mixes are just fine to use and make great brownies, especially when you are pressed for time.

Nothing wrong with using a brownie mix!

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the correct amount. If you pour directly from the bag to the measuring cup, it gets packed in, and you could end up with dry cookies! I chilled the dough overnight to prevent spreading. Also, preheat the dough for 20 minutes before baking so it gets to the right temp.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 pan brownies baked and cooled, cut into 2 inch squares
  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup crisco
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions – in a bowl, cream crisco, sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. If dough seems a little try, add a tbs or 2 of water. Fold in chips. Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough. Divide in half and slightly flatten.

Place a small brownie square on top.

Top with other half of flattened cookie dough

Seal edges so you can’t see brownie.

Chill dough at least a few hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. Stagger cookies on sheet. Bake 13 minutes – there will be light golden patches on top. Don’t bake them too much longer. Even if they are a little doughy, they will firm up. Store in covered container.

There is magic inside this cookie!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I wish you peace and joy today. Remember to be kind. Life can be so hard for people. We are all fighting a battle, and some are worse than others.

Very puffy triple chip cookies

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As we enjoy another night of Stanley Cup playoff hockey, I decided to make some chocolate chip cookies. These are made with browned butter and 2 oz of cream cheese. The cream cheese helped them stay thick and they did not spread out at all. You can not taste the cream cheese at all! They stayed nice and puffy and are loaded with 3 kinds of chocolate chips.

A few notes – browned butter is super easy. Place the butter in a sauce pan, cook over low heat . A few minutes after it completely melts, brown specks will appear. Turn off the pan and pour butter in bowl. Let it cool for 30 minutes. Spoon your flour from your flour bag into your container so you get the right amount. And preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so your oven cycles to the right temp.

1/2 cup butter

2 oz cream cheese (I used low fat)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 yolk

2 tsp vanilla

2 1/4 cup flour (scooped from your flour bag into your measuring cup)

1 tbs cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

2/3 cup white chocolate chips

2/3 cup milk chocolate chips

2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3 kinds of chips!

Directions – place butter in a pan, cook over low-medium heat until there are small brown specks. Cool in a bowl for a half hour. (Otherwise, the chips may melt and you will have marble cookies). Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. In a bowl, combine cooled butter, cream cheese, brown sugar and sugar. Add egg, yolk and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients (you may need to use your hands and mix them like meatballs). Mix in chips. Scoop our 1/4 cups dough. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. Stagger cookies on the sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes (no longer). Cool completely.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!!

Triple chip mini m&m chocolate cookies

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After some very unusually warm days, it cooled off today, so I thought it would be a good day to bake cookies. I went with a chocolate cookie dough using dark, semisweet and milk chocolate chips (I have a huge bag of each), and mini m&ms. I thought, perhaps, of drizzling melted hershey kisses on top, but not sure that is needed.

Xl bags of 3 kinds of chips

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup (same goes for the baking cocoa). I also recommend chilling the dough for a few hours. And, preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking, so that it cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, melted and cooled in fridge for 30 to 40 minutes (it will solidify and that’s ok)
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 tbs water
  • 2 2/3 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup baking cocoa
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 /2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup mini m&ms
  • 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions – combine butter and sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, and water. Blend in dry ingredients. Mix in chips. Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough. You may need to flour your hands for this – form tall mounds. Chill mounds of dough for a few hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Stagger cookies on sheet. Bake 11 minutes. Because these are chocolate, it is hard to tell when they are done. I err on the side of taking cookies out early bc they will continue to cook on the sheet after being removed from the oven. They will firm up and be fine once completely cooled. Plus, gushy cookies are not bad!

Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by today. ❤️