Very Large Chocolate Cookies with Peanut Butter Chips

Few combos better than pb and chocolate

I felt my very large chocolate chip cookies needed some sort of companion, so I made very large chocolate cookies with peanut butter chips. You, of course, can sub in another type of chip, if you are not a peanut butter fan. These are quite big, but look at it this way – instead of eating 3 smaller cookies, you can just have a big one!

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour container into you measuring cup. If you don’t have cake flour, sift together 1 cup flour and 1 tbs cornstarch. I recommend chilling the mounds of dough for a few hours. Also, preheat your oven for 20 minutes before baking. Ovens need to cycle through different temperatures for about 20 minutes to get to the right temp.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter (cold and grated with a cheese grater to make it easier to use)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp chocolate extract
  • 1/2 cup baking cocoa
  • 1 cup cake flour
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp Cornstarch
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup peanut butter chips

Directions – cream butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs and chocolate extract.. Fold in dry ingredients and mix well. Add chips. Divide dough evenly into 8 mounds. Chill a few hours. Preheat oven to 410 for 20 minutes. Stagger on a cookie sheet lined with nonstick baking liners. Bake 9 to 10 minutes. Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Whatever difficulties or hardships you are experiencing, I hope your burdens are lightened. Wishing you joy and peace.

Very Large Chocolate Chip Cookies

Larger cookies mean less time baking!

This recipe is pretty self explanatory. They are very large chocolate chip cookies. I decided to go big in celebration of Rob and I getting our first Pfizer shots. Great experience at CVS overall, topped off by 80s music being played in the store. First song I heard- “The Glory of Love” by Peter Cetera. How I love that song! (And the movie it was in – “Karate Kid 2”) I was (still am actually) a huge fan of a songs in that genre from that decade. Lionel Richie was the best! Anyways, I felt a huge relief after getting the shot.. Like a big step toward the road back to normal. This has been an incredibly difficult past 12 months for so many people. Our light is at the end of the tunnel. Anyways, to celebrate, I present these cookies. Yes, they are large, but if you eat two or three of the small ones, you may as well have a big one!

I subbed one yolk for an egg to make the cookies softer. I also added cornstarch to keep the cookies puffy. If you don’t have cake flour, you can sift together 3 /4 cup flour and 1 tbs cornstarch.

Remember – scoop your flour from your flour container into your measuring cup. Also chill your mounds of dough for at least an hour. And, preheat your oven for 20 minutes before baking. The oven cycles through various temperatures and gets to the right temp after 20 minutes.

  • Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter (cold, I grated with a cheese grater to make it easier to use. You can also chop it into little squares)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 yolk
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 3/4 cup cake flour
  • 1 tsp Cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Directions – cream butter, brown sugar and sugar. Add egg and yolk. Blend in dry ingredients. It takes a while to come together. I actually used my hands like I was making meatballs at this point. Fold in chips. Divide dough into 8 equal amounts and form mounds. Chill a few hours. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick,baking liners. On a cookie sheet lined with nonstick baking liners, stagger cookies. Preheat oven to 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Bake 8 to 9 minutes (light golden spots on top). Cool completely. Store in covered container.

Remember to be kind. We are all fighting some sort of battle each day.

Smushed lemon cookies

These might be a bit too puffy.

I present smushed lemon cookies. Instead of rolling them out and cutting them with cookie cutters, I scooped out 1/4 cups of dough (XL cookies, of course), and smushed them with the palm of my hand. (I am a 4 year old, I know) Then, I sprinkled them with sugar. A note, these don’t spread too much so you can make them as flat as you want. Quick notes – scoop your flour from your flour container into your measuring cup to get the right amount and preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes to get the correct temperature. Also, I got a late start on baking and frosted the cookies while they were still warm. If you think the frosting might be too lemony, use 1 tbs lemon juice and 1 tbs water.

  • Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup Crisco (you can also substitute butter, softened to room temp)
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tbs vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tbs water
  • 1 tsp lemin extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
  • 2 3/4 cups flour

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes., in a bowl, blend crisco, oil, sugar and powdered sugar. Add water, lemon extract and egg. Blend in remaining ingredients. Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough. On a cookie sheet lined with nonstick baking liners, stagger mounds of dough. Flatten to desired thickness with the palm of your hand. Sprinkle with sugar., bake 13 to 17 minutes (bottoms of cookies will be lightly golden). Cool.

Frosting – combine 2 cups powdered sugar and 2 tbs lemon juice. Frost cookies. Store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by! Remember to be kind. We all are fighting some sort of battle.

Frosted Lemon Bars (made with a cake mix)

Frosted lemon bars

Today’s recipe is a change from my usual chocolate overload. Lemon bars. They are for our friend Marc, celebrating his birthday. They use a lemon cake mix and only a few other ingredients. You can use another flavor cake mix. if you want. If you do, use vanilla extract instead of lemon. I also opted for lemon frosting on top of the lemon bars. Again, if you opt for another flavor bar, vanilla frosting would be fine. Quick reminder to preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking So the oven is the right temp. If you think 2 tbs lemon juice in the frosting might be too tart, start with 1 and add 1 tbs water.

  • Lemon bar ingredients
  • 1 lemon cake mix
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbs lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup oil

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 min. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper and spray with baking spray. In a bowl, blend cake mix, eggs, lemon juice and oil. Spread evenly into pan. Bake 15 to 17 min (do not overbake). Cool completely.

Frosting – combine 2 cups powdered sugar amd 2 tbs lemon juice. (Add water, a tsp at a time,if you want to thin it out a bit.). Add yellow food coloring (optional). Frost bars. Store in covered container.

Have a good day and remember to be kind. We are all battling something each day.

Frosted Cake mix cookies with mini m&ms

Easy cake mix cookies!

I panicked at the thought of bringing 6 cupcakes into work tomorrow (although they are very large), so I decided,to add some cake mix cookies to bring in. I used a white cake mix for the cookies, topped them with white chocolate frosting, and I topped them with mini m&ms. They cookies are puffy and soft and I think you will really like them. You can try and different cake mix flavor if you want. You can also use semisweet or milk chocolate chips in the frosting if you prefer. Remember to scoop your flour from your flour container into your measuring cup so you get the correct amount, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before you start baking, so the oven is the perfect temp. Also, I really piled on the frosting thick and still had a little left over. If you don’t want a ton of frosting on the cookies, you can halve the frosting recipe or save it to use on something else.☺

  • Cookies ingredients
  • 1 white cake mix
  • 1/2 cup egg whites
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp water
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. In a bowl,combine cake mix, flour and cornstarch. Add egg whites, vanilla water and oil. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. Stagger 1/4 cups of dough on the prepared sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. They will be lightly golden on the bottom. Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
  • 3 to 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Directions – in a microwave safe bowl, heat milk and white chips in 30 second increments until you cam stir it smooth. Add butter and vanilla. Blend in enough powdered sugar to get the consistency you want. Frost cookies and top with mini m&ms. Store in covered container.

Have a wonderful week! And remember to be kind!

Hostess cupcakes (complete with the squiggle!)

Hostess cupcakes with marshmallow fluff filling, chocolate frosting and a squiggle!

These dear friends are hostess cupcakes, complete with the fluff filling and magical squiggle. I made these using a chocolate cake mix, but I fancied it up a bit, using an instant pudding mix, fat free Greek yogurt, along with water, oil and eggs. If you don’t have Greek yogurt, you can always use sour cream. My squiggle isn’t so much a squiggle, but a blob of a line. ☺. You can use whatever cake flavor you want, but just use a corresponding flavor pudding mix. I used jumbo cupcake liners here too! a reminder to preheat your oven to 350 degrees before baking.

  • Cupcake ingredients
  • 1 cake mix
  • 3.4 oz instant pudding mix
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3/4 cup oil
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Cupcake Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a jumbo cupcake pan with jumbo cupcake liners. In a bowl combine cake mix, pudding mix, oil, eggs and water. Blend in Greek yogurt, then chocolate chips. Scoop put 1/2 cups of batter into each cupcake liner. Bake 13 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely

  • Filling ingredients
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup marshmallow fluff
  • 2-3 cups powdered sugar
  • Milk

Filling Directions – combine butter, fluff and powdered sugar. Add milk, a tsp at a time, if you want to thin it out a bit.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1 stick butter, melted
  • 2/3 cup baking cocoa
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tbs milk

Frosting Directions – combine all ingredients

  • Squiggle ingredients
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2-3 tsp milk

Squiggle Directions – blend well. Put in a small Ziploc baggie and cut off a small corner

Cut out a cone from the cup of each cupcake.

Set cone aside.

Fill the hole with fluff filling.

Replace cone, gently pushing in.

Frost.

Top with squiggle.

Store in covered container.

Conga/chocolate chip/tollhouse cookie bars

Someone cut these while they were hot!

These cookie bars seem to go by various names – Conga bars, chocolate chip cookie bars, tollhouse bars. Really they are a chocolate chip cookie dough baked in bar form. I got a late start on them tonight, so I melted the butter to speed up the process. I also added an extra yolk and some cornstarch to make them soft. I know they seem a little underdone after 30-32 minutes, but that is enough time. They will continue to bake in the pan and will be just fine once they cool completely. ( if you cook them too long, they will become dry! And that is not acceptable. )

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 /4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 yolk
  • 2 1/2 cups flour (scooped from your flour container into your measuring cup to ensure the right amount)
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line an 8×8 pan with tin foil and spray with baking spray. In a bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, sugar. Add eggs, yolk, vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients. Add 1 1/2 cups,chips. Press evenly into prepared pan. Gently press remaining 1/2 cup chips on top. Bake 30-32 minutes (light golden patches on top). Cool completley. Store in covered container.

Is anything better than a chocolate chip cookie like dessert? (only a Buffalo Bills win)

Mrs Thomas’ Chocolate Chippers

Mrs Thomas’ Chocolate Chippers

This recipe was given to me by my dear friend Jeff’s mom. Mrs. Thomas is a wonderful woman who I have know since my Geneseo days. She knows how much I love to bake and was kind enough to share this with me. These cookies are marvelous! They use melted butter, so you can whip them up in no time. (A big plus). I used milk chocolate chips and pecans this time. You can use whatever flavor chips you wish. And if pecans are not your thing, try walnuts or macadamias. I made these quite large (1/4 cup), so I think I got 18 total.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, melted
  • 11/2 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 1/2 to 3 cups flour (I used 3)
  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
  • 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions – In a bowl, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, cornstarch, salt and vanilla. Add eggs. fold in flour. Mix in chips and nuts. Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough. Chill for a couple of hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. On a cookie sheet lined with nonstick baking liners, stagger cookies. Bake 11 to 15 minutes (light golden patches on top) cool completley. Store in covered container.

Chocolate cutout cookies (they are decorated as basketballs, which you probably can’t tell)

This, is a basketball

The NBA playoffs are in full swing.  I thought I would try to make some basketball cutout cookies.  The chocolate cookies,  buttercream frosting and chocolate stripes all taste great

My decorating is a disaster!  But you will like these cookies.

It still tastes good!

Next time, I may try chocolate mini m&ms as the stripes!

  • Cookie ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp chocolate extract (or vanilla)
  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 cup baking cocoa
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Directions – cream butter and brown sugar. Add egg and extract. Fols,in,dry ingredients. On a floured surface, roll out to desired thickness and cut with a round cookie cutter. I chilled the dough for a few hours so the cookies would not spread. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. On a cookie tin lined with nonstick baking liners, stagger cookies.

Bake 10 minutes. Let cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1tbs heavy cream,or milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Red and yellow food coloring

Directions – cream butter and powdered sugar. Add milk and vanilla. Using directions for orange on food coloring box, add food coloring. Frost cookies.

  • Chocolate icing ingredients and directions
  • 4 tbs butter, softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbs baking cocoa
  • Milk
  • Blend butter, powdered sugar and cocoa. Add enough milk, 1 tsp at a time to get the right consistency to pipe on stripes. (I cut off the end of a sandwich baggied and piped it, disastrously, as you can see). Store in covered container.