First playoff win in 15 years celebration bars

These are quite a concoction to honor the Sabres first playoff win in 15 years in our first playoff game in 15 years.  I wondered how nervous I would be, as I would be working in studio for Sunday night baseball on espn radio.  The answer – very.  I was extremely antsy, much like for Bills playoff games.  And for 52 minutes, I did not take a breath.  We were down 2-nothing, scored 4 unanswered goals and beat Boston 4-3 in game one.  What i loved seeing is all the videos of people inside Key Bank Center and at various places indoors and outdoors, watching.   It was just awesome.  i am not sure how far this sabres team will go, but it just feels different.

Because it was such an impressive comeback win, these treats are a doozy- chocolate chip cookie layer on the bottom, a layer of oreos, a layer of brownies, and pieces of mini hershey bars pressed into the bars immediately after taking them out of the oven.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  And firmly packed brown sugar into your measuring cup.  And, preheat your oven before baking.

  • Chocolate chip cookie layer
  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 yolk
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9×13 pan with baking spray.   Place parchment paper on top of sprayed pan.  Set aside.   In a bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and sugar.  Add egg, yolk and vanilla.  Blend in flour.   Mix in chips.  Gently press into prepared pan.

Top with a layer of oreos.

  • Brownie ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa

Directions – in a microwave safe bowl, melt butter and chips in 45 second increments until you can stir melted.   Add sugar and eggs.  Blend in flour and cocoa.   Drop by large spoonfuls on top of oreo layer and spread evenly.

Bake 28 to 33 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Gently press Press pieces of hershey bars on top. 

Cool completely.    Store in covered container.

Smores cookies (for the Sabres first playoff game in 15 years)

The Sabres play our first playoff game in 15 years tomorrow.  As I racked my brain to determine what treat might be special enough, I put the question to my husband – what kind of cookie – smores cookies, rocky road, brownie Rockies road, twix?  He settled on smores- a milk chocolate chip cookie dough with crushed graham crackers and mini marshmallow bits.  

Special enough?  I hope so. 

Note – my parents gave me this Sabres golf ball in 1999 and I have had it on display next to our kitchen sink since we bought our house in 2001.  Plenty of lean years since then, but my Fandom never left me. 

I started getting nervous/ excited on my drive home from work today at 5.   Not sure what i will be like tomorrow at work during Sunday night baseball.   Pray for my crew.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour  bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  preheat your oven to 350 degrees before baking.   I did not chill these and they puffed up nicely.  

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/3 cups brown sugar, firmly packed into measuring cup
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/3 cups finely crushed graham cracker crumbs
  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1 /2 tsp salt
  • 2 cups marshmallow bits
  • 2 cups milk chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.   In a bowl, cream butter and brown sugar.  Add vanilla and eggs.  Blend in dry ingredients.  Using your hands, mix in chips and marshmallow bits, like you would do with meatballs.  Scoop out 1/4 cups dough.  Stagger on prepared sheet.Bake 8 to 10 minutes, no longer (edges of bottoms will be golden brown)  cool completely.  

Store in covered container.

Large puffy triple chip cookies, in honor of the 2005-06 Sabres

Tonight, the Sabres are celebrating the 2005-06 team, which was quite a team.  If not for all those injuries to defenseman, I believe we would have beaten Carolina in the East final and Edmonton in the Stanley Cup final.  I loved those 05-06 and 06-07 squads (as well as 97-98 and 98-99), so tonight’s festivities will be fun to watch.  So these cookies are celebrating them and the current Sabres team, which is playing great 🏒!

These use a combo and bread flour and all purpose flour.  I like the thicker texture bread flour gives to cookies.  But you can use all AP flour if you want.  just remember to scoop it from your flour bag to your measuring cup so you get the right amount.

And these feature 3 types of chips!

I also froze the dough for about a half hour before baking

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed into measuring cup
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 2 tbs water
  • 2 cups bread flour
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2/3 cup white chocolate chips
  • 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 2/3 cup milk chocolate chips
  • Extra chips

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Add eggs, water and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients.  Mix in chips.  (I used my hands here near the end to get dough to come together).  Divide dough equally into 12  pieces.  Roll into balls and slightly flatten.   Chill or freeze for 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on it.

Bake 16 to 18 minutes, no longer. Remove from oven and press extra chips on top. 

Cool completely.  

Store in covered container. Thanks so much for stopping by today!   Go Sabres!

May the Sabres run their winning streak to 10 treats

For my final treat of 2025, I made lemon frosted cake mix squares.  I didn’t have a lemon cake mix, so I used a white one and added some lemon extract, along with the other ingredients.  These are for my friend rib’s birthday and as luck for the Sabres, who go for their 10th straight win tonight against the Stars, one of the best teams in the NHL.

These are super simple, don’t require a ton of ingredients or time.  You can leave them plain or frost them.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 white cake mix
  • 1 sugar cookie mix
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup butter, melted
  • 2 tsp lemon extract

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9×13 pan with baking spray.  In a bowl, combine mixes.   Blend in butter, then eggs and extract.  Evenly spread into prepared pan.   Bake 18 to 20 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 tbs lemon juice

In a bowl, combine ingredients.  Frost bars.  Cut and store in covered container.

Go Sabres!!