Week 2 victory Monday treats

To celebrate the Bills week 2 win over the jets, I present carrot cake cookies.  The exception to these is that instead of grating carrots (which, is not fun), I used carrot baby food.  My mother in law gave me a carrot cake recipe, so it is based on that.

And the special ingredient- mini chocolate chips!!!!

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  Chill the individual doughs before baking.   preheat your oven before baking and only bake these 10 minutes. You can always pop them in the fridge after they are cooled and frosted to firm them up

  • Ingredients list
  • 10 tbs butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packead into measuring cup
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 8 oz carrot baby food
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp allspice or nutmeg
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Blend in egg, vanilla and carrot baby food.  Fold in dry ingredients.   Mix in chips.  Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough.  Freeze and hour or chill a few hours.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger mounds of dough on sheet. 

Bake 10 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tbs milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla

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

Store in covered container.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Rob requested chocolate chip cookie bars.  He will only eat one, so the rest will come in to work with me tomorrow.  These are easy to make and are a big hit.   Instead of scooping and baking cookies on a few cookie sheets, you just spread the dough in one baking pan and bake. 

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.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, melted and cooled for 10 minutes
  • 1 cup brown sugar (firmly packed into your measuring cup)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 1/4 cups flour (scooped from your flour bag into measuring cups so you get the right amount)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper and set aside.  In a bowl, combine butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Mix in eggs and vanilla.  Fold in dry ingredients.  Stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips.  Evenly spread dough into prepared 9×13 pan.  Sprinkle remaining 1 cup chips on top and gently press down into dough. Bake 26 to 28 minutes, no longer.  (Edges will be golden brown).  Cool completely.  Cut and store in covered container.

Mini chip chocolate chip cookies

It has been rainy and cold here for what seems like forever.. so much so, that I turned our heat back on today.  I had turned it off for the season, not so much because of money, but because it is May!  Thanks climate change!  Anyways…..

In a fun way to also heat up the house, I made mini chip chocolate chip cookies.  They came out nice and puffy…  a little gooey, but the bottoms were browned, so I popped them in the fridge to firm them up.

I recommend scooping your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  Also, chill the individual mounds of dough for a few hours or overnight to keep them puffy.  And, preheat your oven before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tbs sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 3 1/2 cups plus 2 tbs flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix in baking soda and salt.  Fold in flour.   Blend in chips.  Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough.  Chill a few hours or overnight.   When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on sheet.  Bake 11 to 13 minutes,  no longer.  If cookies are gushy, pop them in the fridge a few hours to firm them up.  Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Milk Chocolate Chip cookies with finely ground macadamia nuts

I thought it was time for another batch of  chocolate chip cookies.  These are made with milk chocolate chips and finely ground macadamia nuts (I actually ground them in the food processor a little too long, so they were more like a nut butter 😀)

I recommend chilling the individual mounds of dough.  for a few hours or freeze them for 30 to 60 minutes to keep them from spreading. 

I used butter flavor crisco.  You can use regular crisco or butter if you prefer.

Also, you can use a different type of nuts or none at all.

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 cup butter flavor crisco
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups brown sugar (firmly packed into measuring cups)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 cups milk chocolate chips
  • 1 cup macadamia nuts (finely ground)

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter crisco, brown sugar and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Fold in dry ingredients.  Blend in chips and nuts.  Scoop out 1/4 cups dough.  Chill a few hours. (I froze mine for an hour to speed up the process).  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or nonstick baking liners.  Stagger cookies on sheet. 

Bake 12 to 13 minutes, no longer.  Cookies will be gushy, but bottoms will be golden brown.  gentlt press extra chips on top of cookies.

  Pop cookies in fridge to firm them up.  Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

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!

Week 1 victory treats #1 – chocolate chip cookies

Not a great start for the Bills in the season opener – down at home to the Cardinals 17-3 in the 2nd quarter!   Thankfully, we put it together and pulled out a win, including another Josh leap over a defender play (this one ended in  a td).  Stress inducing for sure, and plenty for the team to clean up before facing the Dolphins Thursday night, but glad to start the season 1-0.

To celebrate, Rob asked for chocolate chip cookies for one of the treats.   I am making two for work tomorrow bc everyone will be in Bristol for the week.  It’s always nice to see old friends on campus, share some hugs, and laughs.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  I also recommend freezing the individual doughs for 30 min to an hour to avoid too much spreading.

Ingredients list –

  • 1 cup butter, melted and cooled 10 minutes
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1/2 sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup, honey or corn syrup
  • 3 3/4 cups flour (scooped from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount)
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions – in a bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar and sugar.  Add eggs.  Stir in vanilla and maple syrup/honey/corn syrup.  Blend in dry ingredients.  Fold in chips.  Scoop put 1/4 cups of dough.  Freeze 30 min to an hour.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on a sheet.  Bake 11 to 13 minutes, no longer.   They will be a little doughy on top. Cool completley.  Store in fridge a few hours to firm up.  Store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Go Bills!  Squish the Fish!

Magic Middles NFL Opening weekend 2024

Rob and I were having a discussion about old school treats from when we were younger, and I brought up Magic Middles by Keebler.  They were a shortbread cookie stuffed  with some sort of soft chocolate.  For some reason, Keebler stopped making them.  I decided to try a version of my own.  These shortbread cookies are much softer than the magic middles I remember.  I  stuffed them with a super easy fudge recipe (only 2 ingredients).

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup.  I recommend chilling or freezing the stuffed dough to keep from spreading as much.   Also, make sure your oven is preheated before baking.

  • Fudge ingredients
  • 2 cups chocolate chips
  • 14 oz can condensed milk

Line and 8×8 square pan with tin foil and spray with butter spray or vegetable spray.  Place both ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and microwave in 45 second increments until you can stir smooth.   pour into prepared pan and set aside.

  • Cookie ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 2 tbs vegetable oil
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips

In a bowl, cream butter, oil, and sugar.  Add vanilla.  Stir in salt and flour.  Blend in flour.  Mix in chips.  Scoop put 1 1/2 tbs dough and divide in half.

Scoop out a small amount of fudge and place on top of one half of dough.

Top with other flattened dough half.

Seal edges to cover fudge.

Chill or freeze doughs for a few hours.  When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on sheet.  Bake 11 to 13 minutes, no longer (edges will be golden).  Cool completely.   Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  Have a wonderful day.   And…..

Go Bills!

Beyond XL milk chocolate chip chocolate cookies

A chocolate treat request from Rob ahead of game five of the NHL’s Eastern Conference Final.   These are very large chocolate cookies with milk chocolate chips.   I made them a lot larger than usual so I cooked them at a higher temperature (410).   These only need 9 minutes to bake, max.  They may seem undone, but the bottoms will be cooked enough.  I let them cool completely and then  popped them in the fridge to firm up a bit.  I cut them into smaller chunks because these cookies are about  as big as my fist. 

Remember to scoop your flour and baking cocoa from their respective containers into measuring cups so you get the right amount.  I also popped these in the freezer for 20 minutes to help prevent spreading. And preheat your oven to 410 degrees for 20 minutes before baking.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups butter, cold and shredded with a cheese grater or cut into tiny cubes
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tbs sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 5 cups flour
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 cups milk chocolate chips (plus extra if you want to roll tops of cookies in more chips)

Directions- in a bowl, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients. (It may take a while for dough to come together.  I mixed in  half the flour with the cocoa, baking soda, cornstarch and salt, then I added the rest of the flour).  Fold in chips.  Divide dough into 12 equal pieces and form tall mounds.  Roll tops of cookies into additional chips if you want.  Freeze 20 minutes while you preheat oven to 410 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Place 4 cookies on a sheet and bake (I only baked 4 at a time).  Bake 8 to 9 min (no longer).  Cool completely.    Pop in the fridge for a half hour or so.  Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Wishing you a day of peace, love and happiness.

Mid week chocolate chip cookies

Rob alerted me to the fact that I have not baked “in a while” (3 days 😉) and wondered if I could bake a treat. So after we took our nightly walk with Gracie, I whipped up some chocolate chip cookies. Being a little short on time, I used crisco as opposed to butter (I always like to chill my dough when I use butter to try and keep the puffiness in the cookies).

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

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup crisco
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbs water
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. In a bowl, cream crisco, sugar, brown sugar,eggs, vanilla and water. Add dry ingredients. Fold in chips. Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough. Stagger cookies on cookies sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and cool completely. I stored mine in the fridge to firm them up.

Who’s ready for the next Bills game? This girl! Thanks for stopping by today.

A big game calls for big time treats!

Another big game for the Bills this week – at Cincinnati on Sunday Night Football. Night games are tough because 1) they get over after 11 pm and 2) I have all day to get nervous. I prefer 1 pm Sundays! Anyways, a game of this magnitude calls for me to step up my cookie game for work tomorrow morning. So here are sugar cookies stuffed with brownies. Perhaps I should have drizzled them with a fudge topping! Next time, perhaps!

Remember to scoop your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. Also chill the individual cookie doughs before baking to prevent spreading.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 pan of brownies, baked as directed, cooled and cut into small squares
  • 1 1/2 cups crisco
  • 1 1/3 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 4 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder

Directions – cream crisco and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. Scoop out 1 tbs dough and lightly flatten.

Place a brownie square on top

Top with a other tbs of dough

Seal edges to completely cover brownie.

Chill doughs for a few hours. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Stagger cookies on sheet.

Bake 12 to 14 minutes. Bottoms will be lightly golden. The tops were a little doughy so I popped them in the fridge to firm them up. Store in covered container (either in fridge or on countertop).

Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you have a wonderful day, filled with peace, joy and love. Go Bills!