When it’s top hot to turn on the oven….

Summer officially began on Friday and it has made it’s presence known.  Here in Connecticut, like many parts of the country, it is going to be in the triple digits the next few days, with the heat index factored in.  So I decided to go with a no bake treat.  Chocolate covered peanut butter treats.  Super simple and require only a few ingredients.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter melted
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 2 sleeves graham crackers, finely crushed (2 cups finely crushed)
  • 1 3/4 – 2 cups powdered sugar (scooped from your container into your measuring cup)
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Directions – in a bowl, combine butter, brown sugar and vanilla.  Blend in powdered sugar and cracker crumbs.  Scoop out 2 tbs, roll into balls and slightly flatten.  Pop in fridge for a half hour or so.  Cover with melted chocolate.  Pop back in fridge to firm up chocolate. Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Frosted brownie cookies

Today’s treat frosted brownie cookies… so simple because they  use a brownie  mix and a few other ingredients.  

You probably could leave them unfrosted, but i think the frosting adds a little extra goodness.

I do recommend chilling the dough and few hours to keep them from spreading too much.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 brownie mix
  • 2 tbs cocoa powder
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1 tbs chocolate syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Directions – in a bowl, mix all ingredients.  Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough and chill a few hours.   Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or nonstick baking liners.  Stagger cookies on prepared sheet.sheets.  bake 9 to 11 minutes.  They were a little gushy in the middle, but I did not cook them any longer because I was worried about the bottoms burning).  I did pop them in the fridge to firm them up.  Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup baking cocoa
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla

In a bowl, mix ingredients well.  Frost cookies.   Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Brownie cookies

These cookies are super simple, sweet and chocolatey.   All you need is a brownie mix, 2 eggs, some melted butter and a cup of chocolate chips.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 brownie mix
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with non-stick baking liners or parchment paper.  In a bowl, combine brownie mix, eggs and butter.  Blend in chocolate chips.  Scoop out 2 tbs dough.  Stagger on prepared sheets.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely.    If you feel they need to firm up a little more, pop them in the fridge for an hour or so.  Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Football Friday week 15 – stuffed chocolate snowball cookies

What could make a chocolate cookie better?  An oreo inside!

A rather simple treat for football friday 15 – chocolate snowball cookies stuffed with a hershey kiss or an oreo!   I used a sugar cookie mix to make thing easier.

Another big matchup for my Bills Sunday – at Detroit.   Should be a great one! 

Remember to scoop your flour and baking cocoa from their respective containers into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  I also recommend freezing the individual stuffed doughs for a half hour to keep them from spreading.  Also, don’t bake any longer than 10 minutes.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 sugar cookie mix
  • 1/4 cup baking cocoa
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1 -2 tbs water
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Hershey kisses or other candy
  • Oreos

Directions – in a bowl, combine sugar  cookie mix, flour and baking cocoa.  Stir in egg, butter and water.  Scoop out 2 tbs dough and form around each kiss.  (You will need more dough to cover oreo).  Freeze individual doughs for 30 minutes, at least.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners.  Stagger cookies on sheet.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes, no longer.  Immediately sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Cool completely.   Store in covered container.

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

Triple chip cake bars

Part of the week 8 celebratory treats for the Bills win over the Seahawks – triple chip cake bars.  I used milk, semisweet and white chocolate chips and a yellow cake mix.  You can use whichever flavor chips and cake mix you want.  Super simple recipe. 

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cake mix (i used yellow)
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted (5 tbs plus 1 tsp)
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9×14 pan with parchment paper.  In a bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, melted butter and vanilla.  Blend in chips.  Moisten hands with water.  Evenly press dough into pan.  Bake 15 to 18 minutes.    Cool completely.   Chill bars a few hours on fridge. 

Stuffed brownie cookies

Another simple, easy to whip up treat.  You can stuff these with anything – oreos, candy.  You can also make  them unstuffed (but what fun is that? 😉)

I want to estimate this makes around 12 cookies. 

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 brownie mix
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips (opt)
  • Oreos

Directions – preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  In a bowl, combine brownie mix and flour.  Add oil and eggs.  Mix in chips if using.  Scoop out 2 tbs dough and evenly form around an oreo.  Stagger on prepared cookie sheets.  Bake 10 to 12  minutes (be careful not to burn bottoms).    They may seem a little gushy on top.  Cool a few minutes.  Place in fridge to help cookies firm up.  Store in covered container.

Frosted  brownie cookies

A simple, super chocolate cookie made using a brownie mix.  They do not need to be frosted, but I chose to.. and I topped them with m&ms. 

I chilled the individual mounds of dough to keep them from spreading too much.   Also wait until the cookies are completely cooled before frosting.  I was a little impatient with the final batch and things got a little messy!

  • Ingredients list
  • 2 brownie mixes (each one I used was 18.2 oz)
  • 1/4 cup baking cocoa (scooped from cocoa container into your measuring cup so you get the right amount)
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tbs corn syrup, honey, chocolate syrup, (or hot fudge at  room temp)

Directions – in a bowl, combine ingredients.  Scoop out 2 tbs of dough (dough is soft).  Place individual doughs in fridge for a few hours.   Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Just before baking, i formed the doughs into tall mounds.  Line cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners.  Stagger cookies.  Bake 8 to 10 min (no longer)

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 2 cups powdered sugar (scooped from container into measuring cup)
  • 1 /2 cup baking cocoa
  • 2 to 6 tbs water (depending on consistency you want)

In a bowl, combine ingredients.   Frost completely cooked cookies.  Top with m&ms.  Store in covered container.

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

Puffy frosted chocolate cake mix cookies

These are the exact opposite of my recently posted flatter than pancakes milk chocolate chip cookies. These chocolate cake mix cookies do not spread at all. If you want them flattened, you can do just that… put some flour on your fingers before doing so. 🙂

These are super easy. Just a cake mix, melted butter, and eggs. I tossed in 1 cup of chocolate chips. I also frosted them. But you could sprinkle powdered sugar on top of warm cookies instead, if you prefer.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees before baking so it cycles to the right temp. Don’t overcook these either. You do not want a dry cookie. They will continue to bake on the cookie sheet after removed from the oven.

  • Ingredients
  • 15.5 oz chocolate cake mix (i used devil’s food)
  • 5 tbs butter, melted
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. In a bowl, combine cake mix, melted butter and eggs. Stir in chips. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, scoop out 3 tbs of dough and form mounds. Stagger cookies on prepared sheet – a row of 2, a row of 1, a row of 2, a row of 1, a row of 2. You can fit 6 or 8 on a sheet, depending on the size of a sheet. Bake 10 to 14 minutes. You don’t want the bottoms too brown. Cookies will still continue to bake on sheet after removed from oven. Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 3 tbs butter softened
  • 3 tbs baking cocoa
  • 1 tbs corn syrup (or honey)
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • Milk

Directions – combine butter and cocoa. Add corn syrup. Mix in powdered sugR. Add milk, 1 tbs at a time, until you get the consistency you want. Frost cookies. Store in covered container.

Thank you so much for stopping by! I wish you a day filled with peace, happiness, and joy. Remember to be kind. We need more kindness!

Blackout Brownies

Blackout brownies

As we close out another week, I thought blackout brownies would be a good treat to bring into work. Rob gave them a 👍 and I think my work friends will enjoy them too.

Remember to scoop your flour and baking cocoa from their containers into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. Also, preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so it cycles to the right temp. And right after taking brownies out of the oven,make the frosting. I frosted the brownies while still warm.

A little messy, but good!
  • Ingredients
  • 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
  • 1/3 cup black cocoa
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees so it cycles to the right temp. Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper and spray with baking spray. In a bowl, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients. Add chips. Spread evenly into pan. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Now, onto the frosting!

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 3 tbs butter, softened
  • 3 tbs black cocoa
  • 1 tbs corn syrup (or honey)
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 to 3 tbs milk

In a bowl, combine butter and baking cocoa. Add corn syrup then powdered sugar. Add milk, one tbs at a time, until you get the consistency you want. Frost warm brownies. Let them cool completely and store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by today! I wish you a wonderful day, filled with happiness, peace and love.

When it’s too hot to turn on the oven, you make no bake peanut butter bars

After back to back days of 90+ degrees, I turned on the AC (the house was 81 degrees). I did not want to turn on the oven to bake, so I opted to make no bake peanut butter bars. The triple chip chocolate cookies will have to wait to be baked another day.

  • Oreo crust ingredients
  • 20 oreos,finely crushed
  • 1 stick of butter, melted

Directions – line an 8×8 pan with tinfoil and spray with butter spray. combine oreos and butter and press into prepared pan.

  • Peanut butter layer
  • 1 1/2 cups crushed gram crackers (approx 1 sleeve of crackers)
  • 1 1 /2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1 stick of butter, melted

In a bowl, combine ingredients and blend smooth. Spread over oreo crust.

Topping – in a microwave safe bowl, combine 1 cup milk chocolate chips and 1 tbs vegetable oil. Microwave in 30 second increments until you can stir smooth. Spread on top of peanut butter layer. Chill in fridge and cut. Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have a wonderful day!