Lemon squares

A request for these were from a friend from work- lemon squares.  They were super easy to make and are topped with a lemon frosting.  

I used fresh lemon juice and lemon zest.  You can use bottled lemon juice if you prefer.  Honestly, zesting a lemon seems like unnecessary work!

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  Also preheat the oven before baking.. and, take these out after 16 or 17 minutes, even if they don’t look completely done.

  • Bars ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled for 10 minutes
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp lemon zest (opt)
  • 1 tbs lemon juice
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line and 8×8 pan with parchment paper.  Set aside.   In a bowl, combine butter, sugar and powdered sugar.  Add eggs, juice and zest.  Blend in flour and salt.  Spread evenly into tapered pants.  Bake 16 to 17 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbs lemon juice

Directions – combine and evenly spread over bars.  

Let frosting set before cutting.  Store in covered container.

Thanks 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!

Magical mermaid graffiti sprinkle cookies

What the what?  I know, a weird name for a cookie.  I saw these sprinkles at price rite and thought “how magical for a cookie.”  So I made a funfetti like cookie dough with cake batter extract and vanilla extracts and poured in a container of magical mermaid graffiti.  Perfectamundo, to paraphrase Arthur Fonzarelli. 🙂

Of course, if you don’t have cake batter extract, you can use vanilla or almond extract. 

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  Also chill the dough for a few hours.  And, preheat the oven before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp cake batter extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 cups flour
  • 4 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2.5 Oz container of sprinkles

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs and extracts.  Fold in dry ingredients.  Mix in sprinkles.  Scoop out 1/4 cups dough. 

Chill a few hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or nonstick baking liners.  Stagger cookies on sheet. 

Bake 11 to 13 minutes.  (Bottoms will be lightly browned).  Cookies may be a little gushy.. but let them cool down and pop them in the fridge to firm them up. 

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 to 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp cake batter extract
  • 2 tbs milk.

Directions – in a bowl, combine ingredients and mix well.  Frost cooled cookies. 

Store in covered container. 

Sugar coated puffy peanut butter cookies

We have a busy day at ESPN Radio tomorrow with an NBA game 7 (Nuggets-Clippers) and and MLB game (Mets Cardinals) so I thought I would bring in large puffy, peanut butter cookies coated in sugar.  I thought of adding melted chocolate on top, but decided to skip it this time.  

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  Also, chill the individual mounds of dough and few hours to help keep them puffy.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 3/4 cups flour (scooped from flour bag into your measuring cup)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup peanuts, finely ground in a food processor

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, sugar, brown sugar and peanut butter.   Add eggs and vanilla.  Blend in flour, baking soda and baking powder.  Stir in peanuts.  Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough and form into mounds.  Chill a few hours or overnight.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or nonstick baking liners.  Dip tops of cookie mounds into sugar.  Stagger on cookie sheet, like below.  

Bake 11 to 13 minutes (no longer).  Cool completely.   Store in covered container. 

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

Blondies with Chocolate Chips

I do not know whether these are called blondies, toll house bars or chocolate chip bars.  They are basically a chocolate chip cookie in bar form.  Always a  big hit and super easy to make. 

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  Also preheat the oven before baking so it cycles to the right amount.

And wait until these are cooled before cutting them.  This is on either Rob or Gracie.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 yolk
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9×9 pan with tin foil and spray with baking spray.  Set aside.  In a bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, and sugar.  Add eggs, yolk and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients.  Fold in 1 cup chocolate chips and spread evenly in pan.  Sprinkle  remaining 1/2 cup chips on top and gently press into dough.  In preheated oven, bake 25 to 30 minutes .  No longer.  Cool completely.  Cut and store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Brownies with chocolate chip cookies baked in

I did not have time to make for the first round of the NFL draft, so I made up for it for rounds 2 and 3 – brownies with chocolate chip cookies baked in.

BTW, I loved the Bills pick of Maxwell Hairston last night.  Filled a need… and, ow cool was it to see him congratulate everyone who was drafted before him?  He will fit right in with Bills Mafia. 

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.

  • Chocolate chip cookie ingredients list
  • 1/3 cup butter softened
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbs sugar
  • Egg yolk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3/4 cup flour (scooped from your flour bag into your measuring cup)
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and sugar.  Add yolk and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients.  Fold in chips.  Scoop out tbs of dough and roll into balls.  Freeze them as you make the brownie batter.

  • Brownies ingredients
  • 2 cups chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9×13 pan with tin foil and spray with baking spray.  Set aside. in a microwave safe bowl, heat butter and chips in 45 second increments until you cam stir them melted.   Blend in sugar, eggs and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients. Evenly spread into prepared pan.  Gently press cookie dough mounds into top of brownie dough.  Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until toothpick inserted in brownie batter comes out with a few mois crumbs.  Cool completely.   Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! 

Hot Cocoa Cookies

What better way to celebrate a perfectly, sunny, spring, 80 degree day than with hot cocoa cookies.  I am always looking for new tweaks for cookies, so I thought adding some hot cocoa mix and marshmallow bits would be a nice way to accomplish that. 

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  I also recommend chilling the individual dough mounds after scooping them out.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 1/4 cups flour (scooped from flour bag into your measuring cup)
  • 4 packets hot cocoa mix
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1 cup marshmallow bits

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Mix in eggs and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients.  Mix in chips and marshmallow bits.  Dough will be very soft.  Chill 30 minutes to an hour.  Scoop out 1/4 cups of  dough.  Chill a few more hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or nonstick baking liners.  Stagger cookies on sheet.  Bake 12 to 14 minutes.  Let set on cookies sheets 15 minutes or so.  Pop in fridge for a bit to firm them up (I left them overnight).  Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Smores cookies

My latest treat for work was a request from my hubby, Rob, who saw these smores cookies in a store.  A graham cracker like cookie, topped with melted chocolate and a toasted marshmallow.

So that is what I made today.  I have to be honest, putting a toasted marshmallow on top was no easy on some of these and I have no idea why!

A little messy with the marshmallow on top

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. And, I recommend chilling these individual doughs a few hours or overnight.  I might make these a little bigger next time and make them a little flatter too.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup crisco (or butter flavor crisco)
  • 1 1/3 cups brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • Milk chocolate
  • Large marshmallows

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, crisco, and brown sugar.  Blend in eggs and vanilla.  Fold in dry ingredients and graham cracker crumbs. 

Scoop out 2 tbs of dough, roll into a ball and slightly flatten.  Chill a few hours or overnight.   Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or nonstick baking liners.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Stagger cookies on sheet, like below.

Bake 10 to 11 minutes, no longer.  They will be a little gushy on top.  It is ok.  Let them cool a bit and pop them in the fridge to firm them up. 

While their cookies are baking, melt your chocolate.  I melted some milk chocolate chips for most of them.  I ran out of that and called an audible and melted some Reese’s eggs for the final 6.

To toast marshmallows – preheat oven to 450 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  I sprayed a little pam on the parchment paper.  Bake these 5 to 7 minutes or until the marshmallows are as toasted as you want.

Take a cookie and lay it on a flat surface.

Top with melted chocolate.

I sprayed my hands with pam and place a marshmallow on top.  Sometimes I did a fine job.

Other times, I did not.

Store in covered container. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  I wish you a day filled with happiness, joy and love and remember to be kind

Chocolate chip cookie truffle stuffed dark chocolate cookies

I wanted to make chocolate chip cookies, but they spread out way too much and i found them unacceptable to bring into work, so I decided to crush them up, make them into truffles and stuff them into dark chocolate cookies. 

The truffles were pretty easy to make and I think stuffing them in cookies was a pretty good idea.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  The same goes for the baking cocoa.  I also recommend freeze the cookie doughs once they are stuffed to keep them puffy.

  • Truffles ingredients
  • Chocolate chip cookies, finely crushed
  • 4 ounces cream cheese softened

Directions – in a bowl, mix well.  Scoop out 1 tbs and roll into balls.  Freeze an hour.

  • Cookies ingredients
  • 5 tbs butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/3 cups dark chocolate chips, melted (i put the chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwaved them in 45 second increments until I could stir smooth)

1 cup plus 1 tbs flour

1/4 cup baking cocoa

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Stir in melted chocolate.  Blend in dry ingredients.  Scoop out 1 tbs dough and slightly flatten.

Place a chocolate chip cookie truffle on trop

Scoop out another tbs dough and slightly flatten.  Place on top of truffle.

Seal edges.  

Chill doughs a few hours.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookiensheet with nonstick baking liners or parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on sheet.  Bake 11 to 13 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely.   Store in covered container.

Celebrating the first day of the NCAA tournament

In honor of the first day of the NCAA tournament,  I made cookie basketballs.  These are brown sugar cookies.  Instead of the classic sugar cookie, I used all brown sugar.  And maybe calling them basketballs is a stretch, but the orange frosting is the best I could do.  A while back, i tried to put the stripes on the cookies with chocolate  frosting, but it took too long and iblost patience.  My decorating skills stink so these are the best I can do.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. I also recommend chilling the individual doughs for at least a few hours.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 3/4 cups brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter and brown sugar.  Blend in egg, yolk and vanilla.  Fold in dry ingredients.   Scoop out 2 tbs dough.  Roll in granulated sugar.  Chill a few hours or overnight.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners or parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on the sheet. Leaving room because these spread a bit.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes, no longer. 

Cool completely.  Frost if desired with a simple buttercream frosting. 

Store in covered container in  fridge a few hours to firm up.  Store at room temp in covered container.