Peanut butter chip chocolate cookies stuffed with a homemade Reese’s pb cup

I had some peanut butter chips to use up, so I decided to put them in chocolate cookies and stuff them with a homemade mini Reese’s peanut butter cup.  

And I covered the bottoms of the cookies with melted hershey kisses.  A lot, I know.   But I think they will be a big hit.

I chilled the individual doughs for a few hours before baking to help keep them puffy.  I also attempted to press a few extra chips on top of the cookies as soon as they came out of the oven.

For the cookies, remember to scoop the flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  And, preheat your oven before baking

  • Homemade mini reeses
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar,  firmly packed into measuring cup
  • 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
  • Milk

In a saucepan, over medium heat, heat and stir butter, peanut butter and brown sugar to a boil.  Remove from heat. Add powdered sugar.  Blend in 1 to 2 tbs of milk so mixture is easy enough to form into balls.  (You might want to let it cool down before rolling into balls).   Once they are rolled, pop them in the fridge in a covered container to firm up.

  • Cookies ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup peanut butter chips

Directions- in a bowl, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Mix in dry ingredients.   Stir in chips.  Scoop out 1,/4 cups of dough and divide in half.  Slightly flatten each half.  On one half, place a Reese’s ball.  Top with other flattened half.  Seal edges.  Chill a few hours.  When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, stagger cookies on sheet.  

Bake 12 to 14 minutes.  Cool completely.     If you want, melt some hershey kisses and dip the bottoms of cookies in.  Let chocolate  dry, bottom side up of cookies. 

Store in covered container. 

Frosted Sugar cookies bars

Instead of making cutout cookies, I opted for sugar cookie bars.    The recipe is easy, it makes thick bars, with the texture of a fudgy brownie. A simple vanilla frosting, with unicorn graffiti sprinkles in the bars and on top of the frosting.

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. 

  • Bars ingredients list
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • Unicorn graffiti

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper.  Set aside.  In a bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Blend in flour and salt.   Stir in unicorn graffiti.   Even spread into prepared pan.   Bake 15 minutes, no longer.   Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1,/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 to 4 tbs milk

In a bowl, cream butter and vanilla.  Blend in powdered sugar.   Add enough milk to get the consistency you want.  Sprinkle unicorn graffiti on top.  

Store in covered container.  Thanks so much for stopping by.

Brown butter Quadruple chip cookies

It’s been a week that’s felt like a year.  From the Bills’ season ending loss to Sean getting fired to the team’s press conference that got everyone all kinds of worked up.  And it is Sabres gameday, which is a beacon of light. So I present quadruple chip cookies.  These are made with browned butter, all purpose and bread flour, and four kinds of chips – semisweet, dark, mini and milk chocolate. 

Scoop your flour from your four containers into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  Firmly packed brown sugar into measuring cups.  And preheat oven before baking.  Don’t bake longer than 13 minutes.

  • Ingredients list
  • 11/4 cups butter, browned
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbs water
  • 1 1/3 cups bread flour
  • 11/3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrres.  Place butter in a fry pan and cook over medium heat until brown specs appear, likely 7 to 10 minutes.   Place in fridge for 20 minutes to cool.   In a bowl, mix butter and brown sugar. Add eggs, water, vanilla and salt.  Blend in flour, baking powder and baking soda.    Mix in chips.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.  Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough.  Stagger on prepared sheets. Bake 13 min, no longer.  Cool completely.  Store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by!

Brownies made with ice cream and hot fudge

Game day treat # 2!

In addition to oatmeal creme pies, I decided to whip up some brownies.   These use a brownie mix,

a friendly’s individual size ice cream sundae container,

hot fudge, eggs and vegetable oil.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 brownie mix
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup hot fudge
  • 1 cup ice cream (I used a friendly’s individual sundae )

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a baking pan with baking spray.    In a bowl, combine brownie mix, eggs and oil.  Blend in ice cream and hot fudge.   Evenly spread into prepared pan.  If you use 9×13 pan, bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs ( If you use and 8×8, bake 28 to 32 minutes). Remove from oven and immediately,  gently press chocolate chips in top of brownies. 

Cool completely. Thanks for stopping by.  Go Bills!  Go Sabres!

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!

Cinnamon sugar football cookie cutout sandwiches in honor of Rich Stadium

For NFL week 18 and the final regular season home game at the place i have always called Rich Stadium, I present cinnamon sugar football cutout sandwiches with brown butter filling.  I love my football cutout.

I have not been to a game there in a long time, but have a lot of wonderful memories.  I went to my first game at age 7 with my family.  I think we went to about a game a year until 8th grade.  From Olean, we traveled up 16 through all the small towns.   We stopped once so my dad could buy my brother a football so they could play catch in the parking lot.   That little plaza is still there.  My dad, who passed away in 2013, is the reason I love the Bills as much as I do.  He would really enjoy these Josh teams.   It would have been fun to dissect games with him.  He will have a great seat in heaven when we win the Super Bowl.  A lot of people pooh pooh the Bills and have no faith.  I prefer to keep it positive.  I acknowledge weaknesses and acting like Eyeore is not fun.  Fandom is much more enjoyable. 

I think that unless you grew up a Bills fan or married into it, it is hard to understand the connection with the team and even that building.

Anyways,  onto the cookies….

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  If you chill the dough, take it out a few hours before baking because that butter chills it up firm.  Next time I might not chill the dough at all.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, sugar and salt. Add egg and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients.  If dough seems dry, add a tbs or two of water.   Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.   Lightly flour a flat surface and roll dough to desired thickness (I like mine on the thick side).   Cut out footballs.  Stagger on prepared sheet.

Bake 7 to 8 minutes, no longer.   Cool completely.

  • Brown butter frosting ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 to 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Milk

Directions – place butter in a fry pan and cook over medium heat until brown specs appear.

Place browned butter in bowl.  Mix in powdered sugar, then vanilla.  Add enough milk to get the consistency you want.   Place a scoop between 2 cookies.  Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.

Week 15 victory monday cookies – XL puffy chocolate cookies with finely ground walnuts and topped with melted hershey kisses

Today’s game took years off my life.  But a win is a win.  Go Bills.  Also, I  love josh allen.

These are a soft, thick, puffy chocolate cookie with finely ground walnuts.  You can leave them out if you want, use another kind, or throw in some chocolate chips.

These use a mix of bread flour and all purpose flour. 

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  Chill the individual doughs for a few hours and preheat your oven to 350 before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/3 cups chocolate chips (microwaved in a microwave safe bowl in 45 second increments until you can stir them melted)
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 cup plus 2 tbs bread flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup walnuts, finely ground

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Blend in melted chocolate.  Fold in dry ingredients.   Blend in nuts.   Scoop out 1/4 cups dough.  Chill a few hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.   Stagger cookies on sheet.  Bake 13 to 15 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely.

For topping – in a microwave safe bowl, combine 35 unwrapped hershey kisses and 1 tbs butter.   Microwave in 45 second increments until you can stir smooth.  Spoon on top of cookies. 

Store in covered container. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today.

Brown butter sugar cookies

I brought in monster cookies, so I needed a non peanut butter option for work friends who do not love pb.  So I thought of sugar cookies.  I wanted a little tweak so I used brown butter.  Browning butter is super simple.  Place the amount in a pan and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally,  until you start to see little brown specs..

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  I recommend chilling individual doughs once you scoop them out.  And preheat your oven before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1/2 cup butter, browned
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tbs sugar
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tbs cornstarch

Directions – in a bowl, combine sugar and brown butter.  Add egg and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients.   Scoop out 1/4 cups  dough.  Roll in sugar.  Chill a few hours.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on sheet. 

   Bake 10 to 12 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely.   Frost if desired.  Store in covered container. 

Thanks so stopping by!

Double M&M cookies

The first treat of the week – Double M&M cookies.   They are like a chocolate chip cookie, but instead od chips, I used two types of m&ms – mini and regular size.  

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. 

I recommend chilling the dough for a few hours before baking to help keep the cookies thick.   And, preheat your oven before baking so the oven cycles to the right temp and you get the perfect cookie.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted and placed in a bowl in the fridge for 10 to 15  minutes to cool it down
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed into measuring cup
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup mini m&ms
  • 1/2 cup m&ms

Directions – in a bowl, blend melted butter, sugar and brown sugar.   Add egg and vanilla.  Fold in dry ingredients.  Blend in m&ms.   Divide dough into thirds.  Then divide each third of dough into thirds.  Chills doughs a few hours.   Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on sheet, like below.  

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, no longer than that.  Cool completely.   Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Oreo cheesecake topped with cookies and cream mousse and chocolate ganache

After a rough sunday in Miami, I am making a plea to the football gods for my Bills for week 11 and am doing so with this request from my husband and a copycat of the cheesecake factory oreo dream extreme cheesecake.

This does take some time, but is worth it.  I used neufactel cheese, which is lower fat and lower calorie, so I added some cornstarch to help firm up the cheesecake layer.

  • Flourless Cake  ingredients
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 8 tbs butter
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa

Directions – preheat oven to 375 degrees.  in a microwave safe bowl, heat chocolate chips and butter in 45 second increments until you can stir smooth.  Add sugar, salt, and vanilla.  Blend in eggs well.  Line a 9″ round pan with parchment paper.  Evenly spread batter into pan.   Bake 18 to 22 minutes.  Cool completely

  • Ganache ingredients list
  • 2 cups chocolate chips
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream

Directions – in a microwave safe bowl, heat cream for 3 minutes.  Add chips.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  Stir smooth.   Place in fridge.

  • Cheesecake ingredients
  • 24 oz cream cheese (I used neufactel,  which is softer and lower calorie and lower fat)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tbs flour
  • 6 tbs cornstarch (if you are using neufactel or low fat cream cheese)
  • 3/4 cup greek yogurt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 yolk
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 12 to 16 Oreo cookies

Directions – preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line a 9 inch springform pan with tin foil and spray with baking spray.  In a bowl, cream cream cheese, sugar and flour (and cornstarch if you are using a lower fat cheese).  Blend in Greek yogurt and vanilla.  Fold in eggs and yolk.  Pour 1/3 into prepared pan.  Top with 6 to 8 oreos and press down gently.  Top with a other third of batter and gently press 6 to 8 oreos on top.  Top with remaining third of batter.  Bake 55 to 60 minutes (middle jiggles a little and edges are set).  Turn off oven.   Crack oven and leave cheesecake in for an hour.  Transfer to fridge for a few hours.

  • Cookies and cream mousse
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • Crushed oreos (8 to 10)

Directions – in a bowl, whip cream amd powdered sugar to stiff peaks.  Blend in crushed oreos.    Put in fridge.

When ready to assemble – beat chilled ganache for a few minutes so it is spreadable.   Place flourless cake on a plate.  Spread a thin layer of ganache on top.  Gently place cheesecake on top of ganache layer.   Smooth oreo mousse on top of cheesecake layer.  Use rest of ganache on top and sides.  Store in fridge.

  • Layer list
  • Flourless cake
  • Thin ganache layer
  • Cheesecake
  • Cookies and cream layer
  • Frost entire thing with rest of ganache

Thanks for stopping by today!