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.
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.
We had one last bag of leftover candy from Halloween – a bag of plain m&ms. so I thought “why not bake with them?”
Note the colors in the middle – red and blue! Go Bills!
Instead of the usual chocolate chip cookie recipe, I went with oatmeal, for something different.
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 before baking
Ingredients list
8 tbs butter, softened
2 1/2 tbs crisco
1 cup plus 2 tbs plus 2 tsp brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
1 tbs honey
1 tbs vanilla
1 1/3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups oats (I used quick pats)
1 cup m&ms
Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, crisco and brown sugar. Add egg, honey and vanilla. Blend in flour, salt and oats. Mix in m&ms. Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough. Chill a few hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Stagger cookies on sheet. flatten cookies to desired thickness.
Today, I present brownies, topped with ganache and mini m&ms for my coworker friend Eric’s birthday and game 3 of the ALCS between the Blue Jays and Mariners.
What is ganache, you ask? Why a combo of chocolate chips and heavy cream heated and then poured over brownies that are completely cooled. And frankly, m&ms make everything better, so that’s why I added them.
Remember to scoop your flour and cocoa from their containers into your measuring cup so you get the right amounts. Also preheat your oven to 350 degrees before baking. And, I made the ganache while the brownies were baking so it thickened up a little more.
Ganache ingredients
1/4 heavy cream
3/4 cup chocolate chips
Directions – in a microwave safe bowl, heat cream for 1 minute. In another microwave safe bowl, heat chips 1 minute. Pour hot cream over chips. Let sit for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth and set aside.
Brownies ingredients
1 1/2 cups butter, melted
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed into measuring cup
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups unsweetened baking cocoa
2 tbs corn syrup
1 1/3 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbs cornstarch
directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees. line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper and spray with baking spray. Set aside. In a bowl. Combine butter, sugar, brown sugar and cocoa. Blend in eggs, yolks, vanilla and corn syrup. Stin in dry ingredients. Batter will be thick. Evenly spread into prepared pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely. Top with ganache. Sprinkle with m&ms. Store in covered container.
Another variation of a sugar cookie, this time with peanut butter. And chocolate frosting instead of melted milk chocolate. These are nice and thick and sweet!
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 a few hours so they spread less. And preheat your oven before baking.
Ingredients list
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup plus 2 tbs sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tbs powdered sugar
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 tbs greek yogurt
2 3/4 cups flour
Extra sugar
Direction – in a bowl, cream butter, peanut butter, sugar, vegetable oil, and powdered sugar. Mix in cream of tartar, salt and baking soda. Add egg, vanilla and Greek yogurt. Blend in flour. Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough. Roll into a ball. Spray the bottom of a drinking glass with cooking spray and slightly flatten dough ball. Sprinkle with extra sugar. Chill a few hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Stagger cookies on sheet. Bake 10 minutes, no longer. Cool completely.
Frosting ingredients list
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 tbs greek yogurt
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tbs unsweetened baking cocoa
2 tbs heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
Directions – in a bowl, mix butter, Greek yogurt, powdered sugar and cocoa. Add heavy cream and vanilla. Frost cookies. Store in covered container in fridge to firm up.
These are a fun cookie. A chocolate sugar cookie made with black cocoa (regular unsweetened cocoa is fine to use too). You roll the dough into balls, gently smash them down and then sprinkle with sugar before baking.
Cookie dough topping
Remember to scoop your flour and powdered sugar from their containers so you get the right amount. I advise chilling the smashed individual doughs for a few hours before baking. And you can frost these however you want. I used a homemade oreo filling, cookie dough and peanut butter filling. And topped them all with melted milk chocolate chips.
Ingredients list
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 Eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 tbs Water
5 1/2 cups flour
I cup Black cocoa
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Directions- in a bowl, cream butter, sugar, powdered sugar and vwgetable oil. Blend in eggs, water and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients. Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough. Spray the bottom of a glass with pam and gently flatten doughs a bit. Sprinkle with sugar. You may have to re-spray bottom of glass a few times. Chill doughs a few hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Stagger cookies on sheet. Bake 10 to 14 minutes, no longer. Cool completely. Frost as desired. Store in covered container.
These are an awesome cookie. Made with brown butter so they have a little different taste. These also use bread flour, which makes them thick and chewy.
Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. I also suggest chilling the individual doughs for a few hours or in the freezer for an hour. And, preheat the oven before baking.
Ingredients list
1 cup butter, brown
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar, firmly packed into measuring cup
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbs heavy cream
3 cups bread flour (scooped from your flour bag into your measuring cups)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups chocolate chips
Directions – in a pan over low-medium heat, cook butter until little brown specs appear. Remove from heat, place in a bowl and cool 5 minutes. Add sugar and brown sugar. Mix in egg, yolk, vanilla and cream. Blend in dry ingredients. Add chips. Scoop out 1/4 cups dough. Chill a few hours or freeze an hour. 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. Store in covered container.
I have never had much luck making crinkle cookies. They usually come put flat like pancakes. These were perfectly puffy. I think it helped I used cold butter and butter crisco.
Remember to spoon your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. Also preheat your oven before baking. And because these are baked at a higher temp, only bake for 10 minutes.
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, cold and cubed
1/2 cup crisco
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 yolks
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups cake flour
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups baking cocoa
1 tbs cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Extra granulated sugar
Powdered sugar
Directions – preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, cream butter, 1/2 cup sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs, yolks and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. Form 12 even pieces of dough. Roll in extra granulated sugar then powdered sugar. Place 6 on prepared sheet, leaving a few inches between doughs. Bake 10 minutes, no longer. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Let sit on cookie sheet for 15 minutes. Store in covered container.
Calling all peanut butter lovers! This is for you. Peanut butter bars with finely ground peanuts, cut up Reese’s eggs smushed on top and frosted with peanut butter frosting.
Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount (same goes for the powdered sugar. Remember to preheat your oven before baking.
Ingredients
1 cup oeanut butter
1/2 cup butter crisco, crisco or butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup peanuts, finely ground in a food processor (opt)
Reese’s eggs, chopped up (opt)
Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×13 cake pan with tin foil and spray with baking spray. Set aside. In a bowl, cream butter crisco, sugar, brown sugar and peanut butter. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. Mix in peanuts. Evenly spread into prepared cake pan. Gently press pieces of chopped up Reese’s eggs on top like so.
Bake for 25 minutes, no longer. Let cool completely.
Frosting ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tbs milk (or more)
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
Combine butter and peanut butter in a small sauce pan. Over low-medium heat, bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add milk, vanilla and powdered sugar. You may need to add more milk or powdered sugar to get the consistency you want. Frost cooled bars. Store in covered container.
For my work friends who prefer vanilla treats over chocolate and are not fans of peanut butter. These are a soft, thick vanilla cookie, with a cake like texture and topped with vanilla frosting. Frosting is not my strength, as you can see. I either make it too thin or too thick. Regardless, I think people will enjoy the cookies!
Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount. (Same goes for the powdered sugar in frosting). Also preheat your oven before baking.
Ingredients list
1 cup crisco (or butter, softened)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Directions – in a bowl, cream crisco or butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients. Scoop out 2 tbs of dough and roll into balls. Chill doughs for a few hours in fridge. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and stagger cookies.
Bake 10 minutes, no longer. Tops will be gushy. You can firm them up in fridge or let them firm up at room temp. Cool completely.
Frosting ingredients
2 cups powdered sugar
2 to 4 tbs milk
1 tsp vanilla
In a bowl, blend powdered sugar and 2 tbs milk and vanilla. Add more milk ,(or powdered sugar) to get the consistency you want. Store in covered container.
cookies by christine 