Football friday # 6 Little Debbie brownie cookies

A simple, easy treat for nfl week 6 – little Debbie brownie cookies, frosted, with rainbow chips on top.  These are made with a brownie mix and a few extra ingredients.  They might not need frosting, but I think everything is better with frosting!  I don’t recommend baking these longer than 10 minutes.  They seem undone on top, but pop them in the fridge to firm them up before frosting them and keep them in the fridge for a few hours.   Better a gushy cookie than a dry, overbaked one, right?

Big game for my Bills this week – at the Jets on Monday night football.  Our third straight on the road and our 4th night game in 6 games this season.  I gotta admit the night games are killing me!

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 brownie mix (18 oz or 18.2 oz)
  • 2 tbs unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1 tbs chocolate syrup
  • 1 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a bowl, combine brownie mix, cocoa, eggs, butter and syrup.  Fold in chips.  Scoop out 2 tbs dough.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes.  Cool

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tbs unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 2 tbs water
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tbs chocolate syrup

In a bowl, combine all ingredients.  If you want a thicker frosting, add additional powdered sugar.  Feost cookies.  Sprinkle with rainbow chips, sprinkles or m&ms.  Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Cookies and Cream Cookies

Bills gameday week 3, treat # 1 – cookies and cream cookies.  These are a basic chocolate chip cookie dough  recipe with pieces of oreo, milk chocolate chips and white chocolate chips.  These are very large – 6 cookies, but I shall cut them in half or thirds for tomorrow. 

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  I recommend chilling the individual doughs for a half hour or so to keep them puffy.  Also make sure you preheat your oven so it cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 tso baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup oreos, broken into pieces
  • 1 /2 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Directions – in a bowl, cream sugar, brown sugar and sugar.  Add egg and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients.   Mix in oreos and chips.  Divide into 6 even pieces and form into tall mounds.  Chill 30 minutes to an hour.  Line a cookies sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on sheet like below.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Bake 14 minutes (no longer).  Cool completely.   Store in covered container.

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

Go Bills!

Frosted chocolate chip cake bars (week 2 victory treat part 2)

For part 2 of the week 2 Bills victory treats, I present frosted chocolate chip cake bars.  You can use any flavor cake mix (I used French vanilla), any kind of chips (I used traditional semisweet), and any kind of frosting (I used vanilla).

  • Bars ingredients list
  • 1 cake mix
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • Extra chocolate chips

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper.  Set aside.  In a bowl, combine cake mix, oil, eggs, and vanilla.  Mix in 1 cup chocolate chips.   You may want to wet your hands for this next part – gently, evenly press dough into prepared pan. Sprinkle extra chips on tip.   Bake 15 to 18 minutes (toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs).  Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 4 cups powdered sugar (scooped from powdered sugar container into cup)
  • Milk or heavy cream

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter and vanilla.  Blend in powdered sugar and enough milk or heavy cream to get the consistency you want.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a wonderful day!  Go Bills!

Chocolate chip cookie topped brownies

Instead of putting a brownie inside a chocolate chip cookie, I went with more of a brookie (brownie plus cookie) approach.  I made a recipe of a batch of brownies for a 9×13 pan, as well as a recipe for a batch of chocolate chip cookies.  I spread the brownie dough in the pan and then gently pressed blobs of cookie dough on top.  I probably took them out a little sooner than I should have, so I put them in the fridge after they completely cooled down to firm up a bit more.

For the cookie recipe, you will only need half of the dough to top the brownies.  I used the other half and stuffed them with oreos.  Also, I used some homemade maple syrup.  You can use honey or corn syrup.

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

  • Brownie batter ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, melted
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 2 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/3 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×13 pan with tin foil and spray with baking spray.  In a bowl, combine butter and baking cocoa.  Mix smooth.  Add sugar, salt, eggs (one at a time) and vanilla.  Blend in four and baking powder.  Evenly spread into prepared pan

  • Chocolate chip cookie dough ingredients (you will only need about half of this recipe.  Use the rest as you wish)
  • 1 cup butter, melted and cooled 10 minutes
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup/corn syrup/honey
  • 3 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1-2 cups chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate for these)

Directions – in a bowl, combine butter, sugar, and brown sugar.  Add eggs, vanilla, and maple syrup.  Blend in dry ingredients.  Fold in chips.  Scoop out 2 tbs of dough and place on top of brown batter in pan.  Gently press down. 

Bake in oven preheated to 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes (toothpick inserted in brownie batter basically comes out clean).  (I would not bake longer than 35 minutes, though, because the edges may get too crispy.)  Cool completely. (If the brownies seem doughy after you cut them, pop them in the fridge, in a covered container.)  Store in covered container. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

XL chocolate cake

I have a litany of baking items I rarely use – like a twinkie pan, whoopie pie pan, churr bake, cake pop maker and this 18×13 cake pan that I bought I long time ago for some reason.  So I put that 18×13 cake pan to use today and make a very large chocolate cake with chocolate frosting (hersheys recipe).  I am bringing in to work tomorrow for my espn radio friends working on Memorial Day.

You can also use a standard 9×13 pan, but obviously,  your cake will be thicker and take longer to bake (maybe check after 25 to 30 minutes, with the toothpick test)

  • Ingredients
  • 2 cups flour (scooped from flour bag into your measuring cups so you get the right amount)
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups hot water or coffee (coffee can bring out extra chocolate flavor)

Directions – line  a 18×13 pan with parchment paper.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a bowl, blend dry ingredients together.  Mix in milk, oil, eggs and vanilla.  Blend in coffee or water.  Pour into prepared pan.  Bake 20 minutes for 18×13 pan.  Check after 25 minutes for 9×13 pan (toothpick will come out with moist crumbs).  Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 2/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 tsp vania

Directions – in a bowl, combine butter and cocoa.  Blend in powdered sugar and milk.  With a hand mixer, beat to desired consistency.  Blend in vanilla.  Frost cake.  Store in covered container.

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

Brownie stuffed peanut butter cookies

The other cookies I made using small brown squares – peanut butter!   Few things go together like peanut butter and chocolate.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into you measuring cup so you get the right amount.   Chill your brownie stuffed cookie dough overnight to prevent spreading.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes so it cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1/2 cup crisco
  • 3/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tbs milk
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • Brownies cut into 1 inch squares

Directions – in a bowl, cream crisco and peanut butter.  Blend in sugar and brown sugar.  Add egg, vanilla, and milk.  Fold in dry ingredients.  Scoop out 2 tbs dough.  Divide in half and slightly flatten. Place a brownie piece between 2 flattened halves and seal edges around brownie.  Chill a few hours or overnight.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on sheet.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes (no longer).  Cool completely.   Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Smores chocolate chip cookies stuffed with toasted marshmallows

I wanted to make something a little different than chocolate chip cookies, so I opted for smores chocolate chip cookies stuffed with toasted marshmallows.  They are a pretty big cookie.  Some of them could not contain the marshmallows, so I cut them in half and made them sandwich cookies and topped them with melted hershey kisses.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the correct amount.  If you pour directly from the bag, it gets packed in and makes a dry cookie.  I recommend chilling the marshmallow stuffed doughs for an hour to prevent cookie spreading.  Also preheat your oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so your oven cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 1/3 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 cups milk chocolate chips
  • 14 sheets of graham crackers, finely crushed
  • 18 toasted marshmallows

Directions- to toast marshmallows – line a cookie sheet with tin foil and spray with Pam.  Line marshmallows on foil.  Broil 2 to 4 minutes (depending how tasted you want your marshmallows).  Set aside.

In a bowl, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients, then graham cracker crumbs. Fold in chips.  Scoop out 1/4 cups dough.  Divide in half. Place a toasted marshmallow in one half.

  Top with the other half. 

Seal edges. 

Chill an hour.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies, leaving plenty of room.  Bake 9 to 11 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely.   Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.  Wishing you peace, joy and love. Remember to be kind!

Cutout sugar cookies for Valentine’s Day

This cookie is my all-time favorite to make, and I use it all throughout the year because I have a billion cookie cutters for each season.  Plus, it brings back many memories of baking with my mom and they were my dad’s favorite cookie. 

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  I also recommend chilling the dough for a few hours or overnight.  And most importantly, remember to use plenty of flour on your countertop when rolling out the dough so it doesn’t stick when you use your cookie cutters.

  • Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups crisco
  • 1 1/3 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tbs vanilla
  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt

Directions – in a bowl,  cream crisco and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients.  Cover and store for a few hours or overnight.  When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Sprinkle plenty of flour on the  surface you will roll out the dough.   I like the cookies on the thicker side.  Roll out dough and cut.  Bake 6 to 8 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely.

Frosting – combine 1/2 cup softened butter, 3 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and 1 to 4 tbs milk.  You may add more or less powdered sugar to get the consistency you want.  Color as desired.  Frost cookies. Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today.

oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

I was looking for something different to make, so I came across oatmeal chocolate chip cookies when browsing through my recipes. And I decided to frost them. Oatmeal cookies always take me back to when I was really young and my great grandmother used to always make sure she had a bag of frosted oatmeal cookies. They were crunchy and had that hard frosting on them. I can’t remember the brand, but I know they came in a blue bag and I loved them. And I adored my great grandmother. She was a wonderful, kind lady with a big heart and was an incredible cook and baker. I was blessed to know her, as well as all four of my grandparents. I have so many great memories with all of them.

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 mounds of dough overnight. And by the way, you don’t have to frost these. 🙂

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 1/2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Directions – in a bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Belong in oil, eggs and vanilla. Fold in chips. Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough and form mounds. Chill overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Stagger cookies on sheet. Bake 12 to 14 minutes. Edges will be brown, and tops may be a little gushy. Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups to 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 to 3 tbs milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Directions – In a bowl, blend ingredients. You may want to add more powdered sugar and /or milk to get the consistency you want. Frost cookies. Store in covered container.

Thanks for stopping by today! Wishing you a day of peace and love.

Happy wildcard weekend cookies! (note the m&ms color)

Only red and blue m&ms

For tomorrow’s football Friday, I made sugar cookies with m&ms. And not just any color, blue and red only, for my beloved Buffalo Bills. I picked out the red and blue ones. It was a little time-consuming, but it needed to be done!

Inexplicably, I dropped one on the floor, so Gracie felt like she hit the lottery!

Dreaming of another cookie

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount (do the same with your powdered sugar). Also, form the dough into tall cylinders. And preheat your oven to 375 degrees before baking so it cycles to the right temp.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cream of tartar
  • 4 1/2 cups flour
  • 2 cups m&ms

Directions – preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, cream butter, sugar, powdered sugar, and oil. Add eggs, vanilla, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Blend in flour. Stir in m&ms. Scoop out 2 tbs of dough and form tall cylinders. Stagger on prepared cookie sheets.

Bake 10 to 13 minutes (lightly golden around edges). Cool completely.

If you find they are too gushy, store in fridge to firm them up. Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Go Bills!