Cake Box Cookies

I haven't had these for a long while, probably since college, but they are good and quite easy to make. I made them using a lemon cake mix, but I have enjoyed them with a cherry chip and chocolate cake mix, as well.  Experiment however you want!

Ingredients

1 box lemon cake mix (or whatever you want)

8 oz. carton of Cool Whip (I don't think lite works very well, but I could be wrong)

1 egg

powdered sugar

Directions

1. Mix ingredients together in a large bowl
2. Using small cookie scoop (2 t. scoop), form a few balls of dough and drop them into a bowl of powdered sugar. If scoop is getting to sticky, dip in a glass of water.
3. Place dough covered with powdered sugar on greased or lined baking sheet.
4. Bake in 350 degree preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.
5. Allow to cool for several minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack.

Kit Kat Bars

When RSVPing for a summer cook out, I asked what I could bring. The hostess quickly said, "Kit Kat Bars!" It's been awhile since I've made them, but they are pretty darn good. I got this recipe from my mother-in-law. She always doubles the frosting. I have always done that as well, except for this time. It turned out fine. It's up to you on how much chocolate you would like on top of your Kit Kat bars

Ingredients

1/2 box of Club crackers

1 c. margarine

1 c. brown sugar

1/4 c. milk

1/2 c. sugar

2 c. graham cracker crumbs

Frosting

1/2 c. chocolate chips

1/2 c. butterscotch chips

1/2 c. peanut butter

1. Put a single layer of Club crackers on bottom of 9 X 13 pan. Set aside.
2. Mix margarine, brown sugar, milk, sugar, and graham cracker crumbs in medium sauce pan.  Bringing to boil, stir lots, boil 5 min. (No longer)
3. Pour half of mixture over crackers.
4. Place another layer of crackers on top of hot mixture, making sure to lay them in the same direction as the previous layer.
5. Top with the rest of hot mixture.
6. Place a third layer of Club crackers, again making sure to lay the crackers in the same direction.
7.  Melt  chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and peanut butter in small sauce pan over low heat until completely melted.
8. Spread frosting on top of bars.
9. Allow bars to cool on counter for awhile and then cut into bars, then chill.  You'll probably have to re-cut the bars when serving, but it is a lot easier if you have already run your knife through them.

Thick and Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies

I was suppose to be going to a Christmas in July cookie exchange today, but it was cancelled due to illness. Brandon was so disappointed as he was looking forward to ginger cookies. When he took the kids outside, I decided to surprise him. He LOVES these cookies and to my surprise, the kids love them too! Merry Christmas, everyone!

Ingredients

1/3 c. sugar (about 2 1/2 ounces), plus 1/2 cup for dipping
2 1/4 c. flour (11 1/4 ounces)
1 t. baking soda
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1 1/2 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. ground allspice
1/4 t. ground black pepper
1/4 t. salt
12 T. butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool
1/3 c. packed dark brown sugar (about 2 1/2 ounces)
1 large egg yolk
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 c. molasses (about 6 ounces)

 
Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Place 1/2 cup sugar for dipping in 8- or 9-inch cake pan.
2. Whisk flour, baking soda, spices, and salt in medium bowl until thoroughly combined; set aside.
3. In standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter with brown and granulated sugars at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
4. Reduce speed to medium-low and add yolk and vanilla; increase speed to medium and beat until incorporated, about 20 seconds.
5. Reduce speed to medium-low and add molasses; beat until fully incorporated, about 20 seconds, scraping bottom and sides of bowl once with rubber spatula.
6. Reduce speed to lowest setting; add flour mixture and beat until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl down once. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no pockets of flour remain at bottom. Dough will be soft.
7. Using tablespoon measure, scoop heaping tablespoon of dough and roll between palms into 1 1/2-inch ball; drop ball into cake pan with sugar and repeat to form about 4 balls.  (I use my 1.5 T. cookie scoop.) Toss balls in sugar to coat and set on prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Repeat with remaining dough.
8. Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are browned, still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone), about 11 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Do not over bake.
9. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes, then use wide metal spatula to transfer cookies to wire rack; cool cookies to room temperature and serve. (Can be stored at room temperature in airtight container or zipper-lock plastic bag up to 5 days.)

Snickerdoodles

This weekend, I had to renew my membership to cooksillustrated.com. I also decided to join their Editor's Choice group as I have eyed a few recipes there before, but never ponied up to join. I decided that if I was going to join Editor's Choice, I had better make something from them. I went for snickerdoodles as I haven't had them in years. Brandon told me he didn't like them until he tried them. I guess then they were good!  Hope you all enjoy this free Cook's Illustrated Editor's Choice recipe!

Ingredients

2 1/4 c. (11 1/4 ounces) flour
2 t. cream of tartar
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
12 T. unsalted butter , softened but still cool (I've given up on using unsalted butter)
1/4 c. vegetable shortening
1 1/2 c. (10 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar , plus 3 T. for rolling dough
2 large eggs
1 T. cinnamon for rolling dough

 

Directions

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.  (I use silicone baking mats)
2. Whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.Cream the butter, shortening, and the 1½ cups sugar at medium speed until combined , about 1 to 1½ minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
3. Add the eggs. Beat until combined, about 30 seconds.
4. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, about 20 seconds.
5. Mix the 3 tablespoons sugar for rolling and the cinnamon in a shallow bowl.
6. Working with a heaping tablespoon of dough each time, roll the dough into 1½-inch balls.  (I used my 1.5 T. cookie scoop) Roll the balls in the cinnamon sugar and place them on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
7. Bake until the edges of the cookies are beginning to set and the centers are soft and puffy, 9 to 11 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets 2 to 3 minutes before transferring them with a wide metal spatula to a wire rack.
8. Store in a container with a slice of fresh bread in order to keep cookies soft and chewy.

Red, White, and Blue Pie

I remember as a child having some sort of red, white, and blue pie one forth of July. I decided that I should try to make something perhaps similar. I couldn't really find a recipe, so I took a few recipes and put them together with my own twist. I have to say it turned out pretty darn good. There are a couple of things I would do differently, but it still tasted awesome! Happy Fourth of July!

Ingredients

Crust

1 1/2 to 2 c. vanilla wafer, or graham cracker crumbs

5-6 T. melted butter

3 T. brown sugar

Cream Filling

8 oz. cream cheese
2 T. lemon juice
1 c. whipping cream, whipped
1 t. grated lemon rind
2 T. milk

3-4 T. sugar (or powdered sugar), to taste

Fruit Layers

Blueberries

6 cups strawberries, hulled
3/4 c. sugar
3 T. cornstarch
1/2 t. lemon juice

Directions

1. Mix vanilla wafer crumbs,melted butter, and brown sugar together in pie plate.
2. Bake crust in in 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes to crisp it up.  Don't over bake!
3. Allow crust to cool completely.
4. Place a layer of blueberries in the bottom of the pie crust.
5. Cream together cream cheese, lemon juice, grated lemon rind, milk and sugar.
6. Slowly add whipped cream to cream cheese mixture a little at a time.  Otherwise, keep whipped cream to serve on top of pie.  (I mixed it in, but I think perhaps next time I'd only mix in half, and use the other half to serve with the pie.)
7. Spread cream cheese mixture on top of blueberries, and place the pie crust in the refrigerator.
8. In small saucepan, mix together sugar and cornstarch.
9. Mash enough strawberries to make 1 c. strawberry juice and mix into small sauce pan.
10. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and boil for 5 minutes.
11. Take mixture off heat, and add in lemon juice.
12. Allow this mixture to cool a little bit, while cutting up strawberries.
13. With remaining strawberries, slice or quarter them over the top of your pie.
14. Spread strawberry sauce over the top.
15. Chill pie for at least 3-4 hours before serving.