Homemade Oreo Cookies

I will let you in on a little secret about me. I know alot about copying and printing. Why? I worked at Kinkos for four years. After my mission toRomania until a few months after Ben was born you could find me me in the blue apron full time. I am left with strange knowledge about how to unjam a machine, how to create a stapled booklet on a copyer, and how to blow up an image 400%. BUT...the biggest contribution Kinkos gave me was this recipe. One day, a fellow coworker, brought in these delights. My tastebuds were singing. Ohhh....soft chocolate-y goodness! After seeing the reaction from the guys there, I begged her for the recipe. I was still single and needing some delicious cookie recipes to make me a little more beautiful in the eyes of a young man. Mindy, if you are out there.... THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. These truly are my hubby's favorite cookie on my holiday gift plate each year. His favorite way to eat them is with the frosting edges rolled in crushed candy cane. YUM!

But, you can roll them in sprinkles or crushed cookie crumbs. Use your imagination and make these your own. My sister in law, Emily, loved the softness of these cookies, but isn't a chocoholic, so she tried it with lemon cake mix. They were almost as yummy as the chocolate. Experiment and see the way you like them the most. And let me know what you try and works...

Here is the original recipe my Kinkos coworker gave me...

Homemade Oreo Cookies
Source: Mindy

2 boxes devils food cake mix
4 eggs
1 Cup Crisco
1 Container Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting (*see note)

Mix first 3 ingredients in your mixer. This batter will be super think. Almost like bread dough. So thick I broke 2 hand mixers with this recipe and Paul went out and bought me my kitchenaid. Once the dough is well combined, roll into 1 inch balls for small cookies, bigger for larger cookies. Experiment and see what size you like. Bake at 350 degrees till cookie starts to look cracked on top. In my oven the perfect time is 9 min. Cool completely, frost, and sandwich together.

* You all know my feelings on frosting from a container...YUCK-O. However, this is the one exception for me for some reason. The container frosting just works for this cookie. That being said, I have used homemade cream cheese frosting and it is FANTABULOUS!!!

Happy Retirement Mrs. Vine!!

Aren't these little chalkboard and apple cookies super cute?!! Next time I am going to dip the outline of the red apples in red sugar sparkles. I thought the little pieces of chalk on the ledge were a nice touch. Thank you flicker photos for the idea! These would be great for new teacher gifts. I can't believe THAT is right around the corner!!! My little Ben will be starting kindergarten and his teachers will be receiving these on the first day. Gotta bribe them from the start to put up with him. Just kidding. He is a freakishly good and careful boy. Gonna miss him...kind of...

Triple Layer Cookies and Cream Crunch Bars

AHHHH!!! I'm back!!! No, I haven't given up on this blog! Just been busier than ever! Last weekend I escaped for a much needed break to Park City with some girlfriends. We had a BLAST!!! Been playing catch up ever since!

Park City is gorgeous...except for that D%$^ snow they get. Geez...it didn't stop snowing the whole time I was there! We ate out for every meal, got pedicures, lounged, laughed, saw a matinee...ohhh...dear sweet vacation...how I looonngg for you now! Anyways, I am back and rearing to bake some more. I have some great recipes in the works for you guys out there! And...hello....it is Easter Week...check back on Monday for treat ideas for secretary's week and Easter Treats for teachers. We got to get orders in!!! These brownies were A-MAZE-ING!!!!! The frosting had peanut butter in it and was...well, just look at the picture and go buy some oreos!

Triple Layer Cookies and Cream Crunch Bars

Source: How Sweet It Is

makes 9-12 bars

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 cups chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanut butter

20 Oreo cookies

Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour an 8 x 8 cake pan. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then add remaining teaspoon of vanilla. Add in cocoa powder and mix until combined. Add flour and salt, mixing well until batter is smooth and comes together. Fold in 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Spread in the 8 x 8 pan.

Sink 9 Oreo cookies into the batter and press gently. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

While baking, crush the remaining Oreos in a ziplock bag. When brownies are finished baking, remove from the oven and sprinkle with 1/2 cup chocolate chips and crush Oreos. Place back in the oven for about 2-3 minutes.

During this time, melt remaining chocolate chips and peanut butter together. Remove brownies from oven and pour melted chocolate mixture over top, spreading with a spatula. Make sure chocolate gets down into the Oreo crevices, as it is the “glue” that holds the top to the bottom.

Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving. Let brownies sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before cutting. Don’t worry if some of the cookies spill out from the middle or the top cracks – they are still delicious!

Peanut Butter Toffee Bars

I am having a week where my little blog here is cursed. I have the sidebar issue that I am working on and now I seem to have deleted a whole bunch of pictures I wanted to blog. Dang it!! Both of these problems are due to my computer retardedness. Oh well! In the grand scheme of things...little problems in life. So, I will share with you these scrum-diddly-umptious bars I made for a Christmas party. They were different than any other bar cookie I have ever made. Next time I would up the toffee quantity...but that is just me...Peanut Butter Toffee Bars
Source: Paula Dean

Put the following ingredients in your cart...

2 cups rolled oats
2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup toffee pieces

Put your apron on and ...

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 13x9 pan with foil. Spray with cooking spray. In large bowl,combine oats,flour,brown sugar,peanuts and baking soda. Using a pastry blender,cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Press half of the oat mixture firmly into bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes.

In a medium bowl,beat cream cheese,peanut butter,sugar and egg at medium speed with a mixer until combined. Spoon mixture over prepared crust,spreading to edges. Sprinkle evenly with toffee bits. Cover evenly with remaining half of oat mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool before serving.

Bridal Gown Sugar Cookies

I loved this order I did last weekend! I love every second of making royal-iced sugar cookies...and at the end I love the result...every time. If you haven't tried the art of royal icing yet...get on the band wagon!!

I tried to make each dress a little different. These were put in plastic treat bags and tied with pink ribbon to put at each place setting for a fancy bridal shower. GORGEOUS!

Clean Eating Thursday on a Friday...Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Holy Moly!! Talk about miracle cookies! These cookies have no flour in them, yet set up just dandy...if that isn't a miracle I don't know what is!! If you like the flavor and texture of Almond Butter...these will wow the socks off of you! By the way...LOVE almond butter. Its ingredients are the following: almonds. You don't get more natural than that! Almond butter is a little expensive. By far, the most affordable (and delicious) I have found is at Costco. You get twice as much for the same price as Walmart. Made according to the recipe (with the sucanat) each cookie has only 110 calories, 1 gram of fiber, 2 grams of protein, 10 grams carbs, 8 grams fat...NOT TOO terrible. If I am gestational diabetic again...these bad boys are going to be just the thing the doc. ordered!

Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Source: Clean Eating Magazine

Put the following ingredients in your cart...

1 cup unsalted almond butter, well stirred

3/4 cup Sucanat (this is a natural sweetener...hard to find...and when you do...expensive...I use sugar...the white, refined stuff that is bad for us.)

1 large egg

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. sea salt (or reg. salt...but not as "clean")

3 oz. dark chocolate (70% cocoa or greater) broken into small bits

Put your apron on and get bakin'..

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together in mixer adding chocolate last. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets lined with silpat or parchment paper. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes before moving to wire rack. Cookies are VERY crumbly.

Place your Valentine's Orders!!!

Strawberry flavored Rice Krispy Treats with Heart Marshmallows and White Chocolate Drizzling

Fancy Traditional Valentine's Day Sugar Cookies

Conversation Heart Sugar Cookies

Chocolate Sugar Cookie Heart Sandwiches

Do these make you want to host a Valentine's Day party!!?? I have some orders for the sugar cookies already for school valentines. Won't that be cute? A sugar cookie in a bag tied with a ribbon and a Sponge Bob/Star Wars/ Princess valentine attached??!! The talk of the classroom!! I think for Ben's class I will do the rice krispies or the sandwich cookies. Later this week I will be posting some cake pops that would be awesome for your little ones/boss/ secret admirer?!

Family Night Treats- January 24th- And Owl Cookies

This week I am going to offer my chocolate chip cookies that I love for family night treats. I will also share the recipe with you! Check out the pricing under the weekly menu tab.

Also this week I am sharing some great Valentine's Day options, Clean Eating sloppy joes packed with veggies, cheese muffins, and chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes! Check back in!

I won't leave you without a picture of some SUPER cute owl cookies I did back in December for party favors at a little girl's birthday party. I started watching this special little gal when she was two. She is in kindergarten now! Where did the time go? It makes me really sad. Her mom did a whole owl themed birthday party for her. I love how these turned out and they were so fun!

You asked for it...Nanaimo Bars!!!

These are as good as they look! And no baking required. Allow time for each layer to chill. I would say in the fridge these take a good 3 hours start to finish. I made mine in about an hour and a half using the freezer to speed each layer along. I am excited to have found these. They taste amazing, different, and look so fancy the way they hold their shape and are layered. I will be adding these to my suggested delights in my wedding binder. Imagine a chocolate graham cracker crust with coconut, then a chilled vanilla custard, almost nougat layer, topped with a thick chocolate ganache. Sigh! And so easy!

Nanaimo Bars
Source:The Happy Baker

Base:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1 egg
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup coconut

Filling:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 Tab. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tab. custard powder or instant vanilla pudding mix (I used the pudding)
2 cups powdered sugar

Glaze:
3 Tab. butter
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Put on your apron and ...

Base:
In a medium saucepan, combine butter, sugar and cocoa; stir well. Add egg; cook and stir constantly over medium-low heat until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Mix in cracker crumbs and coconut. Press into a greased 8 or 9 inch square pan. Chill til set. ( I stuck mine in the freezer for about 10 minutes while I was making the filling.)

Filling:
In a mixing bowl, beat together filling ingredients until light and fluffy. Spread evenly over base and chill. (I stuck mine in the freezer for about 30 minutes to 1 hour) (Until it is firm to the touch)

Glaze:
In a small saucepan over low heat (I always use a ghetto double boiler system I have. I boil 2 inches of water in a big pot, stick the chocolate in a smaller pot and put it in the water. This almost guarantees my chocolate won't melt.) Melt completely. Pour evenly over filling. Refrigerate (or speed freeze :) ) till cool and completely set.

Cut into cute squares and serve. They truly are beautiful.

Homemade Gingersnaps

When I think of gingersnaps, I cringe. It has to do with bad associations for me. When I was pregnant and nauseous my doctor told me that snacking on gingersnaps would help. Willing to try anything I followed this suggestion every afternoon working at Kinkos. Ugh! Store-bought gingersnaps are so crispy and just a bit strong. Wish I had this recipe then....these are soft and subtle. My preschool kids devoured these on Tuesday for snack time which tells you they are not too strong! These kids are PICKY! If I am not going to be eating chocolate, I would make these, oh...or sugar cookies, oh...or snickerdoodles...or...

Homemade Gingersnaps

Source: Keith Family favorite for so long I have no clue where we got it from!

Throw in your shopping cart the following...

3/4 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup molasses

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp. ginger

Put on your apron and get busy...

Cream the first 4 ingredients together til smooth. Add dry ingredients and mix together. Roll 1 inch balls in sugar and bake at 350 degrees for 8 min. These are DELISH with vanilla ice cream and warm caramel sauce!

Marshmallow Fudge without the Fluff

Well, a vacation is a vacation and mine was MUCH needed. I don't even care that all my boys were sick, that we barely left the house, or that Wyatt, who is usually so good became possessed. (seriously, something happened to that child while we were gone...) I didn't even care that an 8 hour car ride turned into 11 hours and that the above child whined or screamed almost the whole way home...it was a VACATION and I am so grateful for it. Anyways...I'm BACK and I have so many fun posts and delicious recipes to share.

What was your favorite thing you ate over the holidays? Me? My favorites were all my mom's classics: meatloaf, beef stroganoff...yum. And some new favorites: a delish and healthy spinach artichoke dip, minty meringue chocolates, Christine's chocolates, and my new favorite fudge recipe that is sooo easy. I will share all of these with you in the weeks to come. For now, make this fudge for a New Year's Eve Party!!

Please forgive the above photo. It does not do this fudge justice. BUT...now I have my new camera when my pro photographer gal pal is not around. AND...I am taking photography classes starting in two weeks. Stay tuned and I can share tips with you guys as I learn!

Marshmallow Fudge without the Fluff
Source: My dear friend Shelley Pesta gave me her mother-in-laws coveted recipe ...in her own words...

In a glass bowl: 2 cubes butter, 12 oz choc chips & 1 tbsp vanilla (waiting on counter until the end) (don't blend)
In a nonstick pan: 12 large marshmallows, 12 oz evaporated milk & 4 cups sugar
Stir everything in pan & apply heat (med/hi) Don't stop stirring!!! Bring to a boil (make sure not to scorch bottom)
Boil for 6 min (liquid will have bubbles popping and pulling away from the pan sides)
Dump the hot liquid over the mixture in the glass bowl & stir
Pour contents of glass bowl on a cookie sheet sprayed with Crisco or butter
Put in fridge to set

My favorite Sugar Cookie Recipe

I LOVE sugar cookies. I said in an earlier post, that to me, no Christmas is complete without the rolling out, baking, and decorating of sugar cookies!!! I grew up with my mom's delicious Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Recipe. CLASSIC!! These are a thinner version that shows the shape of cookies really well. Last year, my gal pal Julie brought over cookies one night to snack on while we played Settlers of Catan...yes, I am THAT kind of a girl. (I LOVE that game...for the first hour, then I just want someone to win and end my misery...I seldom win!!!) ANYWAYS, her sugar cookies were something else, soft and really fluffy...they remind me of Lofthouse cookies. I like using this recipes on cookie orders because they are still fresh and soft after 5 days! Here are some pictures of some cookies I did 2 weeks ago for a clients' aunts 80th Birthday! In Romania they would say "La Multi Ani!!". Which means to your many years! Happy Birthday Auntie, hope you liked your cookies! My client brought me some scrapbook paper she used in party decorations to help inspire me. I hope she liked what I came up with! I took pictures of the cookies next to the paper.

Sugar Cookies

Source: Julie Held

Put in your shopping cart the following...

1 cup butter

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

3/4 sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla

5 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

Put on your apron and ...

Beat butter and sugar till fluffy. Add eggs and beat. Add in dry ingredients. Last mix in sour cream and vanilla. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-10 minutes depending on your oven. I SWEAR by silpat for a perfectly cooked cookie! Frost with your favorite frosting or decorate with fancy shmancy royal icing.

Hot Chocolate Chip Cookies

These babies are SOOOO good. I love this spin on regular chocolate chip cookies....YUM!!! I have been trying to detox my boys and myself the last week or so yesterday and today. (Hey...a girl has to start somewhere right? ) (Oh yeah baby...I even RAN on the treadmill to compensate for the six cookies I ate today over the last few days.) :) Why am I ALWAYS restarting this goal? Working out is so hard! But, MAN!!! I sure feel good about myself when I do it. Anyways...why am I talking about working out and eating right right before I give you this AMAZING recipe? Because they are worth every piddly calorie in them...trust me...I KNOW!!! Make them and enjoy them...'tis the season!!!

Hot Chocolate Chip Cookies

Source: found on the world wide web (have you heard of it ? :))added by elimaxandlela

In your shopping cart put:

2 sticks of butter-room temp.

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 1/4 cup flour

4 packages (not sugar free) Hot Chocolate Mix

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup each white, milk, and semi-sweet chocolate chips (I didn't have or use the milk chocolate chips and mine were still DELICIOSO!!)

Put your cute little apron on and :

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars until smooth. Add in eggs and vanilla until combined. In a separate bowl, combine flour, hot chocolate mix, salt and baking soda. Add to wet ingredients in parts, making sure all is incorporated. Fold in chips. Chill dough for an hour or so. Scoop onto baking sheets in golf- ball sized mounds. Bake for 9-11 minutes until edges are golden brown! Eat only one...yeah right!!!

Oldies but Goodies!

Is everyone else so excited and exhausted busy getting ready for Thanksgiving?! What are you making? Please leave me a comment and let me know your favorite dish you are making! Right now, I am so excited to start some fancy shmancy sugar cookies for the big day... turkeys... gobble, gobble! I will be posting these along with a video showing a quick and easy tutorial on royal icing...you guys will love it. It is so fun! I promised you last week to post some pictures of a Halloween cookie order I did. I LOVED how they turned out. I shipped them in the mail back home for a Halloween carnival for my niece. Just looking at the pictures, makes me want to get started on my Turkey cookies!

Whoopie Pies!

So, I predict that the next fad in the dessert industry will be...drumroll please... whoopie pies! What isn't to like about cookies sandwiched together with frosting...HELLO! I hear there is a whole book dedicated to whoopie pies. I WILL be buying it and I WILL be sharing all the best recipes with you all! I wonder what kind of delicious Christmas flavored version there could be! Here is an amazing Fall version. They were a hit with my boys who usually don't love pumpkin flavoring!! And the addition of the maple syrup to the cream cheese frosting is a .... a...
I am at a loss for words! You have just got to try it!



Pumpkin Whoopie Pies With Maple Cream Cheese Filling

I found these delights over at Brown Eyed Baker

In your shopping basket you will need:

For the Whoopie Pies

3 cups flour

2 Tab. cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup veggie or canola oil

3 cups pumpkin puree-that is one of the large cans

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Maple Cream Cheese Filling

3 cups powdered sugar

8 oz. cream cheese, at room temp

1/2 cup butter, at room temp

3 Tab. maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

Put your apron on and

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Whisk together the flour , cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, and nutmeg in a bowl (not your mixing bowl)

3. In your mixing bowl, mix together the sugars and oil. Add pumpkin and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until combined.

4. Gradually add flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture.

5. With a large spoon, drop by the tablespoon on silipat lined cookie sheets, about 1 inch apart.

6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cookies should be firm to the touch.

Let the cookies cool completely before you frost them...or they will melt the frosting!!

To make the frosting, make sure the butter and cream cheese are room temp. To be honest, I always forget this step and am too impatient to wait. Then my frosting is lumpy. Be better than me, follow the directions!!

To make the frosting, combine the above ingredients in a mixer for about three minutes till smooth!!! Assemble sandwiches and ENJOY!!!

Royal Icing Cookies!!!

As far back as I can remember, I have had a love for sugar cookies. The whole process to me is so fun. Every year at Christmas time, my sisters and I would help mom make sugar cookies. We would pop in Amy Grant Christmas (the best Christmas album EVER next to Lee Greenwood Christmas...yes...LEE GREENWOOD) and roll, cut, bake and decorate. THAT is Christmas!! I remember making sugar cookies as a kid and having this perfect vision of decorating my cookie to look like the kind of cookies you see in the magazines. Mine always ended up sloppy and covered in three different kinds of sprinkles. Half the time you couldn't even tell what shape the cookie was! But what fun! I still love sugar cookies, and being the obsessive baker I am, bake sugar cookies for every holiday. And, just recently, I have figured out why my cookies never looked "magazine perfect" with details and smooth icing....

Wait for it...

Royal Icing!!! Royal Icing is an art. It requires the right supplies, patience, timing, and planning. It isn't like the delicious buttercream we are all accustomed to...it won't make your mouth water...but WOW!!! It sure gives you THAT look. Those stares from people saying, "where did you buy these cookies?" And it is a chance to take pride in your baking and gosh darn it to actually be able to tell what shape cookie cutter you actually used.!!!

I will be posting a tutorial on royal icing next week as I make Thanksgiving turkey cookies for my Thanksgiving dinner! Gobble gooble. Till then, here are some pictures of cookies I have done and experimented on in the past couple weeks...










These were my very first attempts. I am learning more and trying harder designs now-a-days. I made some very detailed, super cute Halloween cookies that I will share with you soon. I must give credit where credit is due. Annie at Annies Eats has an amazing royal icing tutorial on her blogspot. I learned the craft from her and used some of her designs...very simplified for my first attempts. Mine are very humble in comparison but...someday... Check her out... she is one of my blog heroines! You will definitely find something you LOVE there!