Frosted Sugar Cookie Bites

I'm a part of a great book club. We meet at a local coffee shop called Book Bums. While discussing our latest book, we usually get some tasty drink and enjoy some of the baked goods that they sell. Several months ago, I tried their little bag of sugar cookie bites. They have a name, but I can't remember what it is. What I do know is that these little cookies are delicious. I have spent many hours trying to recreate them. I haven't quite perfected the frosting, but I think the cookies are pretty darn close! Here's my knock-off recipe:

Sugar Cookie Bites

Ingredients:
1c. unsalted butter softened
2/3 c. sugar

1/3 c. powdered sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

3 c. flour

1. Combine butter and sugars.

2. Add in eggs and vanilla and mix well.

3. Add flour, salt and baking soda and mix.

4. Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out dough into even balls and place on a cookie sheet.

5. Bake for 7-9 minutes at 350F

Milky Way Rice Krispy Treats

In November of 2010, we were introduced to two things which would forever be loved by our family: Will and a new version of Rice Krispy Treats. I know, putting love for a dessert in the same category as our third born might seem extreme, but once you've tasted these things you'll understand. Our dear friends, Ron and Pam, brought us a tasty meal complete with dessert of, you guessed it, Rice Krispy Bars. Only these were far greater than any other Rice Krispy bar we'd ever eaten. After Pete raved and raved about them, he finally got Pam to give us the recipe. Then I understood why they were so incredible. I mean how can you go wrong with the following ingredients: Milky Way bars, butter, Rice Krispies and semisweet chocolate. You can't. Pete requests them all of the time. I just made them yesterday as we began celebrating his birthday a couple days early. So enough babbling, let's get to this recipe:

Milky Way Rice Krispy Treats
3 King sized Milky Way Candy Bars (or 5 normal sized)
6 oz. of butter
3 cups of Rice Krispies
8 oz of baking chocolate, semi-sweet

1. Cut candy bars into pieces and put into a microwave safe mixing bowl. Microwave for 1 minute, then stir.
2. Cut the butter into pieces and add to the bowl. Microwave for 1 more minute, then stir. (if still not completely melted, add 20 seconds and stir again, repeat until melted)
3. Add Rice Krispies and stir*

4. Spray 9 x 13 pan with baking spray, then add mixture.
5. Melt the baking squares following the directions on the box. Pour over the mixture.
6. Refrigerate until solid.

*after step 3, take a spoonful of the mixture and eat it...you'll thank me later. YUM.

update/Christmas Goodies

Our family has welcomed a new addition. That's right, I had our third boy just days before Thanksgiving. He's been a joy--besides those middle of the night times! ;) Thankfully, he's still in that teeny-tiny-sleeps-a-lot-of-the-time mode, so I've been able to make some goodies with the kiddos. Here's our Christmas goody menu:
Cut-out cookies

Gingerbread cookies

pretzel/rolo treats

Oreo truffles

My latest favorite dessert--Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Last weekend, some of our favorite college friends came to visit. Kim and I have both grown to love cooking and baking more and more in the past few years and love to compare notes about recipes. In fact, many of the recipes that I post on here were recommended to me by Kim. But I digress, this past weekend, Kim offered to make a dessert that has become one of their favorites--Pioneer Woman's Strawberry Shortcake Cake. I'm SO glad that she did--it's absolutely delicious. Seriously, it's amazing--you must try it! :) It does take a little bit of time, but it's nothing to crazy, just bake a shortcake from scratch, mash up some strawberries, make icing from scratch and assemble. Here's a picture--this is on day 2, so not as pretty as it would have been had I thought to take a picture the day she made it. Honestly, I was to enraptured by the cake itself to think straight! ;)


Strawberry Shortcake Cake

Ingredients:
Cake
1 1/2 cups flour
3 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla

Icing
1/2 pound cream cheese, room temperature
2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter
1 1/2 pounds powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 pound strawberries

1. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, and corn starch.
2. Cream 9 tablespoons butter with the sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well each time. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until combined.
4. Add sifted dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just barely combined.
5. Pour into greased and floured 8-inch cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes, or until no longer jiggly like my bottom.
6. Remove from cake pan as soon as you pull it out of the oven, and place on a cooling rack and allow it to cool completely.
7. Stem strawberries and slice them in half from bottom to top. Place into a bowl and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons sugar. Stir together and let sit for 30 minutes.
8. After 30 minutes, mash the strawberries in two batches. (or puree them in a food processor or blender) Sprinkle each half with 1 tablespoons sugar and allow to sit for another 30 minutes.
9. Make icing: combine cream cheese, 2 sticks butter, sifted powdered sugar, vanilla, and dash of salt in a mixing bowl. Mix until very light and fluffy.
10.Slice cake in half through the middle.
11. Spread strawberries evenly over each half (cut side up), pouring on all the juices.
12. Place cake halves into the freezer for five minutes, just to make icing easier.
13. Remove from freezer. Use a little less than 1/3 of the icing to spread over the top of the strawberries on the bottom layer.
14. Place the second layer on top. Add half of the remaining icing to the top spreading evenly, then spread the remaining 1/3 cup around the sides.
15.Leave plain OR garnish with strawberry halves.
IMPORTANT: Cake is best when served slightly cool. The butter content in the icing will cause it to soften at room temperature. For best results, store in the fridge!

For pictures that walk you through this recipe, check out the original on the Pioneer Woman's blog. It's one of my favorites! :)

Annie's Chocolate Chip Cookies

I definitely thought that I had blogged about these cookies before, but I've scoured the posts and it's not there...if it is and I'm re-posting, I apologize. But you've got to try these cookies. I think they're single-handedly responsible for 8-10 of the 15 pounds I want to lose. They're thick and chewy--in fact that's what Annie calls them, Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip cookies. The only place that I vary on her recipe is the size that she makes them. Because my toddler insists on having his own whole cookie, I make mine smaller--using the Pampered Chef medium scoop. I made them huge--the way the recipe calls for them--and my husband LOVED them that way, but my sweet son was getting WAY too much sugar or throwing a fit about not getting a whole cookie. Anyway, these are now a family favorite. Hope you enjoy!!



Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
1 cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips*

*I often put 1/2 cup of butterscotch chips in and only 1 cup of chocolate chips. We've tried it with white chocolate as well, but butterscotch is our family favorite.



Directions:
1. Adjust oven racks to upper and lower-middle positions. Preheat oven 325°. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium bowl; set aside.
3. With electric mixer, or by hand, mix butter and sugars until thoroughly combined. Beat in egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined.
4. Add dry ingredients and beat at low-speed just until combined.
5. Stir in chocolate chips.
6. *this is where I just use the cookie scoop* Roll a scant half-cup of dough into a ball. Holding dough ball in fingertips of both hands, pull apart into two equal halves. Rotate halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, place formed dough onto cookie sheet, leaving ample room between each ball.
7. Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy (approximately 11-14 minutes). Do not overbake.
8. Cool cookies on sheets until able to lift without breaking. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars

I love baking. LOVE it. But unfortunately my metabolism is slowing down, which means I need to slow down on the baking. I actually took about two weeks off of baking any dessert items for just that reason. And now I need to work back into it with moderation or my pants won't moderately fit my not so moderately sized waste!! My friend Jen sent me this cookie bar recipe and I couldn't resist. I love snickerdoodles as cookies and figured naturally I'd love these as well. I just pulled them out of the oven and ate two already! Yum.

Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars

Ingredients:
1½ cups flour
1 tsp. cream of tartar
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg

2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease either a 9×9. (Depending on how thick you want them to be)
2. Whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add egg and mix. Gradually add flour mixture and mix more.
5. Spread into pan.
6. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl; sprinkle over dough.
7. Bake at 350F for 14-18 minutes, or until golden brown (or a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean).
8. Let cool in pan. Cut into bars.
From Something Sweet

Red Velvet Cupcakes w/ Cream Cheese Frosting

A friend, Stephanie, posted this recipe on Facebook and it looks yummy and festive. I thought many of you mom's might like to try it for Valentine's Day. Here's her post:

This is a recipe I found in my Runner's World magazine actually. I made them as a practice to see how good they were & had to throw some away because otherwise we would have eaten them ALL. They are delicious!!! The recipe actually came from the owners of a NYC bakery. Also, here are the nutrition facts per cupcake: 290 calories, 35g carbs, 3 g protein, and 16g fat.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups cake flour (I used all purpose)
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup veg. oil (I used Olive)
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp. red food coloring (I used less)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. vinegar

Cream Cheese Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese (one bar)
1/2 lb. unsalted butter (room temperature)
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Heart shaped cupcake toppers or colored sugar/sprinkles

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 12 cupcake muffin tin with wrappers.
2. Mix dry ingredients.
3. Mix wet ingredients separately.
4. Mix wet and dry ingredients together.
5. Fill tins up 2/3 way with batter.
6. Bake 15-20 minutes. Cool completely.
7. Frosting: mix butter & cream cheese until smooth.
8. Slowly mix in confectioners sugar. Add vanilla.
9. Frost using a piping bag with a star tip or small spatula.
10. Sprinkle with decorations.
Makes 24 cupcakes. Enjoy!

Cookie Dough Truffles

This recipe comes straight from the Taste of Home award winning recipes...YUM!

Cookie Dough Truffles


The flavorful filling at the center of these yummy candies tastes like genuine chocolate chip cookie dough...without the worry of raw eggs. That's what makes them so appealing. Plus, they're easy to make. -Lanita Dedon Slaughter, Louisiana

PREP
60 min.
TOTAL
60 min.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1-1/2 pounds semisweet candy coating, chopped
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add flour, alternately with milk, beating well after each addition.
3. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
4. Shape into 1-in. balls; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Loosely cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until firm.
5. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt candy coating; stir until smooth.
6. Dip balls in coating, allowing excess to drip off; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets.
7. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. (f desired, remelt remaining candy coating and drizzle over candies.)
8. Store in the refrigerator.

Yield: 5-1/2 dozen.

From Taste of Home

Chocolate Peppermint Treats

I went to a fun cookie exchange last week and received these cookies. They were the first to go when I got home. We all loved them. This week, I will be attempting to make them myself. Beth said she got the recipe from the Taste of Home website under their contest winning recipes. I believe it! These are delish! :)

Chocolate Peppermint Treats

Cookie Ingredients:
1 c. butter
1 c. packed brown sugar
½ c. sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 ½ c. flour
¾ c. baking cocoa
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

White Chocolate Frosting:
½ c. vanilla or white chips
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 c. confectioners’ sugar
½ c. crushed peppermint candies

1. In large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips.
2. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375F for 8-10 minutes or until set. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
3. In a microwave, melt vanilla chips at 70% power for 1 minute; stir. Microwave additional 10-20 second intervals, stirring until smooth; cool.
4. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Beat in melted chips.

5. Frost cookies; sprinkle with peppermint candies.

Makes approximately 6 ½ dozen

This yummy recipe is from Beth Amstutz. :)

Snickerdoodles/Christmas-doodles

I'm making the Christmas variation of these for a cookie exchange on Tuesday...maybe I'll remember to post some pics when I make them!

Snickerdoodles

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
½ cup shortening
2 large eggs
2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. Beat 1 ½ cups sugar, the butter, shortening, and eggs in a large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed, or mix with a spoon
3. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt
4. Shape dough into 1 ¼ inch balls (I use my Pampered chef medium scoop and do not over-fill)
5. Roll in cinnamon sugar mixture and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet
6. Bake 8-10 minutes. Immediately remove from cookie sheet.

Christmas variation:
Christmas-doodles
Follow steps 1-4, then roll dough in green or red sprinkles for step 5, continue on with step 6.

Easy Fantasy Fudge

Just made this yesterday...yummmmm!

Easy Fantasy Fudge

¾ cup butter
3 cups sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
12 oz. bag of chocolate or peanut butter chips
7 oz. marshmallow crème
2 tsp. vanilla

1. Lightly grease pan.
2. Mix butter, sugar, and milk in a large sauce pan. Bring it to a rolling boil, stirring constantly.
3. Boil 5 minutes or until mixture reaches 234 degrees. Remove from heat.
4. Gradually stir in chips until melted.
5. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
6. Pour into pan (either an 8x8 or a 9x13 depending on how thick you prefer) and let cool.

From Heather Ziegler Hamilton

Ginger Cookies

Gingersnaps

Ingredients:

3/4 cup shortening (or 1/2 cup shortening and 1/4 cup butter)

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/4 molasses

2 cups flour

1 Tb ginger
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt


1. Mix wet ingredients first.
2. Then mix in dry ingredients.
3. Form into small balls and roll in sugar.
4. Bake 10-12 minutes at 400 degrees.

This recipe was passed on to me from the wonderful Bethanie May Cooke! :)

Eclair Recipe

Éclair Recipe

Ingredients:

2 sleeves of graham crackers*
2 boxes of vanilla pudding
3 cups of milk
1 (8 oz) container of cool whip
1 can of chocolate frosting
1 heath bar (crushed)

1. Combine pudding and milk, mix. Fold in cool whip.
2. Line 9 x 13** pan with graham crackers.
3. Pour mixture over crackers. Place another layer of crackers on top gently.
4. Melt chocolate frosting and pour over top layer of crackers.
5. Sprinkle crushed heath bar on top.
6. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving.

From Leigh Bryant

*for a fun twist, try using cinnamon graham crackers and french vanilla pudding mix, it's yummy!! :)
**I have made half of this recipe once in an 8x8 dish and it worked great!

Sour Cream Pound Cake

This is great with strawberries--fresh or frozen--poured over top! Yum! I might have to go make it right now! :)

Sour Cream Pound Cake

ingredients:

2 sticks butter, softened
3 C sugar
6 eggs
3 C flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4-1 C sour cream (I used 1 C)
1/4 tsp vanilla

1. Cream butter and sugar with mixer.
2. Add eggs, one at a time mixing after each.
3. Combine dry ingredients and add a little at a time. It will be thick.
4. Blend in sour cream & vanilla.
5. Pour in greased and floured tube pan or 2 loaf pans. Bake at 350.
Tube pan for 1 1/2 hrs or 2 loaf pans 60 min.
( I baked it in an angel food cake pan one time for 1 1/2 hrs and thought it was too done. That's when I switched to loaf pans).
Enjoy!

From Sharon Webb

Sugar Cookies/Cut-Out Cookies

I know it may be a little early to start thinking about holiday baking, but I LOVE baking, so it's never too early in my book! My friend, Jen, gave me this recipe and it makes cookies like my mom used to make. (I can't her recipe-must have lost it!) I love them. I might make some turkeys w/ Jon one day soon. If I do, I'll post some cute pics of my little helper--he loves "cooking in the kitchen with Mom." I haven't found a frosting recipe that I love, so please share yours with me. I'm always up for trying new things. :) Thanks! Enjoy!

Cut-Out Cookies

prep time: 10 minutes + at least 1 hour of 'chill time' + 10-20 minutes of cutting out cookies
bake time: 8-10 minutes each

Ingredients:
1c. margarine
2 eggs
2/3 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
3 c. flour

Combine margarine, sugar, salt, eggs and vanilla in a bowl and beat with mixer until smooth and fluffy. Add flour and mix well. Divide in half. Form each half into a ball and wrap in waxed paper. Chill in refrigerator at least one hour - you can do it overnight too. Roll out 1/8 inch thick and cut with cookie cutters. (Lightly flour board or counter and rolling pin to prevent sticking.*) Bake on greased cookie sheet one inch apart at 350 for 8 to 10 minutes. Frost with icing or sprinkle with colored sugar.
This makes about 4 cookie sheets worth of cookies--I know that's a vague way to describe the amount, but I figured no matter what size your cookie cutters, you're all using approximately the same sized cookie sheets right??

From Jen Hooper

*My mother in law got me a thin fabric cover for my rolling pin and a pastry cloth sheet that I use--it's wonderful. I still use flour on it, but then I shake it out and throw it in the washer. I highly recommend them. They also help if you make pie crusts from scratch--although I must confess, I usually just by the Pillsbury ones now!! (time is money people!!)

Dump Cake

Dump Cake

prep time: 5-10 minutes bake time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1 can blueberry pie filling
1 large can of crushed pineapple
1 french vanilla cake mix (you can use yellow cake mix, but I prefer the f.v.)
1 stick of butter

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Pour the blueberry pie filling into a 9 x 13 pan and spread it out with a spatula
3. Pour the crushed pineapple, with its juice, over top of the blueberry
4. Sprinkle the cake mix (dry—don’t make it or anything) over top of the pineapple
5. Cut the butter into slices and put evenly over the cake mix
6. Bake for approx. 30 minutes or until golden

From Pam Catlin