Granola bar cookies...

Remember my granola bars and how good they are...

well these are just like them but in cookie form...

they are sooo good and sooo addicting so I suggest you should try them this very instant!

pictures from my phone = low quality (phone pictures are just easier to upload)

Granola bar cookies:

Cream together:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup sugar

1 cup peanut butter

Add:

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda 

1 tsp. baking powder

2 cups flour

2 cups oatmeal (I used quick cooking)

Mix well.

Add:

1 cup mini chocolate chips (or more if you like)

Use the medium pampered chef scoop and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet.  They don't spread so you can load up your cookie sheet pretty good, I did 16 to a sheet.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes.  They are better a little softer so adjust your baking time accordingly.  Makes approx. 3 1/2 dozen cookies.  

And don't forget to pace yourself...you will most definitely be addicted like we are!

Sugar cookie bars...

These come to you courtesy of my friend Melanie...

if you like sugar cookies like I do, you will thoroughly LOVE this recipe...

but I warn you, they are super naughty when dieting...

I made them on Mother's Day where no calories were ever counted...

(well, they were but these weren't a part of it)

Sugar Cookie Bars:

Cream together until fluffy...

1 cup butter, room temperature soft

1 8 oz. package cream cheese, room temperature soft

1 1/2 cups sugar

Add:

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Mix thoroughly.

Add:

3 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

Mix well and press into a greased jelly roll pan.  Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until very lightly browned on the edges.  Frost with buttercream frosting.  

Buttercream Frosting:

10 2/3 Tbsp. soft butter

1 tsp. vanilla

4 Tbsp. milk

4 cups powdered sugar

Beat all ingredients until fluffy and add desired food coloring.  

Note:  I use about 10 Tbsp. butter and I also add Almond extract for more flavor.  Love Love Love!!!

Cutler's Sugar Cookies...

I found this amazing copycat recipe on pinterest...I must say that they are as close as it gets to a scrumptious Cutler's sugar cookie...Have fun making them!

Cutler's Sugar Cookie:

3 sticks butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
5 cups cake flour

Mix butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix well, scraping sides of bowl.  Add salt, baking powder and cake flour.  Chill dough.

When dough is ready, preheat oven to 350 degrees and roll out dough about as thick as a pencil and cut out into shapes.  Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes.  They don't look done but may have some cracks on top and a little brown on the bottom edges.  I found that even though I cooked most of them at 13 minutes, it was a smidge too long.  They continue to set up after they are out of the oven.

Icing: (My recipe)

Powdered sugar
Karo syrup
water
flavoring (Almond, lemon etc.)

Get about 3 cups of powdered sugar in a bowl and add maybe 2 Tbsp. Karo.  Add some water and whisk it around adding more water if needed.  The consistency should be like the Karo syrup.  Add your flavoring, in this case I used Almond, and any colors you want.  When cookies are cooled, dip them upside down into the icing, scraping the excess off on the sides of the bowl and put them on a cooling rack so the icing will drip down around the cookie.  Decorate.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies...

I got this recipe off of Pinterest and you can view the link here...(of course I omitted and added a couple of things but they are essentially the same)

They are so good and everyone in my family is loving them...
I did add some mini M&M's to the mix cuz who doesn't love those...

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies...

Ingredients:


* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 1/2 cup peanut butter
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 egg
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
* 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1/2 to 1 cup semi-chocolate chips (I added 1/2 cup choc chips and 1/2 cup mini M&M's)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix butter and peanut butter until smooth.  Add sugars and mix until fluffy.  Add soda, powder and mix well.  Add egg and vanilla, mix. Add flour and mix until combined, scraping sides if necessary.  Then add choc chips and M&M's.  Use the small pampered chef scoop and place on greased baking sheets.  I rolled my cookies after scooping so they would be smooth looking.  Bake for 7-9 minutes being careful to not overbake.  They won't look or feel done but I can assure you that they are.  They just need to set up first.  Makes about 36 bite sized yummy goodness cookies.

Caramel Apple Cider Cookies...

So my neighbor brought over these to die for cookies about a week ago...

and I am not kidding, they are to die for...

since then I have made 2 batches and I think together we improved them slightly!

I will post the original and our newer version for you and you can decide which one to try!

Recipe courtesy of Studio 5

Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies

• 1 c. softened butter
• 1 c.granulated sugar
• 1/2 t.salt
• 1 box (7.4 oz) Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink mix -not sugar free- all 10 packets (I found this in my grocery store near the hot chocolate mixes.)
• 2 eggs
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1 t. ground cinnamon
• 3 c. all purpose flour
• 1 bag Kraft Caramels (14 oz)

· Preheat oven to 350° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment. (You really need the parchment!)

Mix together butter and sugars until fluffy, add eggs, vanilla, salt and apple cider packets and  mix well.  Add dry ingredients and mix well.
· Refrigerate for about an hour (This is crucial...I learned the hard way)
· When you are ready to bake, unwrap your caramels.
· Scoop out cookie dough ball about the size of a walnut. (I used a rounded cookie scoop-full. My scoop holds about a Tablespoon.)
· Flatten the ball of dough slightly in the palm of your hand. Press the unwrapped caramel into the center of your dough and seal the dough around it, covering it completely. Place on parchment covered cookie sheets 2 inches apart.
· Bake 12-14 minutes, or until very lightly browned around the edges. Please don't over- bake! Once the cookies are done, slide the parchment off of the baking sheet right out onto the counter. Allow cookies to partially cool on the parchment. When cookies are cool enough to be firm but still slightly warm, carefully twist off of parchment and place on another piece of parchment paper that is on your counter.
· Yield: about 4 dozen, depending on how large you make your cookies.  Store in an airtight container. 

Michelle and I's version:  We thought that using the Kraft Caramel Bits would make the caramel distribute evenly and also make the cookies easier to make.  It was beyond perfect after using the caramel bits.  Let me tell you, rolling all those caramels into the cookies was not the most fun thing to do!  And, if you use the small pampered chef cookie scoop for these, bake them for 10-11 minutes, they turn out perfect

Paradise Bakery Sugar Cookie...

I love me a good Sugar cookie...

I like em' bakery style or frosted...

but I especially liked these!

I've never had a Paradise Bakery Sugar Cookie but I am told that these are quite similar...

in fact...

I don't feel the need to compare because these are so Delish!

photo courtesy of flickr

Paradise Bakery Sugar Cookie:

2 cups shortening

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

3/4 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

4 1/3 cups cake flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees...grease cookie pans.

Cream together shortening and sugars for 30 seconds, scrape down sides and mix again for a minimum of 3 minutes.  Slowly add vanilla and egg while mixing.  Add soda, powder and salt, mix until combined.  Add flour and mix only until combined...do not over mix!  (Note:  this recipe calls specifically for cake flour and I don't recommend using anything different...I once even tried to make my own substitution and they did not work out.)

Use the large pampered chef scoop to form dough balls.  Flatten slightly with the palm of your hand and dip the tops of the dough balls into sugar (I used that big chunky sparkly kind and it was so pretty.)  Place onto the cookie sheets, six to a sheet.  Bake for 9-10 minutes, cracks will appear on the cookie and the edges should not brown.  (Note:  the cookies will not appear to be done in the middle but they continue to set up on the sheets after baking, and the less time to bake the better.)

These are the BOMB and in my professional opinion they are even better the next day!

Giant Chocolatey Reese's PB Cup cookies...

 

Dear Ashley...

You MUST and I mean MUST make these for my brother...

He will LOVE them with a capital L...

Therefore...

He will love ME for giving you the recipe!

Catch my drift?

I found this recipe off of a blog I was browsing and I was soooooo intrigued.  I mean, what's not to like:  Cookies...Good, Chocolate...Good, and Peanut Butter Cups...Good!  (3 points if you can name that TV sitcom I just used!)  Anyways...these are so rich and so good...they have a brownie like texture and taste with the PB cup in the center that adds even more texture and more yumminess...a must try for sure!  And when I say Giant...I mean Giant!  Like about 6 inches in diameter...therefore making only about 20 cookies!

Blog I found these on...http://www.heatherchristo.com

Enjoy!

Chocolate Cookies Stuffed with Peanut Butter Cups:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbs Vanilla
1 ½ cups cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups flour
20 regular sized Reese's PB cups

Cream together butter and sugars.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Add cocoa, soda, salt and flour and mix well. With a medium scoop (pampered chef) scoop out the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  6 cookies per sheet.  Press PB cup into cookie.  Now take a slightly smaller scoop of cookie dough and place on top of PB cup.  Use your fingers to press the dough around the cup and into the bottom portion of dough.  Note:  By placing only 6 cookies per sheet, the cookies are allowed to spread to their maximum capacity making them so GIANT...which is good!  Bake cookies in a 350 degree oven for 12 minutes.  Let cool just enough before devouring them!  I ended up with 21 cookies and they were perfect!

I realize that this is quite an expensive cookie to make and that it also doesn't make many cookies but...my kids were so excited to try them and I think they were perfect for this rainy Sunday afternoon!  You can also jump over the Heather C's blog to get a more detailed description and more pictures!

Rolo Cookies...

Mmmmm...Mmmmm...Mmmmm...

That's all I have to say...

Oh, and I found this recipe on Two peas and their Pod...

 

Rolo Cookies:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cocoa
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Bag of Rolo candies, unwrapped
Sugar (for rolling the cookie dough balls in)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat. Set aside.

2. With a mixer, cream butter and sugars together until smooth. Add in eggs, one at a time. Next, add in vanilla extract. Mix until blended.

4. Slowly add baking soda, salt, cocoa and flour to mixture and blend well. Take a spoonful of chocolate cookie dough and wrap around one Rolo candy. Make sure Rolo is completely covered with cookie dough. Roll dough ball in sugar and place on prepared baking sheet. Continue until you run out of cookie dough.

5. Bake cookies for 7-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit on cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes. Move to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Makes exactly 3 dozen cookies.

Amy's Note:  I used the medium pampered chef scoop and I baked them for exactly 10 minutes.

Yummy Pulled Pork sandwiches...Cake Mix Cookies

So my phlebotomy teacher is pretty awesome...

and, yes I am brown-nosing right now...

hopefully he reads this...

 hahaha...

Any who, this recipe comes courtesy of him...

apparently it's like his favorite thing ever...

and I must admit that they are super tasty!!!

Pulled Pork Sandwiches:

1 3-5 pound pork roast (any kind)

1 2 liter bottle Mug Root beer

1-2 bottles Sweet Baby Ray's original BBQ sauce

In a large crock pot place the roast and cover completely with root beer.  I set my crock pot on low and let this baby cook for about 24 hours.  Drain the root beer off of the roast and shred the meat.  Pour the sauce over the meat and incorporate so that the meat is completely saturated in the sauce.  Leave the crock pot on a warm setting for about 1-2 hours until ready to serve.  If you don't have a warm setting, just turn it off and don't remove the lid.  Serve inside your favorite rolls...I like those diamond shaped ones from Wal-Mart...I think they are called boullilo or something like that!  Enjoy!

Oh and Mark...can I totally use you as a reference whilst applying for jobs?...just checking (hahaha...)

 Have you ever had cake mix cookies?...

Well I had them years ago and wrote them off totally because I thought they were so bad...

until I came across these little beauties...

so simple and Oh So Good!!!

 Cake Mix Cookies:

1 box cake mix
1 cube butter, softened
1 egg

Mix the cake mix, butter and egg together until well combined.  Drop by rounded tablespoon (medium scoop) onto a cookie sheet.  (about 15 cookies per sheet)  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-11 minutes.  Do not over bake.  These puppies are so delish and the possibilities for cake mixes are endless...yellow is my favorite...my kids liked the lemon ones (probably cuz I drizzled them with a lemon glaze) and the funfetti ones are so dang cute!

The only downfall to these little gems is that it only makes about 20 cookies...total bummer!

Soft Ginger Cookies...

These cookies are fabulous and they make your house smell like Christmas. I got the recipe from my SIL Sarah who is genious in the kitchen...and, my kids LOVE them. Sarah's kids call them..."those addicting cookies" because they are just that...ADDICTING!!!

Soft Ginger Cookies:

2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses

Mix dry ingredients and set aside. Beat butter for 30 seconds and add sugar. Beat until fluffy and add egg and molasses. Mix in dry ingredients. Shape into 1 1/2" balls (medium pampered chef scoop) and roll in sugar. Place onto ungreased cookie sheet about 2" apart. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes (don't overbake).

M&M Cookies...

This is a recipe I got from a lady I used to work with 12 years ago...and they are one of my favorites! They aren't like a chocolate chip cookie but more a sugar cookie. They are fun to switch out the M&M's for each holiday...this year the Halloween ones were especially adorable and I was excited to whip up a batch...

M&M Cookies...

Cream together:

1 cup butter (real, not margarine)

2 cups sugar

Add:

2 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cream of tartar

5 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Use the medium pampered chef scoop and place on cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or just until one golden part. Cool and store in airtight container. Makes about 5 dozen.

Chewy Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies...

Okay...so I haven't posted in awhile because I have been "Nesting"...I know...I know...way too early for that but I just can't help it...I talked to my sister in law, Ashley yesterday and she is TOTALLY nesting but she's only about 7 months so for her...it's okay...for me...not so much. (It was so weird, the instinct just hit me yesterday afternoon and I can't stop) Everywhere I read it says "nesting" is a sign of impending labor...CRAP!!! I still have 3-4 weeks until I am considered full term and I DO NOT WANT A NICU BABY...CRAP!!!

My "nesting" has included me cleaning all of the blinds...cleaning out the vacuum, filter and all...vacuuming every single crevis in this entire house...dusting the really tall stuff...buying freezer food the Chris and the kids...stocking up on cereal...and so on!

Anyways, these cookies are probably our favorite! I will make a batch of these and they are pretty much gone in a couple of days around here...they are super easy too! I have tried different variations like chocolate chips or butterscotch and chocolate chips but we all agree...the original is the best!


Chewy Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies...

Cream together:

1 cup butter flavored shortening (no substitutions)

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

Add:

2 eggs

2 Tbsp. milk

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

2 cups flour

3 cups oats

1 pkg. butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. I use the medium pampered chef scoop and bake them for 9-10 minutes. Cookies will be soft and chewy. Store them in an airtight container...if they last that long!

I think I've found it...

The perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie Ever!!! I think it's safe to say that my endless search is over...I feel like I just won the lottery...the cookie lottery! I found this recipe off of Rookie Cookie's blog, I was skeptical because I had tried recipes before with pudding in them and they didn't blow my skirt up...if you know what I mean! This one did...and I think it's perfect!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream together well:

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

Add:

1 small (3.4 oz) box vanilla pudding

Mix until well incorporated.

Add and mix well:

2 eggs

1tsp. vanilla

Add and mix well:

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

2 1/4 cups flour

Then add:

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Refrigerate cookie dough overnight.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

This is exactly how I made them, I baked them for 11 minutes and it made 4 dozen cookies! YUM!

Everything but the kitchen sink cookies...

This recipe was sort of result of a couple of recipes put together...they are really good though...and, I think you should try them! They are super simple and the best part is...my kids won't eat them because of the cranberries...More for Chris and I!!!


Cranberry Oatmeal White Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies...Whew!


1 c. butter
1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
2 c. oats
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 bag Moana Loa Premier White Chips with Macadamia Nut pieces
1 c. sweetened dried cranberries


Cream butter, sugar and eggs. Add rest of ingredients and scoop out with the Medium pampered chef scoop on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. YUM!

More Recipes...

So here is another recipe for you all...

The kids love it when I make their favorite cookies, Hopscoth Cookies, and yes they named them. They were originally called Chewy Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies, I like our name better.

Cream together:
1 cup butter flavored shortening
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
Add:
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups flour
3 cups oats (I like to grind half of them in the blender)
Butterscotch chips

Bake at 375 degrees for 9-10 minutes. Makes about 5 dozen and cookies will be soft.