Fudgy Dark Chocolate Brownies

• 10 tablespoons (145 g) butter
• 1 1/4 cups (250 g) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (65 g) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-process)
• 1/4 rounded teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, cold
• 1/2 cup (70 g) all-purpose flour (we use Gold Medal unbleached all-purpose flour)
• 2/3 cup (75 g) chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and heat to 325 degrees F (163 C). Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch (20cm) square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on two opposite sides. (This helps when removing the baked brownies from the pan, once cooled).

Add enough water to a medium saucepan so that it is 1 to 2 inches deep. Heat water until barely simmering. Combine butter, sugar, cocoa powder and the salt in a medium heat-safe bowl. Rest bowl over simmering water (if the bottom of the bowl touches the water, remove a little water).

Stir mixture occasionally until the butter has melted and mixture is quite warm. Don’t worry if it looks gritty, it will become smooth once you add the eggs and flour.

Remove the bowl from heat and set aside for 3 to 5 minutes until it is only warm, not hot.

Stir in vanilla with a wooden spoon or spatula. Then, add eggs, one at a time, stirring vigorously after each one.

When the batter looks thick, shiny and well blended, add the flour and stir until fully incorporated, then beat with the wooden spoon or spatula for 40 to 50 strokes. (The batter will be quite thick). Stir in nuts, if using. Spread evenly in lined pan.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted into the center and come out almost clean (you want it to be a little moist with batter). Note: Some have found they need to bake an extra 10 minutes, so keep an eye on the doneness of the brownies and use the toothpick test as your guide.

Cool completely then remove from pan. For the cleanest lines when cutting, place into freezer for 20 to 30 minutes to firm up. Cut into 16 squares.

Buttermilk Sugar Cookies

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup softened butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 to 4 tablespoons buttermilk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in dry ingredients. Add enough of the buttermilk to moisten the dough and make it soft, not wet.

Roll rounded teaspoons of dough into balls and place on a ungreased cookie sheet. With a brush or fingers, moisten the top of each cookie with the remaining buttermilk and slightly flatten the top of each cookie. Sprinkle with raw sugar or colored sprinkles.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until slightly golden. Let stand for 2 minutes before removing to cool on a rack.

Cake Batter Rice Krispies Treats

3T butter
1 (10 oz) bag of marshmallows
1/4 cup dry yellow cake mix
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal
sprinkles

In a large saucepan melt butter over low heat.  Add marshmallows and cake mix, stirring until completely melted.  Remove from heat and stir in Rice Krispies until well coated.  Add sprinkles and stir to combine.  Pour into a 9x13 pan and press down with wax paper until flat.  Add additional sprinkles if desired and press into the top again with wax paper.  Cool.  Cut into squares.    

 

Cake Mix Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Combine cake mix, pudding, water, vegetable oil, eggs and chocolate chips in a bowl.
Pour the batter (it's going to be thick) into a greased 9x13 baking dish.
Bake your bars for 20-30 minutes.
It may look sort of raw in the middle but if the edges are just golden and starting to get crispy, it's probably perfect.

Basic Rice Krispies Treats

3T butter
1 package (10 oz) marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies

In a large saucepan melt butter over low heat.  Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted.  Remove from heat and stir in Rice Krispies until well coated.  Pour into a 9x13 pan and press down with wax paper until flat.   Cool.  Cut into squares. 

Basic Brownies

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 8 inch square pan.  In a large saucepan melt butter then remove from heat.  Stir in sugar, eggs and vanilla.  Stir in cocoa, flour, salt and baking powder.  Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes.  Do not over bake. 

Buttercream Frosting

• 1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature (3 sticks)
• 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 Tbsp heavy cream
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (use clear if desired)

Directions:

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, using the paddle or whisk attachment whip butter on medium high speed (if using whisk attachment whip on high speed) until nearly white and very fluffy, about 7 - 8 minutes, frequently scrapping down the sides of the bowl. Add in powdered sugar, heavy cream and vanilla extract and mix on low speed until blended, then increase speed to medium and beat until very light and fluffy, about 5 - 6 minutes, frequently scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

½ cups butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg
lemon zest of large lemon
lemon juice of large lemon
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoons baking soda
1-½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels

1 (16 oz) bag pretzel twists

⅔ cup butter, melted
vanilla, a dash or two
1 cup sugar
2-3 tbsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine pretzels, melted butter and vanilla into a gallon size Ziploc bag and toss to coat. In a bowl mix together the cinnamon and sugar and pour half of the mixture in the Ziploc to coat the pretzels.  When well-coated, spread the pretzels into a roasting pan. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, removing twice (after ten minutes and again after twenty minutes) to stir, adding more cinnamon sugar mixture each time.

Cream Cheese Brownies

1 box yellow cake mix
3 eggs
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
4 cups (1 lb) powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 300 and spray a 9×13 dish with cooking spray. Mix cake mix, melted butter and one egg to a soft dough. Press into the bottom of the pan. Mix powdered sugar, softened cream cheese and remaining two eggs until smooth, about 1-2 mins. Pour on top of crust. Bake at 300 for 40-50 minutes until top is golden brown.

Cookies and Cream Christmas Bark

Preparation:
Line an 8×8 pan with enough parchment or wax paper for a 1 inch overhang on each side.

Ingredients:

• 10 oz. white chocolate chips
• 15 regular size Oreos, plus 3 more for topping

Instructions:

1. Place chocolate in a double boiler over low heat and stir continuously, until chocolate is completely melted.  Transfer chocolate to a heat proof bowl and cool for 5 minutes. Add chopped Oreos and stir to combine. Pour mixture into pan. Use a spatula to smooth out top.
2. Finely chop remaining Oreos and sprinkle on top. Chill for about 10 minutes until chocolate becomes solid.
3. Lift whole bark out of pan by holding onto parchment or wax overhang. Split bark into pieces with a fork.

Saltine Toffee

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed tightly
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
40 saltine crackers

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 15x10-inch jelly roll pan or a 12x17-inch cookie sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray. Lay a flat layer of crackers out on the foil. Melt the sugar and butter until a boil is reached. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5-6 minutes or until mixture is thickened and sugar is completely dissolved. Pour this mixture over the crackers and spread to coat evenly. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the toffee becomes bubbly. After removing the pan from the oven, let it sit for 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle on the chocolate chips, let them soften and melt, and then spread them into an even layer. (You can add nuts, cracker crumbs, crushed peppermint, etc.) Let cool and, if desired for expediting purposes, refrigerate until hardened. Break into pieces the size of your choice.

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

from Betty Crocker

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375ºF.
2. Mix sugars, butter, vanilla and egg in large bowl. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt   (dough will be stiff). Stir in chocolate chips. 
3. Refrigerate dough for an hour.
4. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.
5. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack. 

*So here's my tidbit of information:  I don't make them all at once.  I put the cookie dough in one of those reusable plastic containers and just keep it in the fridge.  I'll make a handful at a time so they're always really fresh.

Soft, Thick Sugar Cookies

These cookies taste just like the soft sugar cookies found in the store; we loved them.

1 18 oz box white cake mix with pudding in the mix
2/3 cup flour
2 large eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
2 T sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, stir together cake mix and flour.  Add eggs, oil and sour cream and mix on medium speed until incorporated.  Batter will be fairly stiff.  Use a cookie scoop or roll into approximately one inch balls and bake on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat or parchment paper.  This will help keep the bottoms of the cookies from browning.  Use the heel of your hand or a glass dusted with sugar to gently flatten cookies to about a half inch thick.  You don't want the bottoms to be browned or you've over-baked these.  Bake approximately ten minutes until just set.  Let cool about one minute on the pan and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.  Frost with your favorite frosting.