Recipe Thursday - Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

This week's Recipe:

These were some great cookies and definitely out of the ordinary!

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

by Chef in Training
 

2 cups sugar
3/4 cup oil
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/3 cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
powdered sugar for rolling

Combine sugar, oil and cocoa in a large bowl. Beat until well blended.

Beat in eggs and vanilla.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add to cocoa mixture, beating well.

Cover and refrigerate dough until it is firm enough to handle. If you are wanting them to firm up faster, like me, stick the covered dough in the freezer until firm enough to handle.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a cookie sheet.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls then roll them in powdered sugar. Place on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart from each other.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes.

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Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you! I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!

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Recipe Thursday | Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies

This week's Recipe: 
So I shared this recipe a couple of years ago. The original was from Bakerella, but I have now added my own personal touches and have made it my own! These are the perfect treat for holidays (especially Christmas and Valentine's Day) and really any day that you want to make better!  When you usually think of homemade oreos - you think of using a chocolate cake mix - but I promise you the Red Velvet ones are so much better!

Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies

by DeDe Smith

Ingredients:

1 box red velvet cake mix

1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ingredients until combined. 

Put a spoonful of cookie batter into your hand and roll it into a ball. Place onto baking sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool.

Cream Cheese Filling

1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature

8 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 pound of powdered sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

In a mixer: cream butter, cream cheese and vanilla. Gradually add sugar and mix until smooth.

* You can just use a jar of store-bought cream cheese frosting too! 

Spread filling one one cookie and then top with another one!

Makes about 24 cookies or 12 cookie sandwiches.

 

MORE FUN:

Now here's where you can get lots more creative and make these cookies more festive!


** Using small metal cookie cutters - take the cooled baked cookies and cut out shapes. Then put small amount of filling in between 2 shaped cookies.

*  Try coloring your filling!


* After filling and topping your cookies - roll sides in sprinkles!

YUMMY and so much fun! Have your kids help too!

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Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you! I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!

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Recipe Thursday - Soft & Chewy Snickerdoodles

This week's Recipe:

I love these perfect snickerdoodles. Just the right amount of chewiness, but still soft. Perfect! Unfortunately, I keep forgetting to take a photo of them when I make them - so this photo is from Our Best Bites! Make them today - you won't be able to eat enough! :)

Soft & Chewy Snickerdoodles

by Our Best Bites

1 ¾ cups sugar (12.25 oz), divided
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 ½ cups (12.5 oz) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt*
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter* (not margarine) at room temp
8 tablespoons vegetable shortening
2 large eggs
*if using salted butter, just omit table salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in shallow dish and set aside.  Whisk flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl.
Beat butter, shortening, and remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-6 minutes.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed.

Reduce speed of mixer to low and slowly add flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds.  Give dough final stir to ensure that no flour pockets remain.

Working with 2 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll into balls.  Working in batches, roll dough balls in cinnamon sugar mixture to coat and set on prepared baking sheet spaced 2 inches apart.

Bake 1 sheet at a time until edges of cookies are set and just barely beginning to brown, but centers are still soft and puffy, about 10-12 minutes.  The cookies should look raw between the cracks and seem underdone.  Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. 

Makes about 2 dozen 3-4 inch cookies.

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Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you! I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!

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Recipe Thursday - Thick 'n Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you!I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!


This week's Recipe:
These are the best Chocolate Chip Cookies ever! I will never need another recipe for chocolate chip cookies - this is it! I do chill my cookie dough before cooking and I find that they turn out much better - I also just rolled my dough into a ball - but those are the only things I did differently!

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Annie's Eats

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
Adjust oven racks to upper and lower-middle positions. Preheat oven 325°. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium bowl; set aside. With electric mixer, or by hand, mix butter and sugars until thoroughly combined. Beat in egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add dry ingredients and beat at low-speed just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

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. 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.

Cool cookies on sheets until able to lift without breaking. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

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Recipe Thursday - Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you!
I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!


This week's Recipe:
I haven't made Snickerdoodles in a long time but they are yummy. When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it - I love pumpkin cookies! Mine turned out a lot darker than Annie's - but they were good!


Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
by Annie from Annie's Eats

For the cookies:
3¾ cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the coating:
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
Dash of allspice

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk to blend and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Blend in the pumpkin puree. Beat in the egg and vanilla until incorporated. With the mixer on low speed add in the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Cover and chill the dough for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Combine the sugar and spices for the coating in a bowl and mix to blend. Scoop the dough (about 2½ tablespoons) and roll into a ball. Coat the dough ball in the sugar-spice mixture and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough to fill the sheets, spacing the dough balls 2-3 inches apart. Dip the bottom of a flat, heavy-bottomed drinking glass in water, then in the sugar-spice mixture, and use the bottom to flatten the dough balls slightly. Recoat the bottom of the glass in the sugar-spice mixture as needed.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until just set and baked through. Let cool on the baking sheets about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough. Store in an airtight container.

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Recipe Thursday - Swirl Cookies

Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you!
I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!


This week's Recipe:
Okay, yes, I made these for Christmas. But it is a great light cookie for all seasons. You can color these any color you want so it's great for anytime! Do this one with your kids - its fun!


Swirl Cookies
by gourmetmom from Quick Dish

1 pouch Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie Mix (or make your own sugar cookie recipe)
1/3 cup butter
1 egg
1 Tablespoon flour
food coloring


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie mix, egg, flour and butter in medium mixing bowl. Mix until smooth. Or make your own cookie dough.

Divide dough into three sections. Tint each section with a few drops of your choice of food coloring.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one section of dough into a 9" x 11" rectangle. Repeat with other sections.

Lay the three rectangles on top of each other and roll into a log.

Cut log into 1/2 inch slices with a very sharp knife.

Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 7-10 minutes until barely brown. Cool completely.

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Recipe Thursday - Brownie Covered Oreos

Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you!
I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!


This week's Recipe:
I made these as part of my treats that I gave away to friends/family for Christmas, but I think they would make a fun Valentine's Day Treat too! Not sure if you can still find the Winter Oreos in stores, but you could do it with just regular oreos too.


Brownie Covered Oreos
by Jenny from Picky Palate

1 Brownie mix (or use your own brownie recipe)

1 package Oreos (I used the Winter Oreos)

White chocolate, melted for drizzle, or Wilton White frosting pen works great

White nonpariels Sprinkles (I didn't add any of the white chocolate or sprinkles on mine).

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare brownie batter according to package directions. Leave in mixing bowl. Dip Oreos in brownie batter then place in bottom of muffin tins that have been generously sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until brownies are cooked through (doesn’t take long). As soon as you remove, take a plastic knife and run along edges, (this is VERY important so you get the cookie out with brownies not stuck to pan)

2. Let cool for 5 minutes, remove drizzle with melted white chocolate or the Wilton White icing pen, sprinkle with nonpariels and EAT!

Makes entire package of Oreos

** I could not for the life of me get these to look good when I made them in my muffin tin. They ended up looking more like cupcake/muffins and it wasn't what I was going for. So what I ended up doing is dipping them and getting as much excess off the cookies and then baking them on a cookie sheet (and parchment paper). They did spread the brownie mix quite a bit when baking, but I just cut the excess brownie off the cookie after baking and they looked great. Then we munched on the extra brownie.

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Recipe Thursday - Chocolate-Covered Marshmallow Cookies

Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you!
I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!


This week's Recipe:
I made these as part of my treats that I gave away to friends/family for Christmas, but I think they would make a fun Valentine's Day Treat too! I was extremely proud of how mine turned out and was so excited to do these, even though they did take a long time!


Chocolate-Covered Marshmallow Cookies
by Annie from Annie's Eats

For the cookie base:
3 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
½ tsp. salt
¾ tsp. baking powder
3/8 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
12 tbsp. unsalted butter, slightly chilled
3 large eggs


For the marshmallows:
¼ cup water
¼ cup corn syrup
¾ cup sugar
1 tbsp. powdered gelatin
2 tbsp. cold water
2 egg whites, at room temperature
¼ tsp. vanilla extract

For the chocolate glaze:
12 oz. semisweet or dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 oz. of cocoa butter or vegetable oil

To make the cookie base, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the dry ingredients and mix on low speed to blend. Add the butter and mix on low speed until sandy. Whisk the eggs together in a small bowl, then add to the dough and mix on low speed to incorporate. Form the dough into a ball, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 3 days).

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375° F. Grease a cookie sheet, or line sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. Roll the dough out to 1/8" thickness on a lightly floured surface. Use a 2-inch round cookie cutter to cut out rounds of the dough and transfer them to the prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the marshmallow, combine the water, corn syrup and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water in a small bowl. Set aside and let dissolve. Continue heating the sugar mixture in the pan until it reaches the soft-ball stage (235° F on a candy or instant-read thermometer). Remove the syrup from the heat, add in the softened gelatin, and mix to combine.

In the clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Pour the syrup and vanilla extract into the egg whites and continue whipping until the stiff peaks form. Transfer the mixture to a pastry bag and pipe dollops of marshmallow onto the cooled cookie bases. Let set at room temperature for 2 hours.

To make the chocolate glaze, combine the chocolate and the oil in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water. Heat until the chocolate is completely melted and a smooth glaze has formed. Place a cookie a a time onto a fork, spoon the chocolate glaze over the top until the cookie is covered, and gently shake off the excess. Transfer the glazed cookies to baking sheets lined with wax paper, garnish as desired, and let the glaze set.

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Recipe Thursday - Cookie Smores

Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you!I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!


This week's Recipe:
I was browsing my blogs one day and I discovered an easy way to make smores! I don't remember where I found it now - but this is fantastic!

Cookie Smores


Fudge striped Cookies
Marshmallows (try the different flavors they have now for extra fun)

You can always make smores the traditional way - get some chocolate and place it with a roasted marshmallow inside a graham cracker - YUMMY.

But here is another yummy way to make a smore - place a marshmallow inside a fudge-striped cookie! It already has the chocolate in it!

Tip: I don't have a way to roast a marshmallow at my house - no grill or place outside to make a fire - so I just put a marshmallow inside the cookie and put it in the oven for a few minutes - you could even use a microwave!

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Recipe Thursday - Peanut Butter Blossoms

Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you!
I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!


This week's Recipe:
When I was in college, my friend Amber made these cookies several times for us and I've always loved them. I've actually never made peanut butter cookies and I decided it was time to change that - especially when I saw a recipe online that used chocolate chips instead of the traditional Hershey Kisses on top. I rarely have Hershey Kisses in the house - but I always have chocolate chips (and peanut butter) - so it was just an easy fix and I'm done!

Another first for me and another thing I have always said I was going to do - is that I tripled the recipe and then rolled half of the dough up in plastic wrap - placed it in a Ziploc bag and stuck it in my freezer. Now when I get a hankering for some cookies, but don't really want to spend time making them - I can just take them out of the freezer - thaw it out a little and slice it up and cook them. I don't know why I didn't do this before - I'm definitely doing it everytime I make cookies now!

**I think the only thing I will change the next time I make this recipe is add a little more moisture and not so much flour - they were just a little too dry for my tastes!


Peanut Butter Blossoms
by Shandra from Deals to Meals

1 bag milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup shortening - I used the butter flavored shortening
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt


Heat oven to 350°F.

Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Gradually add dry ingredients into peanut butter mixture. Add chocolate chips to dough.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Put cookies on a cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Don't forget to smoosh the cookies down! Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack Cool completely. About 2 dozen cookies.

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Recipe Thursday - Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Each Thursday, I am going to be sharing a recipe with you!
I will pick a recipe from my collection and I will be sharing where I got the recipe and everything. But I am going to include my own photo of the finished food, the original recipe, and try and share the things I changed when I made it!

I would love your help too! If you have a great recipe, especially week-night dinner recipes (but I would love all kinds of recipes) - please share it with me, by emailing me at dedesmith32@gmail.com. I will try it out and feature it on my blog! If you have cooking tips or anything else in regards to cooking and food - please email me!


This week's Recipe:
A few weeks ago in Relief Society at church, the teacher gave out a recipe and a cookie as part of her wonderful lesson. This cookie was so yummy and just hit the spot. I've always wanted to learn to make this kind of cookie, but hadn't made the effort to find a recipe. I remember my Grandma Sorensen and my Aunt Suzanne making them, when I was young. So, 2 weeks ago, I made them for the very first time and I have to say they turned out fabulous! I will definitely be making these a lot - I just wish my husband liked them more! Oh well, more for me and the kids!


Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
by Claudia Allan

* This recipe makes A LOT OF cookies - between 5-7 dozen (depending on the size of your cookies). I made one batch and was able to share it with a few of my neighbors and we still ate cookies for about a week!

1 1/2 cups butter flavored shortening

4 1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs

29 oz can pumpkin

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbs baking powder

1 Tbs baking soda

1 Tbs nutmeg

1 Tbs cinnamon

1 Tbs vanilla

7 1/2 cups flour

24 oz bag chocolate chips

Mix all together and drop on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-14 minutes.

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