Andes Creme de Menthe Chunk Cookies

Chocolate and mint are one of my favorite combinations. My mom made these for our annual Christmas Eve Party this year and they were light and refreshing. She found the recipe on the back of a bag of Andes Creme de Menthe baking pieces.


Ingredients
1/2 cup salted butter - softened
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 package Andes creme de menthe baking chips
2 2/3 sifted all purpose flour

Directions
Mix butter, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla and eggs until well blended.
Stir in baking chips and then flour.
Chill for about one hour in the refrigerator.
Form 1 ounce balls and flatten with a fork.
Raise the oven rack one level above the middle.
Bake on non-stick baking pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes.
Cool on pans for 2 minutes before removing.
Makes around 4 dozen cookies.

Coconut Cornflake Macaroons

I love anything coconut, so I was thrilled when my mom found a new macaroon recipe in the St. Petersburg Times. These cookies were delicious and hard to put down. If you like regular macaroons but haven't been able to get the recipe just right....these are the ones to try next!

Ingredients:
1 can sweetened condensed mile
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups coconut
2 cups cornflakes

Directions:
1. Combine milk and vanilla. Stir well.
2. Add coconut and cornflakes. Mix well until combined and milk is distributed throughout mixture.
3. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or sprayed with cooking spray.
4. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Cherry Chocolate Cookies

I made these cookies last year and by request....they made another appearance this year as well. I found the recipe on All Recipes.com. The cookies are very sweet and chocolaty with a touch of cherry flavor. When the recipe calls for walnut size balls of dough, keep them small. The chocolate topping was a little tricky to keep neat. I thought it would spread in the over, but it didn't. I would recommend covering the entire cherry with the chocolate sauce before putting them in the oven. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 (10 ounce) jar maraschino cherries
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
Beat the butter and sugar together in a bowl. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Add the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder and stir until smooth. Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls about the size of a walnut (larger if desired). Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Press center of each ball with thumb.
Drain cherries and reserve juice. Place a cherry in indentation of each cookie ball.
In a saucepan, heat condensed milk and chocolate chips until chips are melted. Stir in 4 teaspoons of cherry juice. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of mixture over each cherry and spread to cover cherry. (More cherry juice may be added to keep frosting of spreading consistency.)
Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Man Dip #2

I decided to try the buffalo chicken dip aka "man dip" in the oven, instead of the crock pot this time. I liked this recipe much better than the first one I posted. Perfect for any super bowl party!

Ingrediants:
1/3 cup of blue cheese dressing
1/3 cup of buffalo wing sauce
3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken meat
1/2 cup of mozzarella or cheddar cheese
8oz package of cream cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Spread cream cheese into the bottom of an 8x8 casserole dish.
3. Mix blue cheese, wing sauce, and chicken in a medium size bowl.
4. Pour mixture over cream cheese and spread evenly.
5. Top with mozzarella cheese.
6. Cook for 20 minutes.

**Serve with celery, tostodo chips, or crackers.

Turkey Chili

I love using my crock pot, and I love meals with not too many ingredients. This turkey chili is simple to make but we love it and make almost once a week in the winter. Derek doesn't like onions and I don't like kidney beans, which is why they aren't included in the recipe.

Serves: 4
Ingredients:
28 oz can of diced tomatoes
27 oz can of pinto beans
8z can of tomato sauce
1.25lb ground turkey
packet of McCormick Chili seasoning
cup of shredded cheddar cheese
tsp salt and pepper to season meat

Directions:
1. Cook and season the turkey meat in a skillet.
2. Add the beans, tomatoes, and tomato sauce to the crock pot and stir.
3. Add the cooked chili to the crock pot.
4. Mix in the chili seasoning.
5. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

**Serve with sprinkled cheddar cheese on top and cornbread!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

WARNING...The following recipe makes 12 1/2 dozen cookies. If you are not interested in spending hours in the kitchen....cut down the recipe. Other than that, this was a delightful cookie. I found the recipe in my new The Best Loved Cookies and Bars Taste of Home magazine. I omitted the raisins and used mini chocolate chips instead of regular ones. I found that 11 minutes was the perfect time in my oven. Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 cups butter, softened
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 cups quick-cooking oats
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
2-1/2 cups raisins
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts
1 cup flaked coconut

Directions
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in water and vanilla. Combine the oats, flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. (Transfer to a larger bowl if necessary.) Stir in the raisins, chocolate chips, walnuts and coconut.
Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Yield: about 12-1/2 dozen.

Minty and Delicious!

Mint Thins!!

I made these cookies last year and couldn't wait to make them again this year. They seem easy to make and for the most part, they are.  They are just messy, so prepare to get your hands covered in chocolate! 

 In order to get the chocolate to a perfect consistency I used a fondu pot, which kept the chocolate nice and warm.  It also made it much easier for me to dip the crackers.  

These cookies taste just like Thin Mint cookies!

Enjoy.  

Recipe Adapted from Kraft Foods 

Ingredients: 

1 pkg. (8 squares) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted, slightly cooled
1/4 tsp. peppermint extract
1 sleeve RITZ Crackers (36 crackers)
1 cup of peppermint baking bits

Make It!

MIX chocolate and extract.

DIP crackers in chocolate, turning to completely coat each cracker. Carefully scrape off excess chocolate. Place crackers in single layer on waxed paper-covered baking sheets; sprinkle with baking bits, I pressed them down a bit so they wouldn't fall off.

REFRIGERATE 30 min. or until chocolate is firm.

Kris Kringle Cookies

If you're looking for a BIG batch of cookies to make, you've found the perfect recipe! For me,  I wanted to try a cookie recipe that was different, beyond he typical chocolate chip cookie.  This one has white chocolate, pecans and cranberries…it screams Christmas! 

I made the cookies as directed and refrigerated the dough for an hour. 10 minutes was the perfect baking time, and then I moved them to a cooling rack. The cookies were a little thin, but I enjoyed the taste of the cranberries. If I made these again I would use chocolate chips instead of white chocolate for a twist.

Recipe Courtesy of Kraft Foods 

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2-1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 pkg. (6 squares each) BAKER'S White Chocolate, chopped
2 cups PLANTERS Chopped Pecans, toasted
2 cups dried cranberries
Make It!
HEAT oven to 375ºF.

BEAT butter and sugars in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda and salt; mix well. Stir in chocolate, nuts and cranberries.

DROP rounded tablespoonfuls of dough, 1-1/2 inches apart, onto baking sheets.

BAKE 9 to 11 min. or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets 3 min.; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.

Apple Pie Dip

First, sorry for the blurry picture (I will post a new one when I make it again). So, I was determined to find some new recipes for my holiday parties. I came across this one on Kraftfoods.com and it caught my eye. I prepared the dip a few hours before the party and made a few additions. I added a few more spices (cinnamon & pumpkin pie) to the top of the dip before I put it in the oven. I also served it with Stacy's Cinnamon & Sugar pita chips. Overall, a simple and delicious recipe.

1 tub (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 apple, chopped, divided
1/4 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 Tbsp. finely chopped PLANTERS Pecan Pieces
WHEAT THINS Original Crackers

Make It!
HEAT oven to 375°F.

MIX reduced-fat cream cheese, sugar and spice in medium bowl until well blended. Stir in half of the apples.

SPREAD into pie plate or small casserole dish. Top with remaining apples, Cheddar and nuts.

BAKE 10 to 12 min. or until heated through. Serve with crackers.

Classic Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

Classic peanut butter kiss cookies.  One of my favorites.  Also a Christmas tradition in our house.  I always looked forward to the day my mom made these.  You can't go wrong with chocolate and peanut butter.  Not at all.  

 These cookies will be one of the cookies at the cookie bar at our wedding. Believe it or not, I've never attempted to make these cookies on my own. D had a request for these cookies from a co-worker....so I tested them out for the last USF football game today. I used the Betty Crocker recipe for the peanut butter cookies and placed Hershey kisses on them when they came out of the oven. I followed the recipe below, but put the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour after mixing, before baking.

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions: 

1. Mix sugars, peanut butter, shortening, butter and egg in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients.
2. Heat oven to 375ºF.
3. Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Place about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten in crisscross pattern with fork dipped into sugar.
4. Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack.

Pretty Pumpkins

Look at what a little ribbon can do!
I bought a bunch of pumpkins after Halloween on sale from JoAnn Fabrics. I found decorative fall ribbon and hot glued it around the pumpkin. It ended up making a perfect little gift and was a great decoration for the house!

Candy Cookie Surprise

I love to bake, but that doesn't mean I like spending all day in the kitchen. I like recipes that are easy, different, and delicious. This recipe is all of the above! I needed a quick recipe for a going away party and this was sure to be a hit! I found the recipe in the Taste of Home magazine Best Loved Cookies and Bars. I followed the recipe exactly and they were fantastic.

Ingredients:
1/2 tube refrigerated sugar cookie dough, softened
1/4 cup all purpose flour
24 miniature Snickers candy bars

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, beat cookie dough and flour until combined. Shape 1-1/2 teaspoonfuls of dough around each candy bar.
2. Place 2 inches apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove to wire racks.

Makes 2 Dozen

Personalized Sugar Cookies

A great friend of mine is getting married soon and I wanted to add some personal touches to her Bachelorette weekend. A friend from work let me borrow a martini glass and a diamond ring cookie cutter (www.cookiecutter.com). They provided the perfect personalized touch that I was looking for. I used a sugar cookie recipe from All Recipes.com and an icing recipe from my friend Danielle. The cookie dough was a little difficult to work with. If I made these again, I would chill the dough overnight. I was concerned with the cookies spreading, but everything worked out. Make sure to let the cookies cool completely before putting the icing on.

The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely

Royal Icing Using Egg Whites:
2 large egg whites

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

3 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the egg whites with the lemon juice. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined and smooth. The icing needs to be used immediately or transferred to an airtight container as royal icing hardens when exposed to air. Cover with plastic wrap when not in use.

PUMPKIN COOKIES

Those who know me well, know I LOVE anything Pumpkin. I was so excited for October to be here so I made these pumpkin cookies for work. They were pretty simple to make and came out great. The cookies were a little cake like (which was good), and I added a little extra pumpkin than the recipe called for. Many people have asked for this recipe, so here it is! Happy Fall =-)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies III from All Recipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
2. Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts.
3. Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

Man Dip

Earlier this year I tried "man dip" at a friends bachelorette party. The dip was a hit among 20 girls and was the first dish we finished. It tasted just like chicken wings, without the mess! I've been wanting to make this for a long time now and with the start of football season, it was the perfect opportunity! I didn't have the exact recipe, so I visited my friend Google. I found a few recipes and decided to go with a recipe from All Recipes (Buffalo Chicken Dip) and made a few minor changes. Below is the recipe from All Recipes. I used blue cheese dressing instead of ranch, I used buffalo sauce instead of hot sauce, and added blue cheese crumbles to the top of the dish before I baked it. I served it with tortilla chips and it was also delicious with Fritos. This dip was amazing, and I have a feeling I will be making a few more times before the end of the football season!

Man Dip

INGREDIENTS:

2 (10 ounce) cans chunk chicken, drained 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened 1 cup Ranch dressing 3/4 cup pepper sauce (such as Frank's Red Hot®)

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 1 bunch celery, cleaned and cut into 4 inch pieces 1 (8 ounce) box chicken-flavored crackers

DIRECTIONS:

1.

Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook on Low setting until hot and bubbly. Serve with celery sticks and crackers.

S'mores Cupcakes

I came across this recipe on Facebook and it looked delicious. I needed a dessert to bring to a football party and this was the perfect recipe to test out! I had never made cupcakes from scratch before, so I was a bit nervous. I followed the directions to a T and the cupcakes were easier to make than I thought they would be. I brought them to the party and they were enjoyed by everyone. They were a little messy (lots of crumbs), so next time I will use less batter so they can be more of a one bite cupcake. I will definitely make these again!

S’mores Cupcakes
Yields 30 cupcakes

For the graham crust:
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 20 squares)
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 - 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

For the cupcakes:
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY’S Cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

For the topping:
Marshmallow Frosting (recipe below)
Finely crushed graham cracker crumbs
Chocolate sprinkles (jimmies, for those of us from New England!)

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease muffin cups or line with paper liners.
2. Combine 1/4 cup sugar,graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in a small bowl.
3. Spoon 1 tablespoon of graham crakcer mix into the bottom of each muffin cup. Press crumbs firmly, using the bottom of a small glass. Save the remaining mixture for topping.
4. Top graham cracker mix with several bittersweet chocolate chips.
5. Bake graham mixture for about five minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside.
6. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl.
7. In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Stir until well blended.
8. Add flour mixture to large bowl and beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes.
9. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans.
10. Fill prepared muffin cups 3/4 full with batter (about 1/4 cup).
11. Sprinkle batter with small amount of remaining graham cracker mixture.
12. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely

Marshmallow Frosting
Yields enough frosting for 30 cupcakes

2 1/4 cups marshmallow creme (about 8 oz.)
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup water
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1. Cream together shortening and marshmallow creme.
2. Beat in about 1/2 of the water, followed by half of the powdered sugar.
3. Add the remaining powdered sugar and enough water to bring the frosting to a smooth, spreadable consistency.

Assembling the cupcakes:

1. Spoon a small amount of frosting onto the center of the cupcake and spread towards the edges with a knife. This frosting is very soft and will run down the edges of the cupcake if too much is applied.
2. Sprinkle frosted cupcakes with crushed graham cracker crumbs and chocolate sprinkles.