Chocolate Rollo Cookies

I got this recipe from Jen and fell in love with the the first time she made them for us.  It's so easy to make and everyone loves them.

Chocolate Rollo Cookies

1 pkg Devil's Food Cake Mix
1/3 c. oil
2 eggs
1 pkg Rollo candies

Mix the cake mix, oil and eggs together (just do this by hand, don't use the electric mixer).  Take about a tsp of the batter and make into a ball.  Flatten ball and then wrap the batter around 1 (unwrapped, of course) Rollo and roll into a ball.  Place on greased cookie try and bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.  Do not over bake.

Jen's note:  I think it makes about 30-40 depending on how big you make them.  I like to make them small.  I think I usually cook them a little longer than 10 minutes.  I take them out before they look done, then let them sit on a pan for a few minutes.

Black Bottoms

I loved when Mom would make this dessert growing up.  This recipe makes a lot and they are so good.

Black Bottoms

Topping:
8 oz. cream cheese
1 egg
1/2 c. sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 large bag (12 oz.) mini-chocolate chips

Add chips after all the other ingredients have been creamed.

Batter:
3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. cocoa
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2/3 c. cooking oil
2 c. water

Mix in order, beat until smooth--put chocolate batter in petit four cups (usually have to find these in a store that carried candy-making supplies).  Add a tsp of the topping to each petit four cup.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 min.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Pie

My mom used to make this pie every Thanksgiving.  It was a fun change from the normal pies (but of course we had those too).  All of my boys love blueberries so this is a winning pie for them.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Pie

1 pint whipping cream
1/2-3/4 c. powdered sugar
3 oz softened cream cheese
pie crust (homemade or store bought)
1 can blueberry pie filling

Whip heavy whipping cream until forms peak.  Add the powdered sugar and cream cheese.  Whip together. Put in pre-baked pie shell and then cover with the can of blueberry pie filling.  Refrigerate.  (Can be made with a cherry pie filling as well)

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

from melskitchencafe.com

*Note: I've had great success baking these cookies at 325 degrees for 13-ish minutes or 350 degrees for about 11 minutes (each oven will vary in time). Basically, do what you have the time and patience for. I usually stick with 350 because it is easier to remember and two minutes faster. Time is money, right??

*Makes 2-3 dozen cookies

2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour (about 10 1/2 ounces)

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 cup packed light brown sugar (7 ounces)

1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces)

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet or milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make sure an oven rack is in the center of the oven.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

Either by hand or with an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars together until well mixed. Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla. Mix well until the batter has lightened slightly in color, about 2 minutes. Add the dry ingredients and chocolate chips at the same time. Mix until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.

Form dough into tablespoonful-sized balls and place on parchment or silpat-lined cookie sheets. Frozen cookie dough can be stored for up to 2 months in the freezer.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until the edges are set and just lightly browned. Don't overbake or else the cookies will be tough and hard. If baking frozen cookie dough, add 1 to 2 minutes onto the baking time. Store the baked cookies in an airtight container (or baked cookies can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months).

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie n' Oreo Fudge Brownie Bar

I have only made them once but they were good.  I love brownies and I love cookies so this was such a good combination.  But, I actually don't make brownies or cookies very often...The recipe was easy to make and we all gobbled them up.

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie n’ Oreo
Fudge Brownie Bar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (12 ounces) milk chocolate chips
1 pkg Double Stuffed Oreos
1 Family Size (9×13) Brownie mix
1/4 cup hot fudge topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the butter and both sugars in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well to thoroughly combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt, then slowly incorporate into the mixer until the flour is just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread the cookie dough in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish that’s been lined with wax paper and sprayed with cooking spray. Top with a layer of Oreos. Mix together brownie mix, adding an optional 1/4 cup of hot fudge topping to the mix. Pour the brownie batter over the cookie dough and Oreos. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for an additional 15-25 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting — brownies may still be gooey in the middle when still warm, but will set up perfectly once cooled. Enjoy!!

To half this recipe for an 8×8 brownie mix, simply half the chocolate chip cookie dough ingredients.

Read more at http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/new-recipes/ultimate-chocolate-chip-cookie-n-oreo-fudge-brownie-bar.html#ixzz2IGsx71uD

General Conference Cinnamon Rolls

This is hands down the best cinnamon roll recipe I've found.  It is so good.  Just make sure you only cook it as long as she recommends.

General Conference Cinnamon Rolls!

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 packages dry yeast
• 2 Tbsp sugar

Bloom the yeast with the sugar in the warm water, waiting for froth and bubbles.

• 1/2 cup instant vanilla pudding powder
• 1 c warm water
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 2 lightly beaten eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 5-6 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, with a wire whip, mix the pudding powder with the water until well combined and smooth. Add the butter, eggs and salt, whisk to combine well.

Add the bloomed yeast/sugar/water mixture and combine well.

Add flour, one cup at a time, until the dough comes together, and is still soft, but not sticky. Knead until smooth. It will feel like fat baby thighs.

Let rise in a warm, covered and lightly oiled bowl until doubled in size. About 2 hours.

Punch down, and knead again.

With a rolling pin and a lightly floured board, roll out the dough to a 34 x 22 inch rectangle. Keep moving the dough as you roll, to keep from sticking to the board.

• 1 cup melted butter
• 2 1/2 cups light brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp cinnamon

Melt the butter and pour the whole cup on your rolled out rectangle of dough. (I told you only a few times a year!) In a separate bowl, combine with your impeccably clean hands, the sugar and cinnamon, then cover the butter-drenched dough rectangle in an even and delectable layer of cinnamon sugar.

Starting at the 22 inch side, roll the entire thing into a nice, long cinnamon tube. Seal the edge with a little bit of water on a pastry brush or your fingers.

With a serrated knife, (or even better, a piece of thread or dental floss) cut the log into 2 inch segments, and carefully move your giant cinnamon treasures to a glass pan.  Put no more than 8 in a large glass Pyrex casserole dish.  Do not crowd them- they will rise almost double. Whatever baking dish you use, deeper sides give the rolls a softer exterior = better.

Cover in a warm place and let them rise again until fat and happy- about two hours.

Bake at 350* for 15-18 minutes. Really, only that long. Do not over-bake. You want them to be soft, yet set, in the middle. The house will smell divine.

Icing:

• 8 oz. softened cream cheese
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 Tbsp cream

Whip all ingredients together and smear on top of still warm rolls.

Remember, only a few times a year!! (For us, it’s Christmas and General Conference- the grand-poo-bah of all Mormon meetings) Your taste buds will rejoice, your heart will need a serious, sweat inducing walk afterwards. Enjoy!!

Double Decker Oreo Fudge

I loved this fudge--I liked it so much that I ended up eating half of the pan by myself.  That is, until I found out that the baby was not a fun of chocolate.  Bunmer.  I guess I'll have to wait to eat it again in a few months ot a year.  It was super easy to make.  The original recipe came from here

Double Decker Oreo Fudge

Preparation: Line a 8×8 pan with foil.

Ingredients:

• 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, portioned in half
• 10 Oreos, chopped
• 1 cup white chocolate
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate

Instructions:

1. Split sweetened condensed milk in half and set aside. Chop Oreos and set aside
2. Place white chocolate, one ½ of sweetened condensed milk, 2 tablespoon of butter in a heat proof bowl over simmering water. Stir and mix until melted and combined. Fold in Oreos and stir to combine. Pour mixture into pan.
3. Place semi-sweet chocolate and remaining half sweetened condensed milk in a heat proof bowl over simmering water. Stir and mix until melted and combined. Pour mixture on top of Oreo layer and refrigerate for 1 an hour to set.
4. Remove from refrigerator and peel away foil once set. For ease of cutting make sure to clean knife between cuts to prevent sticking.

Apple Crisp

My friend Kristi made this for us when we went to eat dinner with them one night. It was super good--probably my favorite apple crisp.

Filling:
6 apples, peeled and cut
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

Topping:
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup oatmeal

Preparation: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the all the ingredients for the topping together, using your hands. Set aside. Mix the filling together in a bowl and place in the bottom of a 9x7 pan. Sprinkle the topping on the top of the apple mixture and cook for 25 min.

Dutch Apple Crumble Cheesecake

We had this over Thanksgiving and I was worried about it because it looked more moist than I expected it to but I thought it tasted so good! I found this recipe out of a book from the library called Complete Cake Mix Magic.

Dutch Apple Crumble Cheesecake

Crust:
1 pkg white cake mix
1/2 C butter

Reserve 1/3 cup cake mix for topping. Melt the butter. Combine the remaining cake with melted butter. Mix until soft dough forms. Press over bottom and sides. Bake until the crust is starting to set but still soft.

Filling:
1/2 lbs. cream cheese, softened
1 C brown sugar
1 C sour cream
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves

In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, brown sugar, and sour cream. Beat for three minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

Topping:
1/4 C brown sugar
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 TBS butter, softened
1 large apple, peeled, cored, sliced

Combine reserved cake mix, sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Mix until crumbly. Set aside.

Pour the filling into crust. Arrange the apple slices on top in a circular pattern. Sprinkle topping evenly over apples. Bake 50-60 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Cover and refrigerate over night.

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

We made this cheesecake for Thanksgiving and loved it. It comes from Allrecipes.com I made this cheesecake twice. The first time I made it just as the recipe calls for and then when I made it for Thanksgiving I changed it according to the recommendation from a reviewer. They were both great. The original recipe tastes like a cross between a pie and cheesecake. The tweaked recipe tastes like cheesecake, which is what I was looking for.

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed


Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.
Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust.
Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Cover with whipped topping before serving.

Here are the changes I made: I used three packages of cream cheese instead of two and used 1/2 cup sour cream. Instead of using the puree, I used a can of pumpkin pie filling and then I just threw in a little more cinnamon. I did not have cloves so I omitted that part. You could make your own crust if you want.

Lemon Cream Torte

I have been making a lot of cakes because of my cake class. I want the cake to taste as good as the decorations look. I got a book from the library--101 things to do with a cakemix--and found this cake. We love it! If you like lemon, this is the cake for you.

Lemon Cream Torte

1 pkg. white cake (you could also use a lemon cake mix)
3 eggs
1 1/3 cup water
1/3 cup oil
1 Tbsp lemon zest

Filling

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 cups whipping cream

Mix the cake just as you would a normal cake mix. Pour mix into round 8 in cake pans (or 9 in works fine too). Bake at 350 degrees (the recipe calls for 350 degrees but if you want it more moist bake it at 325). While the cake is baking, whip the whipping cream until it comes to a peak and then mix the other ingredients in as well. After the cake cools, place the filling between the two layers of the cake. Frost the cake with the remainder of the filling.

Note: I made some changes to this but only minor changes. I cooked it at 325 degrees. When the cake came out I needed it to be flat so I took my hot pad and hit the top of both cakes until they were flat--this works, trust me. Instead of frosting the cake with the filling I frosted it with the buttercream icing I need for my cake class and put some lemon juice in the buttercream frosting. Oh, they also called for four layers. They cut each cake in half. I did not need it that tall so I did not cut them in half.

Fast Fruity Delight

Fast Fruity Delight

from the Food and Family magazine

3/4 cup boiling water

1 pkg. (3 oz.) Raspberry Flavor Gelatin (I used strawberry)

2 cups frozen raspberries (I used mixed berries)

1 cup thawed Cool Whip whipped topping

Add boiling water to gelatin mix in large bowl; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Add berries; stir until gelatin starts to thicken. Stir 1/2 cup gelatin mixture into cool whip with whisk until well blended; spoon into 4 dessert dishes. Cover with remaining gelatin mixture. Refridgerate 15. min or until set.

We made this recipe last night and it took me maybe five minutes to make. It was so easy and the boys loved it (as did Mike)!

7-Layer Cookies

I'm not sure if I've posted this already but I don't think I have. This is Mike's favorite cookie recipe. I don't usually use measurements on this recipe. Just put as much of each ingredient as you want. For the chips we usually use about a half a bag of both chocolate and butterscotch chips. The coconut I just use enough to cover the top. Add more or less as you like it. This recipe came from my friend Heather Boden.

7 Layer cookies

1 stick butter
Graham crackers (I use about a package and a half, more or less)
walnuts or other nuts (I don't usually have nuts so I don't do this and it takes fine)
chocolate chips
butterscotch chips
coconut
sweetened condensed milk (it calls for a whole can but it will sometimes be too soggy so we use 1/2 -3/4 a can)

Melt butter and crush graham crackers. Mix together then press onto bottom of 9x13 inch pan. Next you just layer all the ingredients. Start with the chocolate chips and end with the sweetened condensed milk. Cook in over at 350 degrees until lightly brown.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

I am not a huge fan of oatmeal cookies. In fact, I usually will pass if that is all there is. But we really love these.

1 c. flour
1 c. oats
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven 375 degrees. Mix the flour, oats, soda, powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. Beat butter, sugars, and peanut butter in a large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. Mix well.
3. Gradually add the flour mixture until well blended after each addition. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Drop on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes or until browned. (I like to roll them but you can scoop them with a spoon or use an ice cream scoop).

Easy mint chocolate chip ice cream

Since being here in Ohio we have gotten to see Chelsey and Brent a lot. We love it. For some reason every time we see them Mike wants ice cream. Now, Mike likes ice cream. In fact, I think he loves it. But he doesn't love it so much that he has to eat it all the time. We bought some ice cream last Thursday and it hasn't been opened yet. And, we are having a "no sweets" challenge" for the next two weeks so that ice cream will stay unopened for quite some time. Anyway, we decided that we would make homemade ice cream at Brent and Chelsey's yesterday just to carry on the tradition of eating ice cream at their house all the time. It was great. I put a little too much salt in it though. So, it was a great salty ice cream. To clarify, I accidentally put in more than the recipe calls for so don't worry about putting less than called for. We will definitely eat it again without all the salt.

2 cups 2% milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. peppermint extract
3 drops green food coloring (optional)
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, stir together milk, cream, sugar, salt, vanilla extract and peppermint extract until the sugar has dissolved. Color to your liking with the green food coloring. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. After about 10 minutes into the freezing, add the chocolate chips. After the ice cream has thickened, about 30 minutes later, spoon into a container, and freeze for 2 hours.

Delicious!

recipe from Allrecipes.com

Orange Rolls

I remember having orange rolls only a few times growing up. They were ok. Mike has never had them so I decided to try and make them.

2 big FLAKE biscuits (not butter or buttermilk)
1 cube butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
3 tbsp. Orange juice (frozen)
1 tbsp. zest of an orange (optional)

Melt the butter and add brown sugar and orange juice. Put the biscuits in a bunt pan and pour the sauce over. Bake at 350 for about 18-20 minutes. Dump upside down while hot.

These were good, kind of like Monkey Brains, only orange flavor. Good and easy.

Fancy Dipped Strawberries

I was looking for a fun treat I could make with the boys. They really enjoyed making these. They don't look very pretty (at least not as pretty as the picture in the cookbook) but they tasted great and the boys loved it. Try it, it's super easy!

Toppings:
Miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Chopped nuts
Colored sugars and candy sprinkles
Grated chocolate
Shredded coconut

Dipped Berries:
1 quart fresh whole strawberries wit stems
1 cup vanilla ready-to-spread frosting

1. Tear off 1 piece of waxed paper. Put it on a large cookie sheet. Put some of each topping in separate bowls.
2. Rinse the strawberries and pat dry.
3. Measure out the frosting. Microwave frosting on high 15 to 20 seconds, until it is melted. Stir the frosting once with the spoon.
4. Dip the bottom of each strawberry halfway into the melted frosting. Right away, dip the strawberry into 1 of the toppings you selected. Put the strawberries on the waxed paper-lined cookie sheets and place in fridge until frosting is hard, about five minutes.

Note: We also used dipping chocolate and that was great too. We didn't use all the toppings listed but replaced them with some of our own picking. You could really use anything you wanted.

Spiced Apple Banana Cream Cake

This cake was made up by me. I went to make a spice cake the other day because it sounded good, on the package it said for a twist add in apple pie filling. I thought why not add pudding in as well (because that usually helps cake rise).

The cake was so incredible that Jason said it was the best cake he had ever had in his life. So either he was super hungry or it was really that awesome. Everyone in the house loved it, or said they did. Even those that claim to not like apple pie filling.

Spiced Apple Banana Cream Cake

Ingredients:

Spice Cake mix (any brand, however I prefer Betty Crocker)
ingredients to make spice cake (water, oil, eggs)
1 can apple pie filling
1 small package instant banana cream pudding/pie filling

Directions:

Make Spice cake according to package directions, add in pudding, mix well. Then add in apple pie filling, mix well again.

Bake about 5-10 minutes longer than package says to.

Frost with cream cheese frosting.

YUM!

Monster Cookies III

Here it is the Monster cookie recipe I found on recipes.com I think, it's been so long ago, but I love this recipe and usually make the whole batch, if not just cut in half. Some people call these cowboy cookies, but I have tasted many cowboy cookies and have never felt that they taste quite like these. This is a non-flour recipe.

Monster Cookies III

Ingredients:
6 eggs
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups white sugar
1/2 pound butter
2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons white corn syrup
4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 cups peanut butter

9 cups quick oatmeal or rolled oatmeal or something oatmeal
8 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 pound m-n-m's

Mix together butter, white and brown sugar with mixer until well blended. Add in eggs, mix well.

Then add in vanilla, corn syrup, baking soda and peanut butter, blend again.

Then instead of using your mixer, use your big ole bicep, arm and hand to mix in the oatmeal, chocolate chips and m-n-m's.

Drop by medium cookie scoop onto stone and Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes

The reason you need to use your arm instead of the mixer is I blew up my mixer trying to let it mix this recipe. It was too thick and smoke rolled out the top of the mixer.



Cook's Tips:

Cook all cookies on stoneware always, never substitue metal cookie sheets (they just don't give the same results of even baking). These cookies must be evenly baked since they have so many ingredients in them. If they are darker on the bottom then they will be too crunchy.
I use m-n-m mini baking bits (as they call them) These are found right next to toffee bits and chocolate chips and are cheaper usually then buying a bag of mini m-n-m's. Some people use plain m-n-m's, but I prefer the minis.
I use quick oats in all cookie recipes. I feel that they turn out better.
For the vanilla extract I use Pure Mexican Vanilla and I suggest it always.
If you want nuts in your cookies you can use crunchy peanut butter to get that effect or just add a 1/2 cup of chopped peanuts to mix.

This dough can be frozen for later use.

Peaches and Cream

This may or may not be a recipe in some eyes, but I feel it's a wonderful snack and must be tried if you haven't yet in your life. I think it's awesome.

Peaches and Cream


Take the best smelling and tasting peach you can get your hands on. (usually these are found on roadside stands or at Farmer's market or if you have to resort to the grocery store produce, leave the peach in a paper bag for 3 days until nice and ripe.

Cut it into slices or small pieces.

Put it in a bowl with 1/2 to 3/4 cup of skim milk.

Add 1 Tablespoon Sugar or Splenda

EAT!