Cocoa Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies Recipe

Cocoa Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup (for rolling)
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 20 unwrapped Hershey Kisses, Candy Cane variety

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Pour in the butter and eggs and stir to moisten and combine. When it gets all crumbly and uncooperative, use clean hands to knead the cookie dough together until it forms one smooth ball. Cover and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a bowl and the confectioners' sugar in a second bowl.
3. Using a medium cookie scoop (1 1/2 tbsp size) to scoop out balls of dough. Roll each first in the granulated sugar and then in the confectioners' sugar. Arrange on the baking sheet leaving 1-inch between each ball. Once all the balls are rolled out, press down in the center with your thumb to flatten and leave about a 1/2-inch indent.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies are puffed and cracked. Remove from the oven and immediately press one Candy Cane Hershey Kiss into the center of each cookie. Let cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Enjoy.

Cookies & Cream Cookie Recipe

Cookies & Cream Cookie Recipe

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 package Cookies n'Creme pudding mix

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

10 Oreos, chopped

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

                                                      Cream together butter and sugars.

Stir in pudding mix.

Add eggs and vanilla to cream mixture.

Mix flour, baking soda and salt into mixture.

Chop ten oreos into small pieces. 

Add chopped Oreo's and white chocolate chips to dough.

Stir until all ingredients are combined.

Drop spoonfuls of dough onto greased cookie sheet and bake for 7-9 minutes or until slightly brown on top.

Mounds Brownies Recipe

Mounds Brownies Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

1. 11 Family Size (9x13) pan of brownies, prepared
   
2. 25 1/3 Cups shredded coconut 
   
3. 314oz Can sweetened condensed milk
   
4. 41 ½ Cups powdered sugar
   
5. 51 Can of chocolate frosting
   
   
   
   
   

DIRECTIONS:

1. 1.Prepare brownies and let cool completely.
   
2. 2.In the bowl of your mixer combine coconut, sweetened condensed milk, and powdered sugar until all ingredients are incorporated.
   
3. 3.Spread coconut mixture over brownies.
   
4. 4.Place can of frosting in the microwave for 10 seconds (please be sure to remove foil liner and lid) until pourable.
   
5. 5.Pour frosting over the coconut mixture. Let cool and set up.

Turtle Cookies Recipe

Turtle Cookies Recipe

Ingredients

Cookie:

1 c. all-purpose flour

1/3 c. cocoa powder

1/4 tsp. salt

8 T. (1 stick) butter, softened

2/3 c. sugar

1 large egg, separated, plus 1 additional egg white

2 T. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/4 c. pecans, finely chopped

Caramel Filling:

14 soft caramel candies 

3 T. heavy cream

Chocolate Drizzle (optional):

2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate 

1 tsp. shortening

Directions
Prepare the Cookies:  
1.  Combine flour, cocoa, and salt; set aside.

2.  With electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolk, milk, and vanilla; mix until incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture until just combined.

3.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, 1 hour.

4.  Whisk egg whites in a bowl until frothy.  Place chopped pecans in another bowl.  Roll chilled dough into 1-inch balls, dip in egg whites, and then roll in pecans.  Place balls about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Using a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon, make an indentation in the center of each dough ball.

5.  Bake at 350 degrees until set, about 12 minutes.

Prepare the Caramel Filling:  
6.  Microwave caramels and cream together in a small bowl, stirring occasionally, until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes.

7.  Once cookies are removed from the oven, gently re-press the indentations.  Fill each indentation with about 1/2 teaspoon of the caramel mixture. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Prepare the Chocolate Drizzle (optional):  
8.  Place chocolate and shortening in a small zip-top plastic bag.  Set bag in a bowl of warm water to soften.  Gently knead the chocolate with your fingers until melted and smooth, placing back in the warm water for a minute or two as needed.

9.  Snip a very small hole in the corner of the plastic bag.  Drizzle chocolate over the cooled Turtle Cookies.

Apple Cinnamon Crumb Cake Recipe

Apple Cinnamon Crumb Cake Recipe

Ingredients

Crumb Topping
• 1 cup AP flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 and 1/4 tsp. teaspoons ground cinnamon
• pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3.5 ounces (7 Tablespoons) unsalted butter-melted
Apple Cake
• 5 ounces unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1 and 1/2 cups AP flour
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg
• 1&1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup diced granny smith apple (this is about 1 large apple)

Instructions

Crumb Topping
1. Mix all dry ingredients together in bowl.
2. Pour in melted butter and mix together with a fork making sure everyone gets coated. Set aside.
Apple Cake
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8" square pan with non-stick and line with parchment.
4. Cream butter and sugars till light and fluffy.
5. Mix in eggs and vanilla.
6. Alternate adding dries and sour cream starting and ending with dries.
7. Stir in diced apples and pour batter into prepared pan. Even it out with a spatula if needed.
8. Top with crumb topping and bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes till toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes 

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup finely crushed graham crackers
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 6 Tbsp salted butter, melted
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 3 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened well
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups caramel sauce
• Coarse or flaked sea salt

Directions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together crushed graham crackers with 2 Tbsp granulated sugar. Pour in melted butter and stir mixture until evenly coated. Divide graham cracker mixture among 24 paper lined muffin cups, adding about a heaping Tbsp to each. Firmly press mixture into an even layer. Bake in preheated oven 5 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool while preparing filling.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger until no clumps of sugar remain. Add cream cheese to a large mixing bowl, then pour sugar mixture over cream cheese and using an electric hand mixer set on low speed, blend together until smooth, about 30 seconds. Mix in eggs one at a time. Blend in pumpkin and vanilla, then mix in heavy cream. Tap bowl forcefully against countertop to release some of the excess air bubbles, about 30 times. Divide mixture over graham cracker crust in muffin liners, adding about 1/4 cup to each cup and filling nearly full. Bake in preheated oven until nearly set (no longer very giggly), about 20 - 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack at room temperature, 30 minutes. Then transfer to refrigerator and chill 3 hours until set. Top with caramel sauce and a pinch of sea salt just before serving. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.

Copycat Cheesecake Factory Oreo Cheesecake Recipe

Copycat Cheesecake Factory Oreo Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients

For the crust:
• 1 1/2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs (about 23 Oreo cookies finely chopped)
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
For the filling
• 1 1/2 pounds light cream cheese (three 8 ounce packages)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/4 cup flour
• 6 - 8 ounces nonfat greek yogurt (or light sour cream, if you prefer ... my container only had 6 oz. in it so I went with that)
• 5 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped (I used 1/2 cup of the cookie crumbs)
• For the top: About 10 coarsely chopped Oreo cookies (or just more oreo cookie crumbs)

Instructions

1. First get out all the ingredients and let them warm to room temp as much as possible. (Honestly I skipped this step and my cheesecake turned out fine, but that's what the recipe said to do so I thought I'd pass it on ...)
2. Now make the crust: If you are using chocolate chips, melt the butter, then stir the chocolate chips into the hot butter right away and stir. The heat from the butter should melt the chocolate chips. Mix the oreo crumbs with the melted butter/chocolate mixture and press into the bottom of a 10-inch springform cheesecake pan.
3. Put the cream cheese in a large bowl and beat on low speed with your mixer until it's light and fluffy. Begin adding the sugar, little by little, beating until it's all mixed in. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber scraper as you go to make sure it is all getting mixed in well.
4. Then add the eggs one at a time, beating each egg fully into the batter and scraping down the sides of the bowl again before adding the next egg. Add the greek yogurt, vanilla and flour and beat some more until everything is mixed in and smooth.
5. Gently fold a few coarsely chopped oreo cookies (or 1/2 cup crumbs) into the batter.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Sprinkle the top with more Oreo cookie crumbs.
7. Set the top and bottom racks of the oven far enough apart so that you can set a pan of water on the lower rack and the cheesecake on the top rack. Set 2 circular cake pans (or one larger cake pan) filled 2/3 of the way with water on the lower rack. (This will act as your "water bath" without having to go to all the trouble of actually putting the cheesecake in the water.) Preheat the oven to 325.
8. Place the cheesecake on the top rack of the oven and bake for about an hour. Test it ... it should be just slightly jiggly in the middle when you shake the pan gently. If it's really jiggly, cook for another 15 minutes. When the time is up, turn the oven off, prop the door of the oven open and let it sit for an hour. Then, remove it from the oven, cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. I didn't think my son would actually wait long enough to let the cheesecake "season", but he did!
9. Now you know what to do. Slice it into pieces and enjoy. I recommend small slices because it is a rather rich cheesecake.

Snickers Brownie Recipe

Snickers Brownie Recipe

Brownie Layer:

1 box fudge brownie mix (make sure it's a box that will make 9 x 13 in. brownies)

Ingredients called for on box

1/4 cup hot fudge topping

Nougat Layer:

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup evaporated milk

2 (7-ounce) jars marshmallow creme

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 1/2 cups salted peanuts, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla

Caramel Layer:

1 (17-ounce) jar of caramel topping, preferably Mrs. Richardson's Butterscotch Caramel

Candy Bar Topping:

1 1/4 cups chocolate chips

1/4 cup peanut butter

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions for a 9x13-inch pan, adding 1/4 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, unheated and straight from the jar to the batter. (Make sure to follow the high altitude directions if you live at high altitude.) Cool completely.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar and milk, stirring until dissolved. Bring to a boil. Add in the marshmallow creme, peanut butter, and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Turn off heat and fold in peanuts. Pour evenly over cooled brownies. Use a spatula to help spread the mixture. Cool. (Stick brownies in the freezer for about 15 minutes to speed up the process.)

Place caramel, with the lid off, into the microwave and heat for two 30-second intervals, letting caramel rest for a few seconds between. Pour over nougat layer. Make sure to pour it evenly, covering as much of the nougat as possible. Spread with a spatula to cover any bare spots. Let cool. (Again, you can stick in the freezer for about 15 minutes.)

Place chocolate chips and peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds, stir, then heat for another 30 seconds. Repeat until smooth. Pour over caramel, drizzling over as much of the surface as possible. Spread evenly over surface and place in fridge until chocolate is set. After chocolate has set, cut into squares and serve.