These were inspired by the milk chocolate cookies with peanut butter filling that I made over the summer. I wanted to make a softer and faster version of them for Christmas Eve. So I made the cookies with devil’s food cake mix and the same peanut butter filling from the original recipe.  I used a ziploc bag to pipe the filling on quickly. Very easy dessert recipe for anyone who is a fan of chocolate and peanut butter!

Ingredients

For the cookies:

1 box devil’s food cake mix

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil

For the filling:

2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup peanut butter

4 tbsp confectioner’s sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Combine cake mix, oil, and eggs; stir with spoon until thoroughly moistened.  Shape dough into 1 inch balls, then gently flatten them in your palms. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.   Bake at 350 degrees for 6-7 minutes. To make the filling, beat together the butter and the peanut butter. Sift in the confectioners’ sugar; beat until fluffy. Spread the filling on the flat side of half of the cookies and sandwich with the remaining cookies.

Filling recipe from: Every Day With Rachael Ray

Bake for 18-20 minutes.

After making a LOT of sugar cookies in the past year, I’ve been wanting to try a flavor other than regular sugar and lemon.  I’ve been looking for a new flavor but a cookie that still holds up to being rolled out, cut and decorated with royal icing. I was so happy when I came across this recipe posted on Annie’s Eats.  Chocolate sugar cookies!

This makes a small batch of dough which was perfect since I made these for absolutely no reason at all.

Dark Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Dutch process cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
6 tbsp. (3 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 large egg
½ tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder and salt; whisk to blend and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar.  Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.  Blend in the egg and vanilla.  With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated and no streaks remain.  Form the dough into a disc, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, 1-2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 325˚ F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.  On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out to about ¼-inch thickness.  Cut out desired shapes with cookie cutters and place cut outs on the prepared baking sheet.  Bake 10-12 minutes, just until set.  Let cool on the baking sheet about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Decorate as desired.

From: Martha Stewart and Annie’s Eats

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

In a jar with a lid, shake together remaining ingredients. Pour desired amount of vinaigrette over salad just before serving.

In case you ever feel like eating cupcakes that taste like a chocolate chip cookie!

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs, room temperature

1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup chocolate (or white chocolate) chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds after each. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Measure out milk and vanilla together. Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine. Add about one third the milk/vanilla mixture and beat until combined. Repeat, alternating flour and milk and ending with the flour mixture.  Fold in chocolate chips.  Fill baking cups and bake for 20-22 minutes until golden and the cake springs back when lightly touched.

Cookie Dough Frosting

Ingredients

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tbsp light brown sugar
1 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tbsp. milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Mini chocolate chips (for decoration)

Directions

Combine the butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.  Beat in the powdered sugar until smooth.  Beat in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and combined. Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips.

Modified from: Hello Baker   (cupcakes) and KevinandAmanda (frosting)

This recipe was in Every Day with Rachael Ray over a year ago.   Shania is a huge fan of Reese’s candy so I thought she might like these cookies.  I kept the magazine out for a while, intending to make them all last summer and never got around to it.  I was actually planning to make chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting today but then I remembered that I’d never made these cookies.  I can’t believe how long it took me to try them- they were so easy!

Milk Chocolate Cookie Sandwiches with Peanut Butter Filling

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups (15 ounces) milk chocolate chips
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (2 for the cookie dough; 4 for the filling)
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 8 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a medium, microwavable bowl, melt together 2 cups chocolate chips and 2 tablespoons butter on medium power until almost melted, about 1 1/2 minutes; stir just until smooth.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and  salt. Using an electric mixer, beat together the eggs, granulated sugar and vanilla at high speed until thickened and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Mix in the melted chocolate at medium speed; whisk in the flour mixture. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Refrigerate the dough until firm enough to scoop, but still soft, 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Onto each prepared pan, drop 12 rounded tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart. Bake, switching and rotating the pans halfway through baking, until the cookies appear bubbly and still soft, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely.  They will seem under baked but they crisp up quickly as they cool.
4. In a medium bowl, beat together the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and the peanut butter. Sift in the confectioners’ sugar; beat until fluffy. On the flat side of each of 8 cookies, spread about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the peanut butter mixture; sandwich with the remaining cookies.

Modified from: Every Day with Racheal Ray

Happy Independence Day!!

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
24 Oreo halves, with cream filling attached
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 2/3 cup sugar
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup milk
20 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped 

For the frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 tbsp. heavy cream

For garnish:
Oreo cookie crumbs
24 Oreo cookie halves

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line the wells of two cupcake pans with 24 paper liners.  Place an Oreo halve in the bottom of each liner, cream side up.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir together with a fork to blend and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Blend in the egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Blend in the vanilla extract.  With the mixer on low speed, beat in half of the dry ingredients just until incorporated.  Add the milk and beat just until combined, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients.  Gently fold in the chopped Oreos with a rubber spatula until evenly incorporated, being careful not to over-mix.

Evenly divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute.  Blend in the vanilla extract.  Beat in the confectioners’ sugar until incorporated and smooth, 1-2 minutes.  Add the heavy cream to the bowl and beat on medium-low speed just until incorporated, then increase the speed to medium-high and whip for 4 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired.  Sprinkle with Oreo crumbs and garnish with Oreo halves.

From: Annie’s Eats

This recipe is supposed to yield 24 cupcakes but I was able to make 32.

Ingredients

House Seasoning:

• 1 cup salt
• 1/4 cup black pepper
• 1/4 cup garlic powder
• Olive Oil, for tossing
• 5 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
• Oil
• 1 tablespoon House Seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

For the House Seasoning:

Directions

I made this for Shania to take to school for “Pi Day.” My goal was to find a pie that would be appealing to kids and that Shania could transport easily and not worry about refridgerating.  So it came down to this or fudge pie and she, of course, chose chocolate chip! Very simple recipe and what kid wouldn’t love a pie inspired by chocolate chip cookies?

I altered the recipe just slightly by using less butter and adding vanilla extract. I used a pre-made graham cracker crust. When I make this again for the family I plan to serve it with whipped cream.

Chocolate Chip Pie

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 9 inch pie crust

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. Add the flour, white sugar and brown sugar; beat until well blended. Blend in the melted butter and vanilla extract. Stir in the chocolate chips. Pour batter into a 9 inch pie crust.
3. Bake for 1 hour.

Modified from: All Recipes