Grazed Texas Sheet Cake Cookies

Found this on Facebook from 12 Tomatoes. We love the Texas Sheet Cake, so thought I would give these a try.  They are easy and good. I call that a good combination.






Printable Version Ingredients for Cookies:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1`/2 teaspoon salt
Ingredients for Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl or mixer, cream together butter and sugar for 3-4 minutes, or until fluffy and lightened in color
3. Mix in egg, then once incorporated, add in vanilla extract.
4. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt, then gradually add dry ingredients into the wet.
5. Fold in melted chocolate until just combined.
6. Using a tablespoon or small ice cream scoop, drop small spoonfuls of dough onto lined baking sheets.
7. Place baking sheet in oven and bake cookies for 9-10 minutes, or until just set on the outside, but still soft inside. (it took mine 9 min.)
8. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
9. While cookies are baking, make your icing by mixing butter, milk, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract together in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
10. Once melted and smooth, remove saucepan from heat and stir in powdered sugar until smooth.
11. Pour or drizzle icing over cooled cookies and let set.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I saved this recipe years ago and don't remember where I got it.  This person adapted it from Trader Joe's  recipe. She used organic when possible. I did not.
Printable Version

Ingredients:

1/4 cup softened butter

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts ( I did not use nuts in mine)

6 oz. chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees:

Combine both sugars and butter in a large bowl. Beat until creamy. Add eggs, vanilla, and baking soda. Mix well.  Add peanut butter and mix until combined. Stir in oats, chocolate chips, and nuts if using. Place dough by heaping teaspoons onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper about 2 inches apart. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden on the edges. Makes approximately 48 cookies.

Red Velvet Brownies

Found this recipe on Pinterest.  You can find it Here

Ingredients

• Brownies:
• Bittersweet Chocolate, Chopped - 4 Ounces (I used semi-sweet and cut down to 1 1/2 cups of sugar. It worked fine.)
• Unsalted Butter - 3/4 Cup
• Sugar - 2 Cups
• Large Eggs - 4
• All Purpose Flour - 1 1/2 Cups
• Red Liquid Food Coloring - 1 (1 Ounce) Bottle
• Baking Powder - 1 1/2 Teaspoons
• Vanilla Extract - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - 1/8 Teaspoon
• Cream Cheese Frosting:
• Cream Cheese, at Room Temperature - 8 Ounces
• Unsalted Butter, Softened - 3 Tablespoons
• Powdered Sugar - 1 1/2 Cups
• Salt - 1/8 Teaspoons
• Vanilla Extract - 1 Teaspoon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line bottom and sides of a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil, allowing 2 to 3 inches to extend over sides; lightly grease foil.
2.  Microwave chocolate and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring at 30-second intervals. Whisk in sugar. Add eggs, 1 at a time, whisking just until blended after each addition. Gently stir in flour and next 4 ingredients. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
3.  Bake at 350° for 44 to 48 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely on a wire rack (about 2 hours).
4. When brownies are cool make frosting. Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar and salt, beating until blended. Stir in vanilla.
5. Lift brownies from pan, using foil sides as handles; gently remove foil. Spread Cream Cheese Icing on top of brownies, and cut into 16-20 squares. Garnish, if desired.

Christmas Toffee

Years ago, I was teaching Kindergarten and one of my students gave me some toffee for Christmas. I got the recipe and made it several times.  I found this recipe this year and it is not quite as good, but it is pretty darn close.  And sooooooooo much easier. You can make it start to finish in about 45 minutes, and that is counting being in the freezer for 30 minutes. I used Graham cracker, but I'm sure the salty/sweet combination of the saltine crackers would be awesome. I cut this recipe in 1/2.

Ingredients:
50 saltine crackers or graham crackers
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, cubed
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 to 1 cup M & M's, chopped nuts, or sliced almonds (as you can see, I chose the pecans)
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.  Line a large jelly roll pan with aluminum foil. Spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray and then line the pan with saltine crackers.

Place the butter and sugar in a medium sized pot over medium-low heat. Stir until the butter is melted. Once the butter has melted, bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes. Stir constantly.

Once it is nice a bubbly, remove pan from heat and pour evenly over the crackers. Spread mixture with a knife, however it doesn't have to be perfect. Try to move quickly during this part so the toffee doesn't harden.

Place pan in the oven and bake for 6-8 minutes. The mixture will spread evenly over the crackers as it bakes.  Remove pan from oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the toffee while it is still hot. Let the chocolate chips melt for a few minutes and then spread the chocolate all over the toffee with a spatula. Sprinkle with M & M's or nuts. Place in the freezer 30 minutes. Break pieces off the foil and place in a container. It will stay fresh 1-2 weeks. I took mine out of the pan with the aluminum foil still under the toffee. I used a big knife to cut mine into 1 1/2" strips and then cut the strips into 3" pieces. Some of them broke, but it worked well.