Brownie Cookies

I found a brownie mix in the pantry and thought...hmmm...this could be an experiment!  So I looked for brownie cookie recipes on AllRecipes.com, and found one that seemed easy.  The reviews said the cookies were great, no problems, only a couple mentioned the cookies being too liquid-y.  Mine turned out way too liquid-y, and so I'm thinking it has to do with the brownie mix??  I can't think of any other reason why some people get success and some don't.  My solution?  Add self-rising flour, and bingo!  Cookies that don't go limp.

Brownie Cookies

adapted from: All Recipes

Ingredients:
1 box chocolate brownie mix
1 large box instant vanilla pudding
3 eggs
3/8 cup oil
1 cup self-rising flour

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets, using butter or Crisco for best results.
In a medium bowl, stir together the brownie mix and dry instant pudding. Add the oil and eggs; mix until well blended.  Add flour.  Scoop the dough onto the pan, about walnut sized. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheet.
Bake for 6 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until firm. Cool for 30 seconds, then remove from pan immediately.  Place on wire rack to cool more before serving.
 

Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Today I rummaged the pantry to find whatever I could to make cookies.  I know oatmeal raisin is my boyfriend's favorite, but I wanted to do something with chocolate.  So, I decided to take the oatmeal raisin cookie recipe that was a success awhile back, and mix it up a bit!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
3/8 tsp cinnamon, freshly ground
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Approx 2-3 cups instant oats
1 Hershey Bar, crushed into bits
1 cup margarine
7/8 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar

 Directions:
1. Position one rack in the top third of the oven, one rack in the bottom third of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the cookie sheets with baking parchment.
2. In a bowl, add the flour and cinnamon, and whisk together. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla. In a third bowl, mix the oats and chocolate chunks.
3. In another bowl, using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars on med speed for 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl frequently. Gradually add the egg mixture until everything is well combined.

 4. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in stages. Mix only until everything is well combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl frequently. There should not be any pockets of dry flour left in the dough. Then add the oats and chocolate, and mix again on low speed until everything is evenly distributed.
5. Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour.
6. Using a large soup spoon, a metal ice cream scoop, or your clean hands moistened with water, scoop out big balls of dough, placing 6 balls on each prepared cookie sheet. Press down on these cookies very lightly, to just barely flatten the tops before their baked. They will spread a lot during baking.
7. Bake for about 18 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets halfway through the baking time. The cookies should be golden brown and baked all the way to the center. They should be soft, but be careful not to underbake or they will be doughy and will fall apart easily.
8. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes, then move them to a rack and cool completely before storing.

Note: keep in mind these were just ingredients found in the pantry/fridge.  I usually recommend using real butter, and all-purpose flour.  Instead of the Hershey bar, you could substitute semi-sweet chocolate chips, or crush a couple bars of semi-sweet baking chocolate.

Frosty Mocha Pie

I made this over Thanksgiving break while visiting my parents back in Alabama. I was looking for a chocolate pie recipe, and found this in my mom's Taste of Home cookbooks. I think it turned out ok, my dad, brother, and brother-in-law seemed to enjoy it!




source (recipe & pic): Taste of Home

Ingredients:
4 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1 tablespoon instant coffee granules
1/3 cup fat-free milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 carton (12 ounces) frozen reduced-fat whipped topping, thawed
1 extra-servings-size graham cracker crust (9 inches)
Reduced-calorie chocolate syrup, optional

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and cocoa until smooth. Dissolve coffee granules in milk. Stir coffee mixture and vanilla into cream cheese mixture; fold in whipped topping.
2. Pour into crust. Cover and freeze for at least 4 hours. Remove from the freezer 10 minutes before serving. Drizzle with chocolate syrup if desired.

Chocolate Pudding Pie

Well, I still don't have the cookbooks with those recipes that I promised y'all! I'm still moving around like a madwoman. But I have been baking a little bit...sorta! Here's a taste of what I've done:

Chocolate Pudding Pie
source: Jello Pudding box

1 graham cracker crust
1 large box of chocolate pudding
2 1/2 cups of milk

Whisk pudding and milk together in a large bowl. Once mixed together, pour into prepared crust. Place in fridge, covered, for at least an hour. Once chilled, serve. For added bonus, serve with a dollup of whipped cream on top of each slice!

Apologies...

Just so everyone knows, I have been baking. However, I am currently moving and have packed up all my cookbooks, so I am unable to post the recipes just yet. Here is a peek into what I have made so far:

Low-fat Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Cream Cheese Frosting
Golden Cupcakes w/ Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting
Red Velvet Cake w/ Cream Cheese Frosting

Once I have my cookbooks in hand, I will post these delicious recipes! Until then, wipe the drool off your chin, and keep checking back here!

Blondies

These tasty treats are great on the fly. They are so easy to make, and you can add whatever candy or nuts or even flavoring you want!

Source: My Cooking Adventures blog

Ingredients:
8 TBS butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
1/2 cup Mini M&Ms*

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8x8 pan with foil and lightly spray with PAM. In a large microwave safe mixing bowl melt the butter. Allow to cool for 5 minutes. Mix the brown sugar with the melted butter and beat until smooth. Beat in egg and then vanilla. Add salt, stir in flour. Mix in M&Ms.


Pour into prepared pan and use a greased spatula to evenly spread mixture in pan and level the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until set in the middle. Cool on rack before cutting.

*You can use other candies or nuts, or almost anything in your Blondies. See the following for ideas...

Add in ideas:
1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, white chocolate or butterscotch chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds
1/2 cup M&M candies
1/2 chopped Reese's PB cups
1/4 cup toffee pieces
1/2 tsp mint extract in addition to, or in the place of vanilla extract

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

In trying to continue the Healthy Cookie Experiment, I went in a different direction than trying to substitute ingredients - just make a cookie with healthier ingredients to begin with. [Maybe I'm not ready for such an advanced task as baking with Splenda just yet.]

Source: The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking soda
3/8 tsp cinnamon
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 1/8 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 1/4 cups raisins
1 cups unsalted butter
7/8 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar

Directions:
1. Position one rack in the top third of the oven, one rack in the bottom third of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the cookie sheets with baking parchment.
2. In a bowl, add the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon and whisk together. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla. In a third bowl, mix the oats and raisins.
3. In another bowl, using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars on med speed for 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl frequently. Gradually add the egg mixture until everything is well combined.
4. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in stages. Mix only until everything is well combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl frequently. There should not be any pockets of dry flour left in the dough. Then add the oats and raisins and mix again on low speed until everything is evenly distributed.*
5. Using a large soup spoon, a metal ice cream scoop, or your clean hands moistened with water, scoop out big balls of dough, placing 6 balls on each prepared cookie sheet. Each ball of dough should weigh approximately 90 g/3.17 oz each. If you don't have a scale, use a scant 1/2 cup to estimate the size. The dough balls should be about 2 1/4 inches in diameter. Press down on these cookies very lightly, to just barely flatten the tops before their baked. They will spread a lot during baking. Bake for about 18 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets halfway through the baking time. The cookies should be golden brown and baked all the way to the center. They should be soft, but be careful not to underbake or they will be doughy and will fall apart easily.
6. Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes, then move them to a rack and cool completely before storing.

Sorry no picture; the cookies were gobbled up pretty fast! These are my boyfriend's favorites.

*Note: this dough can be refrigerated in between baking times.
**Baking Tip: Make sure your raisins are nice and moist, and not dry. It makes a huge difference in the taste, differentiating between store-bought and fresh homemade. It also keeps the cookies from seeming too raisin-y.
^Cookbook Author Tip: "Be sure to use the old-fashioned style oats, not the quick-cooking or instant variety, for the best flavor and texture." - I used quick-cooking and my cookies still turned out very moist and tasty.