Kristin's chocolate chip cookies

These are seriously the BEST chocolate chip cookies I have ever had. My neighbor made some for us and I had to have the recipe!

Cream together:
3 sticks of butter softened (1 1/2 cups)
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup sugar

Add and mix in:
4 eggs
2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp Mexican vanilla (or whatever you have)
5 cups flour
2 cups Giradelli milk chocolate chips

Scoop and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees 10-12 minutes.

This makes 4-5 dozen cookies

Cake Mix Caramel Brownies

INGREDIENTS

CARAMEL SAUCE:
1 (14 ounce) pkg. caramels
1/2 cup evaporated milk

BROWNIES:
1 (18.25 ounce) package German chocolate cake mix
1/3 cup evaporated milk 3/4 cup butter
melted 1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
2 cups milk chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:
Unwrap caramels and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Add 1/2 cup evaporated milk. Microwave for 1-2 minutes, and stir until caramel is melted.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13- inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together cake mix, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, melted butter, and chopped pecans. The dough will be VERY thick and kind of hard to stir. Place 1/2 of the batter in prepared baking pan. I sprayed my fingers with nonstick cooking spray and pressed it in the bottom of the pan using my hands. Bake for 8 minutes.

Place the remaining batter in the fridge. Remove brownies from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Drizzle caramel sauce over chocolate chips. Remove brownie mix from refrigerator. Roll brownie batter into make small balls and flatted into thin circles. Very carefully, place flattened brownie batter on top of the caramel sauce until the top is completely covered.

Bake for an additional 15-20 minutes. Remove and let cool.  I thought they tasted the best the NEXT day when they were all cooled and not so gooey.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

We had a family gathering last night and I made these Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars from Our Best Bites.  They were a HIT!  So I guess that makes this recipe a keeper!  You can find the recipe HERE on their blog.

Ingredients
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
3/4 cups white sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips (any kind you like, or a mix)
1/2 cup toffee bits (optional)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with foil and lightly spray the bottom with cooking spray.  Set aside.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine.  Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, white sugar, and melted butter.  Add eggs, one at a time, stirring between each addition, and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients a little at a time until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips (save a few for the top if desired).  Once dough is thoroughly mixed, press into the prepared baking pan.  Bake for about 25 minutes (all ovens are different, set timer for 20 minutes to start checking on them.  They will bake for 20-30, 25 is perfection in my oven.)  Remove from oven when edges are golden brown and center appears set, but still soft.  Cool completely to room temperature and then cut into squares.

Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake

Need a shot of chocolate?  This is for YOU!!

See that cake on the recipe book?  That is the recipe.  Here is another picture with frosting all over it..

This recipe is from the Six Sisters' Stuff recipe book and their blog.  It can be found HERE.  It is super moist and yummy!  And that is a lot coming from our family....we aren't very fond of cakes.  It has been tried and tested by all my family members.  It was eaten in a jiffy.

Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake 
Ingredients:
1 (18.25 oz) package Devil’s Food chocolate cake mix
1 (3.9 oz) box instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a bundt pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  

Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan for about 90 minutes before inverting onto a plate. If desired, dust the cake with powdered sugar or top with my favorite chocolate frosting.

Our Favorite Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup butter OR margarine, softened
1/4 cup milk
1-2 teaspoons vanilla (depending on your taste)
3 Tablespoons cocoa
2-3 cups of powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients together and either spread or pipe on top of cooled cake.

Suzanne Kloepfer's Cookies (Neiman Marcus cookie recipe)

Mom makes the best cookies!  I finally got the recipe from her.

2 cups (real) butter

2 cups white sugar

2 cups brown sugar

4 eggs

2 t. vanilla

1 t. Salt

2 t. baking soda

2 t. baking powder

4 cups flour

5 cups oat meal (measure, then blend)

1/2 pkg. Score Bits

1 1/2 pkg. milk chocolate chips or big Hershey bar cut up.

 

Eat first day or freeze.

 

Bake 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Do not over bake.

 

If they are frozen, sometimes I bake them for 11 min.  They look a bit under baked, but when they cool, they are just right - a bit soft in the middle.

note from mom: A few times I have put Score Bits in it.  Sometimes I have put some butterscotch chips in with the choc. chips, but most of the time, I just use semi-sweet choc. chips, because that is what is in the cupboard.

Oreo Cookies

Clayton just informed me yesterday was Oreo's 100th birthday (they had an Oreo bday party at school).  AND I happened to make some too.  I've tried other recipes before and they didn't work out.  I don't know if it was me and I messed it up or the recipe.  Anyway, this is a tried and true recipe from my neighbor.  I have tasted these cookies many times and finally asked for the recipe.  Yummy!

1 Devil's food cake mix
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs

Mix the above ingredients.  Roll the dough into balls and place on a cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes (I use stoneware and it took more like 11 or so minutes).  Place cookies on cooling rack.

Frosting:
4 oz. cream cheese
2 TB butter
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups powder sugar

Mix ingredients and put on the cookies once cooled.  Yummty!

Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are also known as Alan's Cookies in the Set For Life Cookbook.  I make these all the time for my kids and they love them.

 3/4 cup oil
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup chocolate chips
(the original recipe calls for 1 cup raisins)

Cream oil, sugars, eggs, and vanilla.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Bake at 350 for 8-12 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

I found this recipe (and photo) on the blog, My Kitchen Cafe (one of my favorites). Here is her original post.
Adapted from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook and taken from smittenkitchen.com

1¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, softened (I used salted butter and cut the 1/4 teaspoon salt down to 1/8 teaspoon)
1 cup peanut butter at room temperature
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon (for sprinkling) sugar*
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup peanut butter chips
½ cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter chips. Place sprinkling sugar on a plate. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar, then onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Using a fork, lightly indent with a crissscross pattern but do not overly flatten cookies (I used the back of a flat spatula to flatten – don’t ask me why I avoided the crisscross pattern).
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes (I only baked mine for about 9 minutes). Do not overbake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not.
Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.
Tiff's Tips: *I pressed my cookie dough into the sugar before placing them on the baking sheet so they were covered, so it takes more sugar than listed above.
I didn't have any peanut butter chips, so I used 1 cup of chocolate chips and they turned out wonderful! They were a hit at Vivian's Bday party.

Chocolate Frosting

This recipe was found on allrecipes.com and then I tweaked it slightly.

4 1/8 cup powdered sugar
9 T. cocoa powder
9 T. butter, room temperature
7 1/2 T. milk (or use a flavored creamer, like me!)
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1. In a medium bowl, sift together the confectioners' sugar and cocoa, and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter until smooth, then gradually beat in sugar mixture alternately with the milk. Blend in vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. If necessary, adjust consistency with more milk or sugar.

Tiff's Tips: Use a flavored creamer as a substitute for the milk. I used a hazelnut creamer and the frosting was so delicious! Be creative. This makes enough frosting to frost a two-layer round cake with a little bit left over.

Blue Ribbon Brownies

I found this on bakerella and it looked so good that I gave it a try. Very delicious! These pictures are copied from her site - but I have to say that mine looked just as yummy.

Make one brownie mix according to directions and pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan. (She suggests Betty Crocker's Supreme Brownie mix). And then mix one Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookie mix according to the directions and drop by rounded tablespoons into the brownie batter. You'll want to press the dough down lightly. Bake for 35minutes (until done - cookie dough will be golden) in a 350 degree preheated oven. When they're done, take them out and let them cool completely for one hour.

Then frost them with chocolate ganache. (Recipe below) Pour it on top and spread it out evenly. Now, this is the hardest step. Leave it alone. That's right, you'll want to let the ganache set up. It will be tough, but you can do it.

Chocolate Ganache

• 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate morsels
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 6 Tbsp butter

In a small saucepan, heat cream and butter until just before the boiling stage.
Pour over the chocolate morsels.
Let stand about 20 seconds and stir until smooth.
Pour over brownies and let set before cutting.

This recipe was originally adapted from a Betty Crocker recipe.

Triple Chocolate Cake

1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix- I used sugar free
1 cup sour cream - I used fat free
1 cup applesauce
4 eggs
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, applesauce, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well greased 12 cup bundt pan.
Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour and a half before inverting onto a plate If desired, dust the cake with powdered sugar.

My cake was done in 45 minutes - boy this is a GOOD cake!
taken from "Too Much Chocolate Cake" from allrecipes.com