Sunflower Cake

My mother in law loves sunflowers, so for her b-day this year we made this darling cake. Just thought I would share.

1 round chocolate cake mix

2 boxes of Twinkies

chocolate frosting

chocolate chips

yellow frosting

Cook your round cake and let it cool. Once it's cool frost in with the chocolate frosting and place in the center of a large round platter. Place chocolate chips all over the top of the cake. Next lay twinkies side by side around the cake. Frost with yellow frosting, dabbing the bottom of the spoon over the top so the frosting has peaks in it.

That's it! So easy and so cute!

Twix Cookies

My husband is a LOVER of Twix candy bars. They are his weakness and there is always room for one in his opinion. The other day I decided to combine my love of Chocolate chip cookies, with his love of the Twix bar.

Magic.

I will warn you not to expect a whole lot of the crunchy shortcake that is found in the bottom layer of the twix, it seems to disappear, but the melted caramel and chocolate make this cookie so delicious!

The only flaw is that the Carmel melts and makes a pretty big mess. I found, after a few pans cooked, that the easiest way to get the cookie to keep it's round form and get it off without it sticking to everything, is to wait till the cookies are completely cool.

The Goods

2 sticks softened butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

chocolate chips

3 twix bars

Pre-heat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugars till well combined. Add eggs and vanilla. Sift together dry ingredients, and add slowly till just blended. Chop twix bars into small pieces, and add as many chocolate chips as your heart desires.

Place tbs sized balls on baking sheet, leaving plenty of space between (these cookies spread a bit while cooking due to the yummy caramel!)...

Let cool, remove, and enjoy!

Black and White Cheesecake Squares

My sister has a recipe for these that I love, but when I saw these on mykitchencafe.blogspot.com, I knew I had to try them. (Take a look at her blog too, her recipes are fantastic!) These brownies are as good as she says they are.

She got these from Martha Stewart Living.

The Goods

Nonstick cooking spray

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 sticks butter, softened

2 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup pwowdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl.

In another bowl, cream butter and granulated sugar with a mixer until smooth. Add 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla, and beat until smooth. Add flour mixture slowly just to blend. Reserve 1 cup of dough, cover, and refrigerate. Press the remaining dough into bottom of prepared dish and Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Bake until the edges are puffed, 22-25 minutes (22 was perfect for me). Make sure you don't burn this bottom layer or it will get hard and ruin the brownies! Let the brownies cool completely. Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, and remaining egg and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in a medium bowl. Spread over cooled base; crumble reserved dough on top. Bake until filling is set, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in dish, serve and enjoy. Keep these in the frige for up to 3 days.

Butterballs

Growing up, Butterballs meant Christmas. Oh, and stop here if you are looking for health food...it's Christmas!

My mom would whip up batches and batches of these, and take them to every neighbor in town. It's been a while since we have made them, but this year we opted to do it again, and they are so yummy. Rich, but yummy! ;)

The Goods

1 lb. softened butter

1 can Eagle brand evaporated milk

1 lb. powdered sugar

2 Tbs. caramel sauce (like the kind you would put on ice-cream.

1 brick of dipping chocolate.

1 lb. of chopped roasted almonds.

Mix butter, evaporated milk, powdered sugar, and caramel together till blended nicely. Then put in a Tupperware and freeze for an hour or two. When your mixture is frozen, rill into 1-2 inch balls, and put on parchment paper, and freeze again. (These need to stay cool before dipping or they will melt very easily!). While these are freezing, chop your almonds and put them on a pan to broil and roast. Watch them closely because once they start roasting, they go very fast! By then the balls should be frozen. Melt your chocolate, and then dip each ball in chocolate, and roll in roasted almonds. I like to take about 15 at a time, and let the rest stay cool while I do each set. Keep these in the fridge, and enjoy.

Rasberry Cake

One of my friends made this a while ago, and it has ended up being a family favorite. In fact, my dad just requested it for his Birthday, and I was so glad he did. Delish and oh-so easy!

The Goods
1 Box of Yellow Cake Mix

1 Small Box of Raspberry Jello

1 Small Cool Whip

Frozen, or Fresh Raspberries.

Mix the cake as directed. When you take it out of the oven, make small slits in the cake with a spoon. Cook your jell-o as directed on the package, but don't add the cold water to it. Just the hot. Pour it all over the cake, and let sit till it cools. Then refrigerate till it is cold. Put Cool Whip all over the cake, and top with raspberries.

I have also made this with Strawberry, and it is great too. I'm sure you could try any flavor that suits your fancy!

Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies

Um, Hello...

Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies. Need I say more?

I found the recipe here, and I must warn you, this woman has so many tasty treats on her blog that you may gain an lb. or two just looking at it. I tried these ones because I had all the ingredients on hand, and they are delish. Then again I love chocolate chip cookies and oreos...

2 sticks softened butter

12 Tablespoons sugar

12 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 Cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

16 broken pieces Oreo Cookies

2 Cups chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter, and sugars until well combined. Add eggs and vanilla until mixed well.
2. Place flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl, stir to combine. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients then stir in oreos and chocolate chips until just combined.
3. Scoop onto cookie sheet and cook for 9-11 min. (10 was perfect for me).

Let cool on pan for 3 min. then remove and finish cooling on rack.

Smores

Okay, I know everyone has had these, and that the recipe is on the box of golden Grahams, but I am posting it because it is just so delish! I made these last night, and instead of dinner, my brother just put a stack of these on his plate.

mmmm.

This is the recipe on the box.

3/4 c. light corn syrup

3 tbsp. butter

1 pkg. milk chocolate morsels

1 tsp. vanilla1 pkg. Golden Graham cereal (9 c.)

3 c. miniature marshmallows

Grease 9 x 13 inch pan. Heat syrup, butter and morsels to boiling stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Pour over cereal in bowl, toss until coated. Fold in marshmallows 1 cup at a time. Press into pan with buttered back of spoon. Let stand 1 hour. Cut into 2 inch squares. Store at room temperature.

We have always made them by putting the chocolate chips, butter, corn syrup and 2 cups of marshmallows in the microwave. Heating at 1 min. intervals till melted. Then add the vanilla, mixing till smooth. Next add the golden grahams into the bowl (we don't measure, just mix till you like the consistency, then add 1 more cups of marshmallows. Spread in the pan and enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know, everyone has a recipe for these...but I found this one on http://www.flipflopsandapplesauce.blogspot.com/, and tried them this week, and they were divine! The only thing I didn't like about them is that they are huge, next time I make them I will use less dough in each cookie and cook them for a shorter amount of time.

This is my favorite cc cookie recipe I've tried.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets.Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Sugar Cookies

Adyson's most amazing pre-school teacher is getting a minor surgery on her heart tomorrow, so today we made her these cookies, and thought I should share the recipe. It is quite possibly the best sugar cookie recipe ever. Seriously. It's been the one my family has used for years, so enjoy!

1 Cup shortening

2 Cups sugar

2 Eggs

1 Cup Sour Cream

1 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

4 1/2 Cups Flour (approx.)

Mix all of your ingredients together excluding the flour. After they are creamed together add your flour a cup at a time. I usually add about 4-5 cups and the dough is sticky but smooth. Then I flour my counter top liberally, and knead for just a minutes to get some of that extra flour in the stickier areas. This dough should be sticky, but easy to use when you have floured your surface enough.

Flour your rolling pin and roll to between 1/4 and 1/2 inch. Then start cutting with your shapes and lay on your pans. They will bake for 12-15 minutes. I love them soft so I take them out at about 13 minutes, but it is all personal preference.

Hint:make sure that your dough is the same thickness all around when you are rolling it. The cookies obviously will cook for different time limits if the thickness is different.

Once they are cooled through on the most easy and perfect cream cheese frosting.

1 cube butter

1 stick of cream cheese

a dash of vanilla.

Blend together till smooth and add powdered sugar. I just add-then taste and repeat till it taste good. (usually about 1/2 a bag.)

Enjoy!

And don't forget to lick the beater....

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I baked these yesterday and my whole house smelled like fall! They are my personal favorite cookie.

2 Boxes of Spice Cake Mix

1 Large Can of Pumpkin Pie Filling

1 Bag of Chocolate Chips

Mix the cake mix and filling. The batter will be really fluffy. Next fold in your chocolate chips. Place heaping spoonfulls of the batter on the pan about 2 inches apart and bake for 17 minutes at 370 degrees.

These taste the best after they have cooled and the chocolate chips have hardened again. They are super moist and delicious!

Oreo Cookies

A Family Favorite Amber introduced our family to years ago. Travis begs me to make these. I usually double the cookie recipe so I can send them with him to work.

1 Box Devils food Cake

2 Eggs

3/4 Cup of Shortening

Mix together in mixer till well blended. Roll into 1-2 inch balls and put on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. I watch them pretty closely and take them out as soon as they start to crack. Let them cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8oz. package of cream cheese

1 cube butter softened

1/2 to 3/4 bag of powdered sugar (I just add till it tastes right)

1 tsp vanilla

Put a thick layer of frosting on the bottom of one cookie and top with another.

These are soft and totally perfect tasting cookies. I love to add food coloring for holidays. (Pink for v-day...yellow for Easter...)

Enjoy!

Oreo Truffles

These are delicious, easy, tasty and pretty!

1 Package of Oreos

1 8oz. Package of Cream Cheese

A dash of Vanilla extract

Dipping Chocolate or Almond Bark

Crush your oreos, then mix crushed oreos, cream cheese, and vanilla together in your mixer. The consistency will be thick and dark. You shouldn't be seeing any of the white from the cream cheese.

Roll into balls 1-2 inches in size. Put on Wax paper and stick in the fridge for about and hour. Heat up your dipping chocolate or Almond bark and roll the balls through it to coat. Then let sit on Wax paper again.

You can drizzle white chocolate over the top, top with sprinkles...or get creative and do whatever you want!

Store them in an airtight container in the fridge.