Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cake Mix Cookies

I've tried a few cake mix cookies, but these are the best I've found.  I think the peanut butter adds so much flavor!  I used chunky peanut butter and mini-chocolate chips, so these cookies had a lot of texture.  They were definitely chewy cookies, not thin and crispy cookies.  I almost wanted to underbake them just a bit so they would be even chewier.  (The dough on its own is pretty darn good, too.)

Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cake Mix Cookies

2 eggs
1/3 cup water

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened

1 cup peanut butter

1 (18.25 oz) pkg yellow cake mix

2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, cream together the eggs, water, margarine, and peanut butter.  Stir in the cake mix, and blend well.  Fold in the chocolate chips.  Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven.  Cool cookies on a wire rack.  Yields 2 1/2 dozen large cookies.

Vienna Sugar Cookies

This is an old recipe from the Fort Worth newspaper.  Apparently several readers wrote in that these cookies helped curb morning sickness during pregnancy.  I made these cookies for a sweet friend who will have a baby this summer, but I can assure you that these are still delicious even if you're not pregnant.  Enjoy!

Vienna Sugar Cookies

1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water (98-103 degrees F)
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water.  In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat butter until creamy.  Gradually add flour, blending well.  Add yeast mixture; blend well.  Refrigerate dough until chilled.

Put sugar on a large piece of wax paper.  Pinch off pieces of chilled dough the size of small walnuts and shape into balls.  Working with one ball of dough at a time, press ball flat into sugar until dough is thin.  Keep flipping dough over and pressing it into sugar, until it is the size of a flat doughnut.  Place on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until very lightly browned.  Transfer to racks to cool.  Makes 3 dozen cookies.

White Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

This was a Southern Living recipe, and not surprisingly, we loved them.  They reminded us a lot of the Ultimate White Chocolate Chip Cookies and the Oatmeal Crispies.  They were so good, and they'd be great as an edible Christmas gift. I ended up cutting the recipe in half, but I'm posting the entire recipe.  Make as many as you need, deciding how many you want to share.  :)  Enjoy!

White Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup butter, soft eggsened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups uncooked regular oats
2 cups (12 oz) white chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating well.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition.  Stir in vanilla.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended.  Stir in oats,  white chocolate chips, and pecans.  Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets.

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes.  Cool on baking sheets for 3 minutes, and remove to wire racks to cool completely.  Yields about 5 dozen. 

Carrot Cake Cookies

Let me recreate for you a conversation I had with Erica, one of my very closest friends, during our freshman year in college.

Me: Ooh, I love carrot cake!
Erica: You look like you'd love carrot cake.
Me: Why?
Erica: I don't know...
Me: Is it because I'm a redhead?
Erica: YES!

Whatever the reason, I do love carrot cake, and I couldn't wait to make these carrot cake cookies from Everyday Cooking for Two.  And I'm happy to report that they're everything I'd hoped they would be.  And more.  With cream cheese icing.

Now, I goofed on the icing.  I was trying to make it healthier.  (As if it matters--seriously.  It's cream cheese icing.  Who am I kidding?)  I tried using 2 1/2 tablespoons of applesauce instead of 2 1/2 tablespoons of butter, so the consistency is all wrong.  There are little lumps of powdered sugar that don't look appetizing.  

But if you could taste them, you wouldn't care.  

If I were really worried about making them healthier, I would have added the 1/3 cup of raisins that the recipe calls for, but I didn't have any at the house, so I didn't; you can.  Also, the original recipe says that baby carrots had less taste than regular carrots, so I used regular carrots.  It took me almost 3 carrots to reach 3/4 cup. 

You should make these as soon as you can.  The recipe made 21 cookies for me, but it depends on the size of the cookies.  These would be awesome for a holiday treat or for an everyday treat. 

Carrot Cake Cookies

Icing
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 1/2 Tbsp butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 cup powdered sugar

Cookies
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp salt
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup grated carrot
1/3 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350, and spray two cookie sheets with cooking spray.  Finely shred carrots and set aside.

Make the frosting first.  Cream together softened cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Add the vanilla and lemon juice, and continue to mix.  Slowly add the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.  Refrigerate until needed.

In a large mixing bowl combine the stick of melted butter with the brown sugar, white sugar, and egg yolk. Whisk or beat together.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.  Mix together well, and slowly combine with the butter/egg mixture.  Add the shredded carrot, the oats, and the raisins.  Mix well. 

Spoon onto cookie sheets in 1"-diameter dough balls.  Flatten them slightly with your fingers.

Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes; then rotate the pans, and bake for 8 more minutes.  Remove from oven and let rest on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes before removing them to a cooling rack.  When cooled, frost with icing. 

Cookie Empanadas



These cookies are just sinful.  What's not to love in this recipe?  The dough is made of butter, cream cheese, and flour.  Then you fill them with jelly.  Then you bake them and roll them in cinnamon and sugar.  Good grief.  Amazing.  They're especially good just out of the oven.

The recipe only made about 15 cookies.  I did half with apple jelly and half with strawberry preserves, and I thought the apple ones were better (but it's not like I turned down any of the strawberry ones).  The preserves leaked out of the cookies more during baking, and the jelly held up better.  You could easily switch up flavors, but the jelly was better to cook with. 

I will absolutely make these again.  These would be great Christmas cookies.  Delicious!

Cookie Empanadas

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup fruit jelly
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Day/Week Before: Cream butter and cream cheese together until smoothly blended. Beat in the flour. Shape dough into a smooth ball, wrap in foil or cling wrap, and refrigerate overnight or up to a week.

Day Of: Remove dough from refrigerator 30 minutes before using. Preheat oven to 375.  Shape dough into one-inch balls, then press the balls flat with the bottom of a glass on a floured surface.  Place small spoonful of jam in center of each round, moisten edges with water.  Fold round over and press edges together. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet 15 to 20 minutes. Immediately roll in sugar mixed with cinnamon. 

Ultimate White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Happy October!  October is the birth month for me, my sister, my sweet friend Erica, and her sweet baby who is making his debut in the world right now, as I type.  This will be a great month. 

I don't eat regular chocolate, but I love white chocolate.  My favorite cookies in the world are the Subway white chocolate chip cookies (for Valentine's Day, Buck gave me a dozen cookies instead of a dozen roses, and I was not disappointed at all--no sarcasm).  These cookies were incredible!  How could they not be delicious, since they have two sticks of butter?  They're our new favorites!  You have to try these. 

Ultimate White Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 bag white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; set aside. 

Cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the vanilla and eggs.  Gradually add dry ingredients, and mix until a smooth batter forms.  Fold in white chocolate chips. 

Scoop rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheets, and bake for 12-15 minutes.  Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Delicious Sugar Cookies

Love is in the air!  It's definitely wedding season around here, and I'm so happy for my sweet newlywed friends!  I made these cookies in their honor.

These cookies really are delicious.  They're buttery and wonderful.  It's almost a bad thing that it makes 3 dozen cookies; it's next to impossible to eat just one.  You should definitely follow the recipe and refrigerate the dough for at least an hour.  If you're going to roll out the dough and cut it into shapes, have plenty of flour on your hands and your work surface; you should also work quickly because it isn't the friendliest dough to work with once it starts getting warm.  I only had time to cut out a few hearts before it started sticking to everything, and I resigned to round drop cookies and eating the raw dough (which is outstanding, by the way). 

Congratulations to the Joiners and the Pettys!  I'm so happy for you!

Delicious Sugar Cookies

3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) softened butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.  Beat eggs into mixture one at a time.  Then add milk and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into butter mixture.  Cover dough, and chill for at least one hour. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.   On a floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4" thickness.  Cut into desired shapes, and place shapes on cookie sheet.  Bake for 7-9 minutes on cookie sheet; cool on wire racks completely before frosting. 

Oreo Peanut Butter Cookies

This is a shortcut recipe.  It takes two minutes to throw it together, and it will make you three dozen glorious peanut butter and oreo cookies.  If you have a favorite peanut butter cookie recipe, use it.  If you're short on time, like I was, you can buy the premade peanut butter cookie dough, and just mix in some oreos.  Honestly, it's that easy.  You will not be disappointed by these.  Again, thanks to Plain Chicken for sharing her recipes!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Oreo Peanut Butter Cookies

1 pouch peanut butter cookie mix
1 Tbsp water
3 Tsbp vegetable oil
1 egg
12 oreos, crushed

Preheat oven to 375.  Mix together pouch of cookie mix, water, oil, egg, and crushed oreos.  Place rounded spoonfuls on lightly greased cookie sheet.  Bake 9-11 minutes. 

Queso Cookies

These are so good.  My sister usually makes them when I come in town or at Christmas, and I can easily eat most of them.  I made them last week for a bridal shower, and they were really easy.  You can make them into cookie shapes or cheese straws.  They are so delicious and buttery.  Thanks again to Plain Chicken--my main recipe source!

Queso Cookies

2 sticks butter, softened
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 can Ro-Tel, drained (or the store brand diced tomatoes and chiles)

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix the cheese and butter together.  Add the flour, salt, cayenne and tojmatoes, and stir until it becomes a ball. 

For cookies, form the dough into marbles and press with a fork.  For straws, roll out the dough into a rectangle that is 1/4" thick, andcut the dough into 2"x1" rectangles using a pizza cutter.  Poke four holes in the top of each cheese straw with a fork.

Bake on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet for 20 minutes.  Cool and then serve.  Makes 3-4 dozen.

Vanilla Crisps

These cookies are really good basic butter cookies.  This recipe came from my mom's old Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.  It couldn't have been any easier to throw together.  I already had all the ingredients.  They look a little plain on their own, so I dressed them up with some colored sugar and stencils that I had.  You can decorate them however you want.  They're nothing fancy--just really good. 

Vanilla Crisps

1 stick butter or margarine
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 375.  Cream butter and sugar.  Add salt and vanilla.  Add egg, beating well.  Stir in flour and mix well.  Drop from a teaspoon 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Flatten with floured glass.  Bake 8-10 minutes.  Remove immediately from pan, and cool on rack.  Yields about 3 dozen small cookies. 

Cranberry Orange Cookies

How delicious!  These cookies were big winners.  I made them to give as gifts, but I'm sure I ate more than I gave away.  The glaze on top is a really nice finishing touch.  I used dried sweetened cranberries, and I left out the walnuts because I didn't have any, but I'm sure they'd be wonderful.  Give them a try!

Cranberry Orange Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp grated orange zest

2 Tbsp orange juice

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups chopped cranberries

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Glaze

1/2 tsp grated orange zest

3 Tbsp orange juice

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Preheat the oven to 375.  Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth.  Beat in the egg until well blended.  Mix in the teaspoon of orange zest and the two tablespoons of orange juice.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; mix gradually into the orange mixture.  Mix in the cranberries and walnuts, if using, and drop by rounded teaspoonfuls on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 12-14 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cookies are lightly browned.  Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks.  

In a small bowl, mix together the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of orange zest, 3 tablespoons of orange juice, and confectioners' sugar until smooth.  Drizzle over the tops of cooled cookies.  Let stand until set.  

Shortbread Cookies

These were so quick and easy to put together.  I even made the dough before work one morning.  The original recipe is from Claire Robinson, whose show on the Food Network is called "5 Ingredient Fix."  I love that she makes her food with five ingredients or less (salt, pepper, and water don't count as ingredients for her because they're so common), and these cookies were no exception.  One of the reviews said they were more of an adult cookie instead of a kiddie cookie, and after trying them, that made sense to me.   They were good, but there are other cookies that your kids (and maybe you) would enjoy more.   

Since I'm not limited to five ingredients, I added 1/2 cup of chopped pecans to the dough, and after the cookies were baked, I dipped them in melted chocolate.  The recipe said to make them in your food processor, which would be incredibly easy, but since mine isn't working right now, I used a spoon and my hands.


Shortbread Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into chunks
t tsp water
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375.  Add the flour, salt, and 1/2 cup powdered sugar to a food processor and pulse to combine.  Add in the butter, vanilla, and water.  Pulse together until a dough is formed.  Put the dough on a sheet of plastic wrap and roll into a log.  Tightly twist each end of the wrap in opposite directions, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. 

When ready to bake, slice the log into disks, and arrange on a non-stick cookie sheet.  Bake until edges are light brown, about 12-14 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking process.  Let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes until transferring to wire racks to cool completely.  If desired, sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbsp powdered sugar and dip in melted chocolate chips.

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

These were good!  They were quick and easy, and I had all the ingredients without having to go to the store, which is always nice.   Next time I think I'll add white chocolate chips for even more flavor.  It's also great because of how well it freezes.  If you don't want to bake the cookies immediately, just roll the dough onto wax paper, roll it into the log, and stick it in the freezer. 

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1 stick butter, slightly softened
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp honey
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups dried cranberries
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix dry ingredients together, and then stir in oats and set aside.  In a large bowl, beat the butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs and scrape down the bowl.  Add honey and vanilla, and beat until well blended.  Stir in the cranberries and pecans.  Drop by tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart on lightly greased sheet pans.  Bake for 9-11 minutes, and allow cookies to rest on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies

When I saw this recipe in the latest issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray, I was so excited about it.  Pretzels dipped in peanut butter was one of my favorite snacks in college, and these cookies are really good too.  They're a little bit heartier than a regular cookie, and they have a great mixture of salty and sweet.  I changed up the original recipe, which called for 1 cup of creamy peanut butter and 1/3 cup chopped peanuts, and instead I used 1 heaping cup of crunchy peanut butter (I don't think I could live without crunchy peanut butter). 

Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 sticks butter, at room temperature
1 heaping cup crunchy peanut butter
2 eggs, at room temperature
6 cups miniature pretzels, chopped

Preheat oven to 350.  In a bowl, whisk together flour and baking soda.  Using an electric mixer, in a separate bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and peanut butter on medium speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, beating until just combined.

Place the pretzels in a bowl.  Working in batches, drop a few balls of dough in the bowl and toss to coat.  Place the cookies on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden but still soft to the touch.

Peanut Butter Cake Mix Cookies

I confess that I've only baked a dozen of these cookies.  The rest of the batter is still in the refrigerator, in danger of never seeing the oven because of how yummy it is. 

This couldn't be easier to put together, and you probably have all the ingredients already in your kitchen.  You could definitely add chocolate chips to these; I didn't put them in the batter because I'm not a chocolate fan.  I did melt a baking chocolate square and smear it on top of some of them to please Biz.  The plain peanut butter ones are all mine.

Peanut Butter Cake Mix Cookies

1 box yellow cake mix

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/3 cup water

1/2 stick butter, softened

1 cup peanut butter

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.  In a large bowl, cream together eggs, water, butter, and peanut butter.  Stir in the cake mix and mix well.  Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes in oven, and allow cookies to cool on cookie sheet before removing to wire racks.

Blueberry Drop Cookies

This is a very yummy summer treat.  These cookies have a buttery-tasting dough that is just wonderful with juicy blueberries and a hint of lemon (which I thought was the best part).  I definitely prefer making drop cookies to roll-into-a-log-and-slice cookies, too, so these were nice and quick. 

As with other cookie recipes, the original recipe, this time from AllRecipes, called for shortening instead of butter, but I don't like cooking with shortening (not that butter is better for you or anything, but I can justify it based on taste).  Also, if you don't have almond extract, just use all vanilla.  (Isn't vanilla extract one of your favorite smells in the world?)  The recipe also says to refrigerate the dough for four hours, and while I'm sure that makes it easier to work with, I only chilled mine for about two hours.  If you don't have the time, it will still be fine. 

When you're scooping up the dough to put on the baking sheet, make sure you get a few blueberries in each cookie.  They are so delicious to bite into.  Enjoy!

Blueberry Drop Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup white sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 cup extra blueberries

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar.  Add the egg, milk, vanilla and almond extract, and lemon zest, mixing well after adding each ingredient.  In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; blend into the sugar mixture.  Fold in the blueberries.  Cover the dough, and refrigerate it for four hours. 

Preheat oven to 375.  Drop dough by teaspoonfuls on an ungreased cookie sheet, and bake for 12-15 minutes.  Allow to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet before moving to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Oatmeal Crisps

Growing up, I was never interested in oatmeal cookies.  I've always had other favorites--white chocolate chip and Macadamia nut cookies, sugar cookies, my mom's cornflake cookies.  Mmm...  But these oatmeal cookies could have been added to my favorites long ago if I'd known about them.  These are delicious, and they were a hit at our Fourth of July party yesterday.

Before these, I had never rolled cookie dough into a log, refrigerated it, and sliced it up.  I've always done drop cookies, and these require a bit more time (waiting for the dough to cool), but it worked out fine.  We didn't need all the dough that the recipe makes (which is 5 dozen cookies!), so I put some in the freezer.  

I sliced the cookie dough too thick for the first dozen, though, because the twelve little dough slices all spread into huge, connected cookies on the pan.  (As I understand, they don't spread as much if you use shortening, which the original recipe called for, instead of butter, which I used, but I'm not at all interested in using shortening.)  Observe:

From this-

To this-

I got the recipe from my mom's old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook from back in the day.  I've loved reading it recently; those ladies knew what they were doing when they put it together. 



Oatmeal Crisps

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped pecans (you could use walnuts)

Preheat oven to 350.  Cream butter and sugars in a large bowl.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Beat well.  Sift together flour, salt, and soda.; add to creamed mixture.  Stir in rolled oats and pecans, and mix.  Form dough into rolls, 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter.  Wrap in waxed paper, aluminum foil, or clear plastic.  Chill thoroughly in refrigerator.  With a sharp knife, slice cookies about 1/4-inch thick.  Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 10 minutes. 

Ricotta Lemon Cake Mix Cookies

I love these cookies!  They're light but also a little chewy.  So good!  I also made them pretty small, so it's easy to eat eight of them without blinking an eye.  I like the idea of making cookies with cake mix, and I'm going to keep looking for recipes like this.  Pour yourself a glass of milk, and try one (or fourteen) of these little gems.  I got three dozen out of the recipe.  Thanks to the Cooking Photographer for this great idea. 

Ricotta Lemon Cake Mix Cookies

1/2 stick butter, melted
1 cup ricotta cheese (not non-fat)
1 large egg
1 tsp lemon extract (I used vanilla extract)
zest of 1 lemon
1 (18.25oz) box lemon cake mix

Preheat oven to 350.  With a hand mixer, mix butter and ricotta cheese in a large bowl until fluffy.  Add egg, lemon extract, and zest, and beat until combined and fluffy.  Stir in cake mix until combined.  Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls on baking sheet.  Bake one sheet at a time for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom.  Let cookies sit for 2-3 minutes on baking sheet before moving to cooling rack. 

Bizzuck's Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

Of course, Bizzuck didn't know that these were his favorite chocolate chip cookies when I made them.  He discovered how good they were upon eating them.  That's always nice. 

They were easy, and the dough was divine--I ate at least seven cookies worth of dough.  I already had all the ingredients too, and that too is always nice.  I got the recipe from PlainChicken, and she explained that it's the Nestle Tollhouse recipe, except that it's only half the butter of the original recipe.  That's right, everyone; that means these cookies are low fat.  Right?  She also made hers in a muffin-top pan, which immediately made me want one.
(I'm starting a wish list, and that's the first item.) 

Anyway, these cookies are very good.  You will like them!

Bizzuck's Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 stick butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups (12 oz bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375.  In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.  In a separate larger bowl, combine the butter, white sugar, brown sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until the dough is creamy.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating the dough well after each egg.  Gradually beat in the flour mixture.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Scoop out rounded tablespoonfuls of dough (mine were slightly larger than this) and place two inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown (mine took closer to 11-12).  Cool on the baking sheet for two minutes, and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

These are sooo good. Everyone loves the cookie dough more than the cookies anyway, so these treats let everyone indulge themselves on what they'd rather be eating. Plus, there isn't raw egg in these to worry about (not that I've ever worried about that when eating cookie dough, but I know I'm supposed to). It does take a little while since you have to refrigerate/freeze the dough at different times, so plan to do this in stages. Also, dipping them in chocolate at the end can get a little messy, so be prepared! Thanks to Plain Chicken for the tasty recipe.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

1 stick butter at room temperature

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed

2 1/4 cups flour

1 (14-oz can) sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 lb chocolate bark or chocolate candy coating

Combine the butter and brown sugar in a mixing bowl, and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the flour, condensed milk, and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up enough to form balls.

Shape the chilled cookie dough mixture into balls. I use a spoon to scoop them, which means they come out smaller, but you could do them any size. Place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Cover loosely, put the pan in the freezer, and chill for at least 30 minutes.

When ready to dip them, melt the chocolate in a bowl in the microwave. Dip each chilled truffle, one at a time, in the chocolate, and gently shake off any excess. You can do this all with spoons or with your hands (which gets messy but is fun). If the cookie dough gets too soft at any point, put them back in the freezer for a few minutes. Once all the cookie dough bites have been dipped in chocolate, store them in the refrigerator.