Rice Krispies Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick unslated butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons hot water
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies
1 cups Butterscotch chips (I used 1/2 cup butterscotch chips and 1/2 peanut butter)

Directions:
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until combined after each. Mix in hot water and vanilla. Add flour mixture, in two batches, beating just until combined – be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Using a wooden spoon, fold in butterscotch chips and Rice Krispies. Cover and refrigerate for 30 min. or longer.

Preheat oven to 375. Scoop out tablespoons of the dough and roll into balls. Place all balls on one baking sheet, and chill at least 30 min. Remove from fridge and place 12 balls on cookie sheet at a time. Bake until the middle looks just set and the edges begin to turn a light golden – about 8-12 minutes. Remove and let sit on the sheet for a minute. Move cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Recipe from Baking Blonde's Webblog

Peanut Butter Cup Surprise Cookies

I made these for Lenny's work for their birthday luncheon. They decided that they would like to eat them for breakfast and nicknamed them "Death Bites" because they were so sweet. I took some into my office because Lenny's Office should have all the fun and they loved them too. They wanted to know if I was going to be bring in more the next day.

Ingredients:

2 cups creamy peanut butter

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

24 mini Reeses peanut butter cups, unwrapped mini marshmallows

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. water

mini M&Ms

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine peanut butter, sugar and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until well combined. Divide the dough evenly between 24 wells of a mini-muffin pan (I usually have a bit left over, but do so to leave room for the candy). Make an indentation in the center of each dough ball. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until almost done. Remove from the oven and press a peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie until it is flush with the top of the dough. Top each cookie with 3-4 mini marshmallows. Return the pan to the oven and bake 2-3 minutes more, until the marshmallows have puffed up. Transfer the pans to a wire cooling rack and allow the cookies to cool completely in the pan before removing them. (This is important! I tried removing them while still slightly warm - not a good idea.)Once the cookies are completely cooled, transfer them to a wire rack over a sheet of wax paper or aluminum foil. Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl. Bring the cream, sugar and water to a boil, then pour the liquid over the chocolate and let sit for 30 seconds. Gently whisk the mixture together until smooth. Leave the glaze to sit until it thickens a bit to your desired consistency, then drizzle over the tops of the cookies. Sprinkle with mini M&Ms before the glaze hardens.

Recipe from Annie's Eats and picture from my kitchen

Snickerdoodles

I made this for a Christmas Cookie Exchange, therefore you can see that I am running really late on getting this updated.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.
Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.

Recipe from http://www.allrecipes.com/, picture from my kitchen

Peanut Butter Blossoms

My next door neighbor was turning 13 this past weekend and she wanted to have a dance party and cookies instead of cake. Her mom called and asked me to help make cookies since she knows that I love to bake. I had found a recipe for Peanut Butter Blossoms back during the holidays that I wanted to try. I lost that recipe of coarse, but found this one. Everyone seemed to love these cookies because they were all gone by the end of the evening.


Ingredients
48 Hershey's Kisses
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
granulated sugar

Directions
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.
2. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

-makes about 4 dozen cookies ~

Source: Hershey's Kitchens, picture from my kitchen.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 3 1/2 dozen

Ingredients
2 ½ cup ap flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
pinch nutmeg
½ cup butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup chocolate chips or raisins

Directions
Preheat oven 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.Whisk together flour, leavening, salt and spices.
In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugars. Beat in egg, then vanilla, then pumpkin. Add flour mixture and stir until just incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans, if using.
Drop by tablespoons and bake for 12-14 minutes at 350F. Bake them until they’re lightly browned at the edges, but not dark.
Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Recipe from Amber's Delectable Delights, Picture from my kitchen