Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ever since we moved to our house in Freeport, I have had a hard time making a good chocolate chip cookie.  Every recipe I try the cookies end up being flat as a pancake and just look horrible to serve others.  I have finally find a cookie that works in my oven...that's who what I blame the problem on.  Enjoy!!!

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 box instant vanilla pudding
2 1/4 cup flour
12oz chocolate chips


Directions
1.  Cream together butter, sugars, baking soda, vanilla and eggs.
2.  add in flour and pudding
3.  add chocolate chips
4.  Drop by teaspoon on un-greased cookie sheet.
5.  Bake 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Creme Filled Cookies

Let me go back a few years when Brendan was in kindergarten.   He made a recipe card holder;  I believe it was for a Mother's day gift.   Along with the holder was a recipe for these awesome little cookies. (Thanks, Wendy!!!)   The only down fall is the recipe doesn't make very many cookie sandwiches; I think today I only got 10 sandwiches from the one batch.  But I guess that way we don't have a ton of cookies around the house either...and that's a good thing :)

First I mixed the ingredients together, shaped with dough into 1" balls, and baked them in a 350 degree oven

Here's what we get - these lovely chocolate morsels

yum!  Then after the cookies have cooled, I need to get some frosting.  

Now the easy way it to buy a container of frosting and slap some between 2 cookies.  But today, I didn't have a jar of frosting in the house, so I made a quick and easy recipe.

Now for frosting the cookies, my boys think the more frosting....

the better.

Then stack another cookie on top.

Enjoy!!!

Creme Filled Cookie

what you need

• 1 box of chocolate cake mix
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 container of ready made frosting

make it

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all cookie ingredients; mix well. Firmly shape dough into 1' balls. Place 2" apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 9-13 minutes or until set. Cool 1 minute, remove from cookie sheet. Spread frosting between 2 cooled cookies. Enjoy!

In case you want to make the frosting here's the recipe I used.

Easy Vanilla Frosting

what you need

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 4 to 5 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup milk or cream

make it

In a large bowl, beat together the butter, shortening, and salt till fluffy. Add about half the confectioners' sugar, and beat slowly until well blended. Add the vanilla and half the milk or cream, and beat until fluffy. Continue mixing in sugar and milk alternately until they've been completely incorporated. Beat until the frosting is light and fluffy.

Birthday Treats

Remember having to put your head down on your desk in elementary school then someone had a birthday?  Remember the suckers, Jolly Rancher sticks, and bags of m&m's you would get?  Well this past Monday, Lucas and Austin celebrated their 6th birthday.  And these days the kids give up cupcakes in ice cream cones or a bag full of goodies and I really didn't want to do either.  But I had to come up with something BIG seeing how I had two kids that needed treats and I didn't want to do two treats.  So this is what I came up with...one huge 3 in1 bear cookie, yes that's right 3 cookies stacked on top of each other to create this adorable cookie.


I have made lots of cut out cookies in the past years, decorating them is kind of a stress reliever for me, yes I know that's strange.  But I have fun doing this and Mike is really good at keeping the boys away from me while I'm being creative.  


Like many other cookie recipes, I have tried tons of different roll out cookie recipes.  I really like my MIL's recipe when I leave the dough pretty thick and unbake them just a bit. I also came across I just love and that's the recipe I would like to share with you today.

Soft Sugar Cookies

what you need

• 4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup sour cream

make it

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Bear in the egg, vanilla, and sour cream until well blended. Stir in the sifted ingredients. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill.

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out in 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 1/2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

I find that if I roll them a little thick and do not overbake, they are the best and stay moist