FRUIT FILLED COOKIE BARS

FRUIT FILLED COOKIE BARS

best reecipes ever BREAKFAST RECIPES CHERRY DESSERTS COOKIE RECIPES

best recipes ever I had a hard time coming up with a name for this delicious treat. It is not exactly a cake, but it's a little soft to be a cookie. It does remind me a little of one of those big soft cake-y sugar cookies, but don't forget it has a juicy fruit filling too, so what category does it really fall into?  Answer: Yummy Category!!

Usually, we just eat these out of hand, but they are also nice enough for company if you serve them with a scoop of ice cream!! Either way they are hard to beat with a tall glass of milk or a hot cup of tea.

1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
14 ounce can fruit pie filling (see note)

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla together until very well mixed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well in between each egg.

Add flour and beat until well mixed, then let the dough sit for about 5 minutes.

Press 3/4 of the dough into a lightly greased 9" x 9" pan (I use a (9" springform pan).  Make the outside edge just a little deeper than the rest of the crust (this will help keep the fruit away from the edge of the pan).

Top with fruit filling (see note) and then drop little bits of the rest of the reserved dough on top of the fruit filling.

Bake in a pre-heated 375 oven for 35-40 minutes depending on how hot your oven runs. My electric oven takes 37 minutes.

Let cool for a while then drizzle with a vanilla frosting glaze.

Cool and store covered.

NOTES:

Any home made or commercial fruit filling will work well in the recipe, but I suggest that if you use a commercial pie filling, that you jazz it up a little. Example: if you are using cherry pie filling, add 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract, if you are using apple pie filling, chop them up a little and add a little more cinnamon and nutmeg or maybe a few raisin? Use your imagination.

You can double the ingredients and bake it in a 9" x 13" pan for 40-45 minutes.  Either way, use the toothpick test to make sure its done in the middle.

MELT IN YOUR MOUTH SHORTBREAD COOKIES

MELT IN YOUR MOUTH SHORTBREAD COOKIES

BAKE SALE RECIPES Best recipes ever CHRISTMAS COOKIES CLASSIC RECIPES COOKIE RECIPES

'Tis the season for Christmas cookies, and this is one of our favorites. Simple ingredients, simple instructions; you can make them as festive (or simple) as you want and they are still "melt in your mouth" delicious. Try these classic shortbread cookies for the holidays. best recipes ever

SHORTBREAD COOKIES

1 cup room temperature butter (no substitutions)

1/2  cup brown sugar (packed tight into measuring cup)

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups flour

In a large stand mixer (using paddle beater), beat the butter, vanilla and brown sugar (on high) for five minutes (scrape down the bowl sides half way through).

After 5 minutes, add the flour (one cup at a time) and beat until very well mixed and the cookie dough comes away from the sides of

the bowl. best recipes ever

Roll the dough into a log and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least a couple hours (I like to chill overnight).

When you are ready to bake these cookies, roll the log in sprinkles or finely chopped nuts, pressing them in with your hands just a little.

Using a thin bladed knife, slice the cookie log into 1/4" slices and place on an UNGREASED cookie sheet.  Bake in a pre-heated 325° oven for 20-25 minutes or until edges of the cookies JUST START to change color. My electric oven takes 23 minutes.

Remove from cookie sheet and cool on bakers rack.  These cookies do NOT spread out when you bake them, so you can really place them close together on the baking sheet.

SPRINKLES?

NO SPRINKLES?

Just make sure you have a

tall glass of milk!!





PEANUT BUTTER KRISPIE TREATS

PEANUT BUTTER KRISPIE TREATS

BAKE SALE RECIPES Best recipes ever COOKIE RECIPES NO BAKE DESSERTS PARTY SNACKS

This "recipe" couldn't be easier, faster or tastier. In this batch, I added 3/4 cup of miniature chocolate chips to the final mix stage, but the straight peanut butter squares are to-die-for delicious!! They are excellent for snacking, for bake sales, for lunch boxes and especially for "whenever"!! best recipes ever

1 cup sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter

Mix the above ingredients in a sauce pan that has a nice heavy bottom. Heat (on medium) until you JUST START to see bubbles around the edge of the pan (watch and stir,  because this mixture wants to scorch if you heat it too fast).

As soon as you see the little bubbles around the edges of the pan, remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla; mix well.

Pour over 6 cups of Rice Krispie cereal and mix well. If you are going to add the miniature chocolate chips; add them after the peanut butter mixture has coated the cereal; the heat of the mixture will melt them just a little, so don't add the chocolate too early.

Pour into a lightly buttered 11" x 7" dish. Pat down with slightly dampened hands. Allow to cool completely and cut into squares. best recipes ever

NOTE: I don't butter my dish, I spray it with vegetable spray and then use a paper towel to wipe out the excess, that way the squares don't have a "greasy" side and the squares DO NOT STICK to the pan.

NOTE: If you have any treats left, after your family descends upon these, store them in an airtight container, or cover tightly with plastic wrap.

S'MORE CUPS

S'MORE CUPS

Best recipes ever COOKIE RECIPES MINI RECIPES POT LUCK RECIPES

This has to be the cutest idea that I've seen in a while. It (and the photo) is from  At Home With Amy.   They are delicious and so much fun. best recipes ever

7 whole graham crackers finely crushed
1/4 cup powdered sugar
6 tablespoons melted butter
4 milk chocolate candy bars (see note)
12 large marshmallows

Mix the graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar and melted butter together until crumbly and evenly mixed. Put a small scoop of these crumbs in each cup of a mini-muffin tin and press down and up the sides to form a little "cup".  Bake at 350° for 4 or 5 minutes or until the edges are bubbling.

WhiLe the cups are baking, break apart the candy bar into sections (Hershey's are already scored into sections) and cut the marshmallows in half (scissors dipped in cold water works well for this).

Remove the cups from the oven and put a square of chocolate in each crumb cup, then top with a marshmallow half. Return to the oven for 1 or 2 minutes or until the marshmallow is just slightly puffed.

Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing them, then cool them completely. 

Melt the remaining chocolate (microwave works well) and dip the top of the completely cooled S'more Cups into the melted chocolate. Let them sit for about an hour to "set" the chocolate. best recipes ever

Store in an airtight container for up to a week. "Reheating" these in the microwave for a FEW seconds, is beyond delicious.

NOTE: Any (ALL chocolate) candy bar will work, whatever is your favorite....dark? white? milk chocolate?

PEANUT BUTTER BROWNIES with CHOCOLATE-PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING

PEANUT BUTTER BROWNIES with CHOCOLATE-PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING

BAKE SALE RECIPES Best recipes ever CHOCOLATE DESSERTS COOKIE RECIPES PEANUT BUTTER

We are huge fans of peanut butter and chocolate together, are you? This peanut butter brownie has peanut butter and miniature chocolate chips in the batter and a peanut butter - chocolate frosting on top...oh my, it was good!!!

1½ cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons butter, room temperature

½ cup smooth peanut butter

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 8" x 11" baking dish with vegetable spray.

After you measure the flour, remove a tablespoon of it and toss it with the miniature chocolate chips...set aside (this will keep the chocolate chips from sinking in the batter as they bake).

Cream the peanut butter and room temperature butter until smooth.  Add the sugars, vanilla and eggs and beat until smooth with electric mixer.

Add the flour, baking powder and salt and beat on low until combined (don't over-beat). Stir in the flour coated miniature chocolate chips.

Spread in the prepared baking dish and bake 35-40 minutes. NOTE: At 35 minutes, my brownies looked a little dark, so I just shut the oven off and let them sit in there for another few minutes. Use toothpick to test for done-ness.

Remove from oven and place pan on a cooling rack for 20 minutes or so before frosting. 

If you let these frosted brownies cool completely, they will cut cleanly like this.  

best recipese ever

EASY BUTTERSCOTCH CANDY BARS

EASY BUTTERSCOTCH CANDY BARS

BAKE SALE RECIPES COOKIE RECIPES

This delicious recipe (posted by Ellen b. over at MGCC) was originally a cookie bar; but you know me, I can't leave a recipe alone, so I doubled the topping ingredients and the end result was almost like a candy bar. I served them at a BBQ, recently, and they were inhaled by kids and adults alike. They are SO easy to make, but a warning here... they are totally addicting!!

 

COOKIE BASE (original version)
1½ cups all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter (room temperature)
¾ cup brown sugar

Mix the flour, salt and brown sugar, then cut the room temperature butter into the mixture. To do this, I used my stand mixer with a wire whisk on medium high and it gave me fine crumbs like this, which is perfect. Put the crumbs into a 9 x 13 baking dish that has been sprayed with vegetable spray.

Level the crumbs out with your fingers and then pat them down evenly. I used the bottom of a smooth  measuring cup to tamp down the crumbs, which produced a nice flat layer like this:

Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 15 minutes.

While the cookie base is baking, mix the following ingredients in a microwave safe bowl:

BUTTERSCOTCH TOPPING (my version)
12 ounces of butterscotch baking chips
½ cup light corn syrup (I use  Karo syrup)
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons water
¼ teaspoon salt

Melt the above ingredients in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds (my microwave took about 75 seconds). When the mixture is completely smooth, add two cups of coarsely chopped (and toasted) pecans.

After the cookie base has baked for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and spread the butterscotch-pecan mixture over the top and put back in the oven for another 8 minutes.

Cool completely before slicing.

Store in lightly covered cookie jar.

Thank you for sharing the original recipe Ellen b.

COOKIE BOWLS

COOKIE BOWLS

COOKIE RECIPES

Looking for a fun and inexpensive way to jazz up your next family gathering? Try these cookie bowls. Not only are they easy to do, but you can fill them with anything from pudding, to ice cream, to cheesecake. You can make the cookie bowls ahead of time and freeze them (unfilled); there are tons of possibilities.

The instructions for these cookie bowls called for forming them over an inverted cupcake pan, however, I wanted bigger (and thicker) ones because they were for a specific purpose and had to be strong enough to travel well, so I formed them over an inverted Texas size  muffin pan.

DO NOT BE TEMPTED TO MAKE THESE COOKIE BOWLS USING ALL BUTTER. IT WILL NOT WORK. THE DOUGH WILL SPREAD AND NOT FORM A BOWL !!!!!

1/4 cup butter flavored shortening (no substitutions)
1/4 cup butter (room temperature)(no substitutions)
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1½ cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Beat together shortening, butter and sugars in a large bowl; add the egg and vanilla; beat until well mixed. IMPORTANT NOTE: Do NOT replace butter for the shortening in this recipe; if you do, the dough will spread too much while baking.

Mix the flour and baking powder and gradually stir them into the batter; stir in the chocolate chips.

Put batter into a large plastic bag and flatten into a disk; chill for at least an hour. Preheat your oven to 375. Turn your cupcake (or muffin) pan upside down and cover every other one with foil.

NOTE: standard size cupcake pan requires a 4" circle of foil and the Texas size muffin pan requires a 6" circle of foil. Spray the foil with vegetable spray.

NOTE: I used the new no stick foil and didn't have to spray it at all.

Roll the chilled cookie dough  (between two pieces of waxed paper) out to about 1/8th inch or about the same as pie dough. Cut circles and drape over foil, smoothing cracks together and trimming to fit.

UPDATE: One friendly commenter for this recipe said that she used inverted cupcake papers instead of the foil and it worked well. That's brilliant, thank you!!

Bake 10-12 minutes or until light brown. Remove from oven and let them cool on the pan for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, gently lift them off of the pan (use the tip of a butter knife to lift one corner first) but don't remove the foil  until the cookie bowl is completely cool.   Fill just before serving.