Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Bunny's Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
3/4 cup shortening
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 T milk
1 T vanilla
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 t salt
3/4 t baking soda
1 cup mint chips
1 cup chocolate chips

Combine shortening and brown sugar in a large bowl (I used a wooden spoon for the entire process). Add milk, vanilla and egg. Stir well. Add flour, salt and soda. Combine. Stir in both chips. 
Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes on greased cookie sheets. I used a #40 cookie scoop (holds a generous tablespoon of dough), but split each scoop into two cookies. The recipe made about 4 1/2 dozen cookies that way. 

Chocolate Mint Cookies

Chocolate Mint Cookies
by Heather

3/4 C. Butter
1 1/2 C. Brown sugar
2 T. Water
12 oz. Bag chocolate chips
2 Eggs
2 3/4 c. Flour
1/2 t. Salt
1 1/4 t. Soda
1 lb. Andes Mints

Melt together butter, brown sugar and water. Add chocolate chips and stir until melted. Let stand 10 minutes to cool. Add remaining ingredients (except mints).
Chill dough at least 1 hour. It gets very sticky, so I put it back in the fridge after I roll each batch.
Roll into balls and place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 9 minutes. Remove from oven and place 1 Andes mint on top of each cookie. Let sit for a couple of minutes. Swirl melted mint on top of cookie with a spoon or knife. (I used a knife)

This recipe makes a lot, about 5 dozen

The ROCK...or at least thats what Im calling it..

I seriously just gained 10 pounds just looking at this picture...I dare ya to make one..I know I can never turn down a dare..YIKES
Here it is in detail..

Softest, chewiest sugar cookies ever Shared by "Or so she says"

Butter-cream Frosting

1 stick softened (not too melted) butter

4 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Milk to consistency

Food coloring

Directions: mix well with hand mixer.

The Softest, Chewiest, Best Sugar Cookies

5 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp. Baking soda

1 tsp. Baking powder

4 sticks softened butter

3 cups white sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

6 TBS. buttermilk

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until somewhat smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla. In another bowl, stir together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and baking powder.. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed ingredients. Mix well. Add the buttermilk to make the dough soft, not wet. Roll into med/small balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake until done.  How do you like that?  After about 12 minutes, check them...and wait until the edges barely start to show a golden color...could take up to 15 minutes, or more. (To be honest, I can't remember how long to cook them...there, I said it.)  Remove from oven and let them rest on the cookie sheet

for several minutes. Then let cool on wire rack or towel. Frost.

P.S. I have also turned these into Snickerdoodles! Instead of frosting, when you roll the dough balls, roll them into a mixture or cinnamon and sugar. Bake as usual.

This isn't food but....

This isn't food but food could be involved in the prizes..
What a fun idea to do on Christmas Eve with the family or any  day..I love it and the prizes could be white elephant or fun or what I'd like CHOCOLATE..Have fun!!
Oh and go Here for download..

Chocolate Peppermint Roll from brown paper packages..oh my goodness..I might feel like Im sinning when I make this..it looks that good!!

{recipe source} 
Ingredients
• 4 eggs, separated 
• 1/2 cup sugar plus 1/3 cup sugar, divided 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/8 teaspoon salt 
• 1/3 cup water 
• PEPPERMINT FILLING (recipe follows) 
• CHOCOLATE GLAZE (recipe follows) 

Directions
1. 1 Heat oven to 375°F. Line 15-1/2x10-1/2x1-inch jelly-roll pan with foil; generously grease foil.

2. 2 Beat egg whites in large bowl on high speed of mixer until soft peaks form; gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Beat egg yolks and vanilla in medium bowl on medium speed 3 minutes. Gradually add remaining 1/3 cup sugar; continue beating 2 additional minutes.

3. 3 Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt; on low speed, add to egg yolk mixture alternately with water, beating just until batter is smooth. Using rubber spatula, gradually fold chocolate mixture into beaten egg whites until well blended. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.

4. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly. Immediately loosen cake from edges of pan; invert on clean towel sprinkled with powdered sugar. Carefully peel off foil. Immediately roll cake in towel, starting from narrow end; place on wire rack to cool completely. Prepare PEPPERMINT FILLING. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cake with filling; reroll cake. Glaze with CHOCOLATE GLAZE. Refrigerate until just before serving. Cover; refrigerate leftover dessert. 10 to 12 servings.

PEPPERMINT FILLING:
Beat 1 cup (1/2 pt.) cold whipping cream in medium bowl until slightly thickened. Add 1/4 cup powdered sugar and 1/4 cup finely crushed hard peppermint candy or 1/2 teaspoon mint extract and a few drops red food color, if desired; beat until stiff. 

CHOCOLATE GLAZE
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons HERSHEY'S Cocoa
2 tablespoons water
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter in small saucepan over very low heat; add cocoa and water, stirring until smooth and slightly thickened. Do not boil. Remove from heat; cool slightly. (Cool completely for thicker, frosting-type topping) Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla, beating until smooth. About 3/4 cup glaze.

Love Cake - A Baking Song.Don't forget to pause songs below..

Skinny Taco Dip..Just in time for the holidays..

Skinny Taco Dip
Servings: 24 • Serving Size: 1/24th of dip • Old Points: 1.5 pts • Points+: 2 pts
Calories: 59.2 • Fat: 3.6 g • Protein: 2.2 g • Carb: 4.7 g • Fiber: 0.6 g 

• 8 oz 1/3 less fat Philadelphia cream cheese
• 8 oz reduced fat sour cream
• 16 oz jar mild salsa
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 2 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
• 2.25 oz black olives,

In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sour cream, salsa and taco seasoning and mix well with an electric mixer. Spread on the bottom of a large shallow glass dish. Top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese and black olives. Serve with baked tortilla chips.

Love that its called "Skinny Taco Dip" love the word skinny..

Best Taco soup in the history of the world..Seriously

TACO SOUP

1-2 lbs. ground beef
1 onion chopped
1 can green chilies (optional)
1 can corn
2 cans pinto beans
3 cans tomatoes ( I use the petite tomatoes)
1 pkg. dry taco mix
1 pkg. dry Hidden Valley dressing mix
2 1/2 cups water

Brown ground beef and onion together.  Add remaining ingredients.  Mix all together  and simmer 30 min.
Serve topped with grated cheese and sour cream, if desired.
Serves 10 or 1 if your hungry..
ENJOY

Baby Shower goodness..

Had a catering job for a baby shower and did a really fun cupcake, I posted a recipe for high top cupcakes awhile back but with everything else I had to make it just wasn't going to happen so what I did was dip the cupcake top after it was cooled with melted chocolate (Ghirardelli candy making and dipping bar, got it at Sams club but you can get any melting chocolate) and then added this recipe for the best frosting ever..kinda tricky frosting but so worth it..I used blue coloring paste, tip: just add a tiny bit, like the end of a toothpick as its a strong color, I wanted them baby blue and ended up with this color, they looked okay but darker then I wanted..The cupcake recipe I used is simple and so moist and yummy another tip: take them out about a min. early and they will be moister, when you check with a toothpick to check if its done, it should come out with moist crumbs, not completely clean, that means its still slightly under cooked..okay have I totally lost you?? its really a trail and error, but they are still moist if you keep them in for the allotted time, I just don't like when the bottom gets too dark..Good luck..The brown sugar cupcakes were just "okay" not worth sharing the recipe.

Moist Chocolate Cake
1 box of chocolate cake mix
1 (4 serving) instant chocolate pudding
4 eggs
1/2 oil
1 cup water
Just follow the directions on box,
you can use any flavor cake mix and pudding
makes 24 cupcakes
I put a tiny red candy ball on top, I used Mary Englebright candy balls, I got from Micheal's craft store

Next: Stuffed Mushrooms
This is the best recipe I have ever found and it got rave reviews, super good, put it on your list for holiday parties..
I wouldn't lead you astray..

Stuffed Mushrooms

by The Pioneer Woman

24 ounces, White Button Mushrooms
⅓ pounds Hot Pork Sausage

½ whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced

4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced

8 ounces, Cream Cheese

1 whole Egg Yolk

¾ cups Parmesan Cheese, Grated

⅓ cups Dry White Wine

Salt And Pepper (to Taste)

Directions: Brown and crumble sausage. Set aside on a plate to cool.

Add onions and garlic to the same skillet; cook for 2 minutes over medium low heat. Pour in wine to deglaze pan, allow liquid to evaporate. Add in chopped mushroom stems, stir to cook for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set mixture aside on a plate to cool.

In a bowl, combine cream cheese and egg yolk. Stir together with Parmesan cheese.

Add cooled sausage and cooled mushroom stems. Stir mixture together and refrigerate for a short time to firm up.

Smear mixture into the cavity of each mushroom, creating a sizable mound over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool at least ten minutes before serving; the stuffed mushrooms taste better when not piping hot. Garnish with minced parsley if you're feeling fancy.

These are the famous cucumber sandwiches..found here..another favorite, Cassie said she could live on them forever..another one I get asked to make all the time.

Caesar Salad from Costco, already bagged and the BEST one I have ever had..Don't have a Costco card? find someone who does and have them buy you one..very responsibly priced $3.99 per bag with everything included.

Hope you enjoy these recipes as much as everyone else did

Lemon Poppyseed cake..Thanks Stone Gable

Add caption

Lemon Poppyseed Pound Cake

recipe makes 1 large pound cake
3 tablespoons milk

3 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups cake flour

1 cup sugar, divided

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 TBS loosely packed grated lemon zest
2 1/2 TBS poppy seeds

13 TBS unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease large loaf pan. Put waxed paper in the bottom of the pan and grease it too.

In a small bowl mix together milk, eggs and vanilla.

In a large bowl of a mixer, mix together flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, lemon zest and poppy seeds on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl.

Add all of the softened butter and 1/2 of the egg mixture. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds increasing speed to medium and mix for another 30 seconds. Add the rest of the egg mixtures in 2 parts mixing for 20 seconds in between. Do not overmix.

Pour batter into the loaf pan and bake for 55-60 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Do not overcook.

While the pound cake is baking make the lemon syrup.

Put 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup lemon in a saucepan and cook until sugar dissolves.

When pound cake is done, poke holes over the top of the cake with a skewer.

Brush 1/2 of the lemon syrup over the top of the pound cake.

 After 10 minutes, take cake out of pan, spray cooling rack with cooking spray and invert cake.  Poke holes with a skewer all over the bottom of the cake. Brush remaining syrup over the bottom and the sides of the pound cake. Use every bit of syrup!

Cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap. Do not use for 24 hours. Give the lemon syrup a chance to incorporate into the pound cake.

Glaze cake:
Mix 1 cup confectioner's sugar with just enough freshly squeezed lemon juice to make a glaze. I made mine more like icing. I like that it stickes to the top. Let the glaze harden and serve.

Enjoy!

crock pot soup..super easy and good!

Super easy super yummy crock pot soup: can of diced tomatoes with green chilis, can of corn, can of black beans (drained & rinsed), 2 frozen chicken breasts, 8 oz cream cheese, 1 packet dry ranch dressing, 1 tablespoon cumin, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon chili powder. Put all ingredients in crock pot and cook 6-8 hours. Shred chicken, and enjoy!

Butternut Squash Soup..YUM!!!

Alexie is getting to be quite the cook..she's brave, she does hard things..this soup is time consuming but it was so worth it, plus she made dinner, and I always love that..Perfect for fall..thank you again Best Bites and Lexie Dawn...

Butternut Squash Soup

Recipe by Our Best Bites
serves 6-8

1/2 T olive oil
1 T butter
1/2 C sliced carrots (abt 1 med carrot or 12 baby ones)
2 stalks celery, diced
1 C diced onion
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 medium butternut squash, (abt 4 cups peeled and diced)
1 medium potato, diced (about 2 C diced)
32 oz chicken broth (that’s one box/carton)
1 T brown sugar
1 1/2 t kosher salt
3/4 t dried sage
1 pinch cayenne pepper or a douse of hot sauce

In a large stock pot, heat olive oil and butter. When butter is melted add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic

Saute for 2-3 minutes or until onion is tender. Add the squash.

Then add potato, sage, salt, red pepper, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Simmer with the lid on for 30-40 minutes or until everything is tender. Check a piece of squash and also a piece of celery and potato to make sure they area fork tender. Stir in 1 T brown sugar.

Use an immersion blender, or transfer soup to a regular blender and puree until smooth.

I topped mine with a little parsley so it didn’t look so plain! A small drizzle of heavy cream or sour cream is also tasty.

Pumpkin filled snickerdoodles..YUMMY

Snickerdoodles 

adapted from: The Stirring Place

(Printable Recipe) 

1 c. butter, softened

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs 

1 tsp. vanilla

2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon plus 4 tsp. sugar, for rolling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs and vanilla.  Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt and add to creamed mixture.  Chill dough for at least 30 minutes.  Roll into balls about the size of a large marble and roll in cinnamon and sugar mixture.  Bake 8-10 minutes.  

Pumpkin Cream Filling:

I used leftover cream cheese frosting that was made from butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla.  I added to that a little brown sugar (not too much, because it is already pretty sweet), a little pumpkin pie spice and a few tablespoons of canned pumpkin.  I tasted and adjusted ingredients until it was delicious!    

Jenn's Notes:  I cut the cookie recipe in half and got 34 medium sized cookies.  I baked mine for 9 minutes.  I left some plain and I made the others into sandwiches.  The ones that I left plain were a little tuff the next day, but the ones with the cream filling were soft and chewy!  The filling must keep them soft.  The pumpkin filling is pretty soft when it is at room temperature and  squooshes out the sides when you take a bite of the sandwich.  If that bothers you, you would probably just want to spread the filling on the top of one cookie or use the filling as a dip.  Either way, snickerdoodles and pumpkin are a perfect pair!   

Owl cupcakes

Chocolate cupcakes, Oreo's split in half and recess pieces..
pinch  cupcake on top to make the ears..I love simple!

Heaven's Dessert

Ingredients

• 20 chocolate cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, divided
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 package (8 ounces) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese (softened or cubed), softened
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, divided
• 1 carton (16 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
• 15 miniature peanut butter cups, chopped
• 1 cup cold milk
• 1 package (3.9 ounces) instant chocolate fudge pudding mix

Directions

• Crush 16 cookies; toss with the butter. Press into an ungreased 9-in. square dish; set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter and 1 cup confectioners' sugar until smooth. Fold in half of the whipped topping. Spread over crust. Sprinkle with peanut butter cups.
• In another large bowl, beat the milk, pudding mix and remaining confectioners' sugar on low speed for 2 minutes Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Fold in remaining whipped topping.
• Spread over peanut butter cups. Crush remaining cookies; sprinkle over the top. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours. Yield: 12-16 servings.
• You are going to want to try this one..its what they serve in heaven!!
• Do not eat while counting calories..