Mmmm Mmmm Monday: Gingerbread Softies

My newest obsession for finding recipes is on Pinterest. There is so much cool stuff on there besides recipes! Be warned though...it is super addicting!

Anyway, when I was wandering around over there a couple weeks ago I came across this recipe from Dana Made It and it was the perfect Christmas baking recipe to try out. I love gingerbread cookies but don't like hard, crunchy cookies so right off the bat the name intrigued me.

I made a batch of the dough and baked them up...HEAVEN. The recipe says to make 1" round balls but I used my Pampered Chef medium scoop for the balls and it yielded 4.5 dozen cookies!! Imagine if how many you'd get with 1" balls! A TON!!

Here's what you need:
2 cups sugar
1.5 cups shortening
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
4 cups flour
4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp giner
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt

Cream together suger & shortening. Add eggs and beat until thick. Add molasses and stir until combined.
Sift together flour baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves & salt. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just blended. (If the dough is very soft, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for 30 min).
Shape dough into 1" balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place on greased cookie sheets and bake at 350* for 7-10 minutes or until just set, but not browned. Cool on a wire rack.

**I use my PC stoneware bar pan for baking cookies, and I needed to bake for about 11-12 minutes. Ten minutes on the stoneware made the cookies just a bit too soft.**

Mmmm Mmmm Monday: Marbled Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies

I absolutely LOVE the fall...it means I get to bake with pumpkin! Pumpkin bread, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. You name it- we love it!

I found this recipe on BHG.com and knew right away I had to try it fast. I baked a batch up last night and they're all gone today!

Now, this isn't something you can just throw together real quick...this is brownies made from scratch, so be sure to give yourself about 30 minutes for prep time. And then they bake for an hour.

Here's what you need:

3 oz cream cheese, softened

1 Tbsp butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

6 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped

3/4 cup butter (1 and a half sticks) cut up

2 and 1/4 cups sugar

4 eggs

1/4 cup milk

2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325*. Line a baking pan (or a regular raised-side cookie sheet) with foil, folding foil over the edges of the pan. Grease the foil and set pan aside.

In a medium mixing bowl beat the cream cheese and 1 Tbsp butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the 1/2 cup suger. Beat until combined. Beat in 1 egg, the pumpkin, 1 tsp vanilla, cinnamon and ginger until combined. Stir in the 1 Tbsp flour. Set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the 1 and 1/4 cups flour, the baking powder and salt; set aside.

In a large saucepan combine the chocolate and 3/4 cup butter. Cook & stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Gradually add the 2 and 1/4 cups sugar, beating with an electric mixer on low speed until just combined. Add the 4 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg. Beat in milk and the 2 tsp vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture until just combined.

Spread chocolate mixture evenly in the prepared pan. Pour cream cheese/pumpkin mixture over the top of the chocolate batter. Using a butter knife, gently swirl the cream cheese/pumpkin mixture through the chocolate batter.

Bake 60 minutes or until center is just set when pan is gently shaken.

Cool in pan on a wire rack. Use foil to lift brownies out of pan, and then cut.

Makes 36 brownies. (Or 30 if you cut them a little bigger like I did :) ).

Mmmm Mmmm Monday Revisited: Cake Mix Cookies

This is a repost from last February but these are such a big hit in our house that I had to revisit them. Cake mix cookies are so easy to make. And if you're like me and love love love those frosted sugar cookies from Walmart, then you'll love these. The hubby & kids tell me that they like them even better than the Wally World version!

Cake Mix Cookies

1 pkg cake mix

1/3 cup oil

2 eggs

Heat oven to 375*. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, oil, and eggs and mix until thoroughly moistened. Shape dough into 1" balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Gently flatten the dough ball with your fingers to about 1/4 of an inch thickness. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until edges are a light golden brown. Cool one minute, remove from cookie sheet.

Now here's the fun part! If you want to frost these tasty bites, let the cookies cool completely, and then use your favorite frosting on top and decorate with sprinkles or anything you'd like. I let mine sit out overnight to harden the frosting a bit. I sent these special Valentine's funfetti cookies with the boys for school and they were so excited to have them in their lunches!

Mmmm Mmmm Monday: Revisited

Yesterday I decided that I really needed to work on getting myself into the holiday spirit this year. There's so much going on in our lives right now that is stressing me out...I haven't baked a single thing since pumpkin bread last month.

My parents were here over the weekend and my mommy bought me all the fixin's for Church windows. They were a staple in my house as a kid every Christmas, and I am trying to keep the tradition alive in my own home.

Want a refresher on how to make these babies? Just go here for the full instructions.

Mmmm Mmmm Monday: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have to say I think these may be my new favorite kind of chocolate chip cookie. I'm going to have to buy a ton of canned pumpkin this fall and stock it in my pantry so that I can make these babies all year long. Even my pumpkin-pie-hating sister liked them. (Yes, I make her try everything I make.)

Anyway, this recipe was just way too good not to share, so here you go!

1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

• Combine pumpkin, sugar, oil & egg. In a seperate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg & salt. Dissolve baking soda in milk and stir in. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well.
• Add vanilla; mix. Stir in chocolate chips.
• Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and back at 350* for 10-15 minutes or until lightly brown & firm.

I'm telling you...you won't be disappointed. I used a small scoop to make my cookies all evenly sized, and it yielded 3 dozen. The boys have been home from school for 30 minutes and between them and my sis & I, I think we're down a full dozen already. They're THAT good.

Day-late Mmmm Mmmm Monday: S'mores Galore

This is another gem of a recipe from Pampered Chef. I love them. I credit Pampered Chef for me learning how to cook. Their recipes are so easy to follow...perfect! This particular one comes from my favorite cookbook ever- Delightful Desserts. Yep...a cookbook just of desserts. HEAVEN!

Here's what you need:
20 whole honey graham crackers, divided
6 bars (1.55 oz each) milk chocolate candy (Hersheys bars are perfect!) coarsely chopped.
1 pkg (16 oz) mini marshmallows, divided
3 Tbsp milk

• Preheat oven to 350*. Arrange a single layer of graham crackers to completely cover your stoneware bar pan (if you don't have one, a cookie sheet will work too). Toast in oven for 2 minutes. Remove and let cool while you do the rest of the steps.
• Coarsely break remaning crachers into a large bowl & set aside. Coarsely chop chocolate bars using a food chopper.
• Combine 3 cups marshmallow, 3 Tbsp of butter and milk into a microwave safe bowl (or the PC Micro Cooker if you have one). Microwave on high 1 minute. Stir unbtil smooth. Add half of the chopped chocolate; stir until chocolate is completely melted. Using a spreader or spatula, spread mixture evenly over the toasted graham crackers in pan.
• Melt remaining 3 Tbsp butter & toss with broken crackers. Add remaining marshmallows & chopped chocolate; toss lightly. Spoon this mixture evenly over the chocolate graham crackers in pan. Bake 8-10 minutes or until marshmallows are lightly browned. Cool 15 mintues. Cut into bars and serve.

You really will LOVE this tasty dessert...we sure do!

Mmmm Mmmm Monday- on Tuesday. Red White & Blueberry Pie

Better late than never, right? I was hoping to get this up before the 4th as it's the PERFECT dessert for those holiday bbq's, but my life has been a whirlwind lately. More on that in another post.
Anyway, this tasty dish is from Pampered Chef's Delightful Desserts cookbook. I got this book when we were stationed in England about 4 years ago so I don't know if it's even in print anymore. If you can find it somewhere GRAB IT! There are so many mouthwatering desserts in here that you'll forget about your diet!!

(Photo from PamperedChef.com)
Here's what you need:

1/2 pkg (15 oz) refridgerated pie crust (one crust)
1 qt fresh strawberries
4 squares (1 oz each) white baking chocolate
1 pkg (8 oz) reduced fat cream cheese, softenened
3/4 cup cold milk
1 pkg (3.3 oz) white chocolate instant pudding
1 and 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup frozen light whipped topping, thawed


~Preheat oven to 425*. Let pie crust stand at room temp for 15 minutes. Gently unfold onto a lightly foured surface. Roll to 11.5". Place crust into a deep dish pie plate, pressing the dough into the bottom and up the sides. Prick bottom & sides and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.
~Rinse strawberries and pat dry. Select 8 strawberries as close to identical as possible and cut in half through the stem ends. Set aside for dipping in chocolate. Hull and slice the remaining strawberries using an eggs slicer.
~Melt white chocolate in microwave on HIGH for 1 minutes, stirring every 10 seconds until chocolate is melted and smooth. Do not overheat. Dip strawberry halves in melted chocolate and place on a sheet of parchment paper, cut side down. Refridgerate 15 minutes or until chocolate is set.
~Scrape the remaining chocolate over the bottom of the prepared pie crust, spreading evenly to coat the entire bottom & sides of the crust. Then layer on the sliced strawberries.
~ Beat cream cheese in a mixing bowl until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk until well blended. Add pudding mix, whisk until mixture begins to thicken. Spread mixture evenly over strawberries.
~Arrange blueberries evenly over the top of the pie filling. Using a pastry bag or decorating tool (with a star tip) filled with whipped topping, pipe topping evenly around the edge of the pie. Place dipped strawberry halves on whipped topping border. Refridgerate until ready to serve.

Mmmm Mmmm Monday: Valentine's Day Cupcakes

Here it is! The first recipe I tried from the Cupcakes Galore cookbook. I made these for the kiddos yesterday for V-Day, and even my skeptical, "I don't like cherries" sister enjoyed them!

Here's what you need:

1.5 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup/1 stick unsalted butter

1.25 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup sour cream

Cherry Cream Cheese Filling:

3/4 cup cream cheese

3 tbsp sugar

4 tbsp Maraschino cherry syrup

Maraschino cherries

Cherry Jubilee Frosting:

1/4 cup/1 stick unsalted butter

2 cups powdered sugar

3 tbsp Maraschino cherry syrup

red food coloring

1. Preheat oven to 350*

2. Mix flour with cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. Cream butter and sugar until light & fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla. ALternately beat in flour mixture and sour cream.

4. Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full. Bake for 25 minutes or until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool.

5. To make filling: using a blender or a mixer, mix cream cheese, sugar and cherry syrup together until smooth. Use more syrup if necessary. Coop out the center of each cupcake with an apple corer. Drop in a teaspoon of the filling and a cherry; replace the core. Save leftover filling for frosting.

6. To make the frosting: cream butter with any leftover filling until light and fluffy. Add powsered sugar, cherry syrup and food coloring and beat unitl smooth and creamy. Add more cherry syrup if necessary. Frost filled cupcakes. Dust with cocoa and a cherry on top if desired.

7. ENJOY!

Cupcakes Galore

I realize that I did not post a recipe yesterday, but fear not my friends! While at the base library to get the next book in the series that Noah's been reading, I stumbled upon this cookbook and instantly fell in love. That's right...an entire cookbook solely devoted to CUPCAKES! I'd seen it before but never actually looked through it. Boy oh boy have I been missing out! The book has been in my possesion for less than 24 hours and already I have marked just about every recipe to try out at home. I am going to have to keep renewing it so that I can keep making more cupcakes!

I wonder if the library will let me just buy the book from them...

So get ready for a TON of cupcake recipes. My kids and sister are very excited to be my taste testers over the next few weeks. Wouldn't you be?!

Mmmm Mmmm Monday: Cake Mix Cookies

Yes, I realize that it's taken me a week to get back to you with a recipe. It's been crazy. Anyway, here's one of my favorite cookie recipes. Super easy and sooo tasty!

Cake Mix Cookies
1 package cake mix
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs
flour, sugar or cocoa

Heat oven to 375*. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, oil, and eggs; stir with a spoon until thoroughly moistened.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls; place about 2" apart on ungreased cookie sheets. With the bottom of a glass dipped in flour (use sugar or cocoa if using chocolate cake mix) flatten down to about 1/4 ".

Bake for 6-8 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute and remove from cookie sheet.

(This recipe came from my church cookbook, but there's a note that it was originally from Pillsbury)

Mmmm Mmmm Monday: Easy Oreo Truffles

Hooray for the holidays! I am going to post my all-time favorite holiday recipes every week in December.

Yes, I know that it's not December until tomorrow, but I am too impatient. Plus, Mmmm Mmmm Tuesday just doesn't flow. So if you are a November purist, don't read this post until tomorrow.

First up is a recipe that I stumbled on in Walmart last year. You know, those recipe sheets that they have in little clear holders on the side of their holiday baking displays? Yep...it's one of them. I actually grabbed the sheet for the other recipe on the page, but made this one instead. And let me tell you what...it was a HUGE hit! My hubby & my kids are always my taste testers, and I got RAVE reviews. They almost ate the entire batch before my parents, sisters and grandma could get here for Christmas and try them. They were that good.

Anyway, here you go!
Easy Oreo Truffles
1 package Oreo cookies, finely crushed, divided
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
2 packages (8 squares each) Baker's semi-sweet chocolate, melted

Mix 3 cups of cookie crumbes and cream cheese until well blended. Shape into 1 inch balls. I found that a regular size cookie dough scoop is perfect for these!

Dip balls into melted chocolate. Place on wax paper covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs. (We used red & green sprinkles for Christmas).

Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm. Store any leftover (haha, yeah right. Leftovers. That's funny.) in tightly covered container in fridge.

*I will be making some of these babies this week, so check back for pictures!*

Mmmm Mmmm Monday: Autumn Leaves

A few years ago I got a great cookbook called "Classroom Treats". There are tons of fun, kid friendly things to make in it and this cookie recipe is one of our fall staples.

Autumn Leaves
1 and 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
2 tbsps unsweetened cocoa powder
yellow, orange & red food coloring
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Beat butter, brown sugar and vanilla in large bowin with elecric mixer at medium speed until light & fluffy. Add flour, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves; beat at low speed until well blended.

Divide dough into 5 equal sections. Stir cocoa into one section until well blended (if dough is too dry and will not stick together, add 1 tsp water and beat until dough forms a ball). Stir yellow food coloring into another section. Repeat with two more section, using red food coloring for one, and orange for the other. Leave the last section plain.

Preheat oven to 350*. Lightly grease cookie sheets. Working with half of each dough color, press colors togther lightly. Roll dough on lightly floured surface to 1/4" thickness. Cut dough with leaf-shaped cookie cutters. Place cutouts 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Repeat with remainging dough sections and scraps.

Bake 10-15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks and cool completely.

Place chocolate chips in a ziploc bag and seal. Microwave at high for 1 minute; knead bag lighly. Microwave at high for additional 30 second intervals until completly melted, kneading after each interval. Cut off a tiny coner of the bag and pipe chocolate onto cookies to make the veins for each leaf.

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Mmmm Mmmm Monday: Southern Banana Pudding

This is a recipe that I got out of a magazine (can't remember the name!!) a few years ago. Every time I made it, it was a HUGE hit! It's perfect for spring and summer get-togethers. And it's soooooo yummy!

Southern Banana Pudding

3 cups cold milk
2 pkg (4 serving size each) vanilla flavored instant pudding & pie filling
30 Nilla wafers
3 bananas, sliced
1 tub (8 oz) cool whip whipped topping, thawed

Pour milk into a large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes. Beat w/a wire whisk for about 2 minutes or until well blended. Let stand for 5 minutes.
Arrange half of the wafers on the bottom and up the side of a 2 qt serving bowl. Add a layer of half of the banana slices, and half of the pudding. Repeat layers. Spread whipped topping over top layer of pudding.
Refrigerate for 3 hours or until ready to serve.

Mmmm Mmmm Monday: Church Windows

This is a recipe that was my Grandma Doornbos's and has been passed down from her to my mom, and now to me. It's a family favorite at Christmas time. My mom used to make them every year and on Christmas Eve we'd drive all over town and pass them (and other baked goodies) to all of her friends and coworkers. My husband and kids have taken on a love for them now as well. (They're called church windows because when you slice them up they look like stained glass.)


Church Windows

1 bag chocolate chips
1 bag mini colored marshmallows
1 stick butter/margarine
wax paper


Melt bag of chocolate chips and stick of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir mixture every few minutes to minimize chunks. Once the chocolate takes on a creamy texture, remove from heat and cool for approximately 20 -25 minutes. You don't want the chocolate to be warm/hot because it will melt the marshmallows, but you don't want it to cool too much and harden. It has to be able to be stirred.

Stir in entire bag of mini marshmallows and coat completely with chocolate.
Place a portion of the coated marshmallows on a piece of wax paper.

Roll marshmallows up in wax paper to form a log. Each batch makes 3 or 4 logs.
Refrigerate. Once the chocolate has hardened, unroll the log from the wax paper and slice. Serve to all your friends, and be sure to enjoy!