Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies

Ingredients

• • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar, for rolling dough
  • 36 mini peanut butter cups, chilled and unwrapped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using an electric mixer, cream peanut butter and butter in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add brown sugar; beat until combined, scraping down bowl as needed. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until incorporated.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, gradually beat in flour mixture in two batches.
3. Scoop off dough by the tablespoon; roll into balls. Place granulated sugar on a plate; roll balls in sugar, coating completely. Place 2 inches apart on a nonstick insulated baking sheet.
4. Bake until cookies begin to puff up slightly, about 7 minutes. Remove from oven. Press one peanut butter cup in center of each cookie. Return to oven; continue baking until cookies are golden brown and chocolate has begun to melt, about 6 minutes more. Let cool at least 10 minutes on baking sheet before transferring cookies to rack to cool completely.

East End Bars

Base of Bars:

1/2 C. butter
1 tsp vanilla
5 Tbsp cocoa
1 egg
1/4 C sugar
1 C. chopped coconut
1/2 C chopped nuts
2 C rolled graham crackers

Place butter in top of double boiler, add sugar, cocoa, vanilla, and egg. Stir until batter has melted and mixture resembles custard. Combine coconut, nuts, and cracker crumbs. Blend well. Add to custard mixture.

Spread for Bars:
1/4 C. butter
3 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp instant vanilla pudding
2 C. confectioners sugar

Add vanilla pudding to the milk. Cream butter, then add the pudding/milk to butter. Blend with powdered sugar, and spread carefully over cold chocolate mixture base. Let stand in refrigerator 15 min or more to harden.

Topping:

1 pkg chocolate chips
1 Tbsp butter

Melt chocolate chips and butter in top of double boiler over hot, not boiling water. Spread over 2nd layer. Cool and cut into bars.

*Green and/or red food coloring may be added to 2nd layer for a Christmas look.

Chocolate Softies

1 c. butter 1 egg 1 1/3 c. sugar 1 tsp. salt 2 Tbs. milk 1/2 c. corn syrup 1 Tbs. vanilla

3 1/3 c. flour 2/3 c. cocoa 2 tsp. baking soda 1 bag of chocolate chips (or mint chips if you like and can find)

Mix together ingredients on left. Sift ingredients on the right and combine together. Add chips. Roll into walnut sized balls and then roll in granulated sugar. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 for 8 minutes.


This is my sister Heather's recipe. My niece Lindsay loves to make it. She made it for us one holiday when they were visiting and Isaac has been wanting the recipe ever since. We finally got it this summer and made a bunch to give away and they were a hit. They are super chocolaty and so soft, but not gooey. Their name perfectly fits them. Give them a try, you will not regret it! (But your hips might because you will most likely eat the whole batch).

Raspberry Almond Shortbread Cookies

Cookies:

2/3 C sugar

1 C butter, softened

1/2 tsp almond extract

2 C flour

1/2 C raspberry jam (seedless)

Glaze:

1 C powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp almond extract

2-3 tsp water

In larger mixer bowl combine sugar, butter, and almond extract. Beat at med speed until creamy (2-3 min). Reduce speed to low; add flour. Beat until well mixed (2-3 min). Cover and chill dough at least 1 hour. 

Heat oven to 350. Shape dough into 1" balls. Place 2" apart on cookie sheets. With thumb, make indent in center of each cookies (edges may crack slightly). Fill each indentation with 1/4 tsp jam. Put cookies on parchment paper on cookie sheet to avoid burning. 

Bake 14-18 min or until edges are very slightly browned. Let stand 1 min; remove from cookie sheet. Cool completely. 

Note: Start checking cookies at 10 min. 

Meanwhile, in a small bowl with wire whisk; stir together all glazing until smooth. Drizzle over cookies. 

Makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

These are seriously the yummiest cookies I've ever tasted!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. canned pumpkin 
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. white sugar 
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. vegetable oil 
1 tsp. milk
1 egg 
1 T. vanilla
2 c. flour 
2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Combine pumpkin, sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with milk and stir in. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture and combine well. Add chocolate chips. Drop by spoonful onto greased baking sheet. Bake approx. 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.