Carmel Chocolate Cookies

This is the recipe for the chocolate cookies in the third row other treats pictured are lemon bars, pecan brittle and grandmas molasses cookies.


Caramel Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients:
• 66 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates filled with Caramel
• 1 family size (13x9-in. pan) original supreme brownie mix with HERSHEY'S Syrup Pouch
• 1/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 cup ground pecans(optional)
• 2 teaspoons milk

Directions:
1. Remove wrappers from chocolates. Lightly grease cookie sheets.

2. Beat brownie mix, pouch of syrup, cocoa, eggs, oil and water in medium bowl until well blended. Cover; refrigerate about 1 hour or until thoroughly chilled (dough will still be sticky).

3. Heat oven to 350°F. Shape dough into 48 1-inch balls. (Return dough to refrigerator if necessary or drop by rounded teaspoons onto wax paper-lined trays and refrigerate about 10 minutes.) Roll balls in pecans, if desired. Place on prepared cookie sheet; press thumb gently in center of each cookie. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until set. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

4. Place 18 caramel filled chocolates and milk in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 30 seconds; stir. If necessary, microwave at MEDIUM an additional 10 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chocolates are melted and smooth when stirred. Spoon slightly rounded 1/4 teaspoon caramel filling in each indentation. Lightly press chocolate in center of each cookie. 48 cookies.

I chose to just drizzle the melted carmel kisses over my cookies this time. Either way they turn out yummy!

Chewy Chocolate Lovers Cookies

For the cookies pictured above I omitted the additional 1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips, I then melted white chocolate and drizzled the cookies topping them with crushed candy canes.

**Resist the urge to bake the cookies longer than indicated; they may appear
underbaked at first but will firm up as they cool.**


2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
½ cup (1 ½ ounces) baking cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
16 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (or melt the equivalent of semi-sweet chocolate chips)
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
10 tablespoons (1 ¼ sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
1 ½ cups (10 ½ ounces) packed light brown sugar
½ cup (3 ½ ounces) granulated sugar
1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave (50% power for 2 minutes, then stir and microwave in 20 second intervals until chocolate is melted - be careful not to overheat or chocolate will sieze). In a small bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla lightly with a fork; set aside.

Beat the butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 5 seconds. Beat in the sugars until combined, about 45 seconds; the mixture will look granular. Reduce the speed to low and gradually beat in the egg mixture until incorporated, about 45 seconds. Add the chocolate in a steady stream and beat until combined, about 40 seconds. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer at low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Finally add the chocolate chips. Do not overbeat. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until the consistency is fudge-like, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners (this is pretty important - if the cookies are baked on a greased baking sheet only, they will probably stick). Roll the dough into 1 ½ inch balls and place them on the cookie sheets, spacing them about 1 ½ inches apart.(I used a medium cookie scoop)Bake until the edges of the cookies have just begun to set but the centers are still very soft, about 10-11 minutes, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets about 5 minutes or until set and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

Hamburger Gravy and Biscuits

"Serve this meaty milk gravy over noodles, mashed potatoes or homemade biscuits."
INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds lean ground beef
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart milk salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 C. Sour Cream
1 small onion, chopped
1 can of veggies(otional)
(optional)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Place hamburger and fresh chopped onion in a large, deep skillet. Crumble and cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Remove from heat and sprinkle flour over cooked hamburger. Stir until evenly coated and all fat is absorbed.
2. Place skillet over medium heat, add 1/2 of milk and stir until gravy begins to thicken. Add remaining milk until desired consistency has been reached and gravy comes to a boil.Add sourcream and veggies. Season with salt, pepper and onion salt.
3. Serve over mashed or boiled potatoes, toast or biscuits.

Sour Cream Banana Muffins

< Sour Cream Banana Muffins
3 medium ripe Bananas
1 cup softened margarine
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups chopped macadamia nuts or almonds, divided (optional)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar (optional)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Blend bananas in food processor or blender. Cover; blend until smooth. Add margarine, sugar, eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Cover; process until well blended.

Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in medium bowl.

Combine banana mixture with flour mixture and 1 cup nuts; stir just until blended. Spoon mixture into muffin tins lined with paper baking cups.
If you choose the optional topping :
Stir together brown sugar, remaining 1/2 cup nuts and cinnamon. Sprinkle mixture over muffins in baking pan.

Bake at 350ºF., 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove muffins from pan; cool on rack.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Serving Size : 24

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas

Doug has been busy putting up lights,he was very glad he accomplished this before the snowfall........

Pecan Brittle

1 C. butter
1 C. Sugar
1 TBLS corn syrup
3 TBLS water
1 ½ Cups of Pecans
Put all ingredients except Pecans in a heavy saucepan, bring to a boil over medium heat stirring often. Continue cooking until candy is the color of a brown paper bag. Remove from heat and stir in pecans. Dump candy on a greased cookie sheet. Spread out . Let cool and then break into pieces. Store in paper bag.

Grandma's Molasses Cookies

1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 cup oil
1 cup molasses
1 cup warm water
1 Tbsp soda
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vanilla
*Mix eggs sugar and oil first then add other ingredients. Add 6 1/2- 7 cups of flour or until dough is soft. Flour counter and roll out and cut.

*Bake @ 350 degrees for 10 min.

*Icing

1 stick of butter
About 1 Tbsp vanilla( I use 1 teaspoon of real Mexican vanilla)
milk
and powered sugar till frosting is thick.

Fettuccine Alfredo

Fettuccine Alfredo
3 Tbsp. Butter
3 Tbsp Flour
2 Cups Milk
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 tsp Garlic powder
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 C. Parmesan Cheese
1 pkg of cooked Fettuccine Noodles

Melt Butter. Stir flour into butter while cooking until a smooth paste forms. Slowly stir in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.
Add salt, garlic powder and cream, stir well. Stir in Parmesan Cheese (continue until cheese is melted but mixture does not boil) Serve over Hot cooked noodles. I often add cooked chicken or broccoli. Enjoy!

Chocolate PeanutButter Cupcakes

Ingredients
• 1 box (18.25 ounces) devil's food
• cake mix
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups chopped chocolate-covered peanut butter cups (about 8 ounces), plus more to garnish
• 8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
Directions
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. line cupcake pans with cupcake papers.
2. In a large bowl, beat cake mix, eggs, buttermilk and vegetable oil on low for 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high; beat for 2 minutes, scraping down side of the bowl after 1 minute. Fold in 2 cups of the chopped peanut butter cups.
3. Divide batter between prepared cupcake pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
4. Place chopped dark chocolate in a medium-size bowl. Bring cream just to a boil and pour over chocolate. Whisk until chocolate melts. Add peanut butter and whisk until smooth.
Dip cupcakes in chocolate mixture and then garnish top with chopped peanutbutter cups .
** A second option for icing is this great cooked fudge frosting recipe **
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
2 Cups Sugar
½ Cup Shortening
3 oz Unsweetened Chocolate
2/3 Cup Milk
½ tsp salt
2 tsp. vanilla
Mix all ingredients except vanilla in a 2 ½ quart saucepan. Heat to rolling boil stirring occasionally. Boil 1 Minute without stirring. Place Saucepan in a bowl of ice and water. Beat until frosting is smooth and of spreading consistency, stir in vanilla.

Lemon Bars

Ingredients:
2 sticks (8 ounces) butter
2 cups flour
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
4 beaten eggs
2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
sifted confectioners' sugar
Preparation:
Heat oven to 325°. Blend butter, 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar. Pat into ungreased 13x9x2-inch pan. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. For filling, blend together eggs, sugar, 4 tablespoons flour, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Pour over first layer. Return to oven and bake at 325° for 20 minutes. Loosen around edges, cut into bars and sift confectioners' sugar over the top while warm.