Mid Week Munchies ~ Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter Bars

The first time my friend Shanelle made these for me, I thought I had was in cookie heaven. Shanelle is a great cook and an even better "cookie chef". When we get together, I always put her on cookie duty. So, this is her recipe:

Peanut Butter Bars:

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup peanut butter (crunchy or creamy)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups flour (I live in Utah, 1/4 cup less if you don't live at a high altitude.)
• 2 cups oats

Cream butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Add flour, salt, soda, and oats. Dough will be sticky. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease 10 by 15 pan.

Because the dough is sticky, Shanelle taught me to just spread the dough with your fingers. Grease or flour your hands and push the dough evenly around the pan. Cook for 15-18 minutes, until dough in slightly brown in corners.

Measure out 1 cup of smooth peanut butter. (Can substitute crunchy, if preferred.) Place dollops of peanut butter around pan immediately after removing from oven. This allows the peanut butter to warm up and spread easily after about 5 minutes.

Allow dough to completely cool. Place in fridge if necessary.

Frosting:

• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup softened butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 tablespoons Hershey's cocoa

Spread frosting on top of cookie dough and peanut butter. Cut and serve with ice-cold milk.

Easter Pizza

Who doesn't love pizza, especially around Easter? This is a fun, kid friendly recipe for candy pizza that my boys and I whipping up this past Monday.

Candy Bars: Butterfinger, Symphony, Skor, Crunch, Cookies and Creme, Kit Kat, Reese's peanut butter cups and plain holidayM&M's.

This is the fun part: In a large bowl put all the candy bars together and let the kids go crazy!! (Except: peanut butter cups - they get too messy and Skor - you have to cut that one up with a knife.) You can also use a food processor and chop the candy into small pieces.

Once the fun is over add your Skor bar, your chopped up peanut butter cups and Easter M&M's. Set aside for the end. This is very tricky because it is hard to keep little hands out. Too tempting!

Now for the cookie batter:

1 1/4 cubes (or 10 Tlbs.) softened butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup nestles mini morsels - semi sweet

Combine butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add salt, baking soda and flour - stir til combined. Add mini morsels.

Place dough in a greased 14" round pizza pan or a 15 1/2" x 10 1/2" x 1" rectangular pan.


Cook for 15 to 17 minutes at 375 degrees.

While the dough is baking in a microwave safe bowl add: 1 cup milk chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of peanut butter. Heat until melted and smooth, it makes a yummy sauce.

Once the cookie dough is done baking, smooth the sauce all over the top.

Again, let your kids go crazy and decorate the top with all the candy toppings!! Allow cookies to completely cool in pan. Once cooled serve and enjoy.

I hope everyone has a great Easter! We're off to California to spend the holiday with my sister and her family.

Linking up with these wonderful blogs:

Sweet Tooth Friday!

Best Ever! Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

If you love oatmeal cookies here is a great new recipe to try and if oatmeal cookies aren't your thing -- you still need to try. You will be surprised, these are the best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Ever!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 - 1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup oats
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup pecans
**for rolling** 1/4 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup chopped (tiny) pecans

Cream sugar, butter, egg and vanilla. Add dry ingredients mic thoroughly. Add raisins and pecans. Chill 1 hour in the fridge.

Roll into medium size balls and toss with sugar and pecans. Cook at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Enjoy warm with a glass of cold milk.

Each batch will make about 3 dozen cookies, so take a plate to your friends and neighbors.

Sugar Cookies

cookie pictures provided by Fahrenheit 350

Sugar Cookie Recipe:

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 egg
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Cream together powered sugar, butter, egg and vanilla. Add flour, tartar and soda mix thoroughly.

Wrap dough in cellophane and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. This will make it easy to roll and cut the dough.

Roll the dough out on a flour surface, about 1/4 inch thick. I like my sugar cookies thick! Use your favorite heart shaped cookie cutter, keep rolling and cutting until all the dough is gone. Cook at 375 degrees for 8 minutes - the cookies should just barely be browning on the sides. You will be sad if they over cook!

After the cookies have completely cooled: frost and decorate.

My little Sis, Kitty, decorated these cookies on her blog. thanks for the pics!

Chocolate Lovers

For you chocolate lovers.... here is a delicious, simple cookie reciepe. Enjoy!

1 cup of butter

2 eggs

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup of M&M's for topping
2 tablespoons sugar - for rolling the dough in!

Cream butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda, and cocoa. Thedough will be very thick and sticky. Form into balls and roll in (2T.) sugar. Add M&M - this is my kids favortie part!

Forgot to add the sugar to this batch!

Aren't they so pretty? Cook at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. If you don't want to cook all the cookies at once, the dough is really easy to freeze.

Reaping the benefits of hard work!

Since M&M's are made in all colors for every holiday this reciepe can be used throughout the year to sweeten up the holiday season.

Toffe Bar Squares

For those of you who love my Toffee, try it as a cookie!

• 1 cup of Butter - softened


• 1 cup of brown sugar


• 1 teaspoon vanilla


• 1 egg yolk


• 2 cups of flour


• 3/4 cup of chocolate chips - melted


• 1/2 cup of crushed walnuts


• Bake in a shallow 9x13 pan @ 400 for 8-10 minutes

In your Mixer, combine softened butter, brown sugar, egg yolk and vanilla - mix thoroughly add flour.

Cook at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes just until the dough is a little brown in top. It goes by fast.

While the cookies are still warm, drizzle and spread melted chocolate all over surface of cookie. After the chocolate is spread, sprinkle crushed walnuts over chocolate. Cut into 2 inch by 2 inch squares. I like to Eat the cookies immediately, but they are also delicious after the cookies have cooled.