Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

I don't know why these cookies are so blasted good. They are the perfect balance between gooey and crisp and fluffy. Maybe it's the pudding? I don't know. I've never tried making them without the pudding. Whenever I make these for people, they always want the recipe. They really are the best chocolate chip cookies and I'm not just saying that!

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 cups flour
1-2 cups chocolate chips

Notes / Directions

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat well. Add other ingredients and mix well. Bake at 350 for 8-12 minutes.

 

 

Salted Caramel Chocolate Ritz

Salted Caramel or just Chocolate?? You choose! 

I'm feeling really proud because I was the genius behind these! Well, sort of. I saw chocolate covered Ritz at the store and decided to make them myself and then my genius was to dip them in caramel first! They are absolutely divine and so incredibly easy. It's like dipping pretzels.

  
Ingredients
1 box Ritz crackers
24 oz. chocolate almond bark
1 bag caramel cubes
2 tablespoons whole milk
sea salt

Notes / Directions
Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and grease it (only if you're doing caramel). Heat caramel in microwave at 30 second intervals, pulling it out to stir it in between. If it starts to bubble, pull it out immediately and stir. Overcooking the caramel will make it extremely chewy. Dip Ritz crackers, gently scrape excess caramel, and place on greased wax paper. Place in fridge for 5-10 minutes until they are hard. In the meantime, melt chocolate in microwave for a minute. Stir and put back in microwave until melted through. Dip Ritz and place back on cookie sheet. As the chocolate first begins to harden, sprinkle with sea salt. If this step is done too soon, it will sink into the chocolate. If it's done too late, it won't stick at all.

Want to make it easier? Just dip in chocolate and forget the caramel!

Savory Ham and Gruyere Cookies

 Adapted from Delish

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1 cup flour
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped black forest ham
1 1/2 cups finely shredded gruyere cheese, divided

Notes / Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a sauce pan, bring butter, salt, and water to a boil.  Reduce heat and quickly stir in flour.  Continue stirring until a film starts to form on the bottom of the pan, about 30 seconds.  Transfer dough into a bowl and allow to cool for a minute.  Stir in eggs one at a time, making sure each is well incorporated before adding the next.  Stir in pepper, ham, and 1 cup of cheese.  Scoop dough out into a pastry bag with a 1/2 inch star on it.

Grease 2 cookie sheets and squeeze dough out in 1 1/2 inch circles, leaving 1/2 inch between each cookie.  Place cookie sheets in the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes, rotating sheets half way, until golden brown.  Remove from oven and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of gruyere cheese on top.  Cook for 3 more minutes or until cheese is fully melted.  Serve warm.

Andes Mint Cake Mix Cookies

Ingredients
1 box Betty Crocker Devil's Food cake mix
2 medium sized eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 (12 oz.) bag Andes Mint baking chips

Notes / Directions
Preheat oven to 350.  Mix cake mix, eggs, and oil well.  Add 1/2 bag of Andes Mint baking chips and mix well.  Scoop heaping teaspoons full onto greased baking sheet.  Using remaining baking chips, press on about 1/2 teaspoon onto the top of each cookie.  There will be lots of chips left over.  Bake for 8 minutes.

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

Adapted from allrecipes.com 

Ingredients

For the cookies:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 

For the icing:

4 cups confectioners' sugar 

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream (milk could also be used)
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Notes / Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Mix dry ingredients and set aside.  In a separate bowl, cream together the sugar and butter.  Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla and cream again.  Stir in dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated.  Drop heaping tablespoons onto a greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.

In another bowl, whip icing ingredients until it becomes nice and smooth, adding small portions of whipping cream at a time to measure consistency.

There are a few options for icing and spreading.  For a

runnier icing, add more whipping cream and frost cookies

when they are completely cool.  For thicker, less. 

 For more of a frosting glaze, let the cookies cool completely

and use a thicker frosting.

For more of an icing effect, ice with thicker frosting

while cookies are still hot out of the oven.  Or use a more runny

frosting and ice when the cookies are cooled.

 

And here's my sweet little cookie thief:

Oatmeal Cookies - No Sugar!

Adapted from Blueberry Girl

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups regular rolled oats
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 cup almond meal (see below to make your own)
1 cup dried fruit (I use craisins, but any dried fruit is good)
3 bananas, mashed
1/4 cup canola oil (I use coconut oil)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Notes / Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine everything into a bowl and mix until well blended, adding dried fruits last.  Cookies retain the same shape that you spoon them into.  Spoon into a round, thick, flat blob. Bake for about 20 minutes or until edges are golden brown.


***These freeze GREAT!  After done cooking, let them cool and put into zip lock bags and freeze them.  I just ate one while it was still frozen and it was delicious!


Almond Meal
If you've got a good blender, it's easy to make your own almond meal.  It might have a little more texture to it but you can't tell in the cookies.  Put about 1-2 handfuls of almonds (sliced, whole, slivered) into your blender and blend till it's smooth.  The smoother, the better.

No-Bake Cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup margarine
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 cups oatmeal

Notes / Directions
Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a sauce pan. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and peanut butter and stir till well blended. Add oatmeal and stir. Spoon onto wax paper while hot. Let cool.

Devil's Cake Mix Cookies

Ingredients
1 box Betty Crocker's Devil's Food Cake Mix
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips

Notes / Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cake mix with oil and eggs. After well mixed, add chocolate chips. Ball the dough and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.

Try different cake mixes like fun-fetti mix.

Cookie Brownies

Ingredients
2/3 cups margarine, melted
2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 package chocolate chips

Notes / Directions
Add brown sugar to melted shortening. Sift dry ingredients and add eggs and vanilla (mixture will be sticky). Pat down in 9x13-inch pan. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.