Sweet Tooth

For those times we really need something sweet! List of awesome desserts is here!

BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies

*A Betty Crocker recipe, perfected!

1 1/2	cups butter or margarine, softened
1 1/4	cups granulated sugar
1 1/4	cups packed brown sugar
1	tablespoon vanilla
2	eggs
4	cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
2	teaspoons baking soda
1	teaspoon salt
1	cups semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 cup butterscotch chips (optional)

1.	Heat oven to 350ºF. Cream butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs in large bowl using mixer. Mix in flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chips.
2.	Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes. In the mean time heat oven to 350 degrees F.
3.	Drop by spoon fulls onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 12 minutes or until light brown on the edges. Remove from sheet onto a cooling rack. Stored tightly sealed in tupperware.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2	cups packed brown sugar
1	cup butter or margarine, softened
1	teaspoon vanilla
1	egg
2	cups  oats
1 1/2	cups  all-purpose flour
1	teaspoon baking soda
1/4	teaspoon salt
1	cup semisweet chocolate chips

1.	Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, mix brown sugar and butter until creamed. Stir in vanilla and egg until light and fluffy. Stir in oats, flour, baking soda and salt; stir in chocolate chips.
2.	Onto ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart.
3.	Bake 9 for softer cookies and 11-13 minutes for crunchy cookies. Remove from baking sheet and let cool on rack. Store tightly in a plastic container or cookie tin.

Snickerdoodles

**The classic cinnamon and sugar Christmas cookies**

1 1/2	cups sugar
1/2	cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2	cup shortening
2	eggs
2 3/4	cups all-purpose or unbleached flour
2	teaspoons cream of tartar
1	teaspoon baking soda
1/4	teaspoon salt
1/4	cup sugar
2	teaspoons ground cinnamon

1.	Heat oven to 400ºF.
2.	Cream 1 1/2 cups sugar, the butter, shortening and eggs in large bowl with mixer. Mix in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in small intervals. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.
3.	Roll dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Mix 1/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on parchment lined cookie sheet.
4.	Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown at the edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

*These are the cookies with Hershey Kisses and Hugs in the middle**

*The perfected Betty Crocker recipe*

1/2	cup granulated sugar
1/2	cup packed brown sugar
1/2	cup creamy peanut butter
1/4	cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4	cup shortening
1	egg
1 1/2	cups all-purpose flour
3/4	teaspoon baking soda
1/2	teaspoon baking powder
	Granulated sugar
1	bag of Hershey Kisses or Hugs, unwrapped

1.	Heat oven to 375ºF. Cream together 1/2 cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, peanut butter, butter, shortening and egg with mixer. Mix in flour, baking soda and baking powder in small intervals.
2.	Roll dough into 1-inch balls; roll in granulated sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
3.	Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light brown. Immediately press 1 Hershey's Kiss or Hug in each cookie; cool on wire rack. Store tightly in tupperware.

American Baklava

**This is a Betty Crocker prize winning recipe, perfected!**

Cookie Base
1	pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2	cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2	teaspoon grated lemon peel
1	egg
Filling
1 1/2	cups chopped walnuts
1/3	cup granulated sugar
1/4	cup butter or margarine, softened
1	teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8	teaspoon salt
12	frozen mini fillo shells (from 2.1-oz package)
Glaze
1/3	cup honey
2	tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1	tablespoon packed brown sugar
1/2	teaspoon lemon juice
1/4	teaspoon ground cinnamon
1	teaspoon vanilla
Garnish
5	tablespoons honey

1.	Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.
2.	In large bowl, stir cookie base ingredients until soft dough forms. Press dough in bottom of pan. Bake 15 minutes.
3.	Meanwhile, in medium bowl, stir crumbled fillo shells (use your hands to crumble), walnuts, granulated sugar, 1/4 cup butter, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and the salt with fork until mixture is well mixed and crumbly.
4.	Sprinkle mixture evenly over partially baked base. Bake 18 to 20 minutes longer or until golden brown.
5.	Meanwhile, in small microwavable bowl, microwave 1/3 cup honey, 2 tablespoons butter, the brown sugar, lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon uncovered on High 1 minute or until bubbly. Stir in vanilla.
6.	Drizzle honey mixture evenly over fillo. Cool completely, about 2 hours. Cut into small triangles to serve traditionally and garnish with honey. Warm in microwave for 10 seconds for each piece.

Chocolatey Pecan Pie Bars

1 1/2	cups Bisquick mix
1	cup powdered sugar
1/4	cup firm butter or margarine
4	eggs, beaten
1	cup dark corn syrup
1/4	cup butter or margarine, melted, cooled
1	teaspoon vanilla
1	cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2	cups chopped pecans

1.	Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, mix Bisquick mix and powdered sugar. Cut in firm butter, using pastry blender  until crumbly. Press firmly in bottom of greased 13x9-inch pan. Bake 15 minutes; cool.
2.	In large bowl, beat eggs, corn syrup, melted butter and vanilla with spoon until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans. Pour over crust.
3.	Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and set. Refrigerate at least 2 hours until chocolate is firm. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 6 rows.

Cop Vitamins (aka doughnuts)

1 roll of biscuits (we use the kind that come in a 4 pack...Pillsbury country biscuits)

Vegetable oil (or canola); amount depends on pan size

Glaze

1/4 cup confectioners sugar

1 Tablespoon milk (or as much or little milk as you want, depends on consistency you want)

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1. Fill up a sauce pan or dutch oven with oil until it's about 1/2 inch deep. Heat on medium until it sizzles when water is splashed in (or do the wooden spoon trick...when you stick in the end of a wooden spoon and it sizzles, it is ready).

2. Place the individual biscuits into the oil gently. Cook on each side for 1 minute or until deep golden brown.

3. Once they are done, place them on paper towels to cool and make the glaze.

3. Place all glaze ingredients into a small bowl and whisk together. Add milk until the consistency you want is reached.

4. Roll doughnuts around in the glaze and set on a rack (or straight into your mouth!). Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
*not the best picture in the world, but only one I got before we ate them all!*

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger  
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves                                      2 cups chocolate chips 
Nonstick cooking spray or parchment paper 

Directions 
Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper.

Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds. Stir in the chips. Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes. Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.

Black Magic Cake (only chocolate cake recipe you'll ever need!)

Here's the link to the absolutely perfect recipe: Black Magic Chocolate Cake




















Spicy Molasses Cookies (almost like chewy gingerbread cookies)

1/2 c. solid vegetable shortening
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 ½ c. sugar
1/2 c. molasses (Grandma's brand molasses is best!)
2 eggs
4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 ¼ tsp. baking soda
2 ¼ tsp. ground ginger
1 ½ tsp. ground cloves
1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
In large bowl, cream together butter, shortening and sugar until light colored and fluffy; about 5 minutes. Beat in molasses and eggs. Set mixture aside. In another bowl, combine flour, salt, soda, ginger, cloves and cinnamon. Blend thoroughly with whisk. Gradually mix flour into wet ingredients until well blended. Roll dough into 1 ½” balls. Dip tops in granulated sugar. Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-11 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Optional: Once cooled, dip ½ of the cookie in melted white almond bark or melted white chocolate. Place on waxed paper after dipping until cooled and chocolate is set. Store in tightly covered container. Makes about 3 dozen.