Congo Bars ~ by Sarah

Aunt Janet made these for a family reunion last weekend and they were amazing!  Kind of like a chocolate chip cookie, but in a bar form.  She used chocolate chips and mint green chips, but I couldn't find any, so I used butterscotch with the chocolate.  Still delicious!

Ingredients:

2 3/4 c. flour

2 1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

2/3 c. butter-flavored Crisco, melted

2 1/3 c. brown sugar

3 eggs

1/2 bag chocolate chips

1/2 bag peanut butter, butterscotch, or mint chips

Directions:

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl.  Set aside.  In large bowl, cream melted Crisco and brown sugar.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Gradually mix in the dry ingredients and mix well.  Add in chips and stir gently.  Bake in a 9x13-inch pan at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  Cool completely before cutting.

Tips: These will dry out quickly, so don't make them too far in advance and don't cut them until it's time to serve them.  Also, watch them carefully as they bake--you don't want them overdone!

M&M Cookie Cake ~ by Sarah

I found this on Pinterest and it is SO good!  Very easy and very, very good.  I recommend adding the butterscotch chips like I did.  They totally make it!

1 c. + 1 T. all-purpose flour
1/4 t. baking soda
3/4 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1 c. M&M's (I did 1/2 cup and a 1/2 cup butterscotch chips--SO good!)

Preheat oven to 325.  Cream butter and sugar. Add in egg and vanilla and blend. Then combine flour and baking soda--mix until completely incorporated. Fold in the M&M's. Dump into a greased 9.5″ pie pan and bake for 25-30 mins.  Cool, cut into cookie pie slices, and enjoy!

(Not my picture.)

Homemade Cream Cheese Mints~by Kelsey

I found this on Pinterest.  Very quick and easy and good!  I made them plain, but there are all sorts of variations. 
 
http://kelleyhighway.blogspot.com/2012/03/homemade-cream-cheese-mints.html


Ingredients:

1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon pure peppermint or mint extract

3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

(Optional) Food coloring

(Optional) Rainbow-colored sugar crystals

Line baking sheets with waxed paper. 

In a mixing bowl, with an electric mixer beat together softened cream cheese and peppermint extract.  This is a good time to add the food coloring if you want.

 

Add powdered sugar gradually and beat until smooth, kneading in the last of the powdered sugar with hands or a heavy spoon.

 

 Lightly dust the wax paper-lined baking sheets with sifted powdered sugar.

 

Using a 1/2-teaspoon measuring spoon, form mixture into balls the size of a cherry.

 

 Place two rows of dough balls 1/2-inch or so apart, then flatten with a pretty stamp or a fork, like I do.  If you'll lay out a couple rows first, by the time you're ready to roll out the third row, the tops of the dough balls are dry enough to flatten easily without having to dip and re-dip the fork in powdered sugar.

 

 Let the mints stand overnight.  Every several hours, gently turn them over.

 

Follow the link I posted to see all the different variations.

Molasses Cookies ~ by Sarah

At Christmas, Cody's girlfriend Sarabeth gave us all a bowl of these delicious cookies as part of our gifts.  They are amazing and addictive!  She told me that they contain quite a bit of butter.  My favorite!  No wonder they're so good!

Ingredients:
1 egg
3/4 c. melted butter
1/4 c. molasses
1 c. sugar
2 c. flour
2 t. baking soda
1 t. ginger
1 t. cinnamon

Directions:
Mix butter, molasses, egg, and sugar, then add dry ingredients. Roll into balls, then drop in a bowl of sugar. Bake 350 for 8 minutes.

*Note from Sarabeth: The trick I have found is that sometimes even 8 mins is too long (unless you like them crunchy, more like a ginger snap then a soft cookie). I sometimes watch the first batch, then set the timer to when they are just barely baked and still rising - once they fall in the oven they become the crunchy kind. Enjoy!

Craig Olson's Peanut Butter Balls~by Kelsey

We were introduced to these by Craig Olson at our volunteer fire fighter bbq.  They are to DIE for, and we were lucky enough that he made us another batch at Christmas time AND included the recipe.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup melted butter
2 cups peanut butter (crunchy is best)
1 lb powdered sugar
3 cups Rice Crispies
Mix well.  Using your hands, roll into balls about 1 inch across in size.
Dip them in the following after melting in a double boiler:
1/2 bar parafin
8 ox Hershey bar
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

I have actually never made these myself, so I have no idea how difficult it is or how long it takes.  And, we forgot to take a picture before we ate them all.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chip Cookies ~ by Sarah

A friend of mine posted that on Facebook that she had made these.  I love pumpkin and I love chocolate, so I made them right away.  They are amazingly delicious!  Worth making any time of year!

Ingredients:

- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chip
- 2 cups rolled oats (oatmeal)
- 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice
- 1 TB vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 egg

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Set aside. 2. Next beat butter, sugar and brown sugar until well creamed together. 3. Now add in pumpkin, egg and vanilla. Beat until combine well. 4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until incorporated. 5. Next, stir in your oats. Mix well. 6. Stir in both the white and dark chocolate chips. 7. Drop cookie dough by the rounded tablespoon on to the prepared baking. sheet. 8. Bake cookies for 14-15 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. DO NOT OVERCOOK. They will seem a little soft, but will firm up as they cool. You want to keep the nice, soft texture!

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies ~Molly

I found these the other day on Pinterest. I have always loved chocolate crinkle cookies, but these are possibly my new favorite cookie ever. They are chewy and airy and the chocolate chips make them slightly gooey. The recipe only made about 15 cookies, so you might want to double the batch. They were linked to a blog, but I think they are originally from Epicurious.com. I changed the recipe a little and wrote it below. If you want to see the original (and comments from other people who used the recipe but then included their own changes) go here: http://www.divine-baking.com/2011/04/deep-dark-chocolate-cookies.html#more. She also included pictures (that's where I got the one below) to make the recipe idiot-proof (cough, cough, Kelsey).

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 egg whites, room temperature
1 2/3 cups powdered sugar, plus more to roll the dough balls in
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 T cornstarch
1/4 t salt

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. I only greased my sheet, but they really stuck to it. I had to let them cool for quite a while before I could get them off without breaking them.

2. Melt 1 cup of chocolate chips in a microwave or using a double-boiler. Let them cool slightly before you add them to the rest of the dough. I used a double-boiler and heated them just until they were mostly soft enough to lose their shape if touched.

3. Whip egg whites until they form soft peaks. Whisk in 1 cup of powdered sugar.

4. In another bowl, mix 2/3 cup powdered sugar and the remaining dry ingredients. Beat the cocoa mixture into the egg white mixture until just combined. The mixture will be shiny and sticky, but don't worry that your whites don't hold their shape. Don't over mix.

5. Stir in the melted chocolate and remaining chocolate chips. You dough will become very stiff and the melted chocolate that lands on the edge of the bowl won't mix in very well, so try to pour it as much in the middle of the bowl as possible.

6. Use a spoon or your fingers to scoop out the dough and form balls about 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter. Roll in powdered sugar and place on baking sheet. All about 2-3 inches between the cookies to allow them to spread out.

7. Bake until puffed and beginning to crack, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool for a couple more minutes before removing from sheet.

Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies~by Kelsey

Lydia found this recipe in Grace's Williams-Sonoma Cookbook for Kids.  I am a sucker for chocolate and peanut butter!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  In large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, and peanut butter with electric mixer on medium speed until blended.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat until blended.  Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and beat on low speed until blended.  Shape the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, placing 12 balls at least 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.  Dip fork in flour and press each cookie twice to make a criss-cross pattern.  Bake until golden, about 8-10 minutes.  Let the cookies cool on the pans for five minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.  Meanwhile, add the chocolate chips to a microwave-safe bowl.  Add the shortening.  Microwave on high for one minute, stir, then microwave again for 30 seconds longer or until melted.  One at a time, dip half of each cookie into the chocolate, then place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator just until the cookies set, about five minutes.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days.  Makes 24 cookies.

Peanut Butter Corn Flake Cookies~by Kelsey

 These are super good.  Seriously.  And so easy.

1 cup sugar
1 cup karo syrup
1/2 stick butter
Stir until blended, then let come to a boil and boil for 45 seconds
add:
1 cup peanut butter
7 cups corn flakes

Drop by spoon full onto wax paper OR press into a jelly roll pan.  Let them harden, and enjoy!

Chango Bars~by Grace

This recipe came from the 1st/2nd grade classroom at Centerville Elementary.  They read a book about a real Mexican-Jewish-American bakery, Los Bagels Bakery and Cafe, in Arcata, CA.  This recipe was in the book, and Grace brought it home to try out.  It was simple and good.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup margarine (Grace used butter Crisco)
2 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
2 1/3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup mixed nuts (Grace left these out)


Melt butter and margarine.  While it is melting, cream brown sugar and eggs, then add melted butter and margarine.  Combine flour, baking powder, and salt and stir into sugar mixture.  Fold in chocolate chips and nuts.  Pour mixture into greased 9 X13 pan and bake 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies ~ by Kelsey

I don't remember where I got this recipe.  They are my favorite cookies, though!

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup chocolate chips

Cream butter, brown sugar and white sugar.  Beat in eggs, then vanilla.  Combine flour, baking soda, and salt.  Stir into the creamed mixture.  Mix in the oats and chocolate chips.  Bake for 12 minutes at 325 degrees.

Peanut Butter Cocoa No-Bake Cookies ~ by Kelsey

2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup peanut butter
3 cups quick cooking oats
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Combine sugar, butter, milk, cocoa and peanut butter in medium saucepan.  Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to rolling boil.  Remove from heat, cool one minute.  Add oats and vanilla. Stir to mix well.  Quickly drop mixture by heaping teaspoons onto foil on cookie sheet.  Cool in refrigerator.