Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

…kinda like Oreos, only soft and chewy and…

with cream cheese frosting in the middle, instead of whatever the heck that other filling is. Ah, yes–a significant improvement on the age old classic that the cavemen enjoyed. It’s a new day for Oreo lovers I’ll tell you!

Ingredients:

1 Devil’s Food cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup shortening

Mix everything together until smooth. Roll or scoop dough into balls about the size of a large grape.  Bake on ungreased cookie sheet about 9-10 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow to cool on wire rack.

Frosting

1- 3/4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup butter

4 oz. cream cheese

1 tsp. vanilla

Beat until smooth. Spread frosting on bottom side of cookie and squish another one on top of it.

Now be careful here–because, as you can see–it’s real easy to get carried away with this step. In fact, our dear friend–who gave us the recipe–and whose doing the driving in the above picture added two more wads of icing to this cookie.

You think I’m kidding?

Here’s proof.

Now this is some serious frosting love my friends. One bite and that filling is going everywhere.

We can handle it.

heh, heh, heh.

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
 
:
Ingredients
  • 1 Devil’s Food cake mix
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup shortening
Instructions
  1. Mix everything together until smooth.
  2. Roll or scoop dough into balls about the size of a large grape.
  3. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet about 9-10 minutes at 350 degrees.
  4. Allow to cool on wire rack.
Notes
Frosting

1-3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter
4 oz. cream cheese
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat until smooth.
Spread frosting on bottom side of cookie and squish another one on top of it.

Lucky Mint Pinwheels

Lucky Mint Pinwheels 2

Everybody knows that St.Patrick’s Day isn’t only about corned beef and cabbage. At our house, it’s about anything…green. Salad, asparagus, apples–why, even the milk and mashed potatoes aren’t safe. So, for dessert, aren’t these the sweetest little butter cookies—with just a hint of mint? Trust me–your little leprechaun’s will love them.

Lucky Mint Pinwheels

(Original recipe from Taste of Home)

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

1-1/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/4 cup corn syrup

1 Tbsp vanilla

3 cups flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 tsp peppermint extract

Green food coloring

Directions:

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in corn syrup and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Divide dough in half. To one portion, add peppermint extract and food coloring. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm.

Roll out each portion between two sheets of waxed paper into a rectangle. Remove waxed paper. Place plain rectangle over green rectangle. Roll up tightly jelly-roll style, starting with a long side.

Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm.

Unwrap and cut into 1/4-in. slices.

Dip tops in sugar.

Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until set. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.

Makes about 4-1/2 dozen soft, minty butter cookies. You’ll be glad you made these–I promise!

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Lucky Mint Pinwheels
 
:
Ingredients
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1-1/4 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ cup corn syrup
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla
  • 3 cups flour
  • ¾ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ tsp peppermint extract
  • Green food coloring
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar.
  2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  3. Beat in corn syrup and vanilla.
  4. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture.
  5. Divide dough in half.
  6. To one portion, add peppermint extract and food coloring.
  7. Wrap each portion in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm.
  8. Roll out each portion between two sheets of waxed paper into a rectangle.
  9. Remove waxed paper.
  10. Place plain rectangle over green rectangle.
  11. Roll up tightly jelly-roll style, starting with a long side.
  12. Wrap in plastic wrap.
  13. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm.
  14. Unwrap and cut into ¼-in. slices.
  15. Dip tops in sugar.
  16. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets.
  17. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until set.
  18. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.

Caramel Corn Puffs

Caramel Corn Puffs 2

Dude. These are hard to describe…caramel-y…buttery…puffy…extremely perishable. In fact, they didn’t last a day at our place. HA!

One word of warning though–there is severe addiction potential with these little guys–so nibble mindlessly at your own risk…and don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Caramel Corn Puffs

Ingredients:

1- 16 oz. bag Corn Puffs

1 cup butter

1 cup corn syrup

2 cups brown sugar

2 tsps. baking soda

Pour the puffs into a large bowl with enough room to mix them around. Mix Butter, corn syrup and brown sugar in a sauce pan. Cook for about 2 minutes or until mixture gets bubbly around the edges of the pan. Remove from heat, add the baking soda and stir. Pour hot caramel over the corn puffs and stir from the bottom of the bowl to evenly coat them.

Place in an oven on 250 degrees for about 45 minutes–stirring about every 10-15 minutes or so. Remove from oven and allow to cool on wax paper. Break up the clusters while they are cooling so that they are bite sized pieces.

Nibble away.

heh, heh, heh…

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Caramel Corn Puffs
 
Ingredients
  • 1- 16 oz. bag Corn Puffs
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup corn syrup
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 2 tsps. baking soda
Instructions
  1. Pour the puffs into a large bowl with enough room to mix them around.
  2. Mix Butter, corn syrup and brown sugar in a sauce pan.
  3. Cook for about 2 minutes or until mixture gets bubbly around the edges of the pan. Remove from heat, add the baking soda and stir.
  4. Pour hot caramel over the corn puffs and stir from the bottom of the bowl to evenly coat them.
  5. Place in an oven on 250 degrees for about 45 minutes–stirring about every 10-15 minutes or so.
  6. Remove from oven and allow to cool on wax paper.
  7. Break up the clusters while they are cooling so that they are bite sized pieces.

Candy Sushi

Candy Sushi 2

It’s quite likely that I will never entirely master the art of eating anything wrapped in seaweed…but Candy Sushi?! Oh. My. Word. You’ve got my attention now.

Not only adorable–but seriously–it tasted so good, we kept eating the…ahem…mistakes. There were a ton of them. heh, heh.

Simple-simple to make.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons   butter

10 oz regular marshmallows

6 cups   Rice Krispies

Twizzlers

Gummi Worms

Red or green Fruit Roll-ups

Directions:

In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

Add RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated. Using wax paper on top and bottom, press the treats flat until they are about 3/4 inch in thickness.


Line the candy up along the edge of the Krispy treats.


Roll the Krispy treats around the candy–just one thickness.

Cut the rolled treat away from the pan and smush the cereal around the candy so that it holds together.


Now wrap the roll with the fruit roll up. It will probably take two for each cereal roll.

Slice into pretty little Sushis.

Do watch out for the guy with the chop sticks, cause the crowd is about to go wild!

And so they should.

Candy Sushi
 
Ingredients
  • Ingredients:
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 10 oz regular marshmallows
  • 6 cups Rice Krispies
  • Twizzlers
  • Gummi Worms
  • Red or green Fruit Roll-ups
Instructions
  1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat.
  2. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted.
  3. Remove from heat.
  4. Add RICE KRISPIES cereal.
  5. Stir until well coated.
  6. Using wax paper on top and bottom, press the treats flat until they are about ¾ inch in thickness.
  7. Line the candy up along the edge of the Krispie treats.
  8. Roll the Krispy treats around the candy–just one thickness.
  9. Cut the rolled treat away from the pan and smush the cereal around the candy so that it holds together.
  10. Now wrap the roll with the fruit roll up.
  11. It will probably take two for each cereal roll.
  12. Slice into pretty little Sushies.

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Cream Puff Shells

We’ve made these about a million times—for weddings, parties and barbecues. In fact, the smallest batch that I know how to make is about 120 puffs. Now, that’s some serious puffiness.

Of course, we always use our most amazing and illustrious and nearly top secret Coveted Chicken Salad recipe to fill them–but they are wonderful with lots of **different fillings.

Cream Puff Shells

Ingredients:

1 cup boiling water
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup all purpose flour
4 large eggs

Directions:

In a saucepan, bring water and butter to a boil. Add the flour, all at one time, and stir briskly using a heavy spoon, stirring constantly and in a circle until the mixture begins to leave the sides of the pan and form a ball. The mixture will become smooth, leaving the sides of the pan clean.

Stir over low heat to dry the mixture for about 2 minutes. The mixture will lose its stickiness. Transfer mixture to a bowl and add eggs, one at a time, beating in thoroughly before adding the next.

Drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet.

Bake in a 400°F oven for about 30 minutes or until they are a lovely golden brown. Allow to cool slowly.

**Yeah, we get a bit weird around here sometimes.

Cream Puff Shells
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 4 tbsp. unsalted butter
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 4 large eggs
Instructions
  1. In a saucepan, bring water and butter to a boil.
  2. Add the flour, all at one time, and stir briskly using a heavy spoon, stirring constantly and in a circle until the mixture begins to leave the sides of the pan and form a ball.
  3. The mixture will become smooth, leaving the sides of the pan clean.
  4. Stir over low heat to dry the mixture for about 2 minutes.
  5. The mixture will lose its stickiness.
  6. Transfer mixture to a bowl and add eggs, one at a time, beating in thoroughly before adding the next.
  7. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet.
  8. Bake in a 400°F oven for about 30 minutes or until they are a lovely golden brown. Allow to cool slowly.

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