New Cookie recipe from an author that I LOVE!!!

So I was just browsing some of my favorite blogs and websites and came across this decadent cookie recipe that sounds like it is TO DIE FOR!!!! The webiste is through EVERYDAY FOOD STORAGE. and she just came up with a new cookbook that reduces fat and adds fiber with BEANS!!! I am excited to check the book out and take it for a spin. You can bet that it will be on Christmas list this year (if I don't give in and buy it before! :))

LOW FAT ULITIMATE DEATH BY CHOCOLATE COOKIE

1 pkg devils food cake mix

1/2 cup bean puree (white or black - pureed in processor or blender until smoothie like consistency)

2 eggs

1 Tsp Vanilla

1 8 oz pkg cool whip (fat free)

1/2 pkg dark chocolate chips, melted

Preheat oven to 350. Combine half of the cake mix, beans, eggs and vanilla in mixer for 2 minutes or until thouroughly combined. Add in second half of cake mix unitl thouroughly combined. Drop balls of cookie dough onto greased cookie sheet and bake 10-13 minutes or until done. Remove from oven and drop sheet onto counter or stovetop from about 6-12 inches to flatten cookies and make them chewy. Allow to cool

mix cool whip and melted chocolate to make a mouse. Sandwich between 2 cookie.

Lemon Zester Cookies

I swear these are some of the easiest knock-offs EVER!!!! I really like going to Paradise Cafe for their AWSOME cookies! They have some of the tastiest Chocolate Chip Cookies (my knock off recipe to be posted soon!) and in the summertime, I look forward to the Lemon Zester cookies. I decided to try and make my own because I am a Cheap-o and The cookies are expensive at the store. Here is my knock off recipe!

Lemon Zester Cookies (like Paradise Cafe)

1 box lemon cake mix

2 eggs

1/3 cup oil (for chewier version - if you like them crumbly, use cold shortening)

1/4 cup lemon zest

Easy peasy...mix it all together and shape into balls. Bake at 375 for 7-11 minutes or until set around the edges. When the cookies are done, drop the cookie sheet about 4 inches to cooling rack. Let cool 1-5 minutes and remove from sheet.

Have a bowl or plate of powdered sugar right there and just cover cookie in the powdered sugar or else sprinkle over the tops before they are completely cooled.

Its as simple as that. I had 2-3 dozen cookies made and plated in 30 minutes....perfect for moments when you forget that you volunteered desserts for a party!

MOODY bars (aka PMS Bars)

Every now and then people need a sweet pick me up. I wanted to share my new pick-me-up with others so they can satisfy that craving for sweet, salty, and a good amount of fat in there!

MOODY BARS!

(aka PMS cookie bars)

1 box of yellow or white cake mix

1 egg

1/2 cup butter (I used I can't believe its not butter)

2 TBSP water

1/2 chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanut butter chips (or if you want to keep it simple, use all chocolate)

topping:

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter, heated in microwave for 30 seconds

1/2 cup hot fudge sauce

1/2 carmel sauce

1 chopped candy bar of your choice

mix the cake mix with egg, butter,water, and chips. Pour batter into a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

While the cookie is still hot, pour hot peanut butter on top. Heat the hot fudge and carmel and pour over peanut butter. Spread toppings over the entire cookie. Chop/Crush cand bar and sprinkle over the top. It is a VERY rich dessert, but worth the calories in my opinion!

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies (AKA Elephant Poo)

Dessert tonight was something that I have not had in a LONG time!!! Its easy and my kiddos LOVED it! I made those No-bake Chocolate Peanut Butter cookies with oatmeal. I remember making them and hearing them called Elephant Poo, so that name kinda stuck with me. Sooo Tasty!

ELEPHANT POO
3 1/2 cups dry quick-cooking oats, divided
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, cut into pieces (OR Margarine)
2 cups sugar (OR Splenda)
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons cocoa

Measure 3 cups of oats, the peanut butter and the vanilla into a large heatproof bowl. Set aside.
Place the butter, sugar, milk and cocoa in a small saucepan. Give them a quick stir. Turn the heat on high, and leave the mixture alone. (No more stirring.) Bring the mixture to a full, rolling boil, and let it boil for exactly 1 minute. Remove immediately from the heat, and pour the chocolate mixture over the oats and peanut butter.Use a rubber spatula to quickly stir the ingredients together. (If the mixture seems runny or it’s a very humid day, stir in the remaining half-cup of oats.) Working with two spoons or a small ice cream scoop, drop the mixture by tablespoons onto some wax paper. Let the cookies cool until set. (or you could just eat them with a spoon!)

Monster Cookies

Have you ever been to the Target Cafe' and had those yummy giant monster cookies??? I absolutely love indulging in those bad boys after an exhausting couponing expedition. I just hate saving all this money on everyday things and paying over a dollar for 1 cookie. So I played around in the kitchen tonight and found a recipe that I tweaked a little to get things just right!

Monster Cookies

1 stick of butter or margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup oats (quick cooking or old fashioned - I prefer old fashioned)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup m&ms
(if you like lots of peanuts, you can chop some up and add them to the mix too)

cream butter, sugars, peanut butter, vanilla and egg in a large bowl. Add dry ingredients and mix well. add chips and m&ms. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

This recipe doesn't make a whole lot of cookies (abt 2 dozen), but if you are trying to limit how much you are eating, then this one works!
Enjoy!

Grandma Norma's Blondies

Another recipe that I have wanted to do for a while, but never found time to until just recently.
When I got married, my mother in law gave me a bunch of family recipes that I am so excited to try out. Most of them came from my husband's great grandma who was a FABULOUS cook! This is one of the easiest recipes that I have made and it tastes soooo yummy!

Grandma's Norma's Blondies
2 1/4 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
2/3 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
6 oz chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Sift together first 3 ingredients. Cream the next 3 ingredients. Add eggs to creamed mixture. Mix in flour mixture. Add chocolate chips and nuts. Spread out on a greased shallow pan. (11 x 15 x 2) . Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.
Tastes even better served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce!

**a quick tip for these yummy treats...mix by hand instead of a mixer for a thicker cookie!
***To make them true blondies, use butterscotch chips instead of Chocolate.

Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

One way to jazz up plain sugar cookie dough mix.

2 1/2 cups sugar cookie dough mix (krusteaz) or one package betty crocker.
1 stick of butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
1/2 cup almond paste
1 cup craisins
1 cups white chocolate chips

Mix well and place on cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 10-12 min or until brown on edges.

Chocolate Chip and Toasted Coconut Cookies

A cookie that makes my day sooo much better!

Chocolate Chip and Toasted Coconut cookies

1/2 cup butter (softened)
1/2 cup margarine or shortening
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips
3/4 cup toasted coconut

cream butter, margarine and sugars in a large mixing bowl and add vanilla. Add eggs one at a time. In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to sugar/cream mix. Once combined, add chips and coconut. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Let cool 1 min and transfer to wire cooling rack. This definitely hit the spot! To make it even better, you can swap the vanilla extract for coconut extract and enjoy a stronger coconut flavor.
Makes 36 cookies!
The recipe originally called for 3/4 cups of both white and brown sugar, but I have found that by reducing the white sugar by half and adding more brow, it makes the cookie a little chewier!

Deceptively Delicious

Ok so my first attempt at "healthifying" food has been purchasing Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious cookbook. I really like that book and reccomend it for most anybody who struggles when trying to include fruits and veggies in their diets. I think I will start thi blog with a yummy treat so here goes!!!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c. firmly packed brown sugar

3/4 c. fat free tub margarine

2 large egg whites

2 t. pure vanilla extract

1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas drained and rinsed

1 ¾ c. chocolate chips

½ c. slivered almonds (I like mine toasted) - optional

½ c. coconut flakes (optional) - optional

2 c. flour

½ c. oats (optional)

1 t. baking soda

¼ t. salt

1/4 t. ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixer, beat sugar, margarine, and shortening. Beat in the egg whites and vanilla. Then add the chickpeas and chocolate chips, almonds and coconut. Add the flour, oats, baking soda and salt and mix on low speed until a thick dough forms. Drop the dough by tablespoonful onto the baking sheet spacing about 2 inches apart. Press flat with a fork .Bake 11-13 minutes (do not over bake)

HERES ASECRET - You can use it on any cookie recipe. When you take the cookies out, hold the cookie sheet about 2-3 inches from the countertop. Drop the sheet and the cookies should fall more flat. It makes the cookies just a little bit chewier. Transfer to wire rack To cool and enjoy!

I actually entered these cookies in a recipe contest and made it on tv to shw them off! It aired on Studio 5 on KSL 5 out of Salt Lake City, UT