Easy Monster Cookies

I try to make treats every week for the daycare that my son attends. The gals there take very good care of him and have been a tremendous help to me. I honestly don't think I would have survived the first year of his life without their wisdom and advice. :)

Here's a treat from Betty Crocker that I made for them. It's Easter themed with some holiday M'ms that I picked up on sale (with coupons too) from Target.

Ingredients:

• 1 pouch (1lb 1.5 oz) Chocolate Chip Cookie mix
• 1 pouch (1lb 1.5 oz) Oatmeal Cookie mix
• 1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups M'ms (plain or peanut - your choice)

Preparations:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In large bowl, combine everything but the M'ms.
3. When mixture becomes dough, add candy and stir well.
4. Drop by spoonfuls on to cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are golden brown.

Food Network - Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are not for those living at high altitude! If you like them thin and crispy and live near sea level, here's a rich chocolate chip cookie recipe for you.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
• 3/4 cup super-fine sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
•  1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preparations:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl.
3. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a hand held mixer until light and fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes. Beat in the egg and then the vanilla. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, to make a soft dough. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 3-inches apart, (a standard pan can accommodate about 6 cookies). 
5. Bake the cookies until brown around the edges, about 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Pancakes, anyone?

Nestle's Pudding Chip Cookies

I recommend this recipe if you are low on flour and really want some chocolate chip cookies. Also, I learned the hard way why you shouldn't bake cookies on the bottom rack....

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 pkg. (4 serving size) instant vanilla, butterscotch or chocolate pudding mix
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg white
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Mini Morsels

First batch that was baked on top rack in oven...

Preparations:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. (I baked mine at 375 degrees for 12 minutes) 
2. Combine flour and pudding mix in small bowl. Beat butter in large mixing bowl on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Beat in brown sugar and baking soda until well combined. Beat in egg and egg white. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop dough by rounded teaspoon 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.  for 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Cool on baking sheets 2 to 3 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. 
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until set. Cool on baking sheets 2 to 3 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. 

 

Second batch baked on bottom rack. I learned that it makes a difference.

Hershey's Double Peanut Butter and Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a great recipe if you have a couple of already opened bags of peanut butter chips and milk chocolate chips. I'm not sure what the kids made with the other halves of the bags but I was happy to use these up! This is a small recipe and makes about 2 dozen medium sized cookies.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup peanut butter (go crunchy if you like)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1 cup peanut butter chips

Preparations:

1. Combine butter, egg, peanut butter, sugar and vanilla.
2. Separately, mix flour, salt and baking soda.
3. Mix both sets of ingredients. Add chips. 
4. Roll into small balls and bake at 375 degrees for approximately 13 minutes.

Paula Deen's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I chose this recipe because my husband loves oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and because I love Paula Deen's recipes. This is one her 25 days of holiday cookies recipes. It's easy to make and the cookies aren't too sweet.

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks of butter (room temperature)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon water
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups of quick cooking oats
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Preparations:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix butter, sugars, eggs, vanilla and water. Mix well. 
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. 
4. Combine both sets of ingredients. Add flour slowly if using electric mixer. 
5. Add oats and chocolate chips.
6. Drop dough onto lined cookie sheet or non-stick cookie sheet. 
7. Bake for approximately 10 minutes. (The bigger the dough ball, the longer to cook.)

Martha Stewart's Holiday Cookies - Strawberry Thumbprints

This is one of Martha's easier recipes and it makes a great holiday cookie if you're putting together goodie baskets. The recipe didn't say if butter should be softened or not however, butter straight out of the fridge does not mix well. I let mine sit out so it was room temperature.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparations:

1. Combine butter, sugar, egg and vanilla. Beat well.
2. Separately, mix flour and salt. 
3. Add flour to butter mixture slowly with electric mixer on low.
4. Roll dough into one inch balls and place on lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Bake dough for seven minutes. Remove from oven and make sure well of cookies is still deep. If not, press with end of wooden spoon or baby spoon.
7. Return to oven and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are firm. 
8. Let cool completely. Spoon jam filling into thumbprints. 

 

Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies from Chocoh!

I came across a new website for chocolate recipes. It's pretty cool and the recipes are fairly easy. It's called Chocoh and that's where this recipe comes from.

You can see from my pictures that my cookies were too big and too close together. If you don't want to repeat my mistake, roll your dough into one inch balls and space them evenly apart. The cookies were on the flat side but very tasty. (I used chunky peanut butter. ) Makes 2 dozen small cookies or a dozen large ones.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of flour 
• 1/2 cup of butter (softened to room temperature)
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup of chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup of peanut butter
• 1/2 tsp. of salt
• 1/2 tsp. of baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. of vanilla

Preparations: 

1. Preheat Oven to 375 degrees. 
2. Combine butter, sugars, egg, vanilla and peanut butter.
3. Separately, mix flour, salt, baking soda and salt. Mix well. 
4. Combine both sets of ingredients. Add chocolate chips and mix dough until it's completely mixed.
5. Roll dough into one inch balls, space evenly. Bake for approximately 11 minutes. Let cool before removing.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

I really wanted to get rid of the Halloween candy this year so when adults showed up at my door and said "Trick or Treat", I gladly handed over the candy. (Alright, I was really tempted to say "Hey, lady aren't you a little old to ask for candy?" but I fought the urge. :) Unfortunately, The constant doorbell ringing woke my sleeping baby and I had to turn off my porch light before all the candy was gone.

If you have leftover Reese's Peanut Butter cups and don't want to spend the next week fighting the urge to eat them when no one is looking, here's a recipe for you! It comes from a neat site called "Apples and Twinkies". (Too cute!)

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cup mixture of milk chocolate chips and peanut butter chips
• 32 mini Reese’s peanut butter cups, each cut into 4 pieces or use full size Reese's peanut butter cups and cut them into 8 small chunks

Preparations:

1. Mix the ingredients down to the vanilla. Add soda, salt, and flour. Fold in chips.
2. Using and ice cream scoop, scoop dough (these are big cookies). Place 6 scoops of dough on ungreased cookie sheet. Use your hand and slightly flatten each scoop of dough. Cook for 12 minutes at 350.
3. Remove cookies from oven and lightly press 8 cut up pieces of the Reese’s peanut butter cups over the top of each cookie. 
4. Return to oven for 2 more minutes. Cool on baking sheet 2 minutes before placing on cooling rack. 

Makes 20 cookies.

Dark Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Smith's has Nestle Tollhouse morsels 2 for $4 through Tuesday. I had coupons for their Dark Chocolate chip morsels which are really good. So I decided to get creative and make something that would be good for the upcoming holidays. It's a rich cookie with lots of flavor. Adding pecans is optional. 1/2 cup makes them crunchy.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter (room temperature)
• 1 cup of packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup dark chocolate morsels
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Preparations:

1. Combine butter, eggs, sugars and vanilla. Beat well.
2. Separately, mix flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add to egg mixture.
3. Slowly mix in rolled oats, morsels and cranberries.
4. Drop dough into small balls onto cookie sheet. 
5. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 12 minutes.

Pumpkin Spiced Cookies from Nestle

These cookies turned out light and fluffy and weren't too sweet. I highly recommend this recipe especially with Halloween coming.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips


Preparations:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. 
3. Beat in pumpkin, eggs and vanilla extract. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.
4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Chip cookies

I bought these chips because they were on sale for $1.79. (Not a bad price for Hershey's chocolate chips!) The recipe really isn't any different than their regular chocolate chip cookie recipe. The chocolate is touted as being "mildly sweet chocolate". I prefer milk chocolate chips but if you like dark chocolate - you'll like these cookies.

Ingredients:

• 2 and 1/4 cups of flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup of butter, softened (it's best to leave it out for a couple of hours so it can become room temperature)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1 bag of dark chocolate chips

Preparations:

1. Combine eggs, sugars, vanilla and butter. Beat well.
2. Separately, mix flour, baking soda and salt. 
3. Mix both sets of ingredients together. Blend well. 
4. Add chocolate chips. 
5. Drop batter (around a tablespoon for each cookie) on to non-greased sheet. 
6. Bake at 375 for approximately 10 minutes (or more depending on how big you make them!)

Nestle's Pumpkin Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Halloween isn't too far off so why not get ready with plenty of pumpkin recipes? These cookies are very yummy!!! (I ate three. :) I used pumpkin pie mix instead of canned pumpkin. It worked just as well.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup Pure Pumpkin
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 3/4 cup raisins

 Preparations:

1. Mix flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until light and fluffy. 
2. Add pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract; mix well. Add flour mixture; mix well. Stir in nuts and raisins. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets. 
3. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned and set in centers. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Sun Maid's Classic Raisin Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups quick or old fashioned oats
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Preparations:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat butter, sugars, milk, egg and vanilla until light and fluffy.
3. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in separate bowl. Gradually add to butter mixture; mix well. Stir in oats, raisins and walnuts. 
4. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

Low Calorie Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

I was kind of hoping all the baby weight would come off the day I gave birth, but sadly some still remains. These days I find myself eating a lot more low calorie food and trying to make time to exercise. Hence, this recipe. The cookies are 69 calories each and are very good. The texture is very dense and they turned out quite fluffy.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup rolled oats

Preparations:

1. Mix flour, baking soda and oats. 
2. Separately, combine egg whites, vanilla, sugars, margarine and peanut butter. Beat well.
3. Combine both sets of ingredients. Mix well.
4. Take a rounded teaspoon worth of dough and roll into a ball. Bake at 375 for 8 - 10 minutes or until edges are golden. 

Makes 36 servings.

Pillsbury's Easy Pudding Cookies

Last night it occurred to me that I was hogging all the "quality" time with K.C. So, I decided I would bake these cookies and no matter how much he fussed, I would leave him in the care of his father. It wasn't easy though. I could hear him fussing and squirming and at one point, I even went down stairs and reached out to pick him up when I had to force myself to stop. Ken really did have it all under control so I went back upstairs and baked these very yummy cookies. I highly recommend using chocolate chips instead of the white chocolate and eating one while they're still warm. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1 cup  packed brown sugar
• 1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) JELL-O Chocolate Instant Pudding
• 2   eggs
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 cups  flour
• 1 pkg. (6 squares) BAKER'S White Chocolate, chopped

Preparations:

1. Combine eggs, butter and brown sugar. Mix well.
2. Separately, mix baking soda and flour. 
3. Add dry pudding mix to egg mixture. Beat well.
4. Combine both sets of ingredients. Mix well.
5. Add white chocolate.
6. Bake at 375 for ten minutes.

Joy of Cooking's Chocolate Chunk cookies

This recipe isn't very different from the Nestle Tollhouse standard chocolate chip cookie recipe. If you check out their the Joy of Cooking's website though, you'll see that this recipe was "tested". Really? Somehow I doubt they tested it at high altitude because they turned out like lumpy chocolate chip pancakes. If you're at high altitude - add 1/2 cup of flour.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup granulated white sugar
• 2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups chocolate chunks

Preparations:

1. Combine butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs.
2. Separately, combine salt, flour and baking soda.
3. Mix both sets of ingredients.
4. Bake cookies at 375 for approximately 12 minutes.

Nestle's Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Nestle has a pretty cool website that's worth checking out. You can search recipe categories for all types of recipes (not just for cookies). Here's an easy one for chocolate chunk cookies. I used the whole bag of Nestle chocolate chunks.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Baking Cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups (11.5-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks

Preparations:

1. COMBINE flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. 
2. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. 
3. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chunks.
4. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
5. BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until cookies are puffed and centers are set but still soft. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
   

Low Calorie Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Cookies

These tasty little treats are only 69 calories a cookie if you're trying to watch what you eat.


Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup rolled oats

Preparations:

1. Combine butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg whites and vanilla.
2. Separately, mix oats, baking soda and flour.
3. Combine both sets of ingredients. Mix well.
4. Drop dough onto greased cookie sheet. 
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 375.

Betty Crocker's Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookies

Feel free to add raisins or chocolate chips to this recipe. In theory, it's healthier because there's no white sugar and less white flour than other oatmeal cookie recipes. My only issue is that the cookies you see are the only ones that turned out flat instead of round and cake-like. I have no idea why the others weren't as pretty....

Ingredients:

1 3/4  cups packed brown sugar
1     cup butter or margarine, softened
1     teaspoon vanilla
2     eggs
1     cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1     cup Gold Medal® whole wheat flour
1     teaspoon baking powder
3     cups old-fashioned oats

Preparations:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat brown sugar and butter with electric mixer on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and eggs until well blended.
2. On low speed, beat in all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour and baking powder, scraping bowl occasionally, until well combined. Stir in oats.
3. On ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart. Flatten cookies to about 1/2-inch thickness.
4. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.
   

Betty Crocker's Rich Peanut Butter Cookies

Here's another recipe from my cheap Betty Crocker's Cookies cookbook. So far the best thing about this cookbook is that the recipes are really easy. You can make them with your kids or on a late night when you're craving something sweet.

Ingredients:

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup of butter
1 egg
1 1/4 cups of flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup peanut butter chips
Granulated sugar

Preparations:

1. Beat brown sugar, peanut butter, butter and egg until mixture is creamy.
2. Separately, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. 
3. Combine both mixtures. Add peanut butter chips.
4. Shape dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Dip tops of balls into granulated sugar.
5. Bake sugared side up at 375 for 9-10 minutes.