Triple Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

When I saw this recipe, I knew it would be one I'd like to try.  I made these as a thank-you for a friend, and the partial batch I made left just enough for us to enjoy some too :)

1 c butter

1 c brown sugar

1/2 c sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 1/4 c flour

1/2 c cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 c oats

2 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°.  Cream butter and sugars together.  Mix in vanilla and eggs.

Stir in flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda.

Add in oats and chocolate chips.

Drop spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet, and bake for 8 minutes or until done.

Comments from the cook:  No, you weren't mistaken.  The original recipe only calls for 2 types of chocolate.  BUT, I have a container of Special Dark Hershey's Cocoa in my cupboard...so I used half regular cocoa and half special dark.  And there you have it.  3 chocolates!  And the result?  Rich awesomeness.  Mmmmmhmmmm.

Photography secret, just FYI... I usually only bake up a few cookies for eating right away, then refrigerate my leftover cookie dough (or freeze it in pre-shaped balls).  For best results, I bake another batch the next day.  Very cold or frozen dough generally results in cookies that spread less.  This makes for thicker, fudgier cookies...of which I am a fan :)  And they just happen to look better than the cookies from batch #1, too!

Originally found here, which linked back to here (most text taken from her site)

Cream Puff Cake

This one?  This one almost did me in!  I'd seen the recipe a while ago, and knew we'd have company staying with us this weekend...so I made it.  It's INCREDIBLE, and is more like eating a donut than a cake. Yum!

1/2 c (1 stick) butter
1 c water
1 c flour
4 eggs

4 c milk
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
3 small boxes instant vanilla pudding
1 small container whipped topping
chocolate syrup

Crust:

Preheat oven to 400°.

In large saucepan, heat butter and water to boiling over medium-high heat.  Add flour and reduce heat to low.  Cook and stir until it balls up and pulls away from the edges of the pan.

Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl.  Beat in eggs, one at a time...beating well after each egg.

Spread into bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9x13 pan.  Bake for 35 minutes.  Cool completely.

Filling:

In a large bowl, whip cream cheese (alone) until smooth and fluffy.  Slowly add the milk, and beat until combined.  Add pudding mix and beat until thickened.  Spread over cooled shell.

Top with whipped topping.  Keep refrigerated until serving.  Drizzle with chocolate syrup right before serving.

Comments from the cook:  I'd never made this kind of "crust" before, and the end result reminded me of a German Pancake.  It puffs up a WHOLE BUNCH and looks a little bit like a science experiment instead of a dessert :) 


My cream cheese was a bit lumpy when beaten (I use the 1/3 less fat kind), so I had to whip my filling for a little longer than I thought it would need had it been the full-fat version.  


And it's up to you to choose...but two of my three puddings were sugar-free/fat-free (made with skim milk), and I used light whipped topping.  The result was fantastic...and I can only imagine how much better the full calorie versions of everything would make this taste!

Originally found here, which linked it back to here (most text taken from her site).

Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies

Hypothetically speaking, what if I told you this recipe came from Pinterest?  Would you be surprised, or are you just used to it by now?  Either way, I'm finding lots of great things to make on Pinterest, so we're satisfied!  These turned out just a little differently than I expected, but the gooey-fudgyness was just the fix we needed :)

1 milk chocolate cake mix

2 eggs

1/3 c canola oil

Combine 3 ingredients, and roll dough into balls.  Bake in 350° oven for 6 minutes (no more!).  Place 5-6 mini marshmallows into each cookie, then put back in the over for 2-3 more minutes.

Allow to cool completely, then frost with frosting made from the following ingredients:

1/2 c (1 stick) butter, softened

3 tsp cocoa powder

1-2 tsp vanilla, to your liking

2-3 c powdered sugar

1/4 c milk 

Comments from the cook:  My cookie "dough" was more like thick, sticky batter.  I still went ahead with it, despite my hesitation, and they turned out fine.  I undercooked the first ones a little, and the second sheet of them turned out better.  I also forgot to mention that I've become a DIE-HARD fan of parchment paper, and never bake cookies without it now.  In this case, there's no way the first round of cookies would've ever come off the sheet if it hadn't been for that paper...

I made a half batch of the dough and frosting, and we had plenty of these to eat for a few days.  Now I have all of the ingredients in my cupboard for another half batch next time we need to take a treat to a get-together!

Originally found on Pinterest, linked back to this awesome site.

Butterfinger Pie

I found this recipe on Pinterest recently.  As I've mentioned before, I am powerless to resist a Butterfinger recipe.  And, as it turns out, I'm basically powerless to resist the finished product too!

8 fun-size Butterfinger bars, chopped
1 (8oz) bar cream cheese, softened
12 oz whipped topping (3/4 of a large container)
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 graham cracker crust

Whip cream cheese with mixer until fluffy.  Add powdered sugar and whip until smooth.  Mix in whipped topping.

Add all but about 1/4 c Butterfingers and whip just until combined.

Pour into graham cracker crust.  Top with remaining Butterfinger pieces, and allow to chill for 3-4 hours before serving.


Comments from the cook:  It may be more appropriate to call this Butterfinger no-bake cheesecake.  This quick and easy recipe is delicious, and would be great to take to a party or get-together.  It's best when served very cold, and I'm excited to make it for my Butterfinger-lovin' younger brother when I see him later this month!    


As you can tell from the pictures, I made my own graham cracker crust instead of using a pre-made one.  I used about 1 1/2 pkgs of graham crackers (crushed in a freezer bag with my rolling pin), about 3 1/2 TBSP of melted butter, and a couple of teaspoons of sugar and mixed them together.  I pressed the mixture into my pie dish, then allowed it to chill and set up in the fridge while I made the filling.  It turned out a little bit crumbly, and was even a little thicker than it needed to be (no complaints here, of course), but worked perfectly for what we needed.  A store-bought crust is easier, but nothing beats a homemade crust, in my opinion :)

Originally found on Pinterest, which linked back to this blog (note to self: visit again for more recipes!).