Pink Lemonade Cookies

These little darlings have been in my mom's cookie arsenal for years.  She found them in a Better Homes & Gardens special interest edition called "Christmas Cookies" in 1998.  And they've been surprising, intriguing, and delighting people ever since.  They're far from traditional, and often raise eyebrows at first.  But, the taste of the lemonade in the dough and in the sweet frosting make these a home-run.

Cookie:
1/2 c butter (no substitutes)
1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1/3 c frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed*
1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
pink food coloring
pink lemonade frosting (see below)

Beat butter in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer for 30 seconds.  Add sugar, b. powder, and b. soda and beat until combined.  Beat in egg and lemonade concentrate.  Beat in flour.  If desired, add pink food coloring to tint dough pink.

Drop by rounded teaspoons on parchment-lined cookie sheet.  Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden.  Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute, then transfer cookies to cooling rack to cool completely.  Frost with pink lemonade frosting.

Frosting:

2 TBSP butter, softened
2 c powdered sugar
2 tsp frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed*
enough water (3-4 tsp) to make of spreading consistency
pink food coloring
few shakes of salt from salt shaker

Beat butter, powdered sugar, and frozen lemonade together.  Add water as needed, and color with pink food coloring.  Add a few shakes of salt from your salt shaker.

Comments from the cook:  Though the recipe does not suggest it, I most recently refrigerated this dough for a few hours before baking it into cookies.  My hopes were confirmed...as the consistency is easier to work with this way (it is a bit gummy otherwise, though still workable).

* You can also use regular lemonade from concentrate, but you'll obviously end up with a different color of dough.  In a pinch, I had to use raspberry lemonade from concentrate once, and it was also excellent. 

Originally found in Christmas Cookies, 1998 - Better Homes and Gardens (r) Special Interest Publications.

Strawberry-Lime Margarita Cupcakes (Non-Alcoholic)

If I've ever doubted a Betty Crocker recipe, I take it all back!  Betty's Strawberry Margarita Cake recipe made for perfect cupcakes... and the awesome recipe for buttercream frosting I found (I made the limey version) took these babies from good to great in no time!  I made these for our Cinco de Mayo party, and can't wait to find a reason to make them again :)

Cupcakes:

1 white cake mix

oil and egg whites (as called for in cake mix instructions)

3/4 c strawberry margarita drink mix (syrup, non-alcoholic)

1/2 c water

Frosting:

1 c (2 sticks) butter (salted or unsalted)

1/4 tsp salt (if using unsalted butter)

4 c powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp lime juice

2-3 TBSP milk

Toppings:

1 TBSP lime zest

sliced strawberries, rinsed and dried

--

Preheat oven to 350°.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

Add 1/2 c water to 3/4 c margarita mix (to create 1 1/4 c of liquid).  

In large bowl, combine cake mix, strawberry liquid mixture, oil, and egg whites.  Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed.

Bake for 16-20 minutes.  Set aside and allow to cool.

--

Using the whisk attachment of an electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed until completely smooth (about 1 minute).

Add salt (if using unsalted butter).

One cup at a time, add 2 cups of powdered sugar, beating after each addition.

Add vanilla and lime juice and beat to combine.

Add 1 TBSP milk and continue beating.

Add 2 remaining cups of powdered sugar, one cup at a time.

Add remaining 1 TBSP milk until consistency is reached (1 more TBSP if you prefer thinner frosting).  Add a bit of lime zest, if you'd like.

Pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes after they have cooled completely.

--

Top with a strawberry slice and a sprinkling of lime zest.

(If you chill these, make sure to take them out of the fridge a few minutes before serving...to allow the frosting to soften back up.  It hardens in the fridge!)

Comments from the cook:  I originally used a strawberry cake mix and added the strawberry syrup (by accident, actually).  The taste was phenomenal, though maybe a little on the overpowering side.  Fortunately (or unfortunately?), I baked them for a minute or two too long and they were too sponge-like for me.  I tried again (this time with a white cake), and had perfect success baking the cupcakes for about 17 minutes.

I will probably add 1/4 cup more powdered sugar to my frosting next time.  It was REALLY hot outside (about 90°) the day I took these to a party, and they might've held up just a little better with a bit more p. sugar.  And, though I tried to fight it, my strawberries still put off a bit of syrup that ran down the sides and into the frosting.  A small sacrifice for the taste we achieved...but enough to drive me a little crazy too!  Perhaps next time I'll throw the berries and lime zest on RIGHT before serving.  Or perhaps next time I'll just look the other way :)

Cake originally found here (thank you, thank you, Betty) and super-fantastic frosting recipe found here (can't wait to use this as my new go-to recipe!).

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.

Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls

This recipe comes from a cookbook that my mom got me for Christmas a few years ago.  They're called Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls because the main ingredient is a boxed cake mix...and when I read it, I was sold!  The finished product is moist and delicious, and even a cake-lover like me couldn't tell a cake mix was involved.  Cheating the system without consequences!?  Yay!

1 white or yellow cake mix (I used white)
2 pkgs yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp salt
2 c flour
--
3+ c flour
4-5 TBSP butter
cinnamon sugar, to taste
frosting of your choice

Combine first four ingredients (cake mix, yeast, salt, and 2 c flour).  Add 2 1/4 cups hot water.  Mix.  Add 3 c flour and knead until well mixed (it took about 4-5 minutes in my KitchenAid, but by-hand is fine for a similar amount of time), adding more flour as needed to avoid a sticky dough (mine took almost 4 1/2 cups).

Let rise until doubled (somewhere between 1-1.5 hrs).

Push down and roll onto flour surface into giant rectangle.

Soften butter and brush over rectangle.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.  Roll up and cut into 1 1/2 inch slices.

Let rise until doubled on cookie sheet.  Bake at 350° for 20 minutes.

Frost while still warm with frosting of your choice.

Makes about 18 rolls.

Comments from the cook:  The original recipe called for 3 cups of flour in the 2nd set of ingredients, but I found that it needed closer to 4 1/2 cups.  Other than that, this recipe is just as easy as it sounds, and the result is awesome.

My favorite made-from-scratch frosting consists of whipping together about a TBSP of Crisco, a splash of milk, a dash of salt, a bit of vanilla, and as much powdered sugar as it takes to get the consistency you're going for.  (Vague enough for ya?!)  

Originally found in the "Worldwide Ward Cookbook" by Deanna Buxton.  Recipe attributed to Noryne Moss, and adjusted slightly by yours truly.

Brownie Batter Cupcakes

These may look like ordinary cupcakes, but MAN ALIVE, they're nothing but ordinary... Dropping a frozen mound of "brownie batter" into the middle of a fancy chocolate cupcake before baking it certainly can't send you in the wrong direction, I say!

Brownie Batter:

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup milk
1 devil’s food cake mix

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix on medium speed for 2 mins until well combined.

Using a cookie dough scoop (or small spoon), drop rounded balls of batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze overnight.

(Makes about 30 dough balls.)

Cupcakes:

1 devil’s food cake mix
1 small pkg instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1/3 c canola oil
2/3 c applesauce
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 325°. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners.

Combine all ingredients in mixer and mix on medium speed for 2 mins until well combined.

Using a large scoop (about 3 tbsp) drop batter into the cupcake liners, filling about 2/3 full.

Remove brownie batter mounds from freezer and press into the cupcake batter. Bake for 22-28 mins. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Makes about 30 cupcakes.

Frosting:
You'll never guess which one I used... :) Click here to find it.

Comments from the cook: My in-laws were here for the weekend, and I had been waiting for about a month to try these out. I knew we needed to have LOTS of mouths around to help eat these...or we'd have been in a whole heap of trouble!

The original recipe called for 1 cup of oil, and I substituted part of it for applesauce (I have a hard time pouring 1 cup of oil into ANY recipe...amazing or not!). The original recipe also called for chocolate chips in the cupcake batter, but I forgot to add them, and never felt like final product was lacking anything. Much the opposite, actually! Obviously, the chocolate frosting from the HoHo cake has become my new favorite. If you wanted to use the frosting from the original recipe, you certainly could. I just never hesitate to stick with something I KNOW will work...

These were good the first day, but were even more amazing the next evening. The brownie centers softened and the frosting was more set up.

Oh, and one last thing... I had ONE more cupcake than I had dough balls, so I threw a frozen ball of chocolate chip cookie dough into the center of the last cupcake. It was INCREDIBLE. Perhaps an idea for next time. :)
Originally found on Pinterest, which linked it back to this site (recipe said to have been adapted from Cook's Illustrated).

Density Bars

Our dear friends, M+B, made these for us mannnnny years ago...and I've been meaning to make them for a long time now. They're called "Density Bars" for a reason, so if you make them, be sure to make sure there's milk in the fridge! :)

1 c brown sugar
1 c white sugar
1 c butter
2 eggs
1 c peanut butter
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
2 c quick oats

Preheat oven to 325°.

Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs; beat until smooth. Add peanut butter and blend.

Sift together flour, soda, and salt; add to sugar mixture and mix until smooth. Add oats and vanilla.

Put into 9x13 pan (I use a jelly roll pan, which has sides that are just 1" high). Bake at 325° for 20 minutes.

**Frost with chocolate frosting of your choice.

Comments from the cook: YUM. These are excellent, and their mere existence in your house can make you do careless things that you wouldn't otherwise do (one bar in each hand, alternating bites!).

**I would recommend using the chocolate frosting from the HoHo cake (found here). We had a little bit of it left over in the freezer, and used it to frost a few of these. It was delicious. When it ran out and I took these to a little shin-dig, I needed another frosting...so I used some hot fudge (the kind you put on ice cream) from my fridge.

I put the hot fudge in my KitchenAid, then added a splash of milk, a little vanilla, and a bit of salt. Then I added powdered sugar until I got it to the consistency I wanted. In retrospect, the taste was good...but I should've just gone with another batch of the HoHo cake frosting. :)

Special thanks to my dearest friend Brittany, for introducing us to these little darlings. They're now part of my arsenal!

Originally shared by the fabulous Brittany. Most text taken from her original recipe.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes

I recently joined Pinterest, and I LOVE IT. The number of gorgeous-looking, mouth-watering recipes is enough to do a girl like me in! I found these cupcakes a few weeks ago, and knew I had to try them. The cupcakes and icing turned out perfectly, and I'll be making these again for sure. (And I'll honestly say I'm in love with this picture - that we took on our kitchen table yesterday!)

Cupcakes:

1 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c canola oil
2 egg whites
1/3 c thawed frozen Pink Lemonade Concentrate
1/4 c buttermilk
3 drops red food coloring

Preheat oven to 350°. Put paper liners in muffin tins.

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.

If you don't have buttermilk, make the substitute (1/4 cup milk and just under 1 tsp lemon juice) and allow it to sit for 5 minutes.

Combine sugar, oil, egg whites, and lemonade concentrate in mixer. Whisk until combined. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk (3 additions of flour mixture, 2 of buttermilk) until smooth.

Add 3 drops red food coloring (or amount desired) to color batter.

Pour into liners (about 3/4 full) and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out cleanly.

Allow to cool before frosting.

Pink Lemonade Frosting:

3 c + 3 TBSP powdered sugar
1 stick butter (at room temperature)
1/8 tsp salt
3 1/2 TBSP pink lemonade concentrate
2 drops red food coloring
pink sanding sugar

Combine powdered sugar, butter, salt, and lemonade concentrate together. Whisk until smooth. Add food coloring until desired color is reached.

Pipe onto cupcakes, and dust with sanding sugar.

Makes 9 cupcakes.
Comments from the cook: I doubled the recipe for cupcakes (and made 18), but left the quantities as they were for the frosting. I found the amount of frosting to be perfect for the double-batch of cupcakes, and mine were generously frosted.

I added more lemonade concentrate to both the cupcake batter and icing than the original recipe called for (text above indicates increased quantities), but you could scale back a bit if you're going for more subtle flavors.

Originally found on Pinterest, which directed me to the recipe posted here (some text taken from her site).

Homemade Hostess Cupcakes

Cupcakes:
1 dark chocolate cake mix (+ cake mix ingredients)

White gooey filling:
4 TBSP butter, room temperature
1 c powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 TBSP heavy cream
1 cup marshmallow creme

Chocolate ganache:
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c heavy cream
1 TBSP butter
2 tsp vanilla

White frosting (for squigglies/words):

1 stick butter
2 TBSP milk
2 c powdered sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla

Prepare cupcakes as directed on back of dark chocolate cake mix (using cupcake papers). Allow to cool.

For the filling: Using a mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar. Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon heavy cream; beat until smooth. Beat in the remaining 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar and 2 tablespoons heavy cream in batches, alternating after each addition. Beat in the marshmallow creme; set aside or refrigerate.

For the ganache: Place the chocolate in a stainless-steel bowl. Heat the cream and 1 tablespoon butter until just boiling, then pour over the chocolate; let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla; let stand until cool but still glossy and liquid.

Now that your ganache is cooling, spoon white gooey filling into an icing bag with a star tip attached (or a freezer bag with a star tip, if you're like me!). Poke star tip through the top center of the cupcake, then squeeze until the cupcake gets heavier. If extra white stuff pools at the top, scrape it off with a knife. (You want the tops to be smooth.)

Once ganache is cooled but still glossy, dip tops of cupcakes into ganache. If desired, dip more than once for thicker chocolate layer. Cool in fridge.

For the icing: Using a mixer, beat the remaining 1 stick butter, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, the milk and confectioners sugar until smooth, adding more milk if needed. Spoon into a pastry bag with a small tip. Pipe onto the cupcakes to decorate. (This recipe makes LOTS of icing. You can always freeze the rest and use it on the next batch!)

Makes about 24 cupcakes.

Refrigerate any leftovers (if you have any!).

Comments from the cook: I'd seen these beauties before, and knew that they would be a wonderful treat when our families were both in town right before Valentine's day. So I set out to make them...

And, I don't know WHAT happened, but the cupcake recipe on the site listed below did NOT work for me. In fact, the result was a horrific mess in my oven, a waste of 24 suuuuper cute cupcake papers (biggest tragedy), and a somewhat traumatic memory. :)

But that's what cake mixes are for! And, for the record, the dark chocolate cake mix made for amazing finished cupcakes. Easy peasy...and no mess!

After completing the cupcakes (icing and all), I removed the cupcake papers. The ganache I made was somewhat runny, and ran down the sides of many of the cupcakes. They looked a LOT better sans papers. But, just so you know... removing the papers will make the cupcakes more prone to drying out if you plan to store them for a while.

These were fun to make, and the taste? OUT OF THIS WORLD.

Originally found here. Most text taken from the same site.

Jell-O Cake

1 white cake mix, made as directed
1 small pkg sugar free strawberry Jell-O
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup very cold water
1 small pkg vanilla pudding
1 small tub whipped cream
milk

Cake:
Prepare cake as directed. Allow to cool 2+ hours. Using fork, poke holes in cooled cake. (I do them about 3/4" apart...)

Boil 1 cup water and stir into strawberry Jell-O until dissolved. Stir in 1/2 cup very cold water until all powder is dissolved.

Pour Jell-O mixture over holes in cake, and allow to cool in fridge for a couple of hours.

Frosting:
Prepare small package of vanilla pudding according to pie filling directions. Place in fridge and allow to thicken for 5 minutes.

Fold a small container of whipped cream into pudding mixture.

Cover cake with frosting and serve chilled.

Comments from the cook: Hardly an original! A favorite that my mom always made when we were growing up, Jell-O cake is the perfect dessert for a BBQ or picnic (as long as it can stay chilled until you serve it).

Betty Crocker calls this "Poke Cake" and her recipe calls for raspberry gelatin. We've tried lots of different red flavors, and have never found one we didn't like.

A Sleight family favorite, shared by my mom since the 80s!

Fluffy White Frosting

1/2 c water
1 1/2 c sugar
2 egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder

Add egg whites, vanilla, salt, and baking powder to mixing bowl. Beat on high speed (I used my KitchenAid) until stiff.

Measure water and sugar into saucepan. Heat. Boil for 30 seconds after it clears.

Add syrup (now very hot) to egg mixture, beating constantly. Continue beating on high 4-5 minutes.

Frosting will be very thick, but soft and easy to spread. It will begin to set up shortly after, so have your cake ready to go beforehand. Makes 6 to 8 cups (or more?)... plenty to cover a 2-layer cake. I just did the one layer (above) and had some left over.

Comments from the cook: Tasty when served warm, but AMAZING when served chilled!

Originally shared by Mary Sleight, my grandmother.

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies (that will change your life)

1/2 cup shortening (we use "Crisco--All Vegetable" and never generic)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Beat shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until creamy.

Then add 1/2 cup sour cream. Stir well.

Add flour, soda, baking powder and salt. Mix well.

Roll out on floured surface about 1/8" to 1/4" thick.

Bake** at 350° for 8-10 minutes.

**It's really important that you let these bake until they're done. I usually leave mine in for 11 minutes or so. I like them to be slightly golden on the bottom, and they need to have puffed up quite a bit. If you take them out too soon, they fall and are gooey. I leave them on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes or more, so that the bottoms stay intact.

Frosting:

Few tablespoons of Crisco
1/4 cup of milk
dash of salt
tsp of vanilla
1/2 bag of powdered sugar

Mix with beaters until desired consistency. This recipe is just a ballpark, and I add powdered sugar and milk until it's just right.

Cookies in top picture were just rolled into 1 1/2" balls and flattened slightly before baking. (actual size 3-4" across) Cookies below were rolled out and cut with cookie cutters. (actual size about 5-6" across)


Comments from the cook: These cookies are pretty much no-fail, as long as you cook them thoroughly. The majority of hits on this blog are for "sour cream sugar cookies", so a cookie this good must be highly sought-after!

Originally shared by Cathy Green, co-worker at Provo Craft