Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 2 cups plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 12 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Adjust oven racks to upper and lower-middle positions. Preheat oven 325°. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium bowl; set aside. With electric mixer, or by hand, mix butter and sugars until thoroughly combined. Beat in egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add dry ingredients and beat at low-speed just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
3. Roll a scant half-cup of dough into a ball. Holding dough ball in fingertips of both hands, pull apart into two equal halves. Rotate halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, place formed dough onto cookie sheet, leaving ample room between each ball. Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy (approximately 11-14 minutes). Do not overbake.

source: http://smellslikehome.wordpress.com/2009/01/30/thick-and-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Ultimate Turtle Cookie Bars

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, softened

• 6 Tbsp brown sugar

• 6 Tbsp granulated sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

• 1/4 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided use

• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

• 24 Kraft caramels, unwrapped

• 1 tablespoon milk

• 3/4 cup whole pecan halves

• 1 teaspoon shortening

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Using electric mixer, in a medium bowl, cream butter, brown and white sugars, then egg and vanilla.
3. In another bowl, stir together, flour, baking soda and salt. Mix well.
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well until a soft dough forms.
5. Stir in 3/4 cup of chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of coarsely chopped pecans. Mix until chocolate chips and chopped pecans are evenly distributed in cookie dough.
6. Press cookie dough evenly into bottom of an ungreased, 8-inch square, baking pan.
7. Bake 28 to 33 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven.
8. Meanwhile, in a 1-quart saucepan on stove top, heat 24 caramels and 1 Tbs milk over low heat, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
9. Carefully spread melted caramels evenly over warm cookie bars; sprinkle with pecan halves. Cool completely on cooling rack, about 1 hour.
10. In small microwaveable bowl, microwave 1/4 cup of semisweet chocolate chips and 1 tsp shortening uncovered on High 30 to 60 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds, until melted and smooth. Drizzle over cookie bars. Let stand about 30 minutes or until chocolate is set.
11. For bars, cut into 4 rows by 4 rows.

recipe courtesy of: http://www.chow.com/recipes/13574

Banana Pudding!

Ingredients:

3 Cups cold milk
2 pkg. (4 serving size each) jell-o vanilla flavor instant pudding
30 Nilla wafers
3 Medium bananas sliced
1 tub (8 oz) cool whip topping, thawed





<- will have to add my own picture later ;-) DIRECTIONS:

Pour milk in a large bowl. Add dry pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk 2 mins. Or until well blended. Let stand 5 minutes.

Arrange half of the wafers on bottom and up side of 2 qt serving bowl. Add layers of half each of the banana slices and pudding. Repeat all layers. Spread whipped topping over pudding.

Refrigerate 3 hours or until ready to serve.

Cheesecake Brownies

Ingredients

• BROWNIES:
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
  CHEESECAKE:
• 1/2 cup cream cheese
• 1 egg (or egg white)
• 2 tablespoons sugar

1. Stir butter, sugar, and vanilla together.
2. Add eggs and beat well.
3. Separately, mix flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt together.
4. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Stir well.
5. Spread the brownie batter evenly into a prepared pan.
6. Using an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, egg and sugar until smooth.
7. Dollop the cream cheese mixture on top of the brownie batter. Swirl together using a knife or skewer to produce a marble effect.
8. Bake 30 minutes at 180 degrees Celcius or until knife comes out clean.
9. Cool in the pan, then cut into bars and serve.