Salted Caramel Butter Bars

from Cookies & Cups.com

Makes 24 bars

Ingredients

For the Crust:

·         2 cups salted butter, room temperature

·         1 cup granulated sugar

·         1½ cups powdered sugar

·         2 tablespoons vanilla extract

·         4 cups all purpose flour

For the Filling:

·         14 ounces soft caramel candies (about 50 individual caramels), unwrapped

·         1/3 cup milk or cream

·         1/2 teaspoon vanilla

·         optional – 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt

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Instructions

To Make the Crust:

1.      Preheat oven to 325°. Coat a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.

2.      In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar together on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix until combined. Turn the mixer to low and add in the flour, mixing until a soft dough forms.

3.      Press one-third of the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Wrap the remaining dough in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator.

4.      Bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges are a pale golden brown. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool about 15 minutes.

To Make the Filling:

1.      While the bottom crust is baking and the remaining dough is chilling, make the caramel filling. Place the unwrapped caramels in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the milk or cream. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and stir until smooth. If caramels are not completely melted, microwave on high for 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until smooth.

2.      Once the caramel is melted add in your ½ teaspoon of vanilla and stir until combined.

3.      Pour the caramel filling over the cooled crust. If you are going to salt the caramel sprinkle it on caramel layer now.

4.      Remove the remaining chilled dough from the refrigerator and crumble it evenly over the caramel.

5.      Return the pan to the oven and bake until the filling is bubbly and the crumbled shortbread topping is firm and lightly golden, about 25 – 30 minutes.

6.      Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

German Chocolate Cookies

Modified from handlewithheat.com

Makes 4 dozen cookies

Cookie-

2 ½ cups flour

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (Dutch process tastes best)

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 cubes butter, room temperature

1 ½ c dark brown sugar

½ cup sugar

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

1 tsp vanilla

2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Topping-

4 egg yolks

1 12 oz can evaporated milk

1 ½ tsp vanilla

1 ½ c sugar

¾ c butter or margarine

1 - 7 oz pkg. sweetened coconut

1 ½ c pecans, chopped

Directions for cookies:

Cream together butter and sugars together until smooth. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla to the sugar/butter mixture. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips Scoop (about 2T) onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool on baking sheet.

Directions for topping:

Whisk egg yolks, milk and vanilla in a 4 qt sauce pan until blended. Add sugar and butter. Cook on med. Heat, stirring constantly, for 12 minutes or until mixture has thickened and turned golden brown. Remove from heat and add coconut and nuts. Cool. Spread on top of cookies. Drizzle melted chocolate over.

Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cubes butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 T vanilla
3 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
3 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Add flour, baking soda and salt. Mix on low until barely incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Scoop dough onto un-greased cookie sheet. 12 scoops per sheet.  Bake 8-9 minutes at 350 degrees on middle rack. Let cook on pan for 5 minutes and then move to cooling rack.

Almond Joy Cookies

Ingredients:

1 14 oz bag coconut flakes-sweetened

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup lightly salted almonds, chopped

1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk

Directions:

In a large bowl combine coconut, choc. Chips, almonds and sweetened condensed milk. Mix well. Scoop out dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Pate the tops down. Bake at 325 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until the coconut is just starting to turn brown. Cool on baking sheet.

Raspberry Lemon Cookies by Bake.Eat.Repeat.

These have become a new family favorite! They are so delicious!

YIELD: 24 COOKIES

These raspberry lemon cookies are ultra soft and chewy - quick and easy to make and so tasty everyone loves them. One of the best cookies I've made!

15 minPrep Time

15 minCook Time

30 minTotal Time

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 large egg

1/2 lemon, zest and juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup frozen raspberries, coarsely chopped (I've used fresh as well, use less flour if using fresh raspberries)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, egg, lemon zest and juice and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the salt, baking powder, baking soda and flour and mix until combined. Add in the raspberries and mix briefly to incorporate them.
3. Drop the dough by tablespoonful (a cookie scoop works best here, the dough is extremely sticky, but two spoons works too, the cookies will just be less uniform) onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until they are just starting to brown on the edges and are no longer shiny at all. Put the second half of the cookie dough in the fridge while the first sheet is baking, it will get even softer as the raspberries thaw.
4. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

This cookie dough is extremely sticky, and is best if the raspberries stay frozen, so leave them in the freezer until you’re ready to add them to the dough. If you find it is getting too sticky to scoop, chill it for 30 minutes and then bake. Don’t try to form it into balls by hand though, it works best as a drop cookie, scooping it onto the baking sheet by the tablespoonful and baking immediately. When baking, they are done when they are no longer shiny at all on top. If they are still shiny, they will be underbaked around the raspberries.

Source: Adapted from Lauren's Latest via Mel's Kitchen Cafe .

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

I found this recipe on My Favorites blog and have made it several times now and it has to one of my most favorite cookies. I love the teaspoon bite size--LOVE THEM!

Ingredients:
½ cups butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 whole egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoons baking soda
1-½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cups powdered sugar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

*If using a non-stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes. Makes 2-3 dozen (closer to 2) recipe from Lauren Brennan

Cheese Cake Bars

Crust:
1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and brown sugars until light and fluffy. Add flour and walnut: mix until crumbly. Set aside 3/4 cup for topping. Press remainder into bottom of a ungreased, 9x13 pan. Bake for 8 minutes (don't over bake) or until golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside.

Filling:
12 oz. cream cheese, softened
6 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice (fresh is always better)
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg (extra large or two smalls)

In a small bowl, blend sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Add milk, lemon juice, vanilla and eggs. Beat until smooth and creamy. Spread over crust. Sprinkle the top with the reserved crust mixture. Return to oven and bake for 25 minutes. Cool. Cut into bars and refrigerate. Serve with cherry filling, berries or anything else that sounds good. Makes about 30 bars.

The Best Lemon Bars--EVER!

By Kristalee Cook
This recipe puts normal lemon bars to shame--they are sooo good!

1 Lemon Cake Mix
1 egg
1/2 cup butter melted
3 3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs beaten
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix together cake mix, egg and butter. Spread into a greased 9x13 pan. In a separate bowl, mix together powdered sugar, beaten eggs, softened cream cheese and vanilla until smooth. Spread mixture over bottom layer.
Bake 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until the top layer turns a light golden brown--Enjoy!

Ultimate Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 c shortening
3 c sugar
1 c milk
1 tsp soda
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1 Tbsp lemon juice
8-10 c flour (use a dough hook)

Roll out to 1/4" to 3/8" thick. Bake fore 8 minutes at 375 degrees. Let cook on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then move to cooling rack.

Note: If baking them into flowers with sticks, insert stick into middle of cookie before baking. Make sure to keep cookies thick enough to hide the stick. Bake as directed. Frost with Royal icing for firm unmoving frosting and your favorite frosting for extra flavor. For the above basket, we frosted with royal icing and let it sit overnight, then frosted with butter cream or you could use another layer or royal icing. Just make sure to let each layer dry completely (butter cream will rub off, but tastes great!)

Royal Icing

• 3 + cups confectioners' sugar--sifted
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 egg whites, beaten 
• 2 tsp. extract--lemon, vanilla, etc.

Using electric mixer, beat egg whites for about 5 minutes or until frothy. Mix in cream or tartar then add confections sugar. Mix until desired thickness. For frosting cookies, you want to consistency to be thin enough that the frosting runs, but thick enough that it ribbons onto itself. For piping you'll want to make it much thicker. Thick enough it won't run out of your piping bag, but still soft. Watch this for a good Royal Icing tutorial.

Can add only pure extracts, but only after sugar has been added. 



You can refrigerate frosting and use the next day. Cover with plastic wrap and stir before using. It may have thinned some and you can add more powdered sugar.

We frosted all the cookies with white royal icing and then used cookie spray paint to color the cookies the desired colors. Very fast and easy.  

Magic Cookie Bars

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 (14 ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels
• 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F (325 degrees for glass dish). Coat 13x9-inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray.
2. Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer evenly with chocolate chips, coconut and nuts. Press down firmly with a fork.
3. Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars or diamonds. Store covered at room temperature.

Peppermint Rice Krispies Treats

3 T butter
4 cups marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies
1/2-1 lbs almond bark or white molding chocolate
6 peppermint candy canes
Andes Peppermint Chips

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted.  Remove from heat. Careful not to cook too long or it makes them hard--when there are just a few lumps left I remove from heat and finish letting them melt with their own heat and not the stove.

2. Add Rice Kripies cereal. Stir until well coated.

3. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 1or 1 1/2 -inch  squares.

4. Crush candy canes and set aside.

5. Melt Chocolate in microwave or double boiler. With microwave stir every 30 seconds until smooth and creamy. Add crushed peppermint candy cane.

6. Take cut square of Rice Krispie Treats and dip the top into the peppermint chocolate. Smooth with a knife and sprinkle Andes Peppermint chips on top. Keep in air tight container. Best if served the same day.

Big Soft Ginger Cookies

Prep Time:  15 Min

Cook Time:  10 Min

Ready In:  50 Min

Servings  Original Recipe Yield 2 dozen

  

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup margarine, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 tablespoons white sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Cheap & Yummy! Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup sugar
1 cup shortening, butter flavor is best but any will work.
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
     Cream together.
Add:
2 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
     Mix well and add:
1/2-1 bag chocolate chips. (I like to add a variety--some chocolate, some caramel, etc.)
Bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet for 3-5 minutes and then finish cooling on a cooling rack.

Blonde Zucchini Brownies

3 cups zucchini, grated (can use frozen, but increase by 1 cup and drain liquid)

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 Tablespoon salt
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa (optional)

Mix with a wooden spoon until well blended, about 5 minutes. Bake in 9 x 13 pan at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter-softened
1/2 cup Crisco brand shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2-1 teaspoon coconut extract
4 cups powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
2/3 cup shredded coconut
Cream together Crisco and butter. Add vanilla and coconut extract. Add sugar 1 cup at a time until well blended. Add milk and mix until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes.) Add coconut.