Light Chocolate Chip Cookies

We actually like these better than regular cookies and they are half the calories! What's not to love?

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 10 ounces)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup packed brown sugar 

3/4 cup granulated sugar 

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large egg whites

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.

Combine sugars and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add vanilla and egg whites; beat 1 minute. Add flour mixture and chips; beat until blended.

Drop dough by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on pans for 2 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

Toy Story Mania!

This years cake for Carter, Toy Story!

Flowers

This one was for my niece last year!

Polka Dot

When Ella turned 3 we did a polka dot cake for her. This was my first time trying a fancy cake!

Ladybug

Here's the ladybug cake I did for Ella last year.

Cars!

I thought I would post my cakes on here for fun. Here's the Cars cake I did for Carter last year!

German Brigadeiro Cake

This recipe is a favorite around these parts. It's perfect for someone that likes things a little less sweet. Enjoy!

Cake Ingredients:
1 pkg Baker's German's sweet chocolate
1/2 cup water
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup buttermilk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Cover bottoms of 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with wax paper; grease sides of pans. Microwave chocolate and water in large microwavable bowl on high 1-1/2 to 2 min. Or until chocolate is melted, stirring after 1 min. Stir until chocolate is completely melted.

Mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in melted chocolate and the vanilla. Add flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beating until well blended after each addition.

Beat egg whites in small bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently stir into batter. Pour evenly into prepared pans.

Bake 30 min, or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Immediately run small spatula around cake layers. Cool in pans 15 min.; removed layers from pans to wire racks. Discard wax paper. Cool cake layers completely. Spread brigadeiro between cake layers and on top of cake.


Brigadeiro Ingredients:
4 Tbsp butter (1/2 stick)
1 1/2 -2 cans(14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk
3 Tbsp chocolate powder (Nestle or something of the sort)

Directions:
Melt butter on stovetop over medium heat. Add sweetened condensed milk and chocolate powder and stir  continuously. Stir until it thickens (it should begin to stick to the bottom a bit). Once it has thickened, removed from heat and pour onto cake immediately. Don't wait too long as the topping will solidify.

Brown Butter Cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup chopped pecans
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup hot water


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Heat butter over medium heat for 5 minutes or so, until it turns nut brown in color. The foaming and bubbling is part of the browning process, but watch it carefully so that you don't burn the butter. Remove from heat, and cool slightly. Reserve 1/2 cup of the butter for the frosting.
Pour remaining browned butter into a large mixing bowl. Beat browned butter with brown sugar until the butter is no longer hot. Mix in eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Beat thoroughly. Mix in flour and chopped pecans. Drop tablespoons of dough onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until light brown around the edges. Cool.
In a medium bowl, mix the reserved 1/2 cup browned butter with 2 teaspoons vanilla, confectioners' sugar, and hot water. Beat until smooth, and use to frost cooled cookies.

Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese , softened
8 cups confectioners' sugar (about 2 lbs.)
1 tablespoon milk

Directions:
In large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar and milk. Beat on high until smooth (30 – 60 seconds). If icing seems too thin, add confectioners’ sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. If it seems too thick, add more milk 1 teaspoon at a time until icing reaches desired consistency.

Red Velvet Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine , softened
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 tablespoon red icing color
1 cup buttermilk
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoons white vinegar
Cream cheese frosting (linked below)

Makes: About 10 - 12 servings.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray 2- 9 in. pans with vegetable pan spray.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cocoa and salt; set aside. In large bowl, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs and red icing color; mix well. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir baking soda into vinegar and fold carefully into batter. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

To Ice: Spread a thin layer of cream cheese icing on bottom cake layer. Top with remaining layer and spatula ice cake fluffy.

Cream cheese frosting recipe here.

Grandma Bryce's Buttermilk Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
3/4 cup margarine or butter (1 1/2 cubes)
1/2 cup cocoa
3 eggs beaten
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 1/2 teaspoons soda
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup boiling water


Directions:
Cream shortening, sugar and cocoa. Add eggs. Sift flour and soda. Add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Add vanilla. Quickly add boiling water, last thing. Bake in two 9" layer pans at 350 for 35 minutes. Makes a large cake. 


Frosting:
1 package of powdered sugar
1/3 cube butter
1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup whipping cream & add more as needed

Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (I use 1 teaspoon of baking soda)
1/4 salt
2 cubes of butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk


Directions:
Spray baking sheet (or grease). Set oven to 400 degrees (or 375, I thought 400 was a little too hot). Sift flour, soda and salt in separate bowl. Use electric mixer to cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture and beat until smooth. Pour in milk and mix well. Put on cookie sheet in 1 teaspoon size. Flatten with bottom of glass dipped in sugar. (I dipped the top of my spray can. I dipped it in oil then sugar, it worked great). Bake 8 - 10 minutes. Makes about 5 dozen.

Lemon Fluff

Ingredients:
1 small package lemon jello
1 3/4 cups water (1 cup boiling) (3/4 cup cold)
1/2 pint whip cream (whipped)
1 1/2 cups of sugar
Juice of 2 lemons or lemon juice to taste
Graham cracker crumbs-you can buy them already crumbs

Directions:
Mix the jello with the boiling water to dissolve, then add cold water. Let this begin to set up about 20-30 min (I watch mine carefully). When it is just beginning to set, whip the cream add sugar to cream along with lemon juice-then pour this into jello. Add a layer of graham cracker crumbs on a small baking dish then pour the jello mixture slowly on top-then sprinkle a little crumbs on top. Put into fridge and let set. I always double this.

Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)
2 tablespoons milk

Makes about 3 cups of icing.

Directions:
In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.

Molasses Cookies

Ingredients:
1 ½ cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
½ c molasses
5 ½ cups flour
4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cloves


Directions:
Cream butter, add sugar gradually. Beat until fluffy.
Add egg and molasses, blend well. Stir or sift together
Flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves. Blend into butter mixture.
Roll dough into golf ball size balls. Roll in sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
Makes 40-45 cookies.

Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients-

1 (1/4 ounce) package dry yeast
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup margarine
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
4 cups flour

Filling-
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/3 cup margarine, softened

Icing-
8 tablespoons margarine
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. For the rolls, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl.
2. Add sugar, margarine salt, eggs, and flour, mix well.
3. Knead the dough into a large ball, using your hands dusted lightly with flour.
4. Put in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
5. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, until it is approx 21 inches long by 16 inches wide.
6. It should be approx 1/4 thick.
7. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
8. To make filling, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
9. Spread the softened margarine over the surface of the dough, then sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the surface.
10. Working carefully, from the long edge, roll the dough down to the bottom edge.
11. Cut the dough into 1 3/4 inch slices, and place in a lightly greased baking pan.
12. Bake for 20 minutes or until light golden brown.
13. While the rolls are baking combine the icing ingredients.
14. Beat well with an electric mixer until fluffy.
15. When the rolls are done, spread generously with icing.

Chocolate Lush

Ingredients by layer-
1 ½ c. whipping cream

2 Tbs. powdered sugar

1 (4 serving size) instant vanilla pudding

1 (4 serving size) instant chocolate pudding

3 cups cold milk

4 ounces cream cheese (softened)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 to 1 ¼ cup flour

1 cube butter (melted)

Chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Directions-
Mix together melted butter and most of the flour (nuts if desired), adding more if necessary to make a stiff dough. Press into the bottom of a 13x9 pan and bake for 12-14 minutes. Cool. (Do this step the night before whenever possible.)

Mix the whipping cream, starting at a slow speed, and gradually increasing speed. Add 2 Tbs. powdered sugar toward the end of mixing to fairly stiff peaks. Set aside.

In a separate in mixing bowl, mix the softened cream cheese and 1 cup powdered sugar. Take 1 cup of the whipped cream out of the first mixing bowl and add it to the cream cheese mixture. Spread this mixture over the cooled crust.

In another bowl, pour 3 cups milk and 2 pkgs. instant pudding. Mix well and spread over the cream cheese mixture.

Spread the remaining whipped cream over the pudding.

Top with chocolate chips, M&M’s (at the last minute as their color bleeds), toffee bits, candy bar, etc…