Toll House Cookie Cake

Tollhouse Cookie Cake is the best cake you will ever eat. If you love chocolate chip cookies and you love cake, this will probably become your favorite cake in the world. It is a bit time consuming to make when you're used to just getting out a Betty Crocker cake mix for every birthday, but it's well worth the effort! I got this recipe from my mother-in-law. At my in-laws is where I first tasted this awesome cake. My father-in-law usually bakes it every year for her for her birthday :) And now at my birthday, I request it as well!


Toll House Cookie Cake

Combine in a bowl & set aside:

2 1/4 cup unsifted flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

In a large bowl, combine with a mixer, until creamy:

1/2 cup butter (softened)
1 1/2 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs (beat in one at a time)

Alternately blend in flour mixture and 1 1/4 cups milk.

Stir in half a package of semi-sweet chocolate chips (mini chips work best).

Pour into two, 8 inch round cake pans that have been greased & lined with wax paper.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes.

Cool 15 minutes in the pan and then remove to wire racks. Frosten with chocolate frosting.

Enjoy!

Orange Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup butter (or margarine)
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp. grated orange peel
1/4 cup orange juice
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 cups oats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together in separate bowl: flour, baking powder and soda, salt and nutmeg.

In large bowl, cream butter & sugar until fluffy.

Beat in egg, orange peel and juice.

Gradually add flour mixture. Add oats until well mixed.

Drop by heaping teaspoonful on greased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, until golden around edges.

My Notes:

These cookies are wonderfully moist and I must say that the more grated orange peel the better - it makes the cookies more flavorful. I also happened to have some orange extract in my cupboard, so I added a tiny amount of that as well. I tasted the batter and thought it needed something, so I added more grated orange peel and a bit of cinnamon as well. I made this recipe gluten free by substituting the 1 cup of flour for a gluten free flour mixture I have on hand, as well as the addition of 1/4 tsp. of xanthan gum. No one could tell the cookies were gluten free - and my gluten-free husband quickly devoured them and my kids loved them too. Hope you enjoy!

Lemon Buddies

So I think everyone has heard of the marvelous treat we call 'puppy chow' or 'muddy buddies' --- well here's a new twist on an old favorite - Lemon Buddies!! My husband is now on a gluten free diet and I'm trying hard to come up with things for him to eat that are delicious and don't have the typical 'gluten free' taste or feel. He's not a big fan of puppy chow, but he does love anything lemon and dessert like.... I actually cut this recipe in half, because I don't think we need 9 cups of Lemon Buddies sitting around. hehe. They turned out awesome and just like puppy chow, hard to stop eating! I hope he likes it just as much as I do! And by the way, I recommend using fresh squeezed lemon juice :)

Lemon Buddies

• 9 cups chex cereal ( rice or corn)
• 1 ½ cups white chocolate chips
• ¼ cup butter
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1. Place cereal in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Combine white chocolate chips, butter, and lemon juice in a bowl. Microwave until melted and smooth. (Stir every 30 seconds or so.)
3. Carefully stir melted chocolate into cereal and stir to combine.
4. Add powdered sugar to coat. (The easiest way to do this is to put the chocolate coated cereal into a ziploc bag and then add powdered sugar. Toss and mix to coat.)
5. Spread on cookie sheet to cool and harden.
6. Enjoy!

Perfect Pumpkin Muffins

Perfect Pumpkin Muffins

2 eggs
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup oil
1 cup pumpkin
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
brown sugar (for sprinkling on top)

1) Preheat oven to 365 degrees.
2) Grease 12 cup muffin pan.
3) Mix flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and soda, and salt. Set aside.
4) Mix eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin in large bowl.
5) Add flour mixture.
6) Pour batter in muffin pan, filling each about 3/4 full. Sprinkle each with a little brown sugar.
7) Bake for about 15 minutes, or until top springs back after touch.

These muffins are awesome ~ very flavorful and moist! I actually made 12 regular muffins, plus 8 mini muffins. :)

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

I LOVE peanut butter.. And I seem to always have a few banana's sitting on my counter that are overly ripe and will go uneaten.. So when I found this recipe for peanut butter banana muffins -- I was very excited! Because I also love chocolate, I added some semi-sweet chocolate chips to the batter - and these muffins were my breakfast for a week :) YUM! Enjoy.

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

Ingredients:

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, melted
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 small ripe bananas, mashed
1-1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar

(chocolate chips, if desired)


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large muffin tin with muffin cups OR spray with non-stick cooking spray. (I had enough batter to fill my 12 cup muffin pan and my 12 cup mini-muffin pan).

Melt peanut butter in a microwave safe glass measuring cup. Mix together peanut butter, oil, water, milk, eggs, and bananas.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, salt, baking soda, and sugar.

Combine dry ingredients with wet ingredients a little at a time (be sure flour is incorporated into the mixture before adding more.)

Pour batter into the muffin tins, filling 3/4 full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in the muffin tin for 2 or 3 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Simply Delicious White Cupcakes

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x9 inch pan or line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

2. In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth. Pour or spoon batter into the prepared pan.

3. For 9 x 9 pan, bake for 30 to 40 minutes. For cupcakes, bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cake is done when it springs back to the touch.

My Notes:

This recipe turned out beautifully! The only thing I did differently: I used 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp. almond extract and then I noticed it actually called for 2 tsp, but it still turned out tasty. (I must say I love the flavor that almond extract adds to a recipe!) I also added a little bit more milk, to make sure the cupcakes turned out moist, which they did. My daughter Chloe wanted them to be pink, so we put a few drops of red food coloring in the batter at the very end. :) And then we used a can of "fluffy white" frosting, turned pink, to top them. I will definitely be using this recipe in the future!

Cheesy Chicken / Tuna Noodle Casserole

1 (12 1/2 oz.) can chunk light tuna in water
OR 2 (5 oz) cans of white chicken

1 pkg. frozen vegetables

1 (12 oz.) pkg. wide egg noodles

Season to taste

1 can cream of mushroom soup
OR 1 can cream of chicken soup

1 1/2 c. milk

1 (8 oz.) container sour cream

1 1/2 c. grated Cheddar cheese

1 1/2 c. grated Mozzarella cheese


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook and drain vegetables.

Heat soup, milk, and sour cream. Blend until smooth.

Cook and drain noodles.

Mix all ingredients together with tuna (or chicken) and 3/4 cups each of Cheddar and Mozzarella cheese.

Pour into 9 x 13 inch pan. Top with remaining cheese.

Bake in oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

My Notes:

The first two times I made this recipe, I used tuna (and told my kids it was chicken & they ate it). I've actually never used frozen vegetables and one time I just put a can of corn in it, which was good. The last time I made it (see picture above) I used one large can of chicken and cream of chicken soup and it was very good. I usually just put some salt & pepper in it to flavor it. This recipe is very easy to cut in half if you don't need to make a 9 x 13 dish. Last time I made it I put it in two 8 x 8 dishes and my family ate one & I was able to give the other dish away to someone for a meal. :)