Peanut Butter White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yum.  These are to die for Peanut Butter Cookies.  Even good without the White Chocolate chips.

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup white chocolate chips

1. Cream together butter, peanut butter and sugars. Beat in eggs.
2. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into batter. Put batter in refrigerator for 1 hour.
3. Roll into 1 inch balls and put on baking sheets. Flatten each ball with a fork, making a pattern. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F oven for about 10 minutes or until cookies begin to brown. Do not over-bake.

Homemade Oreos

Wow, I can't believe how much these taste like real Oreos. 
And, they are dairy free, just like the real deal.

These are a must on you To-Bake List!!

For the chocolate cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the filling

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup vegetable shortening, room temperature

1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the cookies:

1. In a large bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the butter until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and brown sugar and beat until well combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the chilled cookie dough from the refrigerator. 
5. Roll the dough into small balls, about 2 teaspoons of dough per ball, and them on a baking sheet. 
6. Press down on the balls to slightly flatten the tops. Bake for 6-8 minutes. They will appear soft when done, but they will harden more as they cool. 
7. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, before removing to a wire cooling rack.

For the cream filling:

1. In a small bowl beat the butter and shortening until creamy and combined. Add the confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat until creamy. 
2. Spread filling between two cooled chocolate cookies. Repeat.

Quick and Easy Cinnamon Buns - No Yeast

These are quick and easy to make.  Want something new for breakfast or have company arriving soon and want a treat with tea?  Make these!

1/3 cup butter

 1 cup packed brown sugar

 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

 2 cups all-purpose flour

 2 tablespoons white sugar

 4 teaspoons baking powder

 1 teaspoon salt

 1/4 cup butter, chilled

 1 cup cold milk

 1/3 cup raisins (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease the bottoms and sides of a 12-cup muffin tin.
2. Cream 1/3 cup butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon together. Drop 1 teaspoon into each muffin cup. Reserve the remaining mixture.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in 1/4 cup cold butter until crumbly. Make a well in center, and pour in the milk. Stir to form a soft dough, adding a bit more milk if needed.
4. Turn the dough out on lightly floured surface. Knead 8 to 10 times. Pat dough into rectangle about 1/3 inch thick and 12 inches long. Spread the remaining cinnamon mixture over dough rectangle. Sprinkle currants over top. Roll up like a jelly roll into a long log. Mark the dough first, to make sure you know where to cut, then cut the log into 12 slices. Place cut-side down in the prepared muffin pan.
5. Bake in in the preheated oven until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn rolls out on a serving tray.

Baked Apple with a Twist

I made these for dessert for Thanksgiving dinner, as it was something light after the huge meal we were going to eat.

The twist is orange zest and whiskey. Yummy!

You will need:
2 tbsp unsalted butter
4 large apples
½ tsp cloves
3 tbsp brown sugar
Zest of 1 orange
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
1 ½ tsp whiskey
¼ cup raisins


1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
2. Use an apple corer to remove the cores from your apples.
3. With a knife, score around the middle of each apple. This prevents the apple from bursting during the cooking process.
4. Lightly butter the bottom of a baking dish and place the apples in it.
5. Cream the butter in a small bowl with brown sugar.
6. Add in spices and orange zest and mix well.
7. Add in the whiskey and raisins, then stuff it into the apple core.
8. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

Baked Apples

The perfect Fall dessert.

4 apples
4 tbsp margarine or unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp all spice
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 cup raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray 8 x 8 square cooking pan with Pam cooking spray.
Remove apple cores without cutting apples into pieces (use an apple corer if available).
Spread each apple core hole with 1 tablespoon of margarine and place in pan.
Mix brown sugar and spices, then equally sprinkle into each apple core hole. 
Sprinkle in raisins, if you are using them.
Bake for 35 minutes, pull pan out, and baste apples with juice.
Once basted, return pan into the over for another 10 to 15 minutes depending on how soft you want the apples.

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

I frost my Applesauce Pecan Cupcakes with this.  I LOVE this icing.  I could eat it all by itself.

¼ cup butter, at room temperature

¾ cup cream cheese, at room temperature

1 ½ cup brown sugar

¼ tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp half and half cream

Confectioners sugar

Cream butter and cream cheese, until soft and well combined. 

Beat in brown sugar, and once combined add vanilla extract and half and half. 

Add confectioners sugar ¼ cup at a time, or more brown sugar, until frosting reaches desired consistency.

Applesauce Pecan Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting

This recipe was perfect for girls night!  I felt like I could eat more and not feel guilty about it because there was a lot of apple sauce in the cake.

I have made them again since then, and they are a HUGE hit!


Cupcakes

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cloves

¼ tsp salt

½ cup margarine

1 cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

4 eggs, room temperature

1 ½ cups unsweetened apple sauce

1 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir flour, soda, salt, and spices in a small bowl. 

In a separate larger bowl, cream butter with sugar, then add eggs one at a time.
Add apple sauce and chopped pecans and mix.
Once combined, softly fold in flour mixture until combined. Don't beat it to hard as you don't want a lot of air bubbles in the cupcakes.
Pour the batter into a greased and lined muffin pan.

Bake for 12 to 16 minutes, or until done (poke with toothpick in the middle and it should come out clean).

Let cupcakes cool and ice with brown sugar cream cheese frosting.
If you have more pecans, top the ice cupcake with them.

First Time

Second Time