Monday Menu ~ The Ultimate Brownie

Posted on June 10, 2012 by Jackie

Last week the girls and I were home alone since the husband was off working in Georgia for a client and they wanted me to make brownies. Now, they weren’t asking for the regular run of the mill type brownie. No… they wanted something different. Something special. Something full of cookies.

What could be better than chocolate chip cookies, oreo’s, and brownies all mixed together into one special bar? Well, nothing really. Of course we didn’t just mix it all together we layered them! I think that the only thing that could make them better is a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some hot fudge.

The ultimate brownie is really easy to make and are pretty simple to change up by using different cookies or other flavored Oreo’s (like the fudge filled ones for the ultimate double/triple chocolate brownie).

Alright, so let’s start with the ingredients.

2 packages of ready to bake cookies
Oreo’s
Brownie mix 13×9 pan size (plus ingredients to make them)

Making these are simple.

Pre-heat the over to 350 degrees & spray your 13×9 pan with cooking spray.

Press cookies into the pan making sure that you fully and evenly cover the bottom of the pan.

Now, here comes the fun part. You can place the Oreo’s on top of the cookie dough whole or you can do what we did. Crush them up and spread them all over.

Kids are great at helping with this part…. as long as they don’t eat all the cookies. Oh… This is where I mention that we just crushed cookies until we felt that there was enough on top of the cookie dough.

Make the brownies according to the directions on the box.

Pour all of the brownie batter on top of the Oreo’s and cookie dough.

Make sure that you spread the batter as evenly as you can over top of the cookies and put them in the oven to bake for about 30 – 35 minutes or until the brownies are done. Be careful to not over cook them! It’s better to have them a little under done.

Now look at that…. that is the ultimate brownie! These are incredible warm out of the oven when they’re still a little gooey but trust me on this one… you can barely eat one because they’re so rich and sinful.

What do you think? Are you going to try the ultimate brownie?

What would you do to change the recipe & make them your own?

Monday Menu ~ Cool Whip Cookies

Posted on April 30, 2012 by Jackie

A few weeks ago I was reading blogs and when I got to Shell’s post about Cool Whip cookies. Cool whip is one of my favorite things whether it’s frozen or thawed out… it’s creamy, smooth and not to sweet. I know that it doesn’t compare to homemade whipped cream but there’s something about that is delicious.

I knew that I had to make the cookies, but I had to do it in a way that was much lower in calories so they could fit into my diet plan. Oh.. and they had to include chocolate because everything is better with chocolate!

I know... it's a bit blurry. Toddler's don't stop moving much.

These are the perfect cookie to let the kids help with too because there is very little mess and it’s just one bowl.

See that messy face! He liked the Cool Whip too!

Andrew had a great time helping out with the cookies and it was the perfect activity for him after a stressful day at daycare! I had to get the mixing started since it was pretty thick and hard for him to stir, but it wasn’t long before he decided to take over for me.

Hmm.. more blur.

And for some reason I forgot to take a picture of the ingredients that I used! That’s alright… I’ll list them out!

Sugar free cake mix – I used Pillsbury
8 oz Cool Whip – Fat Free
Egg Beaters – 1/4 cup which is equal to one egg.

All you have to do is mix all of the ingrients together and drop by a spoonfull onto a greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes.

Ready for the oven

Now, Shell’s recipe says to roll them in powdered sugar before putting them on the cookie sheet and baking them but I didn’t do that simply to cut the calories. The end result was delicious and they stayed soft for several days on the counter just wrapped in plastic wrap.

In case you’re wondering, each cookie is only 80 calories each!

What is your favorite low calorie dessert?

Monday Menu ~ Edible Cookie Dough

Posted on January 15, 2012 by Jackie

It’s Monday! And if you hadn’t caught on yet (I’m sure you have though) it’s another post featuring a tasty recipe! And this one… is great and it’s from my sister, as a matter of fact she’s back again guest posting this week! So please give her a warm welcome and enjoy the recipe.

So this is not an original recipe of mine. I was on a quest (and still am) to eat healthier and provide something a little better for the family. I know what you are thinking, Cookie Dough Balls, healthy?? Not really, but everyone needs a treat now and then.

So, I was searching and came across the Peas and Thank You website. MaMa Pea, the curator and mastermind behind it had the cookie dough ball recipe right there in shining lights, screaming, make me, make me, make me. So, weak as I am for peanut butter and chocolate, I did it…. I made them. And let me tell you, they are goooooooooooood. In fact, to me, they were close my eyes, smile, and tune out, “Mommy, Mommy, Mom”. I couldn’t quite tune out the, THWACK sound and the crying that followed though. My youngest hit the oldest. Boys… oy vay.

Anywho, my kids love cookie dough (psst.. me too), but I am always leery to give it to them because of the eggs and possibility of salmonella (I’m still trying to get nominated for mom of the year award here). This is a great alternative and my boys don’t know any different. They are always asking to make, “cookie balls”. Yes, I let them help even with craziness.

Edible Cookie Dough Balls

Makes 12-18 dough balls
• 1/2 c. non-dairy margarine (i.e. Earth Balance) ( I did use butter once and they turned out delectable)
• 3/4 c. natural peanut butter (I use smooth, but the crunchy variety is fine too)
• 1/2 c. organic brown sugar
• 3/4 c. organic powdered sugar ( I cut the sugar down to ½ c.)
• 1/2 t. vanilla extract
• 1 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 3/4 t. salt
• 1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 c. unbleached organic flour
• 1/2 c. natural peanut butter chips
• 1/2 c. non-dairy chocolate chips ( I used reg choc chips )

Using a stand mixer, beat margarine, peanut butter, sugars and vanilla until fully incorporated.

In a separate bowl, combine baking powder, baking soda, salt and flours.Add dry mixture to the mixer bowl a little at a time. Add dry mixture to the mixer bowl a little at a time. Add your chips. There’s no need for exact measurements here. I won’t tell. Combine and chill dough for 30 minutes.

Andrew loved it!

Did you see??? With Just a Bit of Magic is the blog of the week over at Social Moms!! How great is that? Social Moms is a great community so check it out if you haven’t been over there yet.

Are you looking for more great recipes? Check out the Monday Menu page!

Monday Menu ~ Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Jackie

I had this great plan for today’s post but it didn’t work out at all. This weekend was my daughter’s 16th birthday and we went to Detroit for the day and ate dinner in Greektown at the Pegasus Tavernas and I was going to write about how great our meal was and write an incredible review full of beautiful pictures. But I can’t…. our meal wasn’t all that great, the service was less than stellar, and half way home we started to not feel so well.

Because of that I didn’t have anything for today. So I started thinking and with the holidays coming up and all the baking everyone will be doing I thought that I would bring back one of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes. This recipe is based on the cookies made at Levian Bakery in NYC and if you’ve ever had one of their cookies you’ll know how amazing they are and that the recipe isn’t readily available.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup cold butter – cubed *
2 1/2 – 3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup light brown sugar **
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, cold
1 tsp vanilla
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips – I used Ghiradelli Semi-Sweet

* I used salted butter. You can also use unsalted just add 1/4 tsp of salt.
** I was out of light brown sugar too. I used 1 cup white & 1 cup dark sugar.

Preheat oven to 350 and make sure the rack is in the middle. If it’s to close to the bottom of the oven the cookies will be way to dark on the bottom.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy and then add eggs one at a time, then vanilla and mix until well incorporated.
Add dry ingredients and mix till combined. Add chocolate chips.
I used the medium scoop from Pampered Chef which is about 2oz twice to make about a 4oz cookie.
Bake 10 – 15 min (up to 20 depending on how big your cookies are) and are lightly brown on the bottom.

Place on a rack to cool.

This picture doesn’t do the cookies justice… they’re thick, crisp on the outside, and warm & gooey on the inside. You can change these up by adding in walnuts, pecan, peanut butter chips, or any other combination you can come up with.

Do you have a favorite mock recipe?

Monday Menu ~ Pumpkin Pecan Bars

Posted on November 27, 2011 by Jackie

The holiday baking season is fast approaching and this weekend I splurged and made a special treat for everyone here at my house. At first I was going to make pumpkin cookies with a cream cheese frosting and then I thought about pumpkin whoopie pies and then I finally decided to combine a couple of our favorite things. Pumpkin and pecans and then to make things even easier Pillsbury was a great help with the recipe on the side of the box!

My husband loves pecan pie so I thought that this would be the perfect treat for him! And he wasn’t disappointed with them and neither was anyone else in my family. This one is a new favorite!

Think of this bar like a delightful combination of pumpkin pie and pecan pie…. the perfect marriage of two perfect holiday desserts.

Pumpkin Pecan Bars

I doubled the recipe so it would fit in a 13×9 pan. You can easily half it to fit in an 8×8 pan.

Crust

2 boxes of Pillsbury Pumpkin Cookie Mix

1 cup butter – melted

Topping

2 eggs

2/3 cup corn syrup – light or dark (I used light)

4 tbsp melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 13×9 pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Mix the melted butter and cookie mix until it’s incorporated and press into the the pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

While the crust is in the oven mix together the rest of the ingredients. Pour over top of the crust and make sure that it’s even.

Bake for 25 minutes, let cool, cut & enjoy!

Mmmm.... this one is mine!

I promise that you will love these! I know that my kids didn’t take long to finish off the pan in less than 24 hours! What you see below is all that was left Sunday afternoon…. they were gone well before dinner time!

Do you have a favorite cookie or bar that you make around the holidays? If not, are you going to try this one?

Jiffy Mix Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Jackie

Recently I really wanted some cookies and some with chocolate in them but I wanted something fast and easy. My search online began and I had to blend a few recipes together to finally come up with one that worked.

The Ingredients

This is what I came up with.

4 T butter
3 T sugar (I didn’t use sugar but it needed some)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 boxes of Jiffy chocolate chip muffin mix
1 C chocolate chips

Note: I had to add some flour because the batter seemed a bit thin and I didn’t want the cookies to be really flat.

Preheat over to 350..

Mix softened butter with the sugar. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Add both boxes of muffin mix. Stir until completely incorporated. Add the chocolate chips. Bake for 10 minutes or until cookies are light brown on the edges and fully cooked on the top. Cool and enjoy.

These cookies were simple to make and turned out a lot better than I thought they would. As a matter of fact I think I’m going to try them again with with other flavors of Jiffy muffin mix.

How much more simple can a recipe get? So what is your quick go to recipe for a sweet snack?