Grandma's Sour Cream Cookies

I made these in memory of the two year anniversary of Gramzy's passing. These are probably my favorite cookies ever, and I am so sad that I can't get them to taste the same as Grandma's. I usually mix it all by hand, maybe I should try using a beater. I guess I just need to keep practicing.

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup margarine
1 1/2 cups cugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
chocolate chips

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients, set aside. Beat margarine and sugar, add eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Add sour cream and vanilla, beat until smooth. Gradually add dry ingredients, mix until smooth. Add chocolate chips. Drop 2" apart on lightly greased pan. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Brownie Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

It's been forever since I've baked anything for fun. I made some food for Jacob's dedication a few months ago, and made some lactation cookies, but other than that, nothing.

I recently got some new silicone baking molds, so I decided to make something fun and new with them.

I started with a box of brownies. I made them as directed on the box, and scooped them into the molds.

I baked them for about 28 minutes at 350 degrees.

I let them cool for a few minutes, and took them out of the molds. While they were cooling, I mixed up the frosting, which is from this pin.

{I chose to garnish them with a chocolate and peanut butter chip}

INGREDIENTS:
Brownie:

1 box brownie mix

ingredients listed on box

Frosting:
3/4 stick of butter softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 package of cream cheese softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tbs milk

DIRECTIONS:
Make brownies as directed on box. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
Beat together: softened butter, peanut butter, cream cheese and vanilla until smooth and fluffy. Add confectioners’ sugar and milk and beat at medium speed. Increase speed to medium-high; and beat about 2 minutes or until fluffy.

Makes about 3 cups (I had enough for about 18 cupcakes, and still have plenty left!)

Peanut Butter Pie

Here's the recipe for one of my favorite desserts: Peanut Butter Pie. This is a recipe that my great grandma used that my dad loved, so we always have it on Father's Day and his birthday. It is such a rich pie, and so delicious!

{PB Pie using Oreo crust}

Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter (can do up to 1 cup)
1/2 cup milk
8 oz cool whip
Chocolate chips (mini or regular)
Graham pie crust (can do chocolate or Oreo, depending on your preference)

Directions:
Whip cream cheese til cream. Beat in sugar, then peanut butter. Slowly add milk. Fold in cool whip. Pour into 8" pie crust (if you get graham crust, look for Keebler's "2 Extra Slices" pie crust- all of the filling fits in perfectly,  and you get a little more!). Top with chocolate chips (I always throw a few into the filling mixture before putting it into the crust). Refrigerate several hours or overnight (the hardest part of this recipe!).

Gluten Free Red Velvet Cupcakes

Recipe: Gluten-free cupcakes

Chef: Candace Nelson

Ingredients

• 1 cup of butter
• 1 1/2 cups of sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups of gluten-free flour blend
• 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 1/4 cups of milk
• 1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of red food coloring
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• Cream cheese frosting
• 8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
• 4 ounces (1 stick) of butter, softened
• 3 3/4 cups of powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Baking Directions

For the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt). Mix together wet ingredients (milk, vinegar, food coloring, vanilla). Add creamed butter and sugar, mix in eggs. Alternately mix in dry, wet, then dry ingredients. Fill 1 dozen cupcake cups and bake for 18-22 minutes or until tops are just dry on top. 

For the frosting:

Mix cream cheese and butter. Add salt and vanilla. Slowly add in powdered sugar.

Recipe Source

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Valentine's Day is around the corner! What better to have than Chocolate Covered Strawberries!?

Prep Time:

20 min

Inactive Prep Time:

30 min

Cook Time:

--

Level:

Intermediate

Serves:

1 pound chocolate covered strawberries

Ingredients

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 pound strawberries with stems (about 20), washed and dried very well

Directions

Put the semisweet and white chocolates into 2 separate heatproof medium bowls. Fill 2 medium saucepans with a couple inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat; set the bowls of chocolate over the water to melt. Stir until smooth. (Alternatively, melt the chocolates in a microwave at half power, for 1 minute, stir and then heat for another minute or until melted.)

Once the chocolates are melted and smooth, remove from the heat. Line a sheet pan with parchment or waxed paper. Holding the strawberry by the stem, dip the fruit into the dark chocolate, lift and twist slightly, letting any excess chocolate fall back into the bowl. Set strawberries on the parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the strawberries. Dip a fork in the white chocolate and drizzle the white chocolate over the dipped strawberries.

Set the strawberries aside until the chocolate sets, about 30 minutes.

Copyright 2003 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved

Recipe Source

Pudding Cake

There's a few different ways you can make this. You can use any flavor for the cake mix, and any diet pop (I recommend using Diet Coke if you're doing a chocolate cake, and Diet Sprite if you're doing a white/yellow cake. You can use any flavor of pudding you desire. I think chocolate and vanilla would be best, but I'm sure you could play around with butterscotch too.

Ingredients:
Cake mix
1-12 oz can of diet pop
1 pkg instant sugar free pudding
Lite Cool Whip
1/4 cup Cocoa (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13" pan with cooking spray. Mix cake and soda together, put in 9x13" pan. Bake cake at 350 for 30 minutes. When cake is cool, spread pudding (made as directed) over cake and place in fridge. When pudding is set (I left it in overnight, but a few hours would probably work), mix cocoa into Cool Whip and spread light Cool Whip on top. Cut cake into 20-2" squares.

Weight Watchers Points: 2