Desserts

Bakery Style Cookies and Cream Cookies
Courtesy of Picky Palate
(http://picky-palate.com/2011/04/21/bakery-style-cookies-and-cream-cookies/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PickyPalate+%28Picky+Palate%29)

Can you say yum! I guess I have dessert on the mind because I sure seem to be posted a lot of them lately. Anyways, this is definitely on the menu for tonight...


2 sticks softened butter
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips, I used semi-sweet
1 cup cocoa powder
15 whole Oreo Cookies, finely ground

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat liner.

2. In a stand or electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until well combined. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until well combined.

3. Place flour, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Add to wet ingredients along with cocoa powder, and chocolate chips, slowly mixing until just combined. With a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart from each other. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, until cooked through. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Serve with milk.

Makes 3 dozen cookies

The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake. Ever
Courtesty of Tasty Kitchen
http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/desserts/the-best-chocolate-sheet-cake-ever/)

Ingredients:

• FOR THE CAKE:
• 2 cups Flour
• 2 cups Sugar
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
• 2 sticks Butter
• 1 cup Boiling Water
• ½ cups Buttermilk
• 2 whole Beaten Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• _____
• FOR FROSTING:
• ½ cups Finely Chopped Pecans
• 1-¾ stick Butter
• 4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
• 6 Tablespoons Milk
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 pound (minus 1/2 Cup) Powdered Sugar

Preparation Instructions:
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.
In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together.
Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.
In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.
While cake is baking, make the icing. Chop pecans finely. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add cocoa, stir to combine, then turn off heat. Add the milk, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Stir together. Add the pecans, stir together, and pour over warm cake.
Cut into squares, eat, and totally wig out over the fact that you’ve just made the best chocolate sheet cake. Ever.

Brownie Pops
Courtesy of Me

Difficulty Level: Easy
Rating: 4 stars

So, I found this idea on Living Locurto - but I am adding my recipes for frosting and melted chocolate. Super easy, fun and delicious. Hope you enjoy:

1 box brownie mix
chocolate icing (recipe below)
melted chocolate (directions below)

Cook brownies to directions on box. Let cool completely. While cooling, make frosting:

3 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 stick butter, softened
3-4 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

Sift sugar and cocoa together into a large bowl. In another bowl, combine 1 cup of sugar mixture with butter and 1 tablespoon cream, beating until smooth. Add another cup of sugar and another tablespoon of cream, beating well. Continue until all ingredients are combined and frosting is fluffy. Beat in vanilla.

Take completely cooled brownies and break them apart (I just used my hands and went to town). Roll them into balls with the frosting (1/2 frosting, 1/2 brownie). But into the freezer for about 30 minutes. While in freezer, make melted chocolate:

1 small can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup chocolate chips

Pour sweetened condensed milk into a small saucepan over medium heat. When hot, pour in chocolate chips and stir until smooth.

Put brownie balls onto sticks (toothpicks work) and dip into melted chocolate.

Brownies with White Frosting

Brownies courtesy of Saltbox House
(http://www.saltboxhousecreations.com/2008/12/have-brownie.html)
Frosting courtesy of The Pioneer Woman
(http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/desserts/thate28099s-the-best-frosting-ie28099ve-ever-had/)

I made these brownies awhile ago for a baby shower. I don't really like chocolate, so I decided to try a different frosting with them. They turned out AMAZING. My favorite combination by far. Here you go:

Lunch Lady Brownies

Ingredients:
1 cup of Butter (I use unsalted)

1/2 cup of Cocoa (I used unsweetened)
2 cups of All Purpose Flour
2 cups of Sugar
4 Eggs

4 teaspoons of Vanilla

1 cup of Chopped Nuts (optional)

Directions:

Melt the Butter in the microwave and put into my mixing bowl, then I add cocoa and mix together until smooth.

Add flour, and sugar. Beat together and then add eggs, vanilla, and nuts (I didn't use nuts). Mix until combined. Do not over stir.

Pour into greased, floured  9x13 baking pan*. 

* An additional part of this recipe said that if you want to double the recipe, use a large baking sheet.

Additional Note * This batter will not be runny like a cake mix. You might have to spread it out over your pan with a rubber spatula.

Bake 20-25 minutes @350 F or until done. I would check at it at 20 minutes. Wait only about 10 minutes to frost brownies. Frost them while they are warm (not hot).

Frosting

Ingredients

• 5 Tablespoons Flour
• 1 cup Milk
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 cup Butter
• 1 cup Granulated Sugar (not Powdered Sugar!)

Preparation Instructions

Bake your favorite chocolate cake and let it cool.

In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. You want it to be very thick, thicker than cake mix, more like a brownie mix is. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. (If I’m in a hurry, I place the saucepan over ice in the sink for about 10 minutes or so until the mixture cools.) It must be completely cool before you use it in the next step. Stir in vanilla.

While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. You don’t want any sugar graininess left. Then add the completely cooled milk/flour/vanilla mixture and beat the living daylights out of it. If it looks separated, you haven’t beaten it enough! Beat it until it all combines and resembles whipped cream.

Grab a spoon and taste this wonderful goodness. If there is any left after your taste test, spread it on a cooled chocolate cake.

Cut yourself a piece and put it on a pretty plate. Grab a fork and prepare to experience the most divine pairing you can imagine. This frosting on chocolate cake is to die for. Sure, the recipe sounds strange — it has flour in it — but it’s sublime. Try it, you’ll see. You’ll love it so much you won’t go back.

Carrot Cookies
Courtesy of Me

Rating: 5 stars
Difficulty: Easy

So, I know I haven't posted for a while, but that doesn't mean I haven't been cooking. Just extremely busy!! But, this is a recipe I used to make when I was little with my mom. I changed a few things - they are delicious. Probably my favorite cookie. Don't let the word "carrot" fool you - they are SO good. Here you go:

cookies ingredients:
3/4 C Crisco
3/4 C sugar
2 eggs (beaten)
2 C flour
1/2 t. salt
2 t. baking powder
1 C cooked, mashed carrots

Mix Crisco, sugar, and eggs in mixer. Add flour, salt, baking powder, and carrots. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto onto baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 12-14 minutes.

orange frosting ingredients:
3 T. butter, softened
2 t. grated orange peel
1 1/2 C powdered sugar (I didn't use the entire amount)
1 T orange juice

Blend butter and sugar. Stir in remaining ingredients and beat until smooth.
 
Candy Bar Chocolate Chip Cookies
Courtesy of Picky Palate
(http://picky-palate.com/2011/01/17/candy-bar-chocolate-chip-cookie-sandwiches/)

Wow - these look SO good. I saw this site on FB, and I am falling in love with it! It has so many good desserts, I can't wait to try them.


2 sticks softened butter
1 Cup granulated sugar
3/4 Cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla
3 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
10 oz bag chocolate chips
Variety of snack size Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers and Kit Kat

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a stand or electric mixer, cream butter and sugars until well combined. Add eggs and vanilla until well combined.

2. Place flour, baking soda and salt in large bowl; mix then slowly add to wet ingredients. Add chocolate chips to combine. Using a cookie scoop take one scoop of cookie dough and place on top of snack size candy bar. Take another scoop of dough and place on bottom of candy bar.

Seal edges together by pressing and cupping in hand until candy bar is enclosed with dough.


Place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake cookies 9-13 minutes or until cookies are baked to your liking. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Serve with a tall glass of milk, enjoy!

Makes about 24 LARGE Cookies

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Our Best Bites
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/03/chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Difficulty Level: Easy
Rating: 4 stars

I am not a huge fan of chocolate chip cookies. In fact, the only way I like chocolate is if it's covered with peanut butter! But, I really like these cookies. They are soft and gooey and delicious! Made some last night. Hope you enjoy:

2 C plus 2 T flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
12 T butter (1 1/2 sticks) melted and cooled until warm
1 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
1/2 C granulated sugar
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
2 t vanilla extract
1 1/2 C semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions. Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.

Either by hand or with electric mixer, mix butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Mix in egg, yolk, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients;mix until just combined. Stir in chips.

*If for some reason your dough is too soft to form balls at this point, don’t add more flour. Just cover and place bowl in the fridge until dough firms.

Take about 1/4 C dough and form into a ball. Break ball in half and place dough on cookie sheet with broken edge facing up. (Or just use a standard sized cookie scoop). Bake until cookies are set around outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy, 10-13 minutes. Cool cookies on cookie sheets. Serve or store in airtight container.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
Courtesy of All Recipes
(http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chocolate-Chocolate-Chip-Cookies-I/Detail.aspx)

Ok, I must admit that I'm not a huge fan of chocolate. Call me crazy - I've never really liked the stuff. Unless, it's covering peanut butter. Then, it's delicious!!
Well, I wanted to try a new cookie recipe and stumbled across this. They are FABULOUS! So good - and, it's full of chocolate. Oh, and I did not add the walnuts - gross!!
Hope you enjoy. Here you go:

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened (I actually used 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup shortening - I've heard it makes cookies less "flat" - worked for me)
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; stir into the butter mixture until well blended. Mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or just until set. Cool slightly on the cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Chocolate Eclair Pie
by Debbie Mortensen

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
4 large eggs
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 large box (5.1 ounces) vanilla instant pudding
3 cups milk
1 8 oz. container cool whip (just enough for a thin layer. I don’t use the whole container) or one batch of homemade whipped cream
chocolate syrup or homemade chocolate syrup

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease a 9″X13″ glass baking pan.

Eclair Crust: In a medium saucepan, melt butter in water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in flour. Mix in one egg at a time, mixing completely before adding another egg. Spread mixture into pan, covering the bottom and sides evenly. *If the sides of your pan are too greased you won’t be able to get the mixture to stay up the sides so make sure to just lightly grease.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown (Mine only took 25 minutes.) You may want to check itoccasionally-you don’t want to overcook the crust, it will ruin the cake! Remove from oven and let cool (don’t touch or push bubbles down).

Filling: Whip cream cheese in a medium bowl. In separate bowl make vanilla pudding. Make sure pudding is thick before mixing in with cream cheese. Slowly add pudding to cream cheese, mixing until there are no lumps. Let cool in fridge.When the crust is completely cooled, pour filling in. Top with layer of cool whip however thick you want it and serve with chocolate syrup. *If you want to make this even better use homemade whipped cream.

Chocolate Mint Cookies
Courtesy of ME (I found this recipe online a long time ago and tweaked it to my liking...)

Difficulty Level: East
Rating: 4 stars

So YUMMY!! That's all... Enjoy:



Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups mint flavored semi-sweet chocolate morsels
6 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
Confectioners sugar

Directions:
In bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. Over hot water, melt 1 cup mint morsels, stirring until smooth. In bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add melted morsels and vanilla. Beat in eggs. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in remaining morsels. Wrap dough in plastic wrap; freeze until firm. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; coat with confectioners sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes, until tops appear cracked. Let stand 5 minutes on cookie sheet. Cool completely.


Chocolate Sauce Topping

Ingredients:

1/4 cup cocoa

1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla

Instructions:
Stir cocoa and sugar together well. In a saucepan combine milk, butter, salt, and vanilla. Stir in dry mix. Heat, stirring until it reaches a boil and is thick. You want it to coat the back of a spoon. If you want it to be thicker, for a crepe filling for example, boil it a little longer. I boiled mine for two minutes whisking constantly. It will still be thin once you are done with this step. Don’t worry once you let it cool down a bit it will thicken. It will thicken a lot when chilled.

Makes around 1 cup of sauce.

Chocolate Valentine Cookies
Courtesy of The Pioneer Woman
(http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/)

If you have not heard of Ree over at thepioneerwoman.com, you must stop by. She is nothing short of AMAZING. I have tried several of her recipes and love them all. The thing I love most about her? Her sense of humor. She is so charming and funny. I love how well she explains all her recipes and all the pictures. Sure makes cooking easier!
I have not tried this recipe yet, but I am going to give it a try tomorrow. Looks like so much fun. Here you go:

Ingredients
■2-¼ cups All-purpose Flour
■1 teaspoon Baking Powder
■¼ teaspoons Salt
■½ teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
■¼ cups Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
■1 cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
■1 whole Large Egg
■1-½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
■Powdered Sugar, For Sifting
■Alphabet Stencils
■2 sticks (1 Cup) Unsalted Butter, Softened

Preparation Instructions
Combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cocoa powder in a bowl. Whisk together and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Add flour/cocoa mixture in two or three batches, mixing well after each addition.

Place dough into a large Ziploc bag and flatten slightly with your hand. Seal bag and refrigerate for two hours.

To make to cookies, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove dough from bag and place on a floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Roll out to 1/4-inch thickness and cut with a heart cutter. You’ll need to consolidate and re-roll the dough as you go.

Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat. Bake for 12 minutes, or until set (but not browning at all.) Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Place stencils on cooled cookies, spelling out things like “Love You” and “Be Mine”. Lay on pieces of scrap paper on any areas of exposed cookie. Lightly sift powdered sugar over the stenciled cookies. Carefully remove paper and stencils with tweezers, being careful not to drop powdered sugar as you remove. Use a tiny brush to correct “errors.”

Arrange on a platter or in a basket and deliver to your sweetie!

(Spread chocolate icing or Nutella on leftover cookies if desired. Yum!)

Makes 12 to 18 cookies, depending on size of heart cutter.

Cinnamon Roll Cake
Courtesy of Cookin' Up North
http://cookinupnorth.blogspot.com/2011/07/cinnamon-roll-cake.html

Sabrina, Sam and I wanted to make a dessert a few weeks ago - but, it had to be something that didn't take more then an hour. Well, we made this and it was DELICIOUS! Cinnamon rolls usually take so long so this is an alternative to that. So yummy - give it a try.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

Cake:
3 c. flour
1/4 tsp.salt
1 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, melted

Topping:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Mix everything together except for the butter. Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes.

Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla


While warm drizzle the glaze over the cake.
Cookie Dough Cupcakes
Courtesy of Tidy Mom
(http://tidymom.net/2011/cookie-dough-cupcakes-with-cookie-dough-frosting-recipe/)

Difficulty Level: Medium
Rating: 4 stars

Ok, I'm not sure why I've been MIA for over a week! I am sorry!! But, here is a fantastic cupcake recipe. I was looking for something different to make for Jack's birthday (which is tomorrow!!), and I found the jack pot (no pun intended!).
Anyways, you must give this a try. A perfect Mother's Day treat...

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes with Cookie Dough Frosting
from TidyMom.net

For the cupcakes:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (semisweet or bittersweet)



To make the cupcakes1. preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. Using the paddle attachment on your mixer, combine the butter and brown sugar. Cream together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, approx 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
3. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
4. Alternating add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl with the milk on low speed, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated.
5. Blend in the vanilla.
6. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.
7. Divide the batter evenly between 24 cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cupcakes bake and cool, prepare your cookie dough filling.

For the cookie dough filling:
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tbsp. light brown sugar, packed
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
7 oz. sweetened condensed milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract
¼ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
To Make the Filling

1. Cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl on medium-high speed until light and fluffy(approx2 minutes).
2. Add flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla and beat until smooth.
3. Stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up a bit, (approx1 hour).
After cupcakes have cooled, fill the cupcakes by cutting a cone-shaped portion out of the center of each cupcake. Fill each hole with a chunk of the chilled cookie dough mixture.

For the frosting:
3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
3½ cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. salt
3 tbsp. milk
2½ tsp. vanilla extract
Directions to make icing1. Beat butter and brown sugar with the paddle attachment on high speed until creamy and fluffy.
2. Mix in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth.
3. Beat in the flour and salt.
4. Mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and combined.
Frost cupcakes using a pastry bag and 1M tip. Decorate with mini chocolate chips and a mini cookie.

Creamy Orange Trifle
Courtesy of Family Circle

I just found this recipe today, and it looks easy and fun. So have a try - I'll be making it tonight.

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 cup cold water
1/2 cup boiling water
1 can (6 oz.) frozen orange juice concentrate
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1 pint heavy cream
1 bought angel food cake, about 8 oz.
1/2 cup toasted, slivered almonds
Orange zest, optional

1. Stir in gelatin into cold water until dissolved. Add boiling water, orange juice concentrate and lemon juice. Stir until smooth. Add sugar and continue stirring until dissolved. Refrigerate until mixture starts to thicken, about 1 hour.
2. Whip heavy cream to stiff peaks. Fold into orange juice mixture.
3. Tear cake into bite-size pieces and place in a 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Pour orange juice-whipped cream mixture evenly over cake pieces. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
4. Scatter nuts and orange zest, if desired, over the top and serve.

Devil Dogs
Courtesy of The Pioneer Woman
(http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/02/devil-dogs/)

So, I've been so busy the past few days I haven't been able to upload a new recipe. But, I have wanted to try these for weeks now! They look so good. Guess this is what we'll be making tonight while Dusty is at young mens. Enjoy:


Ingredients
■1 whole Chocolate Sheet Cake (see "Best Chocolate Sheet Cake Ever" On Tasty Kitchen)- recipe below
■1 whole Recipe For "That's The Best Frosting I've Ever Had" On Tasty Kitchen (or You Can Use Frozen Whipped Topping)- recipe below
■Maraschino Cherries
Preparation Instructions
Bake cake according to recipe directions, thoroughly greasing and flouring the pan. Allow cake to cool completely, then turn out onto a flat surface.

Make frosting recipe, substituting half-and-half for milk for extra thickness/richness.

Cut cooled cake into rectangles.

Place frosting into a frosting bag. Squeeze frosting onto one rectangle of cake. Press second rectangle on top. Squeeze a dollop of frosting on the top piece of cake. Place a cherry on top.

Chill until ready to serve!

Cake Recipe
Ingredients
■2 cups Flour
■2 cups Sugar
■¼ teaspoons Salt
■4 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa
■2 sticks Butter
■1 cup Boiling Water
■½ cups Buttermilk
■2 whole Beaten Eggs
■1 teaspoon Baking Soda
■1 teaspoon Vanilla
Preparation Instructions
Note: I use an 18×13 sheet cake pan.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add cocoa. Stir together.
Add boiling water, allow mixture to boil for 30 seconds, then turn off heat. Pour over flour mixture, and stir lightly to cool.

In a measuring cup, pour the buttermilk and add beaten eggs, baking soda, and vanilla. Stir buttermilk mixture into butter/chocolate mixture. Pour into sheet cake pan and bake at 350-degrees for 20 minutes.

Cut into squares, eat, and totally wig out over the fact that you’ve just made the best chocolate sheet cake. Ever.

Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
■5 Tablespoons Flour
■1 cup Milk
■1 teaspoon Vanilla
■1 cup Butter
■1 cup Granulated Sugar (not Powdered Sugar!)
Preparation Instructions
Bake your favorite chocolate cake and let it cool.

In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. You want it to be very thick, thicker than cake mix, more like a brownie mix is. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. (If I’m in a hurry, I place the saucepan over ice in the sink for about 10 minutes or so until the mixture cools.) It must be completely cool before you use it in the next step. Stir in vanilla.

While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. You don’t want any sugar graininess left. Then add the completely cooled milk/flour/vanilla mixture and beat the living daylights out of it. If it looks separated, you haven’t beaten it enough! Beat it until it all combines and resembles whipped cream.

Grab a spoon and taste this wonderful goodness. If there is any left after your taste test, spread it on a cooled chocolate cake.

Cut yourself a piece and put it on a pretty plate. Grab a fork and prepare to experience the most divine pairing you can imagine. This frosting on chocolate cake is to die for. Sure, the recipe sounds strange — it has flour in it — but it’s sublime. Try it, you’ll see. You’ll love it so much you won’t go back.

Fruit Pizza
Courtesy of Mel's Kitchen Cafe
(http://www.melskitchencafe.com/)

Can't wait to try this today! Enjoy - looks yummy.

Dough:
1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon, divided (use the other half for the frosting)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Frosting:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon (1-2 tablespoons)
Other half of lemon zest from above

Fresh Fruit:
Strawberries
Raspberries
Blueberries
Pineapple
Peaches
Kiwi

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 10-inch round or tart pan with nonstick cooking spray. This will give a fairly thick crust. If you want a thinner crust, try using a larger pizza pan shape or a 9X13-inch pan (you’ll have to test this out since I’ve only used a 10-inch tart pan).
For the dough, in a large bowl, cream together the butter and granulated sugar until smooth. Mix in egg, vanilla, and 1/2 of the lemon zest. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Press the dough into the prepared pan.
Bake the dough for 10-12 minutes, or until very lightly browned. Don’t overbake as the crust will become dry. Cool the crust on a wire rack completely.
In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the granulated and powdered sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and other half of the lemon zest. Spread on the cooled pizza crust to within 1/4-inch of the edges. Arrange fruit on top of the pizza. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and chill until serving time.

Green Jell-O Cookies
Courtesy of Red Couch Recipes
(http://redcouchrecipes.blogspot.com/)

So, I am sorry I have been MIA the past few days. I hosted a winter guard competition this weekend, and it was a little busy for me to say the least. But, I have found some great St. Patricks Day recipes that I wanted to share. Here are some Green Jello Cookies and I'll post another cookie recipe tomorrow.

3/4 cup butter or shortening
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 (3 ounce) package of Lime Jell-o
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 cups flour

Mix all ingredients. If you desire, I didn't today, add a dab of green food coloring to dough. Roll dough into small balls. Put them on a greased cookie sheet, then dip the bottom of a glass in sugar and press dough until flat. If you like mounded cookies, chill the dough for an hour, then roll in sugar and don't flatten the cookies. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Yield: About 32 cookies -- I used the Pampered Chef cookie scoop.

Honey Bars
Courtesy of Grace Violet
(http://www.graceviolet.com/)

Difficulty Level: Easy
Rating: 3 1/2 stars

These bars are amazingly good (is that a word...?). I made them a few months ago and I am going to make them again, right after I'm done with this post. Hope you enjoy!


Bars:
3/4 cup oil
1/4 cup honey
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
a few drops of milk

Mix the oil, honey, sugar and egg together. Set aside; mix the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon separately. Add dry ingredients to the first mixture. Mix well (it will be thick). Spread into a greased pan (I use a half-cookie sheet), and bake at 325 degrees for 15-18 minutes. Mix icing ingredients together; the consistency shouldn't be too thick, but not too runny either. I add the milk 1/4 tsp. at a time while stirring until I get it right. Ice while warm. Cut into squares after it has cooled.

Kiss Pies
Courtesy of Picky Palate
(http://picky-palate.com/2010/12/20/kiss-pies)

Where have I been, you ask? I have been getting my guards ready for state championships that happened this past weekend - and, hosting the show with my fellow co-workers. Not that's over, and I'm ready to bake. I've been wanting to make these for the past week. My Cuisinart is still broken, so I guess I'll make these by hand. Ugh!! Enjoy...



1 refrigerated pie crust, thawed
14 Hershey Kisses of choice (I used Mint Truffle today)
1 egg white whisked with 1 Tbsp water
Powdered sugar for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out pie dough onto a lightly floured counter top. Place 10 kisses around the edges of pie dough, about 2 1/2 inches apart. Take a knife and cut a 2 1/2-3 inch circle around kiss. Fold half of pie dough around top of dough and pinch edge around top of kiss. Now, fold up both sides of remaining dough up to the tip of the kiss pinching edge. Now press together edges and form criss cross as shown in photo, step 3. * *Continue cutting dough around kisses until all dough is used up. I got about 14 rounds cut when I re-rolled my scraps **

2. Brush all little pies with an egg white wash then sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake for 20-28 minutes or until little pies are golden. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Dust each with powdered sugar and serve.

about 14 little pies.

Lemon Trifle
Courtesy of Shannon Ray

Difficulty Level: Easy
Rating: 4 stars

I got this recipe from a neighbor in Saratoga Springs. It is SO good. Such a great spring dessert. Hope you like it:

1 angel food cake, torn into pieces
1 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 8oz. carton lemon yogurt
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tsp. grated lemon peel
2 cups whipped topping
2 cups fresh strawberries or raspberries (I always use strawberries)
1/2 cup flaked coconut, toasted (optional - I've never used this)
Fresh mint, optional

Combine sweetened condensed milk, yogurt, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Fold in to whipped topping. Place hand full of the cake cubes in bowl. Top with half of the lemon mixture. Repeat layers. Top with berries. Garnish with coconut and mint if desired.

Lemonade Layer Cake
Courtesy of Cooking Light
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/lemonade-layer-cake-10000000249959/

Yesterday was Jack's birthday. He turned 10 - I feel old! I made him this Lemonade Layer Cake, and he loved it. So, give it a try. Here  you go:

Ingredients

• Cake:
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
• 3 tablespoons thawed lemonade concentrate
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg whites
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups fat-free buttermilk
• Cooking spray
• Frosting:
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
• 2 teaspoons thawed lemonade concentrate
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare cake, place first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat well after each addition.
Pour batter into 2 (9-inch) round cake pans coated with cooking spray; sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.
To prepare frosting, place 2 tablespoons butter and the next 4 ingredients (2 tablespoons butter through cream cheese) in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, and beat at low speed just until blended (do not overbeat). Chill 1 hour.
Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Store cake loosely covered in the refrigerator.
Oatmeal Crispies
Courtesy of The Pioneer Woman
(http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/09/marlboro_mans_favorite_cookies_oatmeal_crispies/)

I made these yesterday - I know, all I've been posting lately is treats. That's all I've been in the mood to bake, lol. Anyways, these were pretty good. And, if you don't like pecans, I think they'd be just as yummy without them. Here you go:


Ingredients
1 cup Shortening (Crisco)
1 cup Packed Brown Sugar
1 cup Sugar
2 whole Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1-½ cup All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
3 cups Quick Oats
½ cups Finely Chopped Pecans

Preparation Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening with both sugars until well combined.

In a separate bowl, beat eggs together. Add vanilla and stir to combine. Add to the shortening/sugar mixture and mix well.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt and baking soda. Mix carefully into the egg/shortening mixture until well combined. Now add the quick oats and mix well again. Finally add the finely chopped pecans and mix well to combine.

Divide the dough in half and place each half of the dough onto a sheet of waxed paper. Roll the dough into a log and then wrap it tightly in the waxed paper. Now you can either chill or freeze the dough until later or you can go ahead and slice the dough evenly into cookie rounds.


When you are ready to bake them place them on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes until they are golden brown.

Peanut Butter Cookies:
Courtesy of Betty Crocker
(http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/peanut-butter-cookies/6aa18699-bad1-442a-97bf-388003acce2d)

My friend Jordyn and I were trying to find a quick and easy peanut butter cookie recipe - so of course I buzzed over to bettycrocker.com. I'm pretty much in love with that site! And, we tried this and it was simple. The only thing I did different was I put it in the freezer for about 45 minutes as opposed to 2 hours in the fridge. Here you go:

1/2	cup granulated sugar
1/2	cup packed brown sugar
1/2	cup peanut butter
1/4	cup shortening
1/4	cup butter or margarine, softened
1	egg
1 1/4	cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
3/4	teaspoon baking soda
1/2	teaspoon baking powder
1/4	teaspoon salt

1.Mix sugars, peanut butter, shortening, butter and egg in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or until firm.
2.Heat oven to 375ºF.
3.Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Place about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten in crisscross pattern with fork dipped into sugar.
4.Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack.

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
Courtesy of Our Best Bites
(http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/02/peanut-butter-sandwich-cookies/)

My good friend Pancho was out this past weekend. It seems that every time we talk on the phone, I am baking something and comments on why I never make him anything. So, I went a little crazy and made 2 separate cookies for him this weekend (over 30 cookies - a little much for one person. He was nice enough to share...) Anyways, these were SO divine! If you like peanut butter, you'll love these. Here you go:

1 C butter flavored Crisco
1 C creamy peanut butter
1 C sugar
1 C packed brown sugar
1 t vanilla
3 eggs
3 C flour
2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt

Additional white sugar for rolling

filling:1 C creamy peanut butter
1/2 C real butter, softened
4 C powdered sugar
2 t vanilla
3-4 Tbs milk

CookiesPreheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cream shortening, peanut butter, and sugars together until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add in vanilla, and eggs one at a time. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt and add to dough. Mix to combine. The dough will be very soft- that’s normal!

Roll dough into 1/2 inch (or a little larger) balls, roll in sugar, place on ungreased cookie sheet and do the little forky criss-cross thing.

Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until puffed and set, but not browned. Remove from oven, let cool on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack.

Filling: Beat peanut butter, butter, sugar, and vanilla together until smooth, if needed, add milk until desired consistency is reached. When cookies are completely cooled, spread a layer of frosting on one side and sandwich together.

yield: about 4 dozen sandwiches

Scotcheroos
Courtesy of The Girl who Ate Everything
http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2008/10/scotcheroos.html

Difficulty Level: Easy

Since it's mother's day today, I wanted to post this yummy recipe. Dusty and I made these last night for one of our good friends and they turned out delicious. Here you go:

1 cup sugar

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup corn syrup

6 cups Rice Krispies

1 ( 6 oz. ) bag chocolate chips

1 ( 6 oz. ) bag butterscotch chips

In large saucepan, combine sugar and corn syrup. Heat to dissolve sugar and bring to boil; remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter. Add Rice Krispies and mix until well blended. Press into buttered 9X13 inch pan. In small saucepan, melt together chocolate chips and butterscotch chips. Spread combined mixture over top of Rice Krispies mixture. Cool. Cut into 36 bars. More like 16 bars if I am eating them.
S'mores Stuffed Brownies
Courtesy of Picky Palate
(http://picky-palate.com/)

Wow, these look delicious - can't wait to try them. And, I'm still having such trouble with Blogger. It's driving me insane... Is anyone else having the same problem, or know how to fix it? It's not keeping any of my paragraphs - just meshing everything together. Well anyhow - here is the recipe!



Batch Prepared in 8×8 inch baking pan
1 box of your favorite brownie mix
4 1/2 full Graham Crackers
3 1/2 Full size Hershey’s Bars
16 large marshmallows

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Line foil into an 8×8 inch baking pan and spray generously with cooking spray. Pour half the brownie batter into lined pan. Layer graham crackers over brownies following Hershey Bars and marshmallows. Pour remaining brownie batter over marshmallows. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until toothpick comes mostly clean from center. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Carefully remove foil and brownies from pan. Peel any foil from away from edges and cut into squares.
12 brownies

Batch Prepared in the Wilton Mini Square Brownie Pan
1 box of your favorite brownie mix,the box that calls for 8×8 inch size pan
2 full graham crackers broken into 1/2 inch pieces
2 Full size Hershey Bars broken into squares
About 18 large marshmallows quartered or 1 Cup mini marshmallows

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Spray square baking pan generously with cooking spray. Fill each cup 1/2 full with brownie batter. Press 1 piece of chocolate bar, graham cracker and marshmallow into center of squares. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until brownies are cooked through in center. Remove from oven and use a plastic knife to loosen all sides and clean up any marshmallow that may have oozed over Let cool then remove from silicone pan. Now you are ready to EAT!

S'mores Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
Courtesy of Picky Palate
(http://picky-palate.com/2011/02/21/smores-stuffed-chocolate-chip-cookies/)

Difficulty Level: Medium
Rating: 3 1/2 stars

We made these last night - pretty much really good! Pretty much not good for you - but, I won't tell! The first batch, the cookies turned out way too big. So, Dusty had a great idea to make the inside smaller. So, we used only one square of the chocolate, one half of the marshmallow, and cut the square of graham cracker in half as well. That batch was still big, but much more reasonable. They are a little hard to make, but so worth it. Hope you enjoy:



2 sticks softened butter
1 Cup granulated sugar
3/4 Cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla
3 1/2 Cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 Cups semi sweet chocolate chips
24 graham cracker quarters or 12 full sheets separated at perforations
3 Hershey Bars, broken into rows of 3 bars
12 large marshmallows cut in half lengthwise

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a large baking sheet with parchment or a silpat liner.

2. In a stand or electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, continue to beat until well combined.

3. Place flour, salt and baking soda into a bowl; mix to combine then add slowly to wet ingredients along with the chocolate chips.

4. Layer a graham cracker quarter with 3 Hershey chocolate squares and 2 marshmallow halves. Close with another graham cracker. Top s’more with a large scoop of cookie dough. Place in hands and place another large scoop on bottom then front and back sides as needed. Form dough around s’mores. Will get messy, but stick with it, it does not have to be perfect. S’mores will move around but it’s no big deal. Place large cookies onto prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-17 minutes or until edges are golden and centers are cooked through. Let cool for 10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack or serving plate.

Makes 12 large stuffed cookies.

St. Patrick's Day Marble Cookies
Courtesy of Red Couch Recipes
(http://redcouchrecipes.blogspot.com/)

I've found some great St. Patrick's Day recipes on this site - hopefully I'll have time to try them all, lol.

1 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon peppermint or almond extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus 1 tablespoon to add to chocolate dough, if needed
1/3 cup chocolate chips -- I used milk chocolate.
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
Sugar for rolling dough in
Green coloring

Put butter and sugar in medium mixing bowl and cream until light and fluffy. Add egg and almond extract and beat until incorporated. Then add baking soda and flour little by little. Divide dough in half; color one half with green coloring. For the other half, melt chocolate chips in microwave, being very careful that they don't burn. Cool chocolate and add melted chocolate and cocoa powder to the other half of the dough and mix until chocolates are incorporated. If the chocolate dough doesn't seem stiff enough, add 1 tablespoon of flour.

Take green dough and, using a little less than 2 teaspoons of dough, roll into small balls. Take chocolate dough and so the same and add to gether to make cookie ball as pictured below.


Roll the green and chocolate dough together and roll into sugar.

Place chocolate/green cookie ball on baking sheet. Press bottom of glass on cookie and smash until about 1/4 inch thick.


Bake in 350 degree oven for 8 -10 minutes, making sure you don't overcook.

Remove from baking sheet and cool on rack.

Sugar Cookies and Buttercream Frosting
Courtesy of Our Best Bites (sugar cookies only)
(http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/12/sugar-cookies/)

Here is a great recipe for sugar cookies and buttercream frosting. Enjoy:

1 C real butter (no substitutions!)
1 C sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 t almond extract (you could use vanilla instead)
3 C flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy- about 2 minutes. Add in eggs and extract and mix to incorporate.

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt and whisk to combine. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until completely combined.

Shape the dough into 2 flat disks and wrap in waxed paper and place in the fridge to chill for 1-2 hours. If you want your cookies to hold their shape well, the dough needs to be chilled properly. A great tip to speed things up is to immediately roll dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper and place on a flat surface in the fridge. It will chill super fast and be ready to go in no time.

When you're ready to roll out dough lightly sprinkle flour onto your work surface and roll out dough with a rolling pin.

Bake at 350 for 8-12 minutes. The baking time really depends on how you like them. If you like them really soft under-bake them. In my oven, about 8 minutes does it. However if you're making large cookies, or ones with small parts or heavy frosting, you might want to be careful because they might break when they're super soft.

About 8 minutes will get you a really soft cookie, a few minutes longer (when they start to just brown around the edges) and you'll get just a little crispiness around the edges and then a soft center, bake even longer (and roll thinner) and you'll get a buttery, crispy cookie that will just melt in your mouth. Any way you do it, they'll taste good. Remove onto cooling racks when you're done and let cool completely. I honestly think these even taste better the second day.

Buttercream Frosting
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks or 1/2 pound), softened (but not melted)
3-4 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
up to 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream (I use heavy cream)

Beat butter for a few minutes with a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Add 3 cups of powdered sugar and turn your mixer on the lowest speed until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla, salt, and 2 tablespoons of milk or cream and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add remaining sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add remaining milk 1 tablespoon at a time.

Thin Mints
Courtesy of Come on, Ilene
(http://comeonilene.com/2011/05/05/unwrapped-thin-mints/)

Difficulty Level: Medium
Rating: 4 stars

Ok, I could eat a whole box of girl scout thin mints - in one sitting! So, I was so excited when I found the recipe for these cookies. I gave them a try - so yummy! Not exactly girl scout version, but so good. I definitely recommend putting them in the fridge after to harden up. Hope you enjoy:


Cookie Dough Ingredients
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 1/2 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons of mint extract

Chocolate Coating Ingredients
• 12oz bag of dark chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons of shortening
• 2 teaspoons of mint extract

Directions
In a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add cocoa powder, baking powder and salt and beat until combined. Beat in the egg, vanilla and mint extract. Slowly add in flour one at a time.
Divide the dough in half and roll dough into two 2″ wide logs. Wrap logs in wax paper. Chill in the fridge for at least 1hour or in the freezer for 20 minutes. You want the dough to be firm enough to cut. You can also chill the dough overnight or freeze half of it to bake on another day.

Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1/8″ slices. The thinner you cut the dough the better. These cookies are called Thin Mints after all:

Place cookies on cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. You want the cookies to be crisp. They should continue to crisp when removed from the oven. Let cool to room temperature:

Now let’s get the glaze ready! In a double broiler, add the chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli dark), extract and shortening in a bowl. (You can also microwave the chocolate in short 30 intervals but with this much chocolate, I find it safer to use a double boiler):

Stir over medium heat until chocolate is melted and becomes smooth and glossy:

Using a spatula or knife, spread melted chocolate evenly over the top and sides of the cookies. Let cool and harden on a wire rack:
I put mine in the fridge to help speed up the cooling process.