Chocolate Revel Bars

Chocolate Revel Bars

recipe courtesy of Erin Seymour

3 cups quick cooking oats
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
½ c chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350° F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a jelly roll baking pan.
In a large bowl, beat together 1 cup butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Mix in eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla. In another bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda, and 1 teaspoon salt; stir into butter mixture. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons butter, and 1/2 teaspoon salt over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in walnuts and 2 teaspoons vanilla.

Pat 2/3 of the oat mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread chocolate mixture evenly over the top, and dot with remaining oat mixture.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in preheated oven. Let cool on a wire rack, and then cut into bars.

Gingersnap Cookies

Gingersnap Cookies

recipe courtesy of Andrea Simmons, orginally from Martha Stewart

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature
2 large eggs
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup Demerara sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together granulated sugar and butter on a medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, molasses, and ginger until combined. With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture, beating just until incorporated.
Form dough into 3/4-inch balls. Place Demerara sugar in a shallow dish and roll each ball of dough in sugar to coat. Transfer cookies to prepared baking sheets, spacing evenly.
Bake, until dark golden brown, rotating baking sheet one halfway through baking, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Gingersnaps can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Makes 3 dozen

Homemade Caramels

Homemade Caramels

recipe courtesy of Heather Pack

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups butter
1 1/2 cups corn syrup
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups white sugar

boil sugars, butter, and syrup for 5 minutes (to soft ball). Add milk and cook for 7-8 minutes more on medium heat. Pour in greased cookie sheet and let cool. (my mom always Cut into little rectangles and wrapped them up in
wax paper)

Toffee

Toffee
recipe courtesy of Kim Cutting

2 cups butter
2 cups white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup finely chopped almonds

Prepare two cookie sheets by lining them with aluminum foil. In a large, heavy saucepan combine the butter, sugar, and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until the butter is melted. Bring to boil, stirring constantly until mixture becomes a dark amber color, around 285 degrees F. (Today it was closer to 300 F.) Once toffee reaches proper color and temp., pour onto prepared baking sheets and smooth to even thickness with knife. Sprinkle chocolate chips over toffee and let it set for several minutes until chocolate completely melts. Spread chocolate evenly over toffee. Sprinkle chopped nuts onto chocolate and press in slightly (using a plastic bag over your hand to minimize the mess. Place toffee in rerefrigerator to set. Break into pieces and store in airtight container.

Pumpkin Pie Cake

Pumpkin Pie Cake
recipe courtesy of Janay Hunt

Step #1
Mix then press into 9x13:
1 pkg Yellow cake mix (RESERVE 1 Cup)
1 egg
1 cube melted butter

Step #2
Mix then pour into crust:
1 or 29 oz can pumpkin
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk

Step #3
Mix then sprinkle on top:
1 cup reserved cake mix
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 tablespoon butter

Bake 1 hour @ 350

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
recipe courtesy of Laura Constantine, found on stiesthoughts.blogspot.com

Ingredients
50 Mini Reeses Peanut Butter Cups
-- Cream Together --
1 cup Butter softened
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Brown sugar
1 cup Peanut butter
2 whole Eggs
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Vanilla
-- Mix Well & Add --
3 cups Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda

Instructions
Spray mini muffin pan and place one-inch balls into pan. Bake at 350° for 9 mins. While dough is baking, unwrap mini peanut butter cups. Push into center of cup until even w/ cookie. Cool in pan 8-10 mins. before removing with a knife.
Yields: 20 Servings

Ginger Creams

Ginger Creams

recipe courtesy of Carrie Law, found in Betty Crocker's Cooky Book, 1963

½ cup sugar
½ cup hot water
½ cup molasses
¼ cup shortening
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ginger
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. cloves

Combine sugar, hot water, molasses, shortening and egg; blend well. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drop by rounded teaspoons, 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Remove from cookie sheets and cool. Spread with frosting.

Variation: add one cup of pumpkin to cookie dough.

Frosting:
2 cups powdered sugar
dash of salt
2 tbsp. butter
2 to 3 tbsp. milk
½ tsp. vanilla

Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars

recipe courtesy of Jamie Scoville

Glazed Butter Cookies

Glazed Butter Cookies

recipe courtesy of Tera Nelson, found in Cook's Illustrated

Makes thirty-six to forty 2 1/2-inch cookies.

If you cannot find superfine sugar, you can obtain a close approximation by processing regular granulated sugar in a food processor for about 20 seconds. If desired, the cookies can be finished with sprinkles or other decorations immediately after glazing.

Ingredients
Butter Cookie Dough
2 1/2cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces)
3/4cup superfine sugar (5 1/2 ounces)
1/4teaspoon table salt
16tablespoons unsalted butter , ( 2 sticks) cut into sixteen 1/2-inch pieces, at cool room temperature (about 65 degrees)
2teaspoons vanilla extract
2tablespoons cream cheese , at room temperature
Glaze
1tablespoon cream cheese , at room temperature
3tablespoons milk
1 1/2cups confectioners' sugar (6 ounces)

Instructions
1. FOR THE COOKIES: In bowl of standing mixer fitted with flat beater, mix flour, sugar, and salt on low speed until combined, about 5 seconds. With mixer running on low, add butter 1 piece at a time; continue to mix until mixture looks crumbly and slightly wet, about 1 minute longer. Add vanilla and cream cheese and mix on low until dough just begins to form large clumps, about 30 seconds.
2. Remove bowl from mixer; knead dough by hand in bowl for 2 to 3 turns to form large cohesive mass. Turn out dough onto countertop; divide in half, pat into two 4-inch disks, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate until they begin to firm up, 20 to 30 minutes. (Can be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 2 weeks; defrost in refrigerator before using.)

3. Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out 1 dough disk to even 1/8-inch thickness between 2 large sheets parchment paper; slide rolled dough on parchment onto baking sheet and chill until firm, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, repeat with second disk.

4. Working with first portion of rolled dough, cut into desired shapes using cookie cutter(s) and place shapes on parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until light golden brown, about 10 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking time. Repeat with second portion of rolled dough. (Dough scraps can be patted together, chilled, and re-rolled once.) Cool cookies on wire rack to room temperature.

5. FOR THE GLAZE: Whisk cream cheese and 2 tablespoons milk in medium bowl until combined and no lumps remain. Whisk in confectioners' sugar until smooth, adding remaining milk as needed until glaze is thin enough to spread easily. Drizzle or spread scant teaspoon glaze with back of spoon onto each cooled cookie, as desired.

Pistachio Cake

Pistachio Cake
recipe courtesy of Brooke Stephens