Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I got this recipe several years ago and it is the easiest cookie recipe in existence. It helps that it is so freaking good! Moist. Chewy. Flavorful. 3 ingredients.

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin

1 box spice cake mix

1 C chocolate chips

2 tbsp molasses(optional)

Preheat oven to 3 . Mix all ingredients together. Drop by tablespoonful onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes.

I forgot the molasses the night of the exchange, but I think it adds a little bit extra...

Kolaches

Trina Bower's husband requested these for the evening. They were like mini cherry pie cookies, so if you like cherry pie{or any kind of pie!}, you'll love these! From her in-laws...

2 sticks of butter
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
2 1/2 C flour
1 12-oz can fruit pie filling of your choice

Cream together butter and cream cheese. Add flour and stir. Roll out dough to your desired thickness and cut out circles about the size of a half dollar. Push thumb in the middle of the cookie. Top with powdered sugar then add filling. Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Seriously, real life. This picture is what was leftover from the first Memorial Day BBQ today. After the rest was picked over, these got shoved in some foil and toted home sideways in a cramped bicycle trailer! And they still manage to look tasty! They are from my mom's 'magical' cookbook. This is one of my favorites when I wanna throw something tasty together for several people. They are always good and are easy to eat out of your hand. We especially like this juuuust this side of done...

2 eggs
1 1/2 C brown sugar
2/3 C oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 C flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 C nuts (optional)
1 C chocolate chips

In a small mixer bowl, beat eggs until thick and lemon colored. Gradually add sugar and continue beating until well blended. Add oil and vanilla, beat well. Add flour, baking powder, salt. Fold in nuts and chocolate chips. Spread in greased 9x13" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Do not over bake!

For an extra special taste bud overload, try decreasing the brown sugar to 1 cup and cut the cooking time by 5-10 minutes (until it looks like it needs about 5 more minutes). Serve that gooey goodness hot with vanilla ice cream. You will thank me.

Fruit Topped Triple Chocolate Pizza

THE pizza from the party... One I made a while ago with regular chocolate chip cookie dough. Closer to how the recipe dictates...

I made this for a gathering of some friends the other night and was bombarded with requests for the recipe. Even my hubby's cop buddy who got some of the leftovers requested it! And for good reason- it's hard to fail with cookies, cream cheese, fruit, or chocolate. But put them all together... Yeowsa! I was actually starting to make Chocolate Chocolate Chip cookies for the party, then I remembered this recipe and used the cookie dough to make this instead. Is it terrible that I was on the fence about going (it started a half hour before my baby goes to bed. I LOVE when my baby goes to bed....) until I realized it'd give me an excuse to make this? I actually have two variations, an easier one, and one that takes a half second more effort but is just a tad better. The one I followed was:

Fruit Topped Triple Chocolate Pizza

1 (18 oz) pkg chocolate chip cookie dough (Alexa's recipe here)

2 squares white baking chocolate

2 tbsp milk

1 pkg cream cheese, softened

1/4 C powdered sugar

1 C thawed whipped topping

12-16 oz of strawberries, cut in half

1 can mandarin orange segments, drained

1/4 C semi sweet chocolate chips

1 tsp vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape cookie dough into a ball and place in center of a large pizza stone. Using a lightly floured rolling pin {aka, my fingers...} roll dough into a 12 inch circle, about 1/4" thick. Bake 12-15 minutes or until edges are set. Cookie will be soft, do not over bake. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes. Loosen cookie from pizza stone. Cool completely.

Place white chocolate and milk in small mixing bowl. Microwave on high 1 minute. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Microwave and additional 10-20 seconds if necessary. Cool slightly. In separate bowl combine cream cheese and powdered sugar; mix well. Gradually stir in white chocolate mixture; mix until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over cookie. Arrange strawberries and oranges over cream cheese mixture. Microwave chocolate chips and oil on high 30 seconds or until chocolate is melted and smooth. Drizzle over fruit. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

My variation

I used this recipe for the crust and made it in a greased cookie sheet, baked for about 7 minutes or until edges were set. I doubled the topping since it was such a large surface and then I added kiwi with the fruit. I think it the cookie base was so crumbly that night because it had been out of the fridge for a bit. After I put the leftovers back in the fridge, the cookie stayed firm as I kept piecing away at it....

Slightly easier, brownie version
1 box brownie mix

1 pkg cream cheese, softened

1/3 C sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 C fresh strawberries, sliced

1 C blueberries, rinsed

1 C raspberries

1/2 C apple jelly

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of 12 inch pizza pan. Prepare brownie mix according to directions on the package. Spread in the pan. Bake 28-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2" from edge comes out clean. Cool completely.

Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a small bowl until smooth. Spread evenly over the brownie. Arrange berries over the cream cheese{these berries make a lovely American flag design.}. Stir jelly until smooth; brush over the berries. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

These were one of my favorite cookies growing up. I hadn't made them for a long time, I guess subconsciously I figured they were like Lucky Charms- great when I was a kid, but my tastes had outgrown. I made them not too long ago with my son and, MAN, was I wrong! Still amazing! Seriously, I just ate two. I think they're even better chilled, which is really nice as we head into Arizona summers. This is what I made my cookie pizza with. I made an entire cookie sheet sized cookie pizza and still had enough dough for about 3 dozen cookies.

3/4 C butter
1 C shortening
3 C sugar
3 eggs
3 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 C flour
1 C cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 C chocolate chips

Cream butter, shortening, and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat well. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; blend into creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes. Do NOT over bake. Let cool for a few minutes before removing from cookie sheet.

These are also amazing with peanut butter or mint chocolate chips instead of regular chocolate chips. They also make and EXCEPTIONAL ice cream cookie sandwich.

Homemade Oreo Cookies

I am totally exploiting my darling son to emphasize how good these are! Actually, he was in the process of eating the last one when I decided this was a great go-to recipe and wanted a picture. Luckily, I have such an adorable model that can make even half-eaten food look good! I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, Kristen. I think most everyone has some variation of this (and I hope to see some if yours is slightly different...), but it is a must in every lazy, I mean good recipe book.

1 pkg Devil's Food cake mix

2/3 C shortening

2 eggs

1 can or recipe of your favorite frosting

Cream eggs and shortening together. Add cake mix. Roll into balls and place at least 2" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-10 minutes or until they barely bounce back when touched lightly. Cool completely. Frost the bottom of one cookie and press into the bottom of a cookie of the same size.

It's also fun to do different color frosting for different holidays. We usually end up doubling this since one recipe doesn't make a ton. Or maybe it just seems like that because these cookies are so addicting that they don't last long... My hubby used to eat these like potato chips until he helped make them one time. After he saw what they were made of he thinks twice. Then eats them anyway!

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Don't they look just amazing?? They were! This is from Alexa Kessler. Her grandma got this recipe from a ward cookbook and their family loved it so much, they've adopted it as their own.

1 1/2 C brown sugar
1 C butter
2 tsp vanilla
5 1/2 C flour
2 tsp baking soda
6 tsp hot water
12 oz chocolate chips(2 cups)
1 1/2 C white sugar
1 C butter flavored Crisco
4 eggs
2 tsp salt

Mix soda and hot water and set aside. Mix sugars, shortening, butter and eggs. Add soda water, vanilla, salt, and flour. Fold in chips. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 8-9 minutes. Makes 8 dozen.