Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

1 tsp. baking soda

2¼ cups flour

1 cup butter, softened

¼ cup sugar

¾ cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1 pkg vanilla pudding mix

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°.

Mix together baking soda and flour; set aside.

Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and pudding mix.  Add eggs, one at a time.

Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Scoop by tsp. onto cookie sheet.  Bake 8-10 minutes, or until side become golden.

Cool completely on wire rack.

I can't remember where I got the recipe.  If anyone finds it, please let me know.

Coconut Caramel Pecan Cookies

1 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

1 cup old-fashioned oats

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

1½ cups pecans, chopped and toasted

1 pkg. caramel chips

Preheat oven to 350°.

Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat shortening and sugars until blended. Add vanilla and beat in eggs one at a time.  Add flour mixture gradually beat into sugar mixture. Stir in oats, coconut, caramel chips and pecans.

Scoop into Tbsps. 2 inches apart. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Recipe adapted from here

Butterscotch Walnut Cookies

1 cup butter

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 large egg

2½ cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 pkg. butterscotch chips

1 cup roughly chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350° Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven

Beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar with a mixer on medium speed in a large bowl until fluffy. Add the vanilla and egg and beat to combine.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until just combined. Stir in the butterscotch chips and walnuts.

Scoop slightly mounded tablespoons of the dough and roll into balls. Arrange the balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake the cookies until they are set and golden on the bottom, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

This recipe can be found here.

Salted Caramel Crunch Cookies

2 1/3 cups flour

¾ cup light brown sugar

½ cup sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. cinnamon

¾ cup butter, melted + slightly cooled

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup toffee bits

1 cup caramel bits

1 cup chopped pecans

Flaked sea salt, optional

Preheat oven to 350°. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking soda, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon.

Add butter, combine with a spatula or with a handheld mixer until crumbly. Add eggs and vanilla extract and beat till well combined. Fold in toffee chips, caramel bits and pecans. 

Roll two heaping tablespoons of cookie dough into a ball and place on prepared baking sheet leaving 2 inches per cookie for spreading.

Bake for 12 minutes, or until the edges of cookies are set. Remove from oven and sprinkle with flaked sea salt, to taste.

Let cookies cool for 10 minutes on baking sheet. Enjoy warm or allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

You can find the recipe here.

Coconut Curry Shriimp

2 Tbsp. salted butter

1½ lbs. raw shrimp

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, finely diced

1 Tbsp. curry powder

1 (13½ oz.) can coconut milk (A Taste of Thai)

2 Tbsp. honey

¼ tsp. kosher salt

Juice of 1 lime

12 fresh basil leaves, chopped

Hot sauce, as needed, 

Cooked basmati rice

Heat the butter in a large non-skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook, turning them over halfway through, until fully cooked, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Add the garlic and onions to the skillet and stir to cook for 2 minutes. Sprinkle the curry powder over the onions and continue cooking, stirring, for another couple of minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and pour in the coconut milk, stirring to combine. Add the honey, salt and lime juice, and allow the sauce to heat up until bubbling gently. Add the shrimp to the sauce, tossing to coat, and allow it to simmer until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Taste the sauce and add more salt, lime juice or honey, depending on your taste. Stir in the basil. (Add hot sauce if you want a little kick.)

Serve the shrimp and sauce over a bed of cooked basmati rice, garnishing with more basil. 

You can find the recipe here.

Lemon Lemonies

FOR THE BARS

 ¾ cup white chocolate chips

 ½ cup butter

 2 large eggs

 ¾ cup granulated sugar

 ¼ cup fresh lemon juice

 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

 pinch salt

FOR THE GLAZE

 2 cups powdered sugar

 1/3 cup lemon juice, or as necessary for consistency

 1 Tbsp. lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350°. Line an 8-X-8-inch pan with foil, spray and set aside.

FOR THE BARS:

In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter.  Immediately add the white chocolate and stir until smooth.  Let sit for a minute. Add the eggs, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and whisk until combined.  Add the flour, salt, and stir until just combined.

Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.

Bake 27 - 28 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Set aside and make the glaze.

FOR THE GLAZE:

In a medium bowl, add powdered sugar, lemon juice, and whisk until smooth. Glaze should be fairly thin and easily pourable. Add sugar or lemon juice as needed.  Evenly pour glaze over bars, smoothing it lightly with a spatula if necessary, but glaze will likely just slide into place. Evenly sprinkle with lemon zest.

Allow bars to cool in pan uncovered for at least 2 to 3 hours, (or overnight and cover with a sheet of foil) before slicing and serving so glaze can set up.

NOTES

Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

This recipe can be found here.

Easy Pumpkin Spice Cookies

1 (18¼ oz.) boxes spice cake mix

1 (15 oz.) cans solid-pack pumpkin (the small can)

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional) or 

1 cup chopped pecans (optional) or 

1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Spray cookie sheets lightly with vegetable spray (Pam).

In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix and pumpkin with a fork or mixer until well blended; stir in nuts or chocolate chips, if desired.

Drop by large rounded spoonfuls onto the cookie sheet (they don't flatten out much.)

Bake for 8 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies.

Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for up to 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

White Chocolate Snickerdoodles

1 cup butter

1½ cups sugar

2 eggs

2 3/4 cups flour

2 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup white chocolate chips

Mix together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together. Set aside.

Cream together sugar and butter. Add eggs and blend well.

Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well. Add chips.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

this recipe can be found here.

Spicy Creole Chili

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 lb. ground chicken

12 oz. andouille sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices

2 tsp. chili powder, divided

2 cups chopped white onion

1½ cups chopped green bell pepper

1 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. salt

1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained, rinsed

1 (10 oz.) can Ro*Tel with Habaneros, undrained

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add ground chicken, sausage and 1 teaspoon chili powder; cook 5 to 7 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove meat mixture from saucepan; set aside.

Add onion, pepper and garlic; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add cumin, paprika, salt and remaining 1 teaspoon chili powder; cook 1 to 2 minutes more or until spices are fragrant.

Return cooked meat mixture to saucepan; stir in crushed tomatoes, beans and undrained tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes or until mixture is hot. Top each serving with sour cream and parsley, if desired.

Cook's Tips:

For extra heat, add a few dashes of hot sauce.

This recipe can be found here.

Turtle Cookies

2 cups minus 2 Tbsp. cake flour

1 2/3 cups bread flour

1¼ tsp. baking soda

1½ tsp. baking powder

1½ tsp. kosher salt

2½ sticks unsalted butter

1¼ cups light brown sugar

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 cups dark chocolate chips

1 cup caramel bits

1 cup chopped pecans

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

3. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds.

4. Drop chocolate pieces, caramel bits, and pecans into dough and gently combine.

5. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

6. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°. Line a baking sheet a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

7. Scoop heaping tsp of dough onto baking sheet

8. Bake until golden brown but still soft, 11 - 13 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more.

9. Repeat with remaining dough.

This recipe can be found here.