Cracked Chocolate Chipper Cookies

Total Time: 27 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 7 mins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
• 2/3 cup shortening (crisco plain is good)
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/3 cup baking cocoa, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups miniature chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup icing sugar

Recipe

• 1 set oven to 350 degrees.
• 2 grease a cookie sheet.
• 3 in a bowl, cream together the shortening, water and brown sugar; add eggs and vanilla, beat until well combined.
• 4 in another bowl, sift together flour, baking cocoa, salt and baking soda.
• 5 add the dry mixture to the creamed.
• 6 beat at low speed or with a wooden spoon, until thoroughly combined.
• 7 add in chocolate chips.
• 8 refrigerate for 1 hour (to let the dough harden).
• 9 remove from fridge; shape into 1-1/2-inch balls.
• 10 roll balls into icing sugar until very well coated (roll twice, if needed).
• 11 space ball 1-1/2- 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet, to allow for spreading.
• 12 bake for 7-9 minutes (longer for a more crispier cookie, shorter time for a softer cookie).
• 13 keep an eye on these, as they bake very quickly.
• 14 cool; remove to wire rack.

Chocolate Layer Log

Total Time: 1 hr 35 mins Preparation Time: 55 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1/2 cup soft margarine
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup self-rising flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 3/4 ounces melting chocolate (75g)
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur
• chocolate shavings, for decorating (optional)

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350 degrees f/ 180 degrees celsius.
• 2 grease and line (with parchment or wax paper) the inside of the food cans.
• 3 beat together the margarine and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy.
• 4 add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• 5 strain together flour and cocoa powder and fold into mixture, fold in milk.
• 6 divide the batter into the prepared cans, stand the cans on a cookie sheet and bake for 40 minutes or until springy to the touch.
• 7 leave to cool for about 5 mins in the cans, then turn out and cool completely.
• 8 while the cake cools, make the frosting.
• 9 over low heat, gently heat the chocolate and the milk, until chocolate has melted, remove from heat and let it cool slightly.
• 10 beat together butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy.
• 11 beat in the orange liqueur, gradually beat in the chocolate mixture.
• 12 to assemble, cut both cakes into 1/2 inch slices lenghtwise, then reassemble by sandwiching the slices together with some of the buttercream and then attaching the 2 cakes.
• 13 place the cake on a serving plate, and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides and sprinkle top with chocolate shavings.
• 14 tip: serve the cake cut diagonally into slices.

Cinnamon Streusel Sour Cream Pancakes

Total Time: 25 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 cups milk

Recipe

• 1 for the streusel: preheat oven to 350 degrees. prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper or just spray it with 'bakers spray'/non-stick spray with flour in it. using softened butter combine all streusel ingredients and squeeze out onto a baking sheet using your fingers to create crumbs. bake until golden, about 20 minutes. when crumbs are cool break the bigger pieces into smaller ones. crumbs that are about the size of a dime work for me. set aside.
• 2 for pancakes: combine all dry. melt butter and combine with all of the other wet ingredients. bring together both wet and dry ingredients making sure to not over mix. let batter rest 10 minutes.
• 3 make these pancakes just as you would any other one. after dipping out the batter sprinkle with the desired amount of streusel toping. when bubbly -- flip!
• 4 you will have leftover topping. this can be put in the freezer for later applications or used to garnish the ones you are making now.

Chocolate Macaroon Bars

Total Time: 50 mins Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups sweetened long shred coconut

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350°f.
• 2 for the base, cut butter into 1/2 -inch pieces. in a food processor, process all ingredientsuntil mixture begins to form small lumps.
• 3 you can also do this with your hands. sprinkle mixture into a 9x13-inch baking pan and press evenlu into ther bottom of the pan.
• 4 bake in the middle of the oven until golden, about 15-20 minutes.
• 5 while the base is baking, prepare the topping. as soon as the base comes out of the oven, sprinkle evenly with the chocolate chips.
• 6 when they melt, spread the chocolate out evenly with a spatula.
• 7 for the topping, whisk together the egg whites, sugar and vanilla. stir in the flour and coconut.
• 8 drop small spoonfuls of the mixture onto chocolate and spread evenly with a fork.
• 9 bake in the middle of the oven until the top is golden, about 30 minutes. cool completely in pan and cut into 48 bars.
• 10 store in airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature. freeze for longer storage.

Cinnamon Spiced Nuts

Total Time: 15 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 5 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 10
• 4 cups nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds)
• 1/4 cup canned milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Recipe

• 1 bring 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup canned milk, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla to a boil in a saucepan big enough to hold the nuts, stirring constantly.
• 2 after mixture boils add the nuts and continue stirring until all liquid is gone. pour mixture onto pam sprayed cookie sheet.
• 3 cool 3 minutes.
• 4 sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mix. stir well, coating all nuts.
• 5 cool and store in covered container.

Cherry Surprise

Total Time: 10 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 16
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 1/2 cups coconut
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1/4 lb butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 (8 ounce) bottle maraschino cherries
• 2 graham crackers, crushed

Recipe

• 1 drain cherries and place on a paper towel.
• 2 mix all the rest of the ingredients until smooth.
• 3 take a small amount of dough and pack it around a cherry.
• 4 roll this into a ball and roll in graham cracker

Digestive Biscuits

Total Time: 35 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 cup wheat bran
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 5 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon crisco
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 tablespoons half-and-half cream

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350°f.
• 2 in a large bowl, mix together the flours, bran, baking powder, baking soda, and cream of tartar with a pastry blender. mix in sugar with the pastry blender. mix in fats with the pastry blender. the mix at this point should be crumbly and uniform. mix the vanilla in the half-n-half and add to the mix. mix with pastry blender until it is uniform and resembles really soft playdoh.
• 3 you can at this point refrigerate for 20 minutes to make the dough easier to handle, but it is not necessary. be sure to roll out dough between two pieces of waxed paper! roll to approximately 1/8" thickness. cut into rounds with cookie cutter about 2 1/2 inches in diameter (i used the ring off one of my canning jars).
• 4 transfer to cookie sheets or baking stone and prick with a fork. bake 15 to 18 minutes (adjust the baking time up to dry them out more if the biscuits are too soft and fluffy), or until golden. let cool on wire rack.
• 5 optional: spread the backs of the cooled biscuits with melted semi-sweet chocolate (as in chips - almost everyone has these for chocolate chip cookies). set the biscuits chocolate side up on the rack until chocolate hardens.
• 6 store in an airtight tin -if storage is even necessary! they will go fast.