Applesauce Cookies with Caramel Frosting

Brandi had the winning cookies at my Christmas Cookie Exchange. Here is the recipe she used.

 

 

Oh my gosh...these cookies were so good! I'll have to make a batch once I'm off weight watchers.

Peppermint White Chocolate Chip Cookies

For my Christmas Cookie Exchange last month, I made Peppermint White Chocolate Chip Cookies. I got the recipe on Pinterest, linked here.

I procrastinated and couldn't find the Peppermint M&Ms at my local grocery store, so I instead crushed 6 candy canes in a blender and added them to the dough.

I really enjoyed these cookies and will be making them again at Christmas time.

Pioneer Woman's Blackberry Cobbler

I LOVE blackberries! Really...the caps are completely necessary because I LOVE them that much!

If you don't know The Pioneer Woman, you should get to know her. She has a witty blog and wonderful recipes!

Now back to blackberries...I've always seen blackberry cobbler as a dish with blackberries spread on the bottom of the dish and a crumbly crust baked on top. The Pioneer Woman's blackberry cobbler is more like this:

It's kind of like cake, with blackberries baked inside. It is moist and sweet and yummy!

The recipe is incredibly easy.

Ingredients:
1 stick butter (1/4 pound)
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
2 cups of cleaned blackberries

Directions:
use the stick of butter to grease a pie pan
mix the sugar, flour, and milk
melt the butter and wisk it in
pour into the pan
sprinkle in the blackberries
sprinkle a litte sugar on top
bake at 350 F for 1 hour

Jake's Favorite Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I sent these cookies to Jake while he was in Iraq and recieved rave reviews. I decided to dig out the recipe again to take to a going away on Saturday. What I love about this recipe is that you mix everything in only one bowl, so less dishes!

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

3 cups oatmeal

2 cups choc. chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix butter, brown sugar, and white sugar together until creamy.

Mix in eggs and vanilla.

Mix in flour, salt, and baking soda.

Mix in oatmeal and chocolate chips.

Bake 10-15 minutes.

I'm excited to get back to the states, where ovens can heat baked goods more evenly. Even by rotating the pan during cooking, a few do get a little burnt.

Apple Crisp

I remember how good the crumbly crust was when I made the blackberry cobbler, so I decided to try that same recipe with apples. I sliced up alot of apples, so I ended up doubling the topping recipe to cover it better.

Ingredients:
Topping:
1 cup Bisquick
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup oats
1/2 cup butter
Filling:
4 apples (peeled and thinly sliced)
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Toss apples in sugar, flour, salt, and cinnamon.
Pour the filling directly into the pan.
Mix Bisquick, brown sugar, and oats.
Cut in butter until crumbly.
Top filling with crumbles.
Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Grandma Owen's Caramel Apple Pie

As I stated in a previous post, Jake recently bought 5 kilos of apples. I found this recipe that my Grandma sent me for my bridal shower. We still have 25 apples left though, so I'll still take recipes!

Ingredients:

2 refridgerated pie crusts

6-8 apples (peeled and sliced thinly)

2/3 cup sugar

2 Tbsp flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 Tbsp butter (melted)

1 bottle caramel ice cream topping

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Toss apples and all dry ingredients together.

Lay one crust in the pan.

Pour in filling.

Drizzle with melted butter.

Drizzle with caramel topping.

Top with other crust and press together edges of crusts.

Cook for about 30 minutes.

Jake wanted to get in on the work, so I had him slice the apples.

Jake LOVED it! We sliced too many apples, so I'm planning to make another pie tomorrow once I get another crust, so next time I might add some cinnamon. Jake told me I'm crazy and that it is perfect just the way we made it tonight!

We made a run to the gelateria down the road to get some vanilla gelato, and drizzled on some extra caramel.

Better Than "You Know What" Cake

Jake told me about this cake that his friend brought in to work. I just had to try it, so Igot the recipe from his friend's wife. I used Butter Pecan cake mix because it's what she recommended, but I believe you could use whatever flavor you think would taste good.

1 box cake mix

12 oz. cool whip

1 can condensed milk

1 bottle caramel ice cream topping

1 heath bar

Make the cake

While still warm poke holes in the cake with a wooden spoon handle

Pour milk into the holes until the cake absorbs it

Pour caramel into the holes

Allow to cool

Top with cool whip

Top with crumbled candy bar

I couldn't find a heath bar at the commissary or BX, so mine has caramel topping instead of heath bar.

Make sure you don't put the cool whip on until right before you are ready to serve, mine sat for a few hours until after dinner, and the cool whip "deflated"

Blackberry Cobbler

Mmmmmm! I love blackberries! I remember picking TONS of blackberries with Grandma Holmes when I was a little girl. We would end up with buckets full (even though I ate half of them right off the bush!) I don't have access to free, fresh blackberries here, but I have been majorly craving some, so I resorted to buying them for $7.00 for about 2 cups at the Commissary. Here is the recipe I used.

2 cups berries
1/2 cup bisquick
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix bisquick, brown sugar, and oats.
Cut in butter until crumbly. (this was when I wished I had a pastry blender, but I just used knives)
Place berries in dish and top with crumbles.
Cook for 30-35 minutes.

Strawberry Daiquiri Pie

I got a recipe from a friend from church, Kathy Matthews, for Lemonade Pie. This recipe calls for frozen lemonade concentrate, but the Commissary on base was completely out of frozen lemonade. They did have other flavors of frozen concentrate, so I figured this recipe would work for any of them. I chose the Strawberry Daiquiri flavor. (non-alcoholic)

Ingredients: (to make 1 pie)
Graham cracker pie shell
6 oz frozen strawberry daiquiri concentrate
1 can sweetened condensed milk
8 oz carton of cool whip (thawed)

The commissary didn't have 6 oz. juice concentrate or 8 oz cartons of cool whip, so I altered the recipe a bit and made 2 pies.

Ingredients: (to make 2 pies)
2 graham cracker pie shells
10 oz frozen strawberry daiquiri concentrate
1 can sweetened condensed milk
12 oz carton of cool whip (thawed)


Directions:
Mix the three ingredients until smooth, pour into pie crust and refridgerate.



I'm kind of sad I'm selling these at the bake sale. They are so light and fruity, perfect for summer!

Checkerboard Sugar Cookies

I got the recipe from the Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade desserts cookbook.

Ingredients:
Sugar Cookie Dough (the recipe calls for refridgerated dough, I just used the mix and prepared the dough as it says on the package)
2 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder
1/4 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips (I didn't have mini, so regular size works too)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Once you have the sugar cookie dough prepared, split it into three equal portions.
Mix one portion with the cocoa powder. Mix one portion with the chocolate chips. Leave the third portion plain.
Pinch one small ball of each portion together to form a triangle.
Bake for about 10 minutes.

Cinnamon Swirl Cake

I tried a recipe for a cinnamon swirl cake today. As you will soon realize, I don't really make anything from scratch. I love recipes that start with some kind of mix from a box, and then you add to it to make it better. Those"semi-homemade" recipes are the perfect kind for me! So if you have any favs, please share!

It comes from the July 09 Wives Cookbook Blog that I contribute to. Here is the complete recipe.

I loved the recipe! SO easy, and SO yummy too! I don't have my mixer here in Italy, so I had to hand beat the batter for 10 minutes (OK..really I only lasted like 5!) but it turned out fine. And I used two round cake pans instead of the bundt pan.

My ingredients


Here is the batter, right after I "cut in" the cinnamon/sugar mixture.

My final product. Don't make fun of the icing. I'm really bad at icing!