Andes Mint Cookies

Okay, confession time.  My major sweet tooth kicked in last week and I made this batch just so I could eat them.  It made about two dozen which was good because anymore and I would have eaten those too.  These were so good and I kept trying to sneak them but got caught fairly frequently by the kiddos!  Best with a glass of milk because they are incredibly rich!  Recipe found on the SixSisters blog!

There isn't an after picture with the chocolate all smeared. . .once we started tasting them we forgot to take pictures!

Ingredients
Devil's Food Cake Mix
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 package of Andes Mints


Directions
Mix cake mix, oil, and eggs together. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes.
Take sheet out of oven and while the cookies are still very hot, place an Andes Mint on top of each cookie. In about 5 minutes, the mint will be melted. Take a spoon and smooth out each mint like frosting.

Note: I used Andes Mint baking bits, they fell off but when they melted a little I just took the back of the spoon, lifted the melted mint and then smeared them all over the top

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Last weekend was the final fundraiser for the Guatemala trip!  It was a combination yard sale with bake sale.  I thought this recipe was so cute!  They were perfect for the bake sale and the ones I brought the workers were demolished too!  

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies!

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Recipe taken from BakedPerfection.com
Makes 40 brownies as adapted

Ingredients
1 box of your favorite brownie mix
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or grease 40 mini-muffin cups.

Prepare boxed brownie mix as directed. Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups (about 1 heaping teaspoon). Bake for 13-15 minutes or until top is set and a toothpick inserted into center comes out slightly wet. After brownies are out of the oven, wait for centers to fall. This will happen upon cooling. If not then tap the centers with the back of a teaspoon (or your thumb) to make a hole for the peanut butter.

Place peanut butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 45 seconds then stir. While brownies are still warm spoon about half a teaspoon of peanut butter into the center of each brownie. Top with semi-sweet chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. Cool completely in pan.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ahh Meijer, my fav.  I love Meijer.  Not having grown up in Michigan it was quite the attraction for me.  My first visit to Meijer was actually during the time I flew to Grand Rapids with my sister to check out Reformed Bible College!  A friend of ours came to pick us up and took us there before we met up with more people we knew.  I'm not normally a huge fan of store brand products but for the most part I like Meijer brand.  I made the Oatmeal Cookies on the back of the canister of Oatmeal and they were the most delicious cookies not at all dry like some Oatmeal Cookies are. 

I made these for one of the desserts that was before The Faithful Journey Quartet Benefit Concert.  The Quartet, their families and the Guatemala Team ate together before the fundraising concert.

Faithful Journey Quartet

Amazing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ingredients:
1 c.Vegetable Shortening
1 c. Sugar
1 c. Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 1/2 c. Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
3 c. Oatmeal
1 c. Chopped Walnuts (optional)
1 c. Raisins

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease cookie sheets.
Beat shortening and sugars til creamy. 
Add eggs and vanilla mixing well.
Combine flour, baking soda and salt, add to shortening mixture and mix well.
Stir in oats, nuts and raisins. 
Using rounded tablespoons, roll into balls.  Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
Flatten with fork.  Bake 10-12 minutes or til lightly browned.
Let stand a minute before removing to wire rack 

Note:  I didn't flatten them and they were amazing. I may do it another time.
If you add the nuts I can imagine they will be more dry.

Butter Pecan Crunch

The bottom layer of graham crackers and the pecans in the middle of being chopped up.

The Brown Sugar, Butter and Vanilla melting together.

The recipe scanned by someone at the King Arthur Flour Company and emailed to me :).

The finished product that was delicious and the perfect marriage of my past (Virginia) and my "pastpast" (Vermont)!!!

Oreo Stuffed Brownies

Oh my, the combination of  beautiful weather, busy projects and cute kids has led to not very much blogging lately.  To remedy that I'm just going to have to binge blog.  This recipe is off Pinterest from ahensnest.com but it didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped.  It seemed an easy and for the most part it was but I'll include my tweaks so the same mistakes aren't made again.

Oreo Stuffed Brownies.

JO shows us the proper way to eat an Oreo

Brownie mix and Oreos, all ya need.

Prior to baking.

Ingredients:

Brownie mix
24 Oreos

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Dunk Oreos completely into brownie mix place in bottom of well greased muffin tin.
If there's a bit of batter left spoon into each muffin cup.
Bake 10-12 minutes and then let cool a few minutes before taking out and cooling on wire racks.
Don't wait too long to pull them out of tins.