Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know what your thinking, banana and chocolate... gross!  I thought the same thing before my sister made me try these cookies.  Maybe its the fact that I don't like bananas, or maybe that I love plain chocolate chip cookies... why mess with a good thing, right?!  But I am telling you, these are that good!

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies
Servings: 3 dozen
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 10-12 min


2 1/4 Cups Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 C. Butter
3/4 C. Brown Sugar
1/4 C. Sugar
3.4 oz Packet of Banana Pudding
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 Cups Chocolate Chips (milk chocolate)

1.  Combine flour and baking soda in a mixing bowl and set aside.

2.  In a mixing bowl, beat together softened butter, brown sugar, and white sugar.

3.  Continue to beat butter mixture and add pudding, eggs and vanilla.  Continue to beat mixture until nice and smooth.

4.  Slowly add flour mixture to the butter mixture and continue to beat for about a minute.

5.  Stir chocolate chips into cookie mixture.

6.  Roll into balls and place on greased cookie sheet.

7. Bake at 350 degrees from 10-12 minutes.

Caramel in the Middle (cookies)

Let me start this post with an admission; I love to run, I am kind of addicted, but I am equally addicted to good food, especially desserts of any kind.  I am currently  training for the Ragnar Wasatch Back, so I run a lot during the week, and I eat really healthy to keep up with my training schedule, but after my long training runs on Saturday I take the rest of the weekend off, so you will always find me making a dessert or treat of some kind on Saturday and/or Sunday.  A couple Sundays ago I made these delectable treasures. I think I ate 10 in one sitting!  They are very impressive looking and taste just as good.  Give them a try, you won’t be disappointed!

Caramel in the Middle (cookies)

From: Back Pocket Creations

Yields: about 48 cookies

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Print Recipe

2 ½ C Flour

¾ C Unsweetened cocoa

1 t Baking Soda

1 C Sugar

1 C Brown Sugar

1 C Softened Butter

2 t Vanilla

2 eggs

48 Rolo candies, unwrapped

1 T Sugar

½ C chopped pecans or almonds (optional)

½ Bag of white chocolate chips

¼ t shortening

Preheat oven to 375

In a small bowl combine flour, cocoa, and baking soda, whisk together, set aside.

In a large bowl beat 1 cup sugar, brown sugar, and butter until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.  Add vanilla and eggs, beat well. Add flour mixture, blend.

Using a cookie scoop, scoop out small pieces of dough and place on parchment paper.  Make the pieces small to maximize your chocolate to caramel ratio. Scoop out all the dough like this:

Then take one piece of dough and shape it around one Rolo, completely incasing it.  Repeat with remaining dough and Rolos.

In a small bowl, combine nuts and 1 T sugar.  I also did a bowl with just sugar since my husband doesn’t like nuts. Press one side and edges into the nut mixture or just the sugar, place nut and sugar side up 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. 

Bake for 7-10 minutes or until set and slightly cracked.  

Cool 2 minutes and then transfer to a cool flat surface.

Melt the white chocolate along with the shortening in a microwave safe bowl for 30-second intervals until smooth.  Drizzle over cookies.

Birds Nest Cookies

 I saw these cookies on a back of an M&M bag and just had to make them for Easter, they are so cute and actually really easy to make. I modified them slightly from the original version.  These taste a lot like a shortbread cookie on the outside, but soft on the inside, they taste so much better than I anticipated they would.  You have to take a bite with the M&M, it is so good, I am kind of addicted! I delivered these to a bunch of my neighbors and they were a hit!  My kids also thought they were so fun, a great spring break activity!

Birds Nest Cookies

From: M&M’s 

Prep Time: 25 Min.

Bake Time: 14-16 Min.

Decoration Time: 10 Min.

Yield: Makes about 25 Cookies

Print Recipe

1 cup flaked coconut

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups M&M’S® Brand Speckled Milk Chocolate Eggs

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread coconut on non-greased cookie sheet. Toast in oven, stirring occasionally, until it turns light golden, about 15 -20 minutes.

2. Remove coconut from cookie sheet and set aside.

3. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees. In large bowl, add butter and sugar and whip until light and fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla.

4. In medium bowl, combine flour and salt. Blend into creamed mixture.

5. Scoop dough with a rounded tablespoon and form into a ball. Roll heavily into toasted coconut.

6. Place coconut cookies 2 inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheets. Make indentation with thumb in center of each cookie. Bake 14 to 16 minutes or until golden brown.

    7. Remove cookies and cool completely.

    8. Fill indentations with M&M’S® Brand Speckled Milk Chocolate Eggs.

I used a little frosting in the center of each cookie to try to hold the M&M’s in place since I was transporting them, but that is optional.

"Put that your back pocket"

-Meg

The Very Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

These were the first cookies I ever made up all on my own and they did not disappoint.  They turn out soft and chewy and oh so delicious every time.  No matter where I bring them I am always asked for the recipe.  Enjoy these, but I must warn ya, you can't eat just one! 

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
From: Meg

Yields: 4 dozen 

Print Recipe

1C Butter softened

1C Brown Sugar

1/4 C sugar

2C Flour

1 t Baking soda

2 C Oats

1 3 oz. package vanilla pudding (Dry)

2 t vanilla

2 large eggs

1 bag milk chocolate chips

Preheat Oven to 350 

Cream together butter and sugars in a stand mixer for about 4 minutes.  

This is what your butter and sugar mixture should look like after the 4 minutes.


While that is creaming, add the flour, oats, and baking soda into a large bowl and combine with a wire whisk, set aside.  Once the butter and sugar mixture has creamed add the dry vanilla pudding and mix to combine, add eggs and vanilla and mix to combine.  Add flour mixture and then finally the chocolate chips.

Scoop out rounded tablespoons of dough and place on cookies sheets.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.  

Let cookies cool for two minutes before removing and placing on a cool flat surface.

"Put that in your Back Pocket"

-Meg