Nom Nom Nom!

My first two layer cake!



It was cake mix so no recipe stuff. I'm pretty happy because I failed miserably the first time I tried to make a 2 layer cake. This time I let it cool for an hour and a half before attempting anything. After that, I shaved off the rounded top of the layer designated to be on the bottom. I also turned that one upside down so I would have no issues putting the frosting on.

Okay, time to go eat it and Happy Valentines day~

cake mix biscotti take 2

I had a couple of cake mix boxes laying around so I decided to make some more cake mix biscotti. No recipe this time since all you have to do is go here. This time I used Golden Butter cake mix and chocolate chips. I then melted chocolate chips and put them on top.


before cutting. They were pretty hard to cut and I'm assuming it was from all the chocolate sticking to it.


I melted chocolate chips and put them on the top.

Libby's Old Fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies

During October I bought a couple cans of pumpkin with the idea of making pumpkin cookies for Halloween. It got put off and then when I actually looked at the recipe I noticed I was missing way too many ingredients. I bought all the ingredients, but I had a new mission. I wasn't going to bake these for my family, but for my husband's cousin who is in boot camp. He has to provide sweets for his whole squadron(?) or his sergeant(?) will take them all. Anyways, here's the recipe!

Ingredients

* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
* 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
* 1 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
* 1 large egg
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract





PREHEAT oven to 350° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl.

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Ingredients * 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour * 1 teaspoon baking soda * 1 teaspoon baking powder * 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon * 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg * 1/2 teaspoon salt * 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar * 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened * 1 cup LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin * 1 large egg * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat sugar and butter in large mixer bowl until well blended. (I accidentally added my egg and vanilla here)





Beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla extract until smooth(I just beat in the pumpkin)



after:




Gradually beat in flour mixture





Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.





BAKE for 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm (I did 15)



ta-dah!





After they cool you add the glaze:

GLAZE:
*2 cups sifted powdered sugar
*3 tablespoons milk
*1 tablespoon melted butter
*1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine in a small bowl until smooth. I put the mixture in a bag and made a small hole in the corner

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Drop by rounded tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.

and then just squeeze!!










We taste tested these and they are AMAZING. I don't know how I can part with them!!

Measuring Flour

I noticed something while leafing through my Betty Crocker cookbook that I received when Mike and I were married. Apparently, you're supposed to scoop flour out with a spoon and put it in your measuring cup that way. After its overflowing you then level it off with a knife.

I googled "measuring flour" and came upon a website that gave the correct weight for one cup

• One cup of white flour weighs 120 grams.
• One cup of whole wheat flour weighs 140 grams.
• One cup of bread flour weighs 130 grams.
• One cup of cake flour weighs 114 grams.

So, if you have a scale you can do it that way! Correct flour measuring is very important. Too much flour and your end product will be tough and dry. Too little and it will just fall apart!

Dark Chocolate Toffee Cookies!

Its been a bit of time huh? Sorry, life has been a bit busy and I've had no time to try to bake.

The other day I grabbed some Hersheys Special Dark chocolate chips while shopping at Wal-mart. Dark chocolate is by far my favorite type of chocolate.

Sooo, here we go!



Set your oven to 375

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup(2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups(1 12oz pkg) HERSHEYS SPECIAL DARK CHIPS
1 cup chopped nuts(I used toffee instead)

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Heat oven to 375

Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. (I xferred it to another bowl after I realized that I needed 2 bowls)

Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl with mixer until creamy

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Heat oven to 375

Add eggs and beat well






Gradually add flour mixture, beating well






Stir in chocolate chips and nuts(toffee)




Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.




bake 8 -10 minutes or until lightly browned.




let cool and then move to wire rack...I dont have one so I just put them on parchment paper



Ivie approved AGAIN!! yay


and one last image:


I made a giant one for Mike with the last of the dough.

Butter Pecan cookies

Rhonda and I went to Sams the other day and I found this book:



I had to pick it up! While leafing through the book I found a four ingredient cookie recipe for butter pecans and decided to try them out!


3/4 cup softened butter
1 pkg of 3.4oz Butterscotch pudding
1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of chopped pecans

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Ingredients: 3/4 cup softened butter 1 pkg of 3.4oz Butterscotch pudding 1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour 1/2 cup of chopped pecans

Set oven at 375



In small bowl beat butter and pudding mix until smooth



Gradually beat in flour

Fold in pecans

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Ingredients: 3/4 cup softened butter 1 pkg of 3.4oz Butterscotch pudding 1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour 1/2 cup of chopped pecans

roll into 1 1/2 in balls and place on pan 2 inches apart (apparently I was supposed to flatten them..but I didnt. Whoops!)



Bake 10-13 minutes or until light golden brown.



Ivie approves!

They turned out okay. I wasn't amazingly impressed, but they weren't hard to make. It said it yields about 2 dozen. I ended up with 20.

Sugar Cookies

Last Christmas I was shopping at Sams with Rhonda when I found a giant box of sugar cookie mix. I was struck with the idea that, since I was pretty low on money to get my family gifts, I would give them cookies! At that point, I had never baked cookies by myself. It was a bit scary, but I was going to do it! My first batch I tried to do cut out cookies.



I wasn't so impressed with them. So, I decided to do drop cookies with my second batch. I tried putting the sprinkles in mix. This caused the cookies to change colors. I put the red sprinkles on top of the green cookies and green sprinkles on the "pink" cookies. This wasn't really what I wanted. I had wanted. I really had wanted regular cookies with the sprinkles mixed in. I did achieve this with my third batch! What I did was that I rolled my scooped out dough into the sprinkles!

This is how they looked!!



I pulled them out while the tops were looking a little undone. I wasn't really for sure if I was supposed to do that(you are if you want your cookies chewy). After I was done I separated all the cookies in little ziplock bags. Then I took these stick on Christmas-y fun foam letters and spelled everyone's names on the bags. Everyone really liked my cookies. The other day my best friend Sharleen asked me to bake them again! I am planning on baking them again, just from scratch.