Chocolate Fudge Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

My mom sent me this cookie recipe awhile ago. I just now got around to trying it. YUM! My cookies didn't look nearly this good (I think my dough needed to chill longer, and I needed to push harder with my glass) but they sure did taste delicious!



Dough:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup peanut butter
Filling:
3/4 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar
For the dough: Cream together the butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg and vanilla. Set aside. Sift together the flour and cocoa, add to the creamed mixture, and mix well with a mixer or hands. Chill for 30 minutes.
For the filling: Mix the peanut butter and powdered sugar together and form into 1-inch balls. Chill until ready to complete the cookies.
Wrap 1 tablespoon of dough around each ball of peanut butter and place on a cookie sheet using parchment paper. Flatten all with a glass dipped in sugar.
Bake at 375 degrees for about 9 minutes, or until done. Allow to sit 5 to 6 minutes before placing on racks to cool completely. Enjoy. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies

Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/jun/19/this-grandma-bakes-good-goodies/#ixzz0xXATZsrV

Cookie Pie

I had a homeschool park day* last Friday that involved bringing a favorite pie to share. I forgot all about this until the night before. And I'm not really a pie person but if I did have to pick a favorite, they would all be pudding or ice cream based. Not something that would hold up at the park on a hot summer day. I looked around online and settled on a cookie pie. It turned out great. It's my new easy dessert of choice. I've already made it three times in the past week. It reminds me of the giant holiday cookies you can get from Mrs. Fields lathered in frosting. Mmmm.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup softened butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 2/3 cups chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325. Mix flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Mix sugars, butter, and vanilla. Add egg. Mix the two mixtures together. Add 1 cup of chocolate chips (I used half milk chocolate, half miniature semi-sweet). Press into 9 inch, greased, pie plate. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on top. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool slightly. Serve topped with ice cream.




*Which fell on the same morning as a big storm, and we were almost an hour late, and the only ones that showed up. At least we got to eat the whole yummy pie ourselves.

Chocolate Layer Dessert

from The Essential Mormon Cookbook (but with my own crust and other corrections)
Ingredients:
1 box shortbread cookies
¼ cup butter (melted)

8 oz. tub lite Cool Whip knock-off (thawed)
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese (I use 1/3 the fat Neuftchatel) (at room temperature)
2 cups powdered sugar
2 (5.9 oz.) packages chocolate instant pudding
4 cups milk
2 tsp. vanilla
a handful of chocolate chips

Directions:
Crush shortbread cookies until fine.  Stir in butter.  Press in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.  Bake at 300 for 5-8 minutes.  Cool completely.
To prepare first layer, blend together thawed Cool Whip, cream cheese and powdered sugar.  Spread over cooled crust.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours.
For the second layer, combine pudding, milk and vanilla with an electric mixer at low speed until it begins to thicken.  Spread on top of cream cheese layer and refrigerate several hours or overnight. 
Before serving, garnish with grated chocolate chips. 
To serve, cut into squares.