Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies

Paula Deen.  Cream Cheese.  Yup, that’s all you need to know!  These are the BEST chocolate cookies I have ever had.  6 ingredients and done.  So rich and yummy.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

-1 (8 oz) brick cream cheese, room temperature

-1 stick butter, room temperature

-1 egg

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-1 (18 oz) box moist chocolate cake mix

-Confectioners sugar, for dusting

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Beat in the egg.  Then beat in the vanilla extract.  Beat in the cake mix.  Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up so that you can roll the batter into balls.

3.  Roll the chilled batter into tablespoon sized balls and then roll them in confectioners sugar.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.  Bake 12 minutes.  The cookies will remain soft and “gooey.”  Cool completely.

Stuffed Winter Squash

This is a recipe that I cut out of Family Circle magazine forever ago and had wanted to try but didn’t necessarily have the guts.  I don’t know – sometimes healthy recipes scare me because I’m not sure if my family will like them.  This one was a home run for sure.  My 3 year old ate it up without a word from me!  I actually substituted 1/2 cup rice for the bulgur wheat and 1 cup chicken broth with that. 

Ingredients:

-3 acorn squash, cut lengthwise and seeded

-1 Tbsp maple syrup (I just used pancake syrup on hand)

-1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

-2 tsp canola oil

-1 large onion, finely chopped

-1 large celery stalk, thinly sliced

-1 Granny Smith apple, cut into 1/4 inch cubes

-1/3 cup raisins, chopped (they suggest golden, I used what I had on hand)

-1/4 cup uncooked bulgur wheat (I used 1/2 cup uncooked rice)

-3/4 cup chicken broth (if using the rice, use 1 cup broth)

-1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

-1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a jelly roll pan (15x10x1).  Brush cut surfaces and inside of acorn squash with maple syrup.  Arrange squash, cut-side down, on pan.  Bake in 400 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, until tender.

2.  Toast walnuts in nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring, 5 minutes or until golden.  Transfer to paper towel.

3.  Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion and celery; sauté 3 minutes, until just tender.  Add apple, raisins, bulgur wheat, broth, cinnamon, and salt.  Cover; simmer 15 minutes, until bulgur is tender and liquid absorbed.  Stir in toasted walnuts.

4.  Reduce oven heat to 375 degrees.  Flip squash cut-side up.  Fill with apple mixture.  Drizzle with 1 tablespoon syrup.  Bake in 375 degree oven for 15 minutes.  I sprinkled a little brown sugar on them before serving.

Chocolate Malt Cookies

Okay, so let’s be honest here.  I’ve stunk it up at getting on this blog!  2012 has been a rough start for us – lots of colds for me and the girls, plus I’ve had two different muscles in my back that have frozen up on me in the last month.  It’s been rough!  But I have lots of good things in the works.  I have 6 DELICIOUS recipes that I need to type up and put on here.  I also have some wonderful organizing tips as we all get ready for spring cleaning.  Working on a before/after of closets that I have organized that you will love!

In the meantime, I have a couple old recipes in here that I typed up but never posted.  In honor of Valentine’s Day, here is a yummy cookie recipe.  Do you love Whoppers candy?  Then you will LOVE this recipe.  The chocolate cookie is really good but biting into the Whopper is what makes these so tasty.  I’ve had this recipe forever and it stays in rotation for good reason!

Ingredients:

-1.5 cups sugar

-1.5 cups butter (3 sticks), softened

-1 tsp vanilla

-2 eggs

-3 cups flour

-4 Tbsp cocoa powder

-2 tsp baking powder

-1/2 tsp salt

-granulated sugar for rolling

-Malted milk balls (I buy the big carton)

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 400 degrees.  In large bowl, combine sugar and butter; beat until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and egg; blend well.

2.  Add flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; mix well.  Shape dough in 1” balls; roll in sugar.  Place on cookie sheet.

3.  Bake at 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes or until edges are set.  Remove from oven and immediately press 1 malted milk ball into center of cookie.  Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet.