Lemon Jello Cake

YUM!  that's one word that sums up my grandma's lemon jello cake recipe.

when i have some down time, one of my favorite things to do is flip through recipe books.  lately i have been flipping through my grandma's old recipe box.  i love looking at the old tattered recipe cards and reading where some of the recipes came from.  this recipe came from her best friend Gertrude.

doesn't it look yummy??

it's extremely moist and i think it tastes even better the day after.

and the best thing is... it's super easy to make!  here's the recipe... i created it to fit on a 3x5 index card in honor of my grammie's recipe box. :o)  enjoy!

Lemon Jello Cake Recipe Card

The Best Brownies... EVER

i found this divine brownie recipe from King Arthur's website.  it seriously is THE BEST brownie recipe i have ever tried.  i know that i've tried over at least 10 different brownie recipes.  

i don't know that i could have described what i was looking for before, but one bite into one of these brownies and i knew i found it.  it's not too cakey and not to fudgey.  it's just pure perfection.  so perfect that last night was the 2nd time i've made them in the last week and a half.  

the first time i made them i took them into work with me.  everyone gobbled them up.  at the end of the day a co-worker came out of his office looking for them and was bummed to find that they were all gone.  last night i made a 2nd batch that i'm going to take to a friend's house.  thank goodness i know that they have a place to go or else i'd eat the whole pan.  i love them that much.

a couple of times when i tried to go back to the recipe, i had a hard time getting there so here's the recipe for your convenience.  :o)

King Arthur's Brownie Recipe:

1 C unsalted butter

2 1/4 C sugar

4 large eggs

1 1/4 cups double-dutch dark cocoa or dutch-process cocoa  (i used the cocoa that i picked up from Henry's bulk bins and it worked great)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp espresso powder (optional)  i made one batch with and one without.  they were equally great.

1 TB vanilla extract

1 1/2 C unbleached all-purpose flour

2 C chocolate chips

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" pan

2) In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, or in a saucepan set over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine. Return the mixture to the heat (or microwave) briefly, just until it's hot (about 110°F to 120°F), but not bubbling; it'll become shiny looking as you stir it. Heating this mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.

3) While the sugar heats a second time, crack the 4 eggs into a bowl, and beat them with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and vanilla till smooth.

4) Add the hot butter/sugar mixture, stirring until smooth.

5) Add the flour and chips, again stirring until smooth. Note: If you want the chips to remain intact in the baked brownies, rather than melting in, let the batter cool in the bowl for about 20 minutes before stirring in the chips.

6) Spoon the batter into a lightly greased 9" x 13" pan.

7) Bake the brownies for about 30 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. The brownies should feel set on the edges, and the center should look very moist, but not uncooked. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack before cutting and serving.

Easy "Homemade" Fudgesicles

it's been blazing hot here this week which has made it challenging to stay working in the garage (stay tuned for my mission impossible garage reorganization reveal). 

it's so hot that i couldn't bring myself to leave the house to pick up popsicles.  lucky me i'm on this diy-only-use-things-in-the-house kick.  i started looking around for something to make popsicles with... lo and behold, i had some pudding in my fridge!  that got me thinking... "hmmmmm... fudgesicles sound good!"

this is my quick and easy recipe: (it's so easy i feel silly even sharing it)

popsicle sticks + pudding cup + a couple hours in the freezer = insta fudgesicle!

poke a slit on top with a sharp knife. 

stick a popsicle stick in and tap it against the counter to make sure the pudding settles around the stick. 

pop them in the freezer for a 3 - 4 hours and voila! push on the bottom of the pudding container to pop out your easy peesy "homemade" fudgesicles! 

they turned out deelish!  just what i needed and i didn't have to leave the house. 

am i a total dork?

it's probably cheaper to pick up a package of fudgesicles, but it works if you find yourself in a pinch or if you're like me and just can't muster up the energy to leave your air conditioned home. :o)

i'm linking to SNS!

Happy 4th of July!

happy 4th of july!

i'm going to a bar-b-q tomorrow and i'm taking a couple of desserts. the first is from pioneer woman... everything she makes is delish and it's so cute so i thought i'd give it a try. 

strawberry shortcake cake!

i couldn't find any small flags at the grocery store so i made my own. 

i made a little tag with my "vintage" dymo... (hee! it was my sis' and she gifted it to me last year) :o)  

the other dessert i made is especially for the kiddos. layered jello! my grammie made this for us every new year.

i used to love pulling apart the layers to eat... wait, what am i saying?? i still love pulling apart the layers to eat! :o) 

my grammie used to make layered jello with 4 different colors, but for the 4th i had to go with red, white, and blue. 

here's the recipe for 2 colors/flavors of jello:

spray a 8x8 pan with pam and then wipe with a paper towel

2 pkgs of different flavor jello

1 can sweetened condensed milk (eagle brand)

4 envelopes plain knox gelatin

4 cups hot water

• mix 1 pkg jello (A), 1 envelope knox gelatin, and 1 cup hot water
• mix the other pkg jello (B), 1 envelope knox gelatin, and 1 cup hot water
• mix condensed milk and 1 cup hot water in a bowl.  in a separate large bowl, mix 2 envelopes knox gelatin and 1 cup hot water.  once both mixtures are dissolved, add condensed milk mixture to gelatin. (C)
• pour 3/4 cup of A into pan. refrigerate for 20 minutes
• pour 1 cup C into pan. refrigerate for 30 minutes
• pour 3/4 cup of B into pan
• repeat and end with jello

recipe for 4 colors/flavors of jello:

spray a 8x11 or 9x13 pan with pam and wipe with a paper towel

4 pkgs of different flavors of jello (my grammie used to do green, yellow, orange, and red)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

6 envelopes of plain knox gelatin

6 cups of hot water

• mix 1 pkg jello, 1 envelope knox gelatin, and 1 cup hot water (repeat for all packages)
• mix condensed milk and 1 cup hot water in a bowl.  in a separate large bowl, mix 2 envelopes knox gelatin and 1 cup hot water.  once both mixtures are dissolved, add condensed milk mixture to gelatin.
• pour 1 jello mixture into pan. refrigerate for 20 minutes
• pour 1 cup of milk mixture into pan. refrigerate for 30 minutes
• continue alternating and end with jello

Lemon Blueberry Pound Cake

wow! it's been so long since i've posted, i'm wondering if i remember how to??

i started on this re-organizing kick and maybe you know how it goes... i totally wanted to post a big reveal, but it always gets messier and more overwhelming before it gets cleaner. {sigh}  so my life has been filled with that, work, school, a visit to see the fam, and just life.  i'm sorry for neglecting this blog. :o(  please forgive me.

i also recently purchased a new-to-me camera (canon rebel xt) from my chiro for a KILLER price... i LOVE it, but i'm still learning. you'll see. ;o)

so... on to my post about this yumilicious lemon blueberry pound cake i made today...

i arrived to the farmer's market a lot later than i'm used to and i was surprised to find some awesome deals! along with a bunch of other organic fruits and veggies, i bought a whole flat of strawberries for only $7.00.  when i got home i decided that i needed to make something yummy to go along with these beauties (out of focus beauties that is).

first i thought of the standard angel food cake (which i LOVE), but this time i wanted something different.  lately i've been eating a TON o' blueberries and strawberries together so that's how i came up with lemon blueberry pound cake. oh mercy.

can i just say how pretty the blue and yellow looks together? yum. can i also tell you how much i LOVE using my grandma's old pyrex set??  it not only brings back memories of concocting recipes together or licking cake batter off the beaters, but it also makes me feel like she's in the kitchen with me. good times. :o)

ok so the recipe is to follow but before i get to it i just want to share that pam for baking is your friend when making bundt cakes.

i used to dread making bundt cakes for fear of finding out if the whole cake would pop out or if just the bottom 1/2 would pop out.  there were so many times when i would have to scrape the top parts out of the pan. i tried buttering and flouring... that flopped.  i tried making homemade crisco and flour pastes to put in the pan... flopped. and then my poor bundt pans just sat in the back of my cupboards... until i discovered pam for baking. omgoodness... a God send.  every bundt cake just pops out and i never have to worry about the outcome.

one other thing before the recipe... every time i make a bundt cake i think of this scene from "my big fat greek wedding"... i just love that movie!

lemon blueberry pound cake (from recipezaar with a couple of my own modifications)

2 c sugar

1/2 c light butter at room temp

4 oz cream cheese at room temp

3 large eggs

1 large egg white

3 c flour, divided

1 1/2 c blueberries (frozen or fresh)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 8 oz (6 oz also works) plain yogurt

2 tsp vanilla extract

lemon zest from 2 lemons

2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 c powdered sugar

4 tsp lemon juice

-preheat oven to 350

-beat first 3 ingredients until well blended

-add eggs and egg white one at a time until each is well blended

-set aside 2 TB flour

-mix together remaining flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and slowly beat into the mix

- mix in yogurt and vanilla

- mix in 2 tsp lemon juice and lemon zest

- coat blueberries with remaining flour and fold into the batter

- pour into greased and floured bundt pan

- bake for 70 mins

- cool for 20 mins and remove from pan

- in a small bowl mix lemon juice and powdered sugar and drizzle on top of cake

- serve with strawberries

- enjoy!!!

Here's a Tip Tuesday: The 3 R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Have you heard Jack Johnson's song The 3 R's?  It's a happy song that talks about different ways to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.  It's really a song for kids, but I love it.  What can I say?  I'm a kid at heart. :o)   
Here he is in Hawaii with Dave Matthews.  I just love guitars, so I LOVE this pairing!  Enjoy!

Speaking of the 3 R's, this weekend I stopped by a local pastry shop and picked up some yummy treats. Here's a shot of SOME of them.  Sorry.  I didn't bring my camera on this trip and I couldn't wait to dig in.

 

After I polished off my treats, I washed the container, traced a template of the box on to a piece of scrapbook paper, cut it out and placed it in the box.  Then I adorned it with a ribbon and dropped it off at my friend's house.  I HAVE to get rid of my baked goods as soon as I can or else they'll all end up in my belly.

I like the after. It makes me smile.  Yellow is my new favorite color.

I tried out a new recipe for this one. Alton Brown's chocolate chip cookies.  I was curious about it because it calls for melted butter and I've never tried that before.  The result was a light fluffy cookie and I could really taste the butter.  Yum!

**Check out my 100th post and giveaway HERE**

Alton Brown's Chocolate Chip Cookie:

2 sticks unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.
Pour the melted butter in the mixer’s work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Here's a Tip: Unsweetened Chocolate Squares-- A Thrifty Alternative

First off, I have to apologize.  I'm a lame-o.  I was so excited about doing my 100th post and having a giveaway. I started reminiscing and decided to look through my list of old posts and realized that I had a few drafts in there that I never posted.  So I deleted those and I think this is post #96.  So it'll be a couple more days.  Sorry. :o(   Please come back though.  It'll be worth it.  At least I think it will.  I want to keep the giveaway for myself... but it IS more fun to give than receive, so I'll part with the gifts no matter how difficult it is. :o)


So on to today's tip... Now that baking season is upon us, I thought I'd share a money saving tip I use when I have to use unsweetened chocolate squares.  They come in boxes like this:

The price per box can range anywhere from $3.50 - 5.00.  When you're using a lot of these, it can really add up.  So instead of investing in these unsweetened squares, I save A LOT of money by using:
3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (that I buy from the bulk section)

1 Tablespoon oil (I usually use vegetable oil) 

Just add both of them to whatever you're baking and it comes out perfect. 

This equals a 1oz. square of unsweetened chocolate. 

And how about a recipe that I just made using this tip???

Cheesecake Marbled Brownies

Oh yeah baby!!!  I found this recipe on SmittenKitten.  This girl has some serious baking talent! Once I saw pictures of this recipe, I knew I had to make it. I'm such a sucker for pictures. 

Makes 16 2-inch square, thick brownies
Brownie batter
1 stick (1/2 cup or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
Cheesecake batter 
8 ounces cream cheese, well softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Plus
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips


Make brownie batter: Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan. Heat butter and chocolate in a 3-quart heavy saucepan — though I did mine double-boiler style, placing the mixing bowl I was using over simmering water, thereby creating one less dirty dish and melting the chocolate more gently — over moderately low heat, whisking occasionally, just until melted. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar, eggs, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until well combined. Whisk in flour until just combined and spread in baking pan.


Make cheesecake batter: Whisk together cheesecake batter ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Dollop over brownie batter, then swirl in with a knife or spatula.
[I actually like using a butter knife because the tip of it is round enough that you can use it to fold bits of the brownie batter over the cheesecake batter for a more visibly marbled effect. Try it!]
Sprinkle chocolate chips over cheesecake/brownie batter swirl. Although it might be more logical to just mix them into the cheesecake batter (and feel free to do this, it will have no ill-effect) I thought it might interrupt the swirl-ability of it.


Bake brownies: Bake until edges are slightly puffed and center is just set, about 35 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.


Slicing tip: I like to chill my brownies until they’re almost frozen before cutting them. It makes it much easier to get a clean slice. I also like to eat my brownies super-cold, but that’s just personal taste.

I'm linking to Tasty Tuesdays.

Back to Our Scheduled Programming

Tonight was the last night of class.  Two classes down, 10 more to go!  Weeeeeee!!!! I have one week off before my next term starts, so I'm jumping back into my projects!


Here's part of my list of things to do in the next 1 1/2 weeks:

• Finish sewing coffee cozies
• Finish refinishing the entertainment system 
• Sell entertainment system -- it doesn't fit up my stairs  :o(
• Start making bags/purses
• Refashion a couple of shirts
• Make fabric flowers-- just because :o)

I was so happy that I'm going to have a little break from studying that I came straight home and baked!  These are going into work with me tomorrow.

I used this cheater recipe for the cupcakes and they taste pretty darn good!  For the frosting I used this super easy buttercream recipe. 

Baking and more baking

I had three very ripe bananas that were screaming to be used so I made Banana Pancakes for myself and Streusel Topped Banana Muffins for my co-workers.  I also made Pumpkin Scones and Italian Cream Cake for my co-workers.

This weekend my co-workers helped me out and volunteered at a HUGE college fair over the weekend.  There were 100 colleges and vocational schools there and over 3,000 students in attendance.  It was an incredible event and I'm so grateful for their help so the muffins and scones are a surprise for them.  The cake is also a surprise, but for one of their birthdays this week.

I'm still wiped out from the event, so I'm only showing the finished products and recipes... not the process... sorry!

Pumpkins Scones and Streusel Topped Banana Muffins

Italian Cream Cake
OMGoodness... this was really DE-VINE!!!  It is totally worthy the work. So moist and rich.  Get ready for a sugar high though.

*Update* My co-workers ate this cake 4 days in a row. I asked them if they were getting sick of it...one said that she woke up thinking about it and the other said that it was the best cake he's ever had.  I highly recommend it.  It's a crowd pleaser. 

It's kind of crazy that it's the end of September and it was still 90+ degrees outside today.  I'm grateful for the beautiful weather, but... it's Fall!  I'm dying to bake and not sweat to death doing it.

Streusel Topped Banana Muffins

1 3/4 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 

1/4 teaspoon baking soda 

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon (divided) 

1 egg 

1 cup banana (mashed) 

3/4 cup sugar 

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup walnuts (chopped) 

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup oats

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare a 12 cup muffin pan with paper muffin cups.
In a bowl combine the brown sugar, 1/4 cup of the flour, oats, melted butter, and 1/2 tsp of the cinnamon, mix and press together with a fork until it looks crumbly, and set aside.
In another mixing bowl, combine the remaining 1 1/2 c flour, baking powder, baking soda, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, and 1/8 tsp salt. Set aside.
In another bowl combine the egg, mashed bananas, sugar, and oil, mix well then add to the flour mixture. Stir until just moistened, fold in the walnuts.
Spoon batter into each muffin cup, about 2/3 full each. Top each batter filled cup with the streusel topping, enough to cover so you cant see the batter. Bake at 350 degrees 20-25 min, or until toothpick test comes out clean.

Billie’s Italian Cream Cake

(from Pioneer Woman)

Cake:
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
5 eggs, separated
3 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup flaked coconut (from PW: If you think you hate coconut, trust me: I do too, and I love it in this recipe)
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups all purpose flour

Frosting:
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese - COLD
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 2-lb package powdered sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup sweetened, flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour three 9-inch round cake pans.
Beat egg whites until stiff. Set aside.

Cake:
In a large bowl, cream together butter, oil, and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg yolks, vanilla, and coconut.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and baking powder.
Alternate adding buttermilk and dry ingredients to wet ingredients.
Mix until just combined, then fold in egg whites.
Pour evenly into the three prepared pans, then sprinkle the top of each pan with 1 (at least) tablespoon sugar.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto cooling racks and allow to cool completely.

Frosting:
In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Stir in chopped walnuts and sugared coconut. Spread between layers and serve.

PUMPKIN SCONES

Scones

2 cups all-purpose

7 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ginger

6 tablespoons cold butter

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

3 tablespoons half and half

1 large egg

POWDERED SUGAR GLAZE

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon whole milk or half and half

SPICED GLAZE

1/2 cup powered sugar

2 tablespoons powered sugar

1 tablespoon whole milk or half and half 

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch ground nutmeg

pinch ginger

1 pinch ground cloves

Directions
TO MAKE THE SCONES:.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Using a pastry knife, fork, or food processor, cut butter into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter are obvious. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half and half, and egg. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Form the dough into a ball.
Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1-inch thick rectangle (about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide). Use a large knife or a pizza cutter to slice the dough twice through the width, making three equal portions. Cut those three slices diagonally so that you have 6 triangular slices of dough. Place on prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 14–16 minutes. Scones should begin to turn light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.

TO MAKE THE PLAIN GLAZE:
Mix the powdered sugar and milk together until smooth.
When scones are cool, use a brush to paint plain glaze over the top of each scone.
As the plain glaze firms up, make the spiced glaze. 

SPICED ICING:
Combine the ingredient for the spiced icing together. Drizzle this thicker icing over each scone and allow the icing to dry before serving (at least 1 hour). 

Check out DIY Day and Tasty Tuesdays!

Fall Nesting

September = Back to the books, FOOTBALL (Go Chargers!), and busting out this little gem.

I have a "problum" when it comes to walking past those mini-cookbooks in the check-out isle of the grocery store.  I just LOVE that they're categorized by themes and... the pictures!  Yummm!  They just get me motivated to cook.   I have bunches of them.  So many that I have restricted myself from buying anymore cookbooks for the past 2 years.

I also love this:

What else screams fall more than the smell of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves?  Fall nesting for me = Baking.  I love the smell filling my home and I love giving my baked goods away (*quickly* so I don't consume them all).

 I made Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins this morning and they will go into work with me today.

Look at you pretty little thing!
They would have been prettier like this.
I need to pre-cut parchment paper to have it ready to go.
Muffin cups were way easier this morning. 

I taste tested it for all of you and yes, it was yummy.

**Enter my drawing here**

Here's the recipe:
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
(Yields 2 loaves or 36 muffins)

4 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 C sugar
3/4 C softened butter or margarine
4 eggs
1/2 C water
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 C + 2 TB mini semisweet chocolate chips
2 TB chopped pecans
2 tsp sugar

• Heat oven to 350. Grease bottom only of two 8x4 loaf pans and lightly flour.
• In medium bowl, stir flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg until mixed; set aside
• In large bowl, beat 2 C sugar and the butter with mixer on medium speed 1 - 2 mins until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in water and pumpkin on low speed.  Add flour mixture; beat on low speed until moistened.  Stir in 1 C of chocolate chips.  Spread evenly in pans. Sprinkle tops with remaining 2 TB chocolate chips, pecans and 2 tsp sugar.
• Bread: bake 1 hr 5 mins to 1 hr 15 mins or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool in pans 10 mins; remove from pans to wire rack to cool completely.
• Muffins: bake 20 - 22 mins or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

Jump over to The Inspired Room to see what others are doing to gear up for the fall, or Tasty Tuesday Party to see what yummy things people are cooking up.

Cookie Time!

Tonight I made cookies for my bf and some of his co-workers.  Just something I like to do occasionally.  I tried a new recipe, Caramel Cashew Cookies.

First I made pralines.  I tripled the recipe. Here's the water, sugar, and cream of tartar together.

Heating it up. 

Wipe down the crystalized sugar with water.

You have to watch it when it starts to turn to caramel.  It browns quickly, so once it starts to brown remove it from the heat right away.

Add the nuts.

Here it is after it's hardened.

Chop it up and add it to the batter.  Yum!  Lookin good.

I love using a cookie scooper... it makes all of the cookies uniform.

Flatten them and sprinkle chopped cashews on top.

Here they are finished.

The recipe didn't make as many cookies as I thought so I threw together chocolate toffee cheater cookies.  I call them "cheater" because they use cake mix and they're so quick to make.  

You can literally throw them together in minutes. 

I liked how it looked alternating the two cookies. 

Caramel Cashew Cookies

(I modified this recipe from the 1972 Gourmet magazine)

Cashew Praline

1/2 C sugar

2 TB water

1 pinch cream of tartar

1/2 C chopped roasted cashews

Cookie

1/2 C softened butter

1/3 C sugar

1 egg yolk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 C flour

Making cashew praline: In a heavy skillet cook sugar, water, and cream of tartar over high heat.  Wash down any undissolved sugar on the sides with brush and water. Remove from heat once it turns a light brown. Quickly stir in chopped cashews. Pour pralines onto a buttered piece of foil and spread it into a thin sheet.  Let cool and once it is hardened, chop coarsley.

Making cookies: In a bowl beat butter and sugar until creamy.  Beat in egg yolk and vanilla.  Stir in flour.  Add chopped pralines.  Drop the dough by heaping teaspoons onto a lightly buttered baking sheet about 2 inches apart, flatten slightly and sprinkle with chopped cashews.  Bake at 350 for 14 - 16 minutes.  Let cookies cool and transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Cake Mix Cookies *these are super easy*

1 (18 oz) box of package cake mix (in my case devils food cake)

1/3 C vegetable or canola oil

2 eggs

1 C nuts, chocolate chips or whatever you prefer (in my case chocolate toffee chips and mini chocolate chips)

Place the first 2 ingredients in a bowl and mix together.  Stir in extra ingredients.  Drop the dough by heaping teaspoons on to a cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.  Let cookies cool and transfer to a rack to cool completely.  Grab a glass of milk and enjoy!