Whoopie Pies

Since I've been baking a lot of cookies, a friend requested whoopie pies for bowling this week. I'd never made them before so I went through a bunch of recipes and picked the one that looked the best. I think I got the most compliments for these cookies than any other I've ever made (except maybe the pumpkin cookies)! They were really easy too :)

I used parchment paper on my cookie sheets so I'd have less of a mess to clean up when I was done and it worked great.

Cookies
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup shortening
2 eggs (lightly beaten)
2 cups milk
2 tsp vanilla
10 Tbsp cocoa
4 cups flour
2 & 1/2 tsp soda
Pinch of salt

Filling
1 & 1/2 cups shortening
1 & 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
12 Tbsp marshmallow fluff
2 tsp pure vanilla

• For the cookies, cream shortening and sugar.
• Combine eggs, milk, vanilla, and beat in to cream mixture.
• Sift dry ingredients together and slowly stir in to cream mixture. Beat on medium for about 2 minutes.
• Drop on to greased and floured cookie sheet, enough dough to make cookies about 2 inches.
• Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 8-10 minutes.
• Let cool completely on a wire rack.
• For the filling, combine fluff, shortening, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed.
• Slowly add confectioners' sugar until well mixed.
• Place a generous amount on the flat side of one cookie and top with another cookie.
• Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving and store in airtight container in fridge.

Strawberry-Champagne Cheesecake

I got this recipe out of a recent Taste of Home magazine. My mom noticed it and suggested I try it. I don't normally like cheesecake, but this is absolutely amazing! I made it for dessert for Thanksgiving and everyone that tried it, liked it.

The original recipe said to melt the chocolate chips in the microwave, but I found it was too hard to get the time/temp just right, so I melted them on the stove. Be careful because if you melt them at too high of a temperature or for too long, it becomes dry and crumbly. I took mine off of the heat while there were still a few small lumps of chocolate.

Cake
1 cup champagne or other sparkling wine
2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs (about 14 whole crackers)
2 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
3 - 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 egg yolks
Topping
20 fresh strawberries, hulled
1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
1 tsp shortening, divided
1/3 cup white chocolate chips
Sauce
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

• In a small saucepan, bring champagne to a boil and cook until reduced to about 1/4 cup (about 8 minutes). Set aside and let cool.
• In medium bowl, combine cracker crumbs, 1/2 cup sugar, and butter.
• Press onto bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Spread sliced strawberries across the bottom and set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in sweetened condensed milk, cornstarch, and champagne. Add eggs and yolks, beat on low speed until just combined.
• Pour mixture over strawberries and bake at 325 degrees for 55-60 minutes, until center is almost set.
• Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes then run knife around edge to loosen. Cool an additional hour at room temperature and refrigerate overnight.
• Remove sides of pan. Slice and arrange strawberries over top of cheesecake.
• Melt milk chocolate chips and 1/2 tsp shortening on medium-low heat in small saucepan. Drizzle over strawberries. Repeat with white chocolate chips.
• In small bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar, beat until soft peaks form, serve with cheesecake.

Peanut Butter Cookies

If you can't tell, I've been making a lot of cookies lately. This is another recipe I got out of my cookie cook book. The dough is a little softer than what I have worked with in the past, but the cookies were still great! Maybe I'll find another recipe that's more like what I'm used to and post that later :)

A friend requested I put Reese's Pieces in the cookies as well, so I made half the batch with and half the batch without. They were good, but it was just more peanut butter with some crunchy added in. We decided they might be better with M&Ms or something that adds a different flavor. The colors were great for fall though!

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1&1/4 cups all-purpose flour
Granulated sugar

• In large bowl, beat butter and peanut butter until smooth.
• Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, and baking powder. Beat until combined.
• Beat in egg and vanilla until combined.
• Beat in flour (hand stir if it gets too thick).
• Refrigerate for one hour to make easier to handle, if necessary.
• Shape dough in to 1-inch balls, roll in granulated sugar, and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Using fork, flatten balls by making criss-cross pattern.
• Bake for 7-9 minutes at 375 degrees. Let cool.

If these look a little different than yours, it's because I didn't roll the cookies in sugar or shape them with a fork.

Chocolate No-Bake Cookies

This is another family favorite cookie that my mom has made for us as long as I can remember :) It is really fast, really easy, and everyone loves them!

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
3 rounded Tbsp cocoa
1/2 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups oats

• Bring sugar, butter, cocoa, and milk to a boil in a medium-large pan.
• Remove from heat and mix in peanut butter and vanilla until peanut butter is completely melted. Stir in oats.
• Scoop 1 inch balls on to wax paper, aluminum foil, or parchment paper and let cool until set, approximately one hour.