Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Happy Fall Everyone!!! October is finally here and i am going to start the month off right by making these delicious Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!! I got this recipe from my sister-in-law for my bridal shower and i am SO glad she shared it with me!!! These are seriously the most delicious cookies ever... I just had to share this with all over you :)

 **WARNING** these are dangerously addictive! 

Ingredients

- 1 cup Shortening

- 2 cups White Sugar

- 2 Eggs

- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

- 1 (15 oz) can Pumpkin Puree

- 4 cups Flour

- 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda

- 1 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder

- 1 teaspoon Salt

- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

- 1 pinch Ground Nutmeg

- 1 cup Semisweet Chocolate Chips

- 1 cup Chopped Walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease cookie sheet.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and white sugar until smooth. Beat in Eggs one at a time. Stir in the Vanilla and Pumpkin until well blended. Combine in separate bowl Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Salt, Cinnamon and Nutmeg; Stir into the Pumpkin mixture. Mix until blended well. Then add the Chocolate Chips. Stir in the Walnuts if desired. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.

3. Bake for 12-15 minutes in the preheated oven, until edges begin to brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

4. Enjoy 

Tips:: I use Mini Semisweet Chocolate Chips so there is more chocolate throughout each cookie

Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwiches

Want to make simple delicious cookies that your kids can help decorate?! Then stop your search here cause you have found it!! This is the most simple cookie ever. Just make Chocolate Chip Cookies (your favorite recipe) or buy already made cookie dough. Cook the cookies. When they are cooled flip the cookie upside down, add frosting (store bought or home made), top with another cookie and there you have it! My daughter and i decorated the tops of them to make it more fun for her!! SUPER easy and yes.. they are delicious!!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

In honor of the beginning of Fall I thought I would post a pumpkin recipe. This is SO GOOD! It has a cake-like consistency and it melts in your mouth!

Ingredients:
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup shortening
6 eggs

1 (32 oz) can pumpkin (or 2 of the 15 ouncers will work too!)
1 cup water

4 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
3 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp nutmeg

12 oz milk chocolate chips

Directions:
Cream shortening, sugar and eggs (adding eggs one at a time). Blend in pumpkin and water. In a seperate bowl, sift dry ingredients together. Add to creamed mixture until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Fill loaf pans about 2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Toothpick should come out with tiny crumbs, but no liquid, when its done. It will continue to bake to perfection in the pan as it cools. Enjoy!!

Reeces Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I am a true believer that Chocolate and Peanut Butter have an eternal relationship that can only bring happiness to those who partake of it. Biting into a Reeces puts a smile on my face.See the picture below?? Yes, that is an opened bag of reeces mini's. Don't judge me.. I opened them in the car on my way home from the store.

 Last night, I needed to make cupcakes for a church activity celebrating a birthday and thought Chocolate and Peanut Butter just might be the inspiration for these cupcakes. I ventured on these 2 years ago for my husband's birthday but something THIS good can't be made just once!

Here's how to do it!

Start out by making the frosting so it has time to chill. Mix together:

2- 8oz packages of cream cheese

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup peanut butter

2 tsp vanilla

add 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

It should look like this...

Next put it in a quart sized zip lock (this will make for easy icing later!)

Put it in the refrigerator until you're ready to ice.

Now make your cake batter according to the directions on the package. (sorry, I don't do cupcakes from scratch haha!)

Once your batter is made and put into your muffin tins drop in ONE mini reeces cup. (DON'T PUSH IT DOWN! It will sink a little on it's own) You could also bake for 5 min and THEN put them in the tin... it's up to you but honestly this worked just fine.

After baking is done. (Watch carefully to NOT over bake!) Let them cool COMPLETELY.

Now that they are cooled, remember that nifty ziplock?? Cut off a 1/2" section off the corner of the bag... now you can squeeze the frosting out withought making a MESS! I also used a few chocolate chips we had in the pantry to jazz it up a bit. Tada! Enjoy!

Indoor S'mores

(Source)

I grew up in a family that went camping all the time. Many of my fond childhood/teenage memories were born on camping trips. Good, quality, fun family time!! Sleeping in a tent, swimming in the ocean, flying kites, riding quads, staying up too late, dutch oven breakfasts, apple turnovers, night-long campfires, and of corse S'mores! S'mores are a camping necessity!

But how often do we go camping? It doesn't seem right that such a fabulously delicious dessert can only be eaten on rare occasions.. does it? Have you heard of Indoor S'mores? Maybe I am a little behind but I only became aware of these a few years ago, and for the first time today I made them! They are made in a similar way to rice-krispy treats. These certainly do the trick to solve that S'mores craving that you've been having! Enjoy!

Indoor S'mores

5 TBS butter

5 cups mini marshmallows

1 tsp vanilla

8 cups Golden Grahams cereal

1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips

1 additional cup marshmallows

(The original recipe calls for corn syrup. In my opinion, its not necesary and is quite bad for you, so I left it out. I also made other minor changes. But if you would like the original recipe, see the "source" link below the picture)

Directions

Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and set aside. In a large non-stick pan, melt your butter on medium low heat. 

Then add 5 cups marshmallows. 

Stir until about half-melted. 

Add your vanilla and stir. Then add your cereal. Stir until completely coated.

Add 1 cup chocolate chips and additional 1 cup marshmallows.Spread into prepared pan and top with remaining chocolate chips. Let cool. Cut into squares and ENJOY! 

Caramel Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

I used to be a contributor to a different food blog.. long ago! I had posted this recipe there, because it was one of my favorites. That blog is long lost, so I thought I would bring this recipe back to life! Whoever discovered the incredible blend of chocolate and caramel is amazing! It also makes a bunch, which means you can share. 

Caramel Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars...... YUM!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 

Ingredients:
1 bag of Caramels
8 tsp Whipping cream

1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cup oatmeal
1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 tsp baking soda
1 1/8 cup MELTED butter

1 (12 oz) bag chocolate chips

Unwrap Caramels and put pile into a microwave safe bowl. mix in your whipping cream. 

Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir. Repeat this process until it looks like this:

While you are melting your caramels: Mix flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, salt, and baking soda in large bowl. Add melted butter and mix thoroughly. 

Lay half of dough in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Do not grease pan! Pack down, and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Drip caramel over top the chocolate chips. Sprinkle with remaining dough. Bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a couple hours. Now doesnt this look incredible??

Look at that chocolatey caramely bubbly deliciousness....

Dont you want to take a bite?

Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies

(Source)

I have had a life-long struggle with chocolate chip cookies. The dough is too sticky or too dry. The end result is flat, crunchy, and tastes too much like flour. We have all seen it, and weve all tried the recipe on the back of the bag of chocolate chips and ended up with a "meh" result. Well, I am here to put an end to your sadness.

Holly, over at Life As A Lofthouse is absolutely amazing. This recipe is hers. These cookies are soft, chewy, and cake-like. The secret ingredient? Pudding! Yes, you heard me correctly. Dont knock it until you try it. 

1 cup (2 sticks) Butter, softened
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup White Sugar
1 small pkg Instant Vanilla Pudding mix
2 eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 pkg ( 12 oz) Milk Chocolate Chips

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat the butter, both sugars, pudding mix, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat until creamy and fluffy. Then slowly mix in flour and baking soda. Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop by tablespoonfuls, onto an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake for ONLY 9-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool about 10 minutes before eating. 

One thing I LOVE about this recipe is that you dont remove the cookies from the sheet. No smooshing those beauties. Wait until they are cool and then remove them. Unlike most cookie recipies, if you leave these on the pan they dont get dried out or overcooked. Perfection every time! If you love this recipe, make sure you visit Hollys main page via the link above. Shes seriously an amazing cook!