Cake Mix Shortcuts: Rocky Road Cookies and Chai Latte Cupcakes

Even though I like to make most of my baked stuff from scratch, sometimes cake mix just comes in handy to make something quick and easy. It is also very easy to doctor up to make it something more than your average cake mix cake.
So for the Rocky Road Cookies, I had a box of devil's food cake mix and decided to make some cookies out of it because I wanted something quick. I found a basic cake mix cookie recipe and decided to add the marshmallows, chocolate chips, and pecans to mimic rocky road ice cream. Definantly line your cookie sheet with parchment paper as the marshmallow does tend to "goo" out of the cookies a little bit and will stick to the pan if the cookies are directly on it.

Rocky Road Cookies

1 package devil's food cake mix
1 stick of butter, softened
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup chopped pecans



Mix together cake mix, butter, oil, eggs, and vanilla until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips, marshmallows, and pecans. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheet and press down lightly with your hand to slightly flatten each cookie. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

I made the Chai Latte Cupcakes because they were made to taste like one of my favorite drinks, a chai tea latte. If you don't know what that is, it is a traditional tea from India that has flavors like cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom and is steeped in milk. It is like Christmas in a cup and I LOVE it!! The original recipe called for the use of powdered chai tea, but I used 3 teabags steeped in the water that the recipe called for and it gave a great chai flavor. These are a simple, fast cupcake that is basically a doctored cake mix and doctored canned vanilla frosting. Sorry I thought I took a picture of them but I guess I forgot too!!

Chai Latte Cupcakes (Adapted from Betty Crocker.com)
1 box of yellow cake mix
1 1/2 cups of water
3 Chai tea bags (can substitute 1 pkg of instant Chai Tea Mix if desired)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 container vanilla frosting
1 cup white chocolate chips
Cinnamon, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Heat water in the microwave for 1 min, 40 sec. Put tea bags in water to steep, set aside to cool. Once tea mixture is room temperature, mix together cake mix, tea mixture, vegetable oil, eggs, cinnamon, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Divide batter evenly among cupcake liners (should make 23-24). Bake for 18-23 minutes or until toothpick inserted in cupcake center comes out clean and tops spring back. Allow to cool in tins for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. In a glass bowl, heat the white chocolate chips at 30 second intervals until melted. Stir until smooth and then cool 5 minutes before stirring in the vanilla frosting until blended. Frost completely cool cupcakes with frosting then sprinkle lightly with cinnamon to garnish.

Super Bowl Food: Jalapeno Popper Dip, Creamy Cole Slaw, Creamy Rice Casserole, Chocolate Chip Cookies

Jalapeno Popper Dip (from Our Best Recipes)

2 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies
1/2-1 (4 oz) can diced jalapeno peppers, drained (1/2 for milder dip, whole can for spicier dip)
8 oz bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Reserve 2-3 tablespoons of bacon for top of dip. Combine cream cheese, mayo, parmesan, garlic, green chilies, jalapenos, and bacon. Sprinkle top with reserved bacon. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until dip is bubbly and golden brown. Serve with tortilla chips.

Creamy Rice Casserole (adapted from Delta Kappa Gamma Cookbook)
1 (10 oz) bag yellow rice mix
1 (5 oz) bag yellow rice mix
1 large (15.25 oz) can corn
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Prepare rice according to package directions. Stir in corn, chilies, butter, cream of chicken soup, and sour cream. Spread in a a greased casserole dish and top with cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes until bubbly.

Creamy Cole Slaw (adapted from Bobby Flay)

1 bag angel hair slaw (or regular if you prefer)
2 large carrots, finely shredded
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon white sugar (or to taste)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon celery salt
Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine the slaw and carrots in a large bowl. Whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, onion powder, sugar, vinegar, mustard powder, celery salt, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Add to cabbage mixture and mix well; taste for seasoning (can add more salt, pepper, or sugar).

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies (from Allrecipes.com)

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 (3.4 oz) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop cookies by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven until cookies are golden brown.

Christmas Goodies!!

Here are the things I made for Christmas this year! Some are really simple and others are a little more time consuming (like the coconut cake!). Enjoy!!

Red Velvet Cookies (Betty Crocker Recipe)

1 pouch of Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup sour cream

1 Tablespoon red food color

1 egg

1 container Cream Cheese Frosting (or you can make some if desired)

1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Mix cookie mix, cocoa, butter, sour cream, food color, and egg in a bowl until soft dough forms. Roll dough into 1-inch balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-9 minutes or until set. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes. Frost with cream cheese frosting and sprinkle with chopped nuts.

Twix Cookies

2 packages Loorna Doone Shortbread Cookies

1/2 package chocolate flavored Almond Bark, melted

Filling:

28 Kraft caramels

6 tablespoons evaporated milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Combine caramels and milk in a large saucepan. Cooke and stir over medium-low heat until caramels are melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, sugar, and pecans. Cool for 5 minutes. Spread 1 teaspoon over each cookie. Dip tops of cookies in melted Almond Bark and allow to dry.

Martha Washington Candy
(unless you are giving this away to a bunch of people, I recommend making 1/2 a batch)

2 pounds sifted powdered sugar
1 can sweetened, condensed milk
2 cups flaked coconut
1 stick butter, melted
3 cups chopped pecans
Dipping Chocolate:
1 cake paraffin wax
12 oz semisweet chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients together, shape into balls, then chill until hard. Dip chilled balls into dipping chocolate using a skewer and let cool. Using a spoon, drizzle additional chocolate over the balls to cover the skewer holes and to make candy look pretty and professional, if desired.

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies (From Martha Stewart's Cookies)

1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon unsweetend cocoa powder
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water
7 oz semisweet chocolate, cut into chunks

1/4 cup granulated sugar, to roll dough in before baking

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and fresh ginger on medium speed until lightened, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in boiling water. Beat half of the flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking soda mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture. Mix in chocolate chunks; turn onto plastic wrap. Pat out into a 1-inch thickness; seal with wrap. Refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls; place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Chill 20 minutes. Roll in granulated sugar. Bake until surfaces just begin to crack, 10-12 minutes, rotating halfway through. Let cool 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Cookies are best the day they are made but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days. Can place 1/2 of a cut apple in the container to maintain softness of cookies.

Toasted Coconut Cake with Coconut Cream Filling and Coconut Buttercream (Bobby Flay)

Toasted Coconut:
2 cups sweetened, flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread the coconut evenly onto a baking sheet and toast until lightly golden brown, stirring once (8-10 minutes). Turn off the oven and let the coconut sit in the oven until very dry and crunchy (be careful to not let it get too brown or it will taste burnt; should be lightly golden, not dark brown).

Coconut Simple Syrup:
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3/4 cup sweetened, flaked coconut

Bring water and sugar to a boil. Stir in the coconut, remove from the heat and let sit for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours. Strain the liquid into a clean saucepan, bring to a boil and let cook until the mixture is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Let cool.

Coconut Custard:
3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
4 large egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons coconut rum
1 tablspoon pure vanilla extract

Combine the milks in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Whisk together the yolks, sugar, and cornstarch in a large bowl. Slowly whisk the warm milk into the egg mixture then return the mixture to the pot over medium heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly, until thickened. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and whisk in the rum and vanilla extract. Let cool to room temperature then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours.

Coconut Filling
3/4 cup coconut custard (see recipe above)
3/4 cup cold heavy cream

Combine the custard and cream in a bowl and whip until soft peaks form.

Coconut Buttercream
3 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup coconut custard (see recipe above)
1 tablespoon coconut rum
Pinch fine sea salt

Beat the butter and sugar in a stand mixture fitted with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the coconut custard and salt and beat until combined and smooth.

Cake:
Butter and flour for pans
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
6 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 12 equal pieces, slightly cold

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour 2 (9 inch) round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Whisk together the milk, egg whites, and vanilla in a medium bowl. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. With mixer running at low speed, add the butter, one piece at a time, and continue beating until mixture resembles moist crumbs. Add all but 1/2 cup of the milk mixture to the crumbs and beat at medium speed until the mixture is pale and fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes. With mixture on low speed, add remaining 1/2 cup of milk mixture, increase speed to medium and beat 30 seconds more. Scrape sides of  bowl and mix for 20 seconds longer. Divide the batter evenely between the cake pans and smooth tops using a rubber spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs attached, 22-24 minutes. Cool in the pan on cooling rack for 10 minutes. Run a small knife around the side of the pan and invert cakes onto the cooling rack, removing parchment paper, and let cool completely (about 45 minutes).

Assembly of Cake:
Using a long serrated knife, slice each cake horizontally into 2 layers. Reserve 1 of the flat bottom layers for the top of the cake. Place a layer onto the cake plate and brush with coconut simple syrup. Spoon 1/3 of coconut filling onto the cake layer. Repeat with 2 more layers. Brush the cut side of the reserved cake layer with the remaining syrup. Place the layer cut side down on top of the cake. Frost the sides and top of the cake with the buttercream. Pat the coconut onto the sides of the cake and sprinkle the remaining coconut on the top of the cake.

Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Country Style Ribs, Brown Rice Casserole

So I have made quite a few recipes lately, but keep putting off posting them!! Sunday I made dinner for my wonderful parents. Had to bake some cookies for my Daddy since they are his favorite and this one is a classic. It is literally found on the inside of the lid of Quaker rolled oats. I have made the "Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookie" for ages. I took these to work and they said they were the best oatmeal cookies that they had ever had. It is no fail so give it a try...if you haven't already.

These other recipes are some go to recipes in my family. My grandmother likes to make these ribs which literally fall apart. It is important to slow bake them on a low temperature because they will otherwise be tough instead of melt in your mouth. The rice casserole recipe is actually a hybrid of two recipes that I have gotten from friends over the years. Don't let the name of it fool you...it is really made with white rice but it is lightly browned in butter before baking...kinda zaps any hope you had for a healthy recipe huh? :)

Vanishing Oatmeal Cookies (from the Quaker Oats Can)

2 stick butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups Quaker Oats, uncooked
1 cup raisins



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well.  Stir in oats and raisins; mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack.

Slow Baked Country Style Ribs
Desired number of country style pork ribs (boneless) - figure about 2-3 per person
Seasoned salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Barbeque sauce

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. Sprinkle ribs generously with seasoned salt. Brown ribs on all sides then place in a baking dish; cover tightly with aluminum foil. Cook for 2 1/2-3 hours until fork tender. Cover ribs with barbeque sauce then recover and cook for 20-30 additional minutes.

Brown Rice Casserole
1 stick butter
1 cup white long grain rice, uncooked
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 can beef consomme
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 small can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 small can diced pimentos, drained

Melt butter in a skillet. Add onion and rice. Cook until rice is lightly browned. Add both cans of soup and melt. Add mushrooms and pimentos. Put in a casserole dish and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until rice is tender. I like to keep casserole covered with aluminum foil until about the last 15 minutes so the rice on top won't get overcooked. Can double the recipe for a crowd.

Baking Fun: Mississippi Mud Cake and Banana-Walnut Chocolate-Chunk Cookies

So my baking ventures for the week include and oldie, but goodie that I'm sure you all have made before and a twist on some classic baked goods. The Mississippi Mud Cake is always a crowd pleaser and is more like an incredibly gooey brownie than a cake. The second recipe is more of a combination of banana bread and chocolate chip cookies. Hope you enjoy!!!

Mississippi Mud Cake (From Southern Living)
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup butter
1 (4 oz) semisweet chocolate bar, chopped
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 (10.5 oz) package miniature marshmallows
Chocolate frosting (recipe follows)

Place pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes until toasted. Microwave 1 cup butter and semisweet chocolate in a large microwave-safe glass bowl on high 1 minute or until melted and smooth, stirring every 30 seconds. Whisk sugar and next 5 ingredients into chocolate mixture. Pour batter into a greased 15x10x1-inch jelly-roll pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, and sprinkle evenly with marshmallows, bake 8-10 minutes more or until golden brown. Drizzle warm cake with chocolate frosting and sprinkle evenly toasted pecans.

Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup milk

1 (16-oz) package powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir together first 3 ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat until butter is melted. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes or until slightly thickend; remove from heat. Beat in powdered sugar and vanilla at medium-high speed with an electric mixture until smooth.

Banana-Walnut Chocolate-Chunk Cookies (From Martha Stewart's Cookies)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temp

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup mashed, ripe banana

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

8 oz semisweet chocolate chunks

1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped and toasted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together both flours, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. Beat together butter and both sugars with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add egg and vanilla; mix until combined. Mix in banana. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in oats, chocolate chunks, and walnuts. Using a 1 1/2 inch ice cream scoop (I used a 1/2 tablespoon) drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating about halfway through, until golden-brown and just set, 12-13 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature for up to 2 days.

COOKIES!!: Oatmeal Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies, and Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Baking is something that I have always enjoyed to do and since my Daddy has always been a "cookie monster", cookies are kind of a "go to" item that I bake. The downside to baking is having sweets hanging around the house all the time, so when I was in college, I would share with my friends and most of my rotation sites in pharmacy school during my 4th year knew I would be bringing in some sweets about once a week. Since my husband started teaching, my "Cowboy Cookies" have developed a following with his kids at school so he asked me to bake some cookies for their first day tomorrow. Unfortunately, one of the (many) downsides of our current living situation while we are waiting to buy a house is that all of my cookbooks and thus all of my recipes are in storage, so I had to scour the internet for some new cookie recipes. I found three pretty good ones that I will share with you today. The peanut butter cookies were my favorite of these three although they are all tasty. Happy baking everyone!!



Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
2 cups quick cooking oats
1 pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips




Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter and mix in large bowl with both sugars. Add vanilla and eggs. Add all dry ingredients except oats and chocolate chips and mix well. Add oatmeal and chocolate chips and mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoofuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes until cookies just begin to turn golden brown then remove cookies to cooling rack.

Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies

1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (18 oz) box moist chocolate cake mix
Confectioner's sugar for dusting


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl cream together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Beat in the cake mix. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours to firm up dough so that dough can be rolled into balls. Roll the chilled dough into tablespoon sized balls and then roll in confectioner's sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 12 minutes and remove from oven (centers of cookies will still be gooey). Cool completely and sprinkle or dip tops in powdered sugar.

*You can substitute any flavor of cake mix you desire with this recipe. Cookies stay really soft and chewy. Next time I think I will add in coconut and pecans to make sort of a German chocolate cookie.

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

Cookies:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup quick cooking oats


Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a baking sheet (or use parchment paper or silpat to line it). In a large bowl, cream together butter, peanut butter, sugars, and vanilla. Add egg and beat well. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture and mix until well combined. Then add oats and mix well. Drop dough onto cookie sheet by teaspoonfuls and press cookies down with fingers or a fork to about 1/4 inch thick. Bake 5 minutes or until  cookies just begin to brown. Allow to cool completely and then fill with peanut butter filling

Peanut Butter Filling
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 1/2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Cream all ingredients together with a mixer. Spread or pipe filling on half of the cooled cookies and top with another cookies to for cookie sandwiches.