Candy Cane Kiss Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/4 cups butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon peppermint extract, optional
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Candy Cane flavored Hershey's Kisses, finely chopped
granulated sugar
additional, unwrapped Candy Cane Kisses- about 30

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Make room in either refrigerator or freezer for your cookie sheet.
2. In large mixer bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter, extracts and egg. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often until creamy (2-3 minutes). In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to wet mixture and beat, scraping bowl often until well blended (1-2 minutes). The mixture will be a bit crumbly. Stir in chopped Kisses.
3. Shape dough into 3/4-inch to 1-inch balls; roll in granulated sugar. Place 1-inch apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until set. As soon as they come out of the oven, press a Candy Cane Kiss in the center of each cookie. They'll crack a little around the edges, so just use your fingers to kind of hold the cookie together while you set the kiss inside. Put cookie sheet (with cookies) immediately into the freezer (preferred) or refrigerator so that the Kisses will set quickly. As soon as you press them into the cookie, they will begin to soften... so if you can get them into the freezer then they will keep their Kiss shape.
4. Store in a covered container- at room temperature for up to a week. In the freezer they should be ok for a couple of weeks.

Basic Pancakes

 

3 1/3 cups milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
3 cups flour
3 Tablespoons sugar or sucanat
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
melted butter


Combine all ingredients, except butter, in a large mixing bowl, whisking until smooth. There may be a few lumps, but that is fine. Heat large skillet or griddle until droplets of water sizzle when sprinkled onto cooking surface. Brush griddle with melted butter. Pour batter, about 1/3 cup at a time onto griddle. This should spread itself into a medium circle. Cook until bubbles form in batter and start to pop. Flip with a pancake turner. Brush the cooked tops of cakes with more melted butter. Cook a minute or two more. Stack on a plate until all are cooked. This should make about 24 pancakes. (Cool, wrap, and freeze any extras.)

Reese's Peanut Butter Temptations

About 40 (13-oz. pkg.) REESE'S Peanut Butter Cups Miniatures or 12 (0.8 oz. each) REESE'S Peanut Butter Cups, quartered

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter , softened

1/2 cupgranulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup Creamy Peanut Butter

1 egg

1/2 teaspoonvanilla extract

1-1/2 cupsall-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoonbaking soda

1/2 teaspoonsalt

Directions

1. 1 Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from candies. Line small muffin cups (1-3/4 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups.
2. 2 Beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, peanut butter, egg and vanilla until light and fluffy in large bowl. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place one in each prepared muffin cup. Do not flatten.
3. 3 Bake 10 to 12 minutes until puffed and lightly browned; remove from oven. Immediately press peanut butter cup or piece onto each cookie. Cool completely in muffin pan. About 3-1/2 dozen cookies.

Pumpkin Spice Kiss Cookies

Pumpkin Spice Kiss Cookies
1 1/2 packages Hershey’s Pumpkin Spice Kisses
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Unwrap the Pumpkin Spice Kisses. (about 65 of them) Place them in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. This is important because the Pumpkin Spice Kisses melt much faster than the regular Kisses.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice. Set aside.

In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter, sugar and light brown sugar on medium high speed for 4 minutes until light and fluffy.

Add in the egg and mix to combine.

Then add in the vanilla extract and the pumpkin. Mix on medium speed for a couple of minutes.
Slowly add in the dry ingredients on low speed. Mix until it’s almost combined.
Take a spatula and fold the ingredients together.

Using a Tablespoon, scoop the cookie dough. Then use a spoon to scoop the dough out of the Tablespoon. The cookie dough will be sticky so don’t worry. Place the cookie dough balls onto the baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 12 minutes.

Once the cookies come out of the oven, press a Pumpkin Spice Kiss in the middle of each cookie.
Immediately (and carefully!) remove the cookies from the baking sheet with a spatula and cool them on a cooling rack.

Salted Caramel PayDay Cupcakes

Ingredients

Cake:

1 Box White Cake Mix

1/2 cup oil

1 whole egg

2 egg whites

3/4 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Caramel Frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

2-3 cups powdered sugar

Peanuts to decorate ( salted peanuts)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line pans with cupcake liners.

2. Gently combine oil. eggs, egg whites, buttermilk, sour cream and vanilla extract.

3. Sift in cake mix and stir until combined,

4. Fill cupcake liners 3/4 full and bake for 18-22 minutes, or until and inserted knife comes out clean.

5. Caramel Frosting: Melt butter in a small saucepan, add brown sugar and heavy cream. Stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract and let cool. Beat in powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency. (If you want, save a little caramel to drizzle over the top of your cupcakes.)

6. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes and top with peanuts and caramel.

Peanut butter Marshmallow Cookies

Ingredients:
1 C. Sugar
1 C. Brown Sugar
1 C. Butter
1 C. Creamy Peanut Butter
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
3 C. Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
3 oz. canister Kraft Marshmallow Bits

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, brown sugar, butter and peanut butter and mix until fluffy. Add in eggs and vanilla and mix well. Slowly add in flour mixture until all ingredients are fully combined. Stir in marshmallow bits. Drop the dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto a baking sheet. Press the dough down with a fork making a criss cross design. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

Cream Cheese Biscuits

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cup commercial or homemade self-rising flour
Butter, softened or melted, for finishing

Pulse together the cream cheese, 2/3 cup butter, and 1 cup of flour two or three times in food processor fitted with the knife or dough blade until it comes together in a ball. Turn the dough out onto waxed paper and divide into two rounds. Flatten. Wrap in waxed paper, plastic wrap, or resealable plastic bag, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Lightly sprinkle a board or other clean surface using some of the 1/3 cup reserved flour. Sprinkle the top lightly with flour. With floured hands and a floured rolling pin, roll out one portion of the dough at a time to about 1/4 inch thick. Fold the dough over to make it 1/2 inch thick. For each biscuit, dip a 1 to 1 1/4 inch biscuit cutter into reserved flour and cut out the biscuits, starting at the outside edge and cutting very close together, being careful not to twist the cutter. The scraps may be combined to make additional biscuits, although these scraps make tougher biscuits. Roll out the second portion when ready to bake.

Using a metal spatula if necessary, move the biscuits to an ungreased baking sheet, placing the biscuits 1 inch apart. Refrigerate the biscuits for 10 to 20 minutes until cold. Bake the biscuits on the top rack of the oven for a total of 10 to 12 minutes until light golden brown. After 6 minutes, rotate the pan in the oven so that the front of the pan is now turned to the back, and check to see if the bottoms are browning too quickly. If so, slide another packing pan underneath to add insulation and retard the browning. Continue baking another 4 to 6 minutes until the biscuits are light golden brown. When the biscuits are done, lightly brush the tops with butter. Turn the biscuits out upside down on a plate to cool slightly. Serve hot, right side up.

These biscuits may be frozen, unbaked or baked, and reheated.