Cookie Tutorial

I've always liked to cook, but I really love to bake! My Mom often made freshly baked cookies for us when we were growing up and now I equate the smell of warm cookies to comfort, home and smiling kids. The cookies that remind me of my Mom are her Applesauce Chocolate Chip Cookies, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Good & Chewy Cookies or Oatmeal Chipper Cookies. She always jokes that she should have blue fur and googly eyes!

I love putting a homemade cookie in my kids' lunches for school and we almost always have cookies on hand for unexpected company, late-night homework sessions or an after-school snack. Making cookies as often as I do has helped me figure out what works best, so I thought I'd share some helpful tips to take your cookies to the next level of AMAZING:)

1. Use a cookie scoop. This simple tool will make your cookies look uniform in size. I have medium and a small scoops that I love from Pampered Chef, but I've also seen good scoops at Wal-Mart, Target and some grocery stores. My medium cookie scoop is also my secret weapon when making muffins, as it measures the perfect amount of batter for the muffin tin.
   
2. Use parchment paper, if using a metal cookie sheet. It keeps your cookie sheet clean, keeps cookies from sticking and eliminates the need for cooking spray. Costco sells a large roll that will last for years, but you can also find it at the grocery store. Parchment paper is magic as a pan liner when making brownies or bar cookies as well. Simply lift the paper with the baked brownies onto a cutting board and you can easily cut them into neat squares. I also use parchment paper when making a favorite recipe, Oven Omelet Roll.
   
3. My first choice of cookie sheet is actually a baking stone like this one from Pampered Chef (I have nothing to do with the company, but I love several of their products). When I bake multiple batches of cookies, the cookies baked on the stone turn out more uniform, don't burn cookies on the bottom (as metal cookie sheets tend to) and stay softer even longer than cookies baked on a metal sheet. 
   
4. Chill the cookie dough, if possible. Even if you stick the cookie dough in the fridge (or freezer!) while you heat up the oven, it will help. Chilled cookie dough holds its shape better and the cookies tend to bake up fluffier and won't go flat. 
5. Bake cookies in the top half of your oven. In my ovens, I use the second spot from the top for the oven rack. This helps prevent the cookies from burning on the bottom, and speaking of that...
6. Always set your oven timer for less time than the recipe says and don't over-bake the cookies. I like to take them out of the oven just before the cookies begin to brown and let them sit on the cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes before removing them with a metal spatula to cool on a cooling rack. 
7. Let the cookies cool completely before storing them in an airtight container. I use a piece of parchment paper in between the layers of cookies so they don't stick together. 

Well, I hope that inspires you to make a hot batch of cookies:) We have 

so many good recipes here to try! Happy baking!!!

"Twix"Cookie Bars

Ok, this recipe is a decided SPLURGE, but my sister-in-law Kari made these for our Christmas Eve family dinner and all 18 of us were raving about them (and having seconds!) It makes a huge batch, so it's easy to keep some in the fridge or freezer and just take them out when you need a chocolate fix. Recipe from www.ourcookingcafe.com

SHORTBREAD LAYER:
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325. Beat together butter and sugar til smooth, add vanilla. Stir in flour and salt until smooth. Press into a sheet cake pan, about 12x16 (or close to those measurements.) Poke with a fork several times. (See photo below) Bake for about 22-25 minutes, or until just starting to brown. Remove and cool completely.

CARAMEL LAYER:
1 1/2 cups butter
1 1/2 cups sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
6 Tablespoons corn syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Place butter in a saucepan and melt over low heat. Stir in remaining ingredients except for vanilla. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook and stir over a low rolling boil for about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour caramel over shortbread layer. Place in the fridge or freezer to set.

CHOCOLATE LAYER:
3-4 cups milk chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons shortening

In a sauce pan over low heat, melt chocolate, stirring frequently. Stir in shortening until smooth then spread over caramel layer. Return to refrigerator to set, then cut into bars. Makes about 50 bars.

TIPS:

* When you cut into bars, set a clean, slightly wet cloth nearby and clean your knife each time you cut. This prevents the shortbread layer from sticking to the chocolate and your bars will look pretty!
* Stack in an airtight container, separating the rows with layers of waxed paper. (See photo below)
* These are best kept in the fridge and set out a few minutes before you eat them.

Marshmallow Krispie Brownies

This is the other fun recipe given to me by my neighbor, Sharon. These brownies are rich and chocolatey, with the unique crunch of Rice Krispies. What's not to like?

1 package Fudge Brownie mix (13 x 9" pan size)

1 (10.5 ounce) pkg. mini marshmallows

1 (12 ounce) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup peanut butter

1 Tablespoon butter

1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Make brownie according to package directions. Pour into greased 9 x 13" pan. Bake in preheated oven for 28 minutes. Remove pan from oven and spread marshmallows over the top. Return to the oven and bake for 3 minutes more- Marshmallows will NOT be completely melted. Cool brownies completely. 

Melt the chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter together in the microwave for 60-90 seconds, or until chocolate is melted. Stir in the cereal and spread over cooled brownies. Cool completely before cutting. Serves about 16-20.

Petite White Chocolate Cranberry Scones

I made these tonight for a church youth activity and couldn't wait to share them with all of you! We had a "tea" party and what's better to serve at a tea party than scones? The original recipe calls for cranberries, but when I got home from the grocery store, I realized that we had eaten the cranberries at Disneyland the week before, so I used Trader Joe's dried blueberries instead (I think they were an upgrade!) I may always make them with blueberries now. These scones are like a shortbread, but are not dry like some scones. Recipe adapted from landolakes.com

Begin by mixing the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, salt and butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until fine. 

Add the cream and mix just until dough holds together. Stir in fruit and white chips with a spoon.

Divide the dough into 4 sections and shape into a rectangle on a floured surface. Begin by cutting into half, then into fourths. Dip your knife into flour each time to keep it from sticking to the dough.

Cut each fourth into 2 rectangles. You will end up with 8 scones for each section of dough, for a total of 32 scones.

These spread quite a bit during baking, so space them out at least an inch (Mine ended up touching after baking!)

After the scones are baked and cooled, finish with a drizzle of white chocolate and you're good to go! 

So pretty!

Petite White Chocolate Cranberry Scones

2 cups all-purpose flour*
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries, coarsely chopped (I used blueberries)
1 1/4 cups white baking chips
2 teaspoons shortening

Heat oven to 400°F. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest and salt in large bowl; cut in butter with a stand mixer and a paddle attachment or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in whipping cream; mix until dough holds together. Stir in cranberries and 3/4 cup white baking chips with spoon. *I added another 2 Tbs. of flour because my dough was too sticky.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead 5 to 10 times or until dough is smooth. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces; shape each piece into 8-inch log. Cut each log into 4 (2-inch) pieces; cut each piece in half diagonally to form small triangles. Dipping your knife in flour between cuts will help stop it from sticking to the dough.

Place scones, at least 1 inch apart, onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Cool completely.

Combine remaining 1/2 cup baking chips and shortening in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on MEDIUM (50% power) 30 seconds; stir. Continue microwaving and stirring every 30 seconds until chips are melted and smooth. Drizzle scones with melted chocolate.

Each scone has: Calories: 130, Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 15mg, Sodium: 95mg, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 1g

Avalanche Bars

I went to a luncheon recently and my friend brought these bars that we seriously couldn't stop eating. They are amazingly addictive, so make at your own risk! 

Recipe (and humorous directions) from my friend Ashlee Werner...

• 1 (12 ounce) bag white chocolate chips
• 1/4 C peanut butter 
• 3 C Rice Krispies Cereal
• 1 1/2 C mini marshmallows
• 1/2 C chocolate chips, divided

1. Toss one whole bag of white chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl. Melt the chips in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring after each heating period. Don't let the chocolate get too hot, or come into contact with any water. This will make it seize up and turn into a brick. I'm not joking here. This is not something to be happy about. Just heat it for 30 seconds at a time, okay? All will be well. 
2. Add 1/4 cup peanut butter to the melted white chocolate and stir it nicely so that the two become one.
3. Pour yourself 3 cups of  Rice Krispies Cereal into a large bowl and pour the white chocolate/peanut butter mixture over the top.  Stir it together with a wooden spoon, or rubber spatula. 
4. Add 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows and 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips. Please note that you are going to be saving the other 1/4 cup of chocolate chips to melt and drizzle over the top. 
5. Spray a 9x9 inch pan with cooking spray and gently press the heavenly mixture into the pan. Don't press it down too firmly. 
6. Toss the remaining 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips into a small bowl and get that baby to the microwave. Heat it for 30 seconds, give it a stir and return it to the microwave for 30 more seconds. It should easily be melted after the second heating time. Stir until smooth. 
7. Place the melted chocolate in a sandwich sized ziploc bag. Cut a very small hole in the tip of the bag and drizzle the chocolate all over the bars. 
8. Allow about 15 minutes for the chocolate to set up, cut into bars and enjoy!

Makes about 15-18 bars.

Gingerbread White Chocolate Blondies

I've made this recipe 3 times now. The first time, I followed the recipe exactly, but the middle fell and the edges were too crispy. I made it twice more and tweaked the recipe quite a bit and... voila! These are soft and bake up perfectly. It barely resembles the original recipe, but you know I wouldn't put just any mediocre recipe on here. No offense, Martha! :) If you love gingersnaps like I do, these soft cookie bars will make you smile! Recipe inspired by Martha Stewart's Cookies. 

Makes about 18-24 bars (depending on how you cut them)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. cloves

3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup molasses
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 (12 oz.) package (1 3/4 cups) white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13×9" baking dish with aluminum foil and then spray the aluminum foil with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Whisk together flour, soda, salt, and spices in a bowl and set aside. 
3. Beat butter, sugar, molasses, egg and vanilla in a large bowl until fluffy. Add flour mixture and mix well. Stir in white chocolate chips.
4. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan and bake until toothpick poked in the center comes out clean, about 18-22 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes in pan, then lift tin foil out and continue to cool; cut into squares.

Sand Art Brownies

 My oldest daughter made this brownie jar for Father's Day in her church Activity Days recently. We thought the gift of the beautiful jar was a cute idea, but then we made and tasted the brownies and... YUM! Recipe from Monica Torpy.

Layer in a large mason jar:

1. 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2. 3/4 tsp. salt
3. 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4. 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
5. 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
6. 2/3 cup white sugar
7. 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
8. 1/2 cup white (vanilla) baking chips

Directions to make brownies:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175° C). Grease a 9 x 9" square baking dish. Pour the contents of the jar into a large bowl and mix well. Stir in:

1. 1 tsp. vanilla
2. 2/3 cup vegetable oil
3. 3 eggs

Mix until just combined, then pour into prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until center is set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs. Serves 12.

Lemon-Lime Bars

My oldest daughter has been menu planning and grocery shopping with me, now that school's out for the Summer, so this was one of her picks for the week. I love lemon bars, so these were a fun little twist on the classic. The colors didn't swirl together like I'd imagined and the bars ended up with yellow on top and green on the bottom, but the flavors of lemon AND lime were certainly there. Tastes like Summer to me! Recipe from Sweet Tooth...

CRUST:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp. salt

LIME FILLING:

Zest of 1 lime

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 Tbs. lime juice

1 1/2 Tbs. flour

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 egg

Green food coloring (optional)

LEMON FILLING:

Zest of 1 lemon

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 Tbs. lemon juice

1 1/2 Tbs. flour

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray an 8 x 8" glass pan with cooking spray. 
2. Place crust ingredients in a small bowl and blend on low until well combined. Press the dough into the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the fillings in 2 separate bowls. Add green food coloring to the lime filling, if desired. (I was surprised how similar in color they were without food coloring, so I added 3 drops of green to the lime)
4. Remove the crust from the oven and pour one filling at a time into the pan in a zig-zag pattern. Use a knife to carefully swirl the colors, if needed.
5. Bake for 16-20 minutes, or until the filling is slightly golden brown.
6. Cool completely, then cut into squares. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired. Serves 12.

Peanut Butter Bars

These no-bake bars taste a lot like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and are often requested by the 9 and 10 year olds in my Primary class. They are very rich, so I like to cut these into small squares. Recipe adapted from www.cooks.com

2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 16 whole rectangles)

2 cups powdered (confectioners') sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup smooth peanut butter

2 cups milk chocolate chips

1 Tbs. peanut butter

1. Line a 9 x 13" pan with tin foil and set aside.
2. In a food processor, crush graham crackers into fine crumbs (Or put in a Ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin).
3. Melt butter, then pour it into a 1 cup measuring cup, swirl around then pour butter into a medium mixing bowl. Next, scoop 1 cup peanut butter into the emptied buttered measuring cup. This will make peanut butter come right out of the measuring cup with little trouble!
4. Mix butter, graham cracker crumbs and powdered sugar until well blended. Press mixture into foil-lined pan.
5. In a small glass bowl, melt chocolate chips with 1 Tbs. of peanut butter for 30 seconds at a time, until melted and smooth. Pour over the top of peanut butter mixture and smooth the top.
6. Place bars in the fridge just until chocolate is set. If bars are too firm, let set for 10-20 minutes at room temperature before cutting. Cut into bars with a sharp knife. Makes about 25 bars.

Caramel Brownies

My friend brought me these brownies 2 weeks ago and I think I've been dreaming of them ever since! I love brownies, but these Caramel Brownies are in a class all their own! 

Recipe from Michelle Ashby...

Caramel layer:

1 (14 oz.) package individually wrapped caramels (about 48-50)

1/3 cup evaporated milk

Brownies:

1 (18.25 ounce) package German chocolate cake mix

3/4 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup evaporated milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9 x 13" pan and set aside.
2. Unwrap caramels and place in a small saucepan with 1/3 cup evaporated milk. Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally until smooth.
3. Combine cake mix, melted butter, the other 1/3 cup evaporated milk and vanilla. Beat well and spread half of the batter into prepared pan with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake for 8 minutes.
4. Remove brownies from oven and sprinkle with 1 cup chocolate chips. Pour the melted caramel mixture over the top, then, with a spoon, drop the remaining half of the brownie batter evenly over the top.
5. Bake for another 18-20 minutes, or until top is mostly set. Let brownies cool completely in pan, then cut into bars. Makes about 18 brownies.

Apple Squares

A few weeks ago, I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and followed the directions exactly. They were okay, but I followed the suggestions in the comment section and made them again this week for my daughter's Book Club. I just doubled the recipe and halved the topping and they were ★★★★★ marvelous! Recipe by BarbiAnn...

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla 

1 cup apple, chopped (about 1 apple)

1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Topping:

2 Tbs. white sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9 x 13" pan. Stir together flour, baking powder, salt and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix together melted butter, brown sugar and 1 cup of white sugar with a wooden spoon. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture until just combined, then stir in the apples and nuts, if desired. 
3. Stir together white sugar and cinnamon for the topping in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over the top of the bars.
4. Bake for 28-35 minutes or until bars spring back when lightly touched and are browned. Cool in pan; cut into squares. Makes about 24-28 bars.

Berry Oat Bars

This is another recipe I've had for so long, I don't even know where I found the recipe. It makes me feel a little better because it uses rolled oats and berries... So it almost cancels out the scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream you add on top!

1 1/2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats

1 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup raspberry jam, warmed

2 cups berries (blueberries, blackberries or raspberries- fresh, frozen or a combination of both)

Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, combine the oats, flour, sugar and salt. Stir in the butter until well-blended.

Press 1 and 1/2 cups of the oat mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Carefully pour jam over the crust (don't worry if its not perfect) and sprinkle with berries. Top with remaining oat mixture.

Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cut into bars and serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream. Serves 9. 

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

2 cups finely crushed Gingersnaps (I like "Anna's Ginger Thins)

1/4 c. butter, melted

1/3 c. canned pumpkin

1 Tbs. flour

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

3-8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened

1 c. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

3 eggs

Lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan and set aside. For the crust, combine gingersnaps and butter in a small bowl. Press mixture evenly into the bottom of prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes and then allow to cool.

For pumpkin batter, in a medium bowl stir together pumpkin, flour, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.

For cream cheese batter, in a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese with an electric mixer (I used my KitchenAid) on medium to high speed until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until combined. Add eggs and mix on low speed just until combined. Stir 1/3 of the cream cheese batter into the pumpkin batter and stir until smooth. Pour remaining batter over the crust and spread evenly. Place large spoonfuls of the pumpkin batter randomly over the cream cheese batter. Using the tip of a table knife, gently swirl the two batters together.

Bake for 25-30 minutes at 325 degrees or until the center in just set. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Cover and chill for 4-24 hours before cutting into squares for serving.

*Recipe from "Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Cookies." And a big thank you to Betsy for the giving me that fabulous cookbook for my birthday last year! You know me well.

All things PUMPKIN

Our book club decided to rotate every other month and do a cooking night instead of a book night (so fun right?) Each time we have a theme. This month the theme was recipes using pumpkin. I thought I would share a few of the yummy recipes with you. 

Maple Iced Pumpkin Bars

2 1/4 c. flour

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/4 c. packed brown sugar

3/4 c. butter, soft

2 tsp. vanilla

2 large eggs

1 c.  Libbys pumpkin

Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a bowl. In mixer beat sugar butter and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in pumpkin then gradually add in flour mixture. Pour batter into a greased jelly roll pan and cook 20-25 minutes. Top with icing and topping of your choice (sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, or chopped pecans) 

Icing:

8 oz. cream cheese, soft

2 Tbs. Butter, soft

2 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. maple flavor

Cream together butter and cream cheese, gradually add sugar. Add maple flavoring last.

Pumpkin Cake Roll

3/4 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

dash of salt

3 large eggs

1 c. sugar

2/3 c. pumpkin

1 tsp. lemon juice

chopped walnuts (optional)

Pour batter into 10x15 jelly roll pan lined with waxed paper. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes.Immediately turn out onto a linen towel dusted with confectioners' sugar. Peel off paper and roll cake up in the towel, starting with the short end. Cool.Meanwhile mix the filling: 

1 c. powdered sugar

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese

4 Tbs. butter

1.2 tsp. vanilla 

Carefully unroll the cake. Spread filling over cake to within 1 inch of edges. Roll up again. Cover and chill until serving. Dust with additional confectioners' sugar, if desired. slice into pieces. 

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake (sorry no picture)

2 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust

1/2 c. pumpkin puree

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 pinch ground cloves

1 pinch ground nutmeg

1/2 c. frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In large bowl combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 c. batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread batter in the crust. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, the refridgerate 3 hours or overnight. Top with whipped topping.

Four-Layer Pumpkin Cake

1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix

1 can  (15 oz.) pumpkin, divided

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup  oil

4 eggs

1-1/2 tsp.  pumpkin pie spice, divided

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup  powdered sugar

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed

1/4 cup  caramel ice cream topping

1/4 cup chopped PLANTERS Pecans

HEAT oven to 350°F.

BEAT cake mix, 1 cup pumpkin, milk, oil, eggs and 1 tsp. spice in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9-inch round pans.

BAKE 28 to 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely.

BEAT cream cheese in medium bowl with mixer until creamy. Add sugar, remaining pumpkin and spice; mix well. Gently stir in COOL WHIP. Cut each cake layer horizontally in half with serrated knife; stack on serving plate, spreading cream cheese filling between layers. (Do not frost top layer.) Drizzle with caramel topping just before serving; top with nuts. Refrigerate leftovers.

HOW TO SLICE AND STACK CAKE LAYERS:
Place 1 of the cooled cake layers on serving plate. Make 2-inch horizontal cut around side of cake, using long serrated knife. Cut all the way through cake layer to make 2 layers. Remove top layer by sliding it onto 9-inch round cardboard circle. Frost cake layer on plate with 1/3 of the COOL WHIP mixture. Slide top half of split cake layer from cardboard circle onto frosted layer on plate. Place the remaining unsplit cake layer on a cutting board. Cut into 2 layers as done for the first layer. Repeat process of transferring cake layers to stacked cake layers on plate using the cardboard circle.

Kitchen Port Brownies

Say goodbye to boxed brownie mixes... These ultra-rich brownies are so much better!!! 

*from Nancy Miller

1/2 c. cocoa

4 Tbs. oil

2/3 c. butter

2 c. sugar

4 eggs

1 1/2 c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

3/4 c. chocolate chips 

nuts if desired

Combine everything except chocolate chips and blend until smooth. Stir in chips and pour into 9x13" cake pan. Cook at 350° F. for 30 minutes. Let cool then top with frosting... 

Chocolate Frosting: 

2 c. powdered sugar

1/4 c. cocoa

6 Tbs. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

small can evaporated milk

Beat sugar, cocoa and butter. Add vanilla. Add evaporated milk until you reach the desired consistency.