Original Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs

12 oz pkg Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and set aside.  In large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until creamy.  Beat in eggs.  Gradually beat in flour mixture.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 9-11 minutes or until edges are golden brown.  Let stand on cookie sheets 2 minutes.  Remove to cooling rack. 

Yields approx 5 dozen cookies

Apple Crisp

8 cups sliced, peeled apples
2/3 cups flour
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups quick oats
2/3 cup melted butter

Arrange apples in 9x12 pan.  Combine remaining ingredients and sprinkle over top of apples.  Bake @375 30-40 minutes.  If you half the recipe use a square pan.

Hershey's Chocolate Pie

1 cup heavy whipping cream
sugar (to taste)
vanilla (to taste)

8 oz. Hershey Candy Bar

Oreo or graham cracker pie crust

Melt chocolate for 30 seconds in microwave or until melted enough you can stir it smooth. Meanwhile, whip up the heavy whipping cream, sugar and vanilla. Fold the melted chocolate into the whipped cream. Pour into pie crust, cover and refridgerate for a few hours. Serve cold.

Michelle's notes: I prefer the taste of the oreo crust with this pie, but graham cracker crust works fine too. Let the cream sit out a few minutes before whipping. If the cream is too cold and chocolate too hot, when you fold it together you will get mini chocolate pieces scattered throughout.

Sprinkles Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Frosting

Picture and recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart.

• 2/3 cup whole fresh or frozen strawberries, thawed
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 2 large egg whites, room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners; set aside.
2. Place strawberries in a small food processor; process until pureed. You should have about 1/3 cup of puree, add a few more strawberries if necessary or save any extra puree for frosting; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a small bowl, mix together milk, vanilla, and strawberry puree; set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until well combined and fluffy. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and slowly add egg and egg whites until just blended.
5. With the mixer on low, slowly add half the flour mixture; mix until just blended. Add the milk mixture; mix until just blended. Slowly add remaining flour mixture, scraping down sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary, until just blended.
6. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Transfer muffin tin to oven and bake until tops are just dry to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer muffin tin to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in tin before icing. Makes 1 dozen cupcakes.
   

Michelle's notes: The cupcake part tastes kind of flour-y. So I tried substituting 1 1/4 cup cake flour and 1/4 all purpose flour. It did take away a little of the flour-y taste but I think next time I will try cooking down the strawberry puree to concentrate the flavor and then measure the puree into the recipe after cooking it down. Although, having the bland/flour-y cake part gives the cupcake a nice balance because the frosting is super sweet. Also, the bake time is shorter than the 22-25 minutes in my oven. It's closer to 15-18 minutes.

Frosting:

• 1/2 cup whole frozen strawberries, thawed
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, firm and slightly cold
• Pinch of coarse salt
• 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Place strawberries in the bowl of a small food processor; process until pureed. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer speed and slowly add confectioners' sugar; beat until well combined. Add vanilla and 3 tablespoons strawberry puree (save any remaining strawberry puree for another use); mix until just blended. Do not over-mix or frosting will incorporate too much air. Frosting consistency should be dense and creamy, like ice cream.

Michelle's notes: I always halve the frosting recipe. The original makes way too much frosting for just 12 cupcakes.

Snickerdoodles

Yields about 2 dozen cookies

1/2 cup margarine
2 eggs
2 tsp. cream of tarter
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
2 3/4 cups flour

Mix wet ingredients together. Mix dry ingredients together. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Roll into balls, roll balls in 2 tbsp. sugar and 2 tsp. cinnamon. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Sugar Cookies

2/3 cup margarine
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 egg
4 tsp. milk
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Mix first 3 ingredients, add egg and milk. Add rest of ingredients. Mix. Divide dough in half and refrigerate for 1 hour. Roll 1/8" thick. Cut out and bake at 375 degrees for about 6 minutes.

Nestle's fudge

10 oz. Kraft marshmallow cream
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
12 oz. nestle chocolate chips

Combine marshmallow cream, sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt. Bring to a full boil stirring constantly over moderate heat. Boil 5 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add 12 oz. pkg. of Nestles chocolate chips and stir until melted. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped nuts and 1 tsp. vanilla. Pour into greased 8" square pan. Chill until firm.

Honey Bun Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
4 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup oil
1 cup buttermilk

1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup pecans

Mix first 4 ingredients well. Pour into a greased 13x9 baking dish. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans. Swirl into batter. Bake at 300 degrees for 40-60 minutes. Check after 40 minutes with a toothpick.

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. milk
1/2 cup pecans

Mix all ingredients together and pour over cake.

No bake cookies

1 3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
4 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup crunchy (or smooth) peanut butter
3 cups quick cooking oats
1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in peanut butter, oats, and vanilla. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper. Let cook until hardened.

Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cup shortening or 3 sticks of butter, room temperature
3-4 cups uncooked oats (start out with 3 cups then add more or less depending on consistency
2 cups sugar
2/3 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream shortening/margarine and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients together then add to the wet ingredients. Stir in oats, adjust amount of oats to how wet or dry the dough is. Fold in chocolate chips. Bake on greased cookie sheet 12-15 minutes. Let cookies cool 5 minutes before removing from cookie sheet.

Yields about 5 dozen medium sized cookies.

Spicy Pumpkin Cookies

Courtesy of Betty Crocker

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies

1 box Yellow Cake Mix
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/4 cup butter or margarine softened
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 cup vanilla frosting

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease or spray cookie sheet (I didn't spray and didn't have any sticking problems).

In a large bowl, beat cake mix, pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin and butter with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute. Stir in chocolate chips.

On cookie sheet, drop dough by generous tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart.

Bake 11 to 14 minutes or until set and light golden brown around edges. Cool 1 to 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Frost with frosting. Store loosely covered.

Cinnamon Crisps

Frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
water
cinnamon sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a sheet of wax paper unfold puff pastry. With a pastry brush, brush on some water to cover. Sprinkle on cinnamon sugar mix. Flip the pastry over and repeat with water and cinnamon sugar. Cut into strips (pizza cutter is easiest). Twist strips before putting them on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle on more cinnamon sugar. Bake for 15 minutes. If you bake them on a piece of parchment paper, they are really easy to get off the cookie sheet. If not quickly remove the twists from the cookie sheet after baking.

Layered Strawberry Cheesecake Bowl

Courtesy of kraftfoods.com

3 cups sliced fresh strawberries

3 Tbsp. sugar

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA, 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese, softened

1-1/2 cups cold milk

1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding

2 cups thawed COOL WHIP LITE Whipped Topping, divided

2 cups frozen pound cake cubes (1 inch)

1 square BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

COMBINE berries and sugar; refrigerate until ready to use. Beat cream cheese with mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in milk. Add dry pudding mix; mix well.

BLEND in 1-1/2 cups COOL WHIP. Spoon half into 2-1/2-qt. bowl.

TOP with layers of cake, berries and remaining cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate 4 hours.

Michelle's notes: Once I just used a regular 9x13 glass dish and only 1 layer of each, it worked out fine. I also am against Cool Whip and just whipped together some heavy whipping cream, a little sugar and a little vanilla.

Turtle Cheesecake

Photo courtesy of verybestbaking.com

1 3/4 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
2 tablespoons caramel sundae syrup or ice cream topping
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1/4 cup nestle miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300 F. Grease 9 inch spring-form pan.

Combine crumbs and butter in medium bowl. Press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of prepared pan.

Beat cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk in large mixer bowl until smooth. Add sugar, eggs, lime juice and vanilla extract; beat until combined.

Microwave morsels in medium, microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%) power for 1 minute; stir. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals, stirring just until morsels are melted.

Stir 2 cups of cheesecake batter into melted morsels; mix well. Alternately spoon batters into crust, beginning and ending with yellow batter.

Bake for 1 hour 10 to 15 minutes or until edge is set and center moves slightly. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes; run knife around edge of cheesecake. Cool completely. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Drizzle chocolate and caramel syrup over cheesecake. Sprinkle with pecans and mini morsels. Enjoy!

A finalist in the 2001 Nestle Toll House Share the Very Best Recipe contest, this dessert was submitted by Audra Burtch of Chandler, Arizona. This family favorite is a marbled cheesecake topped with a decadent combination of pecans, chocolate morsels and caramel and chocolate syrups.