Cooking With Katie

Sweet Treats

By Katie Heglas

Fun and Easy Recipes for beginner Bakers

Betty Crocker’s Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients: ¾ cup granulated sugar ¾ cup packed brown sugar 1 cup margarine or butter, softened 1 egg 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour* 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup coarsely chopped nuts 1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips Directions: Heat oven to ​375°. Mix sugars, margarine and egg. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff.) Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown. (Centers will be soft.) Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet.

ABOUT 6 DOZEN COOKIES; 90 CALORIES PER COOKIE. *If using self-rising flour, omit baking soda and salt.

Tips, tricks and recommendations: ● Use salted butter not margarine. The cookies are much better with this ingredient ● Double the amount of salt listed. This change creates more of the salty and sweet taste that makes these cookies so good. ● Double the recipe. If I am making homemade cookies, it is just as easy to make a double batch so I can share with neighbors.

This recipe has been in my family since my mom was a little girl. She used it with her mom and now she uses it with me. The cookies are delicious every time.

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Chocolate Chip Cheeseball Ingredients: 8 oz. cream cheese ½ cup butter ¼ tsp. Butter ¾ cup of sugar 2 tbs. Brown sugar ¾ cup of mini chocolate chips Directions: Beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla together. Make sure they are well mixed before preceding. Add the sugar and brown sugar next. Mix these in, as well. Next, add the mini chocolate chips and stir in. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before eating.

Tips, tricks and recommendations: ● You can serve with graham crackers (as pictured) or nilla wafers ● Add the mini chocolate chips a little at a time so that it becomes fully mixed. ● It is best when refrigerated so make sure to keep it cold!

This recipe was given to my mom by a close friend at a party where this dessert was served.

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Paula Deen Double Chocolate Chip Pound Cake Ingredients: 1 yellow cake mix 1 5.9 oz. box instant chocolate pudding mix ½ cup sugar ⅔ cup water ½ cup veg. Oil 4 large eggs 1 8 oz. container sour cream 1 12 oz bag mini chocolate chips Directions: Preheat oven to ​350°. Spray baking dish with non-stick baking spray with flour. Mix the cake mix, pudding mix, and sugar. Add water, oil, and eggs. Beat at medium speed until smooth. Stir in sour cream and chocolate chips. Pour in pan and bake for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack. If desired, garnish with powdered sugar.

Tips, tricks and recommendations: ● You can add powdered sugar to the top (as pictured) as an edible decoration ● When serving, you can also spray whipped cream on individual slices We got this recipe at a church social.

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Jello-Pretzel Pie Ingredients: Base: 2 cups of crushed pretzels (about 8 oz) ¾ cup butter, melted 3 tbs sugar Filling: 2 cups whipped topping 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese (softened) 1 cup sugar Topping: 2 packages (3 oz each) strawberry gelatin 2 cups of boiling water 2 packages (16 oz each) frozen sweetened sliced strawberries, thawed Directions: For the pretzel base, combine the pretzels, butter, and sugar in a bowl. Press into an ungreased 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. For the middle layer, beat whipped topping, cream cheese, and sugar until smooth in a small bowl. Spread over pretzel crust. Refrigerate until cooled. For the strawberry top, dissolve gelatin in boiling water in a large bowl. Stir in strawberries with syrup and then chill until it is partially set. Carefully spoon over filling. Chill for 4-6 hours or until firm. Cut into squares.

Tips, tricks and recommendations: ● When serving you can top this dessert with crushed or uncrushed pretzels and with whipped cream if desired ● I recommend making the topping first, so that while it partially sets you can make the rest of the desert ● In this recipe, we just used Publix brand frozen sweetened sliced strawberries Ratings: Taste: Texture: Ease of Recipe:

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Banana Pudding Ingredients: 5.1 oz box of vanilla instant pudding 1 box of nilla wafers 3 cup cold milk 4-5 ripe bananas Directions: Pour in the instant pudding and milk in a medium-sized bowl. Combine the two ingredients with a mixer until it is the same consistency throughout. Put this mixture in the fridge for 10 minutes or until it sets. In a 3-quart bowl line the bottom and sides with nilla wafers. Slice 2 bananas over the nilla wafers in the bowl. Pour in ½ of the pudding mixture in the bowl. Add a layer of nilla wafers on top of the layer of pudding you just poured. Cut up the remaining bananas on top of the nilla wafers. Pour the remaining pudding into the layered dessert. Arrange the final layer of nilla wafers on the top.

Tips, tricks and recommendations: ● Add whipped cream on top to decorate the dessert ● The bowl that you line the nilla wafers and pour the pudding in is the bowl you will be presenting the dessert in so I recommend that it is clear and decorative

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Peanut Butter-Chocolate No-Bake Cookies Ingredients: 2 cups of sugar ½ cup milk 1 stick (8 tbs) of unsalted butter ¼ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats 1 cup smooth peanut butter 1 tbs pure vanilla extract Large pinch of kosher salt

Directions: 1. Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment 2. Bring the sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, then let boil for 1 minute 3. Remove from the heat and add the oats, peanut butter, vanilla, and salt and stir together until they combine 4. Drop teaspoons of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, and let sit at room temperature until cooled and hardened (about 30 minutes).

5. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days Tips, tricks and recommendations: ● They taste really good with coffee or hot chocolate ● They don’t require a lot of effort and for most of the time that it takes to prepare them, you don’t have to be actively making them

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Peanut Butter Pie Ingredients: 8 oz cream cheese 1 cup sugar ¼ cup milk ½ cup peanut butter 9 oz cool whip 1 graham cracker pie shell Directions: Blend cream cheese, sugar and peanut butter.

Add milk to that mixture. Fold in cool whip.

Then pour in pie shell. Freeze for about 30 minutes.

Tips, tricks and recommendations: ● Leftovers should be kept in the refrigerator ● Instead of a graham cracker pie shell you can also do an oreo shell ● Add sliced peanut butter cups to the top to garnish the dessert

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Sour Cream-Raisin Cookies Ingredients: 1 cup sugar ½ cup shortening 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 eggs 2 cups all-purpose flour ½ cup sour cream 1 tsp baking soda ½ tsp baking powder ¼ tsp ground nutmeg 1 ⅓ cups raisins Directions: Heat oven to 375°F. Mix sugar, shortening, vanilla, and eggs. Stir in remaining ingredients except raisins.

Stir in raisins. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown. Cool slightly and remover from cookie sheet.

Tips, tricks and recommendations: ● You can use ½ cup of chocolate chips and ½ cup of raisins instead of the 1 ⅓ cups raisins ● These cookies make a good pair with hot coffee or tea.

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Peanut Butter Ritz Cracker Cookies Ingredients: 1 tsp of peanut butter for every 2 ritz crackers 1 package of white chocolate almond bark, melted Ritz crackers (however many cookies you plan on making times 2) Directions: 1. On a cookie sheet, place ritz crackers 2. Spread 1 peanut butter on the ritz crackers and place another ritz cracker on the peanut butter (sandwich the peanut butter between 2 ritz crackers) 3. Refrigerate for 15 minutes 4. Microwave the white chocolate almond bark for 1 minute in a medium sized bowl 5. Dip the ritz cracker sandwiches in the white chocolate 6. Refrigerate for 15 minutes 7. Server and Enjoy Tips, tricks and recommendations: ● You can garnish these cookies with festive sprinkles after you have dipped the cookies This recipe has been in my family for many generations. In fact, when my mom was a little girl she made these cookies with her grandmother.

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Potato Chip Truffles Ingredients: 1 cup peanut butter 1 ½ cup powdered sugar (plus extra if the dough needs more thickening 1 cup potato chips 12 oz dark chocolate, melted Directions: 8. In a large bowl, combine peanut butter and powdered sugar 9. Add potato chips and mix them in while crushing the chips with your hands 10. If needed add extra powdered sugar to help thicken the dough 11. Using about a teaspoon of dough, roll the dough into balls and place on a baking sheet 12. Freeze for at least 30 minutes 13. Melt the dark chocolate 14. Dip each ball in the chocolate and place on parchment paper 15. Top with a piece of potato chip 16. Freeze for at least another 30 minutes 17. Serve & enjoy Tips, tricks and recommendations: ● Instead of dark chocolate you can use milk chocolate almond bark (shown in picture) ● When rolling the balls, roll them up quickly because the longer that they are in your hands, they are melting and they get sticky.

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Zebra Cake Roll Ingredients: 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream 2 tbsp confectioners sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 (9 oz) package Nabisco Famous chocolate wafers ¼ cup grated chocolate Directions: 1. Beat cream in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer. Gradually add confectioners sugar and vanilla extract, continuing to beat until cream holds stiff peaks. Lift the beater or whisk straight up: the whipped cream should form a sharp peak that holds its shape.

2. Spread a generous teaspoon of whipped cream on each cookie. Press cookies together to make 3-inch stacks.

3. Spread a 1-inch wide line of whipped cream down the center of a serving platter.

Assemble cookie stacks into a log on platter following the line of whipped cream.

4. Frost cookie log with remaining whipped cream and sprinkle with grated chocolate.

5. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight 6. To serve, slice diagonally to create striped pieces.

Tips, tricks and recommendations: ● It's very hard to find the nabisco famous chocolate wafers, so start looking for them in advance My family and I had heard of this recipe for a very long time and we were excited to try it.

However, it did not live up to our expectations and the review we had received about this cake.

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Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies Ingredients: 1 cup peanut butter 1 cup sugar 1 large egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 30 milk chocolate kisses Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350° 2. Cream peanut butter and sugar until light and fluffy 3. Beat in egg and vanilla 4. Roll into 1-¼-in. Balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets 5. Bake until tops are slightly cracked, 10-12 minutes 6. Immediately press one chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie 7. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from cookie sheet to wire racks Tips, tricks and recommendations: ● These cookies are a good afternoon snack and they are good with ice cream These are classic christmas cookies and my family makes them every year!

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