Mini Chocolate Fudge Cookie Bites (weight watcher friendly)

I know we are all looking to eat healthier, these little cookies are perfect to satisfy any sugar craving I might have.  They are bite-size, so one is not enough.  Luckily they are only 1 point each.

1/3 cups cocoa (without sugar)
1/4 cup margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar, white (I might try reducing this and substituting the difference with splenda or something like that)
4 oz. applesauce, unsweetened
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour, white
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
powder sugar to sprinkle on top

Preheat oven to 375.  Coat cookie sheets with spray.  Place cocoa, margarine and sugar in a medium bowl; beat with an electric mixer.  Add applesauce and vanilla; beat to blend.  In another small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder and salt.  Stir flour mixture into cocoa batter with a wooden spoon.  Shape batter into 48 marble-sized balls  (I did a little bigger, about 1/2 a small spoon ).  Arrange 1 inch apart on cookie sheets.  Bake until set, about 8 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow cookies to stand for 1 minute.  Remove to wire rack and cool; sprinkle with a little powder sugar.  You can store any extra in freezer -safe containers and save for another day.

p.s. The first time I made these I made them what I thought was "marble sized" and I got like 5 dozen.  This time I made them too big and only got 3 dozen (so maybe 1.3 points per cookie, but WW rounds to the nearest whole number).

Grandma's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

These cookies are very delicious! My aunt made them for me while we had the babies in the NICU. I got the recipe and have made them twice in the 3 weeks we've been home.

Grandma's Oatmeal Raisen Cookies

Combine 3 large eggs with 2 cups of raisins and 1 Tbsp vanilla. Let sit for half hour to an hour.

Cream:
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar

Add raisins and mix well.

Add:
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 cups quick oatmeal

Roll into balls and place on cookie sheet. Dip the bottom of a drinking glass in sugar and smash down each ball, dipping in sugar after each cookie.

Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Note: I have to add a little bit more flour (1/4 cup) than the recipe calls for. Do a test cookie. first.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cake Mix Cooies

These are so yummy! Super fast and easy to make. We gobbled them right up!

1 box chocolate cake mix (any variety)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/3 C oil
2 eggs
2 Tbsp water

1 (10 oz) bag Nestle dark chocolate and mint morsels

Mix cake mix, eggs, oil, and water until soft dough forms

Fold in morsels. Drop by spoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Molasses Cookies

As most of you know my mom died in December. She went in the hospital 7 years ago today and never came back home. I wanted to do something in her memory so I baked one of her most favorite cookies. She would have loved to have shared them with you. I wish you all could have known here. She was a pretty special person.

Molasses Cookies

Beat together well:
1 1/2 cups Vegetable Oil
1/2 cup molasses
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs

Here's a hint I think I learned from Martha Stewart - spray your measuring cup with PAM before you measure the molasses and it will slide right out.

Add:
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 teaspoons baking soda

Roll into balls and drop into some granulated sugar. Place approximately 2 inches apart on cookie sheet and bake in a 375 degree oven until cookies have definite cracks and the edges aren't burnt. 6-7 minutes.

Carmelitas

I hope, hope, hope that Heidi Cole doesn't get mad at me for sharing this recipe. It's in her Cole family cookbook she lent to me. I'm just telling you now, DON'T make these. They are of the devil. Well, OK, make them, cut yourself a 1/4 inch square and quickly give the rest away to unsuspecting neighbors. They are like crack I tell you. Crack!

Carmelitas - Heidi Cole

1 jar Mrs. Richardson's Butterscotch Caramel sauce (or other caramel topping)
1 tablespoon flour
2 cups flour
2 cups oatmeal
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups softened butter
2 cups chocolate chips - The recipe call for semi sweet. I used milk chocolate.

Seriously! Look at those ingredients. How could you possible go wrong with Mrs. Richardson's sauce and 3 sticks of butter!

Mix together caramel sauce and flour, set aside. Combine all other ingredients, except chocolate chips. Press half of this mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with chocolate chips then pour caramel mixture over the chips and sprinkle the other half of the dough mixture on the caramel. Bake 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool 1 to 2 hours and cut into bars.

We let ours sit overnight. Well, ok I snuck one around 10PM. Then again at 8AM and I think they are even better the next day. Also, don't go looking at Walmart for Mrs. Richardson's. They don't carry it.

Really - don't make these!

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Bars

Why is it that I only am in the mood to bake when it is 100 degrees outside? I needed a chocolate fix and so I decided to try a recipe I found on My Kitchen Cafe.

Makes a 9x13 inch pan of bars

2 1/8 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch pan with foil leaving a little hanging over the edges for easy removal. Spray foil with cooking spray.

Mix flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl and set aside. Whisk the melted butter and sugars together. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add dry ingredients and fold in until just blended. Don't overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips and place in pan using a spatula to smooth out the top. **I, Kristen, found that it was a very thick batter. Don't be alarmed. It's ok.**

Bake until the top of the bars are light golden brown, slightly firm to the touch, and edges start to pull away from the pan. The recipe says about 24-28 minutes but I had to cook mine for about 33. I checked at 24 minutes and again at 29 minutes and then they were good to go at 33. Keep an eye on them. Cool completely and remove from pan.

These are oh so good and oh so rich. They have that slightly undercooked texture to them that I love so much because it's like eating raw cookie dough. My family gave it rave reviews as well.

Peanut Butter Bars

Let me tell you first, there were three things I loved in our elementary school's cafeteria when I was growing up: chicken fried steak, plain spaghetti noodles with shredded cheese on them (this is when I also realized my love for plain noodles and cheese), and the peanut butter bars.

I have tried many recipes trying to find the peanut butter bar recipe that tasted exactly how I remembered and lo and behold, I found it. Maybe all of you already have this recipe, but I've been in heaven all week devouring these things.

The only thing was they weren't thick enough, so next time I'll either double the recipe or make them in a 9x13 pan.

• 1/2 c. butter or margarine
• 1/2 c. white sugar
• 1/2 c. brown sugar packed
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c. peanut butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/4 c. oatmeal

Cream together first 4 ingredients. Mix in vanilla and peanut butter. In separate bowl combine dry ingredients. If too sticky add a little more flour. Gradually add in the peanut butter mixture. Spread into ungreased 11x13 cookie sheet.. Bake 325 for approx 12 min. Make sure to NOT overbake. Cool slightly then spread thin layer of peanut butter over entire thing- cool all the way. Frost with favorite fudge frosting recipe. I just used the basic recipe out of the red and white checkered recipe book (what is that Better Homes and Garden?).

Blueberry Muffin Mix Cookies

We almost always make a dessert on Sunday, and it's usually brownies. But I wasn't in the mood to put that much work into it and I didn't want something too heavy. Because of a sale on muffin mixes a while ago I had a couple left in our food storage. I didn't want muffins, but I thought maybe I could make something out of the mixes. After looking online and tweaking the recipe a tad we came up with these. They were so good and light feeling.

Sorry they are blurry, but I didn't want to take another one.

Two- 7 oz packages of bluebery muffin mix

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp melted margarine or butter

Mix well. Drop by teaspoonfuls on a sprayed cookie sheet. Bake 350 for 11-12 min or when slightly gold on edge. As soon as they come out flatten with the back side of a spatula. Cool on rack for 5 min. Frost with any frosting, we just happen to have a little cream cheese frosting left in our fridge so I used that. So easy. Any muffin mix will do.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is courtesy of Misty Stratton. Danielle brought them to Young Women's one night and they were to die for!

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 Cups Flour
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 Cup Butter or Margarine, softened (I used butter flavored Crisco for my first batch)
1/4 Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 3.5oz Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix
2 eggs
1 12oz Package Mint Chocolate Chips (Wal-Mart doesn't have just the plain green ones, but they do have the Andes Mint chips. I found the green mint ones at Harmons)
1 Cup nuts (optional)

Combine flour and baking soda and set aside. Cream butter, sugars, vanilla, and pudding in bowl. Beat in eggs and gradually add flour mixture. Stir in mint chips and drop onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

You can use any variety of pudding and chips. Maybe Vanilla Pudding and Butterscotch chips will be my next experiment!

Award Winning Pumpkin Cookies

A lady in my Grandma's ward came up with this recipe, entered it in a contest, and won first place.

Pumpkin Coookies
4 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
Shake of Nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
3 cubes butter
2 c. firm packed brown sugar
1 c. coconut
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
16 oz. Solid packed pumpkin (canned)
2 c. chocolate chips
2 c. walnuts, coarsely chopped

Bake @ 350 degrees for 20 minutes. (After first couple batches, reduce time by a couple minutes and cookies are rounder if you refrigerate dough first - I didn't in picture)

Topping
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 cube butter
1 tsp. vanilla
Half and half cream (opt. canned milk)
Orange zest