Caramel Popcorn

So I have a clever friend who has put together a recipe group. ( I am not clever enough to think of a better name!) There is a theme for each month and she puts them all on a cute little blog. So I thought I would share what I contributed this month and add a link for ya!

Knead A Recipe Blog

Go check it out... Last month the theme was soup....who can't use more great soup recipes? I can honestly say the the Chicken Tortilla Soup is the best tortilla soup I have ever made! Use the Chipotle Chili powder!

4-6 quarts of popped popcorn (sorted to remove kernels) I pop mine in a sauce pan on my stove top. Air poppers work or you can even use a few bags of microwave popcorn!

2 2/3 Cup Pecans

1 1/3 Cup Almonds

2 Cups butter

1 Cup dark Karo syrup

2 2/3 Cup sugar

Melt together in a large sauce pan. Bring to a rolling boil. Time from that point 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add 2 tsp Vanilla. Pour over the top of the popcorn and nuts. You can mix this in a bowl or spray your counter down with Pam and mix and spread out to ensure a even topping.

Back In the Saddle Again

Now that school is back in session it's time to re-start the weekly treat recipe! And let's start with the best cupcake EVER!!!

The Batter

The Cupcake

The Perfect Treat

These cupcakes are the most heavenly cupcakes ever!!!

1 box yellow or chocolate cake mix
1 4oz vanilla or chocolate pudding
4 eggs
1 C sour cream
1/2 C water
1/2 C oil

Mix together with a wooden spoon. Batter is very thick. Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes

I frosted them with homemade buttercream frosting. I googled the recipe and found this on cooks.com.

1 Cube butter, softened
1/4 C. + 2 tbls cocoa powder
1/4 mile
1 tsp vanilla
16 oz bag of powdered sugar

cream butter add cocoa. To that add milk and sugar, ending with vanilla.

YUM!!!

Cookie of the Week x 124

I have clearly lost my mind!

These pictures are only the very tip of the iceberg!

Can you say 8 pounds of butter??

12 bags of chocolate chips???

I have always heard that if you can find the thing you love to do and turn it into a job you will be successful...well we are still in the very early stages of this new adventure...but I am selling out of cookie dough faster then I can make it!

There are some real cookie lovers up in here!

Thank goodness!!!

Thank you to my good friends, Jenny and Andrea, who have encouraged me to do this for months! Thank you Melody for helping me make business cards! Thank you Brother Ockey for being the very first person to tell me that I should sell my baked goods!

Thank you Charlie for doing puzzles with Morgan and playing softball with Chad so that I could make more dough; then make more dough!! Hee Hee, I really need to go to bed now; I am getting all sorts of slap happy!!!

Cookie of the Week; with a twist!

This week the "cookie" I made was especially simple. It does not even have a name.

It is what you make when you are desperate and happen to have pretzels and rolos laying around. The basic idea was to unwrap the rolo and place it on top of the pretzel, being sure to spray the cookie sheet with a cooking spray first. Then "bake" the "cookie" for about 5 minutes at 300 degrees. After taking them out place a second pretzel on top of the rolo, which is now squishy and warm. Let cool about 5 minutes and enjoy!

This cookie was an effort to clear my home of extra Christmas Junk! I sorta bit off more then I could chew. No Pepsi/caffeine, weight watchers and up before 6am is really hard. Top that with a nasty cold, I won't mention names (Tara, Trevor, Cameron, Mitchell!) and keeping goals becomes really hard. So I made a decision. I would keep with the no caffeine this week, and add on one more each week. So this is really the last week of cookies at our home. Poor, Poor kids! Watch for the healthy family recipe of the week from now on!

Cookie of the Week (a little late)

This weeks cookie always remind me of Christmas. Something simple and yummy. I happen to know that Santa loves these cookies! They are easy to make and the kids can help roll the dough in the cinnamon/sugar mix. An easy tradition to start.

Snicker Doodles

1 Cup butter, softened

1 1/2 Cup sugar

2 eggs

2 1/2 Cup flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cream of tartar

cinnamon and sugar mixed in a bowl

Cream shortening and sugar. Beat in eggs. Sift dry ingredients together and add to creamed mixture; stir. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Roll dough into walnut sized balls and roll in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Cookie of The Week

This week we made out traditional sugar cookie recipe. We make and decorate these cookies for several holidays during the year. Then we share them with neighbors! You will see in these pictures that Morgan is still happy to be in the pictures and all that good stuff. But Chad will not. He will help cut, roll and decorate! He will not allow himself to be in the pictures doing any of these things. Although making bunny ears behind his sister is still OK in his mind. This is one of those traditions that I kind of dread because of the time and mess. In the end I am thankful for the tradition. I am thankful for the time spent together, the jokes, the laughter, even the mess!

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

1 Cup butter at room temperature

2 Cups sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 Cup sour cream

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

6-8 Cups flour

Cream together the first 4 ingredients. Add the next 3 then add one cup of flour at a time until it makes a soft dough. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Roll out and cut into lovely shapes!! Bake at 250 for 7-9 minutes. I use store bought frosting because I am lazy, but you could make some too!! Enjoy!

Cookie Of The Week

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

2 C butter

2 C sugar

2 C brown sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

5 C oatmeal (blended into a flour)

4 C flour

24 oz chocolate chips (I use 1/2 mild and 1/2 semi sweet)

3 C chopped nuts (your choice)

Cream butter, add sugars. Then eggs and next 4 ingredients. Add oatmeal one cup at a time, then do the same with the four. Add chocolate chips and nuts. This is a super thick dough! Drop by ball onto cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Cookie of the Week

Old Fashioned Gingersnaps

3/4 C shortening
1 C sugar
1/4 C molasses
1 egg
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 t ground ginger
1 t ground cloves
1 t cinnamon
2 C flour
sugar to roll dough in

Blend together shortening and sugar. Add molasses and egg, beat well.
Add spices, soda, and salt mix. Add flour.

Form teaspoonfuls of dough into balls; roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on
cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 12-13 minutes.

Cookie of the Week

Chocolate Rolo Cookies

1 chocolate cake mix

1/2 Cup oil

2 eggs

2 tablespoons flour

rolos, unwrapped

a bowl of sugar for rolling

Combine cake mix, oil, eggs and flour. Roll a ball of dough around a rolo. Roll ball in the bowl of sugar to coat. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes or until the tops crack.

This recipe was given to me by a friend, Allie from Bakersfield. It is super easy and so yummy! The rolos melt so it is really like a caramel filled chocolate cookie. They are way better warm out of the oven then the next day. Although they are not bad then either! Enjoy them Cameron!

Cookie of the Week

Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

the before put into the oven picture

the after picture

1 81/2 oz package yellow cake mix

2 Cups quick-cooking oats, uncooked

3/4 Cup veggie oil

1 egg, beaten

mix together and spread half in the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan

you will have to spread this with your hands

12 oz jar caramel ice cream topping

1 Cup chocolate chips

1/2 Cup chopped nuts

Drizzle the caramel over the mixture in pan

then add chocolate chips and nuts

crumble remaining cake mix of the top

bake at 350 degrees for 28 -30 minutes

These are really rich so cut them on the small side!

Cookie of the Week

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I thought that these cookies would make a good choice as today is the first day of fall!

1/2 Cup Butter 1 tsp baking powder

1-1/2 Cups Sugar 1/2 tsp salt

1 egg 1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 Cup canned pumpkin 1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract 6 oz chocolate chips

2-1/2 Cups all-purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar together, add egg and pumpkin. To that add vanilla, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and flour. Fold in chocolate chips. Use a big scoop (1/2 Cup) to scoop onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 15-16 minutes.

I doubled this recipe with no trouble. Also you can add chopped nuts instead or in addition. Also you can make them smaller but be sure to decrease the time you bake them!