Rich Pretzel M&M Toffee Bars

When a friend of mine was having a night of prayer and treats to send him off on a month long missions trip to Malawi, Africa,  I knew I had to make something good. I had a bag of Pretzel M&M's in my baking cabinet that had been waiting to be used and I knew this would be a great opportunity.

I thought of a few different ideas, I had made a peanut butter pretzel cookie in the past that could definitely work with the M&M's but I wanted something different besides a cookie. I flipped through some recipe books and decided on some sort of blondie. I went to the grocery store looking for some inspiration when I saw a bag of Heath English Toffee Bits and decided they would go great together.

This recipe is very rich, but also a great combination of flavors: milk chocolate, pretzels and toffee. The bottom layer is perfectly crumbly with a gooey toffee topping to make a great pair.  The pretzels add a great crunch and the chocolate makes these bars amazingly sweet.

Rich Pretzel M&M Toffee Bars

makes about 36 bars

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
• 1 egg
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups pretzel M&M's (crushed)
• 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 cups english toffee bits

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F Degrees and grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

2. Stir together flour and brown sugar in a large bowl. Cut in butter with an electric mixer until mixture resembles crumbles. Add egg and mix well. Stir in half of chocolate chips (1 cup) and 1 cup of pretzel M&M's. After mixing, set aside 1 1/2 cups of mixture and press the remaining into the bottom of the pan.

3. Bake for 10 minutes. Take out of oven and pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over the hot crust. Sprinkle 1 cup of toffee bits evenly in the pan. Take the remaining of dough mixture and spread evenly over the top. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on top.

4. Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Sprinkle with remaining toffee bits and remaining pretzel M&M crumbs. Let cool completely and cut into bars. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

These cookies are some of my favorite cookies to bake and are extremely easy and simple! This is not my own original recipe but it's too good not to share!

I first tried these cookies when my sister made them years ago from a random cookie cook book in our kitchen. They have been a family favorite ever since! The recipe is from Best-Loved Cookies from Publications International, Ltd. This cookie recipe book is filled with yummy treats and I even use it as a reference for many of my original recipes!

These cookies are great for any Reese's Peanut Butter Cup lover. The chocolate cookie is perfectly chewy and the peanut butter cup in the center paired with peanut butter drizzle on top makes a great balance between the chocolate and peanut butter flavors.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

makes about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 squares (1 ounce each) unsweetened baking chocolate
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup all-vegetable shortening
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 36 miniature peanut butter cups, unwrapped
• 1 cup peanut butter chips (for drizzle)

*recipe calls for 3/4 cup finely chopped peanuts to roll cookie dough in, but I leave this step out

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F Degrees and place a sheet of foil on countertop to move cookies to cool

2. Combine chocolate chips and baking squares in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in microwave, stirring after 2 minutes. Continue until smooth.

3. Combine sugar and shortening in a large bowl. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed until crumbly. Beat in eggs one at a time then add salt and vanilla. Reduce to a low speed and add melted chocolate slowly. Stir in flour and baking soda with a spoon until well blended. Shape dough into 1 1/4 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.

4. Bake at 350F Degrees for 8-10 minutes. Press a peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie immediately after taking out of the oven. Move cookies to the foil sheet with a spatula and let cool.

5. Place peanut butter chips in a resealable sandwich bag and microwave. Knead the bag after 1 minute and repeat until smooth. Cut a tiny tip off the corner of the bag and squeeze to drizzle over cookies.

Chocolate Cake Batter Cookies

I am a sucker for cake batter. Whether it's licking the bowl clean or cake batter ice cream, it's one of my favorite sweet flavors to indulge in. Chocolate cake is my personal favorite cake and it was about time for the rainbow sprinkles in my baking cabinet to be used. I came up with a delicious recipe for a perfectly chewy and soft Chocolate Cake Batter Cookie packed with goodness.

I used round rainbow sprinkles, but after experimenting with the recipe I think it would be much better to use the flat longer rainbow sprinkles, like these:

Chocolate Cake Batter Cookies

makes about 24 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cup boxed chocolate cake mix
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 stick of butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees

2. Mix flour, cake mix and baking soda in a small bowl.

3. Cream together butter, sugar and brown sugar together with an electric mixture and add in egg and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients. Add chocolate chips, white chocolate chips and sprinkles.

4. Refrigerate dough for at least one hour

5. Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto a well-greased cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Brown Butter Coconut Caramel Cookies

As I walked through the grocery store doing the shopping for the family, a bag of caramel Hershey Kisses caught my eye. I began to dream up things I could create with them. 

I came up with a chocolate cookie recipe that sounded pretty good and decided to make them for my Mom's birthday. I checked with her to make sure she liked caramel. She said yes - but she liked coconut better. I tried to think of something else I could make for her special day involving her favorite coconut flavor and then thought, hey why not combine caramel and coconut?

I couldn't decide if the combination would be a good one, but then I thought back to my twelve years in Girl Scouts selling cookies and remembered the ever popular and one of my mom's favorites - Samoas (or Caramel Delites. They may have changed the name on the box but it will still remain Samoas in my heart.) I decided to come up with my own twist on a Samoa cookie involving those caramel Hershey kisses for my mother's birthday, bringing together my original idea and her request for coconut!  

Brown Butter Coconut Caramel Cookies

makes about 30 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 package caramel Hershey kisses
• 1 cup caramel chips
• 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut (extra for topping)
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 2 1/2 tablespoons caramel ice cream topping (extra for drizzle after baking)
• 1 cup butter - diced into cubes
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose baking flour
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking power
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup sugar (for rolling cookies)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees

2. Heat cubed butter in a skillet on medium heat until browned. Butter should melt then start to form golden bubbles. Pour butter into a heat-safe bowl and let cool.

3. Whisk together dry ingredients in a separate bowl : flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

4. Mix cooled butter, sugar and brown sugar using an electric mixer. Then add in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla.

5. Add in the dry ingredients and mix then add caramel chips, caramel ice cream topping, and shredded coconut.

6. Roll dough into balls - about 1 1/2 inch diameter then roll in sugar and place on a well greased baking sheet. Bake for 11 minutes.

7. Press a caramel Hershey kiss in the center of each cookie immediately after they come out of the oven and let cool. 

8. Put chocolate chips in a plastic bag in the microwave for one minute to melt. Snip a hole in the corner of the bag and drizzle chocolate over cookies. Spoon extra caramel ice cream topping over cookies for drizzle as well.

9. Place extra shredded coconut in the same skillet used for melting butter and toast coconut over medium heat until it turns golden brown. Sprinkle over cookies and enjoy!