Cookie Gift Baskets Tip & Recipe Blog

Archive for the ‘Desserts’ Category

So simple, and yet so delicious, these wonderful treats aren't just kids cookies. Two chocolate cookies sandwich white, creamy decadence. Competition for the role of favorite cookie is fierce, but Oreo has earned itself a top spot in all of our hearts – and stomachs. The versatile cookie can be enjoyed by itself, of course, with a cold glass of milk or in milkshakes and ice cream treats. You can also crumble some Oreo goodness to make a wonderful crust. It’s easy, and you will be able to serve your guests a scrumptious dessert that is just a little out of the ordinary.

You will need:

• Oreos! And lots of them. This particular crust uses about 1 1/2 cups of crushed cookie crumbs, which is about 22 cookies.

• 3 tablespoons melted butter

An Oreo crust is a lot like a graham cracker crust and will be used for delicious dessert pies, like grasshopper pie or cheesecake. To make:

Use a food processor to crush the Oreo cookies. Again, you’ll need about 22 cookies for one crust. If you don’t have a food processor, you can put the cookies into a Ziploc bag and take your aggressions out on them with a rolling pin. This crumble mixture is the basis for your crust.

Next, mix the crumbs and the butter. You want the texture to be consistent, but it’s not going to be smooth. Press the mixture into a pie pan or springform pan. Now, the next step depends on what type of pie you’re making. For instance, if you are making a cheesecake, you will have to bake your pie, so you don’t need to bake the crust. Just fill it and then bake it as you would normally. If you are going to put in a filling that doesn’t need to be baked, such as a pudding or cream filling, simply bake the crust at 350 ° for 10 to 15 minutes. Now it’s ready to be filled and chilled.

It sounds good enough to eat already, doesn’t it? Here is a recipe from Cooks.com for Peanut Butter Fudge Oreo Cookie Pie. If you are having a dinner party, serve this! It is easy and quick to make, but it will taste like it took much longer. You’ll be hailed as a culinary genius.

You will need:

• Your Oreo cookie crust

• 1 4-ounce box of instant French Vanilla pudding mix

• 1 cup cold milk

• 3-4 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter (or more if you like peanut butter)

• 1 jar of chocolate fudge sauce (Dove or Smuckers work beautifully)

• Whipped cream, thawed

Frost the bottom and sides of the crust with the fudge sauce. You may need to microwave it for a few seconds if it is too thick. In a bowl, whisk the instant pudding and milk together. Add the peanut butter and continue to mix. If you have an electric mixer, now is a good time to break it out. The peanut butter will instantly thicken the mixture, so it can be difficult to do by hand. But not impossible. Where there’s a will, there’s a peanut butter fudge Oreo cookie pie.

Put the mixture onto the fudge-covered crust. Top with the whipped cream. If you have any extra cookie crumbs, use these as garnish. Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.

This is only one of the great recipes starring the Oreo cookie crust, and each is more delicious than the next.

Glazed cookies are different from cookies that are iced with stiff Royal icing. Glazed cookies will appear more glossy when finished. They’ll have a more painted look. You can easily learn how to make a cookie glaze that will have you decorating cookies like a pro.

Sugar cookies are one of the best types of cookies for glazing. They take glaze well and they also lend themselves to shapes that are perfect for seasonal cookies. You might want to bake bright butterflies for spring and four-leafed clovers for St. Patrick’s Day. You can tailor your cookie making and glazing to every holiday easily. Glaze is so easy to work with that there’s no reason you can’t make a batch every week in a different theme!

When you’re asked to bake for the Girl Scout meeting, PTO bake sale or another fund raiser, try making glazed cookies. Once they set and dry, they are easy to transport. And they are cost-efficient as well as delightful to look at. Try your hand at them and you’ll keep returning to the thought of glazed cookies whenever you go to bake.

For a failure proof recipe that will allow you to turn out near perfect cookies, try this recipe today.

Colorful Cookie Glaze

You'll love this easy-to-make glaze that dries to a hard, glossy finish, with bright, beautiful colors.

Yield: Makes about 1/2 cup.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

1 cup confectioners' sugar

3 1/2 teaspoons milk

1/4 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract or 1/4 teaspoon Pure Almond Extract

2 teaspoons light corn syrup

Assorted Food Colors

1. Mix confectioners' sugar, milk and extract in small bowl until smooth. Stir in corn syrup until glaze is smooth and glossy. (If glaze is too thick, stir in small amount of additional corn syrup.) Stir in 3 to 4 drops food color until evenly distributed and glaze is smooth. Add additional drops of food color until glaze is of desired color. Mix in your school's colors for a graduation cookie gift!

2. To glaze cookies, place cooling rack on foil-lined baking sheet. Holding a cookie by its edge, dip the top of cookie into glaze. (Or spoon the glaze onto cookies using a teaspoon. Cookies can also be glazed using a new small paintbrush.) Place glazed cookies on cooling rack to dry. (The foil-covered baking sheet will catch any drips.)

3. Use contrasting glaze colors to decorate glazed cookies, if desired. Spoon small amount of contrasting glaze into small resealable plastic bag. Snip off tiny piece of the corner of the plastic bag. Create design by squeezing contrasting glaze onto cookies. Allow glazed cookies to dry thoroughly before stacking.

Glazing cookies is a fast, easy way to add a splash of color to a cookie tray for the holidays, a birthday celebration, or a get well cookie basket. You can send over a batch of glazed cookies as a thank you to someone special or send them to school with your child in his lunchbox. Since they’re so easy to make, you can break out this recipe every time you bake.

If you are diabetic or on a sugar-restricted diet, you don’t have to miss out on all the treats. Here are some recipes for sugar free applesauce cookies that taste delicious and are healthy. You won’t miss the sugar at all!

Sugar-Free Applesauce Cookies (Courtesy of Almanac.com)

Yield: 24 cookies

1-3/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of kosher salt

1/2 cup of butter

1 tablespoon sugar substitute

1 large egg

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup of raisins

1 cup bran cereal (any type you have around)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment. Mix the ingredients together until they are well combined. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto the cookie sheet depending on the size of cookie you are looking for. To make the sizes more uniform, I use an ice cream scoop to measure each cookie and then use a fork to flatten them. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Arrange them in a basket or box and they make a great sugar free cookie gift!

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APPLESAUCE COOKIES (SUGAR FREE)

Printed from COOKS.COM

1/2 c. butter

1/3 c. artificial sweetener

1 egg

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. All Bran cereal

1 c. unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

Cream butter, add artificial sweetener and egg. Mix well. Stir together dry ingredients and add alternately with the applesauce. Stir in cereal. Drop by level tablespoons onto greased cookie sheets. Bake in 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. (I often make fresh applesauce but canned works just as well.)

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And if you’re wondering how to make your own sugar free applesauce, it’s easy.

Sugar Free Applesauce (courtesy of grouprecipes.com)

Time 10 minutes

Serves 8

Ingredients

4 medium apples pared cored and quartered

1/2 cup water

2 sticks cinnamon

1/4 cup sweetener

How to make it

Combine apples, water, and cinnamon, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove cinnamon and mash apples until smooth, then stir in sweetener.

MORE SUGAR FREE DESSERTS:

If you want to try a scrumptious sugar free apple crisp recipe on one of those chilly fall nights, try this one.

SUGAR FREE APPLE CRISP

Printed from COOKS.COM

4 c. peeled, sliced apples

2 tbsp. water

4 packets Equal

1 1/4 c. Bisquick

1 egg

1/4 c. butter

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix water and 2 packets Equal together. Place fruit in greased pan or baking dish and sprinkle with water. Thoroughly mix Bisquick, cinnamon, and 2 packets of Equal. Beat egg then slowly add Bisquick mixture until you have a crumbly dough. Sprinkle dough over fruit. Melt butter and pour over top. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

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For a sugar free apple pie, try this recipe that uses alternatives to sugar.

Ingredients:

Sugar Free Apple Pie (Courtesy of lifeclinic.com)

Pastry for double-crust 9-inch pie

3 tablespoons cornstarch

7-1/4 teaspoons Equal® for Recipes OR

24 packets Equal® sweetener OR

1 cup Equal® Spoonful™

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 cups sliced, cored, peeled, Granny Smith

or other baking apples (about 8 medium)

Equal® sweetener can be substituted with other sweetener products.

Directions:

Roll 1/2 the pastry on floured surface into circle 1 inch larger than inverted pie pan. Ease pastry into pan.

Combine cornstarch, Equal®, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; sprinkle over apples in large bowl and toss. Arrange apples in pie crust.

Roll remaining pastry into circle large enough to fit top of pie. If desired, cut hearts in pastry with cutters; place pastry on pie, seal edges, trim and flute. Press pastry hearts on pastry. Bake in preheated 425 F oven until pastry is golden and apples are tender, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Yield: Makes 8 servings.

Love baking cookies but don’t have time to make individual ones? You can make a giant cookie instead. Making one big cookie saves time. And it can be presented as a cake. You can decorate it with piped icing and even write on it. You no longer have to go to the store to buy an expensive cake when you can make a giant cookie cake easily.

There are some ingredients that are common to all big cookie cakes. You’ll need really good butter, sugar, and fresh brown sugar. You’ll also need eggs, flour, and vanilla. Be sure to use the freshest ingredients you can find as they will affect the taste of your cookie. That’s where the similarity in ingredients between recipes usually stops. From here you can add chocolate chips, nuts, shredded coconut, and more.

One thing every recipe for a big cookie will call for is a pan. You can either use a flat sheet pan, a pizza pan or a molded shape like a heart or a moon shape. These types of specialty pans are found in the cake and baking aisle in stores.

Baking the cookie is easier than making cookies one by one. You don’t have to stand there and wait for the first batch to bake so you can put the next batch in. You just pop the whole batch of dough in on the pan at once. Couldn’t be easier.

Here’s a favorite recipe from Allrecipes.com. It’s for a giant chocolate chip cookie.

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS:

1. In large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well.

2. Gradually add flour, salt, and baking soda, beating until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

3. Spread in greased 14 inch round pizza pan. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20-25 minutes. Cool cookie in pan on a cooling rack. Decorate as desired.

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As you can see, it’s really no different than making regular chocolate chip cookie dough. The time-saving and super easy part is that you just spread the dough onto a pan once.

The decorating options are endless. Frost in blue frosting and make a Cookie Monster cake. Use black tinted frosting for the mouth and use cookies for the eyes. You can find frosting tints at a craft store that has a cake aisle. The powdered tints will yield a darker color than liquid food coloring. And the stain won’t come off on kids’ mouths if you use a powdered tint.

Other options for decorating a cookie cake include a harvest pumpkin (just frost in orange with a green stem), a soccer ball (use black and white icing to make the six-sided shapes of a soccer ball), or a spider web for Halloween (use white frosting and thin lines of brown frosting that you drizzle on and then drag a knife through).These giant cookie cakes make great birthday cookie gifts!

Those who grew up in the 1970s know Cookie Monster from the children’s show Sesame Street very well. This loveable fuzzy blue puppet monster made eating cookies an art form. Now, another generation of kids has come to know and love Cookie Monster.

Cookie Monster, affectionately known as Cookie, was born on November 2, 1966, and loves eating cookies. But since 2006, he has also come to love crunchy fruits and vegetables like eggplant (so children don’t think they can eat only cookies like the Cookie does). Due to high rates of childhood obesity, Cookie has now been heard saying, “Cookies are a sometimes food.”

Jim Henson, who created The Muppets also created Cookie. His voice was the work of Frank Oz until 2002. From 2002 to 2010 Cookie’s voice has been performed by David Rudman. Cookie’s favorite saying is still, “Me want cookie!” and is recited by every preschooler around the country regularly.

Cookie Monster sings, dances and eats just about anything he wants including daisies and furniture and even a computer in an IBM training video. But most of all, he is in love with cookies. Chocolate chip cookies are his favorite but oatmeal cookies run a close second.

Children all over the world recognize the bright blue fur and the googley eyed loveable monster. They wear his image on t-shirt and pjs. It would be hard to find a person who doesn’t love the Cookie Monster. Kids of all ages still enjoy receiving cookie monster gifts as well!

Cookie originally started out as a character in a General Mills commercial for snack foods. The commercials never went on the air, but the character was added to the Sesame Street cast much to the delight of children everywhere.

Cookie is known for his growl when munching cookies as well as his penchant for singing. He has made “C is for Cookie” into an iconic classic. He first performed it on the 1971-1972 season of Sesame Street.

Helping children learn to recognize letters and read on their own has been a cause that Cookie has always championed. He has been the subject of many children’s books including Happy Birthday, Cookie Monster's Kitchen, A Cookie Gone Wrong - Monster's Story, Monster and the Surprise Cookie and Sesame Street: Wanted, the Great Cookie Thief. Children relate to the monster’s silly voice and wacky ways to learn letters. Especially if he eats the letter after he teaches it.

Sesame Street is the longest continuously running children’s television show in history. Audiences who were toddlers when it first aired are now parents themselves. Perhaps due to a nostalgia for the silly childhood friend, sales of Cookie Monster merchandise are still at an all time high. Collectible Cookie toys and books sell for enormous amounts on auctions sites such as eBay. For your next children's party why not surprise them with cookie party favors?

Today’s generation of Cookie Monster lovers can go online to sesamestreet.org and play games with Cookie and the other Sesame Street friends. They can watch clips of episodes of the show that feature Cookie (something the past generation would have loved to be able to do!).

Cookie Monster will hold a place in America’s heart as the cookie-gobbling, letter eating muppet with the bright blue coat. Generations to come will still think his antics are funny. He’s a timeless classic for good reason. He’s wholesome fun and inspired learning all in one.

The art of the cookie cutter is really turning into a hobby today. If you’ve always admired the artistry found in vintage cutters from your childhood or from antique stores or flea markets, why not start your own collection? It’s a practical collection you can actually use and then display.

Vintage cookie cutters harken back to a time when everything was handcrafted. Most are made of copper, which is now the most valued among collectors, but some are also made of tin. Look for cutters that have pleasant shapes. There’s really no one shape that’s more collectible than another. It’s what you like. But do look for ones that are in good shape if you want to actually use the cutter. Rusted cutters are not usable for food.

Stroll through a flea market, thrift store, antiques show, or Goodwill store, and you will no doubt stumble upon cookie cutters. Look for the age if you want to go vintage. Modern cookie cutters are usually plastic or a cheap nickel plate. At least the majority of them are. But every once in a while, you will come upon a true find—the cast-off copper cookie cutter. Cutters are still made in copper today but are usually mass marketed. They are made in factories and not by hand. If you find a copper cookie cutter, buy it. You can always assess its value later. Finding a copper one at all these days is rare, so don’t leave it behind.

Once you’ve amassed your collection of cookie cutters, don’t try to wash them. Leave vintage cutters as is. The exception, of course, is if you’re going to use them to bake cookies. Otherwise, leave them in their found state. The patina makes them more valuable.

Tie vintage or gingham plaid ribbons on them and hang them from a nail or hook in your kitchen. If you have a pot rack, hang them at different lengths and intervals in between your pots. You can also collect them in a big glass apothecary jar as they are. Stack them up and leave them on a counter for display. They look pretty just on their own. You could even put together a get well cookie gift basket with fresh baked cookies, the recipe, and a few of the cookie cutters that you used.

Another way to display your cutters is to line them up on a window sill. If you have a country house, line them up along kitchen windows. But you can also spread them throughout the living room, family room, dining room, and even in the bathroom! They look cute resting next to the sink.

No matter where you choose to display your cutters, group them. One here and one there will look odd. If you put a grouping of them together, they’ll look more like a collection. Group them with vintage cookbooks or leather-bound books, stacks, or recipe cards or other kitchen memorabilia from a bygone age. Lay them on old frilly aprons or a wooden rolling pin. You can even make a mobile or light fixture out of them. The more you collect, the more options you have for displaying them.

Be ever vigilant for the one cookie cutter that’s going to steal your heart. It may be one you remember from your childhood or a form like a reindeer, Santa, gingerbread boy, or flower cookie cutter that just sparks a nice memory for you.

If you can’t get enough of Oreos, you’ll want to order an Oreo dessert while you’re dining out. Many restaurants now offer Oreo desserts that are pleasing crowds from coast to coast.

Try the Domino’s dessert pizza. You can now order a pizza from your favorite 30-minute pizza place in the flavor of the beloved Oreo. It’s a thin crust pizza made of sugary dough with a vanilla sauce with chunks of Oreos on top. The company originally came up with the dessert because they needed one that would cook as fast as a pizza and at the same temperature as their pizza ovens are set to for their savory pizzas. And so the dessert pizza was born.

McDonald’s offers an Oreo caramel sundae that you can savor while you’re out. Grab one next time you go through the drive-thru.

Dairy Queen, the walk-up ice cream parlor, offers an Oreo Mint Blizzard. It took off right away. But that’s nothing new for Dairy Queen. They’ve been serving ice cream with Oreo accents for two decades. At first, they offered knock-off Oreo cookies, but then they realized that nothing can take the place of a genuine Oreo. Now they use only brand name Oreos in their creations.

Baskin Robbins ice cream offers Oreos as a mix-in for their ice cream concoctions. They also offer Jamoca Oreo ice cream. Their widely popular cookies and cream flavor is made with crushed Oreo cookies.

Another great pairing of ice cream and Oreos happens at the Cold Stone Creamery. They offer an Oreo Overload dish on their menu.

Nabisco wasn’t eager to enter the dessert market. But when they noticed how the sales of their crushed up Oreos were booming, they decided to join in the fun. Now Nabisco offers grinds of Oreos to be used by restaurants in their desserts. Restaurant owners can choose from a thin grind for milkshakes or a coarser grind for mixing into ice cream. Larger chunks of Oreos can be used for items like the Domino’s dessert pizza. There’s an Oreo pie crust that home bakers and restaurants alike make use of for whipped Oreo pies and other decadent desserts.

Smaller restaurants also make up their own recipes using Oreo cookies. No dessert can be bad if it has Oreos in it. The popularity may be due to the cookie’s ability to mix well with creamy treats. The smaller granules of the cookie once it is ground down make a nice add in and have a pleasant texture.

Next time you’re in the mood for an Oreo dessert, check the menu where you’re dining. Most places have a version of the Oreo sundae or Oreo pie. And, of course, you can always create your own recipes at home. Try dipping Oreos in molten chocolate or crushing them up as a cake topping. Try whipping them into a frozen dessert topping such as Cool Whip and see what you come up with. Once you mix it in, layer it into a brownie pan and refreeze it. You’ll come up with a dessert that’s hard to resist. You can also add in pudding or other sweets. Experiment and devise your own Oreo cookie dessert.

America may have its Toll House cookies and Oreos as nationwide favorites. And they’re certainly delicious and well known. But what kind of cookies do those outside the United States eat? Every country seems to have a favorite cookie as different as the people who make them. Here are some of the countries around the world along with their cookies of choice. You’ll marvel at how few ingredients most have compared to American recipes. Most are light and simple and are baked with only the most basic staple ingredients. Amazing what a little sugar and flour can make.

Afghanistan: Khatai cookies are the traditional cookie of Afghanistan. They are made with simple ingredients like flour, cardamom, and pistachios. Just a few ingredients mixed to make a tasty cookie that looks as good as it tastes.

Albania: Albanians favor the Sheqerpare. This is a cookie in syrup. This cookie is simple and includes flour, sugar, eggs, butter, vanilla, and cloves. A final touch after baking is a drizzle of hot syrup.

Brazil: Brazilians love their Biscoitos de Maizena. These are cornstarch cookies and require only five ingredients. They are made with cornstarch, sugar, egg, salt and butter. Great with Brazilian coffee.

China: The Chinese cookie of choice is not the regular or chocolate covered fortune cookie (which was an American invention) but instead the Hang Geen Beng cookie. This almond cookie features a whole almond gently adorning a sugary light cookie.

Egypt: Egyptians eat Zalabia. These are delicately fried fritters in syrup dusted with sugar and cinnamon. Yum!

France: Chocolate Madeleines are the cookie of choice for the French. These tasty cookies, made famous by Proust, are light and cake-like.

Indonesia: In Indonesia, cookies are light and beautiful. The Kue Smprong cookies are called love letters and are delicate wafers with intricate design patterns on them.

Italy: Italians love their dry and crusty amaretti cookies. These cookies are made with almond paste and are perfect for dunking in espresso.

Japan: The Japanese cookie may be the most unique. It is called Yokan and is a jelly-like square. It’s made with azuki beans and sugar.

Mexico: Mexico’s cookie of choice is the Polvorones De Canela. These cinnamon cookies are dusted with powdered sugar.

Nicaragua: In Nicaragua, the cookie of choice is more like a donut. These light and fluffy donut-shaped teats are actually made from cheese and pork lard.

Peru: Peruvians enjoy a cookie called the Alfajores. These succulent cookies are two sandwiches of vanilla almond cookie with a vanilla based filling.

Portugal: Portuguese sit down to Raivas, a delicate cinnamon butter cookie for a snack. The five ingredients are combined and then the dough is rolled out into snakes and curved into butterfly shapes.

Scotland: Scottish folks sit down for tea with a Scottish Shortbread. These buttery slices of crispy cookie originated with the Scots.

Spain: The Spanish are known for their Almendaros. Their version of the almond cookie contains just four ingredients and has a lemony almond taste and sugary outside texture.

Syria: The Syrians enjoy Barazeh. These flat sesame seed and honey cookies are tempting and golden brown.

Ukraine: Ukrainian women bake puffy pillows called Varenyky. These are much like our ravioli in looks, but are filled with a blackberry, sour cream, cream cheese, and cinnamon filling.

If you love the idea of home baked cookies but not the time required to stand at the counter doling out the raw batter, opt for the cookie bar. It’s a cousin of the drop cookie. Instead of scooping out mounds of raw batter and refilling the cookie sheets when one batch is baked, you do all the pan filling once and forget it.

Bake your cookie bars as you would a brownie or other pan cookie. You spread the dough after you’ve prepared it and then bake as directed in the recipe. The real key is to wait until the entire pan has cooled before cutting into the bars. If you cut too soon, you’ll only get messy-edged bars that don’t hold their shape.

Have fun with these recipes for cookie bars.

Chocolate Toffee Bars (courtesy of Allhomemadecookies.com)

These cookies are much simpler to make than they look. They are a very decadent candy bar-like cookie that makes for stunning gifts or simple gourmet desserts with your favorite ice cream. These cookies do not freeze well (not that they normally last long enough to freeze anyway!)

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup sliced almonds

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease an eight inch square baking pan. Cream the butter and brown sugar together in a large bowl. Blend in the vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and blend well. Spread the dough evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 17-22 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle the top with the chocolate chips and cover the pan with foil or another pan to help melt the chocolate. After a few minutes, spread the chocolate with a spatula until evenly coated and smooth. If the chocolate does not melt, pop the pan back in the oven for a minute. Sprinkle the almonds immediately over the top and press in gently so they will stick. Let cool completely and cut into desired shapes. Store in an airtight container.

Tasty-Cake Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars (courtesy of Allhomemadecookies.com)

I remember my mom making these delicious bars. We all loved the soft "tasty-cake-like" chocolate peanut butter bars. When I make this dessert for my family, it disappears quickly! This recipe won a blue ribbon at a city fair. These bars freeze well and taste great frozen!

Ingredients:

1 c. milk

2 T. margarine or butter

2 c. sugar

4 eggs

2 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Confectioner's sugar for dusting

1 1/4 c. peanut butter

12 oz. chocolate chips (about 1 1/2 cups)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350. Scald the milk and margarine. Cool mixture and add the sugar, eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Then mix in the dry ingredients. Pour the batter into a greased and floured jelly roll pan.

Bake the cake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and dust with confectioner's sugar. Spread with the peanut butter while the bars are still hot. Refrigerate to cool. Melt the chocolate and spread on the cooled bars. Let cool before cutting into squares.

Yields about 36 bars.

If you want to congratulate someone and don’t know what to give them, the ideal gift may be a cookie basket. Cookie baskets can be designed to convey your congratulations and well-wishes. And they’re a delight to receive.

For times when you want to send more than just a card, send a bright, happy cookie basket. It’s such a tasty idea. You can find two types of cookie baskets. One is made with decorated shortbread cookies that look realistic in their artistic icings. The other is more traditional. It includes fresh baked cookies like chocolate chip, oatmeal, peanut butter, and sometimes even brownies.

There is no shortage of suppliers of tempting cookie baskets. Mrs. Fields offers a line of cookie baskets that is so scrumptious you may end up ordering one for yourself, too. You can order a basket of nibblers that are bite sized cookies and brownies. OR you can order a mixed cookie basket that includes white macadamia nut cookies in a tin. There’s also the famous giant round cookie pie. It comes decorated with sweet icing and the word “Congratulations.”

Many other companies also offer cookie baskets that are unique and tasteful. There are, however, things you should ask before giving out your credit card number. When do they ship their cookies? Are they baked and shipped the same day? Are they individually wrapped? Are you charged extra for Saturday delivery? These are all things that will affect your decision to buy from an online cookie bakery.

Also ask what exactly you’re getting. The basket may be rattan and eight inches high in the photo but the one you get ends up looking nothing like it. Ask to see a photo of the actual basket you’re getting, not a placeholder photo. The same goes for ordering flowers online. Always ask to see the actual bouquet especially when they say “contents may vary.”

Your online shopping experience should be fine. But just expect that shipping costs will be more than you want to spend. It’s a choice you have to make if you want to congratulate someone with cookies. Of course, there is also the option of using a local bakery. You can have them make up a really nice basket for you of twice the size you could get online with no delivery charges. See if they will hand-deliver it, or if you can deliver it yourself.

Cookie baskets are always a good idea. Whether you order online, in person, or bake them yourself, they’re a spectacular way to express your congratulations in a fun way. Send them to college graduates, newlyweds, coworkers who get promoted, high school graduates, new parents and for anniversaries. Is there any wrong time to send a congratulations cookies? No. And you can even send one as a sympathy offering when someone has passed on. Pass on the shiny, brightly colored cookies and go for something mellower like chocolate chip or an assortment of home baked recipes. Leave the flash and bows for a more festive time.

Get your cookies on their way to someone special today. It will make their day and they will certainly remember your thoughtfulness long after all the other cards are filed away.

Related Posts:

• Edible Alternatives To Sending Flowers
• Cookie Gift Baskets are A Great Way to Say Thank You
• All About Cookie Bouquets