Dark Chocolate Chip Scones

From Hershey's Made Simple, page 82.

Yield: 24 scones

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups (12-oz. pkg) dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional
2 cups whipping cream, chilled
2 Tbs. butter, melted
Additional sugar
Powdered sugar, optional

Stir together 3 1/4 cups flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.  Stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if desired.

Stir whipping cream into flour mixture just until ingredients are moistened.

Turn mixture out onto floured surface.  Knead gently until soft dough forms, about 2 minutes.  Divide dough into three equal balls.  One at a time, flatten into 7-inch circle; cut into 8 triangles.  Transfer triangles to greased baking sheets, spacing 1-2 inches apart.  Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with additional sugar.

Bake at 375 F for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.  Serve warm, sprinkled with powdered sugar, if desired.

Notes:
- The dough is really, really sticky!!  Don't be afraid to use flour when you're handling it.
- I used one package of mini semi-sweet chips by accident, but it was still delicious.

Oreo Cookies

From Lindsey Eliason.

1 box Devils Food cake mix
2 eggs
3/4 cup shortening
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup margarine
2 tsp. vanilla
2-4 cups powdered sugar

Mix together cake mix, eggs, and shortening.  Drop in tablespoonfuls on greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 8 min @ 350F.  Let cool.

Mix together cream cheese, margarine, vanilla, and 2 cups powdered sugar.  Add more powdered sugar until the filling reaches the desired consistency (thick but not too thick).  Sandwich between two cookies.

Notes:
- I haven't made this in a while, so I don't remember how long it takes or what the yield is.
- I use a cookie scoop for, well, almost everything.  It makes a really nicely shaped cookie.  If you don't have one (and don't want to make the purchase), I suppose you could gently roll the dough into little balls so they're good, circular discs.

Peanut Butter Bars

From AllRecipes.com, submitted by Nancy.

Yield: 32 bars.

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup + 4 Tbs. peanut butter, divided
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Use a food processor to pulse the graham crackers until fine.  Add the melted butter, 1 cup peanut butter, and powdered sugar.  Pulse until blended and smooth.

Press the peanut butter mixture into an ungreased 9x13 baking pan.

Melt the chocolate chips and remaining peanut butter in the microwave in 30 second increments until melted and smooth.  Pour over peanut butter layer and spread evenly.

Chill for 30 minutes or until set.  Remove to room temperature for at least 15 minutes before slicing into bars.

Notes:
- I read a suggestion to use all natural peanut butter, but I didn't try it because I have probably a three year supply of the regular stuff and didn't see a reason to go out and buy more!
- The recipe called for 1 1/2 cups butter, which I'm sure would have made the bars even creamier.
- The finer your crumbs, the smoother your peanut butter layer will be.  You don't have to use a food processor (you can do it all in a bowl or blender), but I recommend it.
- Each bar has about 200 calories in it, so devour wisely.

Thick and Fudgey Brownies with Hershey's Mini Kisses Milk Chocolate

From Hershey's Made Simple, page 68.

Yield: 24 brownies (or 20 if you cut them like we do).

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, melted
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 3/4 cups (10 oz. pkg) mini milk chocolate Hershey kisses

Heat oven to 350F (325F for glass baking dish).  Grease 9x13" baking pan.

Stir together flour, cocoa,, baking powder, and salt.  With spoon or whisk, stir together butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl.  Add eggs; stir until well blended.  Stir in flour mixture, blending well.  Stir in chocolate pieces.  Spread batter in prepared pan.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan.  Cool completely in pan on wire rack; cut in 2" squares.

Notes:
- I totally spaced it and cooked my brownies--in a glass dish--at 350F.  It actually ended up taking 38 minutes even then, so I cooking them at 325 would likely take even longer.  My brownies were not burned.
- Instead of milk chocolate mini Kisses, I used the same amount of semi-sweet chocolate chips.  I definitely think my way was better.
- As I'm sure you noticed, I topped some of our brownies with sweetened whipped cream (1 cup heavy whipping cream beaten at high speed with a tablespoon or so of sugar) and berries.  Yum.

Hot Chocolate Souffle

From Hershey's Made Simple, page 132.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Photo by Brittany Meng.

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided, plus some for sprinkling
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
6 egg yolks, well beaten
2 Tbs. butter or margarine
1 tsp. vanilla extract
8 egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
Sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Lightly butter 2 1/2 quart souffle dish; sprinkle with sugar.  For collar, cut a length of heavy-duty aluminum foil to fit around souffle dish; fold in thirds lengthwise.  Lightly butter one side of foil.  Attach, buttered side in, around outside of dish, allowing foil to extend at least 2 inches above dish.  Secure with tape or string.

Stir together cocoa, 1 cup sugar, flour, and salt in a large saucepan;  gradually stir in milk.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with wire whisk, until mixture boils;  remove from heat.  Gradually stir small amount of chocolate mixture into beaten egg yolks; blend well.  Add egg mixture to chocolate mixture in pan, blending well.  Cook and stir for 1 minute.  Add butter and vanilla, stirring until blended.  Set aside and cool for 20 minutes.

Move oven rack to lowest position.  Heat oven to 350 F.

Beat egg whites with cream of tartar in large bowl until soft peaks form; gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar, beating  until stiff peaks form.  Gently fold about one-third of beaten egg mixture into chocolate mixture.  Lightly fold chocolate mixture, half at a time, into remaining egg white mixture just until blended; do not overfold.

Gently pour mixture into prepared dish; smooth top with spatula.  Gently place dish in larger baking pan; pour hot water into larger pan to depth of 1 inch.

Bake 1 hour and 5 to 10 minutes or until puffed and set.  Remove souffle dish from water.  Carefully remove foil.  Serve immediately with sweetened whipped cream or ice cream.

Notes:
- I used a round Corningware casserole dish.  Just make sure what you use is deep and holds 2 1/2 quarts.
- You'll want to make sure you have enough people to eat this within a day or two; after that, the texture changes and it's just not as good.  Really, it's best to eat it all the first day, especially fresh.

"The Chewy" (Chocolate Chip Cookies)

From Alton Brown.

Prep: 15 minutes + chilling / Cook: 10-15 minutes
Yield: about 2 dozen cookies

These cookies are thick, dense, and chewy with lots of chocolate chips.

8 oz. unsalted butter
12 oz. bread flour (~2 1/4 cups)
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 oz. granulated sugar (~1/4 cup)
8 oz. light brown sugar (~1 1/4 cups)
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 Tbs. whole milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
12 oz. chocolate chips (~2 cups)

Melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over low heat, then set aside to cool slightly.

Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda onto a paper plate.

Pour the butter into your stand mixer's work bowl.  Add the sugars and beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the whole egg, egg yolk, milk, and vanilla extract in a measuring cup.  Reduce the mixer speed and slowly add the egg mixture.  Mix until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds.

Using the paper plate as a slide, gradually integrate the dry team, stopping a couple times to scrape down the side of the bowl.  Once the flour is worked in, drop the speed to "stir" and add the chocolate chips.  Chill the dough for 1 hour.

Heat the oven to 375 F and place racks in the top third and bottom third of the oven.

Scoop the dough into 1 1/2-ounce portions onto parchment paper-lined half sheet pans, 6 cookies per sheet.  Bake two sheets at a time for 10-15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through.

Remove from the oven, slide the parchment with the cookies onto a cooling rack, and wait at least 5 minutes before devouring.

Notes:
- AB says, "Great bakers weigh their ingredients."  Apparently I'm not a great baker--I looked up his recipe on the Food Network website in addition to reading it out of my Good Eats cookbook and found volumetric measurements.  Those are included in parentheses.  To be honest, I've had better results using the volumetric measurements than when I weigh them.
- I tend to use use semisweet chips and dark brown sugar because I like them better.
- What to do with the unused egg white?  Freeze it in a storage container for use in a recipe that uses more whites than eggs, such as the Hot Chocolate Souffle.
- To tell you the truth, I'm not too particular about using a 2-quart saucepan or sifting onto a paper plate.  I "sift" my ingredients into a bowl by measuring them into a fine mesh strainer and tapping it with my hand.  It gets the job done, though the kosher salt stays behind and just gets dumped in.
- I sort of guess on the size of the cookie scoops.  I've figured out that it's bigger than a cookie scoop and smaller than an ice cream scoop.  (I have the Oneida ones with the hook arm inside.)
- Parchment paper is one of the most wonderful things in the world.  I've always loved it.
- The original recipe says to cook for 15 minutes, but I've found that the cookies get overdone.  Rotate at 5 or 6 minutes (also switching which pan is on the top rack) and keep an eye on them starting at 10 minutes.  Take the cookies out when the edges are just golden.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Sis. Hammond.

Yield: about 4 1/2 dozen cookies

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 3/4 cups flour
2 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Melt butter and margarine in microwave for 40 seconds.

Add sugars, eggs, vanilla, salt, band baking soda.  Mix well.

Add flour.  Mix well.  Stir in oatmeal and chocolate chips.

Drop into mounds on a parchment-covered cookie sheet.  Bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees.  Cool on pan for 10 minutes and transfer to cooling racks.

Notes:
- The original recipe called for 1 cup chocolate chips.
- Added the bit about the parchment.  I use parchment paper for all my cookies--forget greasing and washing cookie sheets!

Layered Peppermint Bark

From AllRecipes.com, submitted by Carol.

Prep: 30 minutes, Ready in: 1 1/2 hours
Makes: 32 servings

20 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped, divided

30 peppermint candies, crushed, divided

10 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

6 Tbs. heavy cream

1 tsp. peppermint extract

Line a 9x12" baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper.

Melt half of the white chocolate in the top of a double boiler over just barely simmering water, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides with a spatula to avoid scorching. Spread the white chocolate into the prepared pan Sprinkle 1/2 of the crushed peppermints evenly over the white chocolate. Chill until firm, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the dark chocolate, heavy cream, and peppermint extract together in the top of a double boiler over just barely simmering water, stirring frequently, until just melted. Quickly pour the chocolate layer over the chilled white chocolate layer; spread evenly. Chill at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining white chocolate in the top of a double boiler over just barely simmering water, stirring frequently, until just melted. Spread quickly over the chilled bark. Sprinkle with the remaining peppermint pieces; chill until firm, about 20 minutes. Cut or break into small pieces to serve.

Notes:

- Using a 9x12" pan produces very thick "bark," so I will likely use a jelly roll pan next time instead.

- I used two bags of white chocolate chips, which was closer to 24 ounces instead of 20.

- If you don't have two double boilers (by a fluke, I do), you can melt the white chocolate in the microwave (in two batches). Start with a minute at 50% power, and then add 15 seconds until the chocolate is smooth when stirred. You can also make a double boiler by placing a glass bowl over a pot with a little of simmering water.

- Be very careful (and quick) when spreading the final layer of white chocolate. The dark chocolate will never completely set up, so it's easy to end up swirling it into the white.

- Don't get any water into your melting chocolate! It will cause big problems. (If you do, add a little oil or shortening to help fix things.)

Chocolate Toffee Crunch Squares

From Hershey's Made Simple, page 22.

Makes 3 dozen squares.

4 cups (two 11.5-ounce packages) chocolate chips

1 cup Heath Bits 'o Brickle toffee bits

1 cup lightly salted peanuts

1 cup halved pretzel sticks

1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes (optional)

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1 tsp. shortening (do not use butter, margarine, spread, or oil)

Paper candy cups (optional)

Line 9-inch square pan with plastic wrap. Place chocolate chips in large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at medium (50%) 1 minute; stir. If necessary, microwave at medium an additional 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating just until chips are melted and mixture is smooth when stirred. Immediately add toffee bits, peanuts, pretzels, and coconut, if desired; stir to coat.

Spread mixture in prepared pan; cover with plastic wrap or foil. Refrigerate 45 minutes or until firm.

Place white chips and shortening in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at medium (50%) 30 seconds; stir. If necessary, microwave at medium an additional 10 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating just until chips are melted and mixture is smooth when stirred. Using a fork, drizzle white chips mixture over chocolate mixture in pan. Cover; refrigerate 5 minutes or until firm.

Bring to room temperature. Remove chocolate mixture from pan and place right-side up on cutting board; remove plastic wrap. Cut into 1 1/2-inch squares. Place each square in a candy cup, if desired. Store in covered container in a cool place.

Variation: Chocolate Toffee Haystacks

Prepare mixture as above. Instead of spreading into square pan, drop chocolate mixture by slightly heaping tablespoons onto wax paper-lined cookie sheet or tray. Refrigerate until firm. Melt white chips as directed above; drizzle over haystacks.

Notes:

- I made my squares in an 8x8" pan. (Who owns a 9x9" anyway?)

- My squares were smaller than 1 1/2 inches, so I probably got closer to 4 dozen candies.
- I like to use one bag of milk chocolate and one bag of semi-sweet chips.

Double Peanut Butter Paisley Brownies

From Hershey's Made Simple, page 12.

Makes about 36 brownies.

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened

1/4 creamy peanut butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 2/3 cups (10-ounce package) peanut butter chips

1/2 cup chocolate syrup (milk or dark)

Heat oven to 350F. Grease 9x13" baking pan.

Beat butter and peanut butter in a large bowl. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in vanilla.

Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt; mix into peanut butter mixture, blending well. Stir in peanut butter chips. Spread half of batter in prepared pan; spoon syrup over top. Carefully spread with remaining batter; swirl with metal spatula or knife for marbled effect.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into squares.

Notes:

- I use dark brown sugar--I prefer it over light.

- This recipe needs more chocolate. Next time I make it, I'm going to add chocolate chips along with the peanut butter chips.

- These keep very well if stored in an airtight container or ziplock bag.

Matt's Award-winning Brownies

Makes one 9x13" pan of brownies.

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 1/3 cup flour

1 cup (2 handfuls) nuts, chopped

2/3 cup oil

2/3 cup baking cocoa

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. salt (scant)

Beat eggs, sugar, and oil until smooth.  Add flour and beat again.  Add baking powder, salt, cocoa, and vanilla and mix again.

Mix in nuts.

Bake 25-30 minutes in a greased 9x13" pan @ 370 degrees F.

Notes:

- Works best in a clear glass baking pan.  Times and temperatures may need to be adjusted for metal or tinted glass.

- Leave the nuts out if you don't want them (we chop them into pretty small pieces).

- Dust slightly cooled brownies with powdered sugar.

Death by Chocolate (Trifle)

From Sis. Luke.

1 9x13" pan of brownies, cooled and chopped or crumbled
1 large container of whipped topping
1 large Symphony bar with almonds and toffee, chopped finely
1 large + 1 small box chocolate pudding, prepared according to directions


Trifle:
Mix 3 small packages of chocolate pudding as directed. Let set in refrigerator.

Once the brownies are completely cool, layer in the following order:
1 layer brownies
1 layer chocolate pudding
1 layer whipped topping
1 layer finely cut Hershey’s Symphony or Hershey’s milk chocolate bar (5 oz.)

Repeat layers to fill trifle dish.


Notes:
- Best if assembled the night before.
- I like to use Matt's Award-Winning Brownies.  Sis. Luke uses this brownie recipe in her trifle:


Brownies:
2 ½ sticks butter
¾ cup cocoa powder
3 cups sugar
1 tsp. salt
6 eggs
2 cups flour
2 cups walnuts, chopped

Melt butter over medium heat. Mix in cocoa powder and remove from heat. Add sugar, salt, eggs, and walnuts (in that order). Pour into greased 9x13” baking dish. Bake at 300°F for approximately 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chip Cookies

From Mom Larsen.

White chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies (see Variations)

3 eggs
16 oz. (2 cups) dark brown sugar
1 ½ cups white sugar
2 Tbs. vanilla
1 lb. butter, softened (do not substitute margarine!!)
6 cups flour
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
18 ounces chocolate chips
2 cups chopped nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

Beat eggs until thickened—about 4-5 minutes. Add sugars; mix well. Add vanilla and butter; mix well.

Combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Add to butter/sugar/egg mixture; mix well. Dough will be thick!

Add chocolate chips and nuts (if desired); mix.

Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, drop dough on cookie sheets covered with baker’s/parchment paper. Bake 8-10 minutes, or until tops begin to crack. Cookies will not look done in the center but will continue to cook after you take them out. Leave cookies on baking sheets for 10 minutes before removing to cooling racks.

Variations:
Cocomac Cookies: Substitute coconut and macadamia nuts for chopped nuts and chocolate chips.
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies: Substitute white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts for chocolate chips and nuts.

Chocolate Truffle Pie

From Kraft Foods.

Prep: 10 min
 / Cook: 35 min

Makes: 10 servings



Picture from the Kraft Foods website.

10 oz. Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate
½ cup whipping cream
4 eggs
½ cup sugar
¼ cup flour

Whipped cream
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Place chocolate in large microwaveable bowl. Add whipping cream. Microwave on high 2 min. or until chocolate is almost melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended; cool slightly.

Add eggs, sugar and flour; beat with wire whisk until well blended. Pour into lightly greased 9-inch pie plate.

Bake 35 min. or until outer half of pie is puffed and center is slightly soft; cool until slightly warm. Dust powdered sugar over top. Serve topped with the whipped topping.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

From AllRecipes.com, submitted by Laura.

Prep: 25 min. Cook: 25 min.
Yield: About 18 muffins

6 (1-ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
1/3 cup unsalted butter
¾ cup milk
½ white sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup sour cream

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate squares together with the butter. Let stand until cooled, about 10 minutes.

Lightly beat the egg. In a small bowl, stir together the chocolate-butter mixture with the milk, sugar, egg, vanilla, and sour cream until blended well.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add chocolate mixture to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spoon the batter into muffin pan lined with cups.

Bake at 400˚F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let muffins cool at least five minutes before removing from muffin pan.

Notes:
- Substitution for chocolate squares: 6 Tbs. cocoa powder + ¼ cup butter + 7 Tbs. sugar

Chocolate Banana Bread / Muffins

From Quick Cooking (Jan./Feb. 2001), page 53.

Yield: 1 loaf or 2 dozen muffins

½ cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium)—needs more banana flavor
¼ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped nuts, optional
1 cup chocolate chips, optional

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, bananas, milk, and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; add to the banana mixture and mix just until combined. Fold in nuts if desired. Transfer to a greased 9x5x3” loaf pan.

Bake at 350°F for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

Notes:
- For muffins: Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full. Check muffins at about 15 minutes for doneness.

Nutrition Facts:
1 slice (1/16 loaf) = 184 calories, 7 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 42 mg cholesterol, 294 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein

Grasshopper Pie

From Lindsey Eliason.

½ cup margarine, melted
2 packages chocolate wafers
1 pint marshmallow whip
¾ cup milk
2 packages Dream Whip
green food coloring (another color may be substituted)
½ teaspoon peppermint flavoring, more or less depending on your taste

Crush chocolate wafers in Ziploc bags into small crumbs. Mix margarine and chocolate wafers into a crumbly mixture using clean hands. Press about 3/4 of mixture into 9x13 greased glass dish or pan.

Melt marshmallow whip in microwave (watch it so it doesn’t burn). Mix milk and marshmallow whip. Put in freezer to cool – do not freeze at this point!

Whip Dream Whip according to directions on box. Add into marshmallow/milk mixture.

Add food coloring and peppermint flavoring. Pour on top of crust.

Sprinkle remaining half of wafer mixture on top. Freeze.

Peanut Blossoms

From Carole Larsen

1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1 package Hershey Kisses

Cream together shortening, peanut butter, and sugars.

Add egg and vanilla; beat well.  Add flour, baking soda, and salt; beat well.

Shape dough in 1" balls. Roll in sugar. Bake on greased cookie sheet @ 350 till cookies start to crack (8-10 minutes). Remove from oven.

Top each cookie with a Hershey Kiss, pressing down firmly. Return to oven. Bake 2-3 minutes.

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

From Carole Larsen.

Yield: 4 dozen cookies

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
48 miniature peanut butter cups (two 14-oz bags), papers removed

Beat butter and sugars until smooth and creamy.  Add egg and vanilla; mix until blended.  Add flour, baking soda, and salt; mix on low speed 1 minute.

Spoon 1-inch mounds of dough into ungreased 1 ½-inch muffin cups that measure ¾-inch deep. Bake 8-10 minutes @ 350, or until lightly browned.

Press 1 peanut butter cup into the center of each cookie until only the top shows. This should be done while cookies are hot.

Cool cookies 10 minutes after adding peanut butter cups, then remove cookies from to cooling racks by inserting the tip of a sharp knife into the edge. Cool completely.

Indoor S'mores

From Carole Larsen.

2/3 cup light corn syrup
2 Tbs. margarine
1 (12 oz.) package milk chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla
8 cups Golden Grahams cereal
3 cups mini marshmallows

Heat corn syrup, margarine, and chocolate chips to boiling, stirring. Remove from heat. Add vanilla.

Pour chocolate mixture over cereal.

Fold in marshmallows, 1 cup at a time.

Drop by spoonfuls on wax paper to cool.