Apple Crisp

3-4 apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 c rolled oats
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x9 or 8x8 baking dish. Put in sliced apples.
In a separate bowl mix oats, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is mostly even and crumbly. Sprinkle mixture on top of fruit and bake for 40 minutes.

Everyday Waffles

These we make about every other Saturday. I don't beat the eggs, even though the directions say to. I usually just mix it all together and it comes out yummy anyway. Our favorite is with peanut butter and syrup.

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat waffle iron. Beat eggs in large bowl with hand beater until fluffy. Beat in flour, milk, vegetable oil, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla, just until smooth.
Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown. Serve hot.

Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

This is an awesome spin on regular peanut butter chip cookies. Much more substance. These might be my new favorites!
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, salt and peanut butter. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Combine the flours and baking soda; stir into the batter to form a dough. Mix in the peanut butter chips and walnuts. Scoop mounds of dough as large as two tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be at least 2 inches apart.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until well risen and brown. Do not overbake they will firm up a little as they cool. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Easy Fluffy Yummy Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 cup milk (more or less)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually stir in milk until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.
Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead a couple times until it all comes together. Pat or roll dough out to 1 inch thick. Cut biscuits with a large cutter or drinking glass dipped in flour. Repeat until all dough is used. Brush off the excess flour, and place biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake for 13 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges begin to brown

Peanut Butter Munchies

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl beat together butter, the 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, and the 1/4 cup peanut butter with an electric mixer until combined. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; beat well. Beat in as much of the dry ingredients as you can with mixer. Stir in remaining dry ingredients by hand with a wooden spoon. Form chocolate dough into 32 balls about 1-1/4 inches in diameter. Set aside.

For peanut butter filling, in a medium mixing bowl combine powdered sugar and the remaining 1/2 cup peanut butter until smooth. Shape mixture into 32 (3/4-inch) balls.

On a work surface, slightly flatten a chocolate dough ball and top with a peanut butter ball. Shape the chocolate dough over the peanut butter filling, completely covering the filling. Roll dough into a ball. Repeat with the remaining chocolate dough and peanut butter filling balls.

Place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Lightly flatten with the bottom of a glass dipped in the 2 tablespoons granulated sugar.

Bake cookies in preheated oven for 8 minutes or until they're just set and surface is slightly cracked. Let cookies stand for 1 minute. Transfer cookies to wire racks; cool. Makes 32 cookies.

Place in layers separated by waxed paper in an airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Okay, you are not going to believe this recipe!

2 cups peanut butter
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, stir peanut butter and sugar together until smooth.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the baking soda, salt, and vanilla.
Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place them 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
Press a criss-cross into the top using the back of a fork.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven.
Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Yep. That's it! I know!! And yes, they taste like normal pb cookies. Yum!!

Ideas for Mom

Dark Chocolate Cheesecake

• 1 2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) dark chocolate chips, divided
• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
• 3 pkgs. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

PREHEAT oven to 350º F. Tightly wrap outside bottom and side of 9-inch springform pan with 2 pieces of foil to prevent leakage.

MICROWAVE 1 1/4 cups morsels in small, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%) power for 1 minute; STIR. Morsels may retain some of their original shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals, stirring just until smooth. Cool to room temperature.

COMBINE crumbs, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar and butter in ungreased 9-inch-springform pan. Press onto bottom and 1-inch up side of pan.

BEAT cream cheese, remaining 1 cup sugar, sour cream and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in melted chocolate until blended. Pour onto crust. Place pan in large roasting pan; fill roasting pan with hot water to 1-inch depth.

BAKE for 45 to 50 minutes or until edges are set but center still moves slightly. Remove cheesecake from water bath to wire rack. Run wet knife around edge of cheesecake. Refrigerate for 1 hour and remove side of pan.

MICROWAVE remaining morsels and whipping cream in small, uncovered microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%) power for 1 to 2 minutes; STIR. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals, stirring just until smooth; cool for 5 minutes. Spread over cheesecake. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Individual Pineapple Upside-down Cakes
I made these for a youth group fundraiser dinner. They are super easy to make in big quantities (though take time unless you have a million muffin pans)

Brown sugar
Pineapple rings
yellow cake mixes
oil
water
eggs

remove rings from juice. Use pineapple juice to substitute for water in the cake mix directions. If you run out of juice, jut finish up with water. Use a jumbo muffin pan. Grease with cooking spray. crumble a little brown sugar to the bottom of each then insert one pineapple ring. Fill with cake batter and bake following cupcake directions. Check with a toothpick to see if it's done or not. Invert once cooled.


Individual Flourless Chocolate Cakes
This was the other option for dessert at that fundraiser dinner. Both went over really well! This one I adapted to be jumbo muffin size, so you'll want to alter the cooking time, of course.

For Cake:
2/3 c. plus 2 tblsp. sugar
2 tblsp. cocao powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 stick butter
9 oz. good quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract

For Ganache:
½ c. heavy whipping cream
4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped if necessary

For Serving:
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1-2 tblsp. sugar, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the base of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper, cut to fit the pan. Butter the parchment and the sides of the pan.

Combine the sugar, cocoa and salt in a large bowl. Whisk the eggs with the vanilla and add to the bowl. Stir to combine. In medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the chocolate and whisk constantly until completely melted. Remove from heat. Add the chocolate to the sugar-egg mixture and whisk until completely combined. Batter should be thick and fairly smooth. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The cake will be firm and pulling away from the sides of the pan. Cool completely in pan.

To prepare the ganache, bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Add the chocolate and stir until completely melted and smooth. Pour the ganache over the cake, still inside the springform pan. Shake the pan to even out the ganache. Chill for 2 hours to set the ganache.