Lemon Bars

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
4 eggs
1 3/4 cups white sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 TBS all-purpose flour
1 1/8 cup lemon juice
yellow food coloring
a couple TBS powdered sugar for decoration

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease 9x13 pan

2. Combine the flour, 2/3 cup powdered sugar, and butter. Pat dough into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes.

3. Whisk together eggs, white sugar, flour, and lemon juice until frothy. Add a few drops of yellow food coloring. Pour this lemon mixture over the crust.

4. Return to the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Dust the top with powdered sugar.

Cowboy Cookies

Makes about 5 dozen

Vegetable oil cooking spray
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light-brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch chunks (1 cup)
3 ounces (3/4 cup) pecan halves
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat baking sheets with cooking spray, line with parchment, and spray parchment. Sift flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder into a medium bowl.

Beat butter and sugars with a mixer on medium-high until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

Reduce speed to low, and slowly add flour mixture, beating until just incorporated. Beat in oats, chocolate, pecans, and coconut until combined. (Dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop or a small spoon, drop dough onto baking sheets, spacing 3 inches apart.

Bake until edges of cookies begin to brown, 11 to 13 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to wire rack, and let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks. Let cool. (Cookies can be stored up to 3 days.)

Toasted-Pecan Butter Cookies

*These taste like Pecan Sandies - yum!*

Yield: About 2 dozen

3 1/2 oz. pecan halves, toasted (1 cup)

8 oz (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 c. confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting

1 tbs. pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. coarse salt

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour, sifted

1. Preheat oven 325 degree. Break each pecan half into 2 or 3 pieces. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until pale. With mixer running, add vanilla and salt, then reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour, beating until just incorporated. Sitr in pecans until distributed evenly. Cover dough, and refrigerate until firm, 15 minutes (or overnight; let dough come to room temperature before using).

2. Drop 2-tablespoon scoops of dough onto baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges of cookies are gold, about 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool. (Cookies will keep, covered, for up to 2 days.) Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

Pumpkin Bars

Bars:

4 eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup oil
1 15-ounce can pumpkin

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Icing:
1 package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
Milk-to desired consistency

Beat together eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin. Stir in remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour batter in greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 30-35minutes. Cool completely.

For icing, mix all ingredients together until smooth. Add milk to achieve desired consistency.

Remember to keep these refrigerated 'cus of all the dairy in the topping:)

Apple Squares

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped apple (I used closer to 1 cup)
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (I left these out)
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x9 inch pan. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon; set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together melted butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup of white sugar with a wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture until just combined, then stir in the apples and walnuts. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. In a cup or small bowl, stir together the remaining cinnamon and sugar; sprinkle over the top of the bars.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in preheated oven. Cool in the pan, and cut into squares.

These things are so yummy! I had a whole bag of apples that weren't as crunchy as I usually like them, so I decided to try this recipe. I think they would be perfect for a brunch because to me they taste like an apple pancake only sweeter and chewier.

Brownies (from a cake mix)

1 pkg. Betty Crocker Super Moist Fudge cake mix (I just used a choc cake mix I had)
1/2 c. melted margerine or oil
1/2. cup packed brown sugar
2-6 TBS water, use more if batter is stiff
1 egg
1 c. chopped nuts
1 pkg. vanilla chips, or 6 oz. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9x13 pan. Mix dry cake mix, margerine, water, brown sugar and egg until blended. Add nuts and chips. Spread in pan . Bake 25-30 min.

A lady in my ward gave me this recipe. I was supposed to make cookies for Rob to take to the Young Men tonight, but my car won't start, so I couldn't go get the stuff I needed. I remembered that I had a cake mix and thought I would try this recipe. It turned out really chewy and moist and crackly on top, which is how I like brownies. She told me that you can bake these in mini muffin liners with an almond on top for a party or shower or something.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 c. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. butter, melted
1/4 c. crisco (I use butter flavored)
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 TBS vanilla
2 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In seperate bowl, cream together melted butter, crisco, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in vanilla, egg and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in flour mixture until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips by hand. (I never sift the dry ingredients, I just put the flour in one cup at a time and toss in the salt and soda. I also throw the chocolate chips in and let the Kitchen Aid mix it all up.) Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto cookie sheet about 3 inches apart. Bake 15 to 17 minutes. If you want to make normal sized cookies, drop by tablespoonful and I usually cook them about 10 minutes. If you don't like to use crisco, you can use more butter instead, but I think the crisco is what makes them soft and chewy and I figure if you don't eat these all the time, it's okay.

World's Easiest Peanut Butter Cookies

1 Egg
1 Cup of Peanut Butter
1 Cup of Sugar

Combine all ingredients. Drop on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Place on a cookie rack for cooling.

Note: These are very rich...best to have a big glass of milk ready!

Powerballs

1 c. peanut butter
1 c. honey
Mix until smooth. Graually add:
3 c. old fashioned oats
1/2 c. ground flaxseed (I didn't have this, so I added some flour)
1 c. chocolate chips and any combination of
nuts and soft dried fruit (peanuts, raisins, cranberries, etc.)
Roll into balls. You can eat them right away, but they are better
after being refrigerated for awhile. The recipe says they freeze well.
Makes around 50. I made these with chocolate chips and raisins and Adam and Luke loved them. I actually really liked them also. They are kind of like cookie dough. I kept them in the fridge because I thought they were good cold. They are very cute in mini muffin papers.