Applesauce Chocolate Chip Cookies

To eat these cookies is to step into the memories of my wonderful childhood, with the iconic mom who is baking away in the kitchen making delicious, enticing and aromatic goodies for her kids, friends and guests. These have been my favorite since I was a little kid and because of that, I'm sure they always will be :) More a cake like texture than cookie itself, these are best right off the pan with at least 16 oz of milk!

1 cup applesauce

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup sugar

½ cup shortening

2 eggs

¾ tsp cloves

1 tsp salt

¾ tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

2 cups flour

1 bag chocolate chips

In a small bowl add applesauce and baking soda. Stir and set aside. In a larger bowl cream sugar and shortening. Add egg and cream. Add applesauce mixture and stir well. Add all dry ingredients and mix well. Add chocolate chips. (Dough will be fairly sticky). Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes.

Quick Banana Bread

When Grandma showed up with 6 overripe bananas that needed used immediately and with a lack of desire time to whip up a couple batches of banana bread, I decided to try out artsyfartsymama.com's easy version. Although I would have to say this has more of a light cake with banana flavor appeal that actual banana bread, the way my kids ate through 2 loaves in 8 minutes deemed it a keeper! And hands down it is a lot easier and quicker! 

1 box yellow cake mix

2 eggs

3 overripe bananas, mashed

1 cup chocolate chips

Mix everything together and pour into greased bread pans (I find it cooks better if they aren't super thick which is why I do 2 pans. You can do just 1 pan with it being really thick if you want though). Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Easy Peasy Pumpkin Cookies

I love that Rachel loves to bake! And I love even more that she likes to make my fav sweets :). These awesome cookies are so simple and so quick to make up, you just might find yourself making them more often than you should (not to mention stocking up on Spice cake mixes)!

1 box Spice cake mix

1 small can pumpkin pie

½ tsp cloves

1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 bag of chocolate chips

1/4 bag cinnamon chips (optional but super yummy ;)

Mix everything together and then spoon onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake 375 for 8-10 minutes and then let cool on the pan for a couple more minutes.

Stay Soft Cookies

Thes cookies are so good (proof: Rachel just made these for a friend who severed most of his thumb. He tried them and told her he was going to cut off his other thumb just to get some more because they were the best he had ever had ;). They stay so soft! And I haven't had to alter this recipe at all for our high altitude. It's a good thing it makes a huge batch, because they disappear so quickly! (Recipe from Jessi).

1 c. brown sugar

2 c. sugar

2 c. Crisco

4 eggs

2 tsp soda

2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp salt

5 c. flour

Mix sugars and crisco. Add eggs, soda, vanilla and salt and mix until creamed. Add the flour. Mix in choc chips. Bake 375 for 8-10 minutes. Also really good with p.b. chips!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am pretty much in love with Mel at melskitchencafe.com! She has some amazing recipes that our family loves! I never buy cookbooks because of 1 reason: we usually only like a few recipes in the whole book. Alas, some food blogs are the same way... but not Mel's! She is a standard go-to for our family! Rachel actually made these cookies right after she turned 10... aren't they gorgeous!? And they taste just as good!

From melskitchencafe.com 

1 cup (16 tablespoons) butter, softened to room temperature

2 cups smooth or chunky peanut butter

1 ½ cups firmly packed light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 ½ tablespoons milk

1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 ½ cups flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups chocolate chips (or a combination of peanut butter and chocolate chips)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine the butter and peanut butter and beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy. Add the brown and white sugars and mix until well combined. Add the eggs and mix for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture is well combined and light in color. Add the milk and vanilla and mix. Add the dry ingredients and mix just briefly. While there are still large spots of flour, add the chocolate chips (or peanut butter chips or both) and mix until the flour is completely mixed in and the mixture is well combined. Let the cookie dough sit for 15 minutes before scooping onto the baking sheets. It will firm up as it sits.

When ready to bake, scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto baking sheets leaving about 1 to 2 inches in between the cookies to allow for spreading as they bake. Bake for 10-11 minutes, taking care not to overbake in the slightest! Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes after baking before removing them to a cooling rack. This will help them set up and be firm enough to transfer without having them overbake in the oven. The cookies may look slightly underbaked but they will firm up as they cool. Resist the urge to eat them warm as they taste much better cooled.

To freeze as dough: Just scoop up the cookies onto a cookie sheet like normal and stick in freezer for 15 minutes. Then put in ziplock bag and bake whenever you have a craving! And of course you can freeze the cookies after they are cooked for a quick tasty treat!