Gooey Butter Cookies

One of my biggest things lately is limiting preservatives and trying to make as much as possible from scratch.  Which usually always works out well unless I have a migraine and develop a sudden need for chocolate.  In that case, making it into the kitchen just doesn't happen.  Or when I'm really busy and I promised my husband that I'd make him muffins and.... yeah, sometimes it doesn't always work.  And then there are times like these.  Where using a simple, basic cake mix will make my life a million times easier and produce a cookie that is almost too good to be true.  And this cookie is.

My pumpkin gooey butter cake is a staple at my Thanksgiving table.  I've been told that if I show up without it, I will be turned away at the door.  But I don't like too many pumpkin things.  I know that it can be made without the pumpkin but the cake itself is so rich and decadent that Ryan and I couldn't possibly make just one for us.  Then I came across this recipe for a COOKIE version of this cake.  It was like the angels sang and the heavens opened... or that could've just been the clouds moving out of the way.  We're going to pretend that it was a mystical experience and that the entire universe wanted me to make these cookies.  So I did.  And they are some of the quickest and easiest cookies in the world to make - certainly pretty enough to be served to guests or when you sneak in a midnight glass of milk and a cookie.

Note:  This recipe calls for UNSALTED butter.  I have made this recipe twice, once with salted and once with unsalted butter.  And it does make a difference. When you make this with the salted butter, all you taste is salt.  When I made it with the unsalted butter, all you tasted was sweet perfection.

Gooey Butter Cookies
modified from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen

1 box Vanilla Cake Mix
1 - 8 oz. block Cream Cheese, room temp
1/2 c. Butter, UNSALTED, softened
1 Egg
Powdered Sugar

In a stand mixer, combine your butter and cream cheese.
Add in your egg and mix together.
Slowly add in you cake mix and mix thoroughly.  (Your batter will be THICK.)
Place in the fridge for around 30 minutes, just to firm up the batter.
Preheat oven to 350.
Put some powdered sugar in a bowl.
Using a tablespoon, scoop out some batter and roll it into a circle and then roll it in your powdered sugar.
Place on a cookie sheet, around an inch apart.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cookies are set (they're going to seem underdone and that's okay).
Cool on a wire rack.
Eat and enjoy!!

Budget Friendly Dinner Series - Skillet Tamale Pie

So two weeks ago, this happened:

I burnt my hand.  Badly.  I had second degree burns over pretty much half of my hand.  The other half had minor, first degree burns.  How did this happen?  One this particular night, I was making pork chops and roasted apples.  Roasting involves.... the oven.  So in a stainless steel skillet, I had my apples.  I threw on an oven mitt and pulled the skillet out of the oven and put it on the stove.  While finishing my pork chops, I needed to move the skillet.  And I grabbed the skillet. The same skillet that just come out of a 400 degree oven just a few minutes before.  Needless to say, I let go rather quickly.  So I ended up in the emergency room because I was in so much pain (I had second degree burns!!).  The nurse who took my vitals saw me clutching a washcloth-covered bag of ice and said, "You have a burn.  You don't need to be using ice on your hand."  I told her, "Look, this ice is the only thing keeping me from crying in pain.  I'm keeping the ice."  We have still yet to figure out how my ring finger and thumb escaped being burnt.  I had to keep my hand wrapped like this for over a week due to the blisters on my hand.  Typing and writing was... difficult to say the least.  And cooking was really out of the question because, of course, I burnt my right hand which is my dominant hand.  Ryan and I like to joke that my pork chops and roasted apples is the most expensive meal we've ever eaten at home! :)

So I was out of commission for quite some time.  Once I was able to start cooking again, I had this craving for a tamale pie that I'd made once before.  I only had to find the recipe.  If you know me well enough, you know I have a great many cookbooks.  As in - A LOT.  I knew I had this recipe, I just wasn't sure where it was.  After quite a bit of time looking, I finally found it!  One of the things I love about this recipe is how versatile it is.  If you want to add more veggies, you can. Or if you have picky eaters who don't want a lot of veggies, you can add and subtract as you see fit.  It's super easy and very easy on the wallet!

Skillet Tamale Pie
adapted slightly from America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook

Filling
2 tsp. Canola Oil
1 Onion, minced
1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped fine
2 Tbsp. Chili Powder
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 lb. 93/7 Ground Beef
1 15-oz. can Black Beans, rinsed
1 14.5-oz. can Petite Diced Tomatoes, drained
3/4 c. Frozen Corn
1 c. Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Topping
1 Box Jiffy Mix
1 Egg
1/3 c. Milk

Preheat oven to 450.
Heat the oil in an 12 inch ovenproof skillet to medium heat and add onion, bell pepper, and chili powder and cook until the onion is softened and the bell pepper is cooked through.
Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Mix in the ground beef, beans, tomatoes, and corn and cook until the beef is no longer pink.
Drain and add back into the pan.
Add in the cheddar cheese and cover while you make the topping.
In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the topping (so hard, right?).
Using a rubber spatula, spread the corn muffin topping over as much of the beef mixture as you can (it's not going to be perfect - just says it's "rustic"!).
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the center of the topping is golden brown and cooked through.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!!

Vanilla Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies

I can see the "?" above your head as you read that title.  "Um, vanilla pudding?  In cookies?"  I can feel your doubt - I'm hurt.  Would I ever lead you astray by giving you a bad recipe?  No, not me.  Unless I choose to follow along in King Arthur Flour's footsteps and post an April Fool's Day post of all my recipes that just didn't stand up to my high expectations.  Like my attempt at pumpkin pie bread.  I honestly think that bread could have been classified as a lethal weapon, it was so hard.  Maybe I should've kept it around for my husband irritates me.  I could hit him with it...........  *shakes head* Okay, I'm back with you now.

There are many things in life that are distracting.  My dog is a good example.  She moves and I notice it.  She breathes funny and I'm suddenly on alert (although I'm sure that's more my vet training kicking in).  Another thing I find distracting?  Books of any and all kinds.  I love books.  When Ryan and I moved into our new house all those months ago, the majority of our boxes contained clothes and books.  (I think the clothes boxes only edged out the book boxes by a few.)  My husband got the bright idea to get me an e-reader a couple of years ago and I've amounted over 200 books on it.  I told you I liked to read.  So on the note about liking to read... I love, love cooking blogs!  Probably because I love to cook.  Combining my love of cooking with my love of reading - happy Jamie!  I find myself reading blogs sometimes all day, wasting paper on printing tons of recipes when I already have tons of recipe books. Yeah, cooking blogs are super distracting.  You can look at all the pretty pictures and all the stories for hours on end.  I'm not joking, I've done it before.  Many times.

While on the subject of cooking blogs, I do have my favorites.  In case you haven't noticed, on the right hand side of your screen, if you scroll down far enough, you'll find my favorite cooking blogs.  They all have great recipes.  You cannot go wrong with those blogs.  Some of them, I like simply because I'm amazed by the creativity of them (Sweetapolita and Bake at 350 are simply droolworthy) yet they all have very easy to create recipes.  Although I could never decorate cookies the way Bridget at Bake at 350 does.  My hands just wouldn't cooperate.  I'm lucky if I get a smooth spread on my sheet cakes for crying out loud!

(And, hey, if you don't take my word that putting pudding into cookies can be a good thing, go to your local grocery store and find a box of Betty Crocker Super Moist Cake Mix and look down at the bottom of the front of the box.  It says, "Pudding is still in the mix!"  So it's not just me... or the people who made the recipe.)

Vanilla Pudding Chocolate Chip Cookies

courtesy of Two Peas and Their Pod

1 c. Butter, room temp
1/4 c. Sugar
3/4 c. Brown Sugar
3.4 oz. package Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 1/4 c. All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
2 c. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350.
Blend together butter and sugars until creamy.
Next, mix in pudding, eggs, and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking soda.
Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and stir until combined.
Mix in chocolate chips.
Taste cookie dough - realize how yummy it is.
Drop cookie mix by the tablespoon (again, cookie scoop works great here) onto a cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden.
Let cool on a cooling rack.

My husband is from Texas so I have no idea why I bought this mug.

Georgia Peach Cake (and a new addition!)

First of all, I have happy news to share with everyone!  My husband and I have welcomed a new addition into our home!  We received an email from a local animal group who were looking for a home for a black cat that was found at a trash dump.  One of the employees heard him calling out from INSIDE the trash compactor!  Poor guy was going to be crushed to death!  The employees are fairly certain someone had physically put him inside the compactor.  They took him out and contacted the animal group to find him a home because otherwise, they would have to contact animal control where he would likely be put to sleep.  He was estimated to be eight month's old and the outlook for his placement was bleak... until we got the email that is.  We live on two acres of land and we had previously discussed getting an outdoor cat to keep the mice away (keep mice away = keep snakes away = happy Jamie).  I have a soft spot for black animals (our dog is a black and white lab mix) and so Ryan and I decided we would take him in.  I named him "Bart" and he has fit into our home like an old shoe.  He fits in so well with our family.  He follows us around the yard and even tries to play with Liz, our dog.  He acts like he has lived with us his entire life rather than only just over a month.

Onto another happy subject - CAKE!  Who doesn't love cake?  A show of hands.... *counts*  Lots of people like cake apparently.  That's good because I like cake too.  If I didn't like cake, I wouldn't be posting this.  The Georgia Peach Cake is one of those recipes that is so simple, even the most basic of cooks could make it.  I like to joke that it's so easy, my husband could make it.  Yes, my husband.  The same husband who I jokingly (but lovingly) say will burn down my kitchen if he spends too much time in there.  Even in the little write up about the recipe says it's perfect for "young housewife" days.  Not really sure if I should be insulted by that or not.  Never have I ever been a "young housewife" - I'm Jamie, Queen of the Kitchen!  Bow before me!  Okay, I'm done now ;-)

This recipe is a super versatile recipe - there are so many possible combinations.  Up next will be an apple-spice cake.  This could probably even be good for people who are watching their sugar, provided you can find a sugar free/reduced sugar boxed cake mix (they do exist.  I have seen them... I just can't remember where) and you use a reduced sugar pie filling.  Did I mention this recipe was versatile?

Georgia Peach Cake
courtesy of Uncle Bubba's Savannah Seafood

Cake:
18.25 oz. Yellow Cake Mix
21 oz. can Peach Pie Filling
3 Eggs
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1/2 c. Pecans, Chopped

Topping:
1/2 c. Sugar
1/2 c. All-Purpose Flour
4 Tbsp. Butter
1/2 tsp. Vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.
Spray your 9x13 pan with butter cooking spray.
Combine together all the ingredients for the cake and pour into your 9x13 pan.
In a separate bowl, using your fingers, mix together all ingredients for the topping until it looks like large breadcrumbs.
Sprinkle your topping mixture over the cake (gee, who didn't guess that one?!).
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack.
Serve warm and with ice cream!

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake

I have made this cake for Thanksgiving the last two years.  I always try to bring something sweet to Thanksgiving anyway because, well duh, I like to bake (is it that obvious?).  This is one of those cakes that really is a once-a-year type thing.  It's so rich but man is it good!!!

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
courtesy of Lady and Sons Savannah Country Cookbook by Paula Deen

Base:
1 18.25 oz. Yellow Cake Mix
1 Egg
8 Tbsp/1 stick Butter, melted

Filling:
8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla, melted
8 Tbsp/1 stick Butter
16 oz. Powdered Sugar (1 box)
15 oz can Pumpkin
1/2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine all ingredients for the base.
Using your hands, pat the mixture into a lightly greased (with cooking spray) 9x13 pan.
Next make the filling, starting off by beating the cream cheese until smooth.
Add your eggs and vanilla next.
Add the butter, beating well.
Mix in your pumpkin and spices.
Carefully mix the powdered sugar into your cream cheese-pumpkin mixture.
Spread over the base mixture.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes.  (I find that 40 minutes is perfect.)
The center of this cake is NOT supposed to look firm or finished!  It's called "gooey" for a reason!  So don't overbake!!!

(I'm sorry I don't have a picture of the inside of the cake to show you the layers or the gooey-ness of it all but the cake got eaten before I could take a picture!)

Pumpkin Dessert Squares

Ryan loves pumpkin.  I learned that very early on in our relationship.  I had never made a pumpkin pie before in my entire life until I met him.  I've made way too many to count since we have been together.  Me?  I've never really been a fan of pumpkin.  I do enjoy pumpkin cheesecake every once in a while.  I have fond memories of pumpkin cheesecake at the now closed restaurant Rick Stein's Steakhouse in Dallas, TX (that restaurant is where Ryan and I had our first Texas date :) ).  That cheesecake was unbelievable.  One day, I shall attempt to make a pumpkin cheesecake myself but for now, my husband is content with me creating numerous other pumpkin-y things.  We tried this at the Williams-Sonoma store a few weeks ago and I knew I had to make some as soon as I could!  They are that good.  And simple - oh so simple!  (We like simple around here.)  You'll need a jar of pumpkin butter (which is somewhat easy to find right about now) but could you substitute apple butter?  Hmmm... haven't tried that but I don't see why it wouldn't work!  If you make it before I do, leave a comment and let me know how it turns out!!

Pumpkin Dessert Squares
courtesy of Williams-Sonoma stores

1 box Yellow Cake Mix
1/2 c. Butter, melted
3 Eggs
1 13.5 oz. jar Pumpkin Butter
1/8 c. Milk
1 Tbsp. All Purpose Flour
1/4 c. Sugar
1/4 c. Butter, softened
1 tsp. Cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350.
Lightly grease a 9x13 pan.
Reserve 1 cup of the yellow cake mix.
Combine the remaining cake mix with the 1/2 c. melted butter and 1 egg (be sure to temper* your eggs if you're using immediately melted butter - no one wants scrambled eggs!).
Press into the bottom of your pan.
Mix the jar of pumpkin butter with the last two eggs and milk.
Pour over the cake mix!
Mix the reserved cake mix with the flour and remaining three ingredients.
Mix with a pastry blender or two knives (or your hands!!) until the butter is pea sized and everything sort of clumps together.
Sprinkle over the pumpkin mixture.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.

Wanna see what the middle looks like?  All full of pumpkin butter-y goodness?