Oreo Pudding Cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature

3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 (4.2 ounce) package instant Oreo Pudding mix
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Hershey's Cookies N Cream Candy Bars broken into small pieces (I used 2.6 ounce King Sized bars)
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Cream together butter and sugars. Beat in pudding mix until blended. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add the flour mixture and mix to combine. Stir in cookies n' cream pieces and chocolate chips. Batter will be thick.

Using a cookie dough scooper, place golf ball sized dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. You do not want to overbake these! Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet before moving to a cooking rack. Store in air-tight container. Makes two dozen.

My friend Tiesha made these at a party.. delicious!!! had to get the recipe :)

Peruvian Alfajores

1-1/2 cups unsalted butter
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup ground almonds
3 cups flour

Manjar Blanco Filling:(doce de leite)

5 cups whole milk
1-1/8 cups sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Prepare the Manjar Blanco filling. Put the milk, sugar and vanilla in a medium saucepan and let it come to a boil. Continue to boil the mixture, stirring occasionally, until thickened, approximately 45 minutes. The Manjar is ready if you put a bit on a plate and it does not run.
2. Cream butter with confectioners' sugar until fluffy.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients.
4. Wrap and chill 30 minutes (if you leave it longer, just let it warm up to the point of being able to be rolled out).
5. Roll dough out to 1/4" thickness. Cut in 2 1/2" circles and place on parchment lined cookie sheet. They won’t expand much, so you can place them pretty close together.
6. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes.
7. Cool cookie sheets between batches and cool cookies on wire rack.
8. When cookies have completely cooled, carefully spread some manjar blanco on one cookie and top with another cookie. Other alternatives to fillings: chocolate nutella.. yum, also dulce de leite (you can buy in a can.. or you can put a can of sweetened condensed milk in a pan full of water and boil for 3 hrs) I added the manjar blanco with a little of the dulce de leite.. super yum!
9. Dust tops with confectioners' sugar and enjoy immediately.

Here is a different version: instead of sandwiching the cookies together, add the manjar blanco on top of a thumbprint type cookie :)

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am ready to share the best chocolate chip oatmeal cookie you will ever make!
(props to a girl named Keely and my friend Jackie who gave me the recipe)

Ingredients:
2 1/2 c oatmeal (blend in blender until fine)
2 c flour ( I use wheat flour..can use white if you'd like..I like to pretend it's healthier)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 c brown sugar
1 c sugar
2 eggs
2 sticks imperial margarine (I swear it tastes better with this brand of margarine)
1 tsp vanilla
1-2 c chocolate chips
1 c chopped pecans
Mix your dry ingredients, then your wet and combine with mixer. add the oatmeal last and I tend to use my "clean" hands to mix it, it works better. then, add the chocolate chips and chopped nuts.
Bake @ 350 for 8-10 minutes

Thumbprint Cookies with Chocolate

1 1/2 c sifted flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c butter or margarine
1/2 c brown sugar
1 egg separated
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 c finely chopped pecans (or blended)
Sift flour with salt. Cream butter in mixing bowl and add brown sugar. blend in egg yolk and vanilla. add sifted flour and salt and mix. shape dough into balls and dip into beaten egg white and then into blended pecans. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Press floured thumb into center of cookie.

Bake 375 degrees for 12-15 min, fill the indentions with nutella (as shown), or whatever you'd like.. be creative.

Sugar Cookies with Brigadeiro Sauce

These were a hit after FHE tonight :)

1/2 c shortening
1/2 c butter
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
Cream together the shortening, butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla. Then mix in flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar. blend well. roll up dough and chill

Brigadeiro chocolate sauce:

add 1 can sweetened condensed milk to a pan on med heat. add 1 Tbsp butter and 1-2 Tbsp cocoa powder (I prefer Nestle).

mix until thickened on low-med heat, stirring continuously.

Roll dough into balls about 1 in and place on cookie sheet. flatten with cookie stamp or the bottom of a glass (you can be creative here).

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 min

Add Brigadeiro sauce on top and enjoy :)