Chocolate, peanut butter CAKE MIX cookies

Who doesn't love a good cookie... and a good short cut? These CAKE MIX cookies are perfect for when you have a chocolate craving, but don't have a lot of time. You can mix up a batch (in one bowl) in less than five minutes. It doesn't get much easier!

To make chocolate, peanut butter cake mix cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then, in a large bowl, mix together the following:

1 box of cake mix

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1/4 vegetable oil

1/3 cup chocolate chips

1/3 cup peanut butter chips

Mix together, and then scoop 1 tbsp balls onto a silpat (or parchment paper) lined cookie sheet. I like to use a cookie scoop.

Note: If you find the dough too sticky, you can refrigerate it, or add 1-2 tbsp of flour.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes. Don't overbake. They should be cooked, but still soft in the middle.

For a closer look at how easy it is to make these cookies, take a look at the video I made.

I hope you enjoy these cookies. Let me know in the comments if you are a fan of combining chocolate and peanut butter.

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

The BEST Easter Cookies 🐰 No-bake, mini-egg HAYSTACK COOKIES

These no-bake mini egg Easter cookies are an annual tradition at my house. My boys and I bake them together, we eat too many, and we share them with friends. They are easy to make and absolutely delicious... and today I'm sharing the recipe, serving ideas and a short 2 minute instructional video.

To make these adorable Easter cookies:

1)  Mix together the following dry ingredients, and set aside:

• 3 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
• 1/4 tsp salt

2)  Put the following ingredients in a saucepan, and bring to a boil:

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

3)  Remove from heat, and stir in dry ingredients.

4)  Before the mixture starts to dry out, drop the mixture from heaping teaspoons onto wax paper (or use a cookie scoop), and add three candy covered chocolate eggs to the middle of each cookie. 

Allow to cool completely.

And... before you venture into the kitchen, take a peek at this short, instructional video.

These cookies are great served up with some hot chocolate.

And they make a great addition to a dessert charcuterie board too!

Do you have a favorite Easter Cookie recipe?  This one is definitely at the top of my list. If you give them a try, let me know what you think.

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

***Find more Easter ideas here.

Chocolate CHRISTMAS Crackle Cookies

Who doesn't love a good Christmas cookie recipe? Baking (and eating) cookies is one of my favourite parts of the holiday season. This year, my boys and I are loving these chocolate Christmas crackle cookies. They are simple to make, fudgey in the middle, crispy on the edges... and they look great on a Christmas cookie tray.

To make Chocolate Christmas Crackle Cookies:

 

Gather your ingredients:

•         ½ vegetable oil
•         2 cups granulated sugar
•         4 eggs
•         2 tsp real vanilla
•         2 cups flour
•         1 cup unsweetened cocoa
•         2 tsp baking powder
•         1 tsp salt
•         1 tsp cinnamon
•         Approx. ½ icing sugar for coating

Then:

1.      Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2.      In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla.
3.      In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
4.      Combine the wet and dry ingredients, and chill the dough for 30 minutes.
5.      Roll the dough into 1-inch balls (using a cookie scoop), and then completely coat each ball by rolling it in icing sugar.
6.      Place the balls on a parchment lined cookie sheet (leaving room for spreading), and bake for 8-10 minutes. The cookies should be crispy on the edges and soft in the middle. Cool on the cookie sheet for 3 minutes, and then transfer them to a cooling rack.

I think a cookie chacuterie board is wonderful for holiday entertaining, and these cookies make a great addition to a tray of goodies. 

Check out the cookie board I made for my boys this year. I filled a couple of dishes with chocolates, stacked my chocolate Christmas crackle cookies in the middle, and filled the extra spaces with store bought cookies. Cute, right?

Do you have a favourite cookies? I highly recommend giving these chocolate Christmas crackle cookies a try. If you make them, let me know what you think.

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

You might also enjoy the awesome Christmas cookie recipes here.

First Day of School Cookie Bar

Who's looking for a special treat to serve to the kids on the first day of school? I love the idea of setting up a "You are one smart COOKIE!" bar, don't you? Here's one I made using my light box.

You could also download and print the sign below. Just click on the photo below, right click, save it to your computer, and print it like a regular 8x10 picture.

For my "one smart cookie" bar, I made two of my favourite cookie recipes.

You can find the recipe for my favourite chocolate chip cookies here.

And you can find the recipe for my chococolate cake mix cookies here.

I like the way the contrasting colours of the flavours look on the tray, but you could use any homemade or store bought cookies.

Discussing the first day of school over cookies and milk sounds like the perfect way to end the day, don't you think?

♥ 
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

The BEST Christmas Cookie Recipes

Baking (and eating!) Christmas cookies is one of my favourite holiday traditions. I love spending time in the kitchen with my boys this time of year, and the promise of cookies helps convince them to join me. Today I am sharing my favourite holiday cookie recipes. They are all unique and fun... and totally delicious!

My favourite Christmas cookie recipes (in no particular order) are:


1) Soft and chewy ginger cookies - These are my youngest son's favorite cookies, and he likes to help make them because he can roll the dough into balls and dip it in sugar. I love these cookies because they taste delicious and they make the whole house smell like Christmas. Click here for the recipe.

2) Red and Green M&M cookies - These cookies are festive, and super-simple to make. They are basically a soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie with M&Ms instead of chocolate chips. If you give these a try, they will become a holiday staple. You can find the cookie recipe here, and you can find instructions for making a "cookies for Santa" cookie mix jar here.

3) Make-ahead gingerbread cookies - These traditional cookies are soft and full of flavor, and they make your house smell like Christmas. Kids have fun rolling out the easy-to-work-with dough and cutting out all their favorite cookie shapes. Click here for the recipe.

4) Butter cut out cookies - Orange juice is the secret ingredient in these wonderful holiday cookies. They taste delicious, and the dough is easy to work with. Kids will love cutting out all their favourite cookie shapes. Click here for the recipe.

5) Shortbread cookies with buttercream icing - Nothing says "Christmas cookies" like a tray full of light and fluffy shortbread cookies topped with rich and delicious buttercream icing. You can find my recipe for classic shortbread cookies here.

6) Peanut butter reindeer cookies - With a few simple decorative touches, a plain soft and chewy peanut butter cookie can be transformed into a darling reindeer cookie. Find the recipe and the "how to" here.

7) Chocolate and peanut butter "kiss" cookies - If you love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, these little "kiss" cookies are for you. They are fantastic for baking with kids too. Little ones will love unwrapping the kisses and pressing them into the tops of the warm cookies. Click here to find the recipe for these little gems.

8) Reindeer Poop Cookies - These are simple to make, kids find them hilarious, and they are delicious! I even designed a sign and tags you can download for free here.

9) Chocolate Chip Pecan SNOWBALL Cookies

All of these cookies are perfect for Christmas. Which one looks best to you? What's the #1 cookie on your Christmas baking list?

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Find more ideas for easy and inexpensive Christmas celebrations here.

"Cookies for Santa" Jars... with free printable tags

Today I am sharing a "sweet" Christmas idea... jars of cookies for Santa. I have the best recipe for delicious cookies and adorable (and FREE) printable gift tags. These cookies jars make great gifts, and they are perfect for baking on Christmas Eve.

Isn't this mason jar filled with cookie ingredients adorable?!?

To make this "Cookies for Santa" jar:

1) Start with a clean 1L mason jar.

2) Layer the ingredients below (patting down each layer before adding the next one):

First layer: 1 3/4 cups flour, 3/4 tsp baking soda, 3/4 teaspoon salt
Second layer: 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
Third layer: 1/2 white sugar
Fourth layer: a 200g bag of red and green M&Ms

To make the process easy: use a wide-mouthed funnel to fill the jars, and make a tool to press down the layers. I attached a round piece of cardboard to the end of skewer and covered it all with tin foil.

3) Print off the cookie tag below, cut it to look like a tag, and attach it to the cookie jar with twine or ribbon. 

To download the tag: click on the photo below, right-click, save it to your computer, and print.

To bake the cookies: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Then, beat 3/4 cup softened butter, 1 large egg, and 3/4 teaspoon vanilla in a large mixing bowl until well blended. Add the jar of cookie mix, and stir with a wooden spoon until fully combined. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 9-12 minutes.

Isn't this an adorable Christmas DIY? It's a fantastic Christmas cookie recipe, and it's an easy, inexpensive and adorable homemade gift. If you give it a try, let me know what you think.

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

No Bake Chocolate and Coconut Cookies (Haystacks / Cow Plops / Spider Cookies)

Every Spring, my boys and I make bird nest cookies. They are filled with chocolate covered eggs, but the base of the cookies is what makes them so special. In fact, as a stand alone cookie, these "no bake" chocolate oatmeal cookies are a winner any time of year. They go by lots of names, but my family always called them "haystacks", "cow plops" or "spider cookies". Whatever you call them, they are delicious, and I'm sharing the recipe below.

The secret to these cookies is to have the dry ingredients ready, so when the chocolate mixture boils, the two mixtures can be combined and spooned out before the mixture starts to dry out.

To make these no bake chocolate coconut cookies:

1) Mix together the following dry ingredients, and set aside:
3 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1/4 tsp salt

2) Put the following ingredients in a saucepan, and bring to a boil:
2 cups white sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

3) Remove from heat, and stir in dry ingredients.

4) Before the mixture starts to dry out, drop the mixture from heaping teaspoons onto wax paper, and allow to cool completely.

These cookies are easy to make, and they are packed a rich chocolate flavour. Have you ever had these yummy no bake chocolate and coconut cookies? What do you call them?

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

I love a good cookie recipe... and so do my boys. Chocolate chip cookies are a staple around here, but these soft and chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are also a favourite. The cookies freeze well too, so they are great for packing up individually, freezing, and popping in my boys' lunch boxes.

Here's the recipe for my favourite soft and chewy chocolate chip oatmeal cookies:

Ingredients:

1 cup butter (softened... not in the microwave)
1 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2  teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick cooking oats
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2) In a large bowl, cream together: butter, brown sugar, and white sugar.
3) Beat in eggs (one at a time)
4) Add vanilla.
5) In a separate bowl, whisk together: flour, baking soda, oats, cinnamon, and salt.
6) Mix wet and dry ingredients.
7) Stir in chocolate chips.
8) Drop by heaping spoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet. (I use a small cookie scoop.)
9) Bake for 12-14 minutes. Allow to cool, and transfer onto a wire rack.

If you love a soft and chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, you are going to love this recipe. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

♥
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

M & M Christmas Cookies

Tried and true recipes are my favourite, and I absolutely love my soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie recipe. I literally bake it a couple of times a month, and it is an absolute favourite in our home. So, last week, I thought I would take my classic chocolate chip cookie recipe and turn it into a Christmas classic. Today, I am sharing my recipe for super-easy M&M Christmas cookies. This is the perfect recipe to bake with kids... and these cookies would be perfect to leave for Santa.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter (at room temperature... NOT melted)
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups green and red M&Ms (or other holiday candy coated chocolate)

Here's the recipe:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together the following dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, and salt.

3) In a separate bowl, use electric beaters to combine the butter, white sugar and brown sugar.

4) Add eggs and real vanilla extract to the butter/sugar mixture. Beat with electric beaters until well combined.

5) Using a wooden spoon, mix wet and dry ingredients together (just until combined). Then, add green and red M&Ms (or any candy coated chocolate candies).

6) Drop tablespoon-size balls onto a Silpat or parchment lined cookie sheet, and bake for approx. 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.



This is such a classic cookie recipe... and kids will love them!



They freeze really well too... and they are a perfect choice for leaving for Santa. A glass of milk and a few of these cookies will give Santa all the energy he needs to deliver presents on Christmas Eve.

Happy Holidays!!!

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)

Note: If you notice that your cookies are flattening out, try putting the batter in the fridge for half an hour before baking. Also, use fresh baking soda, don't melt the butter, and don't put batter onto a hot cookie sheet.

Chocolate Kiss Peanut Butter Cookies

Who doesn't love a recipe that combines chocolate and peanut butter? These chocolate kiss peanut butter cookies are easy to make, look cute and taste delicious. They are perfect as a special holiday treat or just as a special after school snack. Check out the simple recipe and instructions below.

The base of these cookies is a peanut butter cookie recipe I have been making for many years. In the past, I have used it to make teddy bear cookies in the summer and reindeer cookies at Christmas. It's a simple recipe that always turns out well. Here's how you make them:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter (softened)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar (and some extra for rolling the cookies in)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
Hershey Kisses (approx. 24)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2) In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the butter, peanut butter, white sugar, and brown sugar.
3) Add baking soda and baking powder, and beat until combined.
4) Add egg and vanilla, and beat again.
5) Stir in flour.
6) Roll spoonfuls of dough into balls, roll in white sugar, place on a cookie sheet, and bake in a preheated oven (at 375 degrees) for 8-12 minutes.
7) While the cookies are still warm, insert kisses into the tops of the cookies
8) Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

These cookies are the perfect balance of peanut butter and chocolate. Trust me, you are going to love them!

They pair well with milk, coffee, tea and hot chocolate... and they are fantastic after a cold winter day playing in the snow. They are a "snow day" favourite in our house.

Do you love cookies that combine chocolate and peanut butter? If you do, you should totally try this recipe for chocolate kiss peanut butter cookies. Let me know what you think.

♥ 
Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)