Soft and chewy homemade classic chocolate chip cookies
Yield: 

8-10 dozen cookies
Ingredients: 

2 cups butter, softened (not melted)
4 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
4 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
6 cups flour
12 ounce bag (or as many as you prefer) chocolate chips*
Instructions: 

1. Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add remaining ingredients and stir until fully mixed.

2. Drop by teaspoons onto a greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 10-12 minutes (or convect bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes).

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

A two-layer chocolate cake with a rich fudge frosting!
Yield: 

12 servings
Ingredients: 

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Frosting ingredients:

2 cups white sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions: 

1. To make the cake, cream the sugar, butter, and eggs with an electric mixer on high until well-beaten.
Stir in flour, cocoa powder, and vanilla. Batter will be thick, like brownie batter.

2. Grease and flour a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan (baking pan with
1-inch sides). You could use two 8- or 9-inch cake pans instead, if you
wished. Spread batter evenly into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25
minutes, or just until cake tests done with a toothpick or fork.

3. Place cake (in the pan) on a cooling rack, cover with a clean towel, and allow to cool completely.

4. Cut cake in half, trimming sides if necessary, so that the two pieces can be stacked on a serving tray or platter.

5. Make frosting by combining frosting ingredients in a sauce pan and
heating over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring mixture to a boil
and then boil and stir for 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and allow to
cool for about 5 minutes.

6. Using an electric mixer, beat frosting on high until it starts to
thicken to a frosting consistency. The frosting will continue to thicken
as it continues to cool, so don’t beat it too long.

7. Once it is spreadable, spread half of the frosting over the first layer of the cooled cake, working quickly. Place the second piece of cake on top and insert a few toothpicks if desired, to keep the cake layers from shifting. Finish frosting the cake.

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

Rich, creamy chocolate frosting that’s simple to make and absolutely delicious!
Yield: 

~2 cups (see additional notes below)
Ingredients: 

1 cup butter, softened*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups cocoa powder
4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup milk
Instructions: 

1.
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with an electric mixer. gradually
beat in the vanilla, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar. Beat in enough
milk to achieve a spreadable consistency.

2. Spread frosting on cake right after making the frosting. If you wait too long to spread the frosting, it will lose some of it’s light airy fluffiness when you spread it.

This frosting goes great on Homemade Deluxe Chocolate Cake Mix!

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

A soft and fluffy pumpkin spiced quick bread with a cinnamon glaze drizzled on top! The best pumpkin bread ever!
Yield: 

8 mini loaves, 3 regular loaves, or 24 muffins
Ingredients: 

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup freshly-squeezed orange juice
Zest of 1 orange
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves*
1 teaspoon ground cinnamoon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg*
1 teaspoon salt

Glaze ingredients:

3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
~1 teaspoon water
Instructions: 

1. In a medium mixing bowl, beat sugar, oil, eggs, pumpkin, orange juice, and orange zest. Set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining dry
ingredients. Pour pumpkin mixture into bowl with dry ingredients, and
stir until no lumps remain.

3. Lightly grease and flour loaf pans or muffin pans. (This recipe
will fill about 8 mini loaf pans, OR 3 regular loaf pans, OR 24
muffins.) Fill pans or muffin cups 3/4 full.

4. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes
(muffins), 20 minutes (mini loaves), or 25-30 minutes (regular loaves).
Check with a toothpick or fork (should come out clean).

5. Remove bread from pans and place on a wire rack to cool, covered
with a clean towel. While cooling, mix powdered sugar and cinnamon in a
small bowl. Add just enough water to make a glaze. Poke tops of bread
with a fork or toothpick, and drizzle the glaze over the warm bread.

Slice bread with a thin serrated knife and serve warm, or allow bread to finish cooling, and store in a sealed bag or container.

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

Sweet and chewy gluten-free brownies made with black beans (but you’d never know it from the taste)! So simple and amazingly delicious!
Yield: 

16 squares
Ingredients: 

2 cups cooked black beans (or 1 can, rinsed and drained)
3 eggs
1/3 cup melted butter*
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sugar (or 1/2 cup honey)
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)
Instructions: 

1.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor bowl or blender,
combine the black beans, eggs, melted butter, cocoa powder, vanilla, and
sugar. Pulse or blend until smooth (or as smooth as possible).

2. Grease an 8×8-inch glass baking dish. Pour the batter into the
greased dish. Sprinkle chocolate chips and nuts (if using) over the top
and use a spatula to push them down into the batter just a little (but
not too much; they will sink some while the brownies bake).

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes, until brownies are set in
the middle. Watch the edges for excess browning if you’re not sure
they’re done. (Mine seem to take a full 50 minutes, and are still chewy
but not gooey.)

Cool and then chill before serving! Store in fridge.

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

A simple homemade ice cream using kefir instead of milk for a tangy, creamy treat! (What is kefir?) Yield: 

6 cups
Ingredients: 

2 cups kefir* (may substitute plain yogurt)
2/3 cup sugar**
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions: 

1. In a 4-cup measuring cup (or medium bowl) stir together the kefir and sugar, until sugar is dissolved.

2. Stir in the cream and vanilla. Pour mixture into your ice cream maker bowl and churn until thick and creamy! Enjoy fresh as a “soft serve” consistency, or freeze for later.

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

This
old-fashioned dessert has a sweet cake layer on top and a juicy plum
pudding filling beneath! It’s simple to make and a great recipe for your
extra plums!
Yield: 

9 servings
Ingredients: 

1 cup all-purpose or cake flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons oil
2 cups washed and halved plums (pits removed, too!)
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup boiling water
Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

2. Beat in the milk and oil. Spread mixture in an ungreased 8×8-inch baking dish. Layer the halved plums on top.

3. Whisk together the brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the plum-topped batter. Pour the boiling water over everything!

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, until cake is browned on top. (The
top layer should test done with a fork with only a few crumbs, if
you’re unsure.)

Serve warm or cold. Perfect with ice cream or all by itself! 🙂

This recipe was taken from Tammy’s Recipes.

Easy
homemade whole wheat crackers that taste remarkably similar to Wheat
Thins! Thin, crunchy, and salty — you will love these crackers!
Yield: 

About 8 ounces of crackers
Ingredients: 

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold butter, sliced
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Salt, for topping
Instructions: 

1.
Combine flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, sugar, and paprika in a medium bowl.
Cut in butter with a fork or pastry blender, until small crumbs form.
Or, combine the dry ingredients and butter in a food processor bowl and
pulse until crumbly.

2. Make a well in the center, and add the water and vanilla. Stir to
mix, then use clean hands to knead a few times, just enough to form a
ball of dough. (Add just a tad more water, only if needed.) Divide dough
into two pieces and cover with a clean towel.

3. Lightly grease two 11×15-inch baking sheets* and sprinkle lightly with salt. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

4. On a lightly floured counter, roll each piece of dough into a thin
rectangle approximately 11×15 inches. (Be sure to lightly flour the
dough as you roll, so it doesn’t stick to the counter!)

5. Transfer the sheet of dough to the baking sheet. Use a pizza
cutter or sharp knife to cut dough into squares. Trim edges if desired.
Sprinkle tops with salt.

6. Bake at 400 degrees for 5-10 minutes, until crisp and lightly
browned. Crackers will become more crispy as they cool, so don’t
over-bake! (Remove edge crackers that are getting too dark if the middle
crackers aren’t quite done yet, and continue baking.)

7. Remove baked crackers from sheets and cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or cool, plain or with dips or  and store leftover crackers in a sealed bag or container.

This recipe was taken from Tammy’s Recipes.

A
simple homemade hummus that’s 100% from scratch! This hummus is thick,
smooth and creamy, with toasted sesame and garlic flavors
Yield: 

about 6 cups of hummus
Ingredients: 

16 ounces dried garbanzo beans/chick peas OR 4 cans (15-ounce cans)
1/4 cup sesame seeds
2-4 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt or more, to taste
Instructions: 

1. Cook garbanzo beans according to package instructions.* When beans are very tender, remove from heat and drain.

2. Heat a heavy (like cast iron) or non-stick skillet over
medium-high heat. Toss the sesame seeds into the heated pan and cook and
stir for a couple minutes, until lightly browned. (Don’t get them too
dark, or they will taste burnt.) Remove from heat and allow to cool.

3. In a food processor (or blender), blend the toasted sesame seeds
with the garlic and a tablespoon or so of the oil, until smooth. (This
might take a couple minutes.) Add more of the oil and some of the cooked
garbanzo beans and blend until smooth.

If you have a big food processor or a good blender, you may be able
to blend everything at once (in that case, add the rest of the
ingredients and blend until smooth!).

If you have a smaller food processor, blend the beans in 2 batches,
saving some of the oil for the second batch, and stirring every minute
or two as needed. Then, stir everything together in a bowl.

4. Add more salt if needed. Store hummus in an airtight container in the fridge. Serve with pita chips, unleavened bread, corn chips, or veggie sticks!

This recipe was taken from Tammy’s Recipes.

Jalapeno halves stuffed with cheeses and cilantro and baked for a fabulous appetizer or snack!
Yield: 

24 pieces
Ingredients: 

12 large jalapeno peppers
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup (packed) finely chopped cilantro leaves
1/8 teaspoon salt
Bread crumbs or Parmesan cheese, optional
Instructions: 

1. Wearing protective rubber or plastic gloves, slice jalapenos in half lengthwise and remove the meat and seeds.*

2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the cheeses, cilantro, and salt
until creamy. Spread into halved peppers. If desired, dip or roll the
tops of the peppers (the open cheese-stuffed side) in bread crumbs or
grated parmesan cheese.

3. Place peppers cheese-side-up on a baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until hot and lightly browned on top. Serve and enjoy!

This recipe was taken from Tammy’s Recipes.