Award Winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

Credit: Debbie Borsick (Albertson's Online Recipes)

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 Cups flour
  
• 2 tsp baking soda
  
• 2 Cups butter, softened
  
• 1 1/2 Cups packed brown sugar
  
• 1/2 Cup white sugar
  
• 2 (3.4 oz) packaged instant vanilla pudding mix... or other flavor, if desired
  
• 4 eggs
  
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 Cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 Cups chopped walnuts (optional)
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Credit: Jenn Eastman

Ingredients:

• 3/4 C butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 C sugar
• 1 small can pumpkin
• 3 3/4 - 4 C flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ginger
• 2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Cream butter, eggs, vanilla, and sugar. Add can of pumpkin. Mix well. Add all dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Credit: Kristen Monson (from Amber Wardell)

Ingredients:

• 6 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 1/2 C sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 C melted butter
• 3 C flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 C milk chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Mash bananas; add sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well. Add all dry ingredients (don't overmix). Stir in chocolate chips. Place muffin liners in muffin pans. Pour batter, filling each cup 2/3 full. (Optional: sprinkle 1 tsp sugar on top of each muffin.) Bake at 375 for 18-22 minutes. Makes approximately 24 muffins.

Shan's Dark Chocolate Cake

Credit: Shannon Cornelius

Ingredients for Cake:

• ½ c. natural cocoa powder
  
• ½ c. boiling water
  
• 2 ¼ c. all-purpose flour
  
• 1 ½ tsp. salt
  
• ¾ c. unsalted butter—room temperature
  
• 1 ¾ c. sugar
  
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  
• 2 large eggs
  
• 1 ½ c. sour cream

Ingredients for Frosting:

• 6 ounces dark chocolate—chopped
  
• 2 Tbsp. water
  
• ¾ c. sugar
  
• 4 large egg yolks
  
• ¾ tsp. vanilla extract
  
• 1 cup unsalted butter—cut into 16 pieces, at room temperature
  
• Grated dark chocolate (optional)

Directions for Cake:

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter and flour two 9 inch cake pans.
2. Whisk together the cocoa and the boiling water in a small bowl until smooth.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
4. Beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed in a large deep bowl until well blended—the mixture will be dry. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce the speed to low and beat in the flour mixture alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour, just until well blended. Add the cocoa mixture and blend well. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
5. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pan on wire racks for 20 minutes, then invert the cakes onto the racks and remove pans. Cool cakes completely before frosting.

Directions for Frosting:

1. Melt the chocolate with the water in a double boiler, set over about 1 ½ inches of simmering water, whisking until smooth. Transfer to a large deep bowl.
2. Heat the sugar with the egg yolks in another heatproof bowl over the same saucepan of simmering water, whisking constantly for about 4 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch. Whisk the sugar mixture into the chocolate mixture, add the vanilla, and beat with an electric mixer on high speed for 3 minutes, or until the mixture has cooled to room temperature. Beat in the butter one piece at a time, beating until smooth after each addition.
3. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before frosting the cooled cake.
4. Top cake with chocolate shreds (optional).
5.Chill cake before serving.
(Courtesy of Luscious Chocolate Desserts!)

Brownie Tarts

Credit: BYU Ward

Ingredients:

• 1 package chocolate fudge cake mix

• ½ cup melted butter

• 1 egg
• Fresh raspberries, strawberry slices, or chocolate sprinkles
  

For Mousse Filling:

• 1 small package instant chocolate pudding mix (4 oz. box)

• 1 cup half and half

• 1 container frozen whipped topping (8 oz.), thawed

Directions:

Heat oven to 325. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Use fingers to form small balls of dough and press into mini muffin pans, filling half full. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are set. Remove from oven and use an inverted pop bottle or water bottle cap to make indentations while the cups are still warm. Let cool in pan until set. Remove from pan and cool completely before piping mousse filling into each cup. Top each tart with a fresh raspberry, strawberry slice, or chocolate sprinkles.

For mousse filling: Whisk together pudding and half & half. Stir in a few Tbsp whipped topping to lighten mixture, then fold in remaining topping.