Amazon
AMAZON
amazon
Categories
- 10 THINGS YOU SHOULDN’T STORE IN THE FRIDGE! (1)
- Addiction Awareness! (1)
- BEAUTY 101-LUMINOUS SKIN TIPS! (1)
- BEAUTY AND SKINCARE …ASK THE DOCTOR… (1)
- CAN YOU EXCERCISE DURING THIS PANDEMIC? (1)
- CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE GUIDE! (1)
- CORONAVIRUS MYTHS (1)
- DOES HAND SANTIZER WORK? (1)
- EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS!…STORM SEASON! (1)
- FALL APPLE RECIPES (1)
- FALL FASHION TRENDS (1)
- FAVORITE THANKSGIVING RECIPES (1)
- FOOD SAFETY TIPS! HOW LONG CAN YOU KEEP… (1)
- GIVE THANKS! (1)
- GOOD EATS-ROMANTIC DINNER MENU! (1)
- GRILLING RECIPES (1)
- HEALTH BENEFITS OF MUSHROOMS (1)
- IN THE NEWS… (1)
- MEDJUGORJE APPARITIONS (1)
- MENS FITNESS…BIG ARMS FAST! (1)
- MEN’S TRENDS (1)
- PARENTING POINTS OF VIEW!.-FENTANYL: THE DEADLY DRUG TAKING OVER … (1)
- PERSONAL STYLN…SUMMER SAVINGS! (1)
- ROAD TO THE BREEDERS’ CUP! (1)
- SUNGLASSES FOR YOU SHAPE FACE… (1)
- WELCOME TO OUR FALL ISSUE (1)
- “FOODIE" FARM TO TABLE FAVORITES! (1)
Neiman’s
<a href=”https://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=uzQyp5TQeGQ&offerid=752178.10007314&subid=0&type=4″><IMG border=”0″ alt=”Shop Cashmere at LastCall.com!” src=”https://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=uzQyp5TQeGQ&bids=752178.10007314&subid=0&type=4&gridnum=10″></a>
Amazon college
Amazon
INSPIRATION
Archives
ARCHIVES PAGES
- APRIL IS….ALCOHOL AWARENESS MONTH
- ARCHIVE PAGE…January Is…
- ARCHIVE PAGE: MINUTES TO POST…ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY 2011/2012
- Archive Pages: MINUTES TO POST…Road to the Triple Crown 2012
- ARCHIVE-THANKSGIVING RECIPES 2013
- ARCHIVE-WELCOME..OCTOBER
- ARCHIVE…Focus on Fashion…Spring 2011…plus…GREAT SHOE GUIDE…
- ARCHIVE: GRILLING RECIPES and TIPS!
- ARCHIVE: APPLE RECIPES
- ARCHIVE: APRIL IS…2015
- Archive: August is…2016
- ARCHIVE: BEAUTIFUL SKIN TIPS 2016
- ARCHIVE: BREAST CANCER AWARENESS INFORMATION…
- ARCHIVE: BREEDERS’ CUP 2018
- ARCHIVE: BREEDER’S CUP 2014
- ARCHIVE: CHOLESTEROL NEWS
- ARCHIVE: CHRISTMAS COOKIE 2015
- ARCHIVE: CHRISTMAS COOKIE RECIPES
- ARCHIVE: CHRISTMAS COOKIE RECIPES 2016
- ARCHIVE: CHRISTMAS DINNER 2016
- ARCHIVE: CHRISTMAS MOVIE GUIDE 2016
- ARCHIVE: CHRISTMAS MOVIE GUIDE 2017
- ARCHIVE: CHRISTMAS MOVIE LIST 2012
- ARCHIVE: COMFORT FOODS TO WARM YOU ON THOSE COLD WINTER DAYS!
- ARCHIVE: December 2014
- ARCHIVE: DECEMBER IS 2106
- ARCHIVE: DECEMBER IS…2012
- ARCHIVE: DRINKING AND DRIVING…A DEADLY COMBINATION!
- ARCHIVE: EASTER AND PASSOVER CELEBRATIONS 2015
- ARCHIVE: EASTER BRUNCH RECIPES 2017
- ARCHIVE: Easter Celebration 2016
- ARCHIVE: EASTER CELEBRATION 2017
- ARCHIVE: EASTER-2018
- ARCHIVE: FALL / WINTER RECIPES 2016
- ARCHIVE: February Is…
- ARCHIVE: February is…2017
- ARCHIVE: History of Father’s Day 2015
- ARCHIVE: JULY IS 2016
- ARCHIVE: JULY IS…2015
- Archive: June is…2016
- ARCHIVE: KENTUCKY DERBY LIFESTYLE 2017
- ARCHIVE: MARCH IS 2016
- ARCHIVE: MARCH IS…2015
- ARCHIVE: MAY IS 2016
- ARCHIVE: May is…2013
- ARCHIVE: May is…2015
- ARCHIVE: MAY IS…2017
- ARCHIVE: MINUTES TO POST 2016
- ARCHIVE: MINUTES TO POST BREEDER’S CUP 2013
- ARCHIVE: MINUTES TO POST…ROAD TO THE TRIPLE CROWN 2018
- ARCHIVE: Mother’s Day Brunch 2019
- ARCHIVE: MOTHER’S DAY BRUNCH IDEAS 2016
- Archive: November 2014
- Archive: November 2018
- ARCHIVE: NOVEMBER IS…HISTORY OF THANKSGIVING -2016
- ARCHIVE: OCTOBER 2016
- ARCHIVE: October 2105 -Breast Cancer Awareness/Virgin Mary Month, History of Halloween…
- ARCHIVE: OCTOBER IS ….
- ARCHIVE: OUR FAVORITE CHRISTMAS COOKIES 2017!
- ARCHIVE: OUR FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIE GUIDE 2015
- ARCHIVE: OUR FAVORITE EASTER RECIPES 2015
- ARCHIVE: OUR FAVORITE HALLOWEEN TREATS 2017
- ARCHIVE: September is…2018
- ARCHIVE: SPOOKY HALLOWEEN TREATS! (2018)
- ARCHIVE: ST. PATRICK’S DAY 2015 ARCHIVE
- ARCHIVE: St. Patrick’s Day Recipes!
- ARCHIVE: SUMMER GRILLING RECIPES & TIPS 2018
- ARCHIVE: TABLETALK 2016
- ARCHIVE: THANKSGIVING 2015
- ARCHIVE: THANKSGIVING 2016
- ARCHIVE: THANKSGIVING RECIPES 2015
- ARCHIVE: THANKSGIVING RECIPES 2015
- ARCHIVE: WHAT’S FOR DINNER…CELEBRATE THE NEW YEAR!
- ARCHIVE: What’s For Dinner? Mother’s Day Brunch Recipes 2015
- ARCHIVE: AUGUST IS…NATIONAL GOLF MONTH,…IMMUNIZATION MONTH…
- Archive: Easter Brunch 2020
- ARCHIVE: FOCUS ON FASHION 2016
- ARCHIVE: Halloween Treats and Decorating Tips 2019
- ARCHIVE: June Is…2012
- ARCHIVE: THANKSGIVING 2014
- ARCHIVE: Thoroughbred Horseracing Attire 2019
- ARCHIVE:-CHRISTMAS COOKIES 2018
- ARCHIVE:-History of Christmas 2018
- ARCHIVES…August is…Great Golf Get-Aways…Plus 100 Greatest Golf Courses
- ARCHIVES…Derby Style Watch…2011
- ARCHIVES…Men’s Derby Fashion…Spring 2011
- ARCHIVES…Sizzling Summer Style…2011
- ARCHIVES: 20 WAYS TO NEVER GET CANCER…plus Health News
- ARCHIVES: ADD A LITTLE LUCK OF THE IRISH TO YOUR DINNER MENU!
- ARCHIVES: ALL SORTS OF SPORTS…GOLF TIPS 2017
- Archives: April is …Alcohol Awareness Month 2020
- ARCHIVES: August is…
- ARCHIVES: BEST SWIMSUITS FOR YOUR BODY TYPE…
- ARCHIVES: BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH 2017
- ARCHIVES: BREEDERS’ CUP 2017
- ARCHIVES: Can you FIX THE BUDGET?
- ARCHIVES: COMFORT FOODS 2017
- ARCHIVES: DECEMBER IS…It’s Christmas Time!…National Drunk Driving Awareness Month!…
- ARCHIVES: EASTER MENU!
- ARCHIVES: Easter Recipes 2016
- ARCHIVES: FEBRUARY IS HEART MONTH 2018
- ARCHIVES: FEBRUARY IS…2016 Happy Valentine’s Day!
- ARCHIVES: Financial News…MONEY MADNESS
- ARCHIVES: GIFTS FOR DAD….
- ARCHIVES: HAPPY JULY 4TH 2108
- ARCHIVES: Health and Nutrution..
- ARCHIVES: HEALTH NEWS…MESOTHELIOMA NEWS…DRUG DANGERS
- ARCHIVES: January is…
- ARCHIVES: January is…2017
- ARCHIVES: JULY 2016 WELCOME PAGE
- ARCHIVES: JULY IS…2012
- ARCHIVES: JULY IS…2017
- ARCHIVES: LAUGHTER BREAK—BEST OF SUPER BOWL COMMERCIALS
- ARCHIVES: LIFESTYLE 2017
- ARCHIVES: March Is 2018
- ARCHIVES: MARCH IS…
- ARCHIVES: May is…2012
- ARCHIVES: Messages From Medjugorje…
- ARCHIVES: MILITARY APPRECIATION 2016
- ARCHIVES: MINUTES TO POST…Road to the Breeder’s Cup…Friday’s Results…
- ARCHIVES: MOTHER’S DAY BREAKFAST IDEAS…
- ARCHIVES: Mother’s Day Brunch
- ARCHIVES: November is…History of Thanksgiving Celebration…Stomach Cancer Awareness..
- ARCHIVES: October 2014
- ARCHIVES: OCTOBER IS 2018
- ARCHIVES: OCTOBER IS…History of Halloween…
- ARCHIVES: OUR FAVORITE APPLE RECIPES 2016
- ARCHIVES: OUR FAVORITE APPLE RECIPES 2020
- ARCHIVES: OUR FAVORITE APPLE RECIPES!
- ARCHIVES: OUR FAVORITE CHRISTMAS COOKIE RECIPES…2012
- ARCHIVES: OUR FAVORITE FALL FOODY RECIPES 2017
- ARCHIVES: OUR FAVORITE FALL RECIPES 2014/2015…PLUS APPLES, APPLES AND MORE APPLES…
- ARCHIVES: OUR FAVORITE HALLOWEEN TREATS / 2016
- ARCHIVES: OUR FAVORITE THANKSGIVING RECIPES 2016
- Archives: Our Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes 2018
- ARCHIVES: PARENTING POINT OF VIEW…HEROIN EPIDEMIC 2106
- ARCHIVES: PERSONAL STYLN
- ARCHIVES: RED, WHITE and BLUE DESSERTS! 2018
- ARCHIVES: SEPTEMBER is …
- ARCHIVES: SEPTEMBER IS…A MONTH TO REMEMBER/2016
- ARCHIVES: STOP THE BULLYING! 2016
- ARCHIVES: SUMMER GRILLING RECIPES / 2016
- ARCHIVES: THOROUGHBRED HORSERACING NEWS 2015
- ARCHIVES: WHAT’S FOR DINNER…SPRING INTO EASTER! …Fish Taco’s for Lent?…Left over Easter Ham?
- ARCHIVES: WHAT’S FOR DINNER? Our Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes!
- ARCHIVES: WHAT’S FOR DINNER?…HOW ABOUT ROMANTIC DINING ALFRESCO!
- ARCHIVES: APRIL IS…2013
- ARCHIVES: Christmas Cookies 2019
- ARCHIVES: FIRE UP THAT GRILL 2019
- ARCHIVES: HALLOWEEN TREATS AND DECORATING TIPS 2019
- ARCHIVES: KENTUCKY DERBY 2019
- ARCHIVES: WHAT’S FOR DINNER? It’s Christmas Cookie time!
- ARCHVES: BREEDERS’ CUP 2019
- ARE YOU READY FOR THE STORM SEASON?…EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS GUIDE 2017
- Brunch for Mom on Mother’s Day 2018
- DECEMBER 2015
- EASTER AND PASSOVER CELEBRATION…
- EASTER CELEBRATION!
- ESPRESS-O YOURSELF!…QUICK COMMENT PAGE!
- FASHION ARCHIVE–SUNGLASSES FOR YOUR SHAPE FACE!
- GIFTS THAT KEEP ON GIVING
- HALLOWEEN RECIPES
- HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2017-2018
- HOW TO PRAY THE ROSARY!
- INSPIRATION
- MINUTES TO POST 2017
- NOVEMBER IS 2017
- OCTOBER 2015-BREAST CANCER AWARENESS/STOP THE BULLYING/HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN/ ROSARY MONTH
- OUR FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MOVIE GUIDE…2015
- OUR FAVORITE SUMMER STRAWBERRY RECIPES!
- OUR FAVORITE THANKSGIVING RECIPES!
- PERSONAL STYLN SPECIAL EDITION 2018…Winning Style!
- ROMANTIC DINNER IDEAS! 2017
- SEPTEMBER 2015-ADDICTION RECOVERY/TEENS AND ADDICTION
- ST. PATRICK’S DAY RECIPES!
- SUMMER GRILLING RECIPES 2015
- SUMMER SAFETY TIPS!
- SUMMERTIME RECIPES HOT OFF THE GRILL!
- SWIMSUIT GUIDE…
- WHAT’S FOR DINNER?…GREAT FALL RECIPES…including Thanksgiving!
AMAZON
Archives
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE GUIDE!
HOW TO MAKE THE ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE!
HOME-DECOR * BEAUTY * FITNESS –
COFFEEBREAKWITHFRIENDS
Sweets for the Sweet!
THE ULTIMATE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE!
THE SCIENCE BEHIND
THE PERFECT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE
7 Pro Tips for Baking the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever
Your best. cookies. ever. are just a small nibble away!
Chocolate chip cookies are a classic and seemingly simple sweet treat, but the perfect batch can be surprisingly difficult for some bakers to master. With just one little change to the recipe or baking time, these sugary snacks can come out of the oven looking or tasting completely different. (There’s a reason that those crunchy store-bought cookies are so different from your mom’s melty homemade morsels, after all.)
If you’re looking to shake up your usual recipe — or you’re dying to know just how to achieve the perfect, cake-like cookie — read on for some of our favorite pro tips (and unexpected secret ingredients) for making your best batch ever.
1. Add powdered milk for an extra-chewy cookie.
Momofuku Milk Bar owner Christina Tosi swears by this unassuming pantry staple, which she says adds a delicious chewiness to cookies. “That’s one of my secrets when I’m just making a classic chocolate chip cookie at home,” the chef said in a 2015 interview with InStyle. “Add two tablespoons of milk powder to your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, and watch your eyes pop out of your head.”
2. Use cold butter to help your cookies bake evenly throughout.
Few chocolate chip cookies are more iconic than those made by Mrs. Fields; her famous recipe always yields perfectly round, evenly cooked treats. Her secret? Swapping a softened stick of butter for cold cubes of the stuff. “A cold butter is going to give you a little bit different texture, and it’s also going to keep the temperature nice and even,” Mrs. Fields baking expert Rachel Matheus said in a recent interview with POPSUGAR.
3. For a firmer cookie, let the dough chill for 24 – 36 hours.
When you quickly whip up a batch of cookie dough and throw it straight into your oven, you’re not giving your ingredients much time to truly combine. That’s why Jacque Torres, a.k.a. Mr. Chocolate, lets his dough chill for 24 – 36 hours — or even multiple days, according to The New York Times. This trick allows the dry ingredients to fully soak up the wet ingredients, resulting in a drier and firmer dough.
Food Network chef and food scientist extraordinaire Alton Brown once made an entire iconic episode of his hit show Good Eats explaining how to alter a chocolate chip cookie recipe to create different textures and qualities. His Chewy recipe might be the biggest hit of the three featured in the episode, but be sure not to overlook the pure genius behind his Thin cookies: By adding more white sugar than brown (white sugar has less leavening power than brown, according to Serious Eats), these cookies end up spreading instead of rising, which creates a thinner, crisper treat.
5. Use more brown sugar than white to get a rich, caramel-y flavor.
Aside from giving cookies a more cake-like texture, brown sugar can also add a richer, more intense flavor, Serious Eats reports. The best example of the magic that brown sugar can work on cookies? DoubleTree Hotel’s iconic walnut-filled chocolate chip cookies. Fun fact: Even though the actual DoubleTree recipe is considered “Top Secret,” our friends over at Delish have an amazing copycat recipe that’s just as good as the real thing.
6. Chop your own chocolate chunks to make your cookies more rich and dynamic.
Have you ever wondered why Food Network chef Ina Garten (a.k.a. the Barefoot Contessa) uses hand-chopped chocolate chunks in her favorite cookie recipes instead of plain ol’ chocolate chips? Well, here’s your answer: When you chop your own chunks of chocolate, the pieces come out in all different sizes. The variety of these chocolate chunks means a surprise in every bite — plus the pieces often melt more and end up better distributed throughout the cookie than standard chips, which are designed to retain their shape when baked, the Huffington Post reports.
7. Sprinkle cookies with salt to create a more complex flavor.
Several of our favorite bakers suggest sprinkling a bit of salt on top of your chocolate chip treats — see Jacque Torres and Ina Garten above — and Sharon Franke, the Director of the Kitchen Appliances and Technology Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute, agrees that adding a pinch of salt is an excellent way to bring out the flavor of your cookies. Sprinkling salt on a sweet treat like cookies sounds counterintuitive, but science says it actually might make your cookies taste better: Salt helps you to better taste the intense sweetness of sugar.
8. Consult this chart for any other cookie questions.
By now, you’ve realized that there are a seemingly infinite number of ways you can alter your chocolate chip cookies to create different textures, flavors, shapes and sizes. If this has you feeling a little overwhelmed, have no fear: Blogger Tessa at Handle the Heat has created the ultimate chocolate chip chart, which illustrates what cookies look like after making nearly every possible alteration to a recipe. See a cookie you like? Make the suggested change to your next batch, and get baking.
The Science Behind the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies – Kitchen Conundrums with Thomas Joseph
Shortening vs. Butter in Cookies:
What’s the Difference?
(Image credit: Sean D/Shutterstock)
Two of the most commonly used fats in cookie dough are butter and shortening. They’re mostly used alone, but sometimes a recipe will actually have you use a combination of both. With products like butter-flavored shortening on the market now, does it really matter which one you use? Are the two interchangeable? Let’s take a look at each one and see how they work in cookies.
What Does Fat Do in Cookies?
Fat is one of the big factors in what makes cookies so delicious — it tenderizes by coating the gluten molecules in flour so they don’t combine as easily and toughen the finished product.
Fats also add moisture and, when creamed together with sugar, help form little pockets of air to create a fluffier texture. And of course, fat helps carry flavors and, in some cases like butter, have delicious flavors themselves. So the role of fat in cookies? Super important.
Let’s take a look at each one and how they work in cookies:
Butter in Cookies
Butter is by far the most popular fat used in cookies — for good reason. It just adds such a delicious flavor and richness! Butter is not composed of all fat, though: Butter made in the United States must contain at least 80 percent fat and no more than 16 percent water, whereas European butter generally has a higher fat content of 82 to 85 percent.
This combination of fat and water is what makes butter unique: The heat from the oven during baking turns that water into steam, which can cause more gluten formation, resulting in crisper cookies if baked long enough.
Butter also has a lower melting point, which means that the fat melts at a lower temperature and the cookies will spread and flatten out faster during baking. It also has a distinct creamy flavor, which is what makes cookies so tasty.
Shortening in Cookies
Vegetable shortening is a solid fat made from vegetable oils, like soybean or cottonseed. It was traditionally made by transforming oil to a solid through partial hydrogenation, resulting in trans fats. Now there are shortenings available where the oil undergoes complete hydrogenation instead, resulting in saturated fat instead of trans fat.
Shortening is 100 percent fat, meaning there is no water in it and no steam is created during baking. The lack of water also means that shortening does not increase gluten production, so cookies made with shortening tend to be softer and more tender.
Shortening has a higher melting point, so the flour and eggs in the cookies have extra time to set before the shortening melts, resulting in cookies that are taller and not as flat. It has no real distinct flavor, although butter-flavored shortenings are now available.
Which One Should I Use in Cookies?
Basically, cookies made with butter spread more and are flatter and crisper if baked long enough. However, they are more flavorful than cookies made with shortening.
Cookies made with shortening bake up taller and are more tender, but aren’t as flavorful.
Can Butter and Shortening Be Used Interchangeably in Cookies?
Butter and shortening can generally be substituted for each other in cookie recipes if you keep a few things in mind: Since butter does contain water and less fat than shortening, you’ll need to use more of it as a substitution. Also keep in the mind that the textures and shapes of the cookies will be different, due to moisture content and melting points.
If you want to get the best of both worlds — buttery flavor, but tenderness too — use a combination of butter and shortening. Don’t, however, substitute butter with shortening in cookies like shortbreads or sugar cookies, where butter really is a key flavoring.
Brown Butter and Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
INGREDIENTS
-
1 cup (2 sticks; 227 g) unsalted butter
-
2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
-
1 teaspoon baking soda
-
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
-
1 cup (packed; 215 g) dark brown sugar
-
⅓ cup (73 g) granulated sugar
-
2 large eggs, room temperature
-
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
-
2 1.4-oz. (80 g total) chocolate toffee bars (preferably Skor), chopped into ¼-inch pieces
-
1½ cups (216 g) chocolate wafers (disks, pistoles, fèves; preferably 72% cacao)
-
Flaky sea salt
RECIPE PREPARATION
-
Cook butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until it foams, then browns, 5–8 minutes. Scrape into a large bowl and let cool slightly., about 10 minutes (an instant-read thermometer should register 125°).
-
Meanwhile, whisk flour, baking soda, and kosher salt in a medium bowl.
-
Add brown sugar and granulated sugar to browned butter. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add eggs and vanilla, increase mixer speed to medium-high, and beat until mixture lightens and begins to thicken, about 1 minute. Reduce mixer speed to low; add dry ingredients and beat just to combine. Mix in toffee pieces and chocolate wafers with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Let dough sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes to allow flour to hydrate. Dough will look very loose at first, but will thicken as it sits.
-
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°. Using a 1-oz. ice cream scoop, portion out balls of dough and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing about 3″ apart (you can also form dough into ping pong–sized balls with your hands). Do not flatten; cookies will spread as they bake. Sprinkle with sea salt.
-
Bake cookies until edges are golden brown and firm but centers are still soft, 9–11 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough and a fresh parchment-lined cooled baking sheet.
-
Do Ahead: Cookie dough can be made 3 days ahead; cover and chill. Let dough come to room temperature before baking.
Your Ultimate Snack Hack
Is Here and It Involves Boxed Cake Mix
Make your afternoons sweet with these super-easy chunky cookie bars.
Need a weekend baking project that doesn’t overly tax your brain or time? Craving a homey tray bake of sliceable goodies that are easy for snacking? At your limit in terms of both time and energy? Let a good old box of cake mixcome to your rescue. Because you can turn any flavor of cake mix into chunky sliceable bars with minimal effort and maximum pleasure. It’s the ultimate snack hack!
How to Make Snack Bars with Boxed Cake Mix
It could not be easier. Ready?
Heat your oven to 350, and line a 9×13 pan with either foil or parchment paper and lightly spray with nonstick baking spray. I like to make a sort of sling out of the foil or paper to make it easy to remove the bars from the pan.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 15.25-ounce box of any flavor cake mix
- 1 stick of melted butter or a half cup of oil of your choice
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups mix-ins
Beat the eggs with the oil and then add to the dry mix and blend till combined. Now the fun part: the mix-ins! Here is where you can use up those little ends of bags of things like chocolate chips, shredded coconut, chopped nuts, dried fruits, even the last bit of cereal or chips in the bottom of the box or bag! You can go all one flavor, or a mishmash. Whatever you like in your bars, toss it in there.
Spread your dough carefully into your prepared pan—I often use a large scoop to put the dough into the pan a little evenly so that I don’t have to mush it around too much. If you want a swirl of something like peanut butter or caramel or jam, go for it! Add a streusel topping or a layer of granola, sprinkle on some flaky sea salt, whatever you like!
Bake for about 16-20 minutes, until lightly golden and firm around the edges. It is possible the very center might look slighty underbaked, but it will finish cooking as it rests, and give a nice chew.
Cool completely in the pan on a rack before slicing into bars, which you can do in the pan or using the parchment or foil to remove as a slab and then slicing. Keep in an airtight container at room temp for up to 5 days, or wrap in plastic wrap and then foil, and put in a freezer bag and freeze for up to three months.

The best cake mix to use
I use Duncan Hines brand almost exclusively. They have a huge range of fun flavors, and I love the results I get with their products, whether I am using them for actual cake or as an ingredient in another recipe. If you have another brand, this recipe will work as long as it is 15.25 ounces.
Great cake mixes and mix-in combos to try!
This recipe is so easy, it can be really fun to begin playing with options. Here are some of my favorite cake mix/mix-in combinations to get you going.
Devil’s food cake mix with crushed pretzels, chopped peanuts, and peanut butter swirl
Banana cake mix with chopped banana chips and chocolate chunks
Vanilla cake mix with mini caramels and dried apple pieces
Golden cake mix with toasted chopped hazelnuts and dried cherries
Recent Comments