Mother Talkers

Sweetness

Sat May 10, 2008 at 07:14:48 AM PDT

Betty Crocker sponsors a yearly cookie recipe contest, called "Bake Life Sweeter".

Contestants were asked to use one of the nine Betty Crocker Cookie Mix flavors and to get creative using additional ingredients, decorations and serving ideas.  

I've included Lynette Spence's winning recipe for "Cinna-Spin" Cookies.

Cookies
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

  1. Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, mix cookie mix and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Stir in butter and egg until soft dough forms.
  1. On piece of waxed paper, shape 1 tablespoon cinnamon into a line about 5 inches long. Using floured fingers, shape 1 tablespoon of dough into a rope 5 inches long. Press one side of dough rope into cinnamon.
  1. On ungreased cookie sheet, coil dough rope tightly, cinnamon side facing center, into cinnamon-roll shape. Press end of rope into roll to seal. Repeat with remaining dough. Place cookies 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.
  1. Bake 7 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
  1. In small bowl, mix glaze ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over cookies.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Decrease butter to 1/3 cup.
Prep time is 1 hr 10 min, and the recipe makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies!

The web site includes other fabulous recipes that received honorable mentions. I'm planning on making the winning cookies for Mother's Day.

Please, share YOUR recipes for baked goodness. Give this single mama options for baking! I just bought a new cookie sheet that I'm DYING to use!!

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Tags: Betty Crocker, Contest, Bake Life Sweeter, Cookies, Recipes (all tags)

Permalink | 4 comments

  • My two favorites (0 / 0)

    and always a big hit in my family:

    Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

    2/3 c. butter
    1 lb. brown sugar
    3 eggs
    2 1/2 c. flour
    2 1/2 t. baking powder
    1/2 t. salt
    1 lg. pkg chocolate chips
    1 c. chopped nuts [optional]

    Cream butter and sugar together. Beat in remaining ingredients. Spread in a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for approx 30 minutes. Allow to cool and cut into squares. I sometimes substitute the bag that is 1/2 choc chips and 1/2 peanut butter chips.

    Darn Good Chocolate Cake
    from the Cake Mix Doctor cookbook

    1 pkg devil's food cake mix
    1 small pkg chocolate instant pudding mix
    4 lg eggs
    1 cup sour cream
    1/2 c. warm water
    1/2 cup vegetable oil
    1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

    Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour bundt pan.

    Place the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, warm water and oil in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for 1 minute on low speed. Scrape down the sides and beat for 2-3 minutes on medium speed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips making sure they are well distributed throughout the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool pan on wire rack for 20 minutes and then invert.

    My family loves both these recipes, and whenever I take the chocolate cake as a teacher gift or to a luncheon on pot luck, people go nuts over it. I especially love how easy it is since I am a lazy cook. Short cuts all the way!

    • Funny (0 / 0)

      My mom has been making your Darn Good Choc Cake for years but calls it Chocolate Chocolate Chip cake. The only differences are that she beats it for 5 minutes, puts it in a bundt/tube pan, and dusts it with powered sugar when done! Love it cold.

      She also makes a sherry cake of similar design:
      1 pkg yellow cake mix
      1 sm pkg vanilla instant pudding
      3/4 c sherry
      3/4 c oil
      4 eggs
      1 t nutmeg

      Beat 5 mins, pour into greased and floured tube pan
      Bake @350 for 50-55 mins
      Let cool, dust w/powdered sugar

      • sherry cake (0 / 0)

        you reminded me of a favorite family joke. My great-great aunt had a newspaper article clipped and mounted in her kitchen. A recipe for sherry cake. Every other line calls for "tasting" a tablespoon of sherry, and the writing gets more and more scrambled and slurry. Last line? "Throw out the burnt cake and drink rest of sherry."

  • I love the cake-mix doctor!! (0 / 0)

    My friend makes the most decadent brownies with oatmeal and whole wheat flour, she also uses Splenda for baking...yeah, it sounds almost like healthfood till you mix in the BAG OF CHOCOLATE CHIPS!!! Oh yum. I had her make them for my baby shower...

Permalink | 4 comments