What to do with the lemon cake mix hanging out in my pantry?  Cookies, of course!

This was an experiment.  I wasn’t at all sure how the crushed pineapple would work in a cookie made from cake mix.  I was afraid it would be too much liquid.  But they turned out wonderfully.  Soft and lemony with a sunny flavor.

Here’s what you’ll need:

For the cookies:

• Lemon cake mix
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. lemon extract
• 8 oz crushed pineapple, drained well, juice reserved
• 2 Tbs. flour

For Glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• reserved juice from pineapple

Mix all the ingredients for the cookies with an electric mixer.  Drop by teaspoons onto a baking stone or cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.  Cool a bit before icing with the glaze.

To make the glaze, stir a few tablespoons of juice into the powdered sugar until it reaches a spreadable consistency.  It should be a bit thinner than regular frosting, but not too thin.

If you like lemon and are looking for a cookie without quite the zing of Strawberry Lemonade Cookies, then these are for you.  Actually, the soft yellow of these Lemon Pineapple Cookies would be nice on a plate with the pink Strawberry Lemonade Cookies.  Enjoy summer!

This post is linked to Tasty Traditions at Coupon Cookin’

I’m going to guess that you have everything to make these cookies in your pantry right now.  Recipes that satisfy your chocolate cravings quickly and cheaply cannot be underrated.

This recipe was shared by Loy in the comment section of last week’s Ingredient Spotlight: Cocoa.   My kids were scavenging in the kitchen for a snack when I saw the recipe.  It didn’t take long until we were pulling warm, chocolatey cookies from the oven.  Loy’s recipe calls for nuts, but I tossed in some Heath chips instead.

Here’s what you’ll need:

No ingredient picture this time, but there’s nothing strange or unusual listed:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbs. vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 6 Tbs. cocoa
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts or Heath chips or dried fruit

Beat the eggs with an electric mixer.  Beat in oil, vanilla and sugar.  Stir flour, soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa together until well combined.  Add to the mixer and beat until blended.  Stir in the nuts, Heath chips or dried fruit if you’re using it.

Drop teaspoonfuls of dough onto ungreased cookie sheets or baking stone.  Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Thanks for the great recipe, Loy!

This recipe is linked to Coupon Cookin’s Tasty Traditions.

Last year, I saw recipes for cookies like this floating around the internet.  A friend brought some to my house and they were so good.  How can you go wrong with white chocolate chips and cranberries?

I decided to make them yesterday, but didn’t want to look up the recipe.  Googling is so hard, you know?

So I tweaked the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip recipe from the back of the Walmart brand oat box.  As soon as I finished making them, I noticed the recipe on the back of the Craisin package.  Oh well.  My tweaked recipe tasted buttery, with the sweet-tart flavors of the white chips and cranberries.  And the recipe made a lot.  Enough to munch and freeze some for later.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened (I used I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbs. milk
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 4 cups oats (quick cooking or regular, I used regular)
• white baking chips, 11 oz bag
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Mix the butter and sugars with an electric mixer.  Beat in the eggs, milk and vanilla.

Stir the baking soda and salt into the flour.  Add to the mixer bowl and beat until combined.  Add the oats to the bowl, mixing until combined.  Stir in the white chips and cranberries.

Drop by teaspoons onto a greased cookie sheet or baking stone.  Bake at 375 degrees for 9 minutes.  Don’t over bake them.

I love my husband.  First of all, he sometimes bakes cookies for us.  Secondly, he has brilliant ideas.  Like pouring Heath chips into the cookie dough.

Toffee chips make a classic even better.

This is the common (but delicious!) chocolate chip cookie recipe with the added bonus of toffee chips.

• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 bag chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup toffee chips

Mix the butter and sugars together with an electric mixer.  Beat in the eggs and vanilla.

Combine the flour, baking soda and salt and then add to the wet ingredients.  Mix thoroughly.  Stir in the chocolate chips and toffee chips.

Bake at 375 degrees for 9 minutes.

What is your favorite chocolate combination?  Chocolate with:

• caramel
• toffee
• coffee
• peanut butter
• double chocolate
• white chocolate
• strawberry
• raspberry
• nuts
• etc, etc, etc…

Sorry! I got carried away – so what’s your favorite?

Unfortunately, you only get to see a photo of the ingredients this time.  I completely forgot to take pictures of the cookies!

Let me see if I can paint a word picture for you.  They were round, lightly browned, chock full of oats and studded with plenty of chocolate chips, not too flat or too fluffy, the perfect amount of sweet.

I adapted the recipe from the back of the Great Value quick oats box, swapping out shortening for butter and using more chocolate chips than the original called for.

What is your favorite kind of cookie?

That’s a long title for a cookie that only has 6 ingredients.  These are chocolatey and moist.  The coconut makes them extra special.  I used mini chocolate chips and I think they work better in this cookie than regular chocolate chips, although you can substitute if you need.

Here’s what you’ll need:

I love cake mix cookies.  What kind have you tried?

Most of my desserts don’t rank high on nutrition.  I don’t expect that out of a dessert.  But this one is different.  Made with whole wheat flour, oatmeal and dried cranberries, these cookies offer more than just good taste.  The recipe is adapted from Whole Foods for the Whole Family.  The original called for wheat germ, but I didn’t have any so I altered the amount of flour.  I also added cranberries to give them more taste and interest.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup non-fat dry milk
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 cups quick oats
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Mix the oil, brown sugar, egg, water and vanilla with a mixer.  In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, dry milk, salt, baking soda and cinnamon.  Add to the wet ingredients and mix until well blended.

Gradually add in the oats and then the cranberries.  Drop by teaspoons onto greased cookie sheets or baking stones.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

A minor tweak to the original No Bake Cookie, makes for a delicious change of pace.  The same chocolatey goodness with a twist of coconut.  I thought about adding shredded coconut to them, but decided that my kids might find that a bit to much.  If you’re a true coconut lover you could substitute the oats for coconut.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• a bit of salt
• 1 tsp. coconut extract
• 3 cups quick cooking oats

Combine all the ingredients, except the oats in a sauce pan.  Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in the oats.  Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper.  Allow to cool for a while, until they have set up a bit.

Butter brickle, Heath, Toffee – whatever you want to call it, I love it.  These cookies are chock full of butter brickle chips and studded with pecans, which complements the soft cookie.  They’re made with a yellow cake mix, making them as convenient as they are yummy.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 yellow cake mix
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbs. water
• 1 package Heath chips
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Beat the butter until creamy.  Add in the cake mix, eggs, water and beat until blended.  Stir in the Heath chips and pecans.  Drop by tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets or baking stone.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.  The top of the cookie will still look moist when you take it from the oven.  Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

I went on a hunt for Canadian treats to eat while we watch the Olympics and found these yummy cookies.  The recipe comes from Mennonite Girls Can Cook.  I’d never visited that blog before, but they have lots of yummy recipes over there.

The cookies are soft and cake-like.  The combination of molasses and chocolate is very good, especially with the white icing on top.

Here’s what you’ll need.  The only change I made to the recipe was using real butter instead of shortening.

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbs. cocoa
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt

For the vanilla icing:

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 Tbs. butter, softened
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3-4 Tbs. milk

Cream the butter, sugar, and molasses together.  Add the vanilla and egg.  Mix well.  Add in the milk, mixing well.

In another bowl, stir together the dry ingredients until well blended.  Add them to the wet ingredients in the mixer bowl and mix until well combined.

Drop by teaspoons onto a baking stone or cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

For the icing, mix all the ingredients in a small bowl.  Add milk gradually until it is spreading consistency.  Ice the cooled cookies.