Cooking Cookies from cake mixes! Also: BISCOTTI, BARS, CUPS & POPS

[Imzadi]

Pumpkin Bars

1 (16 ounce) package pound cake mix, (regular yellow cake mix will work fine also.)
3 eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk, (NOT evaporated milk)
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees C (175 degrees C). Coat a 15x10 inch jelly roll pan with non-stick spray.

In a large mixing bowl, on low speed, combine cake mix, 1 egg, margarine, and 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice until crumbly. Press onto bottom of prepared pan.

In another large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk, then remaining two eggs, pumpkin, remaining 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, and salt; mix well. Pour over crust; sprinkle with pecans.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until set.

Cool, then chill in refrigerator. Cut into squares. Store covered in refrigerator.


This recipe is from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pumpkin-Cheesecake-Bars/Detail.aspx
It has overall 4 1/2 stars (out of 5) by 63 reviewers.

 

[mommylovesdisneymore]

Yum!!

 

[OceanAnnie]

Bake sales for school fundraisers are coming up! So many recipes to choose from! Yea!!! Thanks OP!

 

[Imzadi]

Back on page 7, I posted this really simple pumpkin cookie with only 2 ingredients. (No need to add the oil & eggs listed in the first post.) I re-posted it on a thread over on the CB and fellow DISer, Crystal0608 posted her review of the cookie, which I copied & pasted below.


I'd add some dried cranberries & walnuts or white chocolate chips to the two ingredients below. Maybe top with a cream cheese frosting.

Pumpkin Spice Cookie

1 (18.25 ounce) package spice cake mix
1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the cake mix and pumpkin until well blended. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Crystal0608's Review:

I made the 2 ingredient pumpkin cookies last night that were posted and they were awesome! I mixed one box of the spice cake mix & the pumpkin puree in my kitchenaid mixer & added a handful of chopped pecans & dried cranberries. I sprayed the pans down really good with bakers joy & when they are almost done cooking I took them out of the oven, b/c they poof up, so I smushed them flat with my hand then cooked some more. They don't brown on top, so I had to watch them (I'm a cookie burner). I made 4 cookie sheets, could've done 5 since my 1st batch were huge. They are very fluffy and cake like right out of the oven, but after sitting overnight they got dense, moist, & more "pumpkiny". My super picky non-fruit eating dd gobbled these up, just told her they had fruit in them . Loved them!

A little FYI: Pumpkin puree - one cup: Vitamin A: 310% of RDA, Vitamin C: 20% of RDA, Potassium: 588 milligrams

 

[OceanAnnie]

Imzadi, I made the biscotti today. It is wonderful! Thank you for the recipe. I used devil's food cake mix and dark chocolate chips. I followed the recipe, but my biscotti didn't rise as much as your pictures and didn't make as much. My flour was in a flour container. I'm pretty sure it's all-purpose, but that could be the culprit. The family loves it! I was going to take it in for a bake sale, but I just made some cookies from cake mix instead. Good excuse to keep the biscotti! The cookies smell good too.

 

[MazdaUK]

My DH was amazed with the biscotti - I made them for a sale too and we wnded up eating them and sending shop cookies (Our school is not fussy )

I don't think we have spice cake mix here - would carrot cake work instead? I can now get Libby's pumpkin cans here

 

[Imzadi]

Imzadi, I made the biscotti today. It is wonderful! Thank you for the recipe. I used devil's food cake mix and dark chocolate chips. I followed the recipe, but my biscotti didn't rise as much as your pictures and didn't make as much. My flour was in a flour container. I'm pretty sure it's all-purpose, but that could be the culprit. The family loves it! I was going to take it in for a bake sale, but I just made some cookies from cake mix instead. Good excuse to keep the biscotti! The cookies smell good too.

I wouldn't worry about the biscotti rising too much. I noticed at Starbucks, they are more like long sticks. Maybe you can call yours "Biscotti sticks."

Of course, this could also give you an excuse to make them again and see if they will rise better the next time.

My DH was amazed with the biscotti - I made them for a sale too and we wnded up eating them and sending shop cookies (Our school is not fussy )

I don't think we have spice cake mix here - would carrot cake work instead? I can now get Libby's pumpkin cans here

Glad you finally got some canned pumpkin over there.

I think the carrot cake mix would be fine. When I read different reviews of recipes over at allrecipes.com, many people have substituted carrot & spice cake mix for each other, and they say the recipes still taste great.

 

[Hedy]

I made yellow cake mix with chocolate chips, and the pumpkin/spice cookies for work today. They're a hit!
Incidentally, the pumpkin cookies are vegan.

 

[SalandJeff]

...Here are some new recipes that use cream cheese....

Do any of these cookies made with cream cheese have to be stored in the fridge?


Thank you all for these ideas. I hate to bake (and cook, for that matter ), but need to make 6 dozen cookies for a cookie swap next week. This thread is saving me!

 

[Imzadi]

Do any of these cookies made with cream cheese have to be stored in the fridge?

From: The Complete Cookie Storage Guide

"Refrigerate cookies if they contain cream cheese, cream frosting or custard, and other dairy products. They will last for up to 3 - 5 days there, loosely wrapped in foil.

Cookies with very moist fillings should be stored in a loose covered container. Refrigerate if desired. If fillings contain dairy products, they must be refrigerated. Cover with foil before doing so."


That guide also has great storage & freezing cookie dough tips.
I'm adding the link to my original, first post, so people don't have to hunt for it later.

 

[Imzadi]

On page 3, I posted Fruitcake Cookies using Spice Cake Mix and assorted chopped dried fruit & nuts - like in those self serve bins in the trail mix section at health food stores. Soak in a little warm water to moisten before baking. Since these fruits are naturally dried & sweetened (and hand selected by you) vs. the petrified candied fruits in most fruitcakes, these cookies would actually be edible! These would be child friendly as there is no alcohol in them.


I snipped this post by Chobie, on the CB, who has an adult version of fruitcake cookies, in which you can use a good chocolate cake mix:

I just concocted a chocolate fruit cake cookie which I think turned out really well. First I soaked chopped dried pineapple, apricots and cherries in a good dose of Grand Marnier until the fruit soaked up every last drop. Then I made a fudgy cookie dough with lots of good, melted chocolate, stirred in the fruit, some toasted pecans and chocolate chips. I baked off a few to taste and they were wonderful -- froze the rest of the dough to bake off before Christmas.

Make sure you taste test several of the soaked fruit, to make sure they have enough Grand Marnier, before adding to the dough.

 

[tigger813]

getting in on the fun

 

[OceanAnnie]

I made the oatmeal raisin cookies using the spice cake mix. They turned out really well! Not too sweet.

 

[Imzadi]

OMG!!! This thread has been viewed 20,000 times!!!

Have a very sweet & happy new year, everyone!

 

[babylisa4]

Pretty Pink Cookies for Valentines

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When I make these, everyone always wants the recipe.

Pink Cherry Chip Cookies
(I usually double this because everyone eats them up so fast!-the icing is what makes them so good)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1 box Betty Crocker Cherry Chip Cake Mix
¼ cup butter or margarine(softened)
1teaspoon butter flavoring
½ teaspoon vanilla flavoring
Few drops red food coloring(for looks only)
8 oz. cream cheese(softened)
1 egg
½ cup chopped pecans

Cream butter and cream cheese with ½ of the dry cake mix. Add egg, vanilla and butter flavoring and red food coloring. Mix in remaining cake mix and nuts. Drop rounded teaspoonful on greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees. (kind of watch them-these cookies are better if they are sort of soft-not crunchy) Let cool completely.

Icing:
1 box powdered sugar
½ cup canned evaporated milk(more or less to get right consistency)
½ stick butter(softened)
Few drops red food coloring

Mix above ingredients together. Ice cookies when completely cooled. If stacking cookies, put wax paper between layers.

Notes: I have used regular milk or whipping cream but canned milk is better in the icing. Also, I’ve used canned cherry vanilla icing but homemade is better.

Note: I'm from Oklahoma and not every store has the Cherry Chip Cake mix so you might call your local grocery store. It's Betty Crocker Cherry Chip Cake Mix. I've purchased it in 2009 at a couple of our stores. We used to have Albertson's here and they didn't carry it.

 

[babylisa4]

Pretty Pink Cookies for Valentines

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When I make these, everyone always wants the recipe.

Pink Cherry Chip Cookies
(I usually double this because everyone eats them up so fast!-the icing is what makes them so good)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1 box Betty Crocker Cherry Chip Cake Mix
¼ cup butter or margarine(softened)
1teaspoon butter flavoring
½ teaspoon vanilla flavoring
Few drops red food coloring(for looks only)
8 oz. cream cheese(softened)
1 egg
½ cup chopped pecans

Cream butter and cream cheese with ½ of the dry cake mix. Add egg, vanilla and butter flavoring and red food coloring. Mix in remaining cake mix and nuts. Drop rounded teaspoonful on greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees. (kind of watch them-these cookies are better if they are sort of soft-not crunchy) Let cool completely.

Icing:
1 box powdered sugar
½ cup canned evaporated milk(more or less to get right consistency)
½ stick butter(softened)
Few drops red food coloring

Mix above ingredients together. Ice cookies when completely cooled. If stacking cookies, put wax paper between layers.

Notes: I have used regular milk or whipping cream but canned milk is better in the icing. Also, I’ve used canned cherry vanilla icing but homemade is better.

Note: I'm from Oklahoma and not every store has the Cherry Chip Cake mix so you might call your local grocery store. It's Betty Crocker Cherry Chip Cake Mix. I've purchased it in 2009 at a couple of our stores. We used to have Albertson's here and they didn't carry it.

 

[Imzadi]

I just saw this on the Bonnie Hunt Show. It's actually a recipe for fudge, (not fudge brownies,) but it uses brownie mix and only 2 other ingredients.

(Recipe modified from Lisa Lillien's book, Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World.)


Fudge...UNPUDGED!

1 box Betty Crocker Fudge Brownies Mix (the 18.3-oz. Family Size box)
1 can (16 oz.) pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
2 tbsp. Peanut Butter (or almond butter,) optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine pumpkin with the brownie mix in a large bowl; stir until smooth (do not add anything else).

Grease or spray a small baking pan (8" X 8" work best - no larger!) with nonstick cooking spray and pour in the mixture. Spoon 2 tbsp. of Peanut Butter (room temperature) on top in little dollops around on top and use a knife to swirl peanut butter around to marblize the TOP (like in the picture.) Bake for approximately 35 minutes. The batter will remain very thick and fudgy, and it should look undercooked. Remove from oven. Cover with aluminum foil and let cool in fridge for a couple of hours. Cut into 36 squares and serve.


If you use the author's recommended, to use a reduced fat peanut butter, (or no peanut butter at all on top,) this is the approximate calories compared to a regular piece of fudge, made the normal way with sugar & cream that is approximately 200 calories per piece:

Serving Size: 1 piece (approx. 1.3 oz.)
Calories: 63
Fat: 1g
Sodium: 56mg
Carbs: 13.5g
Fiber: 1g
Sugars: 9g
Protein: 1g
1 Point!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I also want to point out OceanAnnie's posts on the Budget Board a while ago, of how she makes Quick Dessert Breads using up fresh fruit and cake mixes. No need to buy separate bread mixes.

Quick Dessert Breads

I have been making banana bread using Duncan Hines Extra Moist yellow cake mix. I wanted something quick and easy for all those bananas that go uneaten. My family goes in spurts with those things. Sometimes they are gone the same day I buy them. Other times they sit and start getting brown and that won't do. I use them up by adding them to the mix, and reducing the amount of water called for. Two loaf pans later, happy family.

I've since branched out. I made strawberry bread using the strawberry cake mix and adding strawberries that weren't being used. Really very good.

And I made the best apple bread using the Duncan Hines Extra Moist yellow cake mix. I diced up about 3-4 apples (took skins off) threw in about 2 handfuls of walnuts, about 2 handfuls of cranberries, 1 tspn vanilla, 1 tspn pumpkin pie spice , and since I love cinnamon I added another tspn of that. I used the immersion blender until smooth. So delicious!

I've also used dried apricots and believe it or not butternut squash (and zucchini)! I had bought some prepared butternut squash that the family did not like. At all. It came in a two pack. So I used the second package in a dessert bread. I think the butternut squash had nutmeg in it. It was wonderful. The family gobbled it up!!

The next bread I'm going to try is lemon (using the lemon cake mix). I have a container of Dole tangerines I'm going to use. I think I'll substitute about 1/2 of the water with the tangerine juice. The main thing to remember is to reduce the water some when you add the fruit.

The breads are gone in a snap around here. I try to have them handy for a quick breakfast or dessert. So if your fruit (and veggies) go uneaten, put it in a bread and watch it go!

I made another batch of the apple bread, just pulled them out of the oven. Used up the last of our apples.

You make the cake batter as directed except scale back on the water. For the apple bread I use 1 cup of water (instead of 1 & 1/2 cups). I also scaled back on the oil (I forgot to mention that earlier for the apple bread). I use 1/4 cup of oil (instead of 1/3 cup). Bake in two loaf pans on 350 for about an hour. That usually does the trick. If it isn't brown enough, sometimes I bump the temp down to 275 and cook them for another 1/2 an hour or so.

(I've added a link to this post in the First Post so you can easily find the Fudge & Quick Dessert Breads recipes, instead of having to scroll through endless pages to find them. )

 

[Elie JAMES]

Thank you for posting this recipe

 

[bas71873]

Someone posted a link to this in a thread I started today......can anyone tell me if these cake cookies freeze well? I like to back ahead and if I can cook & freeze and then pull out & thaw, even better. Anyone? I'm excited to try a few

 

[MazdaUK]

I've not tried it but I don't see why they shouldn't - you could also freeze some unbaked so you can have them hot from the oven