Insomnia Cookies - will David and I be able to top them?

Hi guys!  So, yesterday I went into the brand new Insomnia Cookies store that opened in Ann Arbor...I wanted a little break from studying and a sweet treat for myself.  Well, when I walked in the door it smelled absolutely incredible!  It was the perfect aroma of freshly baked cookies mixed in with a s'mores campfire smell.  I couldn't resist buying more than one!  There I stood - deliberating what cookies to order.  Then, I decided that my best way to insure that I purchased the best kinds was to text one of my best friends who is a little bit of an Insomnia Cookie addict.  She told me that the s'mores cookies are to die for and the sugar cookies are a close second - of course, that's what I bought - one of each.  When I got back to my dorm room, I tried a bite of each cookie.  Drum roll please....I didn't even like the sugar cookie!  I didn't think it was flavorful and honestly it was not anything special.  The s'mores on the other hand is one of their deluxe cookies and I think it is deserving of that title.  It was far superior to their regular sugar cookie.  I would say I would only have the s'mores again - and maybe try a few new flavors.

I'm thinking that because I was so unimpressed with the Insomnia cookies, it would be cool for David and I to try and better them.  Maybe we will make the same flavors but play around with different recipes to try and find the perfect ones!  I will keep you posted on our progress!  Until Tuesday, wish me luck on my last finals of freshman year!

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies - who could say no?!

Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies - another incredibly delicious dessert that I am planning to sell starting when I get home from college in nine days.  When I was home last, David and I baked these...and oh man were they good!  Who can resist a melting Oreo cookie surrounded by gooey chocolate chip cookie dough?  I know I can't.  To make these cookies, my brother and I wrapped Oreo cookies in Nestle Toll House Cookie dough as shown below.  We then followed the cookie instructions on the back of the cookie dough roll.  This was a quick and easy way to make extremely yummy treats that neither of us could stop eating!  Don't worry, this blog will not only be filled with recipes made from pre-made cookie dough and mixes - but, I figured I should start off the blog with some of David's favorites!  I plan to have these Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies be a staple item at all of my bakesales...I think they will be a crowd pleaser for sure!

DR. Bars - to die for!

Upon arriving home for spring break, my brother David and I decided that we were going to experiment.  Not the kind of experiments that include chemicals, goggles, and lab coats -- food experiments!!  Of course, this is the best kind of experimenting there is.  So, we starting thinking of things that we could bake.  In this process, my brother came up with a GREAT idea...what could be better than a bar made of warm ooey-gooey chocolate chip cookie, Ghirardelli milk chocolate caramel squares, peanut butter, pretzels, and decadent brownie?!  Once my brother came up with this concoction, I knew it would need to be named after him - the DR. Bar for his first and middle initials - also for the doctor that you may need to visit after eating the entire batch of bars because they are way too delicious to stop eating!

So here's what we needed to create these small bits of heaven:

1 roll of Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
1 box of Betty Crocker Fudge Brownie mix (plus necessary mix-ins: eggs, water, etc.)
1 bag of Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate & Caramel Squares
Approximately 25-30 pretzels (any type of pretzels you like will work - you just need enough of them to fill one layer that covers the entire pan you use)
Approximately 1 cup of peanut butter (again, as much of it as you need to create a thick layer that will cover the area of the pan)

Step 1: Make sure that you either butter or spray your pan before you coat the bottom with a layer of cookie dough.  You don't want these super duper yummy bars to be stuck in there forever!  Once you have coated the pan so that the bars won't stick, the next step is to create a layer of cookie dough - it should be roughly 1-2 cm thick.  Then place your Ghirardelli chocolates on top of the cookie dough.  Because we did not have enough of them (we ate some before we began baking...oops!) we placed them as shown below, but for optimal taste and caramel in every bite, you should create an entire layer of these wonderful chocolates.

 Step 2:  The next step is to add a layer of peanut butter - you can make it as thick as you want or as thin as you want.  Then add a layer of pretzels.  They add a really nice salty flavor to the bars as well as a crunch.  Mmmm!

 Step 3:  Pour your brownie batter (which you make by following the instructions on the back of the Betty Crocker mix) on top of everything that you have placed in the pan so far.

 Step 4:  Make sure that you have covered the entire thing with brownie!  Then place in the oven on 355 for approximately 30 minutes.  The time necessary to cook these will vary greatly depending on how thick you choose to make the bars.  Test with a tooth-pick to see when they are finished.  Don't over cook them...they are best when gooey and melting!  Enjoy!