Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies

Valentine's day is right around the corner, and these sandwich cookies are the perfect little treat. They're also really, really good! 

This cake mix recipe is so easy and the texture of the cookies are perfect. This is the same recipe I use in my Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies. They're a little bit chewy and just the right thickness. The icing recipe is from the latest issue of Food Network Magazine. They have some other really good recipes, so be sure to check it out!

You could probably recreate this cookie with just about any flavor of cake mix, but the red velvet version is definitely my favorite!

Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies
Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine

Ingredients:
Cookies
1 box red velvet cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons flour

Filling
4 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  To make cookies, mix together cake mix, eggs, oil and flour.  Scoop onto lightly greased or parchment lined baking sheets.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, until tops look cracked.  Cool completely.  Meanwhile, make the filling by beating the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer.  Mix in coconut and vanilla, then beat in powdered sugar until smooth.  Place 1-2 tablespoons of filling in the center of a cookie.  Top with a second cookie and press together until the filling reaches the edges of the cookies.  Makes about 15 sandwiches.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

There are a few recipes that when I see I absolutely have to make. This doesn't usually happen very often. I usually just bookmark or pin the recipe and move on to something else that grabs my attention. But the second I saw the words "Cinnamon Roll Pancakes," I was hooked. After staring at the picture, rereading the recipe about 5 times, and wiping the drool off my face, I realized I had all of the ingredients and made them last Sunday morning. Evan is not a big pancake fan. He's actually not a big fan of breakfast at all; just give him a big bowl of soggy cereal and he's a happy boy.  HOWEVER - after he ate these yummy pancakes, he couldn't deny how amazingly delicious they were! 

These sinful pancakes start with a classic pancake recipe and swirl in a cinnamon, brown sugar, butter mixture. When you flip the pancake, it starts to caramelize and get crispy. Drizzle some warm maple cream cheese glaze and you are in some serious trouble. This is almost too good for it to be considered breakfast. I think the reason I loved them so much is because I felt like I was eating dessert for breakfast! :)

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes 

Recipe adapted from Recipe Girl

Ingredients:

PANCAKES: (makes about 4/5 pancakes)

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 Tablespoon canola oil

1 large egg, lightly beaten

CINNAMON FILLING: *makes enough for more than 4 pancakes

1/2 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup brown sugar, packed


1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

MAPLE CREAM CHEESE GLAZE:
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 T. good maple syrup
milk

Directions:

1. Prepare pancake batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk in milk, oil and egg, just until batter is moistened.

2. In a medium bowl, mix butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Pour filling into a small zip lock bag with the tip cut off. Set aside and let it thicken a bit.

3. Mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and maple syrup in a bowl until smooth, dripping in small amounts of milk until mixture is a drizzling consistency. 

4. Heat large skillet over medium-low heat. Spray with nonstick spray. Scoop about 3/4 cup batter onto the skillet. When pancake has started to cook a little, swirl in the cinnamon filling. When bubbles begin to appear on the surface, flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a baking sheet or platter and keep in a warm oven until ready to serve.

5. When ready to serve, spoon glaze onto the top of each pancake.

Oreo Brownies

 
In my opinion, Oreos are one of the best cookies out there. I mean, you can never get tired of them! They are the perfect little sweet snack and you can do a million things with them. These Oreo brownies are simply amazing. I made these for my Yearbook kids because we met our first deadline and they were a HUGE hit. The combination of brownies, cream cheese, whip cream, and OREOS...you just can't go wrong!

Oreo Brownies
Recipe adapted from Cookies and Cups
Ingredients:

1 box brownie mix – with ingredients to prepare them according to the package directions

1 (16.6 oz) package Oreo cookies divided equally in 1/3, all coarsely chopped

1 (8 oz) tub of Cool Whip thawed in fridge

1 8 oz block of cream cheese softened

1/2-1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Prepare brownie batter according to package directions, folding in 1/3 of the chopped Oreos.

Bake according to package directions, until a toothpick inserted 1 inch from the edge comes out clean. Let brownies cool completely.

Meanwhile in your mixer bowl beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until combined and smooth.

With a spatula fold in the Cool Whip and another 1/3 of the coarsely chopped Oreos.

Spread the cream cheese mixture on top of cooled brownies. Top with the last 1/3 of the Oreos.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve. Cut into squares.