Surprise Cookies

About the time I started college, I discovered Pinwheels. Those cookies with the graham bottom, a big marshmallow on top and then dipped in chocolate. They became my go to PMS cookie. I craved them every time. There were like 10 in a box for about 10 dollors. Not really, but close.

Darby came out of church the other day with a little gift box from one of her leaders, filled with a homemade, much better version of those cookies and I about died. It's been years since I've had one of those and it brought me back to all those PMS days...breakups...the list goes on. Fun times.

I immediately called for the recipe. They are that good. Soft chocolate cookie, melted marshmallow all covered in chocolate...It doesn't get much better.

Surprise Cookies
Jen Walsh
Martha Stewart
Makes about 2 1/2 dozen



For the cookies:

1 3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp.
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
About 15 large marshmallows, halved crosswise



For the frosting:
3 cups confectioner's sugar
6 Tbs. unsalted butter, room temp.
1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tsps. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. whole milk
3/4 tsps. pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make cookies: Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.

2. Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low; mix in egg, milk, and vanilla. Mix in flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time until combined.

3. Drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through until firm, 8-10 minutes. Immediately press a marshmallow half on top of each cookie. Bake until marshmallow begins to melt, 2 minutes more. Let cool completely on wire racks.

4. Make frosting: Put confectioner's sugar in a medium bowl. Melt butter with the cocoa powder in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add butter mixture to the confectioner's sugar. Whisk in milk and vanilla.

5. Spread about 1 Tbs. of frosting on top of each cookie to cover marshmallow. Let stand until set, about 10 minutes. Cookies can be stored in single layers in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

I'm always looking for a good baked macaroni and I think I finally found a really good one, maybe even my favorite...and it's even light! My kids even loved it.

Lighter Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Gina's Weight Watchers
Servings: 8 • Serving Size: 1 cup • Points: 6 ww ptsCalories: 296.67 • Fat: 9.7 g • Protein: 15.8 g • Carb: 34.5 g • Fiber: 5.3 g

12 oz high fiber elbows like Ronzoni Smart Taste
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp light butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup minced onion
2 cups skim milk
1 cup fat free chicken broth
8 oz Sargento 2% reduced fat mild cheddar
salt and pepper
4 cups baby spinach
1/8 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs
Pam butter flavored spray

Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Spray a baking dish with buttered flavor Pam. Preheat oven to 375°.In a large, heavy skillet, melt butter. Add flour and cook over low heat stirring with a whisk. Add onion and cook another 2 minutes. Add milk and chicken broth and continue whisking for 2-3 minutes, until smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, add cheese and mix well until cheese is melted. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, add cooked macaroni and baby spinach. Pour into baking dish. Top with grated cheese and breadcrumbs. Spray a little more buttered flavor Pam on top.Bake for 15-20 minutes, then broil for a few minutes to get the breadcrumbs golden

Sherlyn's Lemon Bars

I love lemon bars. I want to just eat an entire pan all by myself. My friend Sherlyn makes them all the time for gatherings. I'm pretty positive that it's just for me but, I do share them with everyone else.

Somehow when she makes them they turn out much prettier. She recommends using a large cookie sheet and doubling the recipe. I had recently thrown mine away so, used a regular cake pan. Not so pretty. Oh well, they were still delicious.

Sherlyn's Lemon Bars

3/4 cups butter
1 1/2 cups flour

Mix like pie crust dough. Pack into the bottom of 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

3 eggs
4 T. flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice

Mix together and pour over hot crust. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until no longer giggly in the middle. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top after it is out of the oven.