Quick Chocolate Softies by Hannah C.

1 pkg Devil's Food Chocolate Cake Mix

1/3 C water

1/4 C butter, softened

1 large egg

1 C vanilla baking chips

1/2 C chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheets. Combine cake mix, water, butter & egg in large bowl. Dough will be thick. Add chips and nuts and mix well. Drop heaping teaspoons of dough, 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool completely. Store tightly covered at room temperature or freeze up to 3 months.

Peanut Butter Cup Surprise by Char J.

1 Cup Butter
1 Cup Peanut Butter
1 Cup sugar
1 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
4 Tablespoon Milk
3½ Cup's Flour
2 Teaspoon Soda
1 Teaspoon Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Rolls dough into little balls and put into mini muffin tins.  Bake for 7 minutes.  Immediately upon removing from the oven, place an unwrapped, mini Reeses peanut butter cup in the center of each cookie.  Allow to cool, then remove from the muffin tin to finish cooling.

Homemade Chocolate Sandwich Cookies by Char J.

Ingredients

• 2 (18.25 ounce) packages devil's food (or chocolate) cake mix
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Blend the above ingredients together with a pastry blender until mixed.
3. Roll in balls about the size of a quarter and place on ungreased baking sheets. Make an even number of balls.
4. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cookies stand on cookie sheet for 5-6 minutes before removing them to cooling rack. After cookies have cooled, put Cream Cheese Frosting (see recipe below, or use one can of pre-made frosting) between two cookies, putting bottom sides together.
5. NOTE: Adding chopped pecans to the cookies without making them into sandwiches is also very good. Spice cake mix can be used in place of Devil's food (with the cream cheese center, it's really good).

Cream Cheese Frosting

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese
½ cup butter
4-5 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Cream together the cream cheese and butter (both softened) until creamy.  Mix in the vanilla, then gradually stir in the powdered sugar.  Store in the refrigerator after use.

Chocolate Sugar Cookies by Andrea W.

½ C. margarine, softened

½ C. shortening

1 ½ C. sugar

1 large egg

1 ½ t. vanilla

1 ½ C. flour

½ C. cocoa powder

1 t. Calumet baking powder

½ t. salt

Preheat oven to 375.  Cream together margarine, shortening, and sugar on medium high speed until pale and fluffy, scraping bowl as needed.  Mix in egg and vanilla until creamy.  In a separate bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.  Gradually add dry ingredients to the other ingredients, mixing until just combined, scraping bowl as needed.  Using a 2 inch cookie scoop, make balls of dough.  If desired, dip the top of each ball in sugar or holiday sprinkles.  Place on cookie sheet.  Bake for 8 minutes.  Let cool slightly on cookie sheet after removing from oven to let them firm up.  Then place on a wire rack to finish cooling.  Makes 2 ½ dozen.         

Shortbread Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 lb butter, softened

1 cup flour

3/4 cup cornstarch

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Beat first four ingredients together until smooth.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Use a cookie scoop to shape cookies and then smash a bit with a fork to make cross marks on top.  It helps to coat the fork in flour after a few cookies because the dough is really sticky.  Bake for 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees.  Cookies will still be very light but may start to turn light golden brown around the edges.