SUGAR COOKIES from Grace & Good Eats

This all shortening cookie recipe is from Grace & Good Eats. I made half the recipe. I left out the cinnamon and used slightly over than 1/4 t. pure lemon extract but that was too much. I got 23 1 T. dough balls. I rolled each one in sugar and flattened them slightly. The recipe didn't say to do that but I was scared not to, so I did. The cold dough wasn't real firm so I figure they'd have spread out fine without having flattened them first. I baked them for 7 minutes, 45 seconds. They're crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. The ones pictured were baked for 8 minutes.

I give these 4 stars for appearance and texture but they don't have a lot of flavor.

ULTIMATE DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES from The Flavor Blender

This recipe is from The Flavor Blender. I like that these use melted butter and Dutch-processed cocoa. I made 1/4 of the recipe, added 1/3 c. peanut butter chips (they could have used more) instead of regular chocolate chips, and an extra 1/8 t. salt, and got 13 1 T./1.5" dough balls. My cool dough (66 degrees F) baked in 9 minutes. The cookies puffed while baking then flattened when cooling. These taste good but I can taste the butter a little more than I like.

I give these 4 stars but wouldn't make them again because I've made several others that taste better.

BEST BANANA MUFFINS EVER from The Busy Baker

 

This comes from The Busy Baker. I made half, got six, and they baked in 16 minutes, nowhere near the suggested 22-25. I added about two tablespoons of ground toasted pecans to the batter. These turned out great but need more salt. 

I give these 5 stars. They're extremely moist!

WHITE VELVET CAKE from Rock Recipes

These turned out good and come from Rock Recipes. I made half, got 12, and added about 3 T. chopped (in food processor) maraschino cherries and 1/4 t. pure almond extract. They're made with oil and shortening. Moist and a good recipe but I've had better white cake. I made my own frosting for it. These bake at a lower temperature of 325 F, they baked up flat on top but I can't remember how long they took. EDIT- They take about 17 minutes. I used homemade cake flour and homemade buttermilk.

I give these 4.5 stars. 

FAVORITE OATMEAL PANCAKES from Quaker Oats

This recipe's from Quaker Oats and I'm not impressed with it. We could use quick cooking oats or rolled oats so I used quick cooking. For the optional stir-ins I used apple, pecans and a dash of cinnamon. These were dry and the batter was a little too thick to suit me. I wouldn't make these again and don't recommend them.

I give these three stars.

HERSHEY'S "ESPECIALLY DARK" CAKE II

This recipe comes from Hershey's and it's also printed right on the container of unsweetened cocoa powder. They have two recipes with this exact name but one uses their Special Dark cocoa, which is Dutch-processed, and the other uses regular. This one uses regular and it's not as good as the Dutch processed version I made a few months back. The texture is slightly different and the flavor is a bit "off" though still good. 

I made half the recipe and used two 6"x2" round pans. The cake baked in 27 minutes and is about 3.5" tall. I used two tablespoons less cocoa and I'm glad I did. I made my own buttercream for the center and my own pourable chocolate frosting for the outside, using their Dutch-processed cocoa, 1 T. per 1 c. powdered sugar.

I give this 4 stars and I wouldn't make it again because their other version is better.