DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES from The Taste of Kosher

This recipe is from The Taste of Kosher. These cookies are made with oil, not butter, and cocoa powder. No hand mixer required, just a whisk. I made half the recipe and got 22 1 T. dough balls. I used about 1/2 c. peanut butter chips instead of chocolate chips. I used a little more salt. Mine baked in about 7.5 minutes and I started with cold dough straight out of the refrigerator. They taste great and I will definitely make them again. The outside is crunchy and the inside is slightly soft, just the way I like them. Edit- I tried warming the dough up slightly in the microwave to bring it to room temperature to see if the dough spread out more while baking but it didn't. I'd like to try these again one day using equal parts melted butter and oil.

I didn't weigh out the cocoa powder. I spooned it into a measuring cup and leveled it off with the back of a knife. Doing it that way always yields a much much lower gram weight but everything I've baked with cocoa powder measured out that way has turned out great.

I grade these an A.

CHERRY-PECAN ICEBOX COOKIES by Taste of Home

This recipe is from Taste of Home. I made half the recipe and was supposed to form it into two 8" logs but accidentally made just one log. The log is 8.5" x 2". I got seventeen 1/2" slices. The baked cookies spread out to a huge 3.5" and took 10 minutes. Though they browned a lot, they don't taste it at all. I took the remaining dough slices, cut them in half and formed them into circles, pictured below. Those baked in 7 minutes. 

The recipe called for no vanilla extract so I added 3/4 t. and used more salt. I used candied cherries and pineapple, rinsing the thick corn syrup off of them before chopping into small pieces. I didn't use enough but that's OK since the dough itself is incredibly good. I omitted pecans. 

I grade these an A with the added vanilla extract, though I'm sure they'd be just as good without it. 

BEST CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE (SERIOUSLY) From Crazy For Crust

This recipe is from Crazy For Crust. They're made with melted butter and the usual ingredients. I got twenty-nine 1T./1.5" dough balls. They baked in exactly 8 minutes. I used less chocolate than called for. They taste very ordinary and I wouldn't make them again.

I grade them a B.

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES From Betty Crocker

These come from Betty Crocker. They're made with equal parts butter and shortening. The shortening makes these a bit crumbly and I don't like that. They taste very good, though. I flattened my dough balls with the bottom of a measuring cup before baking and didn't do the crosshatch design with the tines of a fork. The cookies in my photo are overbaked by 15 seconds. I'd given them 8 minutes but they're too crispy and flaky. The rest of the batches took just 7:45 at 375 degrees. I'm not sure I'd make these again though they are a good alternative if you don't have the full amount of butter you need but you do have shortening. I do absolutely love the crackle design on top.

I grade these a B.

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES by Hershey's

This recipe comes from Hershey's. I made half the recipe in an 8" pan that I lined with foil and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. They baked in 26 minutes. I don't recommend you use a 9" pan like they say you can because they'll be too thin. These are slightly bitter from too much cocoa powder and are fudgy. I prefer a cake-like brownie so for those reasons I won't make these again. They're very moist which is really the only good thing I can say about these. I also tripled the salt to 3/8 teaspoon for half the recipe. I didn't make frosting topped with chocolate chips so mine aren't triple chocolate after all.

I grade these a B.

CHEWY OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES From Baker By Nature

This recipe's from Baker By Nature. I made half and got 34 1 T./1.5" dough balls. The dough is very soft and needs to be refrigerated at least an hour before scooping out with scoop else it will stick to the scoop. Mine baked for exactly 8 minutes and the edges got too brown and crisp so the rest baked for about 7.5 minutes. They taste very ordinary and need more salt. They have a dark, greasy look but they aren't greasy. I wouldn't make these again.

I grade these a B.

TRIPLE CHOCOLATE CAKE from Ina Garten

This recipe comes from Ina herself at her site Barefoot Contessa. I made half the recipe, which yielded one 9"x5" 2 qt. loaf, and it baked in 42 minutes. I made a thick vanilla glaze for it. I omitted the coffee granules. I used mini semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of full size ones. It's incredibly moist with an ultra-fine crumb. The only negative is that it tastes very buttery, which I don't care for. Flavorwise this reminds me of most homemade brownies that I've made with all butter.

I grade this a B and I wouldn't make it again because of the strong butter flavor.

THE BEST, CRISPIEST TOPPING from Chew Out Loud

This crisp topping recipe comes from Chew Out Loud. I'm reviewing the topping only, not the peach filling recipe, as I made apple crisp to go with it. Like the name says, it's very crispy, which is how I prefer a crumb topping. It's made with equal parts flour and oats, and equal parts brown and white sugar. I did use half the amount of nuts. I didn't add spices to the topping.

I grade this an A+.

HERSHEY'S OLD FASHIONED CAKE from Hershey's

This comes from Hershey's. I made half and got ten cupcakes. It tastes basically like boxed Devil's Food Cake, so I'm real happy with it. I did use 1/4 c. of cocoa powder, not 1/3 c., not weighed out, and I doubled the vanilla. I made my own vanilla buttercream frosting for it. The cake is made with water though I wonder how it would do with milk, or part milk, part water. It's very moist and I'd definitely make this again. 

I grade this an A.

MASHED POTATO CAKES from Cook's Country

This recipe is from Cook's Country. These taste exactly like what they are...mashed potatoes seasoned with cheese, salt, pepper, and chives ( I used white onion). They were an awful lot of work and I wouldn't make them again despite them tasting good. The full recipe, which I made, makes a lot so you may want to make half.

I grade these an A in flavor.

CHOCOHOLIC MUFFINS from Once Upon a Chef

This recipe is from Once Upon a Chef. It uses buttermilk (I made homemade w/vinegar), all brown sugar, and melted butter. I made half the recipe, filling the muffin cups 2/3 of the way, and got ten. They baked in 12-13 minutes on 375 degrees F. I didn't bake them at a real high temperature then turn it down like the recipe stated. They're very good and cake-like. They have a finer crumb than any chocolate muffin I've ever made before. I do think they need less cocoa powder, so I'll use less next time, not 1/3 c. like I used this time. I think for half the recipe I'll use only three tablespoons. They need more salt too though I did add extra. 

I grade these an A- because of too much cocoa.

Edit: I made half a batch again using all vegetable oil, no butter, an extra 1/8 t. salt and just 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder and they turned out great. Those I grade an A+.

APPLE CRISP from Cooking Classy

This comes from Cooking Classy. I unintentionally used a lot more apples so I needed a larger baking dish, 13" x 9". I didn't increase the filling ingredients (sugar, flour) at all and it was perfectly fine. I omitted both lemon juice and vanilla extract from the filling. My dish baked in 50 minutes. Slicing the apples very thin is key to them cooking fully. The topping was good too. I'd maybe use less sugar in the topping next time. Using equal parts flour and sugar isn't a good ratio, IMO.

I grade this an A.