Traditional Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

If you're looking for a good old fashioned carrot cake, this is it! This is a delicious breakfast or dessert with just the right balance of sweet and not sweet (for lack of a better word). The cream cheese frosting that goes along with it is delicious as well, tasting just as you'd expect.

Carrot Cake

makes: 9 large cupcakes or one 9x13 inch cake

Materials:

• something to grate the carrots with (unless the're already grated)
• oven
• 9x13 inch cake pan -or- a cupcake pan
• beater
• spoon
• large bowl
• wire rack (for cooling)

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 vegetable oil
• 2 cups white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 cups grated carrots
• 1 cup chopped pecans (i substituted walnuts and it worked just fine)

Instructions:

1. grate carrots. an automatic/electric grater is preferred because 3 cups is a lot of carrots to grate by hand!
2. preheat oven to 350 F
3. beat together eggs, oil, white sugar, and 2 teaspoons vanilla
4. mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon
5. stir in carrots
6. bake in a greased pan until toothpick comes out smooth (40-50 mins for cake, 30ish for cupcakes)
7. let cool in pan, and then turn out to cool on the rack

Cream Cheese Frosting

makes: a lot

Materials:

• large bowl
• spoon

instructions

Delicous chewy crunchy thick chocolate chip cookies!

Today I wanted a chocolate chip cookie. So...I search the internet and guess what? There are like a BILLION "best chocolate chip cookie" recipes. Go ahead. Search it. So sifting through, I click on one that says "Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside" and I find the following recipe. Actually, these are really good cookies! I love them and will definately want to make them again. Mom's only complaint is they are "too sweet" so for you adults out there, maybe amp up the salt a bit, lower the sugar, and add some nuts. But I like them just the way they are :)

Chewy Crunchy Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies

makes:12 servings

Materials:

• oven
• electric beater (opt.)
• large bowl
• small bowl (for dissolving baking soda)
• spoon
• cookie sheets

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon hot water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. preheat oven to 350
2. cream butter and sugars together
3. beat in egg
4. stir in vanilla
5. dissolve baking soda in the hot water, and add with salt
6. stir in flour and chocolate chips
7. drop by large spoonfuls onto cookie sheet
8. cook for 10 mins. or until the edges are light brown
9. cool or enjoy this mouthwatering chocolatey sensation :) really excellent chocolate chip cookies, if I (and my whole family) do say so myself!

recipe accreddited to: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/best-chocolate-chip-cookies/Detail.aspx

AMAZING rich nutella brownies

Mmmmmmm! What's better than nutella? What's better than brownies? THE TWO COMBINED!!! These dense rich brownies are absolutely delicious, and while the serving is half a brownie, you will be tempted to eat the whole delicious thing!

Ingredients:

• 1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
• 1oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup unsweened cocoa powder
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup nutella :)))

What to do:

1. melt the butter in the microwave
2. add chocolate and stir until it's melted
3. add sugar and cocoa and stir
4. whisk in eggs, vanilla, and salt
5. add flour and stir until smooth
6. spoon battter evenly into greased muffin cups
7. preheat oven to 350 F
8. using a smallspoon make a depression in each portion of batter 1 in. wide and 1/2 inch deep
9. spoon 1 tbsp. nutella into each
10. bake until a toothpick inserted into the brownie part comes out with a few moist crumbs (20-24 mins)
11. let cool on a rack for 10 mins
12. loosen brownies from pans and move to rack to cool completely
13. enjoy :)