Beka's Eclair Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup of water
1 cube of butter
1 cup of flour
1/4 t of salt
4 eggs
2 small pkgs of instant french vanilla pudding
8 ounces of cream cheese
2 1/2 cups milk
12 ounces of cool whip
3 ounces of milk chocolate chips
additional 3-4 T of milk
1 cup powdered sugar
2 T butter

Layers:

Layer #1
Bring the water to a boil in a sauce pan
Add one cube butter until melted
Add flour and salt - stir until dough leaves the sides of the pan
Let it cool slightly
Add eggs one at a time - stir well after each one
Spread dough in a 15x10 (sheet cake size) pan
bake at 400 for 25 - 35 minutes
break the bubbles with a fork and cool (completely)
*don't worry if it's not pretty*

Layer #2
Combine pudding mix with softened cream cheese and 2 1/2 cups milk
beat until smooth
spread on the pastry shell

Layer #3
Spread cool whip over pastry

Layer #4
melt butter and chocolate chips on low in a saucepan
mix in sugar and milk until it forms a glaze (or use hot fudge)
drizzle over cool whip

Put in fridge for at least an hour

Can be made a day ahead of time

Beka's Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Cake

Ingredients:
1 yellow cake mix that has pudding in it (says has pudding in it)
8 ounces of sour cream
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

STEP ONE: beat all above ingredients for 7 minutes
STEP TWO: pour half into a 9x 13 pan

Mix Filling:
3 Tablespoons melted butter
3/4 cup of sugar
5 Tablespoons baking cocoa
1 and 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon

STEP THREE: sprinkle half of the filling on top of the half in the pan
STEP FOUR: sprinkle how many ever chocolate chips you want on top of that
STEP FIVE: use one half of remaining cake mix to layer on top
STEP FIVE: repeat steps three and four
STEP SIX: end with cake mix on top

Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes

Brownie Cookies

Okay folks!  I found a new love!  I love brownies but I never make them because I am either out of brownie mix or I need something not in a pan.  I also think that brownies usually taste like cake when they are made from scratch instead of "brownies".  But not these ones! They are inspired by the neighborhood funeral for an elderly gentleman and from all recipes by Jonie Adams.  I just tweaked and added toffee bits.  I bet you could add lots of different things, her recipe had nuts - but I do think that is the number one way to ruin a brownie.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup shortening - I used the butter flavored
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup baking cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 package of milk chocolate
• 1/2 cup toffee bits (optional)

Directions

1. Do the whole recipe in a bowl with a wooden spoon to prevent overmixing. Start by creaming shortening, sugar, water and vanilla. Add in eggs. Stir in flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda; stir just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and toffee - or other extras -  if desired. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets (or my favorite trick for only having 3 cookie sheets and a batter that makes more than that = I cover them in tin foil & then just lift the foil off). Bake at 375 degrees F for 8 minutes; do not overbake. Cool 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.  They have to sit on the racks for some time to get the undersides to dry out a bit.