Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. sugar to roll cookies in

Directions:
1. Cream together sugars, butter, and peanut butter. Add vanilla and egg and mix well.
2. Add dry ingredients and mix well.
3. Roll into balls and roll balls in sugar.
4. Place on cookie sheet and press flat with fork. Bake at 375 degrees for 6-9 minutes or until slightly brown around edges.

Notes: These are so tasty!! This is my mother's recipe.

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
1 c. sugar
1 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
8 oz. canned pumpkin
2 eggs

Frosting (frost cake after it is completely cooled)
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
3 Tbsp. margarine
2 c. confectioners sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Add egg and pumpkin. Combine well.
2. Pour batter into 9"x13" cake pan (you can double the recipe for a large crowd and place it in a jelly roll pan). Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-25 minutes. Let cool.
3. Once cake is cooled completely, cream softened cream cheese and margarine. Gradually add confectioners sugar until well blended. Stir in vanilla.
4. Frost cake and cut into bars.

Notes: This recipe is adapted from the Frosted Pumpkin Bars recipe found at CDKitchen. I halved the recipe and added some spices for more flavor. We were very satisfied with the results!

Simple Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
2 eggs
3/4 c. granulated sugar
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted (you can substitute 3 Tbsp. cocoa powder and 1 Tbsp. oil for each ounce of unsweetened chocolate-this is what I did)
1/4 c. cooking oil
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. all-purpose flour
Sifted powdered sugar

Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients except for flour, beating with an electric mixer until combined.
2. Gradually beat in the flour. If you are using a stand mixer, you should have no problem getting the four all mixed in. If you are using a hand mixer, you may have to stir in some of the flour by hand.
3. Pour batter into a greased cake pan. Bake at 375 degrees. Time will vary depending on pan size. I am not entirely sure, but I think my cake took about 20-25 minutes to bake. Just be sure to keep an eye on it, and take the cake out once an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
4. Allow cake to cool slightly. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Notes: This is adapted from the Chocolate Crinkles recipe found in the Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book. I altered it to make it more cake-like. The cake is a little more dense. I think that if I play around with this recipe some more, I could make it a little more light and fluffy. It was still very tasty, though!