Pumpkin Week: Pumpkin Choolate Chip Cookies

Easiest pumpkin recipe ever. Three ingredients, that's it! Great for last minute party treats, or on a lazy day where you don't really feel like baking.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 box spice cake mix
1 15 oz can pumpkin
2 cups chocolate chips

Pre heat oven to 375. Mix three ingredients together. Drop spoonfuls on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 12 min.

Using Up Leftover Candy: Reeces Peanut Butter Egg Cookies

My husband found this recipe on the all knowing magical cougarboard.com. One of the fellow cougar boarders  found this on Picky Palate, and my husband and I agreed they needed to be made. As you can see, most of our leftover Easter Candy is Reece's Peanut Butter Cup Eggs. I think between my husband and I, we bought 6 packages of them. Anyway, these are diet buster cookies, but definitely worth it!

Reeses Peanut Butter Egg Cookies

from Picky Palate

2 sticks softened butter
1 Cup packed brown sugar
1 Cup granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons corn syrup
2 large eggs plus 1 egg white
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Cups chopped Reeses Peanut Butter Eggs, 12 total eggs 


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a stand or electric mixer beat the butter, sugars and corn syrup until well combined….light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs and vanilla until well combined.
In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt.  Slowly add to wet ingredients along with the chopped Reeses Peanut Butter Eggs.  Mix only until just combined.  Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough onto a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake for 9-11 minutes until just turning golden around edges.  Let cookies cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Makes 4 dozen cookies

Chocolate Truffle Cookies

Just another cookie recipe I wanted to try out. These turned out great, and you can make them bite sized too (so then you can eat twice as many). My favorite was to eat them about 30 minutes after they came out of the oven and the chocolate in the middle was still gooey. This is a great egg-less cookie recipe too! This is great for those Sunday afternoons when you find yourself wanting to make cookies but alas, there are no eggs.

Chocolate Truffle Cookies

Note: In the comments of the Baking Bites blog where this recipe was originally featured, several commentators mentioned their cookies had spread quite a bit. I didn't have a problem with that, but two tips I'd be aware of is first, to make sure your butter isn't overly soft - a cool room temperature is what you are looking for (you can tell if the butter is just right for creaming if you press your index finger into the butter and it gives just a little but it isn't easy for you to slide your finger all the way through). Second, chill the batter for 30 minutes if you are working in a warm kitchen or if your batter seems overly soft. Also, I have found if you replace 1/4 c of the butter with butter flavored shortening, the batter will be a good consistency.

*Makes about 3 dozen cookies (or 6 dozen smaller cookies)

1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
approximately 1/3 cup cocoa powder (for rolling)
approximately 2/3 cup powdered sugar (for rolling)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and powdered sugar, adding the sugar in slowly so that it doesn’t puff everywhere and transform your kitchen into a white mess. In a fine mesh strainer/sieve, place the cocoa powder and salt and sift this mixture into the butter/sugar and mix until well combined. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract. With the mixer on low, blend in the flour until no streaks of flour remain. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and roll each ball lightly in the cocoa powder and place on the baking sheet. Do not flatten the cookies. The cookies will not spread very much if the dough is chilled, so they can be placed fairly close together.

Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. They will just barely be set but you don't want to overbake or they will be dry. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

When the cookies have reached room temperature, after about 30-45 minutes, roll each cookie in powdered sugar until completely coated. Store in an airtight container.

Recipe Source: from My Kitchen Cafe/originally from Baking Bites

Chocolate -Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

A good friend of mine made these a few months ago, and I about died when I ate them. These are one of the best desserts/cookies I have had. Not only do they taste amazing, they make a lot, and they are not too hard to make. Just try not to think about all the butter in them while you are eating them, it ruins the fun.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

1  12-oz. pkg. miniature semisweet chocolate pieces
2  Tbsp. milk
3/4  cup butter, softened
1/4  cup creamy peanut butter
1-1/2  cups granulated sugar
1  tsp. baking soda
1  tsp. baking powder
2  eggs
1/2  cup milk
1  tsp. vanilla
1/2  cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3  cups all-purpose flour
1  recipe Filling 

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Set aside 1/4 cup chocolate pieces to sprinkle on cookies. In microwave-safe bowl combine 1 cup of the chocolate pieces and 2 tablespoons milk. Microwave on 50 percent power (medium) 1 minute or until melted; stir once. Set aside.
2. In bowl beat butter and peanut butter with electric mixer until combine. Add sugar, soda, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; beat to combine. Add eggs, 1/2 cup milk, vanilla, and melted chocolate; beat until combined. Beat in cocoa powder and flour until combined. Stir in remaining chocolate pieces. Drop by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Sprinkle with reserved chocolate. Bake 9 minutes or until tops are set. Cool on sheets 1 minute. Transfer to wire racks; cool completely. To assemble, spread flat sides of half the cookies with Filling; top with remaining cookies.
Filling: In bowl beat 1 cup softened butter, 1 cup creamy peanut butter, 1 cup marshmallow creme, and 2 cups powdered sugar with electric mixer until combined. If needed, beat in 2 tablespoons milk until spreading consistency. Makes 30 servings.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Really, the title says it all. How could something called that taste bad? These are my favorite cookies (next to the Rolo Cookies). I do not make them very often because I will actually eat them all in one sitting. 

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 bag mini Reese's peanut butter cups

Cream butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla. Add flour and baking soda. Roll into balls and place in ungreased muffin pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes (look for cracks on top). Immediately press Reese's PB cups into the center of each cookie. Let cool for 10 minutes in pan. Remove carefully (do NOT flip pan over...chocolate will still be melty) and let cool completely on a wire rack. Makes approximately 18 cookies.

Valentine's Treats: M&M Cookies

I told you I made these for every holiday (and in between).

Click here for recipe

25 Days of Treats: Sugar Cookies

Everyone thinks they have the best sugar cookie recipe, but unless they have Alton Brown's recipe, they don't! I love this recipe because you can make thin crunchy sugar cookies, or you can make them thick and fluffy. They are very good. We made ours tonight to give to Santa. We are a little weird at our house though, our sugar cookies rarely get frosted because we love them unfrosted. Honestly, I think the recipe is so good that they don't need frosting.

Sugar Cookies from Alton Brown on foodnetwork.com

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon milk
• Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough 

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

25 Days of Treats: Snickerdoodles

This is my mother-in-laws snickerdoodle recipe. Not much else to say other then, they are amazing and you will love them ( and they are easy too)!

Snickerdoodles

                                       

1 c. shortening

1 ½ c. sugar

2 eggs

2 ¾ c. flour

2 tsp. bkg. powder

¼ tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. sugar & 2 tsp. cinnamon  }   mix together

Cream shortening and sugar; add eggs and cream again. Add sifted dry ingredients and mix well.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls and roll in cinnamon sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 min.

on ungreased baking sheet. (until top begins to crack)

25 Days of Treats: Chocolate Chip Cookies

When I was a teenager I had a youth leader that made the best chocolate chip cookies. They were huge, soft, fluffy and delicious. She would not share her recipe, so I have tried for the past ten years to recreate it. I have failed over and over again, but in the mean time, I developed my own recipe that is pretty dang awesome. So, this is my baby, treat it well, and enjoy.

Why in the world am I making chocolate chip cookies at Christmas? I am sending these to my grandpa who loves my chocolate chip cookies.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter flavored shortening
3/4 c sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or 2 if you are feeling naughty).

Heat oven to 375

Mix flour, baking soda, and salt together and set aside. In a large mixing bowl cream together butter and sugars, and milk. Then add vanilla and eggs until combined (over stirring here can cause cookies to go flat after baking). Next add the flour and stir until combined. Then add chocolate chips and again, stir until combined.

Bake on parchment paper lined baking sheet for 9-11 minutes. If your cookies are going flat, one thing you can do to save them is stick the dough in the refrigerator in between batches and make sure your pan is cooled before you put on more dough.

25 Days of Treats: Peppermint Pinwheels

Last year I watched a Food Network special on Christmas cookies called Paula's Cookie Swap hosted by Paula Dean. I was so inspired that I made a few of them, but the peppermint pinwheels were by far my favorite. I changed it up a bit though, and use finely crushed candy canes instead of peppermint extract. I like it because it still gives the peppermint flavor, but you also get a nice crunchiness that goes well with the softness of the cookie. As I mentioned before, I do not like candy canes so this is something I can do to use up all those unwanted candy canes laying around the house.

Peppermint Pinwheels

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 finely chopped candy canes or 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 teaspoon red food coloring
• Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough
• Special equipment: 24 lollipop sticks (optional)
  

Directions

Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder and set aside.

Cream butter and sugar together in another large bowl. Add egg and beat until incorporated. Add the vanilla and the candy canes or peppermint extract. Gradually add the dry mixture, beating until combined. Remove half of the mixture from the bowl. Add food coloring, beating until fully combined. In waxed paper, roll out dough to form a large rectangle, about 1/4-inch thick. Repeat this step with the other half of uncolored dough with no food coloring. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Tear out 1 sheet of waxed or parchment paper. Sprinkle the surface of the paper with powdered sugar to prevent sticking. Very carefully, slide the red dough on top of the white dough. Trim edges if uneven and patch if necessary. Roll dough into a log, creating a swirl effect.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Slice the dough into 1/2-inch slices and place on a parchment lined sheet tray about 1-inch apart. At this point you can place a lollipop stick about 1-inch through the flat side of the dough. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.

25 Days of Treats: Thick and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies

I am a little picky when it comes to gingerbread cookies. I have only had a few I actually like. One recipe I like is my mother-in-laws, but I think I have harassed her enough this week. I found this one on My Kitchen Cafe's Sugar Rush: 12 recipes in 12 days. The "thick and chewy" made me hopeful. Luckily, I was not disappointed, these are soft and chewy deliciousness.

I have discovered that I have issues with food that has eyes. The monkey cupcakes freaked me out a little, and these decorated gingerbread men scare me a little too. I was sure to put the Tupperware lid on tight.

Thick and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies taken from My Kitchen Cafe

3 cups (15 ounces) flour
¾ cup packed (5 ¼ ounces) brown sugar
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons butter softened to room temperature, cut into 12 pieces
¾ cup light or dark molasses
2 tablespoons milk

With an electric mixer, stir together the flour, brown sugar, soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt at low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Stop the mixer and add the butter pieces. Mix at medium-low speed until the mixture is sandy and resembles fine meal, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and with the mixer running, gradually add the molasses and milk; mix until the dough is evenly moistened about 20 seconds. Increase the speed to medium and mix until thoroughly combined, about 10 seconds.

Scrape the dough onto a work surface and divide it in half. Working with one portion at a time, roll the dough ¼ inch thick between 2 large sheets of parchment or wax paper. Leaving the dough sandwiched between the parchment or wax paper, stack the dough on a baking sheet and freeze until firm, 15 to 20 minutes. (Alternatively, refrigerate the dough for 2 hours or overnight.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners.

Remove one dough sheet from the freezer and place on the counter. Peel off the top parchment or wax paper sheet. Gently cut the dough into 5-inch gingerbread people or 3-inch gingerbread cookies, transferring the shapes to the prepared baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough until the baking sheets are full.

Bake the cookies until set in the centers and the dough barely retains and imprint when touched very gently with fingertip, 8 to 9 minutes. Do not overbake!! Cool to room temperature and decorate as desired! Makes about 2 dozen gingerbread men.

25 Days of Treats: Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

Lets be honest, these are just giant Oreos, and they are delicious. For some reason I always thought these were hard to make, but they are the opposite of hard! These are another treat my mother-in-law makes around the holidays, though this is not her recipe. I found a recipe for these in two different ward cookbooks, so I sort of merged them together to make my own.

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

• 1 cube margarine (or butter)
  
• 1 box devils food cake ( I used a dark chocolate cake mix, and taste great! I am now imagining what it will taste with other flavored cakes mixes...)
  
• 1 large egg

Melt the margarine and cool to room temperature. Add cake mix and stir together. Add the egg and mix until cookie dough forms. Roll into one inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet (parchment paper worked great!). Bake at 325 for 12-15 minutes. Do not over cook, these cookies are meant to be soft. Let cool before putting on filling.

Filling:

• 1/2 (4 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
•  2 TBSP butter, softened
• 1 1/4 c. powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter. Add powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth. Spread filling on the bottom of half the cookies and top with remaining half of cookies. Store in the refrigerator, but they are also very good frozen!

25 Days of Treats: Candy Cane Kiss Cookies

I hate Hershey Kisses. I would rather have no chocolate than eat a Hershey Kiss. However, sometimes they taste good in cookies. When I was at the store I saw a display of Hershey Kisses in about 15 different flavors, and I thought " I bet one of these would be good on a cookie". Picking the flavor was the hardest. I personally wanted the dark chocolate kisses, but that is kind of boring. Then I thought caramel would be good, but I have already done a lot with caramel. I have made these cookies with the meltaway kisses before, and they were amazing, but I wanted to try something different. So, I chose the festive candy cane kisses! This is such a sacrifice on my part because not only do I not like Hershey Kisses, I also do not like candy canes. But, these cookies are cute, and they actually taste pretty good!


For the cookie part of this recipe I used the dough from my amazing chocolate chip cookies!

Candy Cane Kiss Cookies

2 ½ cup flour

1  tsp baking soda

1  tsp salt

1 c butter flavored shortening

¾ c granulated sugar

1 c brown sugar, packed

1 TBSP vanilla

2 eggs

1 package of candy cane Hershey Kisses (or any flavor that tickles your fancy)

Pre-heat 375. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt, mix well and set aside. In another larger bowl, cream together shortening and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, and mix until combined. Then, add in flour mixture and mix by hand until all combined. Bake from 9-11 minutes. As soon as you pull the cookies out of the oven, squish a kiss right in the middle! Let the kiss re-harden before you attempt to move the cookies, or the chocolate will run.

25 Days of Treats: Rolo Cookies

This is my new favorite cookie recipe. If the chocolate cookie part wasn't good enough, you then bite into a creamy chocolate caramel surprise! Even better, I taught my kids how to unwrap the rolos, flatten out a piece of dough, stick the rolo in the middle, wrap it up into a ball, and roll it in sugar. S I kicked back and watched tv while they went to work.  






Rolo Cookies from The Sister's Dish
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine (I use butter)
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
1 t baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
13 oz. bag of Rolos


sugar (for rolling the pre-baked cookies in)


Directions: Blend sugar, brown sugar and butter together in a bowl. Add eggs and vanilla to sugar mixture and blend well. Sift together in a small bowl, flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture and blend well. Take a spoonful of cookie dough and wrap around rolo. Roll into ball so that the rolo is completely covered with dough and roll in sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-10 minutes.

25 Days of Treats: Butterscottch Cookies

This is another favorite cookie recipe from my mom. She makes these the same way she does the cranberry white chocolate chip cookies: tube of refrigerated sugar cookie dough, squish in the butterscotch chips. Tonight I also made them just like I made my cranberry white chocolate chip cookies! These are very delicious.

click here to get the basic dough recipe, just substitute the white chocolate chips and cranberries for butterscotch chips !

25 Days of Treats: M&M Cookies

This is a recipe from my mother-in-law, who is pretty amazing when it comes to the kitchen. As you read this blog, you will see a lot of my favorite recipes come from her. This is actually one of my favorite cookie recipes, and I cannot believe it took me almost six years of marriage to ask her for it! I have had the recipe for 6 months, and I think I have made these cookies at least 12 different times.

This cookie recipe also brings back memories in a different sort of way. Growing up my mom loved m&m's (okay, she still does). So, for every holiday we would have some kind of dish or bowl throughout the holiday season filled with whatever m&m's would match that holiday (green and red for Christmas, pastel for Easter, etc).  I remember my friends would come over and be like, "don't you just want to sit around at eat them all day?" Now that I have my own home I have done the same thing, and I still have friends come over and ask me the same question. I was not born with a sweet tooth, so the M&M's literally just sit there until my kids have snuck them all away. So, since it is not very practical to have them out, especially with little kids around, I am glad I can recreate that memory in cookie form.

M&M Cookies

1 c. shortening

1 c. firmly packed brown sugar

½ c. granulated sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

2 ¾ c. sifted flour (may need a bit more)

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 ½ c. plain milk chocolate M&M’s

Beat together shortening and sugars. Beat in vanilla and eggs.

Sift dry ingredients together and add to sugar mixture. Mix in

¾ c.  of M&M’s.  Spoon cookie dough onto baking sheet and top

each mound of dough with 3 or 4  M&M’s.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 min., or until lightly browned on the edge.

To make them even better, I often use dark chocolate m&m's. Also, I have made them with recees pieces... yah, seriously the best idea I have ever had.

25 Days of Treats: Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is a recipe adapted from a few different recipes. Growing up, my mom would make these excellent white chocolate chip cranberry cookies every Christmas. She would just buy craisins, white chocolate chips and refrigerated sugar cookie dough, then squish it all together. I love this cookies, and they are so simple to make!

But then I found this recipe on Dinners Ready for white chocolate chip cookies. Even if you don't like white chocolate chips, I am pretty sure you would like these. So, the idea came to me, I should do my mom's recipe with the dough from the white chocolate chip cookies. Even better, I found orange flavored cranberries at Sunflower Market to mix in them. They are amazing.

(Orange flavored) Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 ¾ C flour

3/4 C butter or margarine, softened

3/4 C brown sugar

1 C sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

2 C white chocolate chips

1 cup craisins (orange flavored if you can find it)

Sift flour, baking soda, and salt. Cream together butter, brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla, and eggs, then add to dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in white chocolate chips and craisins. Form into balls and place 2 in apart on ungreased sheet or baking stone. Bake at 350 for 12 min or until just starting to brown.

25 Days of Treats: Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Cookies

One fun part of the Christmas season is making yummy cookies and treats to share! This year I am going to try and make some kind of cookie or treat everyday (or two a day if I miss one) to give out as neighbor/friend gifts.I already have a bunch of treat and cookie recipes, but I always love to find new ones!

I found this simple recipe on The Sisters Dish. I love it because it has three ingredients, and they taste fantastic! I have learned I always need a spice cake mix around just for recipes like these. In the end I kept a few out for my family, and I am freezing the rest until I need them!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 Box Spice Cake Mix
  
  
  
• 1 15 oz. can pumpkin
  
  
  
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  
  
  

Directions: Preheat oven to 375. Mix all ingredients together. Drop dough, by spoonfuls, onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes.

Disasters in the Kitchen

Baking and cooking a lot often leads to a few disasters. This wouldn't be a true food blog without occasionally sharing some of these with you!

This wasn't exactly a disaster, but it turned out differently than I expected! We had a little party for our soon to be one-year-old little girl. It was the day after thanksgiving at my in-laws house, so I wanted to do something cute and fun, but not a lot of work. I found a great recipe for monkey cupcakes in a magazine and thought I would copy it. I did not use the cake directions from the actual recipe, I just used a basic cake mix instead and copied the "monkey face" directions. This is how it turned out.

Everyone insisted they were cute, but I just could not get over the fact that they scared me! It is like they are going to eat you before you eat them! They did taste really good though, so I guess that is all that matters!

If you want to attempt these scary monkey cupcakes, perhaps for your next Halloween party, here is how I did it

Scary Monkey Cupcakes
-Bake a basic chocolate cake mix, follow package directions, and make in muffin tins. Let cool completely before decorating.
-Frost cupcakes with any kind of chocolate frosting or glaze
-White frosting for eyes, topped with reeces pieces or m&m's
-For mouth use any kind of brown cookie. I used the keebler peanut butter chocolate cookies. The actual recipe has you use ginger snaps.
-For ears I used circle melting chocolates, but the recipe calls for mini oreos. (This was actually another disaster. I didn't realize it called for mini oreos and I bought big sized ones, which were way too big for the cupcakes. I raided my mother-in-laws pantry and found the melting chocolates which looked great and tasted good too!)

And remember, eat them before they eat you!