Mint Chocolate Cupcakes: Easiest dessert you'll ever love

          I don't remember when I first made these but I love them because they're so easy to put together and everyone can't get enough! You can easily substitute the Andes for any other candy you think would be suitable, I tried chopped caramel-filled chocolate bars and they were just as popular. I always add a package of instant pudding mix to my cake recipes for moisture and richness. Don't bother with frosting for these cupcakes, they're rich enough as it is and stand well enough on their own.

Ingredients

• 1 package of Devil's Food chocolate cake mix
• 1 package of french vanilla instant pudding mix
• 1 package of chopped Andes mints

Directions

1. Heat oven as directed for cake mix.
2. Add the chocolate cake mix, the pudding mix and whatever else the cake mix requires (usually eggs, water and oil) to a large bowl.
3. Mix/beat as directed.
4. Stir in Andes.
5. Transfer to cupcake pan lined with cupcake liners.
6. Bake as directed.

          Yeah, it's that easy. I probably made it more complicated than it actually is, lol. Don't worry if the cupcakes aren't all lovely and round on top when baked. Their humble appearance adds to them somehow. When you're checking for done-ness, remember the Andes are melted. :)

Mishal's chewy chocolate chip cookies

          I worked from the original Toll House recipe and Alton Brown's chewy alteration to come up with this recipe. I was going for a more tender, chewy cookie. I switched out a small amount of the vanilla extract for rum extract because I like to put it in all my deserts (lol). For some reason, rum extract tastes more like rum than adding real rum to recipes (lol, again). Not to mention it's a dry county and I don't drink. You can do all vanilla or add your own twist (mint or orange are good alternatives).
          I baked the half-recipe this morning (made about 16 cookies) but I doubled it here for more goodness. Let me know how yours turn out. :)

Ingredients

• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  
• ½ teaspoon salt
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
  
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
  
• 1 ¼ cup packed brown sugar
  
• 2 sticks (about 1 cup) butter, sliced into chunks and softened
  
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• ½ teaspoon rum extract
  
• ¼ cup (approx.) milk [probably won’t use it all]
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chip morsels

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F.
   
2. In a small bowl sift together the flour, salt and baking soda.
   
3. In a large bowl, mash granulated sugar, brown sugar and butter together with a fork until slightly mixed. [Adding milk by teaspoonfuls, if needed] Beat sugar-butter mixture on low speed until creamy.
   
4. Add eggs one at a time, beat well after each addition. Add flavor extracts.
   
5. Add flour mixture in 3-4 parts. You may need to add a few teaspoons of milk to maintain consistency.
   
6. Stir in chocolate chips.
   
7. Drop cookie dough by large teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet (or you can cover the sheet in parchment paper) about 1 ½ to 2 inches apart. Bake for about ten minutes or until brown on the edges. Let cool for 2-5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Should yield about 2 ½ dozen cookies (depending on size).