The Gadawski’s Crew and the Fluffy Puffy Butterscotch Cookies

Well folks this is it… the last official post for the blog, at least in this format. I might still bake some cookies here and there and place the recipe on the blog but I’m not sure yet. The problem there is since I won’t be sending the cookies to people then they will stay at my house AND I will eat them AND I will gain the 30 pounds (yay me!!!) I’ve lost so far. Anyway…………………………………………………

I thought that the random generator picked quite an appropriate person for the first blog and it has worked its magic again for the last one. The crew at Gadawski’s is family to me, both literally and figuratively. There is absolutely no way I could list what I love about every person there so I’m going to try and do it by sections. First we have the bar. Everyone in the bar is always entertained, although I’m not sure if it is actually from the jokes or just because the drinks are really strong. Then we have the dining room. We may be bitching about you the second we get in the kitchen, but there is always a smile on our faces when we get to the table hahaha. And last but most definitely not least is the kitchen. They are probably the craziest of us all. You can always count on them for some good music and crazy conversations. Regardless of what section you belong to, or if you are a crossover (and if you are then all above descriptions apply to you)… I love you all!!!! I hope you enjoy the yummy cookies!!!!


Fluffy Puffy Butterscotch Cookies
Makes about 4 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
• 1 cup Butter, Softened
• ¾ cups Brown Sugar
• ¾ cups White Sugar
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1 package (3.4 Oz. Size) Instant Butterscotch Pudding Mix
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Baking Soda
• 2-½ cups Flour
• 1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1 cup Butterscotch Chips

Directions:
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla and pudding mix.
In a small bowl, whisk together salt, baking soda, and flour. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture and fold in chocolate and butterscotch chips.
Scoop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 350ºF for 4-5 minutes, rotate pan and bake another 4-5 minutes. The cookies will look golden but still might look a little soft in the middle. This is fine!
Allow cookies to set on the cookie sheet about 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Rob & Val and the Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Cookies

Rob & Val Nugent are my cousins, well technically Rob is my cousin and Val is my cousin-in-law but I don't like that in-law stuff- we are all family... anyway I guess I just felt the I needed to make the distinction that they were not related before they were married hahaha. Rob and Val met at Canisius College and fell madly in love. Whenever you are with them you can just tell that they were meant to be together, they compliment each other so well. A couple years ago I was lucky enough to be one of the guests at their wedding... and it was hands down the BEST WEDDING EVER!!! I am not exaggerating and every person at that wedding would agree! We all had sooooooooooo much fun and no wedding before or since then has compared to it. Thanks Rob and Val for one of the most amazing nights ever!!! Now they have a home in Tonawanda and are both doing very well in their careers. Val works at Canisius as an admissions counselor and Rob is a Sabres "business pimp" aka an account executive. I really like visiting Rob at work!!!! Rob and Val are also amazing parents to their three children Lola, Rocco, and Wilson (dog, cat, and cat) ;) and I know when they decide to make their family even larger they will be amazing parents then too!!!! As for now they can sit back and enjoy some hopefully delicious cookies.

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Cookies
Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 eggs
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 cup flour
1 cup blueberries
1/2 pkg cream cheese, cut into 1 tsp cubes

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and position a rack in the center. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy. Blend in the lemon zest, juice and eggs. Make sure to scrape off any bits of zest that stick to the mixer paddle.

In a separate bowl whisk together the baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour then mix it into the wet ingredients. Gently fold in the blueberries so as not to burst any. Refrigerate the dough for about 15 – 20 minutes to make it stiff enough to roll.

For each cookie, roll 1 heaping tbsp of dough into a ball then flatten it slightly into a disc shape. Place a 1 tsp cream cheese cube into the center and form the dough around it creating a ball again. Bake them for about 10 - 14 minutes until the edges brown slightly. Transfer them to a cooling rack and enjoy!

***I would probably change 1 cup blueberries to 1 1/2 cup blueberries, just seems like there are not enough blueberries per cookie... oh and in typical Laura fashion I made the cookies a little on the bigger side so I ended up with about 26 not 36***

Hyde Park and the Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies

Since I moved back to the East Coast, Hyde Park has been my home for three out of the four years I have been teaching in Niagara Falls. So when it came down to deciding who would be on the list for the cookie blog there was no question that Hyde Park had to be on there. I have had the privilege of working, either directly or indirectly, with some amazing people and I have learned a lot from them. Obviously this post would turn into a seven part series if I tried to list everyone and what they mean to me so I’ll just say this… I’ve laughed here, I’ve cried here, I may have raised my voice once or twice here, but I also always knew that I was supported and cared for here. I cannot tell you how much that has meant to me, especially throughout the last several months. While I am unsure of where I will be in the fall a part of me will always be at Hyde Park (although I am really hoping that the rest of me will be there with it)!!! So thank you Hyde Park for being “A Great Place to Learn and Grow” for me!!! On that note, enjoy the delicious cookies!


Peanut Butter Pudding Cookies
Makes about 36 cookies

Ingredients

• 3/4 c. butter, softened
• 1/2 c. peanut butter
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 1/4 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 small box instant vanilla pudding
• 1 c. chocolate chips
• 1 c. reeses pieces

Instructions

In a bowl combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and pudding mix and set aside. In a large mixing bowl cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars until fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and honey and beat again. Slowly add the dry ingredients, being careful not to over mix. Stir in the chocolate chips and reeses by hand.

Drop by tablespoon onto a baking sheet, leaving 2 inches in between each cookie. Bake at 350* for 10 minutes. Cool on pan for 3-4 minutes, then remove to a wire rack. Store in a tightly covered container.

***The orginial recipe called for 1 cup of dried banana chips as well, however, I thought they would be ruining a good thing so I left them out. If you want to add them just put them in at the same time as the chocolate chips and reeses pieces.***