Title: The Ultimate Cake Mix Cookie Book
Author: Camilla V. Saulsbury
Pages: 368 page paperback
ISBN-13: 978-1-4022-6188-6
Suggested Retail: $16.99
In her book, The Ultimate Cake Mix Cookie Book, Camilla Saulsbury provides over 375 recipes that start with a simple box of cake mix. This mouthwatering collection, ranges from an assortment of cookies: including your all-American favorites, European delicacies, innovative sweets and health-conscious recipes, each as fantastically simple as they are delicious for baking novices.
Camilla Saulsbury, winner of the Food Network’s Ultimate Recipe Showdown Best Cookie Recipe, will be available for interviews this fall to discuss how anyone can become the star of their next bake sale, family party or holiday event with the help of her new book The Ultimate Cake Mix Cookie Book.Camilla V. Saulsbury is a food writer, recipe developer, and cooking instructor. She has won numerous national contests, including The Food Network’s Ultimate Recipe Showdown grand prize cookie recipe. Her recipes have appeared in Southern Living, Better Homes and Gardens, Woman’s Day, Cooking Light, and other cooking magazines. She lives in Texas.
You can find more about Camilla @ http://www.camillacooks.com/about.html
Review:
I love cookbooks, I’d almost have to say I am a crazy collector of cookbooks. I was excited to receive The Ultimate Cake Mix Cookie Book for review.
I always have a couple cake mixes on hand and sometimes time is of the essence when preparing a dessert, right? I also get a bunch of little helper hands when I try to cook so something quick to prepare is always helpful.
The images on the cover of The Ultimate Cake Mix Cookie Book are mouth-watering. There are three sections of recipes, drop cookies, bar cookies, formed and filled cookies. In the back of the book, there are lists of cookies that fall under different categories, like “perfect for packing”, “kids’ favorites”, and others. Then there is a basic index by recipe name. Lastly, a cake mix index that is nice to reference if you have a cake mix and want to find out what creation is suitable for the type of cake mix you have.
I have had a chance to try three recipes from this book. They are: “Fluffernutter Whoopies”, Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies”, and “Peanut Butter Chocolate Gooey Bars”.
RECIPES REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION
Picture of the “Fluffernutter Whoopies” I made. I forgot to take other photos with this one. This recipe features a yellow cake mix. It has marshmallow creme and peanut butter wedged between two cookies. These will certainly satisfy most any one’s sweet tooth.
Fluffernutter Whoopies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Makes 15 whoopies
cookie sheets, greased or lined with parchment paper
1 (18.25 oz.) package yellow cake mix
1 ( 8 oz.) container sour cream (not reduced fat)
2 large eggs
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 c. marshmallow creme or fluff
1 c. creamy peanut butter
1. Mix the cake mix, sour cream, eggs, and oil in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed 1-2 minutes until blended.
2. Drop by 1/4 cupfuls, 3 inches apart, onto prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are firm and center is just barely set when lightly touched. Cool 1 minute on sheets, then carefully remove cookies with spatula to wire racks to cool completely.
4. Spread bottoms of half of cooled cookies with marshmallow creme. Spread bottoms of second half of cooled cookies with peanut butter. Sandwich the cookies together.
Picture of the “Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies”. This is the batter before adding the chocolate chips. It also features a yellow cake mix. No butter in this recipe, but features a healthier twist with oil and applesauce, and of course, whole wheat flour. I have done a whole wheat chocolate chip cookie recipe before, but it came out grainy. Not the case with this recipe.
Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Makes 4 dozen cookies
Cookie sheets, greased or lined with parchment paper
1 (18.25 oz) package yellow cake mix
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. applesauce
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Optional: 1 c. chopped walnuts or pecans
1. Mix the cake mix, flour, oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl with a wooden spoon until blended. Mix in the chocolate chips.
2. Drop by tablespoonfuls , 2 inches apart, onto prepared cookie sheets. If desired, sprinkle tops with chopped nuts.
3. Bake 10 to 13 minutes or until just barely set at center when lightly touched. Cool 1 minute on sheets, then remove cookies with spatula to wire racks to cool completely.
Variation for Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies: whole wheat raisin spice cookies: prepare as directed, but use a spice cake mix, add 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon and use 1 1/4 c. raisins in place of the chocolate chips
Batter with chocolate chips added. This recipe did not feature the tip, but another one in the book mentioned if you did not have miniature chocolate chips, just chop up regular chips to get more chocolate evenly in every bite so I did chop my regular chocolate chips.
Two pictures of my completed “Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies”
Pics of “Peanut Butter Chocolate Gooey Bars”. Recipe requests you make in a pan lined with tin foil or greased. Here is the devil’s food cake mix moistened with a few ingredients.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Gooey Bars
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Makes 3 dozen bars
13×9 inch baking pan, greased or lined with foil
1 (18.25 oz.) package devil’s food cake mix
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted, divided
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1 c. creamy-style peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (16 oz) package confectioner’s sugar
1. Mix the cake mix, 1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter, and 1 egg in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until blended (dough will be thick). Pat evenly into prepared pan.
2. Beat cream cheese, peanut butter, and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on high speed until blended and smooth. Beat in remaining 1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter and remaining 3 eggs. Beat in confectioner’s sugar until blended. Spread over prepared crust.
3. Bake 42-45 minutes until just set (do not over bake; bars should be slightly gooey). Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Cut into bars or squares. Cover and store in refrigerator.
Variation for Peanut Butter Gooey Bars: Prepare as directed, but use a white cake mix in place of the devil’s food cake mix.
Placing first layer into the pan
Second layer soon to be applied. This has PB, cream cheese, vanilla extract, some eggs, and confectioner’s sugar.
Second layer in pan
Bars have been baked and this is what mine looked like
Here it is out of pan with sides of foil down
Finished product cut into and ready to serve
These were very rich. I almost think they tasted better after some refrigeration. I cooked them for just the 42 minutes, but maybe my oven runs hot and I should have pulled out sooner for more of a “gooey” appearance.
The Ultimate Cake Mix Cookie Book has tons of recipes and seems very easy to follow. My quantities came out a few less than noted in the book, but that can sometimes happen. The recipes were pretty good. Of the three, the “whole wheat chocolate chip cookies” were my favorite. One addition I would have loved to have seen was photos in the book with the recipes or photos featuring some of them.
I would like to experiment more in the future with Camilla’s health-conscious cookies that feature healthy ingredients, like whole wheat flour, dried fruit, nuts, and even vegetables. I was going to try one that called for carrot baby food, but I did not have the cake mix on hand for “good-for-you double-chocolate cookies”. I never would have thought that a cake mix could be so versatile!
I received this book for free in order to provide the review. The thoughts and feelings expressed are of my own.
