Earthquake Cake--Natural Disasters Never Tasted So Good!

This recipe is for a really fun cake called "Earthquake Cake." I think it's named that for the super-bumpy texture it has once it's baked. I baked it for a book club meeting and served it again at a church function, and everyone loved it! So without further ado, here's the REALLY SIMPLE recipe. 

Earthquake Cake

1 c. flaked coconut

1 c. chocolate chips

1 c. nuts (I used pecans, the recipe calls for walnuts)

1 box German chocolate cake mix (and whatever the mix calls for)

1 8-oz. package cream

 cheese (room temperature)

2-1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 stick butter or margarine (also room temperature)

1 tsp. vanilla

Sprinkle coconut, chocolate chips, and nuts on the bottom of a greased 9x13" pan. Follow direction

s on box of cake mix to prepare batter. Pour batter over the chocolate chipmixture. For cream cheese filling, beat the cream cheese and butter together until creamy. Add powdered sugar about 1/2 c. at a time and beat until creamy. Add vanilla and mix thoroughly. Drop 

cream cheese mixture by heaping spoonfulls over cake batter. Swirl the cream cheese through the cake using a knife. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, or until cake is set and cream cheese isn't too gooey. (I actually baked mine f

or more than 40 minutes, but the recipe said 30-40, so maybe my oven is just slow.)

Super Easy Cookie Idea

Hey all! Just so you know, I'm probably the worst blogger ever. I really don't post often enough, and it's never even regular. So sorry! 

Anyhow, today's post is for all of you who love fresh hot cookies, hate premade grocery-store dough, have trouble not eating the whole batch at once when you do make them, have cookies go stale because you don't eat them fast enough, or who don't have enough time to make a batch from scratch every time the craving hits. So: want delicious, oven-fresh cookies any time you want them without all the work of a brand new batch? 

Try this. Make a batch of cookie dough (or two, or however much you want to store). Form the dough into one-inch balls and flatten into circles (on average they're about 1/2 inch thick). Spread the dough discs on a cookie sheet (It doesn't matter how close together they are. You're not cooking them yet.) and place the pan in your freezer. Once the dough is frozen solid, take the

cookies and place them in a resealable freezer bag. 

Now, all you have to do to get those fresh, hot cookies you've been craving is to place them on a cookie sheet and stick 'em in the oven. No thawing, no mixing, no mess. 

I'm including a recipe for some amazing chocolate chip cookies:

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies:

1 c. butter 

1 c. white sugar

1 c. brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 c. unbleached flour

2 1/2 c. oat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

12 oz. milk chocolate chips

1-1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine flours, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture and combine well. Add chocolate chips and nuts, if desired. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes if fresh, about 12 if frozen.