Our church has cookies served after services each week. Every week, two volunteers bring 7 dozen cookies each for this fellowship time. This quarterly commitment helped me develop my "cheater cookies".
Ingredients:
- Family Size Brownie mix (store brands work just as well as name brands)
- Oil, water, eggs required for brownie mix
- Your choice of baking chips (chocolate, caramel, peanut butter, white chocolate, etc.)
- Mini-muffin pan
I have two mini-muffin pans. They each make 2 dozen mini-muffins. A family size (9x13) brownie mix will fill both pans. 4 dozen "cheater cookies" in half an hour. 
I mix up the brownie mix per its instructions. Then I stir in whatever baking chips I have on hand and desire to use that time. I've used white chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, milk chocolate and peanut butter, milk chocolate and caramel, etc. Use baking spray in each mini-muffin hole and fill 2/3 full of brownie batter. Bake at 350* for about 9 minutes. Test with a toothpick in one of the middle mini-muffins.
Remove from oven and let cool in pan for a short while. Use a plastic knife to loosen the "cookies" from each mini-muffin slot. Set aside to finish cooling.
While these are still hot, you could add a candy to the top of each one. Yesterday, I pushed a caramel/chocolate chip into the top of each one. You could do the same with an M&M, a Reeses piece, or a Hershey's kiss. Hmm. Other add-ins could be mini M&Ms, crushed peppermint candy, Reeses pieces, etc.
I like that they're easy and quick. I like that I can change their flavor by changing the "add-in". I can dress them up by adding a candy to the top. Since we only buy brownie mixes and baking chips when they are on sale, they aren't *that* expensive, either. We stock up on those sale items whenever we can.
I also like using my Pampered Chef small cookie dough scoop. It's the perfect size for filling the mini-muffin holes in the pan. One scoop per hole.
I know this isn't a brilliant recipe. I know it isn't from scratch. But it is something that has made my life easier. It stretches the brownie mix further than a pan would, and it is easier to serve than cutting up the pan of brownies. (Am I the only one who usually butchers the brownies by cutting them while they're still too warm?) It's also easier than making cookies the traditional way, one dozen at a time on the cookie trays. And it's certainly cheaper than buying cookie mixes or cookie dough.
Tonight I'm going to a cookie exchange (barring any unforeseen circumstances between now and then). Yesterday, Baby L took a nap. I wasn't sure how long she'd sleep or how fussy she was going to be this week since she was so sick all weekend long. So, I decided to make the cheater cookies, and I prayed I'd get them in the oven before she woke up. In the long run, she actually took a very long nap, but my cookies were done. One less thing to worry about. And I actually was able to accomplish several other tasks while she slept instead of having cookie making take up the whole time.
I also like using muffin mixes in my mini-muffin pan ... 2 or 3 mini-muffins per child are less messy than one big muffin. Also, they work better for the Sunday Fellowship.
Just an idea that might make someone else's life easier.
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Posted by
5atkins 
Dec. 20, 2006 - Untitled Comment