Bake sale staples

If you've got a bake sale coming up, we've got a treat for you: All those popular bake sale recipes in one place.

Peanut butter blossoms.

Chex muddy buddies, also called puppy

Peanut butter blossoms.

Big batch fudgy brownies with frosting.

September marks the start of a lot of things — fall, football teams’ title quests and, for those with kiddos lugging backpacks to school, bake sale season.

Sure, not all bake sales are school-related — any fundraiser is instantly made sweeter with a cookie or lemon bar wrapped in candy-colored cellophane. But what is most definitely true is that things can turn from sweet to sour quickly if you’re asked to make four dozen cookies on short notice and you have no idea where to even begin.

Well, we’re here to help.

We’ve created a list of bake sale staples — desserts that are proven to coax $1 out of any hungry philanthropist. Think lemon bars, peanut butter blossoms (those cookies with the Hershey’s Kisses in the center) and the classically delicious Nestlé Toll House chocolate chip cookie.

Print out this story, or clip it out of the paper, and stick it in with your cookbooks or tape it to the pantry door. That way, the next time you’re faced with producing something crowd-pleasing for a school/church/charity/sports team bake sale, you can forget the panic button and grab our list.

Happy baking!

Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Set aside.

Combine butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla at high speed in large bowl. Beat, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low; gradually add flour mixture, beating well after each addition. Stir in morsels and nuts by hand.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheets. Cool completely.

— www.landolakes.com.

Big Batch Fudgy Brownies

Brownies

1 cup butter

4 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

4 eggs, slightly beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons shortening

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

3 to 5 tablespoons milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter and chocolate in 3-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth (5 to 8 minutes). Remove from heat; stir in sugar. Add sour cream, eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla; mix well. Stir in flour and salt just until moistened.

Spread batter into greased 15-by-10-by-1-inch jelly-roll pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until brownie begins to pull away from sides of pan. Do not overbake. Cool completely.

Melt chocolate chips and shortening in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth (3 to 5 minutes). Stir in powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and enough milk for desired spreading consistency. Spread over cooled brownies. Cut into bars.

— Recipe from www.landolakes.com.

Peanut butter blossoms

48 Hershey’s Kisses

1/2 cup shortening

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Granulated sugar

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove wrappers from chocolates.

Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well-blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

— Recipe from www.hersheys.com.

Easy Lemon Bars

Base layer

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Filling

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

4 eggs

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 to 3 teaspoons freshly grated lemon peel

Topping

Powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 13-by-9-inch baking pan with parchment paper, extending paper over edges of pan. Set aside.

Combine all crust ingredients in large bowl. Beat at low speed until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press mixture evenly onto bottom of parchment paper-lined pan. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until light brown; remove from oven.

Meanwhile, combine all filling ingredients in medium bowl. Beat at medium speed until well-mixed. Pour lemon mixture evenly over hot, partially baked crust.

Continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes or until filling is set and bars are light brown around edges. Cool completely. Use edges of parchment paper lining to lift bars from pan. Place onto cutting board. Pull back edges of parchment for easy cutting. Sprinkle bars with powdered sugar. Cut into bars.

— Recipe from www.landolakes.com.

Chex Muddy Buddies

9 cups Chex cereal

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.

In 1-quart microwaveable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on high 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.

Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well-coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

— Recipe from www.chex.com.

Pumpkin bread

1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed

1 cup pumpkin puree, cooked or canned

2/3 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1/4 cup water

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground

1/4 teaspoon ginger, ground

3/4 cup raisins

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan. In large bowl combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, eggs and water; blend well. Combine flour, soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger; stir into pumpkin mixture. Stir in raisins and nuts. Scrape into loaf pan. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pan; cool on rack.

— Recipe from www.chsugar.com.

Rice Krispie Treats

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 package (10 ounces, about 40) regular marshmallows or 4 cups miniature marshmallows

6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Add cereal. Stir until well coated. Using buttered spatula or wax paper, evenly press mixture into 13-by-9-by-2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day.

— Recipe from www.ricekrispies.com.

Buckeyes

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 to 4 cups powdered sugar

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons shortening

Combine peanut butter, butter, vanilla and salt in large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low until blended. Add 2 cups powdered sugar, beating until blended. Beat in additional powdered sugar until mixture, when shaped into a ball, will stay on a toothpick. Shape into 1-inch balls. Refrigerate.

Place chocolate chips and shortening in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium for 30 seconds. Stir. Repeat until mixture is smooth. Reheat as needed while coating peanut butter balls.

Insert toothpick in peanut butter ball. Dip 3/4 of ball into chocolate, leaving top uncovered to resemble a buckeye. Remove excess. Place on wax paper-lined tray. Remove toothpick. Smooth over holes. Refrigerate until firm.

— Recipe from www.jif.com.

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Drops

3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats

1 1/4 cups peanut butter

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place rolled oats in a 15-by-10-inch baking pan. Bake 15 minutes or until toasted. Cool.

Combine peanut butter, chocolate chips, honey, butter and salt in medium saucepan.

Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until peanut butter and chocolate are melted and mixture is well-blended. Add toasted oats; mix thoroughly.

Drop from teaspoon onto waxed paper. Chill until firm. Store, tightly covered, in refrigerator.

— Recipe from www.jif.com.