If you are like me, a passion of mine is baking.  Now, I can make a mean chocolate chip cookie when I focus and fail to rush the process, taking time to chill the dough and soften the butter organically [not via Chef Mic(rowave)].  If I don’t take the proper steps, I end up with flat-as-pancake cookies burnt on the edges and stuck to the pan.

I am also a wanna-be extreme couponer.  So, I purchase cake mixes at Schnucks when they have the 10/10 sale with the 11th being FREE.  I like FREE.  Thus, I have a fairly decent stockpile of cake mixes in my pantry.

So, when I came across The Cake Mix Bible, I knew I needed to add this to my cookbook collection.

Last night I attempted the Cookies ‘n’ Cream Cake with much success.  I substituted mini Oreos for whole chocolate sandwich cookies cut into quarters because that is what I had on hand.  Also, I did reduce the baking time by about 10 minutes because I like my cakes nice and moist.  Yet, my final product nearly mirrors the picture in the book if wearing in-need-of-cleaning glasses as I was last night.  The recipe was easy, the batter was yummy, and the family chowed the cake in one sitting.

Besides the ease of the recipes, I like the beautiful pictures throughout so that I can keep an end goal in “sight.”

My next attempt will be the Easy Lemon Cookies (hello?  who doesn’t like easy?) so that I can gift them to my BFF.