Cookies make the world go 'round

I never quite know what the best thing is to bring when invited to someones home, but I was always told not to show up empty handed. This weekend Chris and I spent a BEAUTIFUL afternoon at a backyard BBQ. I wanted to try something new, so I took to Pinterest. I usually don't try anything new when I know I will be sharing with others.  I like to taste test and tweak recipes before I expose other people to my creations. That being said, the two cookie recipes I picked are awesome, and I couldn't not share them.

Old fashioned chocolate chip butter cookies:
These were a huge hit, which I was really happy about because I was a little apprehensive about this recipe. They are these fantastic thin and crispy cookies that sort of fall apart in your hands. The best part about them is that recipe is super easy, doesn't involve a lot of mess, and doesn't need a lot of ingredients

What you need:
1 box yellow cake mix (I usually don't like to use this kind of stuff, but I always stick to the recipe on the first try...I'll post again when I find a recipe that works as well, but doesn't need cake mix)
1 cup (2 sticks) of butter
Semi-sweet chocolate chips (you could also use milk chocolate if you prefer)

What you do:
1) Preheat oven to 350. 
2) Melt butter in microwave safe (big) bowl.
3) Pour cake mix in and mix with mixer or fork (honestly I just used a fork with this one it's SUPER easy to mix).
4) Mix completely making sure there are no lumps.
5) Add chocolate chips and mix again (you may want to wait until the batter has cooled a little so that they don't melt, but I like the melted look so I added mine right away).
6) Take a ball of dough and flatten it between your palms to make a disk (keep in mind these cookies will spread A LOT, so space them out accordingly on your cookie sheet or make small enough disks that they won't run into each other).
6) I'm doing another 6 because the original recipe says to just leave them as balls and they make thicker cookies, but they don't won't be as crisp or thin they will be more like regular cookies, but some people prefer that so I thought I would share.
7) Bake for 8-10 minutes.  Check at 8, but don't remove until they should have spread and the edges will start to brown slightly. In my oven it took 10 for the first batch and 9 for the second, but my oven is also a little weird sometimes.
8) Remove from oven and let sit on the cookie sheet another 3-4 mins until slightly cooled. When they are hard enough to move place them on silicone cooling sheet/parchment paper/wax paper. DO NOT use a cooling rack.  These cookies will fall apart if they aren't supported while they are cooling.

Som'bitch cookies:
For those of you that watch/watched How I Met Your Mother you should know these cookies. In the show the mother (that we waited so freaking long to meet) offers Lily one of these cookies and they have a bonding moment. In any case, the actual recipe is never given, but this is one attempt. They turned out really well, however next time I make them I'm going to use my chocolate chip cookie recipe (adding a small amount of peanut butter), and MORE CARAMEL!

What you need:
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar (I used light brown, but it looks like the original recipe may have used dark because mine turned out much lighter)
2 large eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Chocolate chips
Caramels (1 bag was good for me or you can make your own)

What you do:
1) Preheat oven to 375.
2) Start with room temperature butter (or put in the microwave for 30-45 seconds).
3) Add 1 cup peanut butter, 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup brown sugar to butter and beat with electric mixer (or fork) until mixed.
4) Add eggs and mix completely.
5) In separate bowl, mix 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt.
6) Pour dry ingredients into wet in 3 shifts mixing completely each time (it really is easier if you use an electric mixer and if you have them use the dough hooks instead of the whisk attachment).
7) When ingredients are fully mixed, add chocolate chips and mix with a fork or spoon.
8) Take a small ball of dough and flatten it between your palms, place it on the cookie sheet, place unwrapped caramel in the center, make another disk from the same sized dough ball and place on top pressing down the edges.
9) Bake for 7-8 mins until golden brown around the edges.  I always pull them out on the early side because I like the crispy outside and gooey insides.
10) Let cool.