Several recipes for you in this post.  If you're planning an autumn party, this tray has a nice assortment.   First, and this is so easy, is the Orange Honey Butter.  The grated orange rind, takes it to the next level and adds a burst of freshness.  This is one of those recipes that just has a few ingredients, you can make in five minutes and it's just so good!  You can cut this recipe in half, but it's nice to have in the fridge and it keeps well.

2 sticks of softened butter
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt
zest of one orange (1 tablespoon)

That's it, couldn't be easier.  I use the balloon whisk on my Kitchenaid, whip butter first, then add the honey, salt and vanilla and whisk again until it's aerated and fluffy.  Stir in the orange zest at at the end and a grating of more orange zest on the top is a nice touch.

Here are your links to the recipes:

There are literally thousands and thousands of chocolate cookie recipes out there, and trust me I've tried my fair share.  My family likes the Original Toll House, but I'm not a fan, oh I'll eat them, but I don't care for flat, crispy cookies, I like fat, chewy ones.

I found this recipe from Alton Brown a few years ago, his secret ingredient is bread flour.  He's tweaked it now, and it's even better and it was amazing before this slight adjustment.  The addition of just a bit more bread flour than his original recipe takes it over the top, and he measures in grams, which gives you the exact amounts instead of playing the guessing game with cup measurements.

So here it is, buy yourself a bag of bread flour and make these cookies, just trust me.  They are roll your eyes, moan and smack your lips good.  Even better with walnuts or pecans.  Hubby tells me me to never make another recipe, these are perfect.  Of course always better warm, so I bake off a few at a time and keep the rest in the fridge or freeze them in balls, then toss in a freezer bag to bake later. 

Don't overbake these, you want them just a tad gooey in the center.  In my oven at 375 degrees on a parchment lined insulated cookie sheet, 13-14 minutes results in the perfect cookie.

2 sticks unsalted butter
2  cups bread flour
1/4 HEAPING cup more bread flour - this is the secret to this recipe, heaping that last 1/4 cup
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Pour the melted butter in the mixer's work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Use the large ice cream scoop for this, not a small scoop.

Bake for 13-14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Hubby is a big fan of Chick-fil-A Sauce, but he goes through it quickly and it's spendy.  I went online, found a copycat recipe from familyfreshmeals.com and they nailed it.  I didn't change a thing, he loves this and it just takes a minute to whisk together and put in a Ball pint jar to store in the fridge.

Ingredients

1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1/4 cup barbecue sauce - I use Sweet Baby Ray Original, it's our go to
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup mayonnaise - I use Hellman's Light Mayo

Steps

Mix together and refrigerate for at least an hour.

How simple is this?  Whip up a batch and see if your family doesn't like this as much as ours does...