Shortbread Supreme + Blended Coffee

I know, I know, these cookies don't look very pretty but I promise I will soon invest in a camera.
If these weren't absolutely delicious I would not even bother with sharing the recipe with you, can you
believe you only need three ingredients? Well, make that four if you want to add in sprinkles like I did.

You know those delicious cookies that come in a tin box? These taste exactly like that. Enough Said,
here's how you make them:

Recipe slightly adapted from allrecipes

Shortbread Supreme:

1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Stir in flour and sprinkles by hand and refrigerate dough for 30 minutes (optional).
4. Roll out dough on slightly floured surface and cut into squares with a knife, if refrigerated you can use cookie cutters.

*You can also add nuts or chocolate chips instead of the sprinkles

It's been TOO hot lately so hot coffee in the morning has been switched out to blended coffee.
It's so simple that you really can't beat this way, why bother with Iced coffee.

Simple Blended Coffee:

4-5 Ice cubes

1 cup of your choice of milk

1/2 tablespoon instant coffee

1/2 tablespoon sugar or condensed milk

Blend all ingredients for about a minute, pour and enjoy!

XOXO

Lidia

Pistachio Cranberry Shortbread

These shortbread cookies are so delicious! They melt in your mouth! I'm sure you have all ingredients on hand, all you need is flour, salt, butter, powder sugar and pretty much any mix ins you would like. This recipe is super versatile, I chose to add pistachios and cranberries to my dough and I've also made them with chocolate. Super simple and highly recommended! You can dip half of the cookie in chocolate if you would like, I dipped the chocolate batch in melted peppermint bark but left this one as is. Both were great!

Shortbread
slightly adapted from: Martha Stewart living, December 2012

Ingredients:
- 2 c. flour
- 3/4 t. salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 c. confectioners sugar

Mix ins of your choice, I used 1/2 cup of chopped pistachios and 1/2 cup of dried cranberries.
You could use chocolate chunks, dried fruit of your choice and nuts. Martha does a coconut-
pecan combo that sounds absolutely delicious.

Directions
1. Sift together flour and salt into a medium bowl.

2. Beat butter with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy, 3-5 minutes.
Add sugar gradually, beating between additions, continue to beat until
mixture is very pale, about 2 minutes total.

3. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, beat until just combined.

4. Add mix-ins of choice and beat on low once again, until just combined.

5. Press dough evenly into a parchments lined 9 by 13 inch rimmed baking sheet,
refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.

6. Cut dough in eights lengthwise then quarters crosswise, making 32 rectangles.
Evenly pierce all over with a fork.

7. Bake until shortbread is firm in center and golden brown, about 45 minutes.

* If dipping in chocolate; Melt chocolate, Dip bars in chocolate then refrigerate
until chocolate is set about 10 minutes.

Enjoy XOXO,

Lidia

S'mores Cookies: 1 dough, 3 cookies

I bought everything to make S'mores with my husbands son last time he was over,
it was both our first times making and eating s'mores. He said he knew about them
because wow wow wubbzy went camping and made s'mores.
Maybe it was the lack of the camping tent, fire pit and stars but I didn't think very
highly of the famous S'mores treat, too sweet, not my thing.

I had a bunch of leftovers and I remembered seeing a s'mores cookie on pinterest
that really caught my eye, I was in the mood for something sweet and indulging
and so I outdid myself. I made a graham cracker cookie dough and from there
made three different s'mores cookies.
The cookies turned out absolutely amazing, all three of them.
Even the plain graham cracker cookies hold their own! You could do that if s'mores
aren't your thing. Either way this is a great recipe, one I'm keeping in the book!

Graham Cracker Cookies

recipe from: Cooking Classy

Ingredients:

- 10 graham cracker sheets, finely ground in a food processor
- 1 c. flour
- 1/2 t. baking powder
- 1/2 t. baking soda
- 1/4 t. salt
- 1/2 c. butter, room temperature
- 2/3 c. packed brown sugar
- 1/3 c. granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 t. vanilla extract

S'mores Sandwich Cookies (top left)

- 1 recipe graham cracker cookie dough
- 1 bag of marshmallows
- 3/4 c. chocolate chips

S'mores Chocolate Chip Cookies (top right)


- 1 recipe graham cracker cookie dough
- 1 c. mallow bits, the ones for hot chocolate
- 1 c. chocolate chips

S'mores Cookies (bottom)

- 1 recipe graham cracker cookie dough
- 1 bag of marshmallows
-  3 chocolate bars


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine ground crackers, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt,
set aside.

Beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Stir in egg and vanilla. Slowly add in
dry ingredients, mix until well combined.

S'mores Sandwich Cookies: Scoop 1 teaspoon of dough at a time, using hands roll into
a ball and place on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten balls slightly (I like using the bottom
of a small cup) and bake for 9 minutes, remove from oven. Place a marshmallow on top
of half of the cookies, bake for another 2 minutes or turn on the broiler and slide them under
the broiler for about a minute watching the cookies closely so mallows won't burn,
after you take out the cookies from the oven top each cookie with the remaining cookies
and let cool. Melt chocolate chips in microwave by 10 seconds intervals, stirring after each
time until chocolate is completely smooth. Scoop melted chocolate into small ziploc, snip
off a small corner and drizzle chocolate over cooled sandwich cookies.

S'mores Chocolate Chip Cookies: Stir in the mallow bits and the chocolate chips into
the graham cracker cookie dough. Scoop 1 tablespoon of dough at a time, using hands
roll into a ball and place on prepared baking sheet. Flatten balls slightly and bake for
12 minutes.

S'mores Cookies: Scoop 1 tablespoon of dough at a time, using hands roll into a ball
and place on prepared baking sheet. Flatten balls slightly and bake for 12 minutes. Remove
cookies from oven and top each with a marshmallow (I used the flat ones for s'mores,
you can cut marshmallow in half) then top with a piece of chocolate and place under the
broiler for 1 minute.

You can make one, two or all three. These are great to share with loved ones, pack up

and take on a camping trip or simply enjoy in your backyard under the stars with good

company, what a way to feel all outdoorsy!

xoxo

<3

Beet Chocolate Choco Chip Cookies

I had been dreaming about beet chocolate chip cookies for quite some time...
I've actually been dreaming about anything beets lately!
Beet chips, beet muffins, beet candy, all which are still on my list.
Last weekend I actually played around with the idea of these beet choco chip
cookies and was really happy with the results!
Even the kids that my mom babysits were loving these, they would never know
that they were eating veggie cookies.

These cookies have a great texture to them, really soft but with a slight crunch
in every bite that comes from the roasted beets that were then grated and
got toasted as the cookies baked. You can also puree the beets to get a
smoother texture. They are not too sweet which makes them perfect with a
cup of coffee or tea. I made my dough a chocolate cookie dough
by adding cocoa powder but I'm sure they would be great with out it too and
the color would be more of a pink instead of the purple that I got.
I will definitely be baking them again!

Beet Chocolate Choco Chip Cookies


Ingredients:

- 1 c. roasted beets, grated or pureed (about 1 large beet)
- 3/4 c. butter, softened
- 1 c. sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 t. vanilla
- 1 3/4 c. flour
- 1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 t. baking powder
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1/2 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven at 375 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla, beat until fluffy then stir in beets.
Stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt, blend into batter.
Stir in chocolate chips. Using a teaspoon drop cookie dough onto ungreased
cookie sheets and bake for 12 minutes. Store in airtight container.

Enjoy!

xoxo

hello 2012! reason why I've been absent & whole wheat shortbread cookie recipe

Hi, those of you who check out my blog and have actually noticed that I have been not posting for some time!
I hope all of you enjoyed your holidays with the people you love, best wishes for this new year!

Now, the reason why I've been gone for some time is...

 

I'm pregnant! I will be 16 weeks tomorrow and I couldn't be happier!

The first 13 weeks I was feeling really sick. Nausea, fatigue, headaches and so on.

I was so sad that I couldn't enjoy my pregnancy like I wanted to, I could

hardly get out of bed and every food or smell made me sick to my stomach but

I am so excited that I am feeling waaaay better, now I can get back to baking

and blogging and well doing the things that I enjoy. Also one of my new year goals

is to dedicate myself a bit more to my blog and make it a little more personal by

sharing pictures, thoughts and highlights of my days. I'm happy to be back.

This is just a simple recipe that I love and I wanted to share with you. These cookies are super fast

to make, all you have to do is whisk 5 ingredients together and you're pretty much done!

It's a somewhat healthier version of your regular shortbread cookie but just as delicious,

perfect for all those new year resolutions ;).

I used strawberry and kiwi preserves and they turned out great, they were gone in hours!

Hope you guys give this recipe a try and if you do feel free to tell me what you think.

Whole Wheat Shortbread Cookies

recipe from: Bon Appetit, September 2011

- 2 c. whole wheat flour
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 1 1/2 t. baking powder
- 10 1/2 T. salted butter, room temp.
- 1 large egg, room temp.
- 1 large egg yolk, room temp.
- 3 T. (about) raspberry jam

* you can substitute the jam with any kind you'd like,
  preserves work great as well!

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Whisk flour, sugar & baking powder in a large bowl.
Add butter using your fingertips, rub in butter until coarse meal forms.

3. Whisk egg and yolk in a bowl; add to flour mixture and stir just to blend!

4. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Now... the recipe says
to measure 2 T. of dough but I think my cookies came out way to big so
I would highly suggest that you only use 1 T. of dough and roll into balls.

5. Place on prepared sheets, spacing 2" apart. Make an indentation in
center of each ball; fill each with 1/2 t. jam or preserves if you are using 2 T.
of dough but if you only used 1 T. of dough then only use 1/4 t. jam.
(I know 1/4 t. sounds like a little but if you use more the jam will spill.)
Bake cookies 12-16 minutes, or until cookies are nice and golden.
Let cookies cool and enjoy!

Cream-Cheese Walnut Cookies

I have three reasons why you should make these.
1. They are a Martha Stewart cookie, must I say more?
2. There's cream cheese in these cookies!
3. 3 people asked for the recipe.

These cookies were mighty tasty, I only had the pleasure of eating about three
before I went out with my boyfriend and by the time I came back, all cookies
were gone. Yes. They were that good. These cookies texture wise are like
a shortbread cookie, sandy, delicate, melt in your mouth. Flavor wise they are
a bit subtle, they aren't too sweet and they have a little salty kick to them thanks
to the coarse salt that the recipe calls for. I really like what the salt does for this
cookie (it sounds weird but salt goes great with coffee, these cookies are perfect!)
but I know not everyone is into it so if you hate salt or are scared of
your cookies being too salty just sub the coarse salt for 1/2 t. of table salt & enjoy <3


Cream-Cheese Walnut Cookies
recipe from: Martha Stewart
makes about 4 dozen, easy to half

Ingredients:
- 4 c. a.p. flour
- 1 1/4 t. coarse salt
- 2 c. unsalted butter, softened
- 6 oz. cream cheese, room temp.
- 1 1/4 c. sugar
- 2 T. + 1/2 t. pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 c. walnut halves, 1 1/2 c. toasted & coarsely chopped, 1 c.finely chopped

1. Whisk flour & salt in large bowl; set aside.

Put butter & cream cheese in bowl of an electric mixer, mix on medium speed until

light & fluffy; about two minutes. Mix in sugar & vanilla. Reduce speed to low and

add flour mixture, mix until just combined being careful not to over-mix then

mix in toasted walnuts.

2. Transfer dough to work surface. Divide in half, shape each into an 8-inch log

about 2-inches in diameter. Wrap in parchment/wax paper and freeze until firm,

about 30 minutes and up to two weeks.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, place oven racks in upper & lower thirds.

Unwrap one log and roll in 1/2 c. chopped walnuts, coating completely.

Cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds (mine are more like ovals or somethin').

Space 1-inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment/wax paper.

4. Bake cookies, rotating half way through, until golden they have golden edges.

About 18-20 minutes. Let cool, repeat with remaining log.

these are really good with coffee &

make a great gift!

Chocolate Sable Cookies

So, I officially have a favorite cookie now. If someone were to ask me me what my favorite cookie is,
"chocolate sable cookies" would be my answer. These cookies are a classic french cookie,
sable in french means "sandy". Chocolate sandy cookies. They are a chocolate shortbread,
too good to be true.

I love to bake and share my baked goods with friends and family as I mentioned before on my blog,
it's so satisfying. The most I usually will have, when it comes to cookies is three. I found myself
eating these like popcorn! I'm a little ashamed of that but it's true! I ended up taking the rest over
to a friend's house that night, (these are just too dangerous to have around).
I always have my sisters rate my food from 1-10. These were a 20. No doubt about it.

note: I almost regretted making these cookies, when I was sitting there grating the chocolate.
The chocolate kept on breaking and melting on me. I used my brain, put the chocolate in the
freezer and continued on grating. The frozen chocolate was waaay easier to grate and though
my hand still hurt from finely grating the chocolate, it was soooo worth it!

Moral of the story: freeze your chocolate before grating it.

Chocolate Sable Cookies
recipe from: Miette, the book

*makes about 40

Ingredients:
- 1 c. a.p. flour
- 1/3 c. cocoa powder
- 1/2 t. baking soda
- 1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temp.
- 2/3 c. sugar + more for sprinkling
- 1/4 t. sea salt
- 3/4 t. vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 oz. 70 % cacao (good quality) chocolate, grated

1. Sift flour, cocoa & baking soda into bowl, set aside.
2. Beat together butter, sugar, salt & vanilla until lightened,
about 4 minutes. Add dry ingredients & grated chocolate,
mix just to combine.
3. If dough is too soft, refrigerate 30 minutes. Otherwise,
roll out dough 1/2-inch thick on a lightly floured surface
into a 6 by 7-inch rectangle. Square edges as much as
possible, cut the dough into 1-inch squares. Place 2-inches
apart on parchment (wax works too) lined baking sheets.
Sprinkle lightly with sugar.

4. Bake cookies in a 350 degree, preheated oven until
firm, about 12 minutes. Store in airtight container for
up to 2 weeks. (Though they won't last that long!)

notes: 1. My dough turned out fine but when I have time,
I like refrigerating dough that I'm going to roll out, it makes
thing less sticky.

2.This dough will keep one week in the refrigerator and
up to three months in the freezer.

3. This cookie pairs perfectly with a glass of milk, sandwiched
with a scoop of ice cream, and makes a perfect gift.

enjoy <3

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

one cookie stacked on top of another cookie

First of all I'll start off by saying, my strawberry shortcake cookies don't have the texture

that they were supposed to have, that of a scone or biscuit because 

(mine actually look just like a cookie would) , well, because 

I had friends over, we had plans, and they were impatiently waiting for me at my kitchen table

while I was whipping these up! ( I couldn't wait to bake these as soon as I saw the recipe).

So... three little things that I did that you shouldn't do;

1. Run out of heavy cream and substitute about 1/2 c. of 2% milk.

(I know that has nothing to do with my friends waiting but well that happened. Shame on me,

I could have sworn I had more heavy cream.) That made my dough a tad bit more runny.

2. Over-stir the dough because you were too busy having conversation with friends...

I can't seem to multitask even if my life depended on it! I think had a whole lot to do with

the texture of my cookies.

3. Double the cookie size. It said to use tablespoon and a half of dough while I decided

to just use my little ice cream scoop that holds about 3 tablespoons of dough because

I didn't have time to bake two batches.

There. Now, that being said. I want to tell you how delicious these cookies are.

They are melt in your mouth delicious. They are strawberry shortcake on the go.

My friends devoured them as soon as they were out of the oven. Seriously.

They thought since I made them wait so long, they had the right to eat them. All.

My mom and sisters tried them too. Other than that there were four left.

And if you follow the steps like you should they will probably be even better than mine (:

I absolutely love the color of these cookies. Now I know Valentine's day is

not right around the corner but how perfect would these be for a Valentine's picnic or

gathering of some sort? Don't mind me, I always think ahead.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

recipe from Martha Stewart

makes 3 dozen

- 12 oz. strawberries, hulled & diced into 1/4-inch (2 c.)

- 1 t. lemon juice

- 1/2 c. + 2 T. sugar

- 2 c. a.p. flour

- 2 t. baking powder

- 1/2 t. coarse salt

- 3 oz. (6 T.) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
* sanding sugar for sprinkling, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1. Combine strawberries, lemon juice and 2 T. sugar. Set aside.

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and remaining sugar
in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with fingers until mixture resembles
coarse crumbs, as if you were making pie crust. Stir in cream until
dough starts to come together, then gently stir in strawberry mixture
(this is were I went crazy stirring the dough).

3. Using tablespoon, drop about tablespoon and a half onto
baking sheets lined with wax or parchment, whatever you have,
spacing apart evenly about an inch and a half. Sprinkle with sanding
sugar, if using. Bake until golden brown. 25 minutes.
Transfer to a rack, let cool.

Best way to enjoy these is with family and friends <3

note: these cookies are best served immediately or the day of,
they don't keep well, as any other cookie using fresh fruit.

also, 1/4-1/2 t. of lemon zest would be great in these, definitely
adding zest next time I bake these, which will be before the summer
is over, I'm going strawberry picking soon!

Carrot Cookies, probably one of the best cookies you've had

that don't include chocolate chips anyway...

I said I would post this recipe a day or two ago.
I know, I'm sorry. I always get caught up with something else
as responsible as I try to be with this blog!
But Seriously this recipe is worth the wait.

I don't know what's up with me and baking with veggies but
I looove it! My future kids are definitely not going to be afraid of
veggies.

This cookie is the kind of cookie that disappears as soon as it
comes out of the oven, yesterday my mom ate about 6 as soon
as I took them out of the oven. No lie. And my mom is the type
of person who says cookies or cake shouldn't be eaten warm.
(Now that's a lie.)

Anyway make these. They are light & soft in the inside with a
crispy outside. (I am eating one while I type this.)
Delicious and simple. Best of all so easy to make.
Plus you won't feel so bad about eating about five of them because
they are healthy... right? Carrot cookies? and they are snack size.
I highly recommend these, especially if you have kids.

Carrot Cookies

What you need:

- 2 c. peeled, cubed carrot ( I used about 4 medium size carrots)

- 3/4 c. butter, room temp.

- 1/2 c. sugar

- 1/2 c. packed brown sugar

- 1 egg

- 1 t. vanilla

- 2 c. flour

- 2 t. baking powder

 - 1/2 t. salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1. Boil the peeled, cubed carrot in a small amount of water
with salt, about two pinches of salt and enough water to cover carrots.
Drain and mash into a puree. Set aside and let cool.

2. Cream the butter and sugars together.
Add egg and vanilla, beat until light and fluffy. Stir in the carrot.

3. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Stir until all is well incorporated.
Scoop onto cookie sheets with a teaspoon, with an inch of space in between
each cookie. Bake 15-16 minutes until golden brown.
Repeat with the rest of the dough.

( My favorite way of testing cookies after I see that they are the
shade of golden I want them to be is by lightly pressing on them and if they
spring right back up, that's when I take them out of the oven.)

Best way to enjoy these cookies is with a glass of cold milk!

<3

Mandarin Cookies!

If I could describe this recipe in one word,

that word would be amazing!
This recipe is also from the Mrs. Fields
cookie book and as soon as I read it I knew
I had to make it for I love mandarin oranges
and had never seen it before in a cookie recipe.
I decided to make them again but before looked
around online to see what other mandarin orange
cookie recipes were out there and just as I thought
there weren't any other cookie recipes that called
for mandarin oranges but! I did find a variation of
the recipe which just involved one cup of
white chocolate chips and decided to give that a go.
Either way, chocolate chips no chocolate chips
these cookies are worth making.
Also these are very soft cookies, for those of you
who are fans of crispy cookies, I'm sorry.

Mandarin and Marmalade Cookies

- 2 3/4 c. a.p flour
- 1 t. baking powder
- 1 c. salted butter, softened (unsalted is fine, just add 1/4 t. salt)
- 3/4 white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 c. orange marmalade
- one 10 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained and chopped.
- 1 c. white chocolate chips (optional)

* yield: around 3 1/2 dozen

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a medium bowl combine first 2 ingredients.
Mix well with whisk and set aside.

In a large bowl blend butter and sugar with an
electric mixer to form grainy paste. Add egg
and orange marmalade, beat on medium speed
until smooth. Add the flour mixture and the
mandarin, blend on low speed until just combined.
DO NOT overmix (:

Drop by rounded T. onto ungreased baking sheets,
2 inches apart. Bake 24-25 minutes or until the
bottoms of cookies begin to brown. Transfer with
spatula to flat, cool surface.
* yield: around 3 1/2 dozen

A Hedgehog Craft and A Krispie Cookie Recipe

Lately I've been obsessing over hedgehogs, they are just so adorable!
I've been reading up on them and I have found out so many neat facts and
I really think they would be a perfect pet.

1. They can be litter box trained.
2. They have no body odor.
3. Each has a distinct personality and will bond to its owner for life.
4. They are intelligent, fun to play with and easy to entertain.
5. They are low maintenance pets.

The only problem for me is that they are unfortunately illegal here in
California ): My boyfriend is currently touring the States with his band
and I asked him to please rescue an abandoned baby hedgehog for me
but since I highly doubt that is going to happen I made this cute hedgehog
out of a pine cone to keep me company and look cute on my bookshelf.
I had seen this tutorial about a week ago but didn't have any pinecones
but luckily my friend found one at the park where we were hanging out
it wasn't perfect but I really wanted to try this out.
If  you would like to make a pine cone hedgehog like mine,
I used this very easy tutorial that I found on a crafty blog filled with ideas
for parents and kids named Kiddley.

Now let's get to baking!



Crunch chocolate bar chunks and Rice krispy cereal
all mixed in one delicious cookie!
This recipe comes from Mrs. Fields cookie book,
this book is a treasure. It is seriously filled
with tons of fun delicious cookie recipes, So far
I have only made 3 or 4 recipes out of this book
but there is so many that I really want to try out
like the lemon poppy seed cookies, carrot fruit jumbles,
banana nut cookies, pineapple paradise cookies!!!
and so many others. The book was published in 1992
and was also a gift from my dad, his friend does a lot
of bidding on random stuff and my dad always gets
the kitchen books for me, i love it because they
are all so vintage!

Krispies
Recipe from: Mrs. Fields cookie book.

- 2 c. a.p flour
- 1/4 t. salt
- 1/2 t. baking soda
- 1/2 c. dark brown sugar (packed)
- 1/2 c. white sugar
- 3/4 c. salted butter, softened (if you only have unsalted, that's fine)
- 1 large egg
- 2 t. vanilla extract
- 1 c. crispy rice cereal
- 1 1/2 c. crispy rice chocolate bar, coarsely chopped

*yield: around 3 dozen

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a medium bowl combine first 3 ingredients.
Mix well with whisk and set aside.

In large bowl blend sugars with an electric mixer
at medium speed. Add butter, mix to form a
grainy paste. Scrape down sides of bowl then add
egg and vanilla. Beat at medium speed until
light and fluffy.

Add flour mixture, rice cereal and chocolate chunks.
Blend at low speed until just combined. DO NOT over-mix (:

Drop by rounded T. onto ungreased cookie sheets,
2 inches apart. Bake for 22-24 minutes.
Immediately transfer cookies with spatula to a
flat, cool surface.

Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cookies

To tell you the truth I'm not very fond of peanut butter cookies.
Maybe it's the fact that my mom would make these at least
once a week when I was growing up, at first I loved them and
could not get enough but after a certain number of peanut butter
cookies you just start wanting something else... by the way
same thing happened with the tres leches cake, whenever it was
someone's birthday my mom would bake them a batch of her
famous tres leches cake. Anyway I'm here to tell you that regardless
of what I have said before, these peanut butter cookies are insane!
Insanely delicious. They are soft, not chewy (except for the little chew
you get from the butterfinger pieces) but not crunchy,
peanut buttery but perfectly balanced with a chocolate taste.
This cookie has it going on and so will you if you make them
and share them.

Butterfinger Peanut Butter Cookies
adapted from: Joy the Baker

- 2 1/2 c. a.p. flour
- 1 t. baking soda
- 1/2 t. baking powder
- 1/4 t. salt
- 1 c.unsalted butter, room temp.
- 1 c.peanut butter
- 1 c. light brown sugar
- 3/4 c. sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temp.
- 1 1/2 c. chopped Butterfinger chocolate

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line baking sheets with wax or parchment paper.

2. Whisk first four ingredients.

3. Beat the butter until smooth and creamy then add
your peanut butter and beat for about a minute, after
that add sugars and mix for about three minutes.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, beating for a minute
after each addition. On low speed add the dry ingredients,
beat until just combined. Mix in chopped Butterfinger.

4. Working with a level T. of dough, roll with hands into
a ball, place on baking sheet and using a fork flatten the
cookies by pressing the fork into the cookie twice, making
a criss-cross design.

5. Bake for about 12 minutes (depending on your oven),
rotating sheets. Repeat with remaining dough using cook sheets


      I used this Butterfinger bar that is Butterfinger pieces in milk chocolate but if you'd like you can chop up the
   original Butterfinger bars. If you're really looking for that Butterfinger taste I suggest you use the original
   bar. The bar i used gave it more of a chocolate chip feel with a hint of Butterfinger, I buy the candy bars at
   Walmart and I'm guessing you can find them at your nearest Walmart as well (:

Rolo Cookies

Do you guys happen to like Rolos?
Or am I seriously alone in this one?
I think Rolos are good, not out of
this world good but none the less good.
Not good as in I would rather choose
to eat a rolo than a reese's peanut butter
cup per say but Rolo's have their own
thing going on.
I tell you what though... hide a rolo candy
in an incredible good chocolate cookie dough
and roll that in some pecan/sugar dust and
you have one of the best cookies you've
ever had. Don't believe me? Give them a try.


Surprise Rolo Cookies

Ingredients

- 2 1/4 c. flour
- 3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 t. baking soda
- 3/4 c. sugar + more for rolling
- 1 c. brown sugar (packed)
- 1 c. ( 2 sticks) margarine, softened
- 2 t. vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 48 Rolo candies
- 1 c. pecans, divided.

1. In small bowl combine first three
ingredients, blend well. In large bowl
beat sugars and butters until light and
fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs, beat well.
Pulverize 1/2 c. of pecans preferably in
food processor and add to the dough,
incorporate well.
Refrigerate dough at least two hours or
up to 24 hours.

2. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Crush other 1/2 c. of pecans finely and
in a small bowl combine them with 1/4 c.
of sugar. Press only one side of the
Rolo cookie into the sugar/pecan mixture.
Place cookies, nut side up, 2 inches apart
on parchment covered cookie sheets.

3. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until set
and slightly cracked. Cool and enjoy!
With floured hands, shape about 1 T. dough
around one Rolo, covering it completely.

orange sugar cookie recipe, as promised.

I'm back and this time determined to keep my blog updated.
I do so much baking and cooking and have so many great
recipes and tips to share that it really is a shame that I don't
take an hour of my day to work on this blog that I really
want to get out there.

I don't have any readers so it's not motivating at all to not
have an audience to write to but of course it is my fault
because I abandon my blog for far too long. So if you
happen to run into my little blog and maybe like the concept
or feel of it do feel free to follow me or bookmark me
for I assure you, I will not let you down.
I will be posting a lot of good cookie recipes for it is what
I've been baking more lately. Including: crunch chocolate
cookies, peanut butter butterfinger cookies, white chocolate
oatmeal pecan cookies and so on. I also have the best
from scratch brown butter brownies but apart from sharing
great recipes with you I will be sharing some information
about myself so you get to know me better!
now let's get to the good stuff.

These cookies and I, it was love at first sight.
I found this recipe for these orange sugar cookies
in a Better Homes and Gardens cookie book
from 1992, it was a gift from my dad.
As soon as I saw these cookies I just knew I
had to make them for I am a fan of everything
cute but apart from how cute they are this recipe
did not fail me for these cookies are absolutely
delicious and where approved by my mother,
she's tough to impress! So try them out,
you will not regret it ;)


Slice of Orange Cookies
Recipe from: Better Homes and Gardens cookie book

- 2 1/3  c. ap flour
- 1 c. sugar
- 3/4 c. margarine or as i prefer butter, softened
- 1 egg
- 2 t. finely shredded orange peel
- 2 T. orange juice
- 1 t. baking powder
- 1/4 t. salt
- 1/2 cup finely chopped almonds

Decorator's Icing

- 1 c. sifted powdered sugar
- 1/2 t. vanilla
- 1 T. milk ( add more if needed )
- orange food coloring

1. In a large bowl combine first eight ingredients.
( all cookies ingredients except for the almonds)
Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed
for about 2-3 minutes, scraping sides of bowl.
make sure everything is well combined.

2. Shape dough into two 7-inch rolls. Roll in
finely chopped almonds. Flatten one side of each roll.
Wrap each in plastic wrap. Chill for 4 to 48 hours.


3. Cut dough into 1/4-inch thick slices. Place 1 inch
apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in a 375
degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until edges are
lightly browned. Remove cookies and cool on wire
racks, if you own them.

4. For decorator's icing combine the powdered sugar
vanilla and milk to make icing of piping consistency.
Add a drop or two of orange food coloring to obtain
desired shade of orange, mix or whisk well.
Pipe icing in loops on each cookie to represent orange
sections. Makes about 60.

Double Chocolate Crackles

 Let me start off by saying this is one of the best cookies I've ever made!
They remind me of a chocolate doughnut, nough said? No not enough
I forgot to mention how extremely easy and fast they are to make.
I took these to a pot luck and everyone asked for the recipe.


Double Chocolate Crackles
adapted from Food Network magazine

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
- 1/2 c. granulated sugar
- 1/2 c. natural cocoa powder
- 3/4 t.baking soda
- 1/2 t. salt
- 6 T. unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 c. white chocolate chips
- 1 c. confectioners' sugar

1. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt
in a medium bowl. Whisk in the melted butter and eggs until combined,
then stir in the white chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and chill
until firm, about 1 hour.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Put the confectioners' sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll tablespoonfuls of dough
into balls, then roll in the confectioners' sugar until well coated. Place 1 inch
apart on the baking sheets.

3. Bake until the cookies are puffed and the tops are cracked, about 10 minutes.
Let cool 2 minutes and transfer to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airthight
container up to 1 week.

Sugar Cookies For Decorating

 

Recipe:

- 1 lb. margarine, room temp

- 3 c. granulated sugar

- 4 large eggs

- 1 T. vanilla

- 1 t. orange emulsion* or 1 T. orange zest

- 7 c. flour

- 2 t. baking powder

-1 t. salt

1. Cream Margarine and sugar. Add eggs and flavorings and mix well.

2. Stir in flour mixed with baking powder and salt. CHILL at least
2 hours I recommend overnight.

3. Bake cookies at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes but you all know
the time really depends on your oven. In my oven it takes about 13 minutes.

Also this dough will keep well in a covered container in the refrigerator
for a couple of weeks!

* I used this orange bakery emulsion from Lorann Professional Kitchen.
An emulsion is a flavoring supply that is preferred over extracts because
emulsions have a more potent, robust flavor, that won't bake out when
exposed to heat and they are also alcohol free. If you don't have an
orange emulsion use the orange zest which i love because of the slight
orange flakes that you can see in the cookies but instead of buying
flavorings now i suggest you look for emulsions. Enjoy!

Easy Pistachio Cookies!

I made these and took them to class, since the recipe makes like a billion!

Everyone asked for the recipe, they are simply delicious, cute and
so easy to make.  I'm glad I came across this recipe. I decorated them
with chocolate and chopped pistachios but honestly they are better just as is.

recipe adapted from The Italian Dish

- 1 c sugar
- 1 c softened butter
- 8 oz. softened cream cheese
- 1 t vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 2 1/4 c flour
- 1 package instant pistachio pudding
- 1 t baking powder
- 1/2 t salt

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Beat sugar, butter and cream cheese. Add vanilla and egg.
In separate bowl, combine remaining dry ingredients; whip
into butter. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

3. Shape teaspoonfuls of dough into round balls and arrange
on baking sheet.

4. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly brown on bottom.
Let cool and decorate.

How to shape; Un-Perfect, Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

I learned this tip from Diamonds for Dessert  which she learned
from Cook's Illustrated The New Best Recipe and it certainly does work.

In order to have that perfect un-perfect pastry shop cookie
you have to follow these steps:

- Make your favorite chocolate chip cookie dough.

- Dive the dough how you wish, 1 T works for me.

1.  Once you divided your dough, shape each portion into a ball.


2. Pull each ball into two equal pieces.


3. Turn both pieces so that the jagged side faces up.


4. squish them together.


5. place jagged side up on parchment lined sheets.

Bake as you would.

Milk Chocolate Caramel Cookies also from Diamonds for Dessert