Bakergirl

I Wish I Was Wearing... Wednesday.

2012-02-15T02:01:00.000-08:00

(Dress, Barette, Necklace, Earrings, Shoes, Clutch, Bottom bracelet, Top bracelet, Teal flower clip, Small purple flower clip, Bigger purple flower clip)

Because I...

Spend too much time on Pinterest.

Wish my wardrobe were more sparkly.

Wish I had the legs for short dresses.

Wish masquerades and balls were a twenty-first century thing, for real.

And because sometimes I need a distraction from sugar, butter, and real life...

I may or may not have made collages of sparkly things I wish I had a reason to wear based off whatever movie or book I'd just spent several hours of my life burrowed inside.

Like so.

(Sparkly flats, Typewriter necklace, Dress, Hair comb, Clutch, Flower ring, Jeweled ring)

It happens.

Things. On a Tuesday.

2012-02-14T01:35:00.000-08:00

1. My birthday! It happened.

There were Christmas stores, tiaras, family, cake, and balloons, pastries filled with buttercream, pastries filled with coconut and raspberries, sparkly nail polish, adventures in doughnut-making, and a fancy iPod Touch!

I am officially 25...

And totally into it.

2. Whenever I'm having a bad day, I scroll through this celebration board on Pinterest. Is that weird? Something about staring at four hundred plus photos of fireworks and champagne and confetti that fixes me right up.

3. Speaking of Pinterest, I've just sent my boyfriend an email invite.

So really, what I need to know is:

... do I delete my Weddings board? Start a diamond rings board? Can I still pin photos of puppies in mixing bowls?

I die.

4. Oh Kristin Bell? My hero, no big deal.

5. I've been to two crab feeds in 2012. Do you know what that is? You pay money to sit, eat crab, dunk it in butter, repeat over and over, and at the end they gave you a cupcake.

Um... yes.

Also: why is a cheesecake feed not a thing?

6. And last, but not least, a bit of real life.

My boyfriend and I went to the grocery store last week. That's all. Just kidding.

P.S. This is what his cart looked like after I wandered off for two seconds.

Anyway. I needed whipping cream. After finding it, I headed back through the store when I noticed the little email light flashing on my phone. I looked up, saw my boyfriend, and kept walking with my head down, opening my email, type-type-typing, reading with one hand while putting the whipping cream in the cart with the other.

And then I looked up.

... at the happy couple whose cart I had just walked up to and very nonchalantly dropping my groceries into.

By the way, I blame you. It was a blog comment I was reading.

Happy Tuesday & Happy Valentine's Day!

Snickerdoodle Cookies for Two.

2012-02-13T00:03:00.000-08:00

It's here.

It was just New Year's Eve and now... now it's Valentine's Day Eve.

I'm into it though! I am unashamedly one of those girls who gets especially excited about February 14th, probably because it's three days after my birthday which really means a four day long celebration of presents, balloons, sprinkles, and cake.

Valentine's Day does have some major strings attached to it though, doesn't it? It's the one day every year when I forget all reason and sink into the pressure. You know what I'm talking about it. That compulsion to do super important things like:

Send flowers to everyone I know. (Tulips. Always.)

Buy complicated frilly underthings.

Bake heart-shaped things. And things that are red velvet. And pink velvet.

... and covered in lots and lots of heart-sprinkles.

Make reservations at a fancy restaurant. Hope for diamonds. Drink champagne. Watch every Nicholas Sparks movie I own.

Yes, in that order.

Buy conversation hearts. Wear sparkly heels somewhere. Anywhere. The grocery store.

Expect a fancy date. And romance. Stress over presents. Buy unnecessary greeting cards instead of just saying straight to someone's face, "Hey. I love you. You make my life fantastic."

This year I'm keeping it simple.

Instead of stressing over presents (what present sums up 365 days the most? what present subtly says, hey, no big deal, but we've been dating almost four years, can you please put a ring on it?) I'm going with what he's actually stated in -very specific words- that he wants. Something useful. And manly. Something that is so NOT Valentine's Day that it's totally perfect.

Fancy dates? Dinner? Can I tell you. Our first Valentine's Day we went to the Olive Garden.

... and we waited an hour and 45 minutes.

That's love. For real.

But we've put in our time and this year we're keeping it simple. Old-school even. Movie night! And later... an aquarium date. Yeah I said it.

Oh and the sugar and butter situation? You will not find me painting plastic candy molds with chocolate this Valentine's Day, or trying to figure out mini heart-shaped springform pans. No. Not this year. Chocolate chip cookies. Rice Krispie treats. Snickerdoodles. Classics.

So this Valentine's Day... don't stress it. Don't watch The Notebook. Stay away from the frilly underthings. Relax on the red velvet. Bake tiny batches of cookies, give someone a hug or high five, and be thankful you're not a new couple at the Olive Garden. Seriously.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Snickerdoodle Cookies for Two

Printable Recipe

2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 heaping tablespoon beaten egg (I know. It's awkward.)
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
A pinch of salt
2 tablespoons sugar + 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon for rolling in

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the softened butter, oil, granulated sugar, powdered sugar and egg, until combined.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and stir until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until no clumps of flour remain. Dough will be slightly soft and tacky, but don't worry... it'll turn into big fluffy cookies in a second.

Like so.

In a small bowl, stir together the 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon. Divide dough into four parts. Roll each part into a ball, then roll in cinnamon-sugar and place on the baking sheet. Flatten with your hand or with the bottom of a glass dipped in cinnamon-sugar.

Bake for 9-10 minutes, or until done. Let cool on baking sheet and share them with somebody you love. Bonus points if it's yourself.

Makes 4 cookies.

Source: Adapted from my snickerdoodles and chocolate chip cookies for two recipes.

Old-Fashioned Candy "Milkshakes".

2012-02-10T02:45:00.000-08:00

It's February 10th and that means one very important thing:

~~Breaking Dawn comes out tomorrow~~.

~~The Vow comes out today~~.

It's my last day of being 24!

I'm in full-on celebration mode... which means there's a sparkly purple tiara on my head, which I plan on wearing absolutely everywhere, I'm not even joking, a season of Charmed somewhere about in my room, that I bought and hid from myself two weeks ago, and birthday expeditions being planned that involve spending time with family, hunting down sugary pastries, blowing up balloons, visiting Alcatraz, baking heart-shaped things, maybe some confetti, hopefully some fireworks... and basically spending the entire weekend in my pajamas.

Oh yeah. And somewhere in there are these milkshakes...

... which fill me with glee and make me crave a strawberry milkshake all at the same time.

These were so much fun to make and, if you don't super glue M&Ms to yourself and/or buy the wrong size foam ball the first time around, can be put together in less than ten minutes. I'm serious! They're perfect for Valentine's Day, birthday parties, last-minute festive centerpieces or gift-giving... or for absolutely no reason at all.

Let's do this!

Old-Fashioned Candy "Milkshakes"

An ice cream sundae glass

M&Ms

1 (4-inch, 4 7/8-inch, or 5-inch) white foam ball, cut in half with a sharp knife

Glue dots or a hot glue gun

A straw

Salt water taffy

1 red heart-shaped or round candy (like milk chocolate Lindt balls) for the "cherry" on top

Fill ice cream glass with M&Ms. Eat a handful. You deserve it.

Cut foam ball in half. Set on top, securing to the rim using glue dots or a hot glue gun if you must.

I really do recommend using glue dots for a less messy, super easy and low-stress experience. My first attempt at making these ended up with liquid glue dripping into the M&Ms and it was awkward for everybody. I found these clear adhesive 3D dots at Michael's...

And they pretty much saved my life.

See? Four dots. That's all you need. No need to go bananas here.

Plop the fake ice cream on top. Press down lightly to anchor it to the glass.

Gently poke your straw through the foam (P.S. Heart-shaped straws. Walmart. $.97)...

... then hot glue or glue dot taffy all over the place (I used glue dots for this part too)!

I found these Valentine's-colored taffy at Trader Joes. They were festive. I was into it.

Glue a red heart-shaped or round candy on top and look!

You made a milkshake.

It's magic, how crafty you are.

Make someone's day this Valentine's weekend with a candy milkshake... then celebrate with a real milkshake. It's the best thing to do in these situations.

Source: Kara's Party Ideas.

Triple Fudge Oreo Crunch Cookies.

2012-01-31T00:49:00.000-08:00

2012. We're one month into this thing.

... can we talk about New Year's resolutions for a second? Yeah I said it. On the thirty-first of January.

Did you make any resolutions this year? Let's be honest: have you broken them already?

I have.

I've laughed. I've cried.

I've lost two pounds... then split a brownie fudge sundae with my boyfriend. It happens.

Luckily broken resolutions are the very best kind.

January always feels a little like everyone's holding their breath, doesn't it? Like this is your last shot at being the very best version of yourself or the entire year is shot and I guess we'll just try again next year.

Whatever.

I'm going to tell you a secret. It's top secret and I've sort of just figured it out for myself.

Breaking a resolution doesn't set you up for 365 days of failure; it sets you up for hard work, second chances, and chasing after something you passionately want for yourself or in your life.

Also: it really is still January.

And no big deal, but this is your year. Because whether you like it or not, you're doing it. Right now actually! You're here. You're living it. I say figure out what you want to see when you look back on 2012 this December and get out there and make it happen for yourself. We got this!

And in the meantime... cookies. Cookies filled with crushed Oreos and white chocolate and chocolate chips and ribbons of Oreo filling. Because some things should never change, no matter what year it is.

Triple Fudge Oreo Crunch Cookies

Printable Recipe

1 cup butter-flavored shortening

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups chocolate chips or chunks

12-15 Oreos, roughly cut into quarters

3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease baking sheets with no-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the shortening, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add to the sugar mixture and beat until well-combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chips, Oreo chunks, and white chocolate chips until incorporated. Scoop out dough and roll into 2 tablespoons-sized balls. Place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart and slightly flatten with your hand.

Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until done. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then remove to cool completely.

Source: Barely adapted from my Double Chocolate Chunk Oreo Cookies and How Sweet It Is.

Serve Giveaway Winner!

2012-01-06T13:19:00.000-08:00

Congratulations, Lisha! You've been selected by American Express to recieve a $100 credit to your Serve account.

Please contact me at bakergirlblog (at) gmail (dot) com with your full name and a valid email address.

After this information is collected, you will hear directly from AMEX Serve with an email that describes the process necessary for collection of the $100. You will have 7 days to collect the funds. Please expect the email from Serve in the next 4-6 weeks.

If I don't hear from you in the next two (2) days, I will select an alternate winner for this prize.

Again, congratulations and thank you for commenting! Google Earth/GPS = <3. Fact.

MY Top Ten Recipes of 2011.

2011-12-30T22:06:00.000-08:00

Because I love:

- New Year's Eve

- Making lists

- Posting excessive pictures of sugar

... aaaaand refuse to make, eat, or look at another cookie until 2012, here are my top ten favorite recipes from 2011 (your favorites are here). Get on this!

10. The Baked Brownie.

9. Rocky Road Brownie Bites.

8. Peanut Butter Crunch S'mores Bars.

7. Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cupcakes.

6. Brown Sugar Shortbread.

5. Buttons & Bowknots.

4. Double Chocolate Chunk Oreo Cookies.

3. Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes for Two.

2. White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies.

1. Fluffernutter Chocolate Gobs.

Honorable Mention: Chocolate Cauldron Cakes. You were delicious and whimsical, but oh so much work.

Happy 2012!

Top 10 Recipes of 2011.

2011-12-29T13:28:00.000-08:00

These were the ten most viewed recipes this year... did you try any of them? What was your favorite?

10. Chewy No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Treats.

9. Graham Cracker S'mores Candy.

8. One-Bowl Chocolate Chip Cookies for Two.

7. Strawberry Shortcake Cookies.

6. Chocolate Chip Espresso Bars.

5. Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.

4. Chocolate Cupcakes with Ganache Filling.

3. Pumpkin Spice Syrup for Homemade Pumpkin Spice Lattes.

2. Chewy No-Bake Cookies & Cream Treats.

1. Oreo Cupcakes.

Thank you to everyone who's stopped by this year, supported me, baked things, left comments, and basically just been awesome. Love to all of you and wishing you lots of sugar and happiness in the new year!

Christmas Things.

2011-12-28T16:20:00.000-08:00

1. Remember this list of four thousand stocking stuffers?

On Christmas Eve, my boyfriend handed me a fancy purple water thingy thermos which, at first, I thought was man-code for babe, you should start working out again... until I opened it and found it filled with candy. "It's full of peanut butter cups!" Three second pause. Gasp. "... oh no. YOU READ MY BLOG?!?"

"#11. A new coffee cup, thermos, tumbler. Bonus points if filled with Hershey kisses or peanut butter cups."

He then proceeded to hand me a bag full of...

#5. Mini bottles of wine. <-- Totally drinking them now.

#19. Hair ties & bobby pins.

#34. New razor.

#44. Heat-protectant hair spray.

#46. Pepper spray. No really.

#47. A strawberry slicer.

#48. A manicure gift certificate.

But I think the greatest part was knowing that he cares enough about ~~cookies~~ ~~cupcakes~~ ~~sugar~~ me to stalk me on the Internet. "Why didn't you just tell me you read my blog?" "Because you get so angry when you catch me on there!"

Yeah. That's probably true.

... and now that I've re-read that list, I'm kind of permanetly mortified over the fact that he probably read #17, in which I stated that I would "marry him immediately" if he put a tiny framed picture of us in my stocking. I can't even deal.

Wait.

He didn't give me one. What does that mean? Oh geez.

2. I may be 24, but I still sneak out of bed in the middle of the night to see if Santa's come yet.

... this year he kind of failed at the "under the tree" concept.

3. I think you know.

What did Santa bring you this year?

Why Did I Take a Picture of That?

2011-12-26T20:49:00.000-08:00

Photos from the vault, the 2011 edition.

How to make cinnamon doughnut holes and FAIL.

Either you really love peanut butter cups... or you've just made these. Either way, this is just an artfully-arranged Christmas pile of trash.

How to make pumpkin pie spice. Or Bing it, really.

World's most ugly cookie batter.

Because the best way to showcase a cake is with a dog's face up in it.

Ready to be filled with chocolate mousse!

Because normal people pre-sketch out their Easter cupcakes, right? Don't answer that.

The tiny monster that follows me around while I bake.

What happens when you try to sprinkle fancy coconut on a cupcake and take an in-focus picture at the same time.

P.S. You miss completely.

A political sugar cookie. It happens. Don't judge me.

S'morestown. Chances are, no matter what I'm making, if there's chocolate melting, I'm going to take a picture of it. It's just a fact.

I think I was attempting to show the gooeyness of the peanut butter half? Either that or zoom completely inside the dough.

Making delicious cherries. I must've thought this step was important because I took at least eleven pictures of it.

How to add flour and cinnamon to pumpkin cupcake batter. Very complicated. And orange.

I AM A BROWNIE.

Sorry. It's just this is so in your face it's practically yelling.

Chocolate-dipped cookies? I don't even remember these happening.

If I could have zoomed all the way into this buttermilk biscuit, I probably would have. Clearly I really wanted you to understand that they are flaky and delicious.

Annnnnd... a chocolate chip. Like... just one. Very important things happening here.

What are you looking forward to baking in 2012?

Merry Christmas Eve!

2011-12-24T22:48:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas full of family, love, magic, and cheer!

Oh and cookies. Always.

Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Frosting for One.

2011-12-22T19:08:00.000-08:00

If you...

Ever had an Easy Bake oven.

Wish you still had an Easy Bake oven.

Have small children that ~~have an Easy Bake oven~~ ~~throw flour everywhere~~ like to help you bake.

Like sprinkles.

Like frosting.

Like miniature things.

Want to Facebook "Ate a whole cake. Totally normal."

Want to practice frosting a cake. Or use up leftover frosting. Or just put frosting in your face in general.

Have a last-minute need to celebrate something.

Had yourself A Day.

Consider cake a totally acceptable breakfast food.

Want to throw a pre-Christmas Eve Friday night party for one.

Or put a candle in something and make wishes.

Then this cake is for you!

Like... only for you.

Cuz it's tiny, duh.

I baked this mini cake for my dad's birthday the night before I moved to ~~procrastinate packing~~ since I would be missing his actual birthday. This meant the task of birthday cake-making would fall (unwillingly and with lots of grumbling and glares) to my mom... which, let's be real, means dropping off an order form at Baskin Robbins.

P.S. His birthday's today!

But my dad has a thing. And that thing is "chocolate cake with white frosting" every year without fail for his birthday, Father's Day, and, if he can get away with it, anytime in general that I bake a cake. The one time he tried to shake it up? I can't even deal. My mom made a red velvet cake and I think it scarred us for life, what with all the radioactive food dye in it and the cream cheese frosting (<-- not our favorite), since no one's eaten/asked for/thought about red velvet anything since then.

So. Happy birthday, Daddy. I miss you, I love you, and I think you're the bestest Dad in the world. Enjoy your birthday sushi and birthday ice cream cake and birthday Kindle Fire and I'll be back to bug you tomorrow.

Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Frosting for One

Printable Recipe

Cake

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 large egg

2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Vanilla Frosting

2 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 tablespoon shortening

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Pinch of salt

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove paper label from a 12.5 ounce can, wash, completely dry, then spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

P.S. The original recipe used this can. It works perfectly. Trust.

Place flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, baking soda, egg, oil, and vanilla extract in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

Melt chocolate chips in a small microwavable bowl in 30 seconds intervals, stirring in between until smooth. Pour into mixing bowl and whisk until well combined.

Pour batter into prepared can and bake for 25-30 minutes or until baked through. Remove and loosen edges with a knife. Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove from can by flipping over firmly. Let cool completely, then cut in half length-wise.

Add the vanilla and salt and mix until incorporated. Slowly add the powdered sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the milk and beat at high speed until light and fluffy.

When cake is cooled completely, spread part of the frosting over bottom cake.

Place second cake on top...

...and evenly spread the rest of the frosting over the cake.

Decorate with sprinkles, find something to celebrate, and enjoy!

Source: Cake and inspiration from Picky Palate. Vanilla frosting barely adapted from the pumpkin spice cupcakes for two recipe.

Tuesday Things.

2011-12-20T06:05:00.000-08:00

1. If you're reading this right now... I'm probably at work.

And I don't mean baking cookies and chasing ~~absolutely no~~ natural light all over my house. I mean learning how to use pepper spray and handle combative teenagers.

I know. It's weird for all of us.

2. This has nothing to do with anything, but I feel the need to be real with you.

Last week... I fed a donkey.

And maybe a goat or two.

And, yeah, there were probably some ponies.

3. I'm pretty sure there's a Christmas poltergeist living in our house. Like Peeves, except I've named him Henry and he's full of Christmas spirit. My favorite Christmas cookie book? It ended up behind the wrapping paper. It's disappearance nearly sent me into a tailspin and I had no idea what to bake for, I don't know, fifteen minutes. Our Christmas Vacation DVD completely disappeared and even though all three of us scanned through EVERY. MOVIE. WE. OWN. we couldn't find it... til it appeared the next day, top shelf, right in the middle, in a super obvious red case.

And the Christmas elf on our mantle?

It did this.

Classy, Henry. Classy.

4. Earlier this week I put some leftover vanilla buttercream (and sprinkles. obviously.) on these cookies and nearly died.

5. And that was after I ate this glaze with a spoon. Do it.

6. Have you left a comment on this post yet? There's still two days to left to leave a comment for me there for a chance to win $100 credited to your Serve account. Entries close on Thursday!

7. And now some Christmas cheer.

Kind of.

Merry Christmas week!

Scottish Shortbread Cookie Wedges.

2011-12-19T06:10:00.000-08:00

Okay.

Now I'm confused.

A week or so ago ~~I made~~ stalked my dad while he made brown sugar shortbread. The recipe called it Scottish shortbread.

But this recipe calls this Scottish shortbread.

I promise you. They're completely different.

This is:

Crispier.

Without brown sugar.

Pressed into springform pans.

Given fancy edges.

And cut into sugar-sprinkles-covered cookie wedges.

Basically a cookie pizza. And pizza's totally a dinner food (breakfast, if you're in college), so really, if you think about it, I've just covered your dinner plans for you.

Plus it's December, so you can get away with this nonsense.

P.S. Don't freak out! The dough is supposed to look like this.

Welcome to crumbletown. Please enjoy your stay.

P.S. Is anyone else watching Once Upon a Time? Because I'm pretty sure I just watched 7 episodes in one day and now I kind of want to be a descendent of a fairy tale princess.

Scottish Shortbread Cookie Wedges

Printable Recipe

1 cup butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

6 tablespoons cornstarch

Granulated sugar/festive sprinkles for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Beat butter, sugar, flour, and cornstarch until combined. Dough will be very crumbly.

Evenly press dough into two two 9-inch cake pans with removable rims (we used springform pans). Press edges of dough with fork tines to make a ridge pattern. Then, with fork tines, pierce dough all over in parallel lines 1-inch apart.

Bake until firm to touch and golden at edges, about 45 minutes. Sprinkle hot cookies with granulated sugar or sprinkles. Remove rims (be careful not to burn yourself!) and while hot, cut into 12 wedges.

Makes 24 shortbread wedges.

Source: Sunset Magazine, December 1998.

Cut-Out Sugar Cookies with Vanilla Buttercream + An Annoucement.

2011-12-16T02:05:00.000-08:00

Relax.

I'm not pregnant.

Or engaged.

Or writing a cookbook.

... I'm moving!

I knew that California-shaped shortbread would come in handy.

You know how my boyfriend & I have been in a long-distance relationship since I graduated from college (over two years ago)? Well... we're officially not anymore.

On Monday I found out that the job I applied for last September... the job I: took a written test for, interviewed, took a medical test, took a physical test, took a psych test, and did a background check for...

I GOT.

No big deal.

But today (four days later) I'm moving. Can you feel the stress buzzing around me? I think I emotionally ate my way through an entire batch of peanut butter cup treats in the last 96 hours. Right now I'm probably on the freeway, blasting Adele and the entire Michael Buble Christmas CD, with a suitcase stuffed full of super important things, like a miniature Christmas tree, lip gloss, and muffin pans.

Priorities.

So for the next few weeks, my life is going to look like this:

Training.

Home for Christmas.

Work.

Apartment-hunting. <-- Excited.

Moving in with my boyfriend.

Convincing my boyfriend I need this. And this. And probably this.

Unpacking.

Working.

Maybe sleeping.

... basically being an adult.

So if there's a sudden lack of sugar... or perhaps a surge in How Do You Live With A Man? posts... you'll know.

In the meantime, sugar cookies!

Crisp, buttery sugar cookies covered in vanilla frosting and sprinkles. Festive!

And some not-so-festive-but-still-super-cute cookies:

Fact: I will make an elephant out of anything if it's possible. Remember the pancakes?

Get on this!

Cut-Out Sugar Cookies with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Printable Recipe

Cookies

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 cups powdered sugar
2-4 tablespoons milk

Beat powdered sugar and butter until smooth. Add egg and vanilla; mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Slowly add to butter mixture and mix well, scraping down the side of the bowl as needed, until thoroughly incorporated. Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease baking sheets and set aside.

Divide dough in half and roll on a lightly-floured counter until 1/8 inch thick (You can roll it thicker if you want. We just found this was the best thickness for making the cookies hold their shape when baking. Plus they come out crispy).

Cut with cookie cutters and place on baking sheet about two inches apart. Bake for 7-8 minutes, or until beginning to turn lightly golden around the edges. Allow to cool a few minutes on the cookie sheet before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, beat the butter and shortening until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and salt and mix. Beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, scraping down side of the bowl as needed. Add 2 tablespoons of milk; beat at high speed until light and fluffy. Add additional milk until frosting is the spreading consistency you desire.

When cookies are completely cool, frost and decorate with sprinkles. Enjoy!

Source: Cookie recipe barely adapted from Betty Crocker's Cooky Book, 1963. Frosting recipe from Pillsbury Fall Baking, #93.

Celebrating.

2011-12-15T01:58:00.000-08:00

When a day consists of celebrating, spending time with family, wrapping presents, Christmas movies, baking cookies, fried lasagna, a glass of wine, and oreo cheesecake ice cream... it's pretty much the best day ever.

Yesterday my parents celebrated their 36th wedding anniversery.

THIRTY. SIX. YEARS.

I'm saying.

So we did what anyone else would do. We headed out for some classy Italian food.

Love.

There was wine...

Delicious fried things...

Oh that? Fried lasagna bites with alfredo sauce, marinara, and Parmesan cheese. No biggie.

P.S. I kind of really love calamari and definitely ate it with that spoon.

Relax. I ordered a salad too.

My parents have an anniversary tradition of going out for ice cream after dinner every year too so even though it was forty degrees and the wine went straight to my head and made me ate ~~three or four~~ two breadsticks... we headed out for some more sugar.

Thirty-six years of marriage. Plus we were celebrating something else too... but I'll tell you about that tomorrow.

The point is: sometimes you just deserve a scoop of Oreo cheesecake ice cream and a scoop of this.

In case you can't read that, it says: "Go dashing through the snow with butter caramel ice cream, chocolate chip blondie brownie pieces and milk chocolate mousse ice cream swirled with a fudge crackle ribbon."

I know. I can't even wrap my mind around what that is, but I ate it and I think it changed my life.

I was really excited to be able to pay for most of the meal using Serve, a new digital payment platform from American Express. Usually splitting bills or paying a friend back for ordering all those John Mayer concert tickets on their credit card is complicated. It requires a lot of math or a trip to the bank or nearest grocery store, where you're forced to decide between buying Twix or Kit Kats in order to get cash back. Then you have to break that $20 to get exact change, probably by buying more chocolate... and then your pants don't fit.

Serve makes it easy. Once you set up an account and verify it, get this: you can email money to your friends from your phone or computer. No stress. No splitting up the bill. No pile of credit cards. No math. When we got home from dinner, I simply typed in my dad's email address, sent him the money, and within in a few seconds, it was deposited into his account. From there he had the option to leave it in his account or withdraw it to his banking account (takes 2-3 days)/request it as a check (takes 5-7 days).

Simple. Super easy.

And P.S. It's all free.

Happy anniversery, Mom & Dad! Thanks for getting married and being the best parents ever.

... even if you cut me off after one glass of wine.

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received a $250 stipend to try Serve from American Express. Sign up for Serve and receive $10 credit towards your first use. Comment below within the next 7 days for your chance to win an extra $100 credit to your account! Official sweepstakes rules and regulations may be found here.

Homemade English Toffee.

2011-12-14T00:36:00.000-08:00

A few mornings ago I woke up to my mom making homemade English toffee.

That's how you know it's going to be a good day.

Making candy is like making bread to me. It's all foreign. Yeast? Kneading? Wait, let it rise how long? Exactly. Candy thermometers? Boiling sugar? Continuously stirring? Get out! I'll be over here eating sugar cookies for breakfast and stalking you with my camera and annoying questions.

"Stir slower. I'm trying to get a good picture."

"Does hot sugar burn?"

"What's that. What are you doing. Why are you doing that. WAIT! I DIDN'T GET A PICTURE."

"Sprinkle the almonds a little prettier."

"What'd you get me for Christmas?"

"Why didn't you just make almond cracker candy? It's the same thing."

Til she leveled me with a dirty look.

Apparently saltine crackers is "not the same thing" as hot sugar and butter magically stirred into sweet, rich, delicious homemade toffee. Who knew.

I want to live inside this picture.

P.S. I'm starting to think there's a theme around here and it goes a little like this:

That's probably why back in the day (it was a Tuesday. Just kidding. It was 1974.) it was called butter crunch.

I'm okay with that.

"Why aren't you using the recipe for toffee to make toffee?"

"Because it's not toffee. Why're you eating cookies for breakfast?"

Moms. Honestly.

Homemade English Toffee

Printable Recipe

1 cup butter

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1/4 cup finely chopped nuts (we used almonds)

6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Line a jelly roll pan with aluminum foil; butter foil or spray with cooking spray and set aside.

Melt butter in a 2-quart saucepan over low heat. Add sugar; heat to boiling, stirring constantly.

Stir in water and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until 290°F on candy thermometer. It'll start to thicken up and turn a light brown toffee color.

Remove from heat. Pour onto baking sheet and spread about 1/4 inch thick.

Immediately sprinkle with chocolate chips...

... and gently spread over the toffee as they start to melt.

Then sprinkle with nuts!

Allow to cool completely. When firm, break into pieces.

Enjoy!

Source: Adapted slightly by my mom, from Betty Crocker's Cookbook, 1974.

Cinnamon Sugar Cookies.

2011-12-12T17:29:00.000-08:00

If I could bake anything right now... I think I'd bake some banana bread. Or something with coconut and rum. Something summery, maybe baked on a grill. A wedding cake?

... this just got weird.

Basically I'm up to my knees in flour and butter baking dozens of cookies for cookie trays. There's been peanut butter cup treats...

Chocolate chip peanut meltways...

White chocolate peppermint mocha cookies (these + peppermint chips).

... aaaaand peanut butter blossoms, chocolate fudge, brown sugar shortbread, gingerdoodles, cut-out sugar cookies, English toffee, and these. Cinnamon sugar cookies.

Like an inside-out snickerdoodle. Or a sugar cookie. With cinnamon.

They're simple, light, crispy, Christmasy, and covered in sugar and sprinkles. All good things.

... so, no big deal, but I'm cookied out. Maybe it has something to do with eating shortbread and gingerdoodles three nights in a row for dinner? Or baking seven days in a row? Snacking on cookie dough?

... I didn't think so either. This is why we're friends.

Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

Printable Recipe

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup finely chopped pecans, optional (I used chopped walnuts)

Colored sugar, optional

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, granulated sugar, confectioners' sugar, and oil. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well.

Add flour, salt, baking soda, cream of tartar, and cinnamon. Stir in chopped pecans if desired. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or until easy to handle

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place on greased baking sheets; flatten with the bottom of a glass dipped in granulated sugar. Sprinkle with colored sugar if desired.

You should desire it.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Makes about 10 dozen cookies.

Source: Taste of Home Best Loved Cookies & Bars, Fall 2007.

150 Stocking Stuffers.

2011-12-11T18:53:00.000-08:00

Let's do this.

Women

1. Make-up brushes.

2. Cookie scoop.

3. A cute apron, rolled up.

4. Bath puffs.

5. Mini bottles of wine.

6. Starbucks gift card.

7. Extra earring backs. Priceless.

8. Extra eyeshadow brushes or pressed powder puffs.

9. Does she bake? Cupcake liners. Sprinkles. Vanilla beans. Piping tips. A zester.

10. Earrings or bracelets.

11. A new coffee cup, tumbler, or thermos. Bonus points if filled with Hershey kisses or peanut butter cups.

12. Pretty make-up bag or travel-size jewelry box.

13. Ring holders. I like this one.

14. Lipstick case.

15. Small candles.

16. Cute t-shirt, rolled up & tied with a bow.

17. A small framed picture. Seriously, I think if my boyfriend took the time to find a picture of the two of us, frame it in a sparkly frame, wrap it up, and put it in my stocking, I would marry him immediately. I mean, bake him cookies.

18. Their favorite Starbucks coffee syrup (like caramel or peppermint).

19. Hair ties, bobby pins, headband. Whatever they put in their hair.

20. Eyeshadow.

21. Travel-size hair straightener/curler.

22. A personalized iPod or iPhone case.

23. A Pan Am vintage-style luggage tag. Kind of loving this show.

24. Individual boxes with one See's Candy truffle (less than $2).

25. Pretty hardcase wallet.

26. From Trader Joes: Salted caramel. Cookie butter. Mini peanut butter cups. Smashing s'mores.

27. Make-up remover.

28. White Chocolate Wonderful or Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter.

29. Make-up brush cleaner.

30. A jar of Nutella.

31. Pink tools, like these screwdrivers.

32. A copy of their favorite childhood book.

33. Wine charms.

34. New razor. Fact: They're expensive and we hate buying them.

35. Earbud splitters.

36. Mini bath gels, body sprays, or lotions from Bath & Body Works.

37. A dessert decorator.

38. Movie tickets for a date night.

39. Pretty camera case or camera strap.

40. Mini martini or wine glasses (Pier 1 has a lot of mini things like this).

41. Pumice stone.

42. CDs (like Taylor Swift, Adele, or Glee)

43. A subscription to Cosmo (only $10 on Amazon right now).

44. Heat protectant hair spray, if they curl or straighten their hair a lot.

45. Sample-sized packages of coffee.

46. Pepper spray. What? We live in a suspicious world sometimes.

47. A strawberry slicer.

48. Gift cards for manicures.

49. Mini tripod for camera or phone.

50. A souvenir from a place that means something to both of you. Did you go to Disneyland this year? Order a Christmas ornament from the Disney store. Hawaii? Abcstores.com. It exists. Get creative.

Men

51. Star Wars USB flash drives.

52. Favorite childhood candy, like Pop Rocks or Candy Buttons.

53. Stylus for touch-screen technological things.

54. Earbuds.

55. Whiskey cubes.

56. Homemade chocolate chip cookies. Put them in a fancy tin!

57. Axe body spray.

58. Autobots decal.

59. Does he cook? This pastasaurus pasta server.

60. Fisher space pen (I've seen these at Staples) or an extra nice pen.

61. Stress ball.

62. Universal remote.

63. Popcorn seasonings or their favorite seasonings for barbecuing/cooking.

64. Pen cap utensils.

65. Screen protectors for iPods or iPads.

66. A letter opener.

67. An audiobook for guys who commute.

68. Their favorite soda or energy drink.

69. A pair of pajama pants, rolled up & tied with a bow.

70. Robot calculator.

71. A customized dogtag necklace.

72. The History of the World According to Facebook.

73. Mini Tabasco sauces.

74. A barbeque tool.

75. Collector's magnetic ticket frame.

76. Things to clean keyboards, iPad/computer screens, camera lenses, whatever they're into.

77. LED glowstick flashlights.

78. Tool belt for a bucket.

79. Portable speakers for their iPod.

80. The Zombie Survival Guide.

81. Liqueur-filled chocolates.

82. Playmore Notepad (paper that looks like baseballs, basketballs, footballs, etc. when crumpled)

83. Hickory Farms beef sausage. Always.

84. Blank CDs for burning music onto.

85. Shaving kit or replacement blades.

86. A box of their favorite Little Debbie snack. (This would work for anyone... I still give my dad Nutty Bars every year.)

87. Pocket knife.

88. Laptop feet.

89. A small Nerf gun.

90. Personalized M&Ms.

91. Sunglasses.

92. Portable radio.

93. Desktop robot vacuum cleaner.

94. Moose Munch from Harry & David or homemade popcorn mixes.

95. A tool belt for a mug.

96. If you're in a long-distance relationship: a travel-size game of Battleship for playing over the phone.

97. Cocktail shaker.

98. A Netflix subscription.

99. iTunes gift card.

100. Microwavable s'mores maker.

Girls

101. Beaded headbands or flower hairclips.

102. Sparkly nail polish.

103. Cake pops book or kit.

104. French toast stamp.

105. Old-school diary with a lock & key.

106. American Girl craft kits or friendship bracelet kit.

107. Breaking Dawn paperback, movie edition.

108. Glitter body sprays, like from Bath & Body Works.

109. Charms for a charm bracelet.

110. A mood ring.

111. Easy Bake oven mixes.

112. Elephant-shaped paperclips.

113. Anything to play dress-up with, like a tiara or magic wand.

114. Key caps for their keys, like these unicorn ones.

115. Cute phone covers or cell phone charms.

116. Vanilla cupcake scented pencils.

117. Toe socks.

118. A giraffe whisk.

119. Small jewelry boxes.

120. A lava lamp night light.

121. Digital photo key chain.

122. A disposable camera.

123. A book of paper dolls, like this.

124. Fancy hot chocolates.

125. Cute pillowcases.

Boys

126. Astronaut ice cream.

127. Sheriff's badge or a fireman's hat. Just do it.

128. Fossil Iced T-Rex Ice Tray.

129. Drumstick pencils.

130. Mini hand-held games, like 20 Questions or this Space Intruder game. Walmart has a lot of these for $1.

131. Solar-powered grasshopper.

132. Bucky Balls.

133. Xbox Live points card, a Farmville gift card, whatever they play.

134. Themed playing cards (like Star Wars Uno).

135. Hot Wheels or Transformers.

136. DynoBytes sandwich crust cutter (Seen these at Walmart too).

137. Army men parachute jumpers.

138. Small Lego kits.

139. This dinosaur folding comb.

140. A magnifying glass.

141. Rocket pens.

142. A toy lightsaber. Or a real one, no big deal.

143. Laser pens.

145. Water-powered space rocket.

146. Rubber duckies. Bonus points if they're ninjas.

147. A Harry Potter scarf, from their favorite house.

148. A Doodle Track. This is seriously awesome.

149. Party poppers.

150. Pocket microscope.

Christmas Gift Inspiration.

2011-12-08T20:19:00.000-08:00

Real life. Because people are difficult to shop for.

Men

A stylus for touchscreen technological things. I got this one for my dad, which is supposed to work with iPads, Kindle Fires, Droid phones, and a bunch of other things.

Old movies on BluRay. This is going in my dad's stocking this year. It came out in 1956 and was the first VHS tape my parents ever bought when they got married. They had to save up for it... because it cost about $80 back then.

.... I bought this for $7.99 at Best Buy.

The Percy Jackson or Heroes of Olympus books. Technically these books aren't for grown-ups, but I've read them and my boyfriend loves them and it's pretty safe to say that if there's a man in your life who's into Greek mythology or the Harry Potter series, then he'll love these.

The new Kinect Disneyland Adventures game. My boyfriend won't stop talking about this. Apparently you can walk around the park, interact with all the Disney characters, experience attractions, and go on magical quests.

An Autobots decal. If your boyfriend's like mine, then trust me: he's going to want this on his mode of transportation. I got this shiny silver decal for less than $3 off Amazon.

I think these Star Wars USB flash drives from Best Buy are kind of cute.

This universal remote magic wand. Change channels with a swish, turn the volume up with a flick. Works with anything that uses a remote control. This is pretty much the most awesome thing I've seen in my life.

A fleece sports team tie-blanket.

Have you ever made a tie-blanket? They're super fun and easy to make (here's a tutorial) and make great Christmas gifts... because they're made with love and even guys get cold! Pair their favorite team's pattern with a matching color (I used the one above for my boyfriend with a dark navy blue... Joanne's Fabric has a huge selection of fleece) and get to tying.

When in doubt: A Tron lightcycle. Seriously. It's real. (And $55,000.)

Women

A doughnut pan. Because seriously, who doesn't want to make doughnuts at home?

A sparkly Starbucks sleeve!

A recipe scrapbook. I made one of these for my mom last Christmas after we spent a week (seriously) trying to find our favorite buttercream recipe. It was super easy. Fill it with family recipes and never have to search for that one index card again.

This Christmas my Mom's getting this gorgeous Thomas Kinkade canvas painting. She collects fancy Tinkerbelle things and has wanted this ever since she saw it at Disneyland this year. If there's a Disney lover in your life, I'd really recommend checking out these paintings from the Disney store.

I'm going to be honest... this circus animal wafflemaker is on my Christmas list.

GPS. Just do it.

I got this touchscreen Garmin last Christmas after getting lost in San Francisco. Let's just say my boyfriend had to Google Earth me out over the phone, it wasn't pretty, and, yeah, maybe I cried a little. My favorite thing about this specific one is being able to see pictures of upcoming exits and things like the one above. Because sometimes freeways get a little crazy and if anyone can confuse "turn left" it's me.

This fancy purse from Pier 1 reminds me of Hermione's magical beaded bag in Harry Potter. So obviously I probably need it.

This is probably the softest blush brush I've ever felt in my life. It's kind of pricey, but then so is blush.

The Hunger Games trilogy. Read them. Loved them. Team Peeta.

And speaking of books... get ready for ~~Zac Efron's biceps~~ the next Nicholas Sparks movie with The Lucky One. I liked this book a lot more compared to some of his newer ones.

Girly electronic things, like this old-fashioned handset I kind of really want...

... or these cute earbud splitters that let two or three people listen to an iPod without that awkward attached-at-the-head dance.

Some stocking stuffer sorts of things on my list this year are these beaded owl coin bags from Pier 1 that I will secretly use to carry my iPod in...

... and this staple-less panda stapler. I think I use a stapler maybe once a year... but still. It's a panda.

Also it's staple-less so I'm going to assume it works by magic.

And no big deal, but I want this giraffe whisk from Target.

When in doubt: A unicorn.

What's on your Christmas list this year?

Brown Sugar Shortbread.

2011-12-07T15:42:00.000-08:00

Let's just get this out of the way.

This recipe calls for a pound of butter. There. I said it.

Last Christmas I attempted to make elfin shortbread... basically butter, flour, sugar, and Christmas sprinkles pressed together into tiny little shortbread bites. Festive! What could go wrong?

Um... everything?

I made the dough, turned it onto the counter, patted it into a square, and went to cut it into tiny bite-size cookie squares... and the entire thing turned into crumbletown. Seriously, I could not get the dough to be dough long enough to cut it into respectable pieces.

I pretty much swore off shortbread right then and there. Among other things.

This is what determination looks like.

My dad and I made brown sugar shortbread over the weekend. And by "my dad and I" I mean, my dad worked his shortbread magic while I hovered over his shoulder and ~~snuck cookie dough~~ watched (with a camera, obvs) (... did I really just say obvs? Let's pretend that didn't happen.).

Don't get me wrong. I did things. Big important things.

I measured out the brown sugar and poked at things with a fork.

My dad said to "poke them evenly."

I sort of just jabbed at everything in sight.

Let me tell you a few things about Scottish shortbread.

1. It's made of butter, brown sugar, and flour. That's it. Simple. No excuses.

2. It tastes like butter, brown sugar, and flour. I think I ate six cookies piping hot off the baking sheet and tried to move the others around so my dad wouldn't notice. It didn't work, but it was so worth it, third degree burns and all.

P.S. Don't do that.

Thick, soft, and buttery. All good things happening here.

3. Make them.

4. No, seriously.

5. Oh and dip them in chocolate too. You know. If you're the kind of person who lets cookies cool long enough to do that sort of thing.

Brown Sugar Shortbread

Printable Recipe

1 pound butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4- 3/4 cup extra flour for kneading dough

Preheat oven to 325°F.

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar. Add 3 3/4 cups flour; mix well.

Sprinkle counter with some of the extra flour and knead dough for five minutes, adding enough of the remaining flour to make a soft, non-sticky dough.

Roll to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut into 3 inch-by-1 inch strips. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Prick with fork.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Makes about 4 dozen.

Source: Taste of Home Best Loved Cookies & Bars, Fall 2007.

P.S. Is it just me or does this cookie look like California?

Gingerdoodles (Or Snickersnaps!).

2011-12-01T12:25:00.000-08:00

I'm going to tell you a secret.

Are you ready?

It's December 1st and I'm kind of freaking out.

Okay, that's not it (it totally is).

The secret is... I don't like gingersnaps.

And I'll eat a snickerdoodle if I have to, but I'll most likely glare at you the entire time and, I don't know, put some peanut butter on top of it or something.

... that's weird. I wouldn't really do that slash I kind of want to right now, don't judge me.

But I had to make these because 1. You can't not make gingersnaps or snickerdoodles at Christmas. It's like a thing.

2. I'm obsessed with taking two different cookie doughs and smashing them together. First with chocolate chip cookies, then chocolate and peanut butter, and now I'm messing with these two Christmas classics. But think how much prettier they'll look on a cookie tray!

And 3. I really, really just wanted to use the words 'gingerdoodles' and 'snickersnaps'.

It's the little things in life.

Or in this case, the big things... rolled in cinnamon and sugar and baked til crispy.

These take a little bit of extra time to put together since you're making two separate doughs, then rolling each in sugar (the gingersnaps) or cinnamon-sugar (the snickerdoodles) before rolling them into one giant cookie.

Here's some tips:

1. Make the doughs up the day before you want to bake them and chill them until you're ready to roll. Literally.

2. The snickerdoodle dough is crumblier and thicker than the gingersnap dough. Don't freak out! Soften it by kneading it in your hands a few times before rolling it into ball. It'll make it easier to combine with the gingersnaps.

3. If you want to save time, I totally support skipping the step where you roll each ball in a separate bowl of sugar. Just roll the combined dough ball in the cinnamon-and-sugar. It all gets swirled together anyway!

And, yes I am going to take every. single. picture. from now til New Year's in front of our Christmas tree.

Gingerdoodles (or snickersnaps, if you will)

Printable Recipe

Snickerdoodle Dough

1/2 cup shortening

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 tablespoon cinnamon + 3 tablespoons granulated sugar for rolling cookies in

Cream together shortening and sugar. Add egg and vanilla and mix well, until creamy. Add flour, baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar and mix until combined. Dough will be a little of crumbly, but it'll come together when you roll it into balls.

Combine cinnamon and 3 tablespoons of sugar in a small bowl and set aside for rolling dough in.

Gingersnap Dough

3/4 cup shortening

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon ginger

1/4 cup granulated sugar for rolling cookies in

Cream together shortening and sugar. Add molasses and egg and continue beating. Add flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Put 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl and set aside for rolling dough in.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease baking sheets with no-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Roll a small amount of gingersnap dough into a ball and toss in granulated sugar. Roll a small amount of snickerdoodle dough in a ball and toss in cinnamon-sugar.

Place both doughs together and gently roll or squeeze together (it worked best if I kneaded the snickerdoodle dough in my hand a few times before rolling both doughs together since it's a thicker consistency).

Place on baking sheets and bake for 9-11 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes before moving to cooling racks.

Source: A Year of Cookies.

Holiday Baking List.

2011-11-30T13:52:00.000-08:00

Last year my family & I helped put together a bunch of fancy Christmas cookie trays to take to the elderly and widowed people in their church. What you see above is only about half of the 35 dozen cookies we made in five days.

And we're doing it again.

On top of that... it's no secret I love to bake and this is one of my favorite times of the year to do it. If you show up on my doorstep, I will probably give you cookies. If you're my friend, I'm probably making them for you for Christmas. If I'm dating you, go away! I'm always making you cookies. If you invite me somewhere, yeah. Cookie trays are going to follow.

I'm kind of scared of this list.

Peanut butter cup treats- I ate these for breakfast all of last December. Love.

Raspberry almond thumbprint cookies- my all-time favorite Christmas cookie.

Mexican wedding cakes- a classic.

Decorated sugar cookies- my favorite part of making these the decorating. One word: sprinkles.

Peanut butter blossoms- another classic.

Chocolate almond cracker candy- made three or four batches of this last year. They were a HUGE hit.

Cranberry-orange sugar cookie sandwiches- a favorite I haven't made in a few years. Definitely not because I ate a huge plate of them a few New Year's Eves ago...

Fluffernutter chocolate gobs- my new favorite cookie recipe from 2011.

Salt river bars- perfect for cookie trays.

Peanut butter balls- bite-sized peanut butter-Rice Krispie-chocolatey things.

White chocolate raspberry cheesecake cookies- another favorite from 2011.

Chocolate-covered buttercream cherries- these take a bit of prep work, planning, and patience but are so worth it.

Graham cracker s'mores candy- this stuff is dangerously addicting. I might even festive it up a bit with some mini Christmas M&Ms.

Gingersnaps and snickerdoodles- more Christmas classics. I make both of these every year.

Some kind of Christmas bark- peppermint? Toffee pretzel? Chocolate chip cookie? Undecided.

Homemade Twix- similar to the salt river bars, but not.

White chocolate mocha cookies- I really want to add peppermint chips to these.

Cinnamon streusel pecan coffee cake- coffee cake and Christmas. It's like a thing.

Cinnamon pinwheels with maple-coffee icing- fancy, but without all the work. Love.

What am I missing? What's on your list this year?

Thanksgiving Moments & Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie.

2011-11-29T00:29:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving in our family of three goes a little like this: bake all week and decorate all day. It's a pretty relaxing, no-stress thing, unless we can't agree on only one pie everyone wants (we never can) or you manage to break the twisty top thingy off the whipped cream and are forced to either brave the lines at the grocery store or eat naked pie.

Not that that's ever happened.

There's light-hanging.

Oops.

Sorry, Dad.

Finally some stormy, wintry weather.

(And a rainbow! But you can barely see it in this picture.)

Tree decorating and glittery things.

House decorating and Christmas magic.

Try not to giggle, I dare you.

Puppy-cuddling.

Peanut butter blossoms and chocolate fudge.

Christmas movies and food comas.

And pumpkin pie!

Usually we make a pumpkin pudding pie, but this year we switched it up and made an apple butter pumpkin pie. It tasted like pure autumn... slightly sweet and fruity from the apple butter, but still having that traditional pumpkin pie flavor everyone loves. Can you believe this is the first pie I've ever made? It happens.

Andddd I forgot to take pictures in between baking it and sneaking slices at midnight. That also happens. This is the last slice and that makes me sad.

P.S. Beauty & the Beast comes back to theaters January 13th. I'm just saying.

Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie

Printable Recipe

1 cup apple butter

1 cup fresh or canned pumpkin

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

3 eggs

3/4 cup evaporated milk

1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

Sweetened whipped cream and praline pecans, for garnish

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place unbaked pie shell on a foil-lined baking sheet and set aside.

Combine apple butter, pumpkin, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in a bowl. Stir in eggs.

Gradually add evaporated milk and mix well. Pour into pie shell.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until set (I had to bake mine an extra 15 minutes).

If the crust begins to burn, place tin foil around the crust and lower the temperature of the oven.

Serve with sweetened whipped cream, sprinkle with praline pecans, and enjoy!

Source: Paula Deen.

Thanksgiving Eve.

2011-11-23T01:25:00.000-08:00

It's the end of November. It's raining. Breaking Dawn is in theaters and there's a turkey in our kitchen.

... you know what I mean.

There's red cups at Starbucks and peppermint syrup in my coffee. Our Christmas tree is up. Mostly.

(P.S. My mom made this garland out of ribbons. Isn't she fancy?)

There's a tiny silver Christmas tree on the corner of my desk, cinnamon things baking, and popcorn-hot chocolate dinners? I'm serious. It's a thing.

And, okay, there's still baby pumpkins on my dresser.

Eight of them.

That my best friend left on my doorstep when life was especially upside down.

And my ever-growing list of Things To Bake Immediately (<-- no really. This is real life. I have a list.) mostly involves pumpkin spice and things shaped like ghosts... not cranberry sauce and cornbread stuffing.

But it's okay because I already picked out my Christmas ornament for 2011.

Pier 1. Sparkly things. Do it.

So even though I disappeared for most of October/November (I had a medical exam, a fitness exam, and a psychological exam for a job I'm waiting/holding my breath *right now* to hear from... three separate trips to the San Francisco area, one of which left me stranded for a week with my boyfriend when they told me I needed to come back a few days later, even though I'd only packed one change of clothes... and absolutely no shampoo or make-up.

It was like camping. Only with showers, comfy beds, and Starbucks.

Oh and I had a relationship meltdown. No big deal.)

And even though life can get stressful and it's the day before Thanksgiving and all I have for you is a picture of a classy turkey I drew when I was younger... I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for reading, commenting, supporting, and inspiring me... and reminding me daily why I love doing this. Seriously. You're the best.

Enjoy your day. Spend time with people you love and eat lots of pumpkin pie. I'll be back soon with butter and sugar. And probably some twinkle lights...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday Things.

2011-10-19T01:18:00.000-07:00

1. This needs to be in your life.

2. Did you actually click play... or are you just scrollin' through? Mmhm. On to you.

3. I miss Disneyland.

Can we go? Okay.

4. What it's like to live with me, Exhibit A.

5. Confession: Friday nights are my favorite. It's the night I ignore the world, put on my favorite pajamas, silence my phone, x out of Facebook, have absolutely nothing to do with baking, and spend several hours watching some seriously classy television, particularly The Vampire Diaries, The Lying Game, The Secret Circle, Ringer, and Pretty Little Liars (Halloween episode tonight!).

Because obviously I'm secretly 16.

Then I head over here, to TV.com's photorecap treasury. If you watch The Vampire Diaries...

... or The Secret Circle...

... I think you should get on this business. It'll make you giggle.

6. Speaking of being 16, I may or may not have just made vampire fangs on my teeth out of candy corn.

7. I'm planning the most over-the-top, ultimate dream cupcake to celebrate the day I finally, finally land a career. I'm pretty positive it needs to involve this frosting...

... but maybe a caramel or peanut butter swirl instead.

What would your dream cupcake be, if calories, pounds, and carbs stopped existing for 24 hours? Inspire me!

Pumpkin Spice Scones.

2011-10-17T14:51:00.000-07:00

It was only a matter of time.

It's October.

And October = pumpkin spice scones!

This is another fall recipe that I wanted to make last year, but didn't because, well, let's face it, these scones are just a fancy excuse for eating giant, cakey pumpkin spice cookie-wedges covered in cinnamon-sugar glazes for breakfast.

I'm okay with that.

Sometimes figuring out what to bake around here can be a headache.

I don't like crispy cookies, my parents do. They like nuts in their cookies and pancakes... do not even get me started. My dad doesn't like mint or lemon, my mom doesn't like cinnamon with chocolate or anything sweet with peanut butter. My boyfriend doesn't like mini M&Ms, sweet things for breakfast, burnt marshmallow s'mores, or sugary frostings.

Frosting! Honestly, what am I getting into here? It's a good thing we're in love and all that.

As for me? Well. We all know that pumpkin things are my weakness (right after Lofthouse cookies and frozen cupcakes), so the thought of making 18 super thick, freshly-glazed scones both terrified and excited me. Really, I should've figured out a pumpkin scones for two recipe... but sometimes I just want to bake something without all the math. <-- is bad at fractions.

Luckily everyone loved these and they disappeared fast. Like... within 48 hours. And as someone maybe slightly obsessed with the Starbucks version, I have to say these were pretty close... and maybe even slightly better. I think next time I would add a little more cinnamon to the scones and make the glazes a little bit thicker, but other than that, these were perfect. And I kind of wish there were some left.

Make me some?

P.S. I highly recommend putting your fresh-baked scones on a baking sheet lined with wax paper, drizzling the two glazes over the top, and then moving them to a fancy plate... all so you can scoop up that extra cinnamon-sugar glaze with a spoon. I did not do that.

Seriously. I didn't.

Okay, fine. Totally guilty. Look at you, knowing me and all.

Pumpkin Spice Scones

Printable Recipe

Scones

1/2 cup canned pumpkin or pumpkin puree

3 tablespoons half-and-half (I used heavy cream)

1 large egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 1-inch cubes

Sugar Glaze

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk

Spiced Glaze

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Pinch of ground ginger

Pinch of cloves

Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray two baking sheets with nonstick spray or line with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, half-and-half, and egg. Set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Add the cubed butter on top. Cut together using a fork or pastry blender until it reaches the consistency of coarse cornmeal (pieces of butter should be no larger than a small pea).

Gradually fold the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture, using a spatula, wooden spoon, or your hands. Make sure all the dry ingredients have been moistened well.

On a well-floured surface, flatten and form the dough into a 12 inch x 4 inch x 1 inch-thick rectangle.

Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, divide the rectangle into three equal pieces, then cut each piece into four smaller triangles by making an "X" through them.

Place scones on baking sheet and bake for 13-15 minutes, or until just light brown. Remove to cooling rack and let cool before icing.

To make the powdered sugar glaze, mix all ingredient together, then brush over the tops of cooled scones using a pastry brush.

After the glaze has set (about 10 minutes or so), make the spiced glaze by mixing all ingredients together. Drizzle onto scones (I put mine in a Ziploc bag with the tip cut off).

Let icing set (or not) and enjoy!

Source: Brown-Eyed Baker.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes for Two.

2011-10-12T01:41:00.000-07:00

This isn't about portion control.

(Okay. It is.)

But really this is about there being too many pumpkin-spiced things in the world to eat between now and peppermint/gingerbread season and anything more than two cupcakes is totally unneccessary and stresses me out.

... even though I tripled this and made six. Two for my face, two for my parents, and two for pictures. Whatever. It happens.

Want to hear something sad? I've been craving pumpkin cupcakes since literally August.

... of last year.

I know! But I'd never had one and I figured they would taste like big cakey pumpkin spice scones topped with frosting and sprinkles and sugar, and since cupcakes and pumpkin scones are two of my biggest weaknesses, I kept putting them off. For the sake of my jeans.

Until I found this recipe that makes just two cupcakes and, well, there went that idea.

I was so excited when I found this, I literally unplugged my laptop, carried it into the kitchen, and made them that night. I didn't have any leftover frosting to frost these with (<-- probably a good thing) and I'm not much into cream cheese frostings, so I made a tiny batch of cinnamon-vanilla buttercream instead.

Where have been I living? These are even better than the vanilla cupcakes for two! They're so soft and moist and full of fall spices.

And the cinnamon frosting? I pretty much want to put that on everything I bake for the rest of my life. I'm serious. Cakes, pies, onion rings, whatever. It's gonna happen.

But seriously. I can't even handle thinking about making a full batch of these cupcakes because after the first batch disappeared, I kept wandering into the kitchen all night looking for the other ten. I could've eaten a whole dozen. Dangerous times.

Thank you, tiny recipe, for letting me fit into my pants.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes for Two

Cupcakes

1 egg white

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 tablespoons pumpkin puree

1/4 cup flour

1/4 heaping teaspoon baking powder

1/2 heaping teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Pinch of ground cloves

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 tablespoons milk

Cinnamon-Vanilla Frosting (makes enough for 2-4 cupcakes)

2 1/2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 tablespoon shortening

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Pinch of salt

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk

1/8 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon (for a stronger cinnamon taste, use 1/4 teaspoon)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin pan with two liners and set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk together egg white and sugar until thoroughly combined. Whisk in oil, vanilla, and pumpkin until fully incorporated.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cloves, and salt. Gradually stir into pumpkin mixture until just combined. Stir in milk. The batter will be very liquidy.

Divide the batter between the two cupcake liners, filling slightly more than 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 15 minutes, or until cupcakes are set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached. Cool completely before frosting. (Note: My cupcakes came out a little cone-shaped in the middle, but you can smooth them down with a knife or spoon.)

To make frosting, beat together the softened butter and shortening until light and fluffy (I did this in my stand mixer with the paddle attachment, but since it's such a small batch, be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl with a spatula in between each step!). Add the vanilla and salt and mix until incorporated. Slowly add the powdered sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the milk and mix at high speed until light and fluffy. Stir in cinnamon and frost cupcakes!

Source: Cupcakes from A Bitchin' Kitchen, frosting inspired by same source, but adapted from this recipe.

Tuesday Things.

2011-10-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

1. Everytime I order a salted caramel mocha frappuccino (or a sltcrmlmo frap, if you will), I giggle. Because honestly, everytime, it reminds me of that scene from You've Got Mail:

"The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. Short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low-fat, non-fat, etc. So people who don't know what the hell they're doing or who on earth they are can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee, but an absolutely defining sense of self: Tall! Decaf! Cappuccino!"

And then I blush, because it's always the same barista who takes my order and I'm pretty sure at this point he's judging me by the amount of salted caramel I consume in a week.

And the giggling, of course.

2. Do you think my mom's trying to tell me something?

The day the last white chocolate raspberry cheesecake cookie disappeared, these FIVE boxes of muffin mix appeared in the cupboard. "I'm just stocking up." <-- My mom.

So, you know, in case of a zombie apocalypse, cookies at my house?

3. Mohawk apples. It's a thing.

Literally! It's a type of apple.

4. Does anyone else watch Being Erica?

Get on this! This is one of my all-time favoritest shows and I feel like no one else has ever even heard of it. Also, Season 4 just started and I'm kind of flipping out because no one told me and I've been wasting my time watching Pan Am and Ringer.

I love this show because it always makes me want to get out there and live my life right. It makes me happy! It's about a thirty-something woman whose life hasn't turned out like she expected (been there). She's fired from her job, her relationships fall apart, none of her dreams came true, her family isn't perfect... until she meets Dr. Tom, a therapist who can send her back in time to fix all of her mistakes and regrets. Seriously. Watch this. I know. There's no vampires. But it's so worth it.

Unlike American Horror Story. I can't even deal.

5. This was the best cupcake of my life.

I'm not going to lie, I kind of wanted to use that frosting as moisturizer.

6. My dad just emailed me from the living room. Real life.

7. And, most importantly, your Tuesday pep talk, sponsored by Pinterest.

White Chocolate Mocha Cookies.

2011-10-10T01:53:00.000-07:00

Do you ever wish you could go to Starbucks and just order a cup of whipped cream and salted caramel?

No? It's okay. We can still be friends.

One of my favorite parts of college was making late-night coffee runs with my roommate/boyfriend/whoever was awake when I desperately needed ~~an excuse to stop studying~~ caffeine. Because normal people order lattes at 3 AM, right?

... they do if they're studying criminal justice. It's not all CSI and petri dishes, I'll tell you that.

But the best was when we'd go at this random, magical hour between 3 and 5 AM when they would very generously give us our drinks for free. This only happened a few times, but when it did? It was like Christmas morning!

... and since we're so close here and all, I'm ~~not ashamed~~ only slightly ashamed to tell you that one time, after getting venti peppermint frappuccinos for free, we drove back to the dorms in a total sugar high, switched cars, put on sunglasses... and went back for free hot chocolates.

What can I say. It was finals week.

Also: I love coffee. On the real.

So I was super excited when, as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received two limited-edition fall coffees to try from Godiva: pumpkin spice and caramel pecan bark.

I have to say, I was a little disappointed with the pumpkin coffee. It was described as having a "warm pumpkin pie flavor with cinnamon, nutmeg, and sweet vanilla cream notes" and it smelled amazing brewing, like the inside of a pumpkin, but didn't taste... special. If I hadn't known it was pumpkin spice, I would've guessed it was just regular coffee brewed with a pinch of cinnamon. Maybe it was because I've gotten used to having super sweet pumpkin lattes? I don't know.

But the caramel pecan bark?

The minute I ripped open the bag, I knew it had to be put it in a cookie. It was either that or eat the grounds with a spoon.

These are officially the second best cookies I have ever made (fluffernutters for life), but if baking's not your thing or you're having a day, seriously: just make this dough and put it in your face. It's legit.

These cookies taste something like a cross between the double chocolate chunk Oreo cookies (without the Oreos) and the chocolate chip espresso bars. They're thick, super chewy, with a rich, deep, dark chocolatey mocha flavor that's definitely for coffee-lovers.

Like taking a fistful of coffee and punching a chocolate chip cookie in the face. Delicious.

P.S. They're best warm and eaten right off the spatula for dinner. I totally did not do that/yeah. It happened.

White Chocolate Mocha Cookies

Printable Recipe

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons instant coffee granules

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract (I know... it seems like a lot. But you can't taste it with all the chocolate & coffee going on)

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, instant coffee, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until fluffy, for about 2 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and brown sugar and mix until incorporated. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix until combined.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just incorporated, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in the semisweet and white chocolate chips. Be careful not to over-mix.

Scoop dough into tablespoon-size balls and place 2-inches apart on baking sheet. Bake for 9-10 minutes.

Let cookies cool five minutes on baking sheet before removing to wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Source: Fat Girl Trapped In A Skinny Body.

Fall To-Do List.

2011-10-05T12:50:00.000-07:00

It's October.

What?! That's what I said.

I don't know if it's the changing leaves, the fall weather, or flipping my Vampire Diaries calendar from Jeremy to Stefan... but everything feels like a new beginning.

After the slump I fell into this summer, a slump with no beaches, no s'mores, no camping, and no very little happiness, I'm determined to do fall right, especially when it comes to Halloween. I'm only 24... I'm way too young to be looking back on life thinking "I should've done this..." or "I should definitely have eaten that..." Whatever! This is life. Let's do some living.

So in no particular order, here's everything I want to do/am totally doing this fall...

1. Go to a pumpkin patch.

2. Hike to a waterfall.

3. Go to the drive-in with blankets & hot chocolate.

4. Carve pumpkins.

5. Watch Halloweentown. <3 this.

6. ~~Go to the apple farm.~~ Done! We went Sunday.

7. Make some warm, savory dishes, like chicken tortilla soup or mini lasagnas.

8. Bake something that requires yeast and patience. And cinnamon!

9. Split a fancy caramel apple with someone.

10. Finally donate that box of four-sizes-too-big clothes I've held onto for over a year.

11. Make Halloween bark. (I've wanted to make this for the last two years.)

12. Wear a Halloween costume.

13. Have a scary movie-a-thon.

14. Hand out candy!

15. Bake a pie with homemade crust.

16. Throw a big pile of leaves in the air, just because.

17. Go to the Big Game (annual football game between our two high schools... I haven't been since I was actually in high school and in the half-time show.)

18. Take pictures in a photo booth. Because I've still never done this.

19. Get back to my pre-summer weight.

20. Reread Breaking Dawn & go to the midnight release.

What's on your fall to-do list?

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies.

2011-10-03T01:11:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I wandered into the kitchen and found these two cookies sitting perfectly displayed on the middle of the counter. They couldn't have been more obvious if they'd been placed on a cookie pedestal with a tiny cookie spotlight.

Raspberry cheesecake cookies from Subway. Have you tried these? Swoon.

I looked around. "They're for you!" my mom said, leaping into the room.

Suspicious.

"Really?"

"Well... kind of. Can you make them? They're like a cookie (<-- actual words). With cheesecake. And berries. Bits of berries. Like jam, but not. Okay, love you!"

Honestly.

The last time I tried making white chocolate raspberry cookies, they turned into white chocolate raspberry fail. But I like a challenge and recreating recipes (as long as it doesn't involve yeast and patience and letting things rise) and can I tell you?

These are one of the best cookies I have ever made. I know I say that with almost every cookie post, but this time I'm super serious.

They're soft and chewy, like a sugar cookie, but with all the flavor of a raspberry cheesecake. And they taste exactly like the ones from Subway. Maybe even a little bit better.

The secret?

This $.99 box of muffin mix! (It comes in blueberry too. Can you imagine? Blueberry cheesecake cookies. With macadamia nuts! This is dangerous thinking...)

And even though they're made with muffin mix and the dough is super soft and, yeah, they kind of look like fat, fluffy pancakes while they're baking, they really are the same texture as a regular bakery-style cookie. I know... I was suspicious too. I thought they would be cakey and soft and fall apart, but trust.

See? Thick. Chewy. Un-pancake-y. Perfect.

Oh and did I mention they're made with muffin mix? That pretty makes them a legit breakfast.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies

Printable Recipe

2 (7-ounce) boxes Jiffy raspberry muffin mix

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

2 tablespoons butter-flavored shortening

1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese, butter, shortening, and brown sugar, until just combined (I beat mine until it was completely smooth, but still had little chunks of cream cheese). Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add the muffin mix and using a wooden spoon, mix until incorporated. Stir in the white chocolate chips and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease baking sheets and roll dough into tablespoon-size balls. Place 2-inches apart on baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, until just turning golden around the edges.

Cool five minutes on baking sheet before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Source: Barely adapted from Just A Pinch.

Thursday Things.

2011-09-29T15:18:00.000-07:00

1. This used to be the cupboard where we kept bread. Oops.

2. I realized earlier this summer that nearly every book I've read this year has had at least one vampire in it. So I rebelled. I branched out. I read The Help. Then I read all three Hunger Games books (loved the first... hated the last one. Hated.). Somewhere in there I reread Pride & Prejudice & Emma.

And now I don't know what to do with myself! I need book suggestions... or I'll be forced to reread Breaking Dawn. Again. Which is legit because the movie's coming out soon, but still. Help.

3. This is a problem.

No, really. There's something seriously not right with this picture. It makes me want to ~~die~~ ~~melt~~ ~~cry~~ lay on a beach and drink icy umbrella drinks. Seriously, what happened to pumpkin weather?

4. It's okay though because I just ordered my Halloween costume! What! I can't tell you! It's super secret, but I'm really excited about it and it's going to be epic. And the best part of all is I got it for free.

What! Yes. Free.

Have you heard of Swagbucks? It's a search engine. Like Google.

... only every so often when you search for things like "what is 1/2 of 1 3/4 cup of butter?" (<-- real life) you're awarded with "swagbucks" which you can trade in for things like gift cards to Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, Fandango, and my favorite place to shop, Amazon. I've been using Swagbucks for awhile now. I have it set as my homepage and since it's the only search engine I use, I've been able to save up a lot of $5 Amazon gift cards to use for baking things, Christmas presents, and now... my Halloween costume.

Want to get in on this? It's super easy. You can click here to be referred by me... and I'll love you/be your best friend/make you cookies. Or no biggie, you can just go here and sign up on your own.

5. I'm totally craving a vanilla cupcake stuffed with pumpkin ice cream. Is this even a thing? Because it should be.

Jelly Doughnut Muffins.

2011-09-26T14:15:00.000-07:00

Apparently pie is the new cupcake which the new cake pop which is the new whoopie pie. Whatever! I say doughnuts. I'm serious... I think it's their time to shine. They've waited long enough. Let's bring back good old-fashioned classy fried dough.

I know. "Doughnuts" is more or less Latin for "Are you sure you really want to eat that?" Is it even possible to eat a doughnut without feeling guilty anymore? I always feel like I need to go into witness protection after I do. But sometimes you really do need an apple fritter the size of your face! To me, doughnuts are a way to kick off a day extra right. Lazy fall mornings. Christmas mornings. Graduation mornings. Special mornings where you're feeling extra pretty and sassy... or did lots and lots of yoga.

The only thing better than a doughnut on a lazy fall, extra-sassy morning? A big cakey version of a doughnut. Without the deep-frying.

Muffins!

Fat, fluffy, muffins. Or naked cupcakes. Whichever.

I love this recipe. I really didn't expect them to taste like jelly doughnuts, but they totally do! They're light, fluffy, melt in your mouth, and somehow make you feel a little bit healthier while eating delicious cake for breakfast.

... and even though they're piped full of raspberry jam and sprinkled with sugar, you still feel better about your life because it's not deep-fried or out of a pink box.

P.S. All I can think about staring at these photos is that I should've poked two holes in these and called them vampire muffins!

I may or may not be really excited for Halloween.

The point: Doughnut muffins. Cake for breakfast. Do it.

Jelly Doughnut Muffins

Printable Recipe

For 18 Muffins

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup milk

1 cup jam or jelly for filling (I used raspberry jam, but strawberry, cherry, or even apple jelly would taste amazing!)

1/4 cup powdered sugar for sprinkling

For 10 Muffins

1 1/6 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 large egg, at room temperature

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup jam or jelly for filling

2 tablespoons powdered sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 2 1/2-inch muffin pan with paper or foil liners and set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on high for about 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla, and beat until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add eggs one a time, beating well after each addition.

Starting with the flour, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, beating on low speed after each addition until just combined.

Spoon batter into muffin liners, filling each until about two-thirds full. Use the back of a spoon to smooth out batter in cups.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for five minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

When cooled completely, fill a pastry bag or a Ziplock bag fitted with a small round tip with your filling. Gently insert the tip into the center of the muffin and squeeze jelly inside until some of the jelly is visible on top.

Sift powdered sugar over the top of muffins and enjoy!

Note: The powdered sugar will get absorbed into the muffins after the first day so if you're making these in advance, I would sprinkle them right before serving.

Source: Brandy's Baking.

Skillet-Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie.

2011-09-21T01:14:00.000-07:00

Instead of watching the new episode of Glee... I'm writing about a really big chocolate chip cookie.

I don't even know who I am sometimes. I need to get my priorities in check.

But this isn't just a really big cookie... it's a GIANT cookie, baked in a cast-iron skillet. Because nothing says fall like baking things in a cast-iron skillet.

(Plus it kind of makes me feel like I'm on the Oregon Trail.)

To me, there's two kinds of fall baking.

1. The kind of baking that takes all day and makes you feel totally in control of your life... and kind of like a rockstar. We're talking hard. work. Kneading things. Whisking things. Probably some kind of apples or cinnamon or pumpkin. Fancy breads. Pumpkin rolls. Pies. Creme brulee.

Okay, I'm not entirely sure about the creme brulee, but it sounds legit. And I would totally feel like a rockstar wielding a kitchen torch.

2. And fall baking that requires absolutely no work, no time, and no trips to store (<-- most important). Baking that pretty much bakes itself while you're curled up under a pile of blankets, watching a Charmed marathon, drinking pumpkin lattes, and pretending it's snowing outside when really it's 80 degrees, but it's September and you're determined to live right.

This is that baking.

This. Is a chocolate chip cookie.

A chocolate chip cookie the size of personal pan pizza, if by "personal pan pizza" you mean stuffed-crust and exta-large and in my face.

It's an inch thick...

.... which makes it more of a rich cookie-brownie than an actual cookie. It has crispy edges and a soft, chewy center... and yeah, maybe it's delicious with vanilla ice cream, a drizzle of chocolate syrup, and a spoonful of salted caramel.

Or dipped in pumpkin latte.

That's weird. Don't do that. I did that.

P.S. Don't have a cast-iron skillet? Use the recipe below for a 10-inch cookie & bake it in a 9-inch springform pan. Fancy! It's like cheesecake, but not.

P.P.S. This definitely happened.

At least one of us has our priorities in check.

Skillet-Baked Chocolate Chip Cookie

Printable Recipe

For A 10-Inch Skillet

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks or 12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups (about 9 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

For a 13-Inch Skillet

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 sticks (18 tablespoons) of unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/8 cups light brown sugar

1 extra-large egg, at room temperature

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar, and brown sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing until well incorporated. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and beat just until incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Transfer the dough to an ovenproof skillet (I used a 13-inch cast iron skillet) and press to flatten in an even layer on the bottom of the pan (dough might be a little crumbly, but it'll bake up perfectly once flattened down).

Bake until the edges of the cookie are brown and the top is golden, about 40-45 minutes. Don't overbake it; it will continue to cook a few minutes out of the oven.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving. Best if served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup. Enjoy!

Source: Tracey's Culinary Adventures.

Pumpkin Spice Syrup for Homemade Pumpkin Spice Lattes.

2011-09-19T00:19:00.000-07:00

Fall means a few things to me:

1. It's almost Christmas.

2. It's almost Christmas.

3. It's almost Christmas.

4. PUMPKINS!

I really, really, really love pumpkins.

So to kick-start fall (even though I totally had a pumpkin scone in June... and already posted pumpkin churros), I made this pumpkin spice syrup.

Here's the science behind it: those addictive pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks are basically pumpkin-flavored syrup (no actual pumpkin!) + coffee + milk. One grande pumpkin spice latte (with whipped cream and milk... and P.S. who wants just a grande? I want to carve out a pumpkin and fill it with latte) has 49 grams of sugar. Forty-nine. That's dangerous ground for someone who wants/needs/must have a pumpkin spice latte in her face, everyday until Thanksgiving. Starbucks, why is there no sugar-free pumpkin syrup? Get on this.

But now I can make it home... and just how I want it too! I can add more syrup. Less milk. Extra cinnamon. I can drink it out of a pumpkin. I can eat spoonfuls of whipped cream. It's a bit like being a wizard. A coffee wizard.

And judge me all you want, but I made this using Splenda instead of granulated sugar and mixed it with heavy cream instead of milk. It tastes almost exactly like the fancy lattes I remember, but with nearly 3/4 less sugar and guilt.

I mean, unless you start dunking pumpkin churros in it. Not that I did that/I totally did.

Pumpkin Spice Syrup for Homemade Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Printable Recipe

1/3 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cups water

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally to keep syrup from burning.

Let mixture cook together until it becomes syrup-y and begins to coat the spoon (for about 10-15 minutes), then remove from heat.

Refrigerate in a heat-proof container. The syrup will thicken a bit in the refrigerator, but will become syrup-y again when heated.

To make pumpkin spice latte, heat syrup with milk (about 2 cups of milk and 2-3 tablespoons of syrup, depending on how much milk or creamer you want to use and how pumpkin-y sweet you want your latte. I usually use about 2 tablespoons syrup + 2-3 tablespoons of heavy cream to cut down on the sugar.). Pour into a blender or whisk until frothy, for about ten seconds (to make it thick and prevent the pumpkin from settling on the bottom). Pour into cup and stir in about 1/2 cup or more of strong, hot coffee.

Top with whipped cream, a swirl of caramel sauce, and a sprinkle of cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, or nutmeg. Enjoy!

Source: Bran Appetit.