Pumpkin Snickerdoodle

Now that Fall is in full swing, you all know how I like to stock up on pumpkins after visiting the pumpkin patch around Halloween every year. Around this time, I usually make my staple Pumpkin Spice Pancakes or Pumpkin Soup. And if I'm feeling a little bit more celebratory, I'll make my Pumpkin Dream Cake. This year, quite a few people have been ordering my Pumpkin Cake Roll. You'd think I'd be pumpkined out. But no. I still want to add to my pumpkin repertoire and searched for another pumpkin recipe. This time, I wanted to make cookies out of my pumpkin.

On Pinterest, many have posted recipes for Pumpkin Snickerdoodle. My daughter loves Snickerdoodles, so I decided to give this recipe a try from Center Cut Cook. These cookies came out soft, light and airy and more like a cake than a cookie. But it was delicious. I love the subtle flavor of pumpkin and all the spices in this cookie. And my daughters love these as well.

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
3/4 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sugar (for topping)
2 tsp. ground cinnamon (for topping)

1) In a bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add in eggs and mix well.

2) In a separate large bowl, sift together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Combine dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until well incorporated.

3) Stir in pumpkin puree. Place dough in the freezer to chill for about 90 minutes.

4) When dough has chilled, pre heat oven to 350 deg F. Then in a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon for the topping. Set aside.

5) Using an ice cream scoop, scoop dough to make a ball. Roll ball into the cinnamon-sugar mixture and place dough balls on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes until the edges begin to brown. The middle of the cookie will appear uncooked, which is okay.

6) Cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes then cool completely on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

S'mores Cookie Bars

My older daughter has been asking me to make something that uses marshmallows in the recipe. And what's a better use of marshmallows than s'mores? I love roasting marshmallows and sandwiching it between chocolate and graham crackers, then eating its ooey-gooey goodness. Something about it is just so comforting. 

I found this recipe for S'mores Cookie Bars on Pinterest from Lovin' in the Oven. It uses a graham cracker cookie crust and marshmallow fluff that accomplishes the gooey part of a traditional s'mores. This definitely satisfies my S'mores craving.

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 king-sized milk chocolate bars
1 1/2 cups marshmallow fluff (not melted marshmallows)

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan.

2) In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3) In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light in color. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture and continue beating on low speed until combined.

4) Press half of the dough in an even layer on the bottom of prepared pan. Place chocolate bars on top of dough. Spread marshmallow fluff over the chocolate bars. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the marshmallow fluff (the easiest way to do this is by flattening the dough into small shingles and then laying them together).

5) Bake for 30-35 minutes until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

Happy 1st of July!!! I can't believe that summer is in full swing. What a way to kick off the heat of the summer by baking cookies. lol! I had to crank up the oven today, because when I saw these cookies from The Novice Chef, I had to make them right away. I've often had chocolate crinkle cookies, but never a red velvet version. I didn't realize how simple these yummy cookies were. Everyone knows that I like to make things from scratch. But with the use of a boxed cake mix in this recipe, I think I can make an exception.

I used the crinkle cookie recipe on the side of the box from Duncan Hines. The only difference from the Novice Chef version is the addition of lemon zest and cornstarch. It gives the cookie an extra zing. This technique, however, can used with other boxed cake mixes like chocolate, lemon, or even funfetti (obviously, you'd omit the lemon zest if you were using the chocolate cake mix). This is a great recipe that you can quickly whip up when you have a cookie craving and have extra cake mixes on hand.

6 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 box Red Velvet cake mix
1 tsp. lemon zest
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp. cornstarch

1) Preheat oven to 375 deg F. Place confectioner's sugar and cornstarch in a shallow bowl and set aside.

2) In a large bowl, combine melted butter, eggs, lemon zest and cake mix until there are no large lumps left.

3) Roll dough into 1-inch balls (about 1 tablespoon of dough) and coat in confectioner's sugar and cornstarch mixture. Place dough balls on an ungreased cookie sheet about 1-inch apart.

4) Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the tops have crackled and have set (the centers will still be gooey). Allow to sit for 5 minutes and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Snickerdoodle

"I'm Debbie Dooley. How ya doooen?"

If you're like me and my daughter, you'll know that that line came from the Disney show,  Good Luck Charlie.  My daughter will even recite that whole scene to a T for you. That line came out of an episode where the mom, Amy Duncan, was imitating her neighbor, Debbie Dooley, while making Snickerdoodles. My daughter and I (and secretly, so does hubby) love that show. But I don't think I've ever had a snickerdoodle before.

On our way home from a trip to Palm Springs this weekend, my daughter asked if we could bake cookies. First she asked for Chocolate Chip Cookies, then she asked for sugar cookies. But I kind of wanted to try out a new cookie recipe. So I agreed with sugar cookies. With a twist. Why not make a Snickerdoodle like Debbie Dooley did?

A quick search to my go-to blogs lead me to this recipe from Brown Eyed Baker. Snickerdoodle is a supped-up version of a sugar cookie with a cinnamon flavor. And it is delicious, especially right out of the oven. Its also a great cookie to use for ice cream sandwiches. Soft and chewy, just the way I like my cookies. Mmmmmm!!!!

2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
3 Tbsp. sugar

1) Line baking sheets with parchment paper and chill in the refrigerator.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3) Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add in the flour mixture, beating on low speed just until the flour is blended. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.

4) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Mix sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.

5) Using a small ice cream/cookie scoop, scoop chilled dough and roll in the cinnamon/sugar mixture to coat. Place on cookie sheet, spacing the dough balls about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes. (Chill cookie dough and baking sheets between batches). Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes. Transfer on a cooling rack to cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container.

Chewy Sugar cookies

My daughter's birthday is fast approaching. I cannot believe she'll be 4 soon. boohoo! Anyway, we're planning a party for her next weekend with all kinds of activities. Including an Ice Cream Sandwich Bar. At first, I had the plan of ordering the ice cream sandwiches for the party. So I went to a couple of places that specialized in build-your-own ice cream sandwiches so I can try them out. But I had this crazy idea to do something similar at home using my own home-baked cookies. What a fun idea for all the guests to build their own ice cream sandwiches. I would definitely serve my Big Fat Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies and Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies. But I also wanted a neutral cookie and I figured Sugar Cookies would be a yummy neutral flavored cookie. A quick search lead me to this recipe from All Recipes.

I modified the recipe based on the reviews of the recipe. But it was a pretty easy and the cookies turned out really good. Crunchy around the edges. Soft and chewy in the center. Perfect to go with ice cream. I'm sure everyone will enjoy these. I'll post all about it after the party.

2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup decorating sugar

1) In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.

2) Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Gradually add dry ingredients and continue beating just until incorporated. Chill dough for at least 30 minutes.

3) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Roll dough into walnut-sized balls. Roll dough balls in decorating sugar and then place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten dough balls slightly.

4) Bake for 8-10 minutes until slightly browned around the edges. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes. Place cookies on wire rack to cool completely.

Sugar Cookies

I've always envisioned baking sugar cookies with my daughter around the Holidays, where I would let her cut out the shapes and decorate with the frosting and sprinkles. I thought baking sugar cookies would be an easy thing to do. But when I look up the recipes, they just seem so complicated. Where the most complicated thing was the the frosting....royal icing. Where in the world can I find meringue powder? I've looked at the craft store where I buy a lot of my baking needs, but no such luck. Another problem I have is the counter space to roll out the dough. I have the old-school tiled counter top. Not ideal if you want to roll out dough of any kind. So the closest I got to sugar cookies was when I made these Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies, where I didn't really have to roll out the dough. But they still weren't the shaped cookies that I've always wanted to make with my daughter.

This week was her last week at school before her Holiday break and I decided to have her give out cookies to the kids on her last day. So she and I made Chocolate Chip Cookies and I decided to tackle the task of making Sugar cookies using this recipe from Annie's Eats. Making the cookies was really easy and the ingredients were straightforward. I decided to use our dining table to roll out the dough and have my daughter cut out the shapes, which she enjoyed doing.

To tackle the meringue powder issue, I decided to search online to see if there are any substitutes for meringue powder. Sure enough, I found this substitute, using egg whites. Its an extra step, but it definitely works if you can't find meringue powder like me. Its definitely worth the extra step to see my daughter having a good time frosting and decorating these yummy cookies.

Cookies

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

1 cup confectioner's sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 1/2 tsp. almond extract

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. salt

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted

1) Using an electric stand mixer, cream butter over low-medium speed. Slowly add confectioner's sugar. Blend in egg, almond extract, vanilla extract, salt and flour. Continue beating until well incorporated. Form dough into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill dough until firm.

2) Preheat oven to 375 deg F. Grease 2-3 cookie sheets.

3) Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness on a well-floured surface. Cut with cookie cutters and place on prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes, but do not let the cookies brown. Cool completely before frosting and decorating.

Royal Icing

2 egg whites

2 Tbsp. water

1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

4 Tbsp. sugar

4 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted

5 Tbsp. water

food coloring

1) In a bowl of a double boiler, whisk together egg whites, 2 tablespoons of water, cream of tartar, and sugar. Place bowl over boiling water stir frequently with a rubber spatula. Cook mixture until temperature from a candy thermometer reads over 160 deg F. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

2) Using an electric stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine egg mixture with confectioner's sugar on low speed for 7-10 minutes, until icing has a matte appearance. Remove bowl from the mixer and add water, 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency.

3) Place icing in separate bowls per food coloring. Frost cooled cookies and immediately decorate (with sprinkles). Allow frosting to set before serving.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

With the Holidays comes Holiday baking. One of my favorite things to do around the Holidays is not shopping. But baking. Don't get me wrong. I love shopping just as much as the next guy/gal. However, I find I'm most happiest in my kitchen baking (or cooking). Every year, I always try to bake something new to give out as Holiday gifts for our neighbors. There's something about homemade gifts that makes me feel so domesticated like a housewife. Wishful thinking, I guess. But I do like to make homemade gifts. Besides, its the neighborly thing to do.

I discovered this recipe, of all places, from Facebook. I'm a fan of the Betty Crocker group, and everyday, they post yummy recipes and this particular recipe was posted. I love the combination of mint and chocolate. To me, this flavor combination is what Christmas is all about and what reminds me most of Chistmas. Its the time of year when you'll see a lot of Peppermint Hot Chocolate or Peppermint Mocha being advertised (think Starbucks or McDonald's). So its the perfect time to make these delicious cookies. If you love mint and chocolate, you'll love these cookies. So easy, yet so yummy. Eat these cookies and it'll remind you of eating a scoop of mint & chip ice cream.

1 pouch sugar cookie mix (I used Betty Crocker)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/4 tsp. mint extract

6-8 drops green food color

1 egg

1 cup mint baking chips

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F.

2) In a large bowl, combine cookie mix, butter, mint extract, food color and egg. Mix thoroughly using a hand mixer or an electric stand mixer until soft dough forms. Stir in mint and chocolate chips.

3) Using a small cookie scoop or teaspoon, drop dough 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cookie sets. Cool for 3 minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Biscoff Cookie Dough Balls

This is my new addiction.......Biscoff Spread.

Like everyone else familiar with Biscoff, I first had my taste of the Biscoff cookies on a plane ride going somewhere (I don't exactly remember where to). I was probably in my teens then, and I wasn't much of a novice in the kitchen as I am now. So I didn't appreciate those yummy cookies that tasted almost like a ginger snap cookie, but not as heavy on the spices. Until last holiday season when one of my sister-in-laws brought a packet for everyone. Oh, I remember these! was my first thought.

I've recently learned about Biscoff spread when recipes using it have been popping up all over the blogosphere lately. And then this recipe for Biscoff Cookie Dough Balls popped up on my reader from The Novice Chef. Everyone who knows me and those who've been following this blog know how much I looooooove anything that is cookie dough. From Cookie Dough Cupcakes, to Cookie Dough Truffles, if it has anything to do with cookie dough, I'm all over it.

These cookie dough balls were heaven in a small package. Jessica, from the Novice Chef, was so dead-on about these. They are best eaten straight out of the oven, when they are gooey and warm. But if you can't eat them all right away, store them in an air-tight container and pop them in the microwave for 8 seconds to bring them back to their ooey gooey-ness. Perfect with a glass of milk.

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup Biscoff spread

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2) In a bowl of stand mixer, cream together butter, Biscoff spread, and sugars until well combined. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat thoroughly until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

3) In another bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking powder. Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat on medium-low speed until it starts to come together. Add the remaining half of the dry ingredients and continue mixing until well combined. Do not over-mix. Just let it all come together but do not beat longer than that. The dough will be dry.

4) Fold in the chocolate chips. Scoop into balls using a 1 1/2" scoop (or guess using your hands). Place them evenly spaced apart on prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool for 2-3 minutes before transferring on a cooling rack. Serve immediately. Store leftover cookies in an air-tight container and microwave for 8 seconds to warm up and re-serve.

Moon Pies

I have never really had moon pies before, but I remember I used to see them being sold in individual packets at the supermarket when I was a kid. I did, however, eat my fair share of mallow-mars. Those were my fave. As I got older, I learned that moon pies were somewhat similar to mallow mars, with the marshmallow filling in between the layer of cookies in the moon pies. Unfortunately, they don't sell moon pies in our area anymore, so I'm left with the regret of not having tasted them. And then I found this recipe, from, once again, the Brown Eyed Baker.

As with any sandwich cookies, these were a multi-step process. Making the cookies, cooling the cookies, making the filling, making the coating, and assembling. But these were so worth the task. I can't believe I've never tried a moon pie before. These were so delicious and I absolutely love the creamy marshmallow filling in the middle. You can bet I'll be making these again.

Cookies

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1) With the mixer on medium speed, beat the butter until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add brown sugar and beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and add egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine. Reduce speed to low and slowly add flour and salt. Continue mixing just until a soft dough forms. Divide dough into two, shape into disks, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

2) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Working with one disk at a time, roll out dough to about 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out the rounds and place on prepared baking sheets about 1/2-inch apart. Refrigerate cookies on the cookie sheet for about 10 minutes.

3) After chilling the cookies, bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool on the pans for a few minutes, and then transfer on a cooling rack to cool completely before assembling.

Marshmallow filling

2 egg whites

pinch of cream of tartar

pinch of salt

2/3 cup light corn syrup

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted

1) Using a mixer with a whisk attachment, beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt on medium low speed for about 2 minutes. As the egg whites increase in volume, increase speed to medium high speed and continue beating until firm, stiff peaks form.

2) Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, boil corn syrup over high heat without stirring until temperature reaches 230-235 deg F. Slowly drizzle hot syrup over egg whites and beat at high speed until glossy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low and add vanilla extract and confectioner's sugar.

3) Using a piping bag or spoon, mound about 1 1/2 tablespoonful of the filling into the center of a cookie. Top with another cookie and press lightly to spread filling to the edges. Add another mound of filling on top of the second cookie and top with another cookie, again pressing lightly to spread filling to the edges. Repeat with the rest of the cookies.

Chocolate coating

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1) Using a double boiler or microwave (on 30 second increments), melt chocolate and vegetable oil together until completely smooth. Place assembled cookies on a wire rack set over wax paper or rimmed baking sheet. Spoon melted chocolate over each cookie so that it runs down the sides and covers most of the cookie. Allow the chocolate to set at room temperature for about 2 hours, or refrigerate to speed up the process. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies (Homemade Oreo Cookies)

I rarely buy store-bought cookies any more. When I buy cookies at the supermarket its either those marshmallow cookies dipped in chocolate, or wafer cookies, or Oreos, or some other cookie that you can't really make at home. Oreos, however, are one of those cookies that I have to be in the mood for. But once I'm in the mood for them, watch out. Because if you want some of the Oreo cookies I bought, you better get to them before I do because I'll scarf them down. Fast. Especially if they're the Double-Stuffed Oreos. Especially if they're the Double-Stuffed Mint Oreos. Oh yeah. I often have to pace myself, especially when hubby and I are dieting, because I lose track of how much I eat in a day. Then when hubby reaches in our pantry to find only a few cookies left, I'm in trouble. Where'd all the Oreos go? Maybe the cookie monster ate them. Yeah, cookie monster me.

Then I came across a few recipes for homemade Oreo cookies. Hmmmm, maybe if I make them from scratch, they'll definitely be healthier and easier to eat. So I settled on this recipe from the Brown Eyed Baker. My cookies didn't turn as dark as the actual Oreos themselves. But I think its because I used regular cocoa powder instead of the Dutch-processed cocoa powder that the recipe called for. Honestly, I didn't really know what the difference was to begin with. But now I figured it made a difference in color and taste. These cookies tasted more like a chocolate cake or a chocolate whoopie pie than the cookie we're used to. Which is why I call these Chocolate Sandwich cookies instead. They were still yummy, nonetheless. I loved the filling in this recipe. I'm definitely going to make these again, and next time, probably with dutch-processed cocoa.

Cookie

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder (its best to use dutch-processed cocoa)

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg yolk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1) Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

2) Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add egg yolk and vanilla extract. With the mixer on low, add flour mixture in 3 batches, just until dough forms. Divide dough in half. Form each half into a 6-inch square and wrap with a plastic wrap. Chill for 2-3 hours until firm.

3) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Grease or line baking sheets with parchment paper.

4) Roll out 1 piece of dough between sheets of parchment paper, 1/8 inch thick. Slide dough onto a large tray and freeze until firm enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough. (Use scraps of dough to make more cookies, rolling only once).

5) Cut out as many rounds as possible using a round cutter, reserving and chilling scraps. Quickly transfer cookies to prepared baking sheets 1/2 inch apart. Bake until slightly puffed, about 10-12 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before adding filling.

Filling

1/2 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup shortening

2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1) Cream together butter and shortening at medium speed until combined and smooth. With the mixer on low, slowly add confectioner's sugar and vanilla extract. Increase the speed to high and continue beating for 2-3 minutes until the filling is light and fluffy.

2) Place filling in a piping bag and pipe a heaping tablespoon of filling (more if you like a lot of filling like me) on the flat side of cooled cookie. Top with another cookie and gently press together. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies

I've been wanting to bake some sugar cookies with my daughter for a while now, so that she has a chance to decorate them. Then this recipe for Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies popped up on my reader from Annie's Eats early last week before our plumbing incident. So I baked the cookies first and haven't had a chance to frost them. We've, therefore, been eating the cookies without the frosting. So before we run out of cookies to frost, I decided to finally complete the recipe today. The cookies were really good. Soft and cakey. But the frosting really did for me. You can't have these cookies without the frosting. There wasn't much cookies left to frost, so I did them myself. But I'm definitely making these again so that my daughter has a chance to frost them.

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

4 1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

5 tsp. vanilla extract

1) In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt and whisk together to blend. Set aside. In a bowl of an electric stand mixer, combine butter and sugar. Beat on medium-high speed until soft and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed. Blend in vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated and evenly mixed. Cover and chill the dough for 1 hour.

2) When ready to bake, pre-heat oven to 350 deg F. Line baking sheets with wax or parchment paper. Using a mini ice cream scoop, scoop cookie dough and roll into a ball. Flatten the ball to shape cookie and place on prepared baking sheet. Space the cookies at least 2-3 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or just until set. (Do not over bake. Edges should be very lightly browned, if at all). Let cool on baking sheet for a few minutes and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Frosting:

5 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

7-8 Tbsp. milk (plus more as needed)

food coloring (optional)

sprinkles (optional)

1) Place confectioner's sugar in a bowl of an electric stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Add melted butter, vanilla and milk. Whisk until smooth. Add milk as needed, 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency. Tint with food coloring if desired. Frost cooled cookies and add sprinkles if desired. Store in an airtight container.

French Macarons

There's "macaroons," which is a coconut pastry. Then there's "Macarons," which is an almond-meringue based French pastry. Its 2 almond meringue cookies with a creamy filling sandwiched in between them. But don't let the French hear you call it a cookie. The first time I've ever had French Macarons was when I saw these beautiful, bite-sized morsels in the frozen section at my local Trader Joe's. Yes, I tasted my first French Macaron frozen. And it was delicious. And since then, whenever I encounter Macarons at any bakery, its a must that I order them.

I've seen a few bloggers make Macarons, and they all say how tricky it can be. The recipes I've seen look pretty intimidating, which is why I've delayed my attempt to make them. But I really wanted to make them. So I decided on this recipe from the King Arthur Flour website. The recipe had step-by-step instructions that included photos which made it a bit easier for me.

I wasn't too happy with the end result, however. My cookies didn't have the "feet" on its bottom, which is the fuzzy ring that develops on the bottom from baking. However, the flavors were almost there. I used the vanilla buttercream from my Vanilla Bean cupcake recipe. I'm definitely going to attempt this monster again and play around with different fillings. But for now, since this was a trial run, I wanted to keep the filling simple.

4 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) almond flour or almond meal

4 ounces (about 1 cup) confectioner's sugar

3 large egg whites

a pinch of salt

a pinch of cream of tartar

3 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. water

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar

1) Pour almond flour and confectioner's sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Process for about 20 seconds. Sift mixture through a sieve to remove any large pieces and aerate the mixture. Set aside.

2) In the bowl of an electric mixer, add egg whites, pinch of salt and pinch of cream of tartar. Set aside.

3) In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to a rapid boil. Boil for about 2 minutes. The temperature should be between 235-240 deg F. Remove from heat.

4) Immediately start whipping egg whites on high speed until they hold a soft peak at the end of the beater. Then pour hot syrup steadily into egg whites. Stop mixer to scrape the sides of the bowl halfway through pouring the syrup. Continue beating on high speed and steadily pouring syrup. Beat until meringue is smooth, glossy and form soft peaks.

5) Fold in almond flour mixture and stir until well incorporated. Continue stirring with a spatula until the batter runs in ribbons that disappear back into the mass in about 10-20 seconds. Test frequently until you reach this point.

6) Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat, parchment paper, or aluminum foil. Use a teaspoon to place a generous amount of batter on the baking sheet to test consistency. Gently tap the baking sheet to slightly flatten the batter. If the it doesn't flatten out, stir the batter some more. Once the desired consistency has been reached, use a piping bag to deposit a generous amount of batter (about a teaspoon size) on the baking sheet, about an inch apart from each other. Gently tap the baking sheet. Allow to rest for about 2 hours until you can gently touch the tops and come away with a clean finger.

7) Toward the end of resting time, preheat oven to 275 deg F. Bake for 25-30 minutes until firm on top. Cool completely before removing from baking sheet. Use vanilla buttercream to sandwich in between two cookies. Place assembled macarons in an airtight container and store in refrigerator for 2 days.

Peanut Butter Snickers Cookies

I'm one of those people who like to stock up on holiday goodies when they go on sale after the holiday. I actually still have some Christmas-themed Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Hershey kisses in my pantry that I bought after Christmas. Hubby hates that I do this. He says it tempts us to eat chocolate all the time when we're supposed to be watching our calorie intake. But they're great to use in baking, so I like to stock up. And every now and then, we do reward ourselves by eating a couple of pieces whenever we get a sweet tooth. So we don't eat them often, which is why we still have Christmas chocolates. That's a lot of self control to be able to not consume all that chocolate. And I loooove chocolate and have a huge sweet tooth. A deadly combination.

This past Easter, hubby was shocked to see that I bought more chocolates - Snickers to be exact. I assured him, however, that they were going to be used for this Peanut Butter Snicker Cookie recipe I found from Brown Eyed Baker. I decided to finally make them today with my daughter, who's been asking me to bake some cookies with her. Maybe hubby will quit complaining about all the chocolate in the pantry because these cookies were delicious. Dangerously delicious. I couldn't stop eating them. The peanut butter doesn't overpower the overall flavor of the cookie. And they're soft and chewy. Just the way I like them.

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky)

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 egg

1 Tbsp. milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups chopped Snickers (4 regular bars, or 3/4 bag of bite-sized Snickers)

3/4 cup milk chocolate chips

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Line cookie sheet with parchment/wax paper or silicone mat.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3) In a bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and peanut butter on medium speed until fluffy. Slowly add sugars and continue to beat until smooth. Add egg and mix until well combined. Add the milk and vanilla extract and continue mixing until combined.

4) With the mixer on low, add flour mixture and beat until flour disappears. Stir in chopped snickers and chocolate chips.

5) Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of cookie dough on prepared cookie sheet. Slightly flatten the dough with the palm of your hand. Bake for 10-11 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Cool on baking sheet for 5-10 minutes and then transfer to cooling racks to cool completely. Store in air-tight container at room temperature.

Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've never made chocolate chip cookies from scratch. I may have attempted to a while ago, but I just felt that it was easier to buy the ready-made cookie dough at the supermarket. I love chocolate chip cookies. I love chocolate chip cookie dough even more. So I always buy the large tub from Costco and never felt the need to make them from scratch. Until I came across this Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe from Sing for your Supper... Its originally called the Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies. This recipe has made its way all over the blogosphere. I've seen it in quite a few other blogs and I wanted to see what the hype was all about.

I happened to have bags and bags of chocolate chips that I bought from a local Cost Plus World Market that was closing. So I figured I should start using them before they go bad. This was the perfect recipe for them. And just like its name, these were big, fat and chewy chocolate chip cookies. Just the way I like them. I always love eating chocolate chip cookies when they're soft and chewy. Almost like they're only half baked. Perfect with a glass of milk. My daughter couldn't wait to dig into them. And neither could I.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1) Preheat oven to 325 deg F. Line cookie sheets with wax or parchment paper. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

2) In a medium bowl or mixer bowl, cream together melted butter, brown sugar and sugar until well blended. Beat in vanilla, egg and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon or spatula. Drop cookie dough by the tablespoonful or by using a mini ice cream scoop onto prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.

3) Bake 15-17 minutes or until edges are lightly golden. Cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to completely cool.

Alfajores

Alfajores is an almond flavored sandwich cookie often found in Latin cultures. There are many different versions of this cookie from different parts of Latin America. This particular recipe is a Peruvian version. I came to learn about this delicious cookie from one of my co-workers when she brought some back from lunch at a local Peruvian restaurant. I was totally hooked and I had to find a recipe. I found this recipe from Christmas-cookies.com that I thought I should try. We're going on a trip to the mountains this weekend and I figured these would be perfect to take along with us.

The cookie itself was pretty easy to make. The tricky part was the caramel filling. It didn't thicken enough to spread on the cookie. It was very runny, but the recipe specifies that if the caramel is too thin, I had to add confectioner's sugar and it came out fine. Since our weekend trip falls right before Valentine's day, I wanted to be festive and make heart-shaped cookies, rather than the traditional round shapes. Overall, these cookies were delicious. I hope everyone likes them.

Cookies

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature

1 cup confectioner's sugar

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. almond extract

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/3 cup ground almonds (ground slivered almonds in a food processor)

3 cups all purpose flour

Caramel Filling

2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar

1 cup half & half (or light cream, or evaporated milk)

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2) Cream butter, confectioner's and granulated sugar until fluffy. Stir in salt, almond extract, vanilla extract, ground almonds and flour. Continue beating until well incorporated. Wrap the container and chill for 30 minutes.

3) Once chilled, roll out dough on a floured surface 1/4 inch thick. Cut desired shape of cookie and place on prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks before spreading filling)

4) To make the filling: combine brown sugar and cream in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat. As it cooks, brush inner sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water to wipe away sugar crystals. Continue heating mixture to 238-240 deg F. Remove from heat and cool to 110 deg F.

5) Stir in butter. Beat mixture until it is thickened, about 8-10 minutes. If mixture is too thin, add confectioner's sugar until desired consistency is achieved. Add vanilla. Cool mixture in refrigerator for about 30 minutes to further firm up the filling. Spread on bottom side of one cookie. Place another cookie on top of filling. Dust with confectioner's sugar.

White Chocolate Cranberry Orange Cookies

The holiday season is in full swing at our house. The Christmas tree is up, presents are under our tree, lights and lawn decorations are on our house. I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

To keep with the holiday spirit, I decided to make these cookies from the Betty Crocker website. The recipe called for fresh or frozen cranberries, but I decided to use dried cranberries instead and it came out really well. These were so delicious and very festive. The tartness of the cranberries and the sweetness of the white chocolate chips blend together so well. I think I may have found a new favorite cookie.

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

grated zest of 1 orange

1 egg

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup cranberries (fresh, frozen, or dried)

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

2) In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3) In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, brown sugar, and orange zest on medium speed until well blended. (The mixture will have a consistency of wet sand). Add egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.

4) Add flour mixture into egg mixture and stir by hand until almost combined. Add cranberries and white chocolate chips and stir just until blended.

5) Drop spoonfuls of dough, 1 inch apart, on prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes until light golden and set around the edges but still soft in he middle. Cool on the cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack to finish cooling.

Sunny's Crunchy Peanut Butter S'mores

We decided to do a semi cook-off at the office to celebrate the Holidays. The only rule was that our co-worker, Stacy, got to pick the recipes off of the Food Network for us to cook. In search of recipes, she found this one for me to make just for her. lol! And of course, I was happy to oblige. Its the holidays, and I usually like to bake cookies or dessert to give out to my neighbors as gifts. So this is somewhat like a trial run anyway.

This "cookie" is super duper rich. If you're a serious (and I mean, SERIOUS) peanut butter lover......serious enough that you'd want to swim in it........then this is for you. This totally beats Reese's peanut butter cup by far. It was pretty good, but like I said, it was very rich. I guess I'll just have to wait for the verdict from Stacy tomorrow. This recipe makes a pretty large batch, so I think you can definitely cut the recipe in half.

2 cups crunchy peanut butter

1 1/2 sticks butter (softened)

5 cups powdered sugar

4 cups milk chocolate chips, melted

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 cup marshmallow fluff

1 cup coconut flakes (optional to mix with the graham cracker crumbs)

1) In a large bowl, combine peanut butter, butter, and powdered sugar. Beat in an electric mixer until well incorporated. Scoop the mixture with a teaspoon and form into balls, then press into a coin shape, to about the size of a quarter. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2) Once hardened, dip peanut butter coins into melted chocolate, then toss in graham cracker crumbs until coated. Place on a wire rack and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

3) Once the chocolate has hardened, place a dollop of marshmallow fluff on the center of one coin using a pastry bag or plastic sandwich bag with the tip cut off. Place another coin on top of the marshmallow fluff to make a sandwich. Refrigerate for about an hour.

Peanut Butter Maple cookies

I came across this recipe at allrecipes.com when I was trying to get dinner recipe ideas. I thought, I still have maple syrup from Canada at home, so I should try this recipe. If you love peanut butter, you'll love these cookies. You can't really taste the maple syrup, but they're still awesome. Especially with a nice, cold glass of milk.

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

3 tsp. maple syrup

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup quick-cooking oats

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 package (10 ounces) peanut butter chips

1) Preheat oven to 325 deg. F. Combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

2) In a large bowl, cream the butter, peanut butter and sugars. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour mixture and mix until it is well incorporated. Stir in peanut butter chips.

3) Scoop batter by the heaping tablespoonful, about 2 inches apart, on a cookie sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until they are golden brown. Cool for about 1 minute before removing from the cookie sheet.

Gooey Chocolate Brownie cookies

I've been in a chocolate fix lately and have been craving for a really good brownie. At the grocery store, I decided to pick up the ingredients to make brownies. I hadn't found a recipe yet, but I knew that the kind of brownie I wanted to make was the one where you melted the chocolate instead of using cocoa powder. So I bought the walnuts and semi-sweet chocolate chips. I thought I had the rest of the ingredients at home. So I searched for a good recipe and found Ina Garten's Outrageous Brownies. It called for a pound of butter that I didn't have. So I came across a Brownie cookie recipe on Allrecipes.com which looked pretty easy, and I had all the ingredients it asked for. I added a few more things to it to make it my own, and "Gooey Chocolate Brownie cookies" was born.

4 tablespoons butter
12 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 2 cookie sheets.

2) In a double boiler or in a microwave, melt chocolate and butter and stir together. Set aside to cool.

3) In a large bowl, mix the eggs and sugar on high speed of an electric mixer for 2 to 3 minutes. On low speed, add the melted chocolate mixture and vanilla while mixing.

4) Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; fold into the egg mixture with a large spoon. Stir in the nuts and white chocolate chips, and let the batter rest for 5 minutes.

5) Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cookies should spring back to touch. Cool cookies on a baking rack.