Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: Santa's cookies

Holy moly, we finally did it - we've reached the last day of the Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies link-up! Today's post features "Santa's cookies" - in whatever capacity that means to you.

Growing up, we always had several special Christmas Eve traditions. My sister and I always got to open one present, which was pajamas (of course), and we usually had an "appetizer picnic" for dinner. Appetizers were easy for my mom to get together during the day, then we could nibble on them before and after church and everyone had a good dinner without having the added stress of doing some sort of sit-down meal. Additionally, we always left a plate of cookies for Santa by the Christmas tree, and we always threw some carrots out onto to the deck for the reindeer. Then it was off to bed!

I don't remember a year when we didn't bake something around Christmas time, so rather than have some specific type of cookie that were "Santa's cookies," we left a plate of whatever kind we had made that year. That included the standard sugar cookies with buttercream icing and usually included the candy cane cookies, too. The other type of cookie that I remember making year after year was haystacks - butterscotch treats made with chow mein noodles and peanuts. Those are still one of my favorites, year after year!

Haystacks
original recipes from... not sure!

Ingredients

• 1 (12 oz.) pkg. butterscotch chips
• 1 (3 oz.) can chow mein noodles 
• 1 c. salted peanuts 

Directions

1. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt butterscotch chips: microwave for about a minute, stir, microwave for a minute, stir, and repeat until fully melted. 
2. Stir in chow mein noodles and peanuts and make sure everything is completely coated in butterscotch. 
3. Drop by teaspoonful on wax paper, shaping as necessary to make stacks and connect all little pieces. Allow to cool fully before handling.

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: family favorites

Welcome to our Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies link up! For the next two weeks, join us every day and add your favorite cookie recipe for that day’s theme. Please follow Lisa and I and check out some new blogs! Happy baking!

I have mentioned repeatedly that, in my house, the red Betty Crocker cookbook is pretty much the go-to cookie bible. The recipes in it are tried and true, and almost never fail (occasional failures due to baker error, not the recipe!) - my mom has been using the same recipes for over 30 years, and I've been helping for over 25 years. Now, those same recipes are the ones I use in my house, and will pass on to my kiddos, eventually!

This Christmas classic is a family favorite. It is a bit of a labor of love, and we don't make them so much anymore because they are time-consuming - but they were always a top request from my sister and I when we were little, and my mom always indulged us. They are delicious!

Candy Cane Cookies
from Betty Crocker
Makes 4 dozen cookies (or so!)

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 1 egg
• 3 1/2 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon red food color
• 2 tablespoons finely crushed peppermint candies
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Directions 

1. Stir together 1 cup sugar, the butter, milk, vanilla, peppermint extract and egg in large bowl. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Divide dough in half. Stir food color into 1 half. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours. 
2. Heat oven to 375ºF. 
3. Stir together peppermint candy and 2 tablespoon sugar; set aside. 
4. For each candy cane, shape 1 rounded teaspoon dough from each half into 4-inch rope by rolling back and forth on floured surface. Place 1 red and white rope side by side; press together lightly and twist. Place on ungreased cookie sheet; curve top of cookie down to form handle of cane. 
5. Bake 9 to 12 minutes or until set and very light brown. Immediately sprinkle candy mixture over cookies. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: candy cookies

Welcome to our Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies link up! For the next two weeks, join us every day and add your favorite cookie recipe for that day’s theme. Please follow Lisa and I and check out some new blogs! Happy baking!

I have found what is quite possibly the world's best chocolate chip cookie recipe.

That's a big statement, I know. But I've made these cookies twice now, and both times, they turned out out-of-this-world. In fact, I took some to work, and put a sticky note on them that said "The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies," because I needed people to know that these weren't standard chocolate chip cookies (which could be passed over) - these were the BEST cookies. And must be tried!

The recipe calls for the inclusion of mini M&Ms. When I can find them, I put them in - but if you can't find them or just happen to be out, they are just as delicious with just the chocolate chips. I'm pretty sure they would also be delicious with a variety of other mix-ins. It's the secret ingredient in the cookie base that makes them such a hit... the chips are just an added treat.

Make these!

Perfect M&M Cookies

from Picky Palate

Makes 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients 

• 1 stick/1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar 
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 
• 1 large egg 
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
• 1-1/2 cups all purpose Gold Medal Flour 
• 3 tablespoons Instant vanilla pudding mix 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips 
• 1 or 1-1/2 cups Mini M and Ms 

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a large baking sheet with a silpat liner or parchment paper. 
2. In a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugars until well combined. 
3. Add egg and vanilla, mixing to combine. 
4. Add flour, pudding mix, baking soda and salt, stirring to combine. 
5. Add chips and M&Ms, stirring to combine. 
6. With a medium cookie scoop, place dough 1 inch apart from each other. 
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes until cooked through. 
8. Let cool on cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. 

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: non-cookie dessert

My mother-in-law makes a special holiday version of the classic "dirt" dessert every year - it's chocolately, pepperminty, goodness, and it always gets devoured!

I don't have her exact recipe, but this one from Taste of Home is pretty close to how she makes it - just add a layer of crushed candy canes or other mints while you are laying in the pudding and cookies!


Holiday "Dirt"
Original recipe from Taste of Home
Makes 20 servings

Ingredients 

• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened 
• 1/4 cup butter, softened 
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar 
• 3-1/2 cups cold 2% milk 
• 2 packages (3.4 ounces each) instant vanilla pudding mix 
• 1 carton (12 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed 
• 1 package (15-1/2 ounces) Oreo cookies 
• Crushed candy canes or other mints
• Shaved chocolate, optional 

Directions 

1. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and confectioners' sugar until smooth. In another large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes; let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Gradually stir into cream cheese mixture. Fold in whipped topping. 
2. Spread 1-1/3 cups of crushed cookies into an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. dish. Layer with half of the pudding mixture, half of the candy canes, and half of the remaining cookies. Repeat layers. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve topped with shaved chocolate if desired. 

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies / Five for Friday: no bake

I'm combining today's Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies post with a Five for Friday post... thought I'd switch it up for ya a bit!

Today's TDOCC theme is no-bake treats, and who doesn't love a good treat that has no over required?? Things like this are great to make while baking cookies, because you can have one kind of cookie in the oven and be creating a totally separate second kind at the same time. Multi-tasking at it's finest!

Here are five of my favorite no-bake treats from Pintrest (duh) - I am definitely going to have to test some of these recipes out on my family, neighbors, and co-workers! Yum.

1 //  Coconut Pecan Pralines - how amazing do these look?? They remind me of the pralines C and I got in Savannah while on our honeymoon... my mouth is watering just thinking about it!

2 // Baileys Bon-Bons - Baileys over ice is a standard post-Christmas dinner treat in my house. Turning Baileys into candy? What could be better!?

3 // Pretzel No-Bake Cookies - the combination of sweet and salty is always one of my favorites. Plus, the oats in the recipe would really give them some substance, I'd imagine. Sounds delicious!

4 // Millionaire's Shortbread Bars - I love the shortbread-cookie base on these... definitely a great semi-homemade trick! Makes them a little sturdier, while also adding that yummy, buttery shortbread flavor.

5 // Homemade Turtles - there will be no turtles for C, due to his nut allergy, but I'd be happy to suffer through a batch of these all on my own... they look absolutely decadent. And starting with caramel squares is genius!

What's your favorite no-bake recipe? Please share! They are a great thing to have an arsenal of.

linking up with the five on friday girls:  Darci, Christina, April,and Natasha

linking up with karli and amy

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: peanut butter

Welcome to our Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies link up! For the next two weeks, join us every day and add your favorite cookie recipe for that day’s theme. Please follow Lisa and I and check out some new blogs! Happy baking!

I have always loved peanut butter cookies, and really I don't think there is a wrong way to make them... except that they must be made with smooth peanut butter, because having crunchy bits in there just isn't right.

A few years ago, I discovered what might be the world's easiest peanut butter cookie recipe. It has just 4 ingredients, and you can have a batch baked in under 15 minutes. Trust me! This is a flourless cookie, and, I'll admit, I was skeptical when I first saw it. It doesn't seem like there are enough ingredients whatsoever to actually create cookies, but I gave it a try and was (very) pleasantly surprised by the results. One tip though: let the cookies cool almost completely on the baking sheet before you try to move them! Otherwise, they will completely fall apart on you.

[photo credit]

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
From Clare Robinson & Food Network
Makes 18 cookies

Ingredients 

• 1 cup peanut butter 
• 1 cup sugar 
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten 
• Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling 

Directions 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place the racks in the upper and lower third of the oven. 
2. In a medium bowl, mix the peanut butter, sugar, vanilla and egg until well combined. 
3. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the mixture about 1 inch apart onto ungreased baking sheets. 
4. Flatten the mounds with the tines of a fork, making a crosshatch pattern on the cookies. 
5. Sprinkle coarse salt on top of the cookies. 
6. Bake until golden around the edges, about 10 minutes, switching the position of the sheets halfway through baking. 
7. Transfer to racks to cool. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: chocolate

Hi there! Coming at you a little late today, but with the best of intentions - the whole world feels like one giant whirlwind the week before Christmas - amiright?! Hardly enough time to slow down and breathe.

Today's Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies post is all about CHOCOLATE - is there anything better in the world?! Possibly red wine... but possibly not.

Last year, I made a big batch of Hot Chocolate Cookies, which is an idea I got from Hungry Runner Girl's blog. She is a humongous fan of these cookies, and there is nothing better that C likes than a good, old fashioned chocolate chip cookie, so I thought he might appreciate these. I was definitely right - they were his favorite out of all the kinds we made. They are super simple to put together and bake, and the melty marshmallows on top take them to a crazy new level.

If you make one kind of Christmas cookie this year, make these!!

Hot Chocolate Cookies 
from Seeded at the Table
Makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies

[photo credit]

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 
• 1 cup granulated sugar 
• 2/3 cup brown sugar 
• 2 eggs 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 
• 4 packages (or 1/2 cup plus 3 Tablespoons) Hot Chocolate Mix (store-bought or homemade) 
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips 
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat. 
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then blend in the vanilla. 
3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, hot chocolate mix, and baking soda and salt. 
4. Slowly add to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Fold in the chocolate chips. 
5. Drop dough balls onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 7 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven. 
6. Working quickly, carefully add about 5 to 7 miniature marshmallows to the top of each cookie, and gently press. Return to the oven and bake an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until the marshmallows start to puff. 
7. Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheets for 10 minutes before removing. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Come back tomorrow for PEANUT BUTTER cookies!

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: nuts

Welcome to our Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies link up! For the next two weeks, join us every day and add your favorite cookie recipe for that day’s theme. Please follow Lisa and Lindsay and check out some new blogs! Happy baking!

We recently discovered that C has a minor tree-nut allergy, so suddenly my ability to bake with nuts is quite limited! Unless, of course, I am baking something that I don't want to eat... then I can load it up with walnuts, pecans, and hazelnuts, and keep it all for myself. Not that I would ever do that...!!

In looking for a tree-nut-free recipe to use last year, my mom and I came across Pistachio-Cherry-Chocolate Cookies in an America's Test Kitchen: Christmas Cookies cookbook that my mom had stashed away. What a delightful combination of flavors! We adored these cookies last year, and knew we had to make them again this year. I had co-workers asking me months ago if I planned to bake these again - they are definitely a hit!

We have adapted the original recipe just slightly in order to make the production a little simpler. Other than that, we just followed the recipe!

Pistachio-Cherry-Chocolate Cookies
from America's Test Kitchen
Makes about 40 cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup superfine sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces and softened
• 1 1/4 cups shelled pistachios, toasted and chopped fine
• 1/3 cup dried cherries, chopped fine
• 1 ounce cream cheese, softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

1. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, mix flour, sugar, and salt on low speed until combined. Add butter and stir until mixture is crumbly.
2. Stir in pistachios, cherries, cream cheese, and vanilla, and mix until well incorporated, but do not over mix - just until dough starts to come together in large chunks.
3. Place dough on a piece of plastic wrap and knead by hand until it starts to come together and all mix-ins are well-incorporated.
4. Split dough into two equal chunks, form into discs, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least one hour.
5. Once dough is chilled, preheat oven to 375*.
6. Take dough out of fridge and form balls using approximately 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie. Flatten balls into cookie shapes and place on parchment-paper-lined cookie sheets - do not overcrowd cookie sheets!
7. Bake one cookie sheet at a time on the middle rack in the oven, for 9-10 minutes per tray, rotating tray halfway through baking.
8. Once cookies are cooled, melt chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Use a spoon to lightly drizzle chocolate over cookies, or dip cookies halfway into chocolate to coat. (The drizzle method is much faster and easier, but doesn't give the same visual appeal.)

 

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: decorated cookies

Welcome to our Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies link up! For the next two weeks, join us every day and add your favorite cookie recipe for that day’s theme. Please follow Lisa and I and check out some new blogs! Happy baking!

The best kind of decorated cookie, in my opinion, is traditional sugar cookies (see my post from yesterday for a great recipe!) with thick buttercream icing. I know that lots of people use a thinner glaze on sugar cookies, but we've always gone for a creamy, substantial buttercream with lots of sprinkles. I have so many memories from childhood of sticking my knife into a big bowl of icing and schmearing it all over a cookie. Many hours were spent creating beautiful, edible masterpieces!

I stick with a simple buttercream recipe that is quick and easy to make. It's almost impossible to screw it up! Once again, my girl Betty (Crocker) doesn't let me down.

Traditional Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Inspired by Betty Crocker

Ingredients

• 3 cups powdered sugar 
• 1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla 
• 1 to 2 tablespoons milk 
• Food coloring (I go with red and green for the holidays, of course!)

Directions

1. In medium bowl, mix powdered sugar and butter with spoon or electric mixer on low speed. Stir in vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the milk.  Add food coloring to reach desired color.
2. Gradually beat in just enough remaining milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable. 
3. If frosting is too thick, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time. If frosting becomes too thin, beat in a small amount of powdered sugar.

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: sugar cookies

Welcome to our Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies link up! For the next two weeks, join us every day and add your favorite cookie recipe for that day's theme. Please follow Lisa and I and check out some new blogs! Happy baking!

Today's featured cookie is sugar cookies - one of my favorites!!

This recipe has been used in our family for over 30 years, and is actually the same recipe I used to make the cookies that served as our wedding favors! It's an easy recipe that makes really great cookies. They are sweet, but not overly so, and are the perfect vehicle for a thick layer of buttercream frosting. Is there any other way to have a sugar cookie?? Enjoy!

Traditional Sugar Cookies
from Betty Crocker
Makes about 4 dozen 3" cookies

*Do not use self-rising flour in this recipe

Ingredients

• 3/4 c shortening (part butter or margarine, softened) 
• 1 c sugar 
• 2 eggs 
• 1 tsp vanilla or 1/2 tsp lemon extract 
• 2 1/2 c Gold Medal Flour 
• 1 tsp baking powder 
• 1 tsp salt 

Directions

1. Mix thoroughly shortening, sugar, eggs and flavoring. Blend in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover; chill at least 1 hour. 
2. Heat oven to 400º. 
3. Roll dough 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured cloth-covered board. 
4. Cut into desired shapes. 
5. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until very light brown. 

Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies: a link-up party!

Hi friends! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed some quality time with friends and family. We spent a glorious, extra-long weekend at the lake and loved every minute of it. I took the real camera and will dump a boatload of photos on you at some point soon - my cell phone was generally tucked away, dead somewhere, which is just how it needed to be. We had everything from turkey and all the trimmings on Thursday, to a tamale-making extravaganza on Friday, to a local brewery experience on Saturday. Fun for all!

C & I got home last night and decorated the Christmas tree - we are jumping straight into the next holiday and I love it! This is truly my favorite time of year.

One of my favorite parts of this time of year is, of course, cookies! I already mentioned several kinds that my mom and I might make next weekend, but I've got something really fun to share today. This year, the lovely Lisa from Sorority Life to Army Wife (a fellow Hokie and recovering sorority girl!) and I are going to host a Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies link-up! It's going to be a fantastic way to share recipes and learn about new traditions, and maybe even start some traditions of your own.

The link-up with run from December 13-24 (hence, the Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies!) and each day will have a theme. All we are asking for is a post with a recipe, no pictures necessary (but certainly welcome), and the recipes can be reposts if you'd like. There will be a button you can grab to add to your post any day that you participate - we will share it soon. We can't wait to get started - hope you will join us!

Merry baking!

C is for Cookie, that's good enough for me...

I know it's not quite Thanksgiving yet, but my mama and I are already planning our Christmas-cooking-baking extravaganza day. With the short turn-around time between T-giving and Xmas this year, we pretty much have to roll straight from turkey to cookies. Last year we might have gone a smidge overboard with an eagerness to try too many different types of cookies (I think we used 8 different recipes??), so we are limiting ourselves to larger batches of a few types this year to make it a little easier.

We will definitely make our usual sugar cookies (the same recipe my mom has been using for over 30 years!), but there are a few other types that I'm thinking of that might just have to make their way onto the list. I want to make them all!

The recipes below are a mix of "lots of effort," "little effort," and "no bake" cookies, which will hopefully enable us to do lots of things at once. There is a lot of coordination and planning required for a major baking day! It's an art form, my friends. An art form.

Chocolate and Pistachio Dipped Cranberry Shortbreads

Mini Cinnamon Roll Cookies

Vanilla Rum Balls

Soft Molasses Cookies

Fudge Crinkles

Do you have a "must-make" holiday cookie recipe? A family recipe that just has to be included every year? Something new you want to try this year? Share it with me, please. I love collecting cookie recipes for my arsenal!

Birthday Cake Cookies

I love cupcakes as much as the next person, but sometimes, they can be too much - they are hard to transport, there is frosting everywhere, they get smooshed... sometimes, cupcakes are not the answer.

A co-worker was celebrating a birthday recently, and I wanted to bring in a treat - cookies seemed like the answer, but I wanted them to be special! I found the answer laying in my pantry (and no, it wasn't Toby, although that is where he likes to hide these days...).

I used the standard Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe as the base, but then swapped the chocolate chips for white chocolate chips and sprinkles. The recipe for the cookie batter is a classic, and you really can't go wrong when you start with it. These cookies turned out fantastically, and my co-worker loved them. Perfect for birthdays (or any day that needs a cookie)!

Birthday Cake Cookies
makes appx 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 cup rainbow sprinkles

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. 
2. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. 
3. In a larger bowl, combine butter, sugars, and vanilla, and beat until creamy (a few minutes, at least).
4. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. 
5. Slowly add in flour mixture (I usually divide into three parts) and stir well after each portion. 
6. Stir in morsels and sprinkles. 
7. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets. 
8. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. 
9. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Shutdown Cookies

Life has been a little wonky lately. I am very fortunate to still be working, but my location is currently... TBD... from day to day, as the building that I work in is not open to non-essential employees. Confusion abounds!

Luckily, I have a stupid-easy recipe that is sure to brighten any pumpkin-lover's day! Allow me to introduce my new favorite Pintrest recipe: 2-Ingredient Pumpkin Spice Cookies (also currently known as Shutdown Cookies. I also have Shutdown Meatballs in my freezer now, and last night for dinner, we had Shutdown Chicken in the Crockpot. It's a recurring theme...)

These took all of two minutes to bring together, and then 10ish to bake. Cookies in under 15 minutes? Yes and please.

2-Ingredient Pumpkin Spice Cookies
Recipe from Pintrest

Ingredients

• 1 14-oz can of pumpkin puree
• 1 box spice cake mix

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350*. Gather ingredients.
   
2. Combine ingredients in mixing bowl. Make sure to fully incorporate all the cake mix into the pumpkin - it's easy to get pockets of powdery stuff that aren't well mixed, and no one likes that.
3. Grease cookie sheets (and do it well). Drop cookie batter onto cookie sheets by rounded spoonfuls. These cookies don't spread much, so you can put them pretty close together. Using a spatula (or your hand, whatever), slightly flatten the cookies so that they bake a little nicer. (Pro tip: spray your spatula / palm with cooking spray between every few cookies so it doesn't stick!)
   
   
4. Bake cookies for 11-13 minutes. I wanted mine a little more done, so I left them in a minute or two longer.

Candy corn makes everything better.

Enjoy!

PS - these cookies are super moist, which makes them delicious, but also means they get sticky when stored in an air-tight container. I'd leave them out to "dry" as long as you can, then pack them up loosely when needed.

PPS - these would be delicious with cream cheese frosting or a maple glaze. I didn't have the patience to do either; I just wanted to eat them.

The Calming Powers of Cookies

Alternately titled, "Stress Baking."

Oatmeal Scotchies
from Very Best Baking

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
•  ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups quick or old-fashioned oats
• 1 2/3 cup (11-oz package) butterscotch chips

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 375.

2.       Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in small bowl.

3.       Beat butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla in large mixing bowl.

4.       Gradually beat in flour mixture.

5.       Stir in oats and chips.

6.       Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

OR do what I did…

1.       Grease (/spray with Pam cooking spray) 15”x10” jelly roll pan (AKA cookie sheet).

2.       Prepare dough as above.

3.       Use your hands to spread into the pan.

4.       Bake for 18-22 minutes or until light brown.

5.       Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

6.       Cut into squares/rectangles/whatever.

My mom used to make these all the time, and they were never, ever in "cookie" form - always bars. So that's what makes sense to me. I know that any cookie can be done in either manner, but for me, chocolate chip cookies are always in "cookie" form, and oatmeal scotchies are always in bars. They taste better that way, swear.

If you're looking for me this weekend...

I'll be in the kitchen.

The itch to bake hit me hard this week, and I just haven't been able to find time to actually do something about it yet. My head is filled with ingredients and recipes and ideas, and with every day that goes by, the more I come up with. I just want to get into the kitchen and get all those familiar ingredients out and turn on my mixer. I find the physical act of baking very calming - there is just something about the concentration required and the measuring and stirring and the whirring of my mixer that soothes me. I've been in a little bit of a funk this week, and I'm pretty sure that a nice, long baking session is in order. Put ingredients in, get results out. It's an area that I have control over, when I feel like I don't have control over much else.

Good thing I have some free time this weekend. My kitchen is going to be filled with treats.

Here's what I'm thinking....

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

The combination of cranberry and the white chocolate chips makes my mouth water, and when I googled for a basic recipe to play off of, I found this one that includes oatmeal. Sounds good to me!

[source]

Peach Bread

I've got a big bag of peaches that I got from a farmers' stand on our way back from the beach last weekend, and I need to do something with them! I was originally thinking peach cobbler, but peach bread sounds even better today.

[source]

Peach Upside Down Cake

I love pineapple upside down cake, and this sounds like a delicious variation. A little vanilla ice cream on the side? Perfection.

[source]

Any other suggestions? Requests? If I make it, you're free to come eat it... C & I certainly can't shouldn't eat all these sweets ourselves! I have a feeling my office mates are going to be very happy come Monday, because whatever I make will most likely get brought in for them. I'm awesome like that. Ha!

Rest Day + Must-Make Recipes

Yesterday was an impromptu rest day. Ultimately, those are probably the best/most necessary. Agree?

The original plan was to go to the abs + back class at the gym, then get in a few treadmill miles. But it was rainy, and my left knee was aching all day, in a way that it hasn't in a long time (because I am an old woman, and my joint pain coincides with the weather... today all appears to be fine), and some not-very-good things happened at work, and the train was late for the second day in a row so we were 45 minutes late getting home, and Wawa was closed for a "technology upgrade" for the day, so I couldn't even get a Diet Coke to make up for everything else. Blah. (Pardon me while I whine a bit.)

It was was a case of the Mondays Tuesdays - so I took that as my cue. I put on my pajama pants and went to my parents' house, where we made one hell of a delicious dinner and watched Cold Case. Upon returning to our house, I snuggled with my cat and with my husband, and it seemed like all was right with the world. So do what ya gotta do. That's the theme around here these days. I don't hate it. Rest is rejuvenating, and today I will be back into the regular routine with renewed passion.

There are a lot of Rs in this post. Weird.
~~~~~
Cooking lately has been very successful. Here are four must-make recipes (none of which are my own, but all of which are delicious):

• Sneaky Meatball Subs (Iowa Girl Eats)

I saw this recipe and knew that I had to make it. Then a friend of mine made it first, and tweeted to me how amazing these meatballs were, and I was done for. I whipped up a batch on Sunday night to save for Monday's dinner, and it almost killed me to not eat them immediately. When I did get around to making the sandwiches on Monday night, they were almost too good to be true. We're talking eating-over-the-cutting board, who-needs-a-plate, this-is-burning-my-fingers-but-I-can't-stop good. Do yourself a favor, and make these. Soon.

• Copycat DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookies (Iowa Girl Eats)

While I was making the meatballs on Sunday, I went ahead and threw together a batch of these cookies, too, since I'd been promising C that I'd make chocolate chip cookies ever since I made the oatmeal ones a few weeks ago. I'm not sure what I did different, as I followed the recipe to a T, but my cookies didn't end up looking anything like the picture - hers were wide and flat, whereas mine were short, stout, little lumps. Either way, they were amazing. There are two special ingredients in these cookies that make them so good: cinnamon and finely-ground oatmeal. Trust me - those two additions make all the difference. These cookies are killer.

• The Best Summer Salad Ever (Adapted from Sweet Tooth, Sweet Life)

I saw this post the other day, and seeing the words "strawberry" and "avocado" together was like a light bulb over my head. I took my cues from the original salad, but made a few changes, and loved it so much that I ate it Sunday night for dinner and again on Monday for lunch. It's the perfect combination!

Here's what goes in mine:

• Lettuce
• Avocado Chunks
• Strawberries 
• Plain tuna
• Shredded Parmesan
• Low-fat raspberry walnut vinaigrette

Whatever combination and amounts of each ingredient that you like - it's a sensational combination of sweet, salty, and tangy, with healthy fats from the avocado and good protein from the tuna. So good!

• Grilled Blueberry BBQ Salmon (How Sweet It Is)

I discovered this recipe last summer, and we made it a number of times. It's so good! I saw the fresh tuna at the grocery store on Saturday, and this immediately came to mind. The sauce comes together so quickly, and the fish cooks up in no time, so it's great for a week-night dinner. As an added bonus, this is what my mom and I like to call "serve-to-company good" - that's our scale of measurement for recipes, whether or not we would serve them to company. This recipe makes the cut!

Blueberry BBQ Sauce

Good fresh salmon

Doesn't hurt to have a cute husband to man the grill!

Served alongside two of my favorite summer side dishes, which also went on the grill: corn on the cob and zucchini.

C deemed this "possibly the best salmon ever," and I know for a fact that this is one of the best summer dinners ever. Make this. And invite me over for dinner when you do!

Anyone else find any good recipes lately? Please share! I'm always looking for new yummy foods.