Cut Out Sugar Cookies with Icing

Theatre has taken over my life, but I don't mind it one bit. The theatre department at my school is working on You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, the first musical production that this school has put on in about a decade. With the show dates coming up at the end of March, there have been rehearsals four or five times a week. I've been at almost every rehearsal to help with the music as accompanist and as moral support for the director ;). Despite some rehearsals running late which result in my coming home basically at bed time since my commute is about an hour, I enjoy it. I've always thought that taking part in theatre in college was the best decision I ever made because it really opened me up and made me a better person. I look forward to going to rehearsals because it's become a stress reliever for me! I laugh so much and I get to play piano, one of my favorite hobbies. I wish I could that every day.

We had rehearsal this past Saturday on Valentine's Day and I wanted to bake something for the cast and crew. I thought about making Charlie Brown themed cookies and then I found a t-shirt shaped cookie cutter on Etsy! I immediately bought one and knew I had to make yellow t-shirt cookies with black zigzags. The recipe I used from Sally's Baking Addiction really hold up their shape and do not expand at all.



I only got to frost half the cookies this way because I ran out of frosting and time due to poor time management on my part but it actually ended up being enough for the whole cast and crew since it's a small group anyway. This would be a great activity to do with your friends or with your kids if you have different cookie cutters and are stuck inside thanks to the several snowstorms we have had this week alone! It was nice to have a week off from school and get a second winter vacation but I'm starting to get cabin fever now. I hope everyone has been staying warm! I shared both the sugar cookie and icing recipes below.

Sugar Cut Out Cookies
From Sally's Baking Addiction

3/4 cup butter, slightly softened to room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamed and smooth - about 1 minute. Add the sugar and beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 or 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract and beat on high until fully combine, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

Whisk the flour and baking powder together in a medium bowl. Turn the mixer down to low and add about half of the flour mixture, beating until just barely combined. Add the rest of the flour and continue mixing until just combined. If the dough still seems too soft, you can add 1 tablespoon more flour until it is a better consistency for rolling.

Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Roll each portion out onto a piece of parchment to about 1/4″ thickness. Stack the pieces (with paper) onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. Chilling is mandatory. If chilling for more than a couple hours, cover the top dough piece with a single piece of parchment paper.

Once chilled, preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. The amount of batches will depend on how large/small you cut your cookies. Remove one of the dough pieces from the refrigerator and using a cookie cutter, cut in shapes. Transfer the cut cookie dough to the prepared baking sheet. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all is used. Bake for 8-11 minutes, until very lightly colored on top and around the edges. Make sure you rotate the baking sheet halfway through bake time.

Allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing. Make the icing and decorate the cooled cookies however you'd like. I find they stay soft for about 5 days at room temperature.

FREEZING: unfrosted cookies freeze well up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Frosted cookies do not freeze well at all. You can freeze the unbaked cookie dough before rolling for up to 3 months. Then allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Then allow to come to room temperature for about 1 hour. Then roll and continue with the recipe as directed.

Sugar Cookie Icing
Adapted from Allrecipes

1 cup confectioner's sugar
3 to 4 tsp milk
1/4 tsp almond (or vanilla) extract
1 tbsp light corn syrup

I found it best to use the mixer for this recipe instead of just a spatula and my hand. In a small bowl, stir together confectioner's sugar and milk until smooth. Stir in almond extract and corn syrup until glossy and smooth. Add food coloring and stir well. You can dip the cookies or use OXO Good Grips 8 Piece Baker's Silicone Decorating Bottle Kit! I got my set from the Food Blogger's Cookie Exchange last year and it does work really great and is super easy to clean in the dishwasher! That's what helped me make the zigzag lines on Charlie Brown's t-shirts.

"Amish" Snickerdoodles

For this year's Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, I wanted to incorporate the Amish Friendship Bread Starter and surprisingly, there are many cookie recipes that use the starter! The one that stood out to me in the long list of recipes were Snickerdoodles. I love Snickerdoodles and I don't make them often enough. The cinnamon-y goodness is one that is welcome at any time of the year. I decided not to mess with the recipe and stick with a traditional Snickerdoodle taste (besides the fact that I used the starter).



For the ones above, I baked them on the top rack and for the ones below, I baked on the bottom rack.



It's really weird how the two batches yielded different results despite being from the same recipe. The ones on the bottom ended up a little burnt on the bottom so I didn't send those out. The bottom ones had a thicker and more cake-like texture compared to the others but both were still delicious. I didn't quite get 60 from the recipe as the original states but I still got quite a bit. I would say about 4 dozen.



I am so glad I got to participate in the Cookie Swap again. This is the part I love about baking: sharing! I get to share a lot of my baking and cooking with other people in my life all the time, but this is even more special because I get to put a smile on a complete stranger's face. Who doesn't love getting cookies in the mail?! I loved writing a message to each one of my matches, choosing the containers for the cookies, and wrapping them, hoping at every moment that the presentation and results would be good enough for my matches. I know when I received each of my 3 cookie packages, I got really excited. My eyes widened as I opened my mailbox and I had obsessively checked my mail every day to see if I had gotten another one yet. And I normally check my mail once a week! (Yeah, I'm popular.) Here are the lovely cookies that I received from my three matches:

Glazed Butter Cookies from KoKo at KoKo Likes - these melt in your mouth! I love the gold specks too.



Caramel Studded Snickerdoodles from Renee of Awesome on 20 - great minds think alike! I love Snickerdoodles! What a cool twist too with caramel. I have never thought to mess with the classic but this is great.



Pina Colada Cookies from Andrea at Recipes for Divine Living. Love the tropical twist!



Hope you think about joining next year if you have a food blog yourself! I can't wait for another round of baking and sharing in 2015.

"Amish" Snickerdoodles
Adapted from Friendship Bread Kitchen

1 cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar
4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375° F (190° C).

In a large mixing bowl, add in wet ingredients. Mix in rest of ingredients except the last sugar and cinnamon.

In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon. Add more sugar or cinnamon depending on your preferences.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls. The dough will be a little sticky! Roll balls in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place them 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

Bake 10 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Coconut Macaroons

I'm so glad school is over, but now I'm not so sure what to do with all this free time. I turned to baking. When I made a Samoas cake for a friend's birthday a while back, I had half a bag of coconut flakes leftover and no idea what to do with it. I'd catch a glimpse of it every time I opened my fridge and wondered what I could possibly make with it. Coconut is just not an ingredient that I bake with often. But then I discovered macaroons and realized that I really, really love them. Ever since then, I have been on a quest to find the perfect recipe. I tried a recipe with egg whites but I must have messed up somehow because the cookies ended up with cooked egg for edges. I probably should give it another try before I give up on it, but today I decided to try a different recipe with no egg whites. It involves sweetened condensed milk, some of which I already had in my fridge! Yay for using up leftovers.



These turned out great - especially the chocolate-dipped bottoms. The crunch from the almond slices were also a great touch to the texture. I'm not going to be premature and call these my favorite just yet. Easiest, yes, but not favorite. Still, give it a try. Your mouth will thank you for the deliciousness and your hands will thank you for the minimal labor involved.

My waistline will probably not thank me if I end up baking every day this summer so thank goodness I am working at summer school starting in July. It won't be full days nor every day so I don't mind it too much. Wish the whole school year was like that! ;)

Coconut Macaroons
From Hip Foodie Mom

3 cups coconut flakes, sweetened
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup almond slices
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone non-stick baking mat. In a large bowl, combine coconut flakes, sweetened condensed milk and almonds.

Using a cookie scoop or spoon, place tablespoon sized macaroons on your baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the macaroons are lightly golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes.

While the macaroons are cooling, using a microwave safe bowl, microwave the chopped chocolate in 30-second intervals until softened and melted. Whisk together until smooth. Dip in the coconut macaroons and set on parchment paper to allow the chocolate to set. You can also place the chocolate dipped macaroons in your refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes if desired. Enjoy!

Lemon Ricotta Cookies

Cream cheese in cookies is totally normal. Cheddar cheese in the crust of apple pies is not unheard of. Any more cheeses we can add to sweet things?

Yes! Ricotta Cookies are actually pretty common, but I had not heard of them. I associate ricotta only with pasta dishes so it took me a while simply to get used to the idea of ricotta in the cookies. I'm so glad I finally decided to make them. First off, I can't resist anything lemon so I knew I would like these somewhat. Since it is not an overwhelming cheese anyway, the cookies have only a very slight taste of ricotta. Second, the texture is the best part. The ricotta makes them oh-so cake-y and, boy, are they hard to resist. Third, did I mention the lemon?



The cookies themselves are not sweet, so I would not skip out on the glaze. Next time, I might double the lemon zest added to the cookie batter as it wasn't enough for me. The only problem I had is storage. They are great the day of and taste great days after as well, but a day after storing them in an airtight container, they were very moist. Anyone who have made these cookies before have a solution? Just wondering, but really, at least the taste is not affected.

Lemon Ricotta Cookies
From Picky Cook

For the cookies
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 large lemons, zested

For the glaze
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 large lemons, zested

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the butter and the sugar. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

Combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Drizzle the glaze onto the cookies. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours.

Blueberry White Chocolate Cookies

Back in December, when I got really obsessed with sewing, I decided to make oven mitts for my carpool buddies. But just an oven mitt seemed meh to me, so I thought a jar of cookie mix would be a good addition. A use for the new oven mitt!



I didn't get a chance to make the cookies before gifting them as I ran out of weekends so I finally gave it a try two weekends ago. But they ended up like this:



They may not look bad but I was disappointed with the way they turned out. They tasted alright, but they didn't stay together very well. I even tried chilling the dough and it didn't help much. I also thought there was too much white chocolate (not a fan anyway) and not enough blueberries or oatmeal. So this past weekend, I made them again but the right way -- creaming the butter and the sugar first, then adding the eggs, then the dry ingredients. Since everything was mixed together in the jar, those important steps could not have been followed the right way leading to not so great cookies. I wish I had made these before gifting and realized the fault in this cookie mix in a jar but at least they still tasted okay. With the changes though, they are fantastic or "bangin'" as one of my students exclaimed. It's basically a twist on an old classic, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. Doesn't this batch look much better??



I know they sell dried fruit of every kind but I just never thought of anything outside of raisins or cranberries. So when I saw that my WalMart had dried blueberries, I knew I had to try them. They may be delicious little morsels, but unfortunately, they are actually a little pricey. With two packages in one batch, I probably won't be making these cookies that often but maybe as a special treat once in a while.

Blueberry White Chocolate Cookies
Forgot to bookmark the source -- will when found again!

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup old fashioned oatmeal
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried blueberries

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.

In another bowl, cream together the butter and the sugars. Add in eggs one at a time, combining well after each. Add vanilla extract and combine. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Do not overmix! Fold in the oatmeal, white chocolate chips, and dried blueberries until just combined.

On a lined baking sheet, drop dough by tablespoons 2 inches apart and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet until set, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Enjoy!

Iced Oatmeal Cookies

After Thanksgiving Break, I was already wishing for Winter Break and snow days. It's certainly been cold enough for snow but no sign of it here in Southwest Virginia. This kind of weather calls for hot chocolate and marshmallows and if you like hot chocolate, go to Sam's Club and buy Land O' Lakes 7-box pack. It's 7 different flavors and they've got interesting flavors - raspberry chocolate, arctic white, s'mores, and even oatmeal cookie. I haven't baked much lately but I still wanted to participate in this year's Cookie Exchange so the hot chocolate inspired me to make Iced Oatmeal Cookies. This recipe reminded me of the oatmeal cookie hot chocolate, leaving me with a warm feeling, and of snow with the white icing. All things winter! I hope my three matches enjoyed these cookies as I did (and that they arrived safely and in decent shape!)



I received my three boxes of cookies:



The Red Velvet Shortbread Cookies were the first I received and they were so pretty and arrived in perfect shape that I didn't want to eat it! But of course, I dove in right away. They are soft and delicious and I loved the pistachios. I rarely see them or use them in recipes that it was nice to see them! Thanks Jenny! I was so happy that Kaitlin even sent along a recipe of her Hot Cocoa Cookies! Thanks!



I'm a little biased though - lemon is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE when it comes to desserts so I have been eating the Lemon Cookies non-stop. OMG LEMON. I just can't even describe it. I don't know why I love it so much but it's has always been my number one. The funny thing is I've never tried to make lemon anything - not even lemon bars when that's all I grab when it's available somewhere else! Thanks Morgan! This year's exchange was amazing and I had so much fun making/packaging the cookies and receiving them as well.



Iced Oatmeal Cookies
From Bake-Aholic

1 cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cups old fashioned oats

3 cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp milk

In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
In a bowl, combine shortening, sugars, and eggs. Add vanilla. Add flour mixture. Mix in oatmeal. Let mixture sit for five minutes and then mix again.

Bake at 350F on lined baking sheets for 10 to 12 minutes. The edges will be golden brown but the middles will look underdone. Cool on pan on wire rack for five minutes then remove from pan and cool completely on wire racks. For softer, chewier cookies, bake 10 minutes and for crispier cookies, bake 12 minutes. These cookies spread so leave at least 2 inches between each.

Once the cookies are completely cool, mix the powdered sugar and milk in a bowl until icing consistency. Add more milk teaspoon at a time to bring to desired consistency or more powdered sugar. Spread over each cookie and let set completely. The glaze should completely harden when ready.

Makes 3 dozen.

Cowboy Cookies

As convenient as technology has made our way of communicating with people around the world, I do love receiving the good old-fashioned letter or package in the mail. I can't remember the last time somebody sent me a letter, but the last package I got was from my sister on my birthday. She really took the time to decorate the box and the card and I loved opening the package to see all that. I also love sending packages because I feel like everybody feels the same way. When I learned about a cookie swap among bloggers, I had to join in! Baking, sending packages, receiving packages, and sharing recipes: what's not to love?



The three types of cookies above are what I received. Berlinerkranser (the circle cookies) and chocolate and almond dipped shortbread cookies are from Janet at Simply So Good. These were delicious. The shortbread was flaky and so fragile, it just crumbles in your mouth and sometimes just in your hand. I loved the orange zest flavor in the Berlinerkranser and those were also great.



The Springerle cookies (on the left in the bottom picture) I received from Michelle at From Calculus to Cupcakes. Ever since I started looking through food porn, I have seen recipes for these cookies and thought they would be difficult to make. Michelle thought the same, but she said it turned out to be not at all difficult! So now I am encouraged to try to make Springerle when I get the chance. They are so pretty with the designs and I love the lemon flavor. I don't know if I've said this before, but lemon bars are pretty much my favorite dessert and the flavor reminded me of that, so I loved these. Rosalynda from This Mama Can Cook sent me cranberry oatmeal cookies. These were also great. I loved the whole mixture of ingredients. They may be small in size, but they certainly have big flavor. The sweetness from the white chocolate, the tartness from the cranberries, the zing from the orange zest, and the chewiness from the oatmeal all came together to make a great combination.



When it came to choosing a recipe for the cookies I was sending out, I wanted to go for something crazy. I found a recipe for Dulce de Leche Potato Chip Cookies and decided on that because the name just sounds like it's gonna be some crazy cookies. I went ahead and made dulce de leche in the oven from sweetened condensed milk, bought some sea salt kettle cooked potato chips, made the cookies. I was so excited to try these that I think I worked up my expectations way too much. I was very disappointed when I bit into these cookies. They were a tough sponge-y texture and they weren't sweet at all. The chips became soggy in the cookies and there was not enough salt to give it the sweet and salty taste that it was supposed to have. I couldn't send these if I didn't really like them! I resorted to a classic: Cowboy Cookies.



I've actually never had or made these cookies before, but I thought that it's gotta be good just looking at the list of ingredients. There was plenty of sweet and salty in these cookies and the texture was a good crunchy one, not a total flop like the first ones I made. I hope that Emily, Melanie, and Abby who received the cookies enjoyed them!



Cowboy Cookies [Makes 36 cookies]
From Bourbonnatrix Bakes

1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups rolled oats
14 tbsp unsalted butter, cool but not cold, cut into 1-inch cubes
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp instant espresso powder, mixed with 1/4 cup hot water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chunks
3/4 cup thin salty pretzels, broken into tiny pieces but not crushed into dust

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the oats and stir to combine.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars together until smooth and creamy. Add the egg and egg yolk, beating until the mixture looks light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, add the vanilla, and beat for 5 seconds. Add hot coffee to the bowl, mixing until combined.

Add half of the dry ingredients and mix for 15 seconds. Add the remaining dry ingredients and beat until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and fold in the chocolate chunks and 1/2 cup of the pretzel pieces. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate the dough for at least 4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Use a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism to scoop out dough in 2 tablespoon-size balls (or use a tablespoon measure) and place the dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup pretzel pieces over the dough balls. Use the palm of your hand to press the dough down lightly; don’t smash the cookie-you just want to slightly flatten the ball and push the pretzel pieces into the dough.

Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until the edges of the cookies are golden brown or just start to darken.

Set the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes to cool. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies on the rack to cool completely. They can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Pumpkin Pie Cookies

Now that fall has started, it's time to make ALL the pumpkin recipes! Here's my first pumpkin recipe of the season. I'm not a big fan of pumpkin pie. Le gasp! I know. Everybody I have told this has said that I'm weird. My boyfriend joked that we couldn't be together anymore. But in small doses, I can handle it. Which is why I love this recipe.



The shortbread cookie is a great base for the filling in the middle. It's a little soft, but it holds its shape long enough to make it into your mouth. The filling definitely has enough pumpkin taste for me. Whenever you don't feel like making a whole pie, just make these cookies. It's a cute and fresh way to eat pumpkin pie. Plus, eating one small cookie makes me feel less guilty than eating a whole slice of pie!



For just the two pictures I'm posting in this entry, I sure took a lot. My sister and my mom visited me last weekend for less than 24 hours (including sleep time), mostly to drop off stuff that I wanted from home and to see my face since we hadn't seen each other since the summer. Ever since the battery to my little point-and-shoot Samsung camera died, I haven't been able to take pictures of anything I've baked or cooked. But now that I have access to a working camera that takes better pictures, too, I went crazy with the trigger. I also need to learn how to use it so I've just been playing around with it, so I hope the pictures improve as I go!

Pumpkin Pie Cookies
From Heather Likes Food

For the cookie
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt

For the filling
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 1/2 tbsp sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 tbsp egg, beaten
1 tbsp milk

White chocolate, melted

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and combine. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt and beat until no dry spots remain. The dough will be stiff and possibly crumbly.

Scoop dough by the tablespoon and roll into smooth balls. Place on lined cookie sheets a few inches apart. Using a few fingers, press lightly on the top of each ball to flatten slightly. With the back of a teaspoon measuring spoon, make an indentation in the top of each ball.
Place unbaked cookies into the fridge and let chill for 15 minutes.

Make filling by combining all of the filling ingredients and mixing until smooth.

Remove chilled dough from fridge and spoon heaping 1/2 teaspoonfuls of the filling into each cookie.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. The bottom of the cookie will be lightly browned and the filling set.
Let cool and drizzle with melted white chocolate.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies

I really didn't plan on making so many chocolate posts in a row. But seriously, there is nothing wrong with a little (or a lot of) chocolate in your life. I recently read that eating some chocolate can act as a natural sunblock. I run into the sun every morning and every evening when I drive to work or home so I should eat some chocolate. Especially as I don't put on sunblock as I should.

I'm also apparently really into "fusion" recipes right now as the past two recipes have dealt with a combination of two different batters. But really, I don't know why this doesn't happen more often. It's made to be. Like peanut butter and chocolate.

As delicious as this was, I need to work on perfecting this recipe. The brownies and chocolate chip cookies are definitely great on their own. I was expecting an exact half and half of each so I was a little disappointed when there was a lot more brownie batter than chocolate chip cookie dough. The brownie layer was so thick that it took longer for my oven to bake it than the recipe stated. Maybe if I halved the brownie recipe in half, it would work out better. There is also a lot of chocolate in these bars. I would leave out the chocolate chips in the brownies and just use them for the chocolate chip cookie layer. I want to be able to eat this as I would a cookie and not be biting into something so heavy and dense.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Brownies
From Snarky Sweets

For the brownies
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp water
2/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 12-oz packages semi sweet chocolate chips
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs

Combine dry ingredients excluding sugar in bowl, set aside.

Melt butter with sugar and water on medium heat until it boils. Immediately remove from heat and stir in ONE bag of chocolate chips. Add eggs and vanilla, whisking well. Stir in dry mixture. Add final package chocolate chips, stir. Pour into prepared 9 x 13 pan. Set aside while you make the cookie dough.

For the chocolate chip cookie layer
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups milk chocolate chips (or whatever you prefer)

Sift together dry ingredients excluding sugar, set aside.

Cream together butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Slowly stir in dry mixture, then add chocolate chips.

(If making as cookies, bake for 15 to 17 minutes on 325F.)

Drop spoonfuls of the dough on top of the brownie batter. Bake at 325F for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean from the center.

Fudgey Chocolate Chocolate Chip and Chocolate Chip Cookies

I haven't been baking enough during the summer but now that I have students to bake for, it's easy for me to get back into the groove. I've already baked for three out of five of my classes just because I wanted to reward them for being such good students. Why not?

Instead of relying on good ol' recipes that I've used last year, I want to continue to try new recipes. I made Chocolate Chip Cookies but with oatmeal for one class. I really liked that recipe as the oatmeal gave the cookies a chewier texture. I made a chocolate frosting with sour cream for one class (with cupcakes, of course, not just frosting). Many were weirded out when I said sour cream but forgot all their hesitations when they tasted it.



Here's another crazy recipe that looks really cool but is so simple to make. I can't come up with a short name for these cookies though. I've told somebody I was making "Smashed" Cookies as that adjective was in the original post's title and of course he wasn't going to know what I was talking about! It doesn't give any clue as to what is in the cookies. Then when I was handing the cookies out, I had to say "Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies and Chocolate Chip Cookies smashed into one" at least five times. It became tiring to say all that by the second time. If you have any suggestions, please share as I cannot come up with one.



Whatever they are called, they are delicious. The chocolate chip cookies are soft and the double chocolate cookies are even softer and fudgey. The dough was really soft and actually breaks pretty easily. On their own, I think they are very good, but if I make these again, I might look for a different recipe. The chocolate chip cookie recipe provided here is fine as those were really tasty and doesn't break as easily so I'll stick with that. These will wow and impress anybody you make them for so take them to a party or just to the office and share!

Fudgey Chocolate Chocolate Chip and Chocolate Chip Cookies
From Butter Baking

For the fudgey chocolate chocolate chip cookie dough
1 1/2 sticks butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips

For the chocolate chip cookie dough
1 1/2 sticks butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups + 2 tbsp plain flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350F and line a few trays with baking paper.

To make the double fudge cookie dough, using a wooden spoon, mix the melted butter and both sugars together in a large bowl. Add the egg and the egg yolk, mixing well between each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Mix in the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt until just incorporated. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips. Set aside while you make the other dough.

To make the chocolate chip cookie dough, using a wooden spoon, mix the melted butter and both sugars together in a large bowl. Add the egg and the egg yolk, mixing well between each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Mix in the flour, baking soda and salt until just incorporated. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips.

Form each dough into 24 balls, using a large tablespoon of dough per ball, so you have a total of 48 balls of cookie dough.

Break each ball of dough in half and place one half of the fudgey chocolate chocolate chip cookie dough on top of one half of the chocolate chip cookie dough. I found it best to put the chocolate chip cookie dough on the bottom as the chocolate chip cookie dough makes for a sturdier base.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am officially no longer a first-year teacher. Wednesday was the last day of school for students while Thursday was the teachers' last work day. As testing and final exams took up most of my time at the end of the year, I haven't had time to reflect on what has happened. All I can say now is that it's been quite the journey. I remember how I was back in August. Nervous, frustrated, stressing out about every single thing, working late at home to make lesson plans. About halfway through the year, I was no longer nervous, still a little frustrated and stressed, but didn't work so late. I got into a routine and I felt comfortable around the community at the school. I cannot even begin to recount what kind of crazy events have happened, but it surely is nothing like I have ever experienced and it has definitely opened my eyes.

It's sad that my students are no longer my students. This group of kids is particularly special to me because they were my first ever students. They tested me because I was the new kid on the block, but now there's mutual respect between me and them. I hated a lot of them at one point, but I can never stay mad for long. It'll be exciting to see my seniors graduate tomorrow. I hope every single one of them comes to visit me!

Still, I'm extremely happy that school is over and now I don't have to go to bed early and wake up early. At least for a few weeks until summer tutoring in July. I volunteered to do it because it really isn't too bad. Only four hours a day, we get Fridays off, and it's easy money.

On our work day Thursday, lunch was provided for everyone. Usually, on work days, we do a potluck, but this time our lunch was catered. Pulled pork, fried chicken, hot dogs... Starting the summer with good barbecue food. We had to bring in our own dessert though so I brought in these cookies to share.



I lost a batch because I was on a phone with a parent and forgot that they were still in the oven. Oops! But this recipe still made quite a bit. I haven't made these with chunky peanut butter yet, but I bet it would be good too. Chocolate and peanut butter always make up for a good combination so this is guaranteed to be a winner!



Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
From 52 Kitchen Adventures

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup peanut butter, room temp (I used creamy but chunky is supposed to be good too)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temp
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips (or try 1/2 cup of peanut butter chips and 1/2 cup chocolate chips)
1 tbsp of sugar for sprinkling on top
Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, cream butter and peanut butter until fluffy. Add both kinds of sugar and beat until smooth. Mix in egg and then add milk and vanilla.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to bowl of wet ingredients, mixing until thoroughly combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
Place remaining tablespoon of sugar into a bowl. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into sugar, then onto cookie sheet. Gently flatten with a fork, indenting with a criss-cross pattern. Bake for 10-12 minutes (be careful not to over bake – they may not look done when they are). Remove and let cool.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I am looking forward to this weekend for several reasons. One, it's a four-day weekend. For me, at least. It's technically a three-day weekend for Memorial Day, but I gave myself a four-day weekend by taking Tuesday off. I need a mental health day. Two, I get to see a friend whom I haven't seen for almost a month. We usually see each other more often than that, but she has been busy stage managing plays and with life. Three, the source of my worries and stress will be over. What is this I talk about? Virginia Standards-of-Learning tests, more commonly known as the SOLs. Ugh.

This year, the tests were changed to be more difficult. The state decided that students need more critical thinking skills and so the tests are no longer all multiple choice questions, but also include click-and-drag, multiple answers, free response questions. I have no problem with critical thinking. If only we all had those skills! But there are just so, so, so many factors that add up to make this test impossible for some students. So much so that the expected pass rate is about 40%. It's been stressful. Right now, one of my classes is taking the SOL test and I just want to fast forward to the end of the day to see how the scores turn out.

This is why I need that mental health day. But it's only Tuesday. So again, I turn to my stress relieving hobby: baking. I love oatmeal raisin cookies, even though my jaw hurts after eating just one from all the chewing. Usually, I make Quaker Oatmeal's recipe, but I decided to turn to another recipe this time. I'm glad I did because I think I found my favorite. A classic with no other additions, but just the plain ol' oatmeal and raisins. This will give me peace until Friday at 6 when I am in Lexington, my safe haven.

 

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
From I Adore Food

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3 cups oats (anything but instant oats)
1 1/2 cups raisins 

Preheat oven to 350F.

Whisk dry ingredients; set aside.

Combine wet ingredients with a hand mixer on low. To cream, increase speed to high and beat until fluffy and the color lightens. Stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture until no flour is visible. (Over mixing develops the gluten, making a tough cookie.)

Add the oats and raisins; stir to incorporate. Fill cookie scoop with dough (about two tablespoons). Drop 2-inches apart onto baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake 11-13 minutes (on center rack), until golden, but still moist beneath cracks on top. Remove from oven; let cookies sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Brown Butter Snickerdoodles

I haven't made anything with brown butter in it for a while. That's a shame because brown butter makes recipes amazing. Last time, I made Rice Krispy Treats with brown butter. Here's another classic recipe, Snickerdoodles, with the same twist.

It's been a while since I've had regular Snickerdoodles, so I couldn't do a fair comparison, but these are still amazing nevertheless. There's definitely not enough cinnamon in the coating, though, so I'll have to add more in the cinnamon sugar mix next time.

Short and sweet post this time. Snickerdoodles just speak for itself and adding brown butter on top of that? This recipe does not need to be praised or sold to you at all. Go make them. It's just what you need after you've had a rough day or week or month. Give yourself a happy moment with these cookies :)

Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
From Ounces and Grams

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 3/4 cup flour (sifted)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer and stir until it begins to turn golden brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the cooled butter, sugar and eggs. Sift together the dry ingredients and stir into wet mixture. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until the dough is firm.

Heat the oven to 375F. Roll dough into small balls, approximately 1/2 tbsp. Roll balls in the sugar and cinnamon mixture and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes until cookies and flat and crinkly.

Espresso Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies

Today is my sister's birthday. She is... old. Just kidding!

I decided to send a package of cookies to my sister at work for her birthday. I made these shortbread cookies because I thought they would stand up to the travel better. Plus, she had asked me to make these for her before. I made these Sunday night, let them cool, and wrapped them in plastic at least three times and then in bubble wrap to make sure that the cookies do not break during travel. It actually fit perfectly into the little box I bought. I wrote a card and then sent everything Monday morning to make sure it got to my sister's office today on her birthday!



My packaging worked! The cookies didn't break, thankfully. I know cookies aren't the best gifts, but my family has never been big on birthday celebrations. And I am terrible at thinking of the perfect gift to give to people. So why not make something that I know my sister wanted (since she had requested them anyway)? Plus, I put thought into the cards that I sent her :)

This recipe, I like. I love the idea of using a Ziploc bag to roll out the shortbread dough. It makes it easier to cut out perfect squares. I didn't have mini chocolate chips--regular sized ones work just fine. I didn't dust them in powdered sugar because I didn't know how well it would go in the mail and it'll be cleaner for my sister to eat at her office as a snack or something. But I'm sure they would be tasty with the dusting too.





I love surprises and getting things in the mail, so surprises in the mail are the greatest things ever in my opinion :) Send these to whomever needs a little pick-me-up!

Espresso Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies
From Use Real Butter

1 tbsp instant espresso powder
1 tbsp boiling water
8 oz unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped OR 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)

Dissolve espresso powder in boiling water. Set aside to cool to tepid.

Beat butter and confectioners’ sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is very smooth. Beat in vanilla and espresso, then reduce mixer speed to low and add flour, mixing only until it disappears into the dough. Don’t work the dough much once the flour is incorporated. Fold in the chopped chocolate or chips with a sturdy rubber spatula.

Using the spatula, transfer dough to a gallon-size Ziploc bag. Put bag on a flat surface, leaving the top open, and roll the dough into a 9 x 10 1/2 inch rectangle that’s 1/4 inch thick. As you roll, turn the bag occasionally and lift the plastic from the dough so it doesn’t cause creases. When you get the right size and thickness, seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible, and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or for up to 2 days.

Preheat the oven to 325F. Put the plastic bag on a cutting board and slit it open. Turn the firm dough out onto the board (discard the bag) and, using a ruler as a guide and a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch squares. Transfer the squares to the baking sheets and carefully prick each one twice with a fork, gently pushing the tines through the cookies until they hit the sheet (okay, I didn’t poke the cookies and they’re fine). Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point (I didn’t do that either – I bake one sheet at a time). The shortbreads will be very pale–they shouldn’t take on much color.

Transfer the cookies to a rack. If you’d like, dust the cookies with confectioners’ sugar while they are still hot. Cool the cookies to room temperature before serving.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last week, I realized just how attached to this teaching job I am. On Tuesday, while I was away at a conference, I found out that a student got into a bad accident. My heart was heavy and it became depressing going into work. There were no updates for a few days and I could only imagine the worst. But keeping myself busy and teaching helped keep my mind off it. I then visited the student in the hospital and I felt a thousand times better because the family was doing well and the student's condition improved greatly and continues to.

It may seem strange to others, but as one of the assistant principals said to me, we like to think of the students as our own. As much as they frustrate me on a daily basis because they don't know what a number multiplied by zero is (sad, but true) and because of the bad life choices they make, they are still funny, sweet, respectful, crazy, weird, smart (in their own ways), youthful and I care for them. And maybe it's because it's my first year teaching and this is my first group of students. I guess they are even more special in that way :)

Well, enough about that. Since we had a three-day weekend, I ran away to Lexington (again) to watch my friend perform in W&L's Comedy of Errors. The set and the costumes were trippy, but the acting was amazing! I enjoyed watching it on both Friday and Saturday nights. I also took this opportunity to visit my Education professor and my cooperating teacher on Friday since I never have a weekday off. It was so good seeing them and chatting about education in general.



It would have been nice to make some of these chocolate chip cookies to take to my professor and teacher, but I honestly didn't have the energy last week. I made these when I got home on Sunday to reward one of my classes for actually knowing what they're doing (it's a rare occurrence).



I wouldn't call these the best (as the original poster did), but they sure are divine. I didn't make them quite as big as the instructions say and they were still plenty big cookies. One would definitely be enough to satisfy a craving. Plenty of chocolate chips in each bite and a good hefty thickness in each cookie. I love that they remained chewy in the middle, but had crispy edges. And you can never go wrong with sprinkles of salt on chocolate. One student asked why I would go and do such a thing like putting salt on cookies. Just eat and enjoy, kid.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
From Dishing the Divine

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 - 2 cups chopped bittersweet chocolate (note: do not use chocolate chips. Buy a good bar of chocolate and cut it into chunks. I toss all the chocolate including the shavings into the dough, but some people omit the shavings so that the dough is a more traditional pale color)
Flaked sea salt

Sift the flour, salt, and baking soda together and set aside.

Mix the sugars and butter just until thoroughly mixed. Add the egg, yolk and vanilla and stir until creamy. Add the sifted ingredients and mix just until blended. Stir in the chocolate chunks.

Drop the dough 1/4 cup at a time on a wax paper lined plate and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400. Place as many cookies as you will be eating today on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Without opening the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350. Bake an additional 7 to 9 minutes or until the edges look golden brown.

Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with sea salt flakes. Let rest on pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. These are best after they cool enough so that the chocolate inside is not a melted mess. Serve with a tall glass of milk.

World Peace Cookies

I thought this past week would be one of the best weeks ever because it wasn't a four-day work week - it was actually three and a half. We had an early dismissal on Wednesday because there was only one midterm left. After the last midterm, students who didn't get in trouble during the first semester got to participate in a dodgeball game against the faculty. I didn't get to watch because I had some students still finishing up the midterm, but I heard it was actually a pretty good game.

While the first half of the week was great, the last two days weren't so hot. We went back to our regular class schedule on Thursday and Friday and it wiped me out. I got so used to not teaching and just sitting during the exams that the first day back I was dragging my feet at the end of the day! Yesterday, I literally ate dinner, washed up, fell asleep at 8 while watching TV in bed and woke up 12 HOURS LATER. I mean, really? I'm hoping this relaxing weekend will get me well-rested for this week. It's the start of a new semester and I'm going to need as much energy as possible!



The students I saw on Wednesday got some of these World Peace Cookies as their midterm treat. If only cookies could bring about world peace, eh? I don't know why anybody wouldn't be happy after eating these, especially from the sugar rush. Chocolate chocolate chip cookies. Chewy and gooey when warm. Still chewy but not as gooey when cooled. So easy to make. It would have taken me less time if I had a second baking sheet, but I gotta work with what I have. Enjoy these, and hopefully, it'll bring you peace in some form.



World Peace Cookies [Makes 36 cookies]
From Crumbs and Cookies

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
11 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp fleur de sel or 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped into chips, or 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.

Beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add both sugars, the salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.

Pour in the flour and mix just until the flour disappears into the dough — for the best texture, work the dough as little as possible once the flour is added, and don’t be concerned if the dough looks a little crumbly. Toss in the chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface, gather it together and divide it in half. Working with one half at a time, shape the dough into logs that are 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least 3 hours (or freeze them for 30 minutes if you're in a hurry). At this point, the dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. If you’ve frozen the dough, you needn’t defrost it before baking — just slice the logs into cookies and bake the cookies 1 minute longer.

Preheat the oven to 325F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Working with a sharp thin knife, slice the logs into rounds that are 1/2 inch thick. (The rounds are likely to crack as you’re cutting them — just squeeze the bits back onto each cookie.) Arrange the rounds on the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 12 minutes — they won’t look done, nor will they be firm, but that’s just the way they should be. Transfer the baking sheet to a cooling rack and let the cookies rest until they are only just warm, at which point you can serve them or let them reach room temperature.

Packed airtight, cookies will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days; they can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Oreo Balls

I swear I'm alive. I apologize for the unintentional hiatus, but I come back with an awesome recipe: Oreo Balls.

I was first introduced to them through a student of mine. She makes them on a regular basis and there is always someone walking around school with a Ziploc of Oreo Balls. She also gave me a Tupperware full of them for my birthday back in September. Now, I knew about Cake Pops and thought those were good, but these are REALLY good. I'm really not obsessed with Oreos, despite two recent entries featuring Oreos. But they are just so good and anything with cream cheese is definitely always good. But watch out - these are extremely sweet!



I bought myself a food processor for this because I knew it would take more energy than I wanted to spend on making these. Funny thing is, I had to make the first batch the hard way (smashing the Oreos with an empty wine bottle and mixing the cream cheese in by hand). I had pressed the test button on my outlet which turned off every single outlet in the kitchen and I didn't realize this until the second batch. Thankfully, I did figure it out because it's an amazing food processor that got the job done in a matter of minutes and I still had Nutter Butter Balls to make.



I wasn't as impressed with Nutter Butter Balls as I was with Oreo Balls. The peanut butter and cream cheese and Nutter Butter cookies mixture turned out extremely greasy and definitely not as tasty as Oreo Balls. I think I'd be better off just making Buckeyes.

The Oreo Balls were for my students as "motivation" during their midterm. Because of midterms, this week has been a bit laid back. Next week will be the same until we start the second semester. I cannot believe how much time has passed and how much I've come along with my job. I've finally gotten into a routine and I don't spend my whole night planning for the next day's classes. My relationships with my students are great and I love spending the day with them. On most days, I'm not even that tired anymore when I get home from school. But, of course, I've still got a lot of work to do, especially with discipline and making sure that I cover everything before the Virginia state tests. Progress... One step at a time, I can survive.

I hope everyone's year is off to a good start. Enjoy some Oreo Balls to make it even better.

Oreo Balls

1 package Oreos
8 oz cream cheese (Philadelphia preferably - it's the creamiest)
24 oz almond bark

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a food processor, add Oreos and pulse until they are fine crumbs. Add cream cheese in cubes and blend until cookie mixture sticks together. Roll into 1-inch balls and place on prepared baking sheet. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the almond bark in 30-second intervals in the microwave or on the stove using a double boiler.

Take the Oreo Balls out of the refrigerator. Dip them one by one into the almond bark using a spoon or a fork and place on another piece of parchment paper. Let sit until set or chill in the fridge.

Oreo Stuffed Fudge Cookies

I finally got around to making baked goods to send to my friends. Late, but better than nothing, right? I'm bubble-wrapping the cookies and hoping that they will make it safely to their destinations.



This is my first time working with dark cocoa powder and it's pretty amazing seriously how dark it makes the dough. It's not noticeable as a powder, but once it's mixed into the wet ingredients, it turns a very dark color - closer to black even. And that is the color the cookies end up looking like too!



The original recipe worked with just mint creme Oreos, but of course, you can use other Oreo flavors! I went for Double Stuf, Mint, and Peanut Butter, which I didn't even know existed until this week. It actually doesn't taste that great... There is the peanut butter flavor, but there's just something weird about it. Mint tastes like toothpaste to me, literally, so I just stick with the original, my favorite.

The dough is pretty difficult to work with once it warms up, so stick it in the fridge for a while again when it reaches that point. Rather than just pushing the two dough balls with an Oreo in the middle to cover it up, I found it easier to flatten the two dough balls and wrapping the Oreo one layer at a time - top and bottom. I think this led to my using less dough for each cookie, so I got about 24 cookies from one batch! I also didn't realize I had no baking soda in the house and left it out... Didn't really change the flavor for me, so I'm glad that worked out!



Oreo Stuffed Fudge Cookies
From Becky Bakes

2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup dark cocoa*
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
12 - 15 mint creme oreos

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. With a hand or stand mixer beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla extract. Mix well. Add flour mixture to mixer and mix until combined. Chill dough for about an hour.

Using a cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough into balls. I like to do this all at once so it is easier to assemble. Take a dough balls and place it in your hand. Place an oreo on top and top with another scoop of dough. Seal the edges together by pressing and cupping in your hands until the oreo is enclosed with dough.

Bake at 350F for 9 - 11 minutes. Cookie will be slightly “springy” to the touch. Don’t over bake. These are fantastic a little on the fudgey side and they will stay softer once they are cool. If you are really looking for an over the top experience, eat these warm!

*Find dark cocoa if you can. It really makes this cookie extra rich and yummy. Otherwise regular cocoa will work just fine.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Fall is upon us. Or, is it? Oh, wait, it is. Sorry, the weather is confusing me. I got sick a couple weekends ago from it being 50 degrees and windy outside. Then this past weekend, it was 75 degrees and sunny, no wind. And now, the temperatures are in the 60s and it's raining and windy again. Seriously?

Whatever temperature it may be, it is officially Fall according to the calendar. I don't have any trees around my apartment, but I was in Lexington this past weekend and all the trees had changed colors. Halloween costumes and candy have been out since the beginning of October. Pumpkins are now making their appearances in the stores for carving. Canned pumpkin puree is low in stock.

Pumpkin is not a flavor that I particularly enjoy on its own, but when mixed with other flavors, I don't mind so much. That's why I went for these cookies because chocolate makes everything better. I had actually thought about making muffins, but cookies give me more servings. The weird thing is that I was a bit disappointed by how little it tasted like pumpkin. Maybe it's because I was expecting an overpowering flavor. But I love that it's so cakey and soft, definitely not your normal cookie texture. These were probably one of the most well-received goodies I've brought into school!



Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies [Makes 24 cookies]
From Kirbie Cravings

1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk together pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla and egg in a large bowl . In a separate bowl, whisk together together flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt. Add the flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Take large tablespoons full of dough and drop onto cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. When finished, try to shape the dough to resemble a cookie. The cookies dough should be round and flat and smooth, resembling close to the finished baked product because the cookies don't spread much during baking and will rise up. It helps to work with the dough if your hands are freshly washed and slightly damp.

Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm. The cookie dough will be almost the same size and shape as the finished cookies as the batter does not spread much.

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Having a jar of peanut butter in my apartment is a dangerous thing, especially this week. I tend to eat my stress away and, oh boy, has this week been stressful. First off, I'm sick so I'm sniffling in class and I sound like a man. Second, my job is stressing me out. No. My students are stressing me out. And third, my phone was stolen this week by one of my own students. It was my mistake for not keeping it in my bag, but it was also in the corner of my desk so you had to be behind it to see the phone and no student should be snooping around a teacher's desk. I came to realize the hard way that I got too used to W&L's Honor System, which doesn't exist in the real world.



I gave in to temptation this week and bought a jar of peanut butter, though. After the week I've had, I needed it. Slowly, a whole jar became almost a whole jar, which then became half a jar. At this point, I decided I just needed to bake with whatever was left.



These cookies are so easy to make. The instructions are not complicated at all and it involves bare minimum amount of work and effort. Just the kind to be making on a weeknight. I rolled them into balls, but I didn't dust them with sugar before baking. I'll have to try that next time. I baked my first batch for 10 minutes and thought it was a little overcooked, so I went for 9 minutes after that and that was perfect. The best part is, unless you've got somebody who is allergic to peanuts, anybody can eat this. There's a vegan option for the egg and there is no flour in this recipe.



My phone has not turned up yet and no student has confessed to the crime, so goodbye to the I-literally-just-got-an-upgrade new phone. Good thing I kept my old phone!

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
From Love Veggies and Yoga

3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup peanut butter
1 egg (or 1 tbsp flaxseed meal + 3 tbsp water for vegan option)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in one bowl and stir by hand with a spoon. Form into 1-inch balls and place on cookie sheet. Lightly press each ball with a fork to make criss-cross patterns. Dust each cookie with a pinch of white and brown sugar before baking.

Bake at 350F for 10 minutes or until barely browned. They can go from raw to burned in about 90 seconds so watch them.

Allow to cool well and they may not look very well done after 10 minutes, but take them out of the oven anyway and allow them to cool.