Chocolate Peppermint Cookies {Christmas Tray 2012}

We are closing on our new home today and I will officially be a Nebraska resident again! I don’t think you understand how much this excites me! Especially after the week we just had. Of course, Fargo had to send us off with one last bit of nasty weather. I was feeling all sad and everything about packing and leaving and getting mail for the new owners when it was still MY house but that weather put it into perspective and left me saying “adios suckers, I’m out.” Well, I try to talk big and bad but it was still incredibly hard to leave. Shutting the door for the last time, ugh. I was not a pretty sight.

I have been having a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year with all that we have had going on with the move but when I whipped up these cookies I felt a little bit more cheery. The smell of peppermint filled the house while these are baking which always reminds me of Christmas. And now that we are officially in Nebraska, we get to decorate a tree (my parents waited to put theirs up so that Noah and I could help) so that will totally fix me. I was majorly bummed that we didn’t get to put ours up this year.

Although I loved these cookies (they taste like a white chocolate version of thin mints), they were a bit to crispy for me but I prefer a soft, chewy cookie. The flavors of peppermint, cocoa and white chocolate were pretty heavenly together making this recipe a huge keeper. I may roll out the dough a little less next time so that they have a bit of chew to them but that’s really the only change I would make. Not only are they delish but they are really festive and pretty! Try them….you will like them!

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
recipe from My Madison Bistro

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup fine sugar
1 large whole egg, plus 1 large yolk
3/4 teaspoon pure peppermint extract
4 large candy canes, crushed (or Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips)
1 pound white chocolate or confectioners’ coating, coarsely chopped

1. In a medium bowl, whisk dry ingredients.

2. In another bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium until fluffy, about 4 minutes. On medium-low, add egg, then yolk, until blended. Beat in peppermint extract. Reduce speed to low and slowly add flour mixture, beating until just mixed.

3. Divide dough into 2 and place dough on sheets of plastic wrap. Shape dough into disks, wrap, and refrigerate 1 hour (up to 2 days).

4. Lightly flour surface and roll out one disk to 1/8 inch thickness. Using a 2 inch circle (I used 3 inch because my other cutters were already packed), cut into rounds and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Reroll dough scraps and cut remaining rounds.

5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Bake for 9-12 minutes. Transfer parchment to cooling rack; cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

6. Place candy canes in a plastic bag and bang away with a kitchen mallet until the candy is crushed. Or if you are lazy like me, use Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips.

7. Melt white chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Dunk cookies half way into chocolate. Use a fork to brush excess from cookie bottom, then transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the cookies with the candy cane chunks.

8, Refrigerate baking sheets until set (3 hours). Serve immediately, or freeze.

Cake Batter Sugar Cookies {Christmas Tray 2012}

I love me some sugar cookies. Whether they are rolled, cut and frosted or simple dropped on a sheet and baked they are my absolute favorite type of cookie. So sugar cookies combined with a cake batter flavor are right up my alley of course.

I also love sprinkles…they make everything happy and much cuter. Am I right? And the cookies are mini too so it’s double the adorableness.

These cookies were easy to whip up and as they came together, I totally got whiffs of cake batter heaven. The cake batter flavor comes from the butter extract rather than a cake mix which is nice for a change. Not that I have anything against store-bought cake mixes because I do love using them as a starting point in recipes.

I had a big variety of Christmas sprinkles so I dumped in a little bit of everything (nonpareils, jimmies and colored sugars) and they turned out perfect and incredibly festive!

Cake Batter Sugar Cookies
recipe from Sally Baking Addiction

4 tbsp (1/4 cup) butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/2 tsp butter extract
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup colorful sprinkles
1/4 cup sprinkles, for rolling

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or silpat.  Set aside. Pour 1/4 cup sprinkles onto a plate to use for rolling.  Set aside.

2. Cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment.  Beat in egg yolk, butter extract, baking powder, and salt.  Add flour, and mix until a dough forms.  Dough will be thick. Gently mix in sprinkles.

3. Roll dough in teaspoon size balls.  Make sure that the balls are tall, rather than wide.  The taller the cookie dough ball, the thicker the cookie will be.  Roll the dough balls into the reserved sprinkles and bake for 9-10 minutes. Watch them closely at the 9 minute mark to assure they do not brown.

4. Allow cookies to cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheets before transferring to a cookie rack to cool completely.

Red Velvet Gooey Butter Cookies {Christmas Tray 2012}

So red velvet just screams Christmas to me and these cookies are the perfect for the holidays. They start with a cake mix so they are very simple to whip up. I seem to always reach for cake mix whenever it comes to red velvet.  I think it’s because on one of Joel’s birthdays when we were still dating, I tried to make a homemade red velvet cake. It didn’t end well. It had a weird tang and texture so I really don’t know how I messed it up but I haven’t tried to make it from scratch since. I probably should try since I have a food blog and all. We shall see.

These cookies are rich, dense and of course, gooey. I’m really glad I was giving them away to our friends because I really couldn’t have had these sitting around my house. I’m totally a stress eater and I’m starting to feel a tad overwhelmed with the move so I probably would have eaten the whole batch. Not so good for the dieting.

If you aren’t up for cookies, these cake balls are one of my favorite treats ever and were featured as a great Christmas treat last year with funfetti cake mix but my personal favorite is red velvet.

Red Velvet Gooey Butter Cookies
recipe from Taste and Tell

8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 box red velvet cake mix
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

1, In the bowl of a mixer, cream together the cream cheese and the butter.  Beat in the egg, then the vanilla.  Beat in the cake mix until completely combined.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

3. Roll the chilled dough into tablespoon sized balls.  Roll in confectioners’ sugar, and place on an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Jello Cookies {Christmas Tray 2012}

When I saw these, I thought Noah would love making and playing with the dough. Turns out, he just wanted to eat the dough.


And do this.

And this too.

He did enjoy rolling them in the jello powder and flattening them on the baking sheet. There was a whole lot of “Noah do it” going on in our kitchen. He is totally at that stage. I’m glad he wants some independence but man, it’s annoying sometimes.

I guess these weren’t the best cookies to make for Christmas. I literally stood in front of the jello for like 5 minutes trying to decide what flavors to use. None of them were particularly Christmas-y but I was dying to make these so I had to make it work. I thought cranberry could work but who likes cranberry jello? Not me. I finally settled on lemon and black cherry…yellow and dark red seemed to say holiday to me.

I think the colors turned out for Christmas. Not typical green and red but still festive. They taste like zingy sugar cookies covered in the sour sugar from gummy worms. Yum!

Jello Cookies
recipe from I {Heart} Naptime

3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cups salted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
4 (3 oz) pkg. jello (any flavors)*
Gel food coloring

1. Beat butter in large bowl with mixer until creamy. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Blend in egg and vanilla. Mix flour and baking powder in a separate bowl. Gradually beat in flour mixture.

2. Divide dough into 4 sections. Sprinkle 2 Tb of jello onto each section. Knead together with dough. You may want to add a bit of food coloring to make the dough more vibrant (I had to, especially with the lemon).

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in the extra jello from the packets. Place, 2 inches apart, on baking sheets. Flatten with bottom of bowl.

4. Bake 8 to 10 min at 350 on lined baking sheets. Cool on baking sheets 2 min. Remove to wire racks and cool completely.

*I only used 2 jello flavors so I doubled the amount of powder in each half (rather than fourths).

Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies {Christmas Tray 2012}

Joel’s favorite cookie is the humble chocolate chip. I totally get it but as a food blogger it sometimes pains me to make them for him. They are just so plain and I am always trying to find ways to jazz them up because I just can’t leave well enough alone. I give in sometimes and simply make our old standby but for the Christmas tray, I just couldn’t do the standard ole’ thing. But because they are a favorite in our house, we had to have some kind of chocolate chip studded cookie. I searched through my millions of saved recipes and found these. The perfect compromise.

I love pistachios and since they are green, they are totally Christmas-y. Got it? Now if only I could find a way to make broccoli all Christmas-y, then we would be in business…but it wouldn’t be as much fun or nearly as delicious. Who needs veggies anyway?

The recipe uses a pistachio pudding mix to impart the delicious flavor and in addition, it adds an undeniable moist, chewy texture to the cookies. I can absolutely get behind chocolate chip cookies of this variety. And I know at Christmastime, I get all worked up trying be all fancy pants so it’s nice to have a simple and tasty recipe that can be whipped together in minutes to fill in the holes on that lovely tray!

Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies
recipe from The Baking Pan

3¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 small package (3.4 ounces) pistachio flavored instant pudding mix
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (I used butter flavored shortening)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ cup toasted walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped (optional)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 2 large baking sheets: lightly grease with shortening or line with parchment paper, or line with a non-stick baking mat.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and pudding mix; whisk together to mix. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine sugar and butter; cream together until mixture appears light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula so the mixture blends evenly. Add eggs; beat until thoroughly mixed. Stir in milk and vanilla. Add sifted flour mixture; stir until mixed. Add walnuts and chocolate chips; stir to mix.

4. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or just until cookies are set and edges are very lightly browned. Remove cookies from baking sheets with a metal spatula and place on a wire cooling rack to cool.

Cake Mix Cookies

These cake mix cookies are a simple summer treat that only require 4 or 5 ingredients!

I remember having these a lot as a kid and I always enjoyed them! I don’t have the exact recipe from my childhood but these seem pretty darn close to me. I love making recipes as an adult that I had as a child because of the memories they bring back. It’s funny how food can do that.

The cake mix lends a light, fluffy texture which makes these cookies really unique and tasty. The other great thing about this recipe is that the possibilities are endless. Spice cake with walnuts and raisins, devil’s food cake with dark chocolate chips, lemon cake with white chocolate or just plain old funfetti all come to mind when thinking of tasty combinations. Use your imagination and dream up your favorite concoction!

Cake Mix Cookies
recipe from cooks.com

1 package of cake mix (any flavor)
1 large egg
1/4 cup of oil
1/4 cup of water
1 cup of chopped nuts, raisins, oatmeal, coconut, chocolate chips, M&M’s etc. (anything you like in cookies)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Combine cake mix, egg, oil, and water. Beat until well blended. Stir in remaining ingredient(s).

3. Drop by teaspoon about 1 inch apart onto greased cookie sheet.

4. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until done.

Patriotic Funfetti Whoopie Pies

I have had this recipe bookmarked for quite awhile now and just hadn’t found the perfect ocassion to make them yet. I stumbled across it when I was searching for 4th of July treats to feature and knew it would translate well to the red, white and blue color scheme. I mean, could these get any cuter? I think not.

I’m not usually a big marshmallow fan but man this frosting was ridiculous! It was just madness along with the fluffy, cake-like cookie. Just one is definitely an indulgence but it is well worth every bite!

Funfetti Whoopie Pies
recipe from Sweet Peas Kitchen

For the Whoopie Pies:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
White of 1 large egg
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
1/3 cup sprinkles, plus more for garnish

For the Marshmallow Filling:

1 1/2 cups Marshmallow Fluff
1 1/4 cups vegetable shortening
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, shortening, and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add egg and egg white, and beat until incorporated.  Add half of flour mixture and half of milk to creamed mixture; beat at medium speed just until blended.  Add remaining half of flour, milk and vanilla; beat until blended. Fold in sprinkles.

4. Drop by heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2-inches apart. Bake, one baking sheet at a time, until cakes begin to crack and are firm to the touch, 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and slide the parchment paper, with the cakes, onto a wire rack to cool completely.  Use a thin metal spatula to lift the cookies off the parchment paper.

5. To make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the marshmallow fluff and the vegetable shortening, on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

6. Add the confectioners’ sugar and the vanilla and beat on low until incorporated. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes more.

7. To assemble, turn half of the cooled cookies upside down, flat side facing up. Drop a large dollop of filling onto the flat side of the cookie, leaving a 1/4-inch plain edge.

8. Place another cookie, flat side down, on top of the filling. Press down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edges of the cookie.

9. Roll edges in sprinkles. Repeat until all cookies are used. Yields: 12 whoopie pies.

Recipe linked to Cast Party Wednesday and Full Plate Thursday.

New Orleans Food Tour {Part I}

We had a great time during our trip to New Orleans! I especially had a great time eating all the local grub! We didn’t get to eat as much Cajun food as we would have liked (because of the times of the games we had to eat at the dome a few times) but still managed to eat (and drink) quite a bit of unique fare that we couldn’t get around here. So here are our favorites….Joel thought that when we went on vacation he would escape the obsessive photo taking of our food but he was wrong. And embarrassed, which isn’t easy to do. If you ever travel to New Orleans, be sure to check out these eats!

Our first meal was at The Ruby Slipper which uses all local products from the sausage to dairy to bread. They also have a great story behind the name of the restaurant. The owners are big Wizard of Oz fans so when they came back to the city after Katrina they decided on this name because “there is no place like home.” They serve breakfast, lunch and brunch offerings with a New Orleans flair. Joel decided on the BBQ Shrimp and Grits while I had a Cheese Omelet with Breakfast Potatoes and a Biscuit. There other breakfast items sounded amazing (check out the pancakes and french toast options) but I just wasn’t in the mood for sweet and they all came with meat which I was trying my hardest to avoid.

The omelet was good but the breakfast potatoes and biscuit definitely stole the show. The potatoes were so brown and crispy while the biscuit had a crunchy bottom (in a good way) and soft, moist middle. {The Ruby Slipper, New Orleans – downtown and midtown}

The BBQ Shrimp had an amazing, spicy Cajun rub that was great on the shrimp. I can’t be a judge on the grits because well, I hate grits. I tried them because I haven’t had them in awhile and thought maybe I wouldn’t mind them but the hate remains. Joel enjoyed them though and they looked yummy. {The Ruby Slipper, New Orleans – downtown and midtown}

We stayed about 45 minutes outside the city in Picayune, MS and when we were driving in the first night, I spotted this little place and my heart skipped a beat. When we walked inside I just about died because it was even better than my wildest dreams!

They displayed case after case of pretty much any Southern (or any other region for that matter) pastry you could imagine. Needless to say, it was extremely difficult to make a selection…so we went a second time in order to get the full effect. I didn’t get any pictures inside the shop because Joel looked like he just might die if I pulled out the camera.


Joel indulged in his first ever eclair and it was pretty heavenly to say the least. He tried to compare it to a Long John and thought the doughnut version was better but let’s be honest…he is crazy and doesn’t know what he is talking about. The pastry was light and airy, the filling creamy and the chocolate rich. Yum! {Paul’s Pastry Shop – Picayune, MS}

I had my first cannoli and it was divine! It has definitely moved to the top of my “to make” list. The shell was sweet and crispy, the filling was light, fluffy and slightly sweetened and the chocolate chips added that extra richness. Oh, I’m still dreaming about it! {Paul’s Pastry Shop – Picayune, MS}

On our last day we stopped by one last time for a cream puff, mounds macaroon and little key lime cookies. The cookies were tart and melted in your mouth. The macaroon was sweet, dense and rich…everything it should be. And the cream puff was just as heavenly as the eclair. I actually enjoyed it more since I am not a huge fan of chocolate. If you are EVER in the area, you have to stop by and try one of everything! You won’t be disappointed. {Paul’s Pastry Shop – Picayune, MS}

Another favorite spot we visited was L.A. Pines Cafe in Slidell, LA. We were there for our swamp tour and had seen this little place featured on Diners, Drive-In’s and Dives so it was on our list of places to try. Their specialty is the Smoked Prime Rib Sandwich. It consists of delicious French bread slathered with horseradish sauce and topped with an enormous amount of smoked prime rib, caramelized onions and melted cheese. They had a lot of business that day due to all the people in town so they were running short on the prime rib and I managed to snatch up the last one. Score! It was the first Sunday I cheated during Lent and it was so worth it. I don’t normally cheat on Sundays but I made an exception since we were on vacation. The prime rib was so incredibly tender and paired so well with the horseradish sauce (which I normally don’t like and almost asked for the sandwich without it). The bottom half of the roll is dunked in au jus…need I say more? {L.A. Pines Cafe – Slidell, LA}

Super Bowl Menu

We are hosting the Super Bowl this year for the second year in a row and I am totally ordering pizza for the second year in a row. It’s easy and makes my life less stressful. But of course I can’t just have pizza. I could never have at least one homemade thing at a gathering…it’s just not my style. Sooo, in addition to the pizza I am going to prepare some dips and desserts for our guests. I’m pretty darn excited about them so I thought that I would share them with you now in case you want to try them for the big game. I will feature them in the future if they are a hit among the crowd.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Mexican Cheesy Corn Dip from Piece, Love and Cooking

Caramel Peanut Butter Dip for Apples

Dessert is a toss up right now…either mini fruit pizza’s or Blue Moon cupakes…ooooor both. I just can’t decide. Blue Moon cupcakes would be perfect for the game but mini fruit pizza’s would be so cute and fun.

Blue Moon Cupcakes from Erica Sweet Tooth

Mini Fruit Pizza’s (store bought or prepared sugar cookies with frosting…if I make these I’m going to frost the cookies then set out the fruit so everybody can create their own using the fruit they prefer)

12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies Roundup

Week One – Cherry Chip Cookies

Week 2 – Mint Brownie Crinkles

Week 3 – Butterscotch and Peanut Butter Cornflake Cookies

Week 4 – Peanut Butter M&M Cookies

Week 5 – Chocolate Almond Pralines

Week 6 – Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Week 7 – Raspberry Ribbons

Week 8 – Pretzel Cookies

Week 9 – Mini Pecan Pies

Week 10 – Italian Christmas Cookies

Week 11 – Maple Cream Gingersnaps

Week 12 – Orange Clove Snickerdoodles