Mini Peanut Butter Blossoms

Little bites!

Here is an all time favorite cookie recipe....Peanut Butter Blossoms. I saw the little mini kisses on sale in the baking aisle, and couldn't resist making some mini blossoms! This is a recipe for cookies made with butter, NOT shortening. I try to avoid shortening...it really grosses me out. Hope y'all had a wonderful Thanksgiving...it's time for Christmas baking to begin!

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Ingredients:

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c brown sugar

1/2 c butter

1/2 c peanut butter

1 egg

1 t vanilla extract

1/4 t salt

1 3/4 c flour

1 t baking soda

1/4 c sugar (for rolling)

48 kisses (or about half a bag of miniature kisses)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine sugars, butter and peanut butter in a large bowl and mix until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. Mix until well combined. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet. Mix until well combined.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls (or about half that size for the mini's!). Roll the balls in sugar and place onto cookie sheets.

Bake 8-10 minutes (7-8 for mini's) until the edges are cracked and they are lightly golden brown. Press the kiss in the middle, and cool completely on racks.

Enjoy!

Coconut-Blueberry-Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Coconut-Blueberry-Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting....what a mouthful! This is a light and summery cake with lots of wonderful flavors that really compliment one another. While making our anniversary cake, I found I was missing ingredients for the cake I was going to originally make. I went to the pantry, fridge and freezer and came up with this..

Coconut-Blueberry-Lemon Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Instructions

Your favorite Lemon Cake box mix or recipe
3/4 c Shredded Coconut

Mix the cake mix as instructed and add the shredded coconut. Bake in desired pan and cool.

Filling:
2 cups blueberries (if frozen, thawed)

1/3 c sugar

3 T cornstarch

1 t lemon juice

1/4 c water

Heat, stir and smash the blueberries until the mixture boils and thickens. Cool completely before using. You can also skip this step and buy jarred preserves.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Use the recipe posted here

Put it all together! If you are frosting a cake, you will want to freeze the cake layers before assembling. This is the step I skipped, which is the reason my cake is so ugly. :O)

I wanted a mini cake...so I baked mine in a 8x11 dish, and used the leftover batter for cupcakes. You can customize this any way you would like! I left the coconut out of the cupcakes, and they were very good!

Cappuccino Love Bites

Things are crazy here this afternoon...but I wanted to post a scrumptious cookie recipe. This is a nice change from the regular old peanut butter blossoms...especially if you like coffee! Enjoy!

Cappuccino Love Bites

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups sugar, divided
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 egg
1 tbsp. coffee-flavored liqueur or milk (I used 1 tsp. instant coffe dissolved in 2 tsp. of warm milk)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. instant coffee crystals
36 Hershey’s Hugs, wrappers removed

Directions:
Beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add one cup of the sugar, baking powder, and salt. Beat until the mixture is combined, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the egg, coffee liqueur, and vanilla until combined. Gradually add flour until well combined.

Preheat the oven to 350° and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Shape into 1-inch balls. Combine the remaining ½ cup of sugar and the coffee crystals in a small bowl. Roll dough balls in the sugar mixture. Place about 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.

Bake about 10 minutes or until tops are cracked and sides are set (do not let edges brown). Immediately press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie. When most of the kiss is melted (except for the tip) twist the top to get a swirled effect.

adapted from The Canadian Baker

Pumpkin Bread with Pecan Streusel Topping

Here is another wonderful pumpkin recipe! This is my new favorite pumpkin bread recipe. It is a very moist, flavorful bread with a crunchy pecan topping. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Bread with Pecan Streusel Topping

Ingredients:
1/2 c canola oil
1 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
3/4 c canned pumpkin
1/2 c apple cider
1 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c white whole wheat flour (you can substitute AP flour if you don't have wheat)
1 t baking soda
3/4 t ground nutmeg
3/4 t ground allspice
3/4 t ground cloves
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground ginger
1/4 t salt
Streusel Topping
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tbs unsalted butter, softened
1/4 c flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup toasted pecan pieces
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Arrange the pecan pieces on a baking sheet and toast 7-9 minutes, until golden brown and aromatic. Set aside.

Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan, 3 mini loaf pans or 18 muffin tins with cooking spray.

Whisk the oil and sugars in a large bowl. Add the eggs, pumpkin, and cider and whisk to combine. Stir in the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Pour into the prepared loaf pan.

To make the topping, mix together the sugar, flour, butter, cinnamon, and pecans. Sprinkle liberally over the loaf before baking.

Bake the bread about an hour, until the top has set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. My mini loaves baked for about 45 minutes. I would guess that muffins would take 20-25 minutes.

Cinnamon Rolls

If you have never made The Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls...MAKE THEM NOW. They are WONDERFUL. I split the recipe in half, and came out with 4 pans of cinnamon rolls. I didn't have the maple extract, so I used vanilla extract in half the amount (it is a lot stronger). I also used the minimum amount of butter, and baked them at 375. Three of them are in the freezer...waiting for the perfect opportunity to be eaten (warmed up in the oven) on a cold Saturday morning with a warm cup of coffee. I will post her recipe, but go HERE for detailed instructions with pictures! Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 quart Whole Milk
• 1 cup Vegetable Oil
• 1 cup Sugar
• 2 packages Active Dry Yeast
• 8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
• 1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
• Plenty Of Melted Butter
• 2 cups Sugar
• Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon
• _____
• MAPLE FROSTING:
• 1 bag Powdered Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Maple Flavoring
• ½ cups Milk
• ¼ cups Melted Butter
• ¼ cups Brewed Coffee
• ⅛ teaspoons Salt

Preparation Instructions

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. Scald the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point). Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in both packages of Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.

After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it – overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).

When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1/2 to 1 cup melted butter over the dough. Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.

Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.

Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Then begin cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans.

Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 400 degrees (see note below) until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.

For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Go crazy and don’t skimp on the frosting.

Note: My rolls don’t work for me at 400 degrees anymore. I now bake them at 375 degrees.

Candy Cane Biscotti

My sweet husband bought me a Keurig for an anniversary gift. I have been wanting one for over a year, so I was pretty excited to wake up Saturday morning to a fresh cup of coffee. Of course...I needed to make something sweet, and I have been waiting to try this biscotti recipe. This recipe makes little mini biscotti...perfect for a small sweet treat. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...can't wait! Have a great week!

Candy Cane Biscotti

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c flour

1 1/2 t b. powder

1/4 t salt

8 T unsalted butter, softened

1/2 c sugar

3 eggs

2/3 c chopped peppermint candies or candy canes, plus extra for garnishing

1 cup white, dark or milk chocolate chips

melted chocolate (optional)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir briefly with a fork to combine. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until well combined, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one a time, mixing well after each addition. Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until incorporated. Fold in the 2/3 cup crushed peppermints and chocolate chips with a rubber spatula until evenly incorporated.

Evenly divide the dough into 4 portions. Form each into a 9″ by 1½” log on the prepared baking sheet, spaced evenly. Bake until the cookies are light golden brown on top, about 18-20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes on the cookie sheet. Reduce the oven temperature to 325° F.

After the logs have cooled for 10 minutes, use a sharp serrated knife to cut the logs into ½-inch slices on the diagonal. Arrange the cut pieces on the baking sheet, laying on one of their cut sides so one cut side is facing up. Bake for 15 minutes more, until the cookies are light golden brown and crisp. (They may seem a bit soft, but will firm as they cool.) Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Once the biscotti have cooled, garnish with melted chocolate and crushed peppermint. Let stand at room temperature until the chocolate has set completely. Store in an airtight container.

Chunky Monkey Biscotti

Here is a biscotti recipe that I really enjoyed making....and eating. I halved this recipe, and still ended up with a lot of biscotti! I froze most of it, and occasionally pull one out of the freezer to enjoy with my coffee. Hope you enjoy!

Chunky Monkey Biscotti

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (i used dark)
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
2 large eggs
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Melted chocolate for drizzling, optional

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper, or coat with cooking spray.

Stir together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and chocolate chips until combined. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together banana, eggs, peanut butter and vanilla until well combined. Add dry ingredients and stir until combined. Divide the dough and shape it into three 9 x 3–inch logs on cookie sheet.

Bake for 30 minutes; cool 5 minutes before transferring logs to wire racks to cool an additional 15 minutes. Cut rolls diagonally into 1/2-inch thick slices. Place them back on the baking sheet, cut sides down. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake 10 minutes. Turn cookies over and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet and cool completely on wire racks.

Drizzle with melted chocolate and enjoy!

S'more Please???

These S'more cookies, along with the oreo chocolate chip cookies I posted about last week, are now on my top favorite cookie list. Landon isn't a big dessert eater...but I knew he loved them when he ate 3 before dinner. Hope you enjoy them as much as he did. :O)

S'more Cookies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c flour

1 c graham cracker crumbs

1 t baking soda

1 t salt

1 c butter, softened

3/4 c sugar

3/4 c brown sugar

1 t vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups mini chocolate chips

mini marshmallows

2 hersheys chocolate bars, broken into pieces

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, salt in a bowl and whisk together. In a separate bowl beat together the butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Slowly beat in the flour mixture until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes, and remove from the oven. Push a couple marshmallows and a few pieces of hershey bar into each cookies. Return to the oven and bake an additional 2-3 minutes until fully cooked. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Enjoy!

Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookie meets Oreo Cookie...no explanation needed. :0) Enjoy!

Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1 stick softened butter

6 Tablespoons sugar

6 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 egg

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 ¼ Cup flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

10 Oreo Cookies, broken up/chopped

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter, and sugars. Add egg and vanilla until mixed. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Fold in Oreos and chocolate chips gently.

Scoop onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet using a medium cookie scoop. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cookies will still be soft! Let cool on baking sheet for a few minutes and transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy!