Soft Frosted Sugar Cookies

This is a recipe for soft sugar cookies similar to the Lofthouse cookies they sell at Wal-Mart. I normally stay away from packaged cookies but these cookies are always a temptation to me. These are wonderful! Hope you enjoy.

Ingredients:
For the cookies:
4½ cups all-purpose flour
4½ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. salt
1½ cups (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1½ cups sugar
3 large eggs
5 tsp. vanilla extract

For the frosting:
5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1/3 cup (5 1/3 tbsp.) unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
7-8 tbsp. milk (plus more, as needed)
Food coloring
Sprinkles

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or baking mats. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk the dry ingredients together. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until soft and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the dry ingredients. Mix until incorporated and evenly mixed. Cover and chill the dough for 1 hour.

Scoop a scant quarter cup of dough and roll into a ball. Flatten the ball slightly and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the cookies at least 2-3 inches apart. Bake about 10-12 minutes or just until set. Don't over-bake!!! The cookies may be slightly brown on the edges...but no more than that. Let cool on the baking sheet for several minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting, place the confectioners’ sugar in a medium bowl. Add the melted butter, vanilla, and milk to the bowl and whisk until smooth. Whisk in additional milk as necessary, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.Add food coloring if you would like and use an offset spatula or spoon to frost the cooled cookies. Decorate and keep in an airtight container!

English Muffin Bread

I just love quick bread recipes! Here is a quick and easy english muffin loaf recipe. I halved the recipe and made 3 mini loaves. Hope you enjoy!

English Muffin Loaf Recipe (found from Allrecipes)

Ingredients:

2 packages active dry yeast

6 c flour

1 T white sugar

2 c milk

1/4 t baking soda

1/2 c water

1 t salt

2 T cornmeal

Directions:

Heat the mlk and water until very warm in a saucepan or microwave

Combine 3 cups of flour, yeast, sugar, salt and soda in a large bowl. Add the warm milk and water and beat well. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to make a stiff batter. (i used about 5 1/2 cups total). Spoon into two 9x5 inch loaf pans that have been greased and dusted with cornmeal. Cover with a tea towel and let rise for 45 minutes in a warm place.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from the pans and cool. ENJOY!

Car Cookies

So I finally got around to baking some cookies in the car. I know. Kind of crazy. The neighbor's were probably wondering who the crazy kids were that just moved into this house. As if the late night furniture restoration shop we have going in our garage isn't enough...now this crazy lady is baking cookies in her car...and taking pictures of it. Brooke & I had fun though, and that is all that matters. It has been so hot that we have literally been stuck in the house for several weeks. I just used an oatmeal chocolate chip recipe and scooped each cookie out with a mini cookie scooper. I flattened each cookie with my palm so that they would cook faster. It was about 108 degrees outside on Monday and it took about 2 hours for the cookies to "bake" up. They weren't the most amazing cookies I have ever made, but Brooke REALLY loved waking up to freshly baked cookies after her afternoon nap. I love watching her smile.

Homemade Ice Cream (no machine required!)

For the last two years I have been longing for the ice cream maker attachment that goes on my kitchenaid. It just hasn't been in the budget this year, and past birthday and christmas money have gone to buying clothes for my little ones or OLD furniture from craigslist. Oh well...it is probably better for all of us that we don't have an ice cream maker. I have been wanting to try this easy ice cream recipe for a long time. It is SUPER simple, and I just threw in some brownies from the freezer, chocolate syrup from the fridge, and chocolate chips from the pantry. Next time I want to add some coffee and chocolate for a mocha flavor. Go here for the original recipe and mix-in ideas.

Ingredients:

2 cups of whipping cream

1 can eagle brand condensed milk (low-fat works well!)

Your mix-ins!

Whip your cream until stiff peaks form. Add your mix-in's to the condensed milk in a large bowl. Gently fold in the whipped cream. Pour into a 2 quart container and freeze until firm, abou 4-6 hours. Enjoy!