Mini Maple Pancake Muffins

This is recipe #2 in our celebration of National Pancake Week. This recipe comes from the infamous Bakerella.com & certainly lives up to the hype. These yummy muffins are chocolate chip pancake batter baked in a minimuffin pan. I made these for my babies this morning & we all loved them. The muffins really taste like pancakes but in a cute muffin shape that is just fun to eat. We each had our own little bowl of syrup to dip our muffins in, which of course made us each feel special. Will asked for more, Audrey grunted for more, & I snuck one extra in my mouth while cleaning up. Thanks you National Pancake Week for making me feel it is my responsibility to eat lots & lots of pancakes (or muffin pancakes) this week!

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Generously grease a 24 cup mini muffin pan with non-stick spray.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Sift together with a wire whisk.
In another bowl, stir buttermilk, egg, maple syrup and melted butter until just combined.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir with a spoon until combined.
Stir in chocolate chips. Reserve a few chips to sprinkle on the tops.
Bake for 8-9 minutes.
Makes 24 mini pancake muffins.

Let cool slightly and remove from the pan. You may need to use a toothpick around the edges to separate the pancake muffins from the pan.
Serve immediately with warmed butter if you like or even just with maple syrup.

Pumpkin Pancakes

February 21 -27 is National Pancake Week.

Growing up my Mom made breakfast for dinner a couple times each month. It was my second favorite dinner after lasagna. I've continued the tradition with my family except we usually have breakfast for dinner once a week. We never have time to have a big breakfast for actual breakfast (who does?). In order to fill our tummies with pancakes, scrambled eggs, & hash browns, I fix it as soon as I hear the garage door open signaling Patrick's arrival home from work in the evening.

Tonight for National Pancake Week I chose to combine my 2 loves pumpkin & pancakes to make this breakfast for dinner. I found this recipe on the Martha Stewart website & it is a "good thing" that I did. These pancakes were delicious! I made another pumpkin pancake recipe before & while it was good, they took a long time to cook through in the middle & by the time they were they got too dark on the outside. This recipe worked much better. I cooked them at 350 degrees on my large griddle. They did take just a little bit longer to cook than a regular pancake, but not too much longer. My test tasters loved these pancakes & didn't mind the unseasonal pumpkin in February!

For a spiced breakfast treat, whisk 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour; 2 tablespoons sugar; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon, ground ginger, and salt; 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg; and a pinch of ground cloves. In a separate bowl, stir together 1 cup milk, 6 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and 1 egg; fold mixture into dry ingredients. Melt some butter in a skillet over medium heat; pour in 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook pancakes about 3 minutes per side; serve with butter and syrup. Makes 8 to 10.

Pumpkin Scones

So I have this rule about pumpkin. Pumpkin goods can only be eaten from the 1st of September to the 31st of December during "pumpkin season". Today I declare that rule SILLY. No limit should be placed on pumpkin goods. Why do we have canned pumpkin if not to be able to enjoy its flavor year round? Sure pumpkin smells like Fall & gets us in the mood for trick-or-treating & Thanksgiving. But let's use pumpkin every month to enjoy its nutritional value & remember the Falls of yesteryear.

These scones are DELICIOUS. (Had I obeyed my SILLY pumpkin rule I would not have enjoyed these scones for another 8 months.) So I've already made them twice. Who knew that butterscotch & pumpkin would be such complementary flavors? My favorite thing about these scones is they are classified as a breakfast food. They taste like dessert but with eggs & turkey sausage they're a well balanced start to my day. So here's to pumpkin all year long!

I trace a 9 inch cake pan on a piece of parchment paper than tuen it upside down so I can still see the circle but won't get pencil on my scone.

Recipe from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
For the scones:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
½ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
8 tbsp. cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/3-½ cup butterscotch chips
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
Dash of ground nutmeg
Dash of ground ginger
Dash of ground cloves
2 tbsp. milk

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt; whisk just to combine. Add the cold butter chunks to the bowl and stir with a fork to combine. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs and the largest butter pieces are no bigger than peas. Mix in the butterscotch chips. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, pumpkin puree and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir together gently just until the dough comes together. If necessary, knead a bit with your hands, but be careful not to overwork the dough or you will end up with a tough scone.

Transfer the sticky mass of dough to the prepared baking sheet. Pat the dough into a 8 or 9-inch round. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 22-25 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature. Slice the dough round into 7 or 8 wedges.

To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar and spices in a small bowl. Add the milk and whisk to combine, until a thick glaze is formed. (If necessary, add a bit more milk to achieve a consistency good for drizzling the glaze.) Use a whisk to drizzle the glaze over the finished scones (I use a plastic baggie with a tip cut off). Allow the glaze to set before serving.

Cookie Dough Truffles

Who doesn't love cookie dough? No really, is there anyone out there who doesn't? Every time I bake I am faced with the dilemma "do I take a bite of this dough even though it has raw egg in it?". Even Will asks me, "Mommy can I have a bite of your cooking or does it have raw egg in it?" These truffles combine the delicious taste of cookie dough with the safety of not getting a disease to put you in the hospital. And best of all sweetened condensed milk is the ingredient swapper for the eggs. Yes, sweetened condensed milk is another one of my favorite foods. Is sweetened condensed milk a "food"? Sure it is.

I used my little ice cream scooper to measure out the perfect size truffles & then rolled them just a little with my hands to make them round. I chilled the dough in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes, but I did not need to freeze them after I formed the balls. My dough wasn't too soft & dipped perfectly in the chocolate. Maybe they knew I was in a hurry. But in case the dough is soft, the recipe suggestion to put them in the freezer will work well. That's how I make cake balls. Enjoy!

Recipe from: Annie's Eats

8tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
2¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1½ lb. semisweet (or bittersweet) chocolate, coarsely chopped
Mini chocolate chips (for garnish)

Directions:
Combine the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla until incorporated and smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture has firmed up enough to form balls.

Shape the chilled cookie dough mixture into 1-1½ inch balls. Place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Cover loosely, transfer the pan to the freezer and chill for 1-2 hours.

When ready to dip the truffles, melt the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Dip each chilled truffle, one at a time, coating in chocolate and shaking gently to remove the excess. (If at any point during dipping, the cookie dough balls become too soft, return to the freezer to chill for 30 minutes.) Transfer to a wax-paper lined surface. If using mini chocolate chips for garnish, sprinkle on top quickly after dipping each truffle before the chocolate sets. Once all the truffles have been dipped, store them in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Soft Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies with buttercream frosting is one of my top five favorite foods in the world. There are so many things I love about these cookies. 1. They taste like butter & sugar. 2. They can be made into shapes to match any occasion. 3. The frosting can be colored to match any occasion. 4. Will helps me push the cookie cutter down & says each time, "Yeah, I'm cooking!" 5. These cookies always get me compliments, like a 4 year old in my church class, "You did a good job making these cookies." then he gave me a thumbs up.

1 cup butter
1 egg
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon

In a large bowl cream butter. Add egg & mix. Add sugar & beat well. Add remaining ingredients and mix. On a floured surface, roll out douag 1/2 -inch thick. Add flour if dough is too sticky. Cut dough into desired shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool on wire rack & frost with your favorite buttercream or cream cheese frosting. Makes 2 to 3 dozen cookies.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:

1 stick butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla

Beat butter until smooth. Beat in remaining ingredients until smooth, anout 2 minutes. Add additional milk a little at a time if thinner consistency is desired.

Tomato & Mozzarella Pasta al Forno

I've really been on a pasta kick as of late. I always use the Barilla Plus Wheat Pasta. It is a Best Life recommendation by the Bob Green, Oprah's trainer so it must be good! This recipe comes from Annie's Eats, my favorite food blog, and is another variation of the typical weekday spaghetti dish. But I swear this one tastes like a restaurant meal. It is so fresh tasting from the plum tomatoes instead of the typical jarred spaghetti sauce. And I love the cubes of melted mozzarella cheese instead of the regular layer of melted shredded cheese. I serve this with a salad and Focaccia bread for a yummy, easy weekday dinner (and it makes enough for leftovers!).

Note: I pureed the tomatoes because Patrick doesn't like chunks of tomatoes. It was great this way, but I also think it would be equally delicious with the "chunks".

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2-14 oz. cans diced Italian plum tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
S&P
1 lb. pasta (tubes)
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed
2/3 c. Parmesan

Directions:
Heat oil in skillet. Add garlic and cook over medium high heat, 1 min. Add tomatoes and oregano and simmer rapidly, stirring occasionally until thickened, 15 min. Add S&P. Meanwhile, cook pasta. Toss pasta with sauce. Place half of pasta in an oiled 9×13” dish. Cover with half Parmesan and half mozzarella. Top with remaining pasta, then Parmesan and mozzarella. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes

Kristin

Spaghetti Pie

Spaghetti Pie comes from another one of my favorite cookbooks Family Dinners. It's one of those cookbooks that I can read over & over again. It has great crowd pleaser recipes and they are generally healthful - perhaps you are trying to do the New Year, New You program like my family. It's a great variation on the weekly spaghetti dinner & served with a green salad & crusty bread it's a perfect meal.

The sauce on this pie is a little tangier than the usual jarred spaghetti sauce. I love it because it tastes fresh & a little peppier than Prego. I also love how the egg & Parmesan cheese mixed with the spaghetti gives it structure so it is really like a "crust". Patrick & Will love the layer of ricotta cheese.

My favorite thing about this recipe is that everyone likes it. In my family that means everyone is eating the same food at the same time. Will uses his fork and every once in a while says, "Mmmm", Patrick gets up himself to get 2nds and then 3rds, Audrey eats virtually anything but seems to really enjoy this pie, and Mommy smiles to herself that everyone if simultaneously happy & hopes it will last a long while...at least until dessert.

6 oz whole wheat spaghetti, cooked & drained

2T butter

1/3 c Parmesan cheese

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 c onion, chopped

1/4 c green pepper, chopped

s & p

1 can (8oz) tomato sauce

1 can (6oz) tomato paste

1T sugar

2t Italian seasoning

1/2t garlic salt

1 c ricotta cheese

1/2 c grated mozzarella cheese



Heat oven to 350F. Return cooked & drained spaghetti to cooking pot. Put butter on hot spaghetti. Add Parmesan cheese & eggs. Mix well. transfer to 10" pie plate. In a large skillet, cook onion & green pepper. Lightly season with s & p. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar, Italian seasoning, & garlic salt. Simmer for 10 minutes. Spread ricotta on spaghetti crust. Put tomato mixture over ricotta cheese. Bake uncovered 20 minutes. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese on top. Bake 5 minutes more or until cheese melts.

Kristin

Peanut Butter & Banana Muffins

Will received the book If You Give a Moose a Muffin from Santa this year. Currently, I have read it 1, 637 times. Obviously I had muffins on my mind when I decided to make a dozen of Will & Audrey's favorite muffins for breakfast. This is another recipe from Deceptively Delicious one of my favorite cookbooks. These muffins are so full of goodness & my babies LOVE them. Will ate 3 for breakfast partly because they were so yummy and partly because he was pretending to be a moose. I usually make 2 batches at once & freeze them individually. If I know we will be having a busy morning I put 2 in the fridge the night before to thaw & then Will & Audrey have a fast & nutritious breakfast waiting for them. So much better than a Pop-Tart!

Note:Stirring 1/2 the sugar in at the end gives these muffins a crunchy swirl on top!

Nonstick cooking spray

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1/2 cup carrot puree

1/2 cup banana puree

1 large egg white

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Coat a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper baking cups.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix 1/2 cup of the brown sugar with the peanut butter, the carrot puree and banana puree, and the egg white, using a wooden spoon.

3. Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl & stir. Add the the bowl with the peanut butter mixture and stir until just combined ( the better will be a little lumpy-do not over mix). Add the remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar and stir once or twice.

4. Divide the batter among the muffin cups and bake until the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn muffins out onto a rack to cool.

5. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or wrap individually & freeze for up to one month.

Kristin

Black Bean & Salsa Soup

I love this soup. It is such a find! I discovered this recipe on my favorite food blog Annie's Eats. I have made it 3 times in 2 weeks. I first made it for dinner & Patrick & I loved it. It is SO simple but really delicious & filling. I made another batch & had it for a few lunches. When I ran out, I was so sad that I made another batch. I love black beans & this soup has great black bean flavor with spice from the salsa. I top it with low fat cheese, fat free sour cream and cilantro for a lower calorie meal & I watch Patrick dip delicious taco chips in his for added crunch. Mmmm...

2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed

1.5 cups vegetable broth

1 cup salsa

1 t cumin

sour cream, cilantro, cheese for garnish

Combine beans, broth, salsa &cumin in a food processor. Blend until fairly smooth. Heat soup in a saucepan over medium heat until thoroughly heated. Ladle soup in bowls and garnish as desired.

Kristin

Butternut Squash & Molasses Soup

Ever since Campbell's came out with that Butternut Squash Soup in a box commercial I have wanted to make my own squash soup. I looked and looked for the perfect recipe, but since no such recipe exists, I combined a bunch to make my own super squash soup recipe. It's mostly a Vera Bradley recipe with a touch of a few other recipes. It took a while to make since the squash & apples have to roast for a while, and then the pureeing, and then it has to be all combined & heated through. But, even though there are a number of steps, these steps are very easy just don't plan to make this soup unless you are going to be home for a while. My taste tester gave in two enthusiastic thumbs up, Will & Audrey turned their noses up & ate a Little Debbie Cake instead. I think it is delicious & it will definitely be making the rounds of the dinner line-up again soon.

2 apples

2 1/2 pounds butternut squash

1 cup vegetable or chicken broth

2 T butter

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

2 t salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 t mild Currey powder

1 cup apple juice

1 cup cream

2 T molasses

1 green apple, thinly sliced

Peel, core, and cut apples in half. Cut squash in half & scoop out seeds. Place apples and squash face-down on greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Scoop out squash. In a skillet, melt butter over low heat. Add onions & cook until tender. Place squash, apples, onions, and broth in a blender and mix until blended. Transfer mixture to a large cooking pot. Add salt, pepper, and Currey powder & stir together. Add apple juice & cream. Stir until heated through. Do not boil. Salt to taste. Ladle into bowls. Drizzle with molasses and garnish with green apples.

Make about 8 cups.

Kristin

German Chocolate Cake

I made this cake with my babies in mind, hoping to trick them into eating various nutritious foods hidden in the form of a cake. Instead, Patrick and I ate most of it because it was just too good. I have made many recipes form the Deceptively Delicious Cookbook & loved them all. This is a variation of the Yellow Cake recipe & topped with a traditional Coconut Pecan icing. Will & Audrey did like it & ate it not knowing that it was full of veggies, but Patrick & I did our best at hiding it from them to eat it ourselves. It does have pumpkin in it (and I do love me some pumpkin) but it is hard to taste it unless you really think about it. It just good & good for you (well, kind of)!

German Chocolate Cake

Nonstick cooking spray
1 (18 oz) box German Chocolate cake mix
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup water
2 T apple sauce
2 large eggs
1 large egg white
6 ounces vanilla yogurt

1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 9 x 13 inch cake pan with cooking spray & flour lightly.
2. In a large mixing bowl of an electric mixer, combine the cake mix, pumpkin puree, water, apple sauce, eggs, egg white, and yogurt. Beat until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Pout the better into the cake pan and bake until toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Frosting

6 T butter
3/4 cup half-&-half
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut
1 1/2 cups pecans, chopped
1 t vanilla extract

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in half-&-half and brown sugar. Cook and stir until smooth. Add coconut, nuts, and extract. Cool slightly and spread over cake.

Kristin

Savory Parmsan Bites

I discovered these yummy bread bites right after I had Audrey. Some nights were harder than others to get dinner on the table. On those nights where I was spending more time feeding a baby than being able to prepare a meal, we ate frozen pizza. Sad, I know. And I felt so bad that I looked on kraft.com to see if I could find a little something to make to go with our DiGiorno. I found these little poppers, whipped them up in a flash, thawed out some pizza sauce & they were actually REALLY good. They made frozen pizza nights a little less pathetic & definitely more tasty. And now that Audrey is a big baby she also enjoys these...but now we eat them we homemade pizza!

Note: I don't always use the red pepper, they are great with or without. Be sure to make a little extra pizza sauce for dipping.

1 pkg 8 ounce cream cheese, softened

1 cup Kraft grated Parmesan cheese, divided

2 cans (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent rolls

1 red pepper, chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Heat oven 350. Beat cream cheese and 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese until well blended. Separate dough into 8 rectangles; seal seams. Spread cream cheese mixture; top with peppers and parsley. Fold each rectangle lengthwise into thirds to enclose filling. Cut into 4 squares. Place, seams sides down, on baking sheet. Top with remaining Parmesan. Bake 13 - 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Kristin

Santa Cookies

Santa successfully made it to Gigi & Papa's house to deliver presents to Will & Audrey. Will was very excited to leave these cookies for Santa since they looked just like St. Nicholas. Although he was too excited with the Christmas Eve festivities to be my cookie helper, I loved making these cookies. They are easy & fun, and I liked that the more I made, the more life-like they began to look to me. There's enough to do on Christmas Eve without having to get out bags of flour & sugar & make homemade icing. Best of all, Santa ate them all & left word that they were deicious. Thanks Santa for stopping by! See you next year!

1 bag white choclate chips

1 package Nutter Butter cookies

Red colored sugar

64 mini semisweet chocolate chips

32 red M&Ms

Reserve 32 white cholate chip. Melt the white chocolate chips using the instructions on the back of the bag. Dip each end of the cookie into the white chocolate & place on wax paper. Then immdeiatly use colord sprinkle to make hat & then a white cholate chip to make the pom pom. Place a M&M on his beard for his mouth. Dip 2mini cholate chips in a little melted white chocolate for the eyes. Repeat 31 more times. Let set on the wax paper & enjoy!

Kristin

White Chili

In order to graduate college on time, I needed to take a few online classes to fulfill the needed hours to wear the cap & gown with my dear husband & bestest friend Hannah. I searched through the online registry for the easiest looking classes & picked: Public Speaking (yes, online - I spoke into a tape recorder), Advanced English, & Basic Food Prep. My text book for Basic Food Prep was the Betty Crocker Cookbook. In this class, we were instructed online to make recipes & then judge our ability to successfully prepare, cook & make a tasty dish. Sometimes I was given the option of choosing a type of dish, but most of the time I was given a specific recipe to make whether it appealed to me or not. There was an unfortunate taco salad that my dear husband & bestest friend Hannah choked down. But, the good news is a few delicious recipes were found in the Big Red Cookbook and this is a favorite.

White Chili - I've certainly had a few varieties of this now classic stew, but BC does it best. Great flavor, easy prep, one pot wonder. I love the tangy flavor of the lime juice & I can eat cilantro on just about anything. Sometimes I switch up the kinds of beans I use from great northern to black eyed peas or garbanzo, but anything works since I've never eaten a bean I don't love.

1 T vegetable oil

2 medium onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely copped

3 cups chicken broth

2 T chopped fresh cilantro

2 T lime juice

1 t ground cumin

1/2 t dried oregano leaves

1/4 t red pepper sauce

1/4 t salt

1 can (11 ounces) white shoepeg corn

1 can (15 to 16 ounces) great northern beans, drained

1 can (15 to 16 ounces) butter beans, drained

2 cups chopped cooked chicken breasts

1. Heat oil in 4-qt Ditch oven over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic in oil, stirring occasionally until onions are tender.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients except chicken. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes. Stir in chicken; simmer until hot.

* Top with shredded cheese, tortilla chips, chopped green onions, diced tomatoes, chopped fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, and sour cream.

Note: The recipe does not call for carrots but I threw in a few because, if I didn't, they would have just gone bad in my refrigerator. They were yummy & that is why there are carrots in the picture.

Kristin

Outstanding Oreo Cookies

Homemade Oreo cookies are just so yummy. I color the filling to match the season or holiday. Will & I made half red & half green filling then he licked the spoons and had a half red & half green face. The cookies couldn't be easier to make - they're from a cake mix! The filling is just cream cheese icing. Do you think Santa will like them?

1 box devil's food cake mix (Betty Crocker brand works particularly well)
3/4 c up butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

In a large bowl combine cake mix, the 3/4 cup butter, and eggs. Chill about 10 minutes. Roll into small balls. Pace o a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 9 minutes. Cool.

To prepare filling, beat cream cheese, the 1/2 cup butter, and vanilla together. Add powdered sugar and mix together. Spread filling on top of cookie, and then top with another cookie. Makes about 2 dozen.

Recipe from The Essential Mormon Cookbook.

Ginger Ball Cookies

So Ginger Snaps are not my favorite cookies, or so I thought. My mom gave me this recipe last year & I didn't even make them (what a loss!). She got the recipe from my sister-in-law's mom, who was given the cookies & recipe from a friend. So basically it was through some divine power that this recipe ended up in my hands to bake & eat & thus transform my life. I am a better person from eating these cookies. My smile is brighter. I am kinder to my family. I am kinder to my dog. I smile at strangers, even at the Wal-Mart. My heart, like the Grinch's, grew 3 sizes upon eating the first bite of this cookie. Yes, they are that good.

Can you make these perfect cookies more perfect? Yes, by making this pumpkin dip to go with them. You're welcome.

3/4 c butter
1 c sugar
1 egg
4T molasses
2t baking soda
1t cinnamon
1/2 t cloves
1t ginger
1/4 t salt
2 c flour

In a mixing bowl cream butter & sugar. Add egg & molasses and mix well. In a medium bowl mix all dry ingredients. On low speed add flour mixture to butter mixture a little at a time. Mix until just blended. Use a tablespoon to scoop out even amounts of dough. Roll into balls. Then roll into sugar. Flatten & bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes (for a crispy cookie) or 8 minutes (for a cookie that is crispy on the edges and chewy in the middle).

Kristin

Pumpkin Dip

Hurry! Only 2 more weeks of pumpkin eating to go! Among all the candy cane, cranberry, fudge, & other Christmasy recipes, I had to make room for a pumpkin dessert. This recipe is a combination of recipes one from Taste of Home & the other from my cousin Hollie, who knows about my pumpkin obsession. This Pumpkin Dip is for graham crackers or sugar cookies, but I paired mine with Ginger Ball Cookies & it was delicious! Honestly I could just eat it by the spoon full. It tastes like liquid pumpkin pie - mmmmm..... delicious!

1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1 t cinnamon
1 18 oz can pumpkin pie filling (about 1/2 of a large can)
1/4 t ground ginger
3 cups powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese in mixer until smooth. Add pumpkin pie filling; beat well. Add sugar, cinnamon, and ginger. Beat well. Serve with sugar cookies & graham crackers or Ginger Ball Cookies.

Note: If using a large can of pumpkin pie filling do not throw the rest away. Freeze it for the next time you make this recipe. It freezes & thaws well & this is so yummy it will certainly be made twice!


Kristin

Peppermint Bark

This recipe for Peppermint Bark is super easy, tastes super wonderful & looks super yummy too. There's no actual cooking or baking involved, just microwaving. I see little tiny boxes of Peppermint Bark in stores for like $7-$15, but mine looks just as pretty, tastes just as great (if not better), and costs way less. Does Santa like Peppermint Bark? I bet he does. And Will even creatively named these "Santa Cookies" so that's proof enough for me the Big Guy might be enjoying some of these with a glass of milk come Christmas Eve!

1 bag Toll House Milk Chocolate Morsels
1 bag Toll House White Chocolate Morsels
4 Candy Canes

Crush candy canes in a resealable freezer bag or food processor until finely ground. Melt milk chocolate morsels using the directions on the back of the bag. Spread and even layer on parchment paper or Silpat. Melt white chocolate morsels using the directions on the back of the bag. Stir in half the crushed candy canes. Spread evenly on top of milk chocolate morsels. Sprinkle remaining crushed candy canes on top. Refrigerate until firm. Break into small pieces.

Kristin

Peppermint Candy Tarts

Here's another plate of cookies to try before we make the big decision of what to leave Santa on Christmas Eve. If Santa loves candy canes, which he does, icing, which he does, & sugar cookies, which of course he does, then he is sure to love these cute little tarts. They are basically a sugar cookie with butter cream frosting mixed with crushed candy canes, but when made in the mini muffin pans they become adorable little tarts. My cookies did puff up a little during baking so I used my little liquid measuring cup (like a shot glass) & pressed them down right after I took them out of the oven to create a well for the icing. I used my food processor to crush the candy canes & used a large star tip to pipe the icing. But beware, the icing tip needs to be large enough for the crushed candy canes to pass through. I had a rather large piece of candy cane clog up my icing tip & it could have been catastrophic but luckily it happened while icing the last tart!

INGREDIENTS

Tart Shells
1/2	cup granulated sugar
1/2	cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2	teaspoon peppermint extract
1	egg
1 1/2	cups all-purpose flour
1/4	teaspoon baking soda
1/4	teaspoon salt
Filling and Garnish
2	cups powdered sugar
3	tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
2	or 3 drops red food color
2	to 3 tablespoons milk
1/2	cup crushed hard peppermint candies (about 18 candies)

DIRECTIONS

	Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms only of 32 mini muffin cups with shortening or cooking spray. In large bowl, beat granulated sugar and 1/2 cup butter with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in peppermint extract and egg until blended. On low speed, beat in flour, baking soda and salt.
	Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls. Press each ball in bottom and up side of muffin cup.
	Bake 9 to 12 minutes until set and edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from muffin cups to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
	In small bowl, beat filling ingredients except crushed candies with electric mixture on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Stir in 1/4 cup of the candies. Spoon or pipe 1 rounded measuring teaspoon filling into center of each tart shell. Sprinkle with remaining crushed candies. Kristin

Reindeer Cookies

Ho, ho, ho it's finally time for Christmas treats. Will & I started off this festive holiday season with these reindeer cookies. At 3 1/2 Will already can name all 8 reindeer & knows every word to "Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer". Gotta love his holiday spirit! In honor of his reindeer obsession, I made heart shaped sugar cookies, buttercream icing, & chocolate dipped pretzels to make "Rudolf cookies, because they have a very shiny red nose." I had seen a recipe for reindeer cookies last year, but after I search the internet & couldn't find them, I just made my own. We didn't have M&Ms which would have been my first choice for eyes & nose, but chocolate chips & a little red icing worked better than a special trip to the store. Let the Christmas cookie baking begin!

Note: I made 1 recipe of frosting & made 1/2 of it vanilla & 1/2 chocolate by adding 1/4 cup of baking cocoa to the chocolate frosting. My little reindeer likes "va-nil-la" frosting! To assemble cookies, frost heart shaped cookies, add two chocolate chips for eyes, a blob of red frosting for the nose & place 2 chocolate dipped pretzels on each side of the "head" for the antlers. I made 20 reindeer cookies with a few leftover sugar cookies for little Audrey to enjoy. Store in the refrigerator.

Sugar Cookies:

1 cup butter
1 egg
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon

In a large bowl cream butter. Add egg & mix. Add sugar & beat well. Add remaining ingredients and mix. On a floured surface, roll out douag 1/2 -inch thick. Add flour if dough is too sticky. Cut dough into desired shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool on wire rack & frost with your favorite buttercream or cream cheese frosting. Makes 2 to 3 dozen cookies.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:

1 stick butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla

Beat butter until smooth. Beat in remaining ingredients until smooth, anout 2 minutes. Add additional milk a little at a time if thinner consistency is desired.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:

Substitute 1/2 cup baking cocoa for 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar.


Kristin