Sugar Cookies

Yummmmm...chewy, sweet, with just a hint of crispness at the edges. I love these sugar cookies. We made a batch today while watching the Olympics- Munch is absolutely hooked. She stayed up for the entire Opening Ceremony, reading off all the names of the countries and commenting on their outfits and population statistics as I fought off yawns. I think she'd park herself on the couch munching these sookies for the next several days if I'd let her!

Sugar Cookies
2 1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 c. sugar, plus 1/3 c.
2 oz. cream cheese, room temp.
6 tbs. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tbs. milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.Whisk together the dry ingredients in a small bowl. In a mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, and melted butter at medium-low speed until smooth. Add the vegetable oil, egg, vanilla, and milk and beat to combine. Add the dry ingredients a few spoonfuls at a time, scraping down the bowl occasionally.
Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough and roll gently into balls. Roll dough balls into additional 1/3 c. sugar and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Using the bottom of a glass, press dough balls gently to flatten slightly. Sprinkle with additional sugar and bake until edges start to tan but cookies are still pale and puffy, about 9-10 minutes. Cool on a rack. Makes about 3 dozen.

Hello Summer

A gorgeous day in the Bay Area, so we headed out to the Bay Area Discovery Museum with Munch's cousin. At 6 and 7, they are closer to the older side of the kids that visit, but both still had so much fun building, creating, and exploring. When we got home, there was more playtime and bouncing on the trampoline before a delicious dinner of white chicken chili, cornbread, and for dessert, S'mores bars!

S'mores bars- super easy to make!
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
12 oz. chocolate chips (the recipe calls for milk chocolate for authentic s'more flavor, but I prefer bittersweet!
4 cups mini marshmallows

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, salt, and melted butter. Mix well and reserve 1 cup of the crumb mixture for the topping. Press the remaining crumbs into a lightly greased 13x9 baking pan. Bake the crust for 10-12 minutes, or until golden. Sprinkle the top of the crust evenly with the chocolate chips, then return the pan to the oven for 2 minutes. Remove the pan and turn on the broiler. While the broiler heats, spread the chocolate into an even layer over the crust. Sprinkle the marshmallows over the chocolate, pressing them lightly, and then top with the reserved crumb mixture. Broil about 2 inches from the heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute, watching closely, until the marshmallows are puffed and golden. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Favorite flashbacks: Alphabet Activities, Letter R

Revisiting some of my favorite posts and projects...

Alphabet Activities: Letter R

Munch and I had "R Day" a couple of weeks back...or is it a couple of MONTHS now? We did the usual routine of making the letter with wood pieces and practicing writing it, but the fun part was making the rainbow cookies. The cookies themselves tasted just okay and I might tweak the dough in the future, but the best part was how sturdy it was and its texture lent itself well to lots of handling. This activity was particularly fun because Munch and I could revisit primary colors and color mixing as well. I got the recipe from the DLTK's Sites: Growing Together, which has been my resource for a lot of the great alphabet activities Munch and I have done together. The original recipe calls for forming the dough into one large rainbow, from which kids can break off pieces, but I like our smaller rainbows better.

Rainbow Cookies
1 c. sugar
1 c. butter, softened
2 c. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
food coloring- red, blue, and yellow

In a mixer, beat together the sugar and butter. Scrape down the bowl before adding the egg and vanilla. Mix well to combine. Add the flour and mix well. Turn the dough out onto a board and divide dough into three balls. Add a different food coloring (red, yellow, blue) to each ball until dough is desired color. I kneaded in the food coloring before handing it off to Munch to finish just to be sure the color didn't ooze out and stain the work area.Divide each ball of dough into three smaller balls (I actually broke each ball of dough in half to start, then one half in half again, if that makes sense since I knew I would be combining colors). Leave the large dough ball its original color and use the remaining smaller two to mix with the other primary colors. Here's Munch kneading red and blue- it made the strangest grey-ish purple so added more coloring to it to make it more vibrant- it ended up fine once I baked it, not grey at all.Next we took each of our six colors and flattened it into a long rectangle.Then we stacked/layered the colored rectangles, beginning with purple at the bottom-I sliced the dough thinly, about 1/3-inch or so, then passed them to Munch to shape into a rainbow curve.After putting them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, we baked the cookies at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes, until they just began to turn golden at the edges. This batch is all ready for the oven!

Favorite Flashbacks-Spangly Heart Cookies

Revisiting some of my favorite posts and projects...

Spangly Heart Cookies
Lately, I've been giving Munch more and more responsibility in the kitchen. She measures out ingredients for me, mixes things up, and (most exciting to her) she's gotten a chance to cut up celery using a "real" knife (one of my paring knives). Munch's cousin recently passed a cookbook on to her and we finally got around to trying one of the recipes.After going through the recipes, she decided on the "Spangly Heart Cookies". I liked that the recipe used reasonable quantities of ingredients for Munch to handle and that the straight-forward directions were also accompanied by a picture so I didn't have to explain much.
A few days ago I picked up a brightly colored set of measuring cups and spoons for Munch at Cost Plus. I figured it would be easier for her to remember the various sizes if they were also different colors.Once I softened the butter in the microwave for her, everything was easy for Munch to mix by hand. The only other thing I did for her was crack and separate the egg- she didn't want her hands to get dirty!Munch has also been wanting to wash the dishes herself, so she got going on that while the cookie dough chilled in the refrigerator.After a quick chill, Munch rolled out the dough and cut out the heart shapes before brushing on an egg white wash and sprinkling the cookies with pink sugar.Transferring the cookies to a rack to finish cooling-Just like the book!A proud Munch-

Spangly Heart Cookies

Lately, I've been giving Munch more and more responsibility in the kitchen. She measures out ingredients for me, mixes things up, and (most exciting to her) she's gotten a chance to cut up celery using a "real" knife (one of my paring knives). Munch's cousin recently passed a cookbook on to her and we finally got around to trying one of the recipes.After going through the recipes, she decided on the "Spangly Heart Cookies". I liked that the recipe used reasonable quantities of ingredients for Munch to handle and that the straight-forward directions were also accompanied by a picture so I didn't have to explain much.
A few days ago I picked up a brightly colored set of measuring cups and spoons for Munch at Cost Plus. I figured it would be easier for her to remember the various sizes if they were also different colors.Once I softened the butter in the microwave for her, everything was easy for Munch to mix by hand. The only other thing I did for her was crack and separate the egg- she didn't want her hands to get dirty!Munch has also been wanting to wash the dishes herself, so she got going on that while the cookie dough chilled in the refrigerator.After a quick chill, Munch rolled out the dough and cut out the heart shapes before brushing on an egg white wash and sprinkling the cookies with pink sugar.Transferring the cookies to a rack to finish cooling-Just like the book!A proud Munch-

Alphabet Activities- Letter R

Munch and I had "R Day" a couple of weeks back...or is it a couple of MONTHS now? We did the usual routine of making the letter with wood pieces and practicing writing it, but the fun part was making the rainbow cookies. The cookies themselves tasted just okay and I might tweak the dough in the future, but the best part was how sturdy it was and its texture lent itself well to lots of handling. This activity was particularly fun because Munch and I could revisit primary colors and color mixing as well. I got the recipe from the DLTK's Sites: Growing Together, which has been my resource for a lot of the great alphabet activities Munch and I have done together. The original recipe calls for forming the dough into one large rainbow, from which kids can break off pieces, but I like our smaller rainbows better.

Rainbow Cookies
1 c. sugar
1 c. butter, softened
2 c. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
food coloring- red, blue, and yellow

In a mixer, beat together the sugar and butter. Scrape down the bowl before adding the egg and vanilla. Mix well to combine. Add the flour and mix well. Turn the dough out onto a board and divide dough into three balls. Add a different food coloring (red, yellow, blue) to each ball until dough is desired color. I kneaded in the food coloring before handing it off to Munch to finish just to be sure the color didn't ooze out and stain the work area.Divide each ball of dough into three smaller balls (I actually broke each ball of dough in half to start, then one half in half again, if that makes sense since I knew I would be combining colors). Leave the large dough ball its original color and use the remaining smaller two to mix with the other primary colors. Here's Munch kneading red and blue- it made the strangest grey-ish purple so added more coloring to it to make it more vibrant- it ended up fine once I baked it, not grey at all.Next we took each of our six colors and flattened it into a long rectangle.Then we stacked/layered the colored rectangles, beginning with purple at the bottom-I sliced the dough thinly, about 1/3-inch or so, then passed them to Munch to shape into a rainbow curve.After putting them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, we baked the cookies at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes, until they just began to turn golden at the edges. This batch is all ready for the oven!

Peanut Butter Cookie Update

Adorable cookie jar, isn't it- birthday gift from AudioDad and I figured it was time to fill it! I started this blog almost a year ago, sharing a recipe for peanut butter cookies. I'm still hunting for that just right cookie recipe- but I think I'm getting closer! After my recent discovery of Annie the Baker's cookies at the St. Helena Farmers Market, I was inspired to try out a few more peanut butter cookie recipes online. Because as much as I will gladly travel for something yummy, I'd rather be able to make it (or something close to it) fresh, in my own kitchen, whenever I want. I came across this one on Baking and Books and decided it was worth a try, with a good couple of handfuls of Trader Joe's mini peanut butter cups thrown in, Annie-style.

Are you a FOLLOWER yet? Click the Follower button on the sidebar so you don't miss a post!

It's Party Time!

After weeks of planning, preparation, and hearing Munch ask, "Is my pony party today?" I could finally tell her "Yes! Today's your pony party day!" We were blessed with gorgeous weather- warm sun and temps in the 60s-70s. I spent the morning getting all the snacks made- fruit salad, tiny "pigs in a blanket" made with Little Smokies, cream cheese and jam sandwiches cut into triangles with the crusts removed, and mini sweet potato biscuits spread with apple butter or mustard and stuffed with thinly sliced ham.
Once we got to the farm, we set up the table of snacks. We put out the goodie bags that Munch helped to stuff and decorate and we set out the sprinkles and icing for cookie-decorating. Munch was thrilled once the bounce house was inflated! The ponies arrived and the kids took turns getting a ride-



while they waited their turn, they went in the jumpy-



played on the play structure-



and decorated pony cookies-



After a snack, we headed to the petting zoo-



then opened presents



and had cake


It was a wonderful, happy day!

Grocery Finds

I was at the grocery store recently and happened to pass the British foods display. This unfortunate item happened to catch my eye-



Now, maybe it's just me (and the whole "fresh from the farmers' market" mentality here), but yuck! What sounds more unappetizing than canned peas, and smooshy ones at that? Turns out you can use them to make things like green pea fritters, but I think I'll pass.

However, I had forgotten about this other find and recently unearthed it from the corners of my pantry-



From the website, it seems that it's being marketed as a flavor enhancer for water. I found it next to the drink mixes, Crystal Light and such. But the reason I picked it up is that it had the potential to make my lemon snowballs the zingy little treat that I wanted them to be. These citrusy cookies were tucked into my holiday cookie baskets and trays this past Christmas. They're inspired by a delicious lemon cookie that Williams-Sonoma used to sell when I worked there SO long ago- I'm almost positive it was the Nikki's brand. They were basically a lemony shortbread-like, but possibly drier, cookie, dusted in powdered sugar, but with a really lemony zing. I was positive there was powdered lemon mixed into the powdered sugar coating, but it was impossible to find, except for a couple of random people who sold to bakeries. So I shelved the idea of replicating it until I came across the True Lemon at the grocery store.

I adapted a recipe for lemon cookies that was similar to a Mexican wedding cookie or Russian Tea cake. I'm not sure I quite have it just the way I want it, but it's a good start-



Lemon Snowballs
1 c. unsalted butter, softened
1/3 c. powdered sugar
1 tbs. lemon zest
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
additional powdered sugar for rolling cookies (about 1 1/2 c.)
2 packets True Lemon

Combine the butter and 1/3 c. powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Beat until fluffy using a mixer at medium speed. Add lemon zest, lemon extract, and vanilla and mix until combined. Add flour and salt and mix well. Cover and chill dough for at least 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll chilled dough into 1-inch balls, leaving about an inch between cookies. Bake for about 15 minutes until set, and lightly golden around edges. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes before rolling in a mixture of powdered sugar and contents of True Lemon packets. Allow cookies to cool completely on a rack before rolling in mixture a second time.

Christmas Recap

It's been a week now since Christmas and I'm barely feeling like things are "back to normal". AudioDad's been busy taking the trees down and putting decorations away. The holidays were fun with Munch being able to participate more- not sure how much she really understood, but she went with it okay.
The day before Christmas we headed off to Jelly Belly for Munch's first Santa visit. I've been carefully preparing her (don't want a crying kid!) with Santa stories and waving at the mall Santa whenever we walked by. She was so excited as we waited in line, but got a little shy once she got closer. Munch did great though, making sure to tell Santa she wanted a pink bike with a basket.



For Christmas Eve dinner, I tried a new recipe off C. Beth's blog for Indian fry bread.



It was delicious and easy! We spread them with black beans, added toppings, and ate them taco-style. After dinner, the Munchkin made a plate of cookies for Santa-



then we mixed up some reindeer food (oatmeal with sparkly pink sugar sprinkles)



to sprinkle on the lawn-



Munch said goodbye to Doodle and scampered off to bed. The next morning, she got up nice and early. She carefully arranged all her presents on the coffee table as she opened them-



and one of Grandma's gifts made us all giggle-



a nice, big roll of bubble wrap for dancing on!

Almond Bar Cookies

Nope, no fun back story here, just the recipe. So shoot me- we rolled in from my in-laws "not on Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve" party after 11:00 last night. Munch was a real trooper, happily dancing and giggling with her cousin D. all night- and immediately fell asleep in the car. These Almond Bars were such a hit on all the cookie plates this year-I now make 2 pans at a time.

8 oz. can almond paste
1 tsp. salt
1 3/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs, separated
2 tsp. almond extract
2 3/4 c. flour
1 2/3 c. sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare pans by lining 2 8-inch square baking pans with foil (for the technique, click here. Spray each with nonstick cooking spray.

Crumble the almond paste into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the almond paste until broken into small bits, then add salt and 1/2 c. sugar and continue to pulse until finely ground, about 1 minute.

In a separate bowl, beat together the butter and 1 c. sugar at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the almond paste mixture, egg yolks, and almond extract and mix. Reduce mixer speed to low and add flour, mixing until well incorporated. Divide batter between the prepared pans and smooth top with a spatula. Set aside.

In a clean, dry bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Add remaining 1/4 c. sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold in 1 1/3 c. sliced almonds. Divide and spread egg white mixture over the almond cookie base in the pans. Sprinkle remaining sliced almond over the tops. Bake until golden and set, about 55 min. Cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack. Lift out using foil "handles" and transfer to a cutting board. Slice into small squares (I usually get 24 squares per pan) and remove from foil. Enjoy!

Cookie, Cookie, Cookie Starts With C!

I've been busy- heck, when am I not? This weekend was a whirlwind of flour, butter, and sugar, cellophane, waxed paper, and ribbons (oh my!). And, crazy me, I actually considered it RELAXING! So over the next few days- who am I kidding, I'll need into next week to catch up on my posts- I'll share my recipes for the delicious goodies pictured above. Out of my kitchen this weekend came a gingerbread cake with cream cheese icing, buttery brown sugar bites with toffee and pecans, lemon snowballs, coffee buttons, chocolate chip peanut butter cookies, almond bars, lemon-pecan refrigerator cookies, chocolate sables with espresso and sea salt, and butter cookies with cinnamon dots. This plate of treats headed off to AudioDad's workplace today and came back with just a few crumbs.