First Date Cookies

Peanut Butter Kiss cookies have been one of my favorite cookies probably since the first time I made them. Love at first bite. I've tried many different recipes for them - ones I've found online, in books, made up myself.. This recipeI is my favorite. The cookies come out chewy yet slightly crusty in all the right places. You've got the initial first crunch that, as you continue to bite, turns into something chewy, and then once you get to the kiss, melts in your mouth.

It's ridiculous.

The name I have for them, "First Date Cookies" comes from the first date that Brett Porter and I ever went on together. It was a group date, and also a blind date for the two of us. We all watched the Easter Pageant performance at the temple and snacked on cupcakes and some peanut butter kiss cookies that I made and brought along. I wooed him with these cookies and every time I make them can't help think about that very first date! Ooh.. Here they are.



Recipe:
1/2 c. Butter
1/2 c Peanut Butter
1/2 c. White Sugar
1/2 c. Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 Egg
2 T. Milk
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 1/2 (heaping) c. Flour
------
1/3 EACH of powdered, brown, and white sugar in a separate bowl to roll cookies into before placing on baking sheet
1 Bag of Hershey's Kisses

Bake @ 375• for 10 minutes

Mix ingredients together in order. Roll by the tablespoon in sugar mixture. Press cookies very slightly before baking. Have Hershey's Kisses unwrapped and ready to place on cookies right after they come out of the oven.

GIVEAWAY

In honor of the Lakewood Birds' first Christmas, we are hosting
a giveaway of two items!
And they are..

1- A mini cupcake maker

2- A Santa Claus potholder and oven mitt set

--------------------------------------

{How to win:}
1. Post about us on Facebook and make us aware that you have done so! (in a comment)

2. Post a comment on our blog stating that you are a follower OR become a follower if you are not already.

(One giveaway entry PER way to win, which gives everyone TWO chances each!)


** The 2 winners will be chosen randomly and announced NEW YEARS. Thanks for your support and good luck!


Merry Christmas and happy crafting and baking!

Peppermint Chip Cookies!

Holiday baking is one of my favorite times of the year.. People baking treats for their friends and neighbors, holiday parties, and decorating cookies with children.. There's something adorable about little kids decorating a sugar cookie that just makes me so happy inside..

Anyways - with or without children, these cookies are a holiday delight.



Recipe:

1/2 c. Butter
1 c. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1 egg
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Cream of Tartar (optional.. Makes the cookies "smoother")
1/8 tsp. Baking Powder
1 1/2 c. Flour
1/2 heaping cup of Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips and/or crushed candy canes

Oven @ 350•
12 minutes


Mix melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and egg together well. Mix soda, tartar, powder, and flour together in a separate bowl. Combine the 2 mixtures. Add Andes Chips/ crushed candy canes. Scoop by heaping tablespoons onto cookie sheet (cookies came off well without the sheet being greased).

Before Blogging

Before starting a family blog for my husband and I (and now mostly just the baby...) and way before this craft blog, pinterest, and any other internet "craftiness," I had a LOVE for scrapbooking. I think Justin appreciates the fact that blogging is a lot cheaper... Anyhow,I worked at a scrapbook store in high school and spent most of my nights after beauty school scrapbooking for hours. I do miss it and maybe someday I will get an incredible scrapbooking/craft room and will pick it up again...but for now its photo albums and blogging. I was just reminiscing through old scrapbooks and was missing friends that I used to scrapbook with, so I decided to do a post of our wedding "ABC" scrapbook. It is a lot of green, black, and white haha - so enjoy taking a little glimpse of my past (and maybe future) hobby.

Change Your Diet - Improve Your Life

Today I was thinking about the differences in whole wheat flour and just plain old white flour. I know that the wheat is better for my health, but I couldn't muster up any solid evidence for myself why that option was more beneficial. So, I decided to search online about the technical differences in whole wheat flour and white flour when I stumbled upon this useful article. It's very informative and just might make you think twice the next time you're out shopping for your choice of bread. Don't be afraid to check it out and be informed about details the food companies won't always go public about! I am a firm believer in knowing what is best for my body and that includes what kind of fuel, or food, I decide to put into it. Doing something as simple as changing the type of bread you buy could save you a variety of potential health risks.


Here's the link:

http://annie-tumlin.suite101.com/white-flour-vs-whole-wheat-flour-a203963

"Missionary Cookies"

Hello, happy Monday!

Some of you readers know that Aubry and I (and well.. the rest of out family) have a brother serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ if Latter Day Saints at the moment in Oregon. Every time I ask him what treat he wants me to send him next, 98% of the time he says 'the brown ones with the white things in them'.

Luckily I speak baker language! Ha! That, or I speak 'Jared'.. Either way, I know what he means. What he wants are "brownie-mix-cookies- w/ white-chocolate-chips-in-them." Now you all speak Jared too! Or baker..? Or.. Anyways..

Here's the simple and delicious way to make these 'Missionary Cookies' that baby brother Jared always asks for. I warn you, this is a cheater recipe with a box of brownie mix. I try not to use box mixes so I can get a full on baking experience with lots of mixing and adding and watching a recipe transform step by step buuuut, sometimes they are just too dang easy.

Enjoy.




Recipe:
1 Boxed Brownie Mix
2 Eggs
1/4 c. Oil
3/4 c. White Chocolate Chips

Oven 350•

Mix in order until all fully combines. Bake on wax paper or greased cookie sheet. Let cool on pan.

White Chocolate Cherry Muffins

Yesterday I went to look through our pantry for foody inspiration. I found about 4 cans of apple pie filling. My thoughts? SCORE - I can make some type of non-typical apple pie filling dessert. Reality? Every can was expired.

Every. Single. One.
Not just mildly expired though. Like, 10+ years expired each. Not sure how they managed to escape my mom's eye every time she's cleaned out the pantry throughout those last ten years!

Anyways. One pie filling that we DID have that was far from being expired was a can of cherry pie filling. So without further adieu, I present to you...
White chocolate cherry pie filling muffins!



Recipe:
1/2 c. Butter
2 1/2 c. Sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
3 eggs
3/4 c. Oil
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
3/4 tsp. Allspice
4 1/2 c. Flour
1 c. White Chocolate Chips
1 - 20 oz. Can of Cherry Pie Filling (I used the one made with Splenda)

*Mix in order
350• for 22 minutes or until the tops bounce back up when lightly pressed and outer edge of the tops are slightly golden

Glaze:
1/2 c. Cream Cheese (softened)
1/4 c. Butter
1/2 T. Milk
2 T. Orange Juice
4 1/2 c. Powdered Sugar or enough to make a glaze (or more if a frosting is desired)

**May also buy cream cheese frosting at the store and pour reasonable amount of orange juice - whip together

Oreo Inspiration

I've had Oreos on my mind a lot the last couple of days.. Weird, I know.. But I feel this need to be creative with them. So today I went to the store and bought a bunch of goods, it was so fun. I love buying raw materials for baking!

The Oreos you will see were dipped in the candy melts, not the chocolate barks. I was going to be more experimental and test each of the chocolates out to see which one I prefer but I ran out of time, and Oreos unfortunately.. Also, the pink colored ones have food coloring in them as well as raspberry flavoring. Those were yummmmy. Great flavor combination.

Just as a heads up, it's very probable that this could be my first of possibly many or a few more Oreo posts. Like I said, they've been in my brain!! The ideas don't stop at this post! No recipe on this post either, just pics. Eye candy if you will :)

Ha

Blessings Banner

For the Thanksgiving season I decided to make a cute little "Blessings" banner to hang on our fireplace. For this fun project I used : 9 paint swatch cards, 9 silver cupcake liners, stamps, white paint, and tulle. Cost for this project = FREE! I already had everything :) i love free projects! Hope you are making some fun Fall projects!First, I cut all of the paint swatch cards - just so you couldn't see the names of the colors.I then flatened the cupcake liners and folded them in half. - taco style? hahaPut the paint swatches in the middle of the cupcake liners and fold the corners over.Punch holes in the two top corners. Then lay out your stamps and choose which ones you want where.Stamp it up!

Thread the tulle through each letter card.Tie some cute bows on the ends and that's it! I think it turned out cute!