Two layers of spiced oatmeal cookies filled with a delicious cream cheese frosting filling.

I've got another tasty treat to share with you today. Who doesn't love oatmeal cream pies? Even better - HOMEMADE oatmeal cream pies with a delicious rum flavored cream cheese frosting filling.

Yep. These are for real.

I'm reviewing this recipe over on Culinary Covers today, so head on over to see how they turned out and grab the printable recipe while you're at it. Enjoy!

Luscious lemon sugar cookies with a creamy lemon buttercream frosting.


By now you should know of my love for citrusy desserts. But sometimes you don't want to wait for a cheesecake, cake, or pie to bake, and need the quick sugar fix that a cookie can give you.

That's why when I came across this Tasty Kitchen recipe for Lemon Sugar Cookies with Lemon Buttercream Frosting, I knew I had to try them out.

They're the perfect combination of lemony sweetness and soft, buttery cookies. The frosting is amazing and may or may not have been eaten by itself in vast quantities.

Don't judge. :)

Are you intrigued yet? If you head on over to the Tasty Kitchen Blog, you can read my full step-by-step post and pick up the printable recipe while you're at.  What are you waiting for!

This is what I'm eating for breakfast today...it's sorta healthy, right? I mean, it's got nuts in it...and those are good for your heart.

Yeah...that's what I'm going with.

This is a recipe recap of one of the first recipes I posted. Gotta love a good shortbread cookie, especially when it has browned butter and toasted pecans in it!

For the recipe, go to my original post Browned Butter Pecan Shortbread.

What recipes do you have up your sleeve for the this weekend? Let me know in the comments, I'd love to check them out! Have a great weekend.:)

How about a cookie recipe today? I've got a cookie creation for you that comes courtesy of the imagination of a certain six year old little boy. My son loves no-bake cookies. He also loves helping me in the kitchen and experimenting with his own "ingredients".

These ingredients can range from flour and sugar, to say...dirt...or dog food.

Luckily his last idea involved something that's edible by humans - sprinkles and white chocolate; two more of his favorite things. We mixed the sprinkles into the cookies and had to put extra on top of course...just to make sure there was an adequate ratio of cookie to sprinkle.

These cookies turned out really good and disappeared in no time.  The kid might be onto something here. Enjoy!




White Chocolate Sprinkle No-Bake Cookies
Yield: 12 cookies    Printable Recipe

1/4 stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups quick cooking oats
1-2 tablespoons multi-colored sprinkles

Place the butter, sugar, and milk in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Continue to cook for 1 minute longer. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract and white chocolate chips. Stir until mixture is smooth and the chocolate has melted. Stir in the oats. Now mix in the sprinkles and gently stir to combine. If you stir too much the sprinkles will melt. Drop by tablespoons onto waxed paper, and top with additional sprinkles. Allow to cool before serving.

This is going to be a super quick post, I'm sure you're all neck deep in holiday baking, last minute christmas shopping, and wrapping mountains of presents.

But I just had to share a great recipe I tried today for cut-out sugar cookies. This recipe is by the awesomely talented Laurie, at Simply Scratch, and it's the best recipe I've tried for cut-out sugar cookies.

Usually my doughy men resemble some kind of Frankenstein mutation, turning into those cookies you stuff out of sight, never to embarrass you by actually being seen, let alone offered to company. But these babies had the perfect consistency making them super easy to roll out all pretty. Did I mention they taste awesome too? So buttery and light, and when you slather them with Laurie's Vanilla Frosting...oh man!
Watch out Santa! Your Christmas cookies might be mysteriously missing tomorrow night...or at least missing a limb.

My little guy had so much fun making these, and was very proud of his army man sugar cookie he created.

I've got a really unique Christmas cookie in my archives. It was just sitting there....all lonely...thinking it would never again get to share its Christmas deliciousness with food lovers again. So, I decided to dust it off and share it again. It's been a couple of years since I first posted this one, so I thought it was time to give it some love.

This cookie is kind of time consuming to make, but the results are so pretty it's worth it. It's a crisp, slightly buttery cookie with a mild cinnamon flavor. Perfect for eating with a hot mug of cocoa or cup of coffee.

Want the recipe? You can get it in my original post for Cinnamon Bark Cookies.

I have a confession. I may or may not have eaten an embarrassing amount of Hershey's candy cane kisses yesterday.

Oh come on.  Do you really think I ate all those by myself? No, wait...don't answer that. But let's just say I had, can you blame me?


While I did eat one or two, ahem, let's just say an indeterminable amount. Most of them went into making these puppies. I call them Candy Cane Kiss Shortbread Bars. A buttery shortbread crust, a layer of toasted macadamia nuts and melty candy cane kisses, make these bars delicious.




Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. In an electric mixer, combine the flour, sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt. Press the mixture into the bottom of a greased 13 x 9 pan. Spread the chopped nuts evenly over the crust.

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven.

Place the unwrapped candy cane kisses in a blender or food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Spread the candy pieces evenly over the hot crust/nuts layer. Allow to sit until the heat from the crust has melted the candy. You may need to use a spoon to evenly spread the melted candy. It doesn't need to be smooth, just make sure all of the crust is covered.


Allow to cool in the refrigerator until the candy has hardened and set back up. Cut into bars. Eat and enjoy!

Recipe Notes:
I experimented with several ways to spread the candy on the crust. Spreading the blended pieces was the best way to keep the pretty swirly effect of the candy cane kisses, while getting even coverage. Melting the candy beforehand then pouring over the crust will result in a solid pink candy layer, rather than the swirled effect. Also, when cutting the bars, make sure your knife goes all the way to the pan and your cuts are clean. Otherwise the candy layer will separate when trying to remove the bars.

I've got another tasty recipe of my mom's here. We just got to visit with them for a week, and she made these bars for us that were so good. 

Of course, anything with chocolate in it gets a thumbs up at our house, so these were destined to be a hit. They are so chewy and gooey right out of the oven, and the next day after they had set up a bit more, they were still chewy and delicious.

I adapted the recipe to suit my own tastes, and I love how simple they are.



Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and dry milk. Stir in the eggs and oil.. Press two-thirds of the mixture into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Set remaining cake mixture aside.

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the milk, chocolate chips and butter. Heat uncovered until chips and butter are melted. Stir until smooth. Pour over the crust.

Drop teaspoonfuls of remaining cake mixture over top. Bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool before cutting.

Do you like cranberries? I think they're one of those love 'em or hate 'em foods. For me, I can't have a holiday meal without my precious cranberry sauce.

There's just something about the sweetness mixed with the tart, that makes each bite of turkey, stuffing, and whatever else you have piled on your plate, taste infinitely better.

In my humble opinion at least. I even sneak into the fridge to grab spoonfuls of the sauce - all on it's own. That's my relationship with cranberry sauce.

Anyway, enough about my love of sauce - the cranberry kind.

I also love cranberries in my desserts, and when I came across this Tasty Kitchen recipe for Cranberry Orange Bars, I just had to give them a try. I love how simple they are, and with just a few ingredients, you can have a great dessert to add to your holiday meal in no time. This also a great way to use up any leftover cranberry sauce you have from your turkey day meal!

You can snag the printable recipe and see my full post over on the Tasty Kitchen blog. So go check it out!

What's your favorite Thanksgiving leftover? Leave a comment below and let me know. :)

Today seemed like a peanut butter day to me. Actually, everyday is a peanut butter day at our house. It's not uncommon for certain persons (I'm absolutely not talking about myself of course), to wander into the kitchen...and eat a spoonful of plain peanut butter every now and then.

And if you happen across an embarassing pile of peanut butter coated spoons, hiding out in the bottom of my sink, please don't judge. I'm and addict.

So is my son.

He has really mastered the art of screeching a dining room table chair across the kitchen floor, to use it in his sneaky attempt to raid the pantry. Of course, I try to teach him what is healthy, what is not, and what should be a "sometimes treat". But he's always finding new ways to con me into eating more of the latter.

While I was baking these today, my son asks me, "Mommy, is peanut butter healthy?" To which I replied, "Yes, in moderation." (Of course, that rule doesn't apply to me.)

So, with head cocked and a triumphant gleam in his eye, his 5-year old logic spits out, "So then, if the cookies have peanut butter in them, they're a liiiiiiittle bit healthy, right?"

Five year old trickery has worked a number on dear ol' mommy, and looks like this round goes to him. Well played my son.

These treats are a variation of my Malted Milk Ball Chewies. I just swapped out the whopper candy with peanut butter chips. Yum!


Yield: 32   Printable Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cups butter, softened
3/4 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups peanut butter chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugars together at medium speed until creamy.  Add the eggs and vanilla, mixing until blended. 

Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing well. 

Stir in the peanut butter chips.  Drop by tablespoons onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8-12 minutes, depending on how crisp you like your cookies.  Let cool for 1 minute, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

I've got another grrrreat (yes, I occasionally see myself as Tony the Tiger) cookie recipe for you here from Tasty Kichen. It's also gluten free, so all my GF peeps (yes, I'm a nerd for throwing around words like "peeps", can enjoy!

Trust me, you WILL enjoy these.

These chocolaty cookies were so good, my son declared that we had to make them as our cookies for Santa this year. High praise indeed.

So if you're on the hunt for a good Santa cookie, head on over to the Tasty Kitchen Blog where you can grab the recipe and read my full guest post.

We went peach and berry picking not too long ago. That was a fun and...interesting experience...with a five year old. The tractor ride to the peach orchard definitely was high on his list, and getting to pluck the fruit off the tree was a fun novelty for him.

That quickly wore off after he decided his basket was getting to heavy, so of course I ended up carrying two baskets of peaches, several empty berry containers...and my fifty pound camera.

Note the sarcasm.

Sometimes I wish I didn't feel the need to bring my camera...everywhere. But then I'd miss out on photos like these.

Next up was the blackberry patch. The little guy loved this, especially when he spotted a few other kids to pick with. I was just glad he was picking something other than his nose for once. Am I the only parent with a kid who has an obsession with his boogers?

Now that I've really stimulated your appetite, on to the recipe!

I decided to do something different with my peaches, and experimented with a peach cookie. I really like how these turned out. Soft, dense, and full of sweet peach chunks. After I diced my peaches, I drained them on a paper towel to help remove some of the excess moisture. This helped keep the cookie from being soggy. I drizzled them with a little cream sugar glaze, but they were just as good on their own.

Fresh Peaches & Cream Cookies 

Yield: 24    Printable recipe

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt 

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup unsalted butter, softened 

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed 

1 egg 1 tsp vanilla extract 

1 1/4 cup fresh, diced peaches (skin removed)

Glaze: 

1/2 cup powdered sugar 

1-2 tbsp cream (or enough to make a drizzle consistency) 

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir together and set aside.

Using a sharp knife, remove the skin from peaches and cut into small chunks. Place the diced peaches on a paper towel and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, beat until combined. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed until well incorporated. Gently fold in the diced peaches.

Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop in rounded spoonfuls on cookie sheets, leaving plenty of room between cookies to allow for some spreading. Bake for about 10-12 minutes until light golden brown. Cool about 1 minute on cookie sheets and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

If using glaze: Mix together the powdered sugar, cream and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle lightly over the cookies while still warm, allow to cool. Serve with a cold glass of milk and enjoy!

I’m a sucker for anything on a popsicle stick – no pun intended! Okay, maybe a LITTLE bit intended. I was wracking my brain trying to figure out what I wanted to do for my next post, and a tiny idea formed that turned into a decidedly tasty outcome.

I’m sure you’ve seen the multiple sugar cookie bar recipes floating around the blogosphere, and since I hadn’t tried them yet myself (gasp!) I decided this was a great time to dive in. I wanted to add my own twist to it though – enter the popsicle stick.  After baking the cookie bars, I cut out flower shaped bars, impaled the poor little guys with a popsicle stick, and them drowned them in a candy coating.

My son and his friends LOVED these treats. Of course, what little boy doesn’t love something that’s green?

Note: I intended to use a shamrock shaped cookie cutter for St. Patrick’s Day treats, but I couldn’t find one, so let’s imagine they turned into more of a springtime themed treat.

Sugar Cookie Bar Pops
serves 8-10 pops | printable recipe


1 stick of butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

candy melts

sprinkles/decorations

food coloring (optional)


Directions:
Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each. Add vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl combine the flour, salt and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, mixing just until combined. Spread the dough onto a greased sheet pan (I used a 9x12 pan ).

Bake at  375 F for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely. Using a cookie cutter or knife, cut out your desired shape. Insert a popsicle stick into the bottom of each bar.


In a microwaveable bowl, cook the candy melts on low until they are melted. If desired, add some food coloring to make them festive! Spoon the melted candy coating over your cooled sugar cookie bar, then sprinkle with your decorations. Allow the candy coating to set. You can serve as is, or for something a little different, pop the sugar cookie pops into the freezer for about an hour. Now you have a frozen sugar cookie pops. Yum!