White Chocolate Dipped Snickerdoodle Cookies

With Christmas only days away, I've been very busy getting my house ready for the holiday family gathering, and I tell you boy, it's been one wild ride. From table settings, menu prep, guest room organizing, shopping for gifts, and my doctors appointments, I feel like I'm just constantly on the go with a to-do list five miles long.

So I needed a break from all of that rush, and I just wanted to curl up on the couch with some white hot chocolate and my ultimate white chocolate dipped snickerdoodles.

I love this recipe not only because it's so easy, but also because there is a little break you can take while the cookie dough is chilling. I use this extra time to run a few errands and wrap a few gifts. Multitasking is one of my better strengths.

I must say that once you bite into one of these cookies, you will never want to buy them store bought again. I also added a bit of banana flavored candy oil, for an extra layer of flavor. This is an optional step.

So happy holidays everyone and enjoy this fabulous recipe that has been adapted from non other than Mrs. Fields.

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup or one stick softened butter

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla 

1/4 tsp banana flavor candy oil (optional) 

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

For rolling dough:

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions:

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine together butter, 1/3 cup light brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar and mix on high speed until smooth. Add egg, vanilla and optional banana flavoring and beat until just combined. 

In a separate large bowl, sift in flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar.

Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in bowl of mixer and mix until well combined. Dough will seem a little loose right now, but this is where you then chill the dough for about 60 minutes in the refrigerator. This is where I get to wrapping presents, or running a few quick errands.

While the cookie dough is being chilled, pre-heat oven to 325 degrees, then mix together 2 Tablespoons of granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in a small bowl. Remove cookie dough from fridge.

Take about 2 Tablespoons of the dough and roll it with hands to form a ball. Roll dough balls in cinnamon sugar mixture and place them onto a cookie sheet that has been covered with parchment paper. 

Bake in oven for 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from oven, and set aside to chill. Cookies may seem a bit underdone, but they will flatten a bit, once they get removed from the oven.

Let cookies cool completely, then dip half of cookies into white chocolate that has been melted down to a smooth consistency. Place on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet, or wire rack, and let chocolate harden. About 10 minutes.

Store cookies in a airtight container. 

 

Halloween Treats at Disneyland

I  love Halloween. I love Disneyland. In fact I love anything disney.

So when a friends daughter was having a birthday at Mickeys Halloween Party in Disneyland, I was so excited! This time of year, Mickey and friends throw a Halloween Party that is not to be missed. I went on a hunt for all of the yummy Halloween treats that are only available during the month of October. I also enjoyed some of their traditional food items as well.

On select nights in September and October, Disneyland hosts a special event that starts at 6 pm. Now FYI, when you buy tickets for this special event, you are allowed to enter the park as early as 3 pm, and for the price, it is much lower that their regular admission price, and since I usually enter the park in late afternoon anyway, this was a great time to go.

At 6 pm, they begin giving out candy at candy trail locations throughout the park. The place is all decked out for the holiday, and even some of the rides have been transformed. They also have a wonderful Halloween Parade, and amazing fireworks show. 

And while I'm here to celebrate a birthday of a much adored 15 year old, I will also be trying all of the special food fair that is offered for the holiday. I prepared early by checking out other blogs like the Disney Food Blog, for information on where to find

The Halloween snacks, and that really helped a lot.

The first thing I tried, was the Mickey Pumpkin Beignets. You can find the traditional Mickey Beignets at The Mint Julep Bar in New Orleans Square, and for a limited time, you can enjoy the Mickey Pumpkin Beignets, which I found to be absolutely delicious! They have a very warm, soft, powdery ( is that a word?) sugared texture.

And a deep pumpkin flavor. The kids will find this to be a special treat. Dipping these in coffee is the way to go!

We also tried the Raspberry Magnolia Lemonade that not only tastes light and refreshing, but also fun because it comes with an led ice cube! (Not Edible)

It looked so festive for the Halloween Holiday!

I had their regular Mint Julep that I have always wanted to try, and to my surprise, I fell in love with this drink! I loved the mint flavor, and lightness of this drink. It's non-alcoholic from what I've been told, so you can enjoy it with the family. It has become my new Disneyland Favorite!

I have a list of regular favorite foods to eat everytime I visit Disneyland, including the Bengal Barbecue located across from the Indiana Jones attraction, and the Corn Dogs located near Carnation Plaza, but for the holiday event, I'm in search of limited time goodies!

My next stop, was at the Country Bear Restaurant, for their Caramel Apple Funnel Cake. This Halloween treat should never be passed up! It was the most delicious Funnel Cake I've ever had!

It is topped with a warm, gooy apple pie filling, that just goes together so well with the Mickey shaped whipped cream that is piped on top. The whole thing is then drizzled with a bit of caramel syrup. I swear, I want one right now just thinking about it.

My kids absolutely devoured it! My husband never eats whipped cream, and he said that this is the best he has ever tried! So be sure to check out the Hungry Bear Restaurant in Disneyland for this scrumptious Halloween treat!

The Hungry Bear Restaurant is also known for their Honey Lemon Cupcake, that I had to try.

It has been topped with an edible Bee that has almonds for wings! The flavor of the frosting has a light lemony flavor and with the honey in the cupcake just reminds me of summer with Winnie the Pooh!

My final stop was to the jolly holiday bakery to check out the Bat cookies that I've been hearing so much about.

 They also had these too cute Mickey pumpkin cupcakes, that looked to adorable not to try. As soon as they passed it to me, we all took a bite! The frosting on this cupcake was soft, velvety, vanilla flavored fun.

 But at this time, we are so totally full that we can't eat another bite, so we just stared at these beauties through the case. I have to admit, it is pretty hard to try and eat all of the Halloween treats at Disneyland. I thought I could do it no problem. Boy was I wrong. Even with all the walking, I was full after just a few treats. But it was all worth it! Every last bite!

Disneyland this time of year, in my personal opinion is the best time to go.

You get to try all of their traditional foods, as well as seasonal favorites and everything festive that the park has to offer.

Especially the rides that are transformed for the Halloween holiday like the Haunted Mansion that has been turned into the Night Before Christmas!

So if you happen to be on the west coast this holiday season, be sure to stop by Disneyland! It'll be a treat you won't soon forget:)


And while we are talking about Halloween, don't forget to check out these Halloween treats that you can make at home.

Pumpkin White Hot Chocolate

Harry Potter Pretzel Cheese Brooms

Avocado Egg Salad Open Faced Sandwich

Lemon Bars

I have never tried lemon bars before. I always thought it was such a difficult dessert to make. It looks so complicated, like it has so many steps to them, and that seemed daunting. But this is my eye opening lesson for today. To never judge a book by its cover. To not just look at something and say to myself "I could never do that" " It looks to hard!"

From now on, I will give it a shot more often, because you never know how easy something could be! And when you accomplish the challenge, you feel so ready to try more and more.

That's the way I felt with these Lemon Bars. They are surprisingly easy and   Absolutely delicious! My family has never tried Lemon Bars either, but once they took a bite, they were hooked! So much so, that they were looking for more when we ran out. They are so light and fresh, and the lemon makes it Devine. Just writing about them makes my mouth water!

So never be afraid to try something new. You never know how easy something can be! A lesson for every part of life:)

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

2 teaspoons lemon juice from 1 lemon

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In the bowl of a mixer, combine flour, butter and 1/4 cup powdered sugar.

Press into ungreased 8 inch square baking pan, building up the edge to create a crust, up 1/2 inch. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool a bit

While the baked crust is cooling a bit, mix granulated sugar, eggs, lemon juice, lemon peel, baking powder and salt, in the bowl of a mixer, and mix until light and fluffy. Pour over crust, and bake for about 25 minutes. Cool completely and cut into squares.

I was able to cut a dozen from the pan. I let them cool in fridge, as they taste best when chilled. Dust liberally with powdered sugar, then serve.

I found them to be very light and fresh tasting. perfect for the spring! My family absolutely loved them and I know you will too!

Butterscotch Chip Bars

I'm always looking for a deal. I love shopping the clearance isle of the grocery stores. It is usually the first area I search. Sometimes they have really good prices on cleaning supplies, toilet paper, shampoo, among other things. One time I found Dial body wash on clearance for $2.00 a bottle, and I had coupons for $1.50 off! So $0.50 for Dial body wash in my world is a stock up price! 

Try to check the clearance area of stores, right after any holiday. They will always have great prices on things that have not sold during the holiday. I always get wrapping paper for next Christmas at 0.25-0.50 cents a roll!

I always find a deal on Pyrex bakeware in the clearance section. And especially when I can pair it with a coupon, I can't lose!

This week I found some butterscotch chips on clearance for $0.50 a bag and I just couldn't pass them up. So I thought I would whip up some butterscotch cookie bars with the rest of the ingredients I had in my pantry. I always have the basic baking essentials on hand, that way I can just add a few ingredients to my shopping list to make something new.

The baking essentials I always have on hand are:

All-purpose flour

Baking powder

Baking soda

Sugar

Brown sugar

Butter

Shortening 

Eggs

Milk

Nutmeg

Cinnamon 

Salt

So if I wanted to make something like chocolate chip cookies, I just need to add chocolate chips to my shopping list.

My kids love when I'm making a new batch of cookies. They are my favorite recipe testers! 

I found the recipe for these cookie bars in an old Betty Crocker cookie book that I bought at a garage sale! I just swapped chocolate chips for butterscotch chips to create something different.

I think I will be baking a lot of cookies from this book, so keep an eye out for future posts. But for now, here is this wonderful butterscotch bar recipe for you to try!

Ingredients: 

1-1/4 cups of all-purpose flour

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup butterscotch chips

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter softened

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a 13 x 9 inch baking pan, by greasing it well and dusting with flour. Set aside. Combine sugars, butter,and vanilla until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt. Then add chopped walnuts and butterscotch chips, and combine. Spread the dough in pan, and bake until golden. 13-14 minutes. Let cool then cut into bars that are about 2 x 1- 1/2 inches. Makes about 36 bars. Serve and enjoy!

Russian Chai Tea Cakes - #SochiOlympics

I've been watching the Olympics at every chance I can get. And I find myself starting to love Curling!...Curling!! Yes I know! It's an awesome sport right?

I watch it at 3am! I think I can be a sweeper. My husband said it might be the easiest ticket to the Olympics. I don't know about that. It still looks like a complicated sport. Precision is everything.

Of course me favorite is the ice skating and watching the little snippets of Russia. I love all of the opulence and beauty of Russia. Faberge is my ultimate favorite! The majestic beauty of it all is just mesmerizing. 

So in honor of the Winter Olympics in beautiful Sochi, I am making russian tea cakes that have a hint of chai spice!

Flatten the balls to a biscuit.

 Coating of powdered sugar, makes everything nice:)

The chai gives it a richer flavor and a kick that tastes heavenly paired with a cup of tea.

Perfect for a brisk afternoon.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup butter

1 cup walnuts

2 teaspoons loose chai tea blend

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

Confectioners sugar for dusting

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Place walnuts, 2 tablespoons of the flour, and chai in a blender and pulse until walnuts are finely chopped but not yet a paste.

Place butter and vanilla in the bowl of a mixer, and blend until smooth. Add 1/2 cup of confectioners sugar and remaining flour and mix until blended. Add walnut mixture, and mix until just combined. Roll them into 1" inch balls and  place them about 1" inch apart on a parchment covered baking sheet. I flattened them out a bit to create more of a biscuit. 

Bake for 12 minutes, then let cool.

Dust the cookies in confectioners sugar.

Peppermint Candy DIY tray

 

 

Watching TV is something I never really have time for, but when I do have some time, I'll try to catch up on my favorite daytime cooking/talk shows.

Last year I saw an episode of The Chew on abc and they were showing how to do a DIY edible tray made from peppermint candies and I thought it was the cutest thing ever. And I said to myself that I was going to make one this year.

And that's what I did because that's what I do!

I love leaving cookies for Santa, even though my kids are teens and know the truth. I still believe in the spirit of Santa, and I still ask him for what I want for the new year, which every year is health, happiness and prosperity for my family and friends. 

This peppermint candy tray is simple and will bring a touch of whimsy to your holiday party. It's a great tray for displaying sweet snacks, cupcakes, brownies, cookies and more!

All you need is a baking sheet, parchment paper and some peppermint candies.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Place the parchment on your baking sheet and begin arranging the peppermint candies next to each other. It is ok to have them touching but do not let them overlap.

Place baking sheet in oven and let bake for 8-10 minutes. I let mine cool for 2 minutes then I trimmed it with a pizza cutter because it baked in a strange shape.

 Some people may have better luck and have it baked to perfection, but of course not me, so I trimmed it and it came out great!

Let cool compleatly before handling.

So easy and so cool! And the best part is that after all the guests have gone, you can eat it!

I will be using mine as a plate for cookies and milk for ol Saint Nick!

If you do make one, come back and let me know how it turned out!

Happy Holidays!