Flour/Butterless Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

That title sure is a tasty mouthful! Sorry I'm a bit behind blogging this week. It's become quite a busy season and I'm sorry to not have more time to devote to my hobbies. Anyway, I hope that this day finds you peaceful and at ease in the Lord. I am seeing more and more how faithful He is to help me through the stress and anxieties of this transitioning season. I'm setting sail to the "real world" and saying good-bye to college life for good. I'm applying to teach, and it isn't exactly an easy task. However, the Lord is trustworthy and dependable. I know He will put me where He sees best.

Now to the cookies! I'm not playing around with you. These cookies are fo realzzz. No flour. No butter. (although I love butter...not as much as Miss Paula Dean, but still). Thanks to Tasty Kitchen Blog for the recipe!

Let's get started. You'll need only seven ingredients.

  Ingredients:
(Makes 16-20 cookies)

• 2/3 cup Rolled Oats (I just used Old Fashioned Quaker Oats I had)
• 1tsp Baking Soda
• 1 cup creamy Peanut Butter
• 2/3 cup Dark Brown Sugar
• 2 Large Eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract (I use Mexican Vanilla...it's in my blood ;) and tastes a million times better!)
• 2/3 cup Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

In a small bowl, mix together oats and baking soda; set aside.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat peanut butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth.

Mix in dry ingredients with a wooden spoon, then gently fold in chocolate chips. 

( I was in a hurry so I just chunked it all in together. But I would encourage just stirring in. :)

Scoop about 2-inch balls and place onto a cookie sheet 2 inches apart. The dough is pretty sticky, but I just used a tablespoon to scoop the dough and then another spoon to slide it out onto the tray.

Bake for 9-11 minutes and remove when the edges are barely turning golden brown. The cookies may look a little undercooked, but they will continue to cook once you remove them. Allow cookies to cool for 2 minutes on the tray and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely, or you can always transfer one to your mouth...

And there you have it! SO GOOD, RIGHT!?  

 Happy baking and many blessings!

Happy Earth Day sweet friends!

I love any reason to celebrate because we all know that gives us an excuse to bake something! Then again, you never really need a reason to bake. ;)

I've been eyeing some little sweeties on Pinterest and decided to take a whirl at it finally. And being Earth Day and all I added a little green! Gotta love being a little organic. I think they turned out great! My only change would be to use a larger pan. They were a bit too thick for me, but scrumptious none the less!

Thanks to Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms for the recipe!

Sugar Cookie Squares

From:  Cooking Classy

Yields 24 squares

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 egg white

1 Tbsp sour cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 recipe vanilla frosting, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 13″ x 9″ baking dish, set aside. In a mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy about 3-4 minutes. Stir in egg and egg white. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until blended. Slowly add dry mixture and stir until well combine. With buttered hands, gently press (so gently almost patting) mixture into buttered baking dish. Bake 16 – 19 minutes until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and edges are lightly golden. Cool completely, then frost and cut into squares.

Vanilla Frosting

Ingredients:

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

2-3 Tbsp half and half

1 tsp vanilla

Pinch of salt

Several drop food coloring (optional)

In a mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, whip together butter and powdered sugar and half and half until fluffy. Stir in vanilla and salt. Add in food optional food coloring and mix until well blended.

Eat up! Happy baking!

Cupcake Stencils

Last year as I walked the lovely aisles of Crate and Barrel I came upon... cupcake stencils. !!!!!

You can only imagine my absolute joy. I had never even thought to make stencils, and yet lo and behold Crate and Barrel has come up with some for every season. 

In love.

I bought the Christmas ones last year after Christmas, but I finally got to put them to use this year!  

They are so adorable and cute, but they do not work well with sprinkles (look below at lemon cookie decorations). I had to use cinnamon (which can be a little strong) to get the image clearly on the cupcake and cookies.  They were absolutely beautiful though when they did work, as on the Snickerdoodle Cupcakes. 

 

wah wah...

Overall I think they are a super cute idea. I just need to figure out how to better use them. :)

Hope you have had a very Merry Christmas!

Cookies and Christmas

Hello friends!

So let's get right to it! Cookie time! My brother came home from college and asked...well demanded...some gingerbread men cookies. This caught me quite off guard because never have I had this requested from anyone in my family...but you can bet I was on top of it!

I loved this recipe and will now share it with you! Also, I found this delicious recipe for sugar cookies which were also requested this happy holiday season. So here are the two recipes for the cookies and also my icing recipe.

Sugar Cookies

I recruited my younger brothers to decorate ;)

Ingredients
1 cup real butter (no substitutions!) at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg (make sure to use a large or extra large egg)
1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (or other flavor of your choice, like vanilla)
3 C flour, lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled (don’t scoop it!)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy- about 2 minutes. Add in egg and extract and mix to incorporate.

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.  A very important note: It’s important to correctly measure your flour or you will end up with a dry, crumbly dough. Never, ever use your measuring cup to scoop up the flour.  Use a regular sized spoon and spoon the flour into the cup and then level it off with a knife.

 Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until completely combined.
Chill the dough in the fridge for about an hour, or use this great tip to make things easier:

When your dough is made, instead of putting it in the fridge, immediately roll  between 2 sheets of waxed or parchment paper and then place on a flat surface in the fridge.  Chill for about 20-30 minutes and then start cutting it out.  This way it chills faster and the bonus is that you don’t need to add extra flour to roll it out.  If you don’t use this tip, proceed as follows:

When you’re ready to roll out dough lightly sprinkle flour onto your work surface and roll out dough with a rolling pin.

Bake at 350 for 8-12 minutes. The baking time really depends on how you like them. If you like themreally and slightly chewy, about 8-9 minutes does it. If you like them slightly crisp and buttery, then go for 10-12.

 {Credit to "Our Best Bites" }

Gingerbread Men Cookies
Ingredients

Little Bandit lost his legs as punishment for his crimes

• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 cup Truvia Baking Blend
• 4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon finely ground pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup unsulfured molasses
• Royal Icing
• Sanding sugar, for decorating (optional)
• Candy, for decorating (optional)

Directions

1. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and baking powder in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Place butter and Truvia in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix on medium speed until fluffy. Mix in spices and salt, then eggs and molasses. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture, mix until just combined. Divide dough into thirds, wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.
3. Line baking sheets with nonstick baking mats; set aside. Roll out dough on a clean work surface to 1/4-inch thick. Using a 4-inch gingerbread man-shaped cookie cutter, cut out cookies, and place on a baking sheet, at least 1 inch apart. Refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake cookies until crisp but not dark, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire rack.
5. Using white icing in a squeeze bottle, decorate gingerbread men, as desired. While still wet, sprinkle with sanding sugar; let dry 10 minutes. Shake off excess sugar. Using additional icing, attach candy, using craft tweezers. Let dry completely 8 hours or overnight.  {Credit to Dani Fiori}
   
   

   

   Two of my loves: Trees and squirrels 

   Icing:
   Royal Icing
   1 Cup powdered sugar
   1 1/2 Tbsp milk
   1 tsp vanilla (I like to always add a little more :)
   

   

   The Gingerbread Hospital

   
   

Oh Laura!

Guess what time it is!? COOKIE TIME! (My personal favorite time. Besides Jesus time. That's my most favorite favorite!)

You might be asking who Laura is, that my friend, would be THE Laura Bush. She is the one who graced this world with her cookie recipe: Texas Governor's Mansion Cowboy Cookies.

Quite the title eh?

Here it is! You have GOT to try these! Although I would advise you half the recipe unless you have want about 50 bazillion cookies...seriously. I had to freeze half the dough b/c I was overwhelmed with just half of the batter worth of cookies.

Laura Bush's Texas Governor's Mansion Cowboy Cookies
Yield: 50 bazillion ;)

3 cups flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tbsp baking soda

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

2 cups sweetened coconut flakes

2 cups chopped pecans (8 oz) (optional - I omit)

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In a second bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar and brown sugar and beat for another 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. 

Stir in the flour mixture, blending until just combined. Add the chips, oats, coconut, and pecans and stir until fully incorporated.

Drop by rounded tablespoon onto an ungreased baking sheet, making sure to allow plenty of room between cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are set and golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 1-2 minutes before placing on a cooling rack.

Literally scrumptious!! NOW ENJOY!

Patriotic Party

One of my favorite holidays is just two days away, and though I'm busy I couldn't help but notice so many wonderful ideas for this festive time of the year. With red, blue, and white everywhere you can't help but get in the mood. So if you're feelin' crafty and have some time this weekend, I found some super cute ideas for you to try!

The first comes from our dear Martha Stewart herself.  Her company is one of my absolute favorites. I saw this on the front of her latest magazine issue and just about died in the grocery store so thrilled by the idea. This is genius, and I wish so badly I had the chance to try it out, but hopefully next year! May I present to you Fireworks Cookies 

Courtesy MarthaStewart.com

They are based on the simple sugar cookie, but given pizzazz with simple icing that is watered down a bit to make it easier to decorate the fireworks with. These cookies will make any party exciting and will for sure be a huge hit with all your guests.

And who would I be if I didn't write about cupcakes? I found a wonderful blog by Winnie Abramson, where she applies the same method with cupcakes!  Firework Cupcakes Love it!

Courtesy Countryliving.com

Now for a simple, adorable craft idea that will brighten up your mantle, window, or door frame. It comes from Country Living Magazine (One of my favorites).                                  This garland can be made from simple construction paper and newspaper, or simply whatever paper you have.   The link shows you how to make it quick and easy! Happy 4th Garland

This idea can be applied for any holiday or celebration event. Everyone loves the little touches to decorations, and who says you have to go out and buy them! Making your own decorations is often alot cheaper, and usually are a bigger hit than any bought decor. : )

Hope you have a wonderful safe 4th of July!

Happy Fireworks!

Easter Bunny Sweet Treats!

At most homes the Easter Bunny leaves sweet candy treats, at our home he delivered some scrumptious Easter cookies! And I happen to have the recipe for all of you! This cookie recipe is best known as the "Neiman Marcus Cookie" but I made it a bit differntly, so I feel like it is its own unique cookie. Here's the recipe you'll need to make these sweet Easter goodies!

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups blended oatmeal
12 ounces chocolate chips
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (4 ounce) Hershey Bar (grated)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (your choice)

Directions:
1. Measure out the oatmeal and pour into blender. Blend till a fine powder.
2. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl cream the butter and both sugars.
4. Add eggs and vanilla to the butter/sugar mixture.
5. Now combine the flour mixture into the sugar mixture. It is best to add a bit of the flower at a time. I do about a 1/2 a cup at a time.
6. Now add in chocolate chips, grated Hershey Bar and nuts.
7. Roll into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet.
8. Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. For more gooey cookies cook for less time (about 8 minutes), and for a more crunchy munchie cook a bit longer.
9. Pour yourself a tall glass of milk and enjoy your sweet treat!

Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

As I get ready to depart to school, I thought I would leave a little treat for the family. So I decided on one of their favorite cookies. It is super easy and quick, and the found on the back of an oatmeal lid. Yup, the basic recipe is right under there hiding from you! Often the recipes on a product are quite delicious, we just don't think to try them, at least my family doesn't too often. I tried this recipe once when I was in middle school and found it to be really good, and so i've kept it around since. Here it is!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 6 tablespoons butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
3 cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1 cup raisins


Directions:
Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter and sugars on medium speed of electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; mix well. Add oats and raisins; mix well.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.


I like to even add some nuts such as pecans or walnuts for a little extra flavor and crunchiness! This recipe is fun to experiment with. Some people don't like raisins...why? I'll never understand. So you can substitute the raisins for chocolate chips or you could even use some dried cranberries if you would like a more tart flavor! The possibilities are endless!

I hope you are having a blessed day. Let us never forget the blessing that is family, no matter how much they drive us crazy! May God shower you with mercy and hope.