This post is sponsored in conjunction with Christmas Cookies Week. I received product samples from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of the Christmas Cookies Week recipes. All opinions are mine alone.
Are you prepping for Christmas early this year?
I was chatting about my pull to decorate early this year over on Instagram last week even though I’m usually a wait-until-Thanksgiving person – and just about everyone agreed with me. It seems like we all need a little extra holiday cheer this year!
If you are prepping ahead, add these cookies to your list! This slice-and-bake dough is freezer friendly so you can mix it up now, before all the holiday craziness, and then pull it out to bake late.
Fresh baked cookies on Christmas Eve with minimal effort? That’s definitely something 2020 needs!
This post is sponsored in conjunction with #SpringSweetsWeek. I received product samples from sponsor companies to help in the creation of the #SpringSweetsWeek recipes. All opinions are mine alone.
My mantra for the year is “keep things simple”. I adopted it in January to be a reminder that simple can be plenty good too – and these milkshakes are a perfect example. They taste like you’re drinking a slice of cake!
Five ingredients, ten minutes, and this fun treat is ready for sipping. When was the last time your dessert was that easy?
This post is sponsored in conjunction with #BrunchWeek. I received product samples from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of the #Brunchweek recipes. All opinions are mine alone.
Are you Team Sweet or Team Savory for breakfast? I’m Team Sweet, though I make a valiant effort to eat something healthy each morning.
Brunch, though, I tend to lean in to the treat-yo-self philosophy. After all, you’re nearly in the middle of the day so desserts are totally acceptable.
This post is sponsored in conjunction with ChristmasSweetsWeek. I received product samples from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of the ChristmasSweetsWeek recipes. All opinions are mine alone.
I am all about a festive breakfast for holiday celebrations – and these delicious doughnuts are a perfect treat for Christmas morning!
These pack a big punch of flavor thanks to LorAnn Oils Chocolate Hazelnut Flavor. Just a little gives these a great, complex flavor – and it’s balanced nicely by the vanilla icing. Sweets & Treats sprinkles make them extra festive and perfect for the holiday!
This post is sponsored on behalf of #ChristmasCookiesWeek. The generous sponsors, YumGoggle, Sprinkle Pop, Silpat and Adams Extracts have provided us with products for recipe creation and a giveaway for our readers. As always, all opinions are my own.
Welcome to Christmas Cookies Week! I’m so excited to be joining with a fabulous group of bloggers to bring you a week chock-full of Christmas cookie goodness.
I’m kicking off this week with these fabulous Chocolate Dipped Gingerbread Shortbread cookies. In true shortbread fashion, these are a little crisp, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture. The spice of the ginger is balanced nicely by a dip in melted chocolate.
Note: I received complimentary product for this post. All opinions are my own.
Double, double toil and trouble, Fire burn and cauldron bubble…
What shall we add to the witch’s brew today? Essence of mummy? A pumpkin picked at midnight?
These adorable cupcakes are reminiscent of a witch’s cauldron, so of course, there’s a magic potion inside – courtesy of Sprinkle Pop! I used two of their sprinkle mixes in these cupcakes and they were so, so perfect for getting the desired effect.
I used the Lime Green Sprinkle Mix on top of the cupcakes to give the image of a bubbling cauldron. The cupcakes are stuffed with their Monster Mashup Sprinkle Mix. The kids had so much fun biting into the cupcakes to see what the witch had cooked up in her cauldron – ghosts, eyeballs, mummies, and pumpkins!
These were a quick from-scratch batch of cupcakes and buttercream, but you could always use a boxed mix and icing if you’re more comfortable – the sprinkles are the real stars here!
This is also the first recipe I’m sharing for this year’s #Choctoberfest – you can check out a TON of other chocolaty goodness from my fellow bloggers right here: An InLinkz Link-up
For the cupcakes:
1 cupgranulated sugar 1 cup all-purpose flour 6 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder 1tsp.baking powder 3/4 tsp.baking soda 1/2 tsp.salt 1/3cupvegetable oil 1/2 cupmilk 1egg,lightly beaten 1 tspvanilla extract 1/2cuphot coffee
For the icing:
1/2cupunsalted butter at room temperature 5cupspowdered sugar 2tsp.vanilla 1/4cupmilk
Green food coloring
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with liners. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Whisk in the oil and milk until combined. Add the egg and stir to combine. Add the vanilla and stir to combine. Add the coffee and stir until evenly combined – it will be quite thin.
Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake pan, filling each well 2/3 of the way.
Bake for 20-24 minutes, until a knife inserted comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
To make the buttercream, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar 1 cup at a time and beat. Add in the vanilla, milk, and food coloring. Beat until fully incorporated.
After the cupcakes are cooled, use an apple corer or small knife to cut holes into the cupcakes. Fill the holes with sprinkles. Ice with the butter cream then dip each cupcake into the green sprinkles. Top with additional sprinkles if desired.
What’s everyone up to today? Any crazy holiday prep going on?
Things here are actually pretty mellow. The cookies are all baked. The gifts are all bought and wrapped. It’s almost lunchtime and we’re all still our pajamas. All we have planned really is a liquor store run and a nap. Not bad for the day before Christmas Eve!
If you’re looking for one more treat to make or need a last-minute dessert, this cracker toffee is the way to go. It takes about 20 minutes to make, then you cool it and break it up. It, by design, doesn’t have to look perfect so you don’t need to stress details today and there’s a good chance you already have the ingredients on hand!
I hope you’re all settling in for a lovely holiday with people you love. Merry Christmas from me and the crw!
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
Saltine crackers or Matzo
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Sprinkles, for decorating
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray. Line the pan with saltines or matzo so they cover the whole bottom without overlapping. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, combine the butter and brown sugar over medium-low heat. Stir constantly until it reaches a boil, then remove the spoon and let boil for 3 minutes. Pour the hot mixture over the saltines as evenly as possible and transfer the pan to the oven to bake for 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with chocolate chips. Let sit for a few minutes then spread the chocolate evenly over the crackers. Top with sprinkles, if desired, and put the pan in a cool place to set.
Once completely cooled and the chocolate has set, break into pieces and serve.
I, along with most of my friends from school, are turning 30 this year. It’s weird to think we’re exiting our 20s – mostly because that makes it painfully obvious we’re no longer “just out of college” or “just starting adulthood”. Hello, we’re here.
Adult doesn’t necessarily mean mature, though. We’ve had two 30th birthday parties so far this year: one involved playing dodgeball at a trampoline park and the other was a pizza party. Because, you know, my friends are awesome.
I made up these cookies as a 30th birthday gift for our friend, Douglas. I’d actually made them back in November when Jacob was baptized with blue and white sprinkles and Douglas was crazy for them. His wife held a Christmas cookie exchange in December and he was sorely disappointed I didn’t bring these so I knew they’d be a hit his birthday.
They remind me of the soft vanilla cookies my Mom used to get from the bakery. Just the right amount of chewy center with a slightly crisp edge. And switching up the sprinkle colors makes them perfect for just about any occasion. Or, any 30th birthday party you may be attending!
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 small package instant vanilla pudding mix
3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sprinkles
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and pudding mix. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until well combined. Beat in vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until well combined. Mold dough into a ball and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Roll the dough into 1″ balls, roll the balls in sprinkles and place on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden at the edges and just set in the center. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Originally published March 2013; Updated March 2021
My husband comes from a big, Italian family and grew up with many more food traditions than I did. My favorite? Italian Easter Bread. His grandmother made it for everyone for years and when she died, the torch was passed on. This isn’t her recipe, but it’s better – the same amazing taste but much less finicky.
Italian Easter Bread takes time, so we generally reserve it for Easter, but it’s worth the effort. This sweet, soft loaf is a real treat.
