soft sugar cookies

I love soft sugar cookies and we love to use cookie cutters at our house.  Here is my favorite recipe for soft sugar cookies.

1 Cup Butter

2 Cups of Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

1 Cup Sour Cream (or Plain Yogurt)

 About 5 1/2 -  6 Cups of flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla and sour cream.  I tried using yogurt instead of sour cream this last time I made them and they were still really yummy.  Combine all of the dry ingredients into a bowl and them slowly add to butter mixture.  Mix until it forms a soft dough and then chill for about 1-2 hours.  I usually break the dough in half and freeze half for another day.  The whole recipe makes about 4 cookie sheets full depending of the size of cookie cutters you use.  

Roll out (not to thin) and cut into shapes.  Bake at 350 for about 8-10 minutes.  I cook them just until the bottom of the cookies start to turn golden.  If you over cook them that will not be as soft.  We usually eat half the pan warm out of the oven with milk but some still last long enough to be frosted.  

 We used chocolate  and sprinkles on these.  I just melted semi sweet chocolate chips in the microwave and then put them in a baggie and cut off one of the corners to squeeze it out.  I know I am a little crazy but I am not a big fan of really sweet frosting but I do love cream cheese frosting with these.  Hope you like them.   

peanut butter frosting

Who doesn't love peanut butter cups? Well this is the next best thing. Peanut butter frosting. It is light and fluffy and good on brownies, cupcakes and my favorite a spoon. This frosting is simple and delicious. So lets get started!

You will need:

1 cup butter softened

1 cup peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

whipping cream (or milk)

2 lbs of powder sugar (give or take)

Mix butter and peanut butter until smooth. Add vanilla and 1/3 of the powder sugar. Once it is mix well add a little cream and then a little sugar. Do this until you have used all the powder sugar and reached the constancy you desire. The longer and you beat it the fluffier it becomes especially when using cream. Turn your mixer down when adding powder sugar to keep it from flying everywhere.

So there you have it one of my favorite recipes using peanut butter. you can even add cocoa to the frosting to give it a chocolaty goodness. Have fun and spoil your family today with a yummy surprise.

peanut butter snack balls

These are some of our favorite lunch treats or after school snacks.  They are similar to peanut butter playdough and the peanut butter acorns but contain a few more ingredients and crunchy cereal.  I adapted this recipe from My Cafe Kitchen.  These are one of our favorite snacks because they are very yummy, easy to make,  and also packed with fiber and protein.  The recipe is flexible for whatever you have on hand.


1 cup honey
3 cups peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)

2 cups rice krispies
2/3 - 1/4 cup applesauce (optional - I have tried it with and without)
2 cups crushed cereal (I use Cheerios,  Life, or what every cereal I have on hand )
½ cup chocolate chips or dried fruit
3-4 tablespoons powdered milk
2 cups crushed mini-wheat cereal

Mix all of the ingredients but the last two until well combined.  Add powdered milk like flour until it forms a soft cookie like dough.

I use a small cookie scoop to make the balls and then roll them in crushed frosted mini wheat cereal or the crumbs from the bottom of the box. 

We put three in snack size baggies and put them in the freezer or fridge.

They are ready for lunches or afternoon snacks.  

peanut butter acorns

 In celebration of such a beautiful fall day or maybe just because it is Friday, a fun activity with my preschooler became today's great after school snack.  We used our favorite reciepe for peanut butter playdough to create these cute little edible acorns.
After rolling the dough into balls we dipped the top into melted chocolate, and chopped nuts, and finished them off with a little piece of pretzle.

 Fun, fast, easy, and healthy. 

 And a hit with the kids.  What more could a mom ask for.  Happy Fall!!

peanut butter play dough

This edible play dough mixes food and fun all in one.

Our favorite recipe comes from Disney's Family Cookbook.

Peanut Butter Play Dough

1 1/2 cups instant dry powdered milk

1 cup peanut butter

3 tbsp. honey

Mix all the ingredients together well and knead until smooth.  Store the dough in the refrigerator.

Play, create, eat and enjoy.

Tips:

There are two kinds of dry milk- instant and non-instant.  It is important to use instant.

The instant dry milk granules, may make the dough seem a little lumpy at first

but it will smooth out with kneading.

I like to measure the peanut butter and honey with a 1/4 cup cookie scoop. 

It makes it fast and easy to scoop, measure, drop into the bowl, and clean-up.

fourth of july desserts

Every 4th of July I look forward to creating AND eating a Red, White and Blue dessert...they are so Patriotic! I always choose a simple, fun and yummy recipe that I can successfully create. I made these the other day for my family to try...they loved them and they were super-easy.



Red, White and Blue Parfaits

INGREDIENTS:
1 8-ounce carton vanilla low-fat yogurt
1/4 teaspoon almond extract or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 of an 8-ounce container frozen light whipped dessert topping, thawed
3 cups fresh raspberries and/or cut-up fresh strawberries
3 cups fresh blueberries

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, stir together yogurt and almond extract or vanilla. Fold in whipped topping.
2. To serve, in six 12-ounce glasses or dessert dishes, alternate layers of the berries with layers of the yogurt mixture. Makes 6 servings.
Make-Ahead Directions: Prepare parfaits as directed through Step 2. Cover and chill for up to 1 hour.

Today I discovered some perfect 4th of July recipes that are simple and that anyone can create...the possibilities are endless! Now to decide which one I will make for our 4th of July Celebration.

If you need to serve a really big crowd, a Cupcake Flag (pictured below) is a great option. You can make it as big as you need to, whether you’re going to serve 36 cupcakes or 136.



Dip strawberries or oreos into melted white chocolate and roll in blue-colored sugar and decorate with sprinkles. Definitely Patriotic!




Star Pound Cake

Pound cake gets the star treatment. Use star-shape cookie cutters, one 3-inch, the other 1-inch, to cut slices of homemade or store-bought pound cake and strawberries for serving. For berries, cut off the green tops, slice in half top to bottom, and use the 1-inch cookie cutter to form stars. Drizzle with a sugar glaze and serve.



Dipped Ice Cream Sandwiches require very few ingredients and they only take 20 minutes to prepare.



INGREDIENTS:
4 ice cream sandwiches
1 tablespoon shortening
6 squares (1 ounce) semi-sweet chocolate
Red, white and blue sprinkles

DIRECTIONS:
Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.
Melt the chocolate and shortening in a microwave or heavy pan and mix it until it becomes very smooth and soft.
Quickly dip ice cream sandwiches in melted chocolate with sprinkles.
Place on prepared baking sheet then keep it frozen.

If you want more ideas for Red, White and Blue Desserts...go and check out these websites...
Martha Stewart
Family Fun
Better Homes and Gardens

cute cupcake toppers

I had the share this idea I saw at Little Birdie Secrets.  These are so cute and would be so fun for birthday parties or special occasions.  

cinnamon carmel corn with white chocolate

It is FALL!! Popcorn is a favorite snack/treat at our house. Here is a recipe for Cinnamon Carmel Corn with White Chocolate and Reese's Pieces. I have made this several times just in the last few weeks. It is easy and it will fill your home with a very yummy fall smell. This is our variation of a recipe I found at Our Best Bites. We love that you can use honey or Karo Syrup. If you have a food allergy(which tends to run in our family) or trying to cut back on high fructose corn syrup , honey works great.

12 C popped popcorn (about 1/2 C kernels)
1 C brown sugar
3/4 t cinnamon
1/4 C honey (you could also use Karo Syrup)
1 stick real butter (1/2 C)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
3 squares almond bark
1 Cup of Reese's Pieces

Preheat oven to 250 degrees

Place popcorn a side in 1 or 2 large bowls. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon until it is mixed well in a microwave safe bowl. Chop the butter into chunks and place on top of the sugar mixture. Pour honey (or Karo Syrup) on top.

Microwave for about 30 sec. and then stir. As I found out on the first batch(burned black and stinky), everyone's microwave will be different.

Keep stirring and then cooking it for about 30sec - 1min at a time until it looks nice and bubbly like this. Then add the vanilla and baking soda. This will make it a little foamy.

Pour it over your popcorn and stir to coat . I placed mine onto two lined cookie sheets. It will be gooey now but it will harden as you cook it. Place it in the 250 degree oven and cook for about 30 min (switching the bottom pan to the top and stirring after 15 min). Test it to see if it is crunchy enough. While it is cooling melt your white chocolate or almond bark (I just microwaved mine).

The best part.....add the Reese's Pieces and then drizzle the white chocolate over the pan. Let is set up (hardest part... waiting) and then enjoy.

Yummy looking, yummy smelling, and yummy tasting!!

simply raspberry jam

I know, it is a little early to be thinking about Christmas, but wouldn't this be a great gift? Local raspberries in season have resulted in raspberry jam, raspberry smoothies and fresh raspberry lemonade. These little jars were so cute, we filled eight of them with this simple jam recipe. But now we are not sure if we can wait until christmas to give them away.

Simply Raspberry Jam

8 cups raspberries - fresh or frozen

5 cups sugar

2 tbsp. lemon juice

Mix all the ingredients in a large pot and heat to boiling. Stir frequently and boil for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and spoon any bubbles from the top (there is nothing wrong with them, they just don't look pretty in the jar). Spoon the jam into warm jars, wipe off the rims of the jars and place lids and rings on.

Process (heat in boiling water bath) for 15 minutes.

Makes about 4 pints.

summer strawberry shortcake

I love strawberries!!! Strawberry Shortcake has always been one of my favorite summer foods especially when the strawberries are fresh from the garden. My mom always made this classic biscuit like shortcake when I was little and I love it warm from the oven covered with strawberries and cream. I braved turning on the oven on this hot summer day for this yummy summer dessert and it turned out so good!!

2 Cups of Sliced Strawberries
1/2 cup of Sugar
1/3 cup of Butter
2 cups of Flour
1/4 cup of Sugar
3 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1tsp Vanilla
3/4 cup Milk
Whipped Cream

Sprinkle the 1/2 cup of sugar on the sliced strawberries and then let is sit. The sugar will draw out all of the juices.
Heat oven to 450 degrees.
Place butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in food processor or blender until mixture looks like fine crumbs.
Place crumbs in a bowl and stir in vanilla and milk just until combined.
Place dough on a lightly floured surface and gently knead. I had to add a little more flour here because mine was still a little sticky. Knead about 20 times and then roll it out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut out whatever shape you would like. You could use cookie cutters, the top of a cup, or just cut it into squares.
Place them on a greased cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. I then sprayed mine with cooking spray and added a dash of cinnamon sugar on the top.
Bake these for 8-10 min until they are golden brown.
Split shortcake and fill with strawberries and cream.
Makes about 10 shortcakes.

sticky caramel popcorn

This recipe has become a family favorite quickly. We have always been a family who loves popcorn anytime really. We stumbled upon this corn popper one day and have loved it ever since. It is a fast easy way to cook regular popcorn kernels in about 3 minutes in the microwave. There are different brands that you can find online or I have also seen them at big box stores.

You probably already have all of these ingredients for this yummy treat.

butter (one stick) - 1/2 cup
brown sugar - 1 cup
marshmallows - 1 bag
popcorn - 1 bowl full (mine was about 12 generous cups popped)

tip - remove to unpopped kernels so no one breaks their teeth.



Melt the butter, brown sugar, and marshmallow in a pan over low heat until smooth, similar to rice krispies treats. Pour over popcorn and mix to coat evenly. Sticky,easy, and yummy.

One of my girls favorite things about helping with this treat is making faces in the bowl. It is just their height on the counter and they giggle at their funny face.