Surprise Chocolate Chip Cookies - total time 1 hour

I heard about the Food Blogger Cookie Swap a couple years ago and was so mad when I missed it last year!  So I got on the reminder list and was probably one of the first to sign up for 2015.  The premise is every blogger donates to Cookies for Kids Cancer then bakes three dozen cookies and sends a dozen to three random bloggers.  It was fun coming home to cookies on our doorstep and connecting with bloggers from around the country!

I sent cookies to: Baking Bandit, Thyme & Passion, A Sprinkle of This and That
I received cookies from: Koko Likes, Bake Love Give, A Mama, Baby, & Shar-pei in the Kitchen



I have been baking these cookies for nearly 15 years now and everyone always loves them!  It's easy to change it up a bit with different types of chocolates in the cookies... I started with Hershey Kisses back in high school because it was a cute shape inside when you bit it in half.  But my favorites have been Reese cups and Dove dark chocolates.  Mmmm...

There are no eggs in these cookies, so when you inevitably taste a little (or a lot) of the dough, it's okay!  There is no baking powder either.  So these are definitely not your normal everyday chocolate chip cookies.  They actually remind me of biscotti.  So while you can certainly go the traditional route of having milk with your cookies, hot cocoa and coffee are also perfect accoutrements.  So bake a batch, make some hot cocoa, and snuggle up by the fireplace and enjoy these tasty cookies with a little candy surprise inside!  :)

Celebrate Pi Day (3.14) with Some Pie!

Pi Day is this Saturday (3.1415)!  Celebrate the mathematical "holiday" with some pies!  Whether it's a pizza pie, savory, or sweet... it's easy to whip up something... then calculate the circumference using pi!  That's pi times the diameter of your pie!  ;)  Here are a couple ideas and recipes for you...

Pizza Pie
 

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Pizza - Put your broccoli alfredo on a pizza, hold the noodles
Springtime Pizza - Spring veggies are springing up in your produce department.  Make the most of them on pi day!


Savory Pies
 

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie - kind of an oxymoron, shepherd and vegetarian, but a great, heart-warming Irish dish... perhaps you're getting ready to celebrate St. Patrick's Day too.
Mini Taco Pies - These cute little guys are easy to dish out and perfect for little hands

Sweet Pies
 

Caramel Apple Struesel Pie - caramel apples... plus... struesel?!  mmmmm
Mini Pumpkin Pies - I know it's waaay past Thanksgiving, but I'm pretty sure pumpkin pie was where we got the saying "easy as pie".

Happy Pi Day!

Valentine's Day Goodies

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching (this Saturday!).  If you're making sweets for your sweetie, bringing something into the office, or sending treats to school with your kids... here are a couple recipes that everyone will LOVE!  ;)

 

 

Peppermint Patty Brownies - mint and chocolate your thing? add a little pink to the mint filling and a few sprinkles to these fudgy brownies coated in dark chocolate
Rose Cupcakes - this take a bouquet of cupcakes to the next level!  not only is it easy to make this rose design, but they are actually flavored with rose extract.  you'll get a lot of surprised looks and then requests for the recipe  :)
Red Velvet Cookies - get your chocolate fix with these with this classic cookie
Cake Batter Cookies - add in some red and pink sprinkles and you have a melt in your mouth, festive cookie!