How do you resurrect a blog you haven't posted to for a year? Well, I assume you just start posting again. So here we go!

I didn't do as much Christmas baking this year as usual, but I did make 2 new cookie recipes which were both a hit and will be made again. These Monster Cookies were super easy to make and the dough froze beautifully for a great make-ahead option. Since JR is obsessed with peanut butter, I decided to throw in some peanut butter chips. I think these would also be great with some salty pretzel bits thrown in to balance out the sweetness.

• 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
• 8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 4 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter ships
• 1 cup plain M&M's 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookies sheets with parchment paper, or spray cookie sheets with non-stick cooking spray.

In standing mixer with paddle attachment, cream the peanut butter, butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, and mix until well combined. Add oats and baking soda, and mix until well combined. Add chips and M&M's, and stir until well combined.

Drop the cookies by tablespoonfuls (I use a tablespoon size cookie scoop) onto prepared cookie sheets. (Note: I dropped cookies onto wax paper lined cookie sheets and froze them for a couple weeks before baking).

Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheets then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Source: Slightly adapted from Recipe Girl

It was fitting that this month's What's Baking theme was peppermint. I had Peppermint Meringues on my holiday baking list. My original plan was to make candy cane meringues, but come game time I didn't have red food coloring (note to self: must get red coloring before February!). I forged on anyway.

These are a welcome addition to any holiday tray. They're a light treat with just a hint of peppermint flavor, that perfect bite of something sweet to satisfy my must have something sweet after dinner craving.

Now what to do with 6 egg yolks...

This month's What's Baking was hosted by Carrie's Sweet Life. Head on over soon to check out this month's roundup of peppermint treats.


Here is what you'll need:

• 6 egg whites
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 salt
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp peppermint extract

Preheat oven to 250F degrees. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Using stand mixer, beat egg whites on medium-high until foaming.

In a small bowl, combine cream of tartar, salt and sugar. Gradually add to egg whites and continue beating. Beat until stiff peaks form, or when the bowl is turned upside down nothing moves. This could be anywhere from 10-20 minutes, mine took about 17 minutes.

Fit a piping tip into a pastry bag (or large ziplock bag) and fill bag with meringue. Pipe meringue onto lined baking sheets.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours, meringues should easily lift from parchment paper. Turn oven off and leave meringues in the oven while it cools. Once cool, store in an airtight container. Makes 8 dozen 1 1/2-2 inch meringues.

Source: The Penny Whistle Christmas Party Book

 While shopping at Target I decided to browse down the baking aisle to see if there was anything interesting. I came across Kraft's Mallow Bits and read a recipe on the side for Hot Cocoa Cookies. At the time I thought this was a new product, until I searched online and saw I was way behind in my discovery.


I couldn't wait to try these bits and dug right in when I got home. I quickly discovered these are exactly like the marshmallows from Lucky Charms!

Since it has been a while since JR had sweets (he's SO sad about the demise of Ring Dings and Funny Bones), I got to making a batch of these. He loved them, as did my sister. I thought they where a bit sweet, but, I guess they are cookies!

The great thing about this recipe is that it makes a ton of cookies, which is great for the holiday cookie exchanges going on right now. And the kids will go crazy for them!

Here is what you'll need:

• 1 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 1/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup (or 4 individual packages) Hot Chocolate Mix (not sugar free)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup Mallow Bits (you could substitute mini marshmallows)

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Using a stand mixer, cream butter, sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, hot chocolate, salt, baking soda and baking powder.

Slowly add dry ingredients to mixer and mix until well combined. The dough will be very thick; the motor in my mixer sounded like it was struggling!  Once dry ingredients are mixed well, add chocolate chips and mallow bits. Mix until just combined.

Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough and drop onto cookie sheets. Bake for 8-11 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Be careful not to over bake as these are soft cookies. Makes 4 dozen.

Source: Love from the Oven as seen on Kraft's Mallow Bits

We've cut back our grocery budget since my change in career, which means we're not buying as many of JR's boxed treats and I'm trying to make him more snacks instead. You'd think he would be thrilled, but truth be told, he loves those individually packaged treats sold in a box!

The one way I know to win him over is with peanut butter. As I've mentioned on here before, JR adores peanut butter anything. It was no surprise that he loved these Peanut Butter Cup Blondie Bites.  

This preparation was a bit unique in that you melt butter on the stove and add ingredients from there. Beware, I didn't give the batter enough time to cool and the peanut butter cups started melting as soon as they hit the batter. I tell you this so that you don't miss that important step in the directions! 

I think these would be a big hit on a holiday cookie tray! Familiar, yet a little different.

Here is what you'll need:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup mini peanut butter cups

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan and set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. 

In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Remove pan from heat and add brown sugar. Stir until dissolved. Once sugar mixture has cooled slightly, add egg and vanilla, and stir until smooth. Add flour mixture and stir until combined. Once the mixture has cooled, add peanut butter cups and stir until just combined.

Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups and smooth tops with back of spoon. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until just set. Allow to cool completely in pan. Run a butter knife around the edge of each muffin cup before removing. Makes 24.

Source: Adapted from All You, May 2008 via My Recipes

When Melissa anounced this month's What's Baking theme, Snow Day Treat, I was hoping I'd have good snow pictures to include with my post. However, when you live in New England, you never know what the weather will bring. Since there is nothing remotely white in my backyard right now, I decided to share a photo from last January that never made it on the blog.  It was pretty ridiculous last year in terms of snow, but I'm starting to miss it.

I don't miss barely being able to open the door to let Lacey out, but I do miss the beauty that accompanies a snow fall, and the idea of being "snowed in". I also decided to take up snow shoeing this year, but it doesn't look like that will happen.

Anyhow, when I think of snow day treat my mind wanders to the pantry. Surely I'm not going out to drive in the snow, nor would I dare to fight the pre-snow grocery shopping crowds which usually result in bare shelves by the time I get to the store. Side note, what do these people do with all the milk, bread and eggs they stock up on before the big storm?

I decided to try and bake strictly from my pantry here, with the exception of eggs. Crisco is a very rarely used ingredient in my house, I'm not really sure why I even had it, but it did make this challenge fun for me.

The overall result isn't exactly my preferred type of cookie, nonetheless these were gobbled them up and I didn't hear any complaints. I however, missed the key ingredient - butter. However, I'd make these again if I were in a pinch and out of this key ingredient.

Here is what you'll need:

• 3/4 cup shortening
• 1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp evaporated milk
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp baking 
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup cappuccino chips 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Using a mixer at high speed, beat shortening and brown sugar until light and smooth. Add milk, vanilla and egg, and beat until well combined. Scrape down sides of the bowl.

Add flour, salt and baking soda, and stir until well combined. Scrape down sides of the bowl. Add chocolate and cappuccino chips and stir until combined.

Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, drop even spoonfuls of cookies onto parchment paper allowing plenty of space for cookies to spread during baking.

Bake for 8-12 minutes, depending on if you like chewy or crispy cookies. Remove from oven and allow cookies to firm up for 1-2 minutes. Transfer parchment paper to cooling rack. Cool completely.

Makes 3-3 1/2 dozen.

Source: Crisco

It's Easter, and this is a catch up post from St. Patrick's day.  Clearly I need to get it together!

I had picked up a package of Hershey's Creme de Menthe Kisses at Target before St. Patrick's day and I struggled with what to do with them.  Well, if all else failed I could have eaten the whole bag what was left of the bag.  Instead, I decided to make a thumbprint cookie and adapted Hershey's Triple Chocolate Cookies recipe.  I tried to fancy them up with a fourth chocolate, a white chocolate mint drizzle, but unfortunately you can see how terrible my drizzling skills are.  I should leave that to the professionals.

Chocolate and mint is a favorite combination of mine.  Thin Mints...anyone?  I literally drooled at the thought of triple chocolate and mint together, especially when I saw and smelled this melting goodness!

• 48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates (I used the Creme de Menthe variety) 
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp milk
• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Chocolate Chips or HERSHEY'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a stand mixer, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large bowl until creamed. Add eggs, one at a time, and milk.  Beat well.

In a  mixing bowl, stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.  Slowly add dry ingredients to the butter mixture.  Beat until incorporated.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake 10 to 11 minutes or until set.

While the cookies are baking, remove wrappers from chocolate pieces.

Remove cookies from oven and gently press chocolate piece in center of each cookie.  Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.  Cool completely.  Drizzle with melted white chocolate if you dare.  Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

So by now you probably think I only have one cookbook, Rosemary Brown's Big Kitchen Instruction Book.  I promise you this is not so!  I have a whole bookcase full, however, I cannot prove that to you because, well, my office is known as the disaster zone of our house.  People think I am a neat, clean, person, but that would all change if they entered my office!

In keeping with my recent unplanned theme, I'm referring to my favorite cookbook again for what has become my go-to oatmeal cookie recipe.  These are my dad's favorite, and he is probably already waiting for Father's Day knowing he will get a batch.



Here is the recipe as it is written:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 3 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup flaked coconut
• 1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat butter with both sugars until fluffy.  Beat in eggs and vanilla.  Sift flour with baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and mix well with butter mixture.  Stir together oatmeal, pecans, coconut, and raisins, and fold into cookie batter. 

Using a small cookie scoop, drop the dough onto parchament lined baking sheets.  Bake for 11 minutes.  Cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes 6 dozen.