New Year, New Last Name

Sometimes you get so busy making memories that you don't leave yourself enough time to do all the baking you wanted to do. And I'm completely okay with that. Plus, we had plenty of baked goods to feed an army as it was. Needless to say, my 10 Days of Holiday Baking turned into 8 days. And again, I'm completely okay with that. Sorry if any of you were really excited about days 9 and 10.

Christmas Eve

I'm not going to leave you hanging though....I'm still determined to be better at this blogging thing. It's NYE and that means 2015 is just a few hours away. And 2015 is going to be a very exciting year for me and my family. Why? Well, because sometimes Santa brings you diamonds. And by Santa I mean my boyfriend fiance. Fiance is still SO weird to say.

First picture together after getting engaged! 

On Christmas morning, we had to get up early to go do Christmas with Zach's family (Christmas Eve is spent with mine). We gave ourselves enough time to open our gifts to each other before heading out. After we opened our gifts, Zach got up and walked out of the room. I figured he was going to get ready, so I started to clean up the piles of wrapping paper left behind...then he walked back in, got on one knee and said, "Well, there's one more gift." And right there in the living room, in our pajamas with our bedhead, he asked me to marry him. It was perfect and I wouldn't change a thing about it. We then rushed to get ready so we could stop by and show my parents before spending the day with his. We are so very excited and our families are equally excited for us. And that's why, with this new year, I'll be getting a new last name!

Obligatory ring shot ;) Good thing I got that manicure a few days before!

I can't wait to make new memories this year and I especially can't wait to be surrounded by our family and friends as I marry my best friend!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe NYE!! Consider this my toast to you a midnight!

xoxo

10 Days of Holiday Baking - Day 8

This is a sacred recipe in my family. My grandma has been making these for as long as I can remember. So long that I'd never even considered making them myself because they were always her thing. But this year she said, "With all you bakers around, I've decided to just sit back and let you do it all." I knew I wanted to add something to the basket I made Zach's family that wasn't a cookie. Regular cupcakes take up too much room and are hard to transport. These are the perfect bite-size little chocolate cheesecakes that could be thrown into a tin and added to the basket easily. When grandma said she wasn't making them, I knew I'd be attempting them for the first time! And to be completely honest with you, these little treats don't look or taste like it, but they are so easy to make! And they make nearly 5 dozen so make sure you have a crowd to feed them to! And if not, they freeze really well and can be taken out when your sweet tooth comes calling after December 31st when you've sworn off all sugar for the year two weeks.

Black Bottom Goodies

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
6oz semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, and cocoa in a large bowl. Make a large well in the center of the mixture and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, combine water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients, stirring well.

3. Spoon batter into paper lined miniature muffin pans, filling 2/3 full. It's important to not overfill these!

4. In another bowl, combine cream cheese, egg, sugar, and salt, stirring well. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture over the chocolate batter

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

These are the perfect combination. The cream cheese filling offsets the chocolate and they aren't too sweet or rich. Even Zach, who isn't a big fan of chocolate, really liked these. Eat what you want and store the rest in the fridge!

10 Days of Holiday Baking - Day 7

This is another recipe that I feel like is always around at Christmas, but I didn't start making them until a few years ago. They're easy and not very time consuming, and they're my brother-in-law's favorite so they've taken up permanent residence on my holiday baking list. Yes, it's another chocolate/peanut butter combo, why are you judging? But not only is there chocolate and peanut butter, but there's also Ritz crackers. Buttery, flaky, delicious Ritz crackers. I could eat an entire sleeve of those crackers in one minute sitting. And maybe I like this recipe so much because I can, and do, munch on a few during the process. Hey, I need something salty to break up all the sweet stuff I'm also snacking on while baking ;)

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Ritz Sandwiches

(Recipe from Spoon Fork Bacon)

Ingredients:
2 cups milk chocolate chips (you can also use dark or white chocolate) 
½ cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup powdered sugar, sifted
32 Ritz crackers

Directions:
1. Place chocolate chips over a double boiler (or microwave) and melt.
2. Place peanut butter and sugar into a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.
3. Spread a small amount of the peanut butter mixture onto a cracker and sandwich together with another cracker.
4. Repeat until all the crackers and peanut butter filling have been used.
5. Place crackers onto a parchment line baking sheet and place in freezer for about 30 minutes.
6. Once the chocolate has melted, using a small pair of tongs, or tweezers, dip the chilled peanut butter sandwiches into the chocolate until completely covered.
7. Shake off any access chocolate and place back onto the parchment lined baking sheet.
8. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches and set aside to dry, about an hour.
9. Carefully peel from the parchment and serve.

If you're really feeling festive, or have the time, drizzle some white chocolate over the tops. Even better, throw some red and/or green food coloring into the white chocolate and make them super Christmas-y. I had no such time for that this year so I gave mine a dusting of clear crystals and called it a day!

10 Days of Holiday Baking - Day 6

As mentioned previously, my family and I made it to Callaway Gardens last night for the Christmas lights. We were worried that the rain was going to keep us from going, but it held off until the drive back home. We loaded up on kettle popcorn and hot chocolate and hopped on the trolley. I remember being much more amazed by the lights when I was a little kid. And while it wasn't nearly as magical for me now, watching my niece and nephew get so excited about every single light was just as, if not more, magical. I wouldn't trade making those memories with them for anything. 

Today I'm going back to a classic, to one of the cookies I must have on my holiday baking list yearly. It's just simply not Christmas until these cookies are made. Peanut Butter Blossoms remind me of being a kid. I remember helping my mom unwrap all the kisses and then waiting for the cookies to come out of the oven so  we could quickly press them into the warm, gooey cookies. Is there anything better than biting into that soft Hershey's Kiss and then it mixing with the salty peanut butter cookie? Is there anything better than the peanut butter/chocolate combination period? I'd be willing to say there isn't, but that's just my own personal opinion. 

Want me to let you in on a secret? I don't do anything special for these cookies. In fact, I take the recipe straight off the back of the Hershey's Kiss bag. That doesn't mean these cookies aren't fantastic, because they are! The recipe is pretty easy and basic and my other Peanut Butter Cookies are just too good by themselves to throw a kiss on top of, honestly. 

Peanut Butter Blossoms
(recipe from Hershey's)

Ingredients:

• 48 Hershey's Kisses 
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Additional granulated sugar(optional)

*Tip: I never actually get 48 cookies out of this recipe. And I always unwrap 48 Kisses before I start baking. I'm giving you a heads up so that maybe I'll remember next year. I'd start with 30 Kisses, then open more as the last batch or two is baking. 

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.

2. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on non-greased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

And now, I'm officially ready for Christmas. Do you have a cookie or a treat that screams Christmas to you?  

My little "helpers" 

10 Days of Holiday Baking - Day 5

Is anyone in a sugar coma yet? Just a food coma? Today is my regularly scheduled off Friday at work. And because I'm taking three days off next week, followed by the Christmas holiday days, I'm officially off for the next 10 days! And I'm glad I'll be missing the final 4 days of people bringing treats into work because it's so hard to not grab something whenever you walk by those tables! Maybe I'll miss some pretty good stuff, maybe my pants will appreciate it. Plus, I have plenty of baking left to do myself!

Today has felt very festive in general. I got my haircut this morning just in time for Christmas, followed by a Christmas manicure with the best, wrapped a few last presents (am I really done?!), did some baking with the recipe I'm here to share, and tonight, the family is off to Callaway Gardens Fantasy In Lights. It's been years since I've been and this is the first time for both Reese and Brooks so I'm super excited.

Anyway, today's recipe is another new addition. Who said I could only have one new addition per year? I always forget how good White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are until I eat one. And I'm always hesitant to eat them for no reason at all. I think I have an aversion to white chocolate, but it's actually so good! When my sister, cousin and I were kids, we used to sneak into Grandma's kitchen cabinet and eat the white chocolate baking bars she kept. Maybe that's where it came from, because those weren't very good, but we still ate them! So whenever I eat a White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie, a light bulb goes off and I'm quickly reminded that I'm always taking them for granted. To make up for it, I've added them to my list this year! And trust me, these cookies do not disappoint! They might actually be my favorite of all the treats I've baked this year. I will, however, say that I had trouble finding the macadamia nuts. I had to run into Wal-Mart to pick up a site-to-store order this morning and decided to check their baking aisle. I lucked out and snagged the last bag.

White Chocolate Chunk Macadamia Nut Cookies
(recipe from Annie, again)

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. coarse salt
1¼ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1 cup (16 tbsp.) unsalted butter, cold and cut into large chunks
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. coconut extract (optional, but I definitely recommend!)
12 oz. white chocolate, coarsely chopped (I just used white chocolate chips)
1½ cups coarsely chopped macadamia nuts

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk to blend.

2.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the cold butter and the sugars. Beat on medium-high until smooth and just combined, 1-2 minutes. Blend in the eggs one at a time just until incorporated, scraping down the bowl as needed. Blend in the vanilla and coconut extracts. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. 

3. Fold in the white chocolate and macadamia nuts with a spatula. Cover and refrigerate dough for 30-60 minutes.

4.  Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Roll a scant half-cup (I used 1/4 cup just to spread the recipe a little further) of dough into a ball. Holding dough ball in fingertips of both hands, pull apart into two equal halves.  Rotate halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, place formed dough onto cookie sheet, leaving ample room between each ball. 

• 5.  Bake the cookies, rotating halfway through, until light golden brown and just set, about 14-16 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 
  
  
  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Only 6 days until Christmas! Are you ready?! 

10 Days of Holiday Baking - Day 4

Have you ever tried the Williams-Sonoma Peppermint Bark? If you haven't, just trust me when I say it's delicious. It's also $24 for a 1-pound tin.

Two weeks ago, we drove up to The Mall of Georgia for Zach to do a majority of his Christmas shopping. I'm not sure why he's so set on that specific mall, but we did the same thing last year. And both times it's been rainy, but that's beside the point. He put a pretty good dent in his shopping and in seven whole hours at the mall, all I bought were some pretzel bites and a Coke for us to share. What?! I'm an early Christmas shopper and was mostly done at that point. Anyway, back to the peppermint bark. We meandered through Williams-Sonoma, dreaming of the day we'll have a kitchen worthy of their products. We got separated on the way out because I saw the samples of the peppermint bark and made a beeline for it while Zach continued out into the busy mall. He stopped and waited, of course, and I greeted him with a bite-size sample. At first he declined (more for me!), then he ate it and we both praised how good it was...even contemplating going back and buying some to take home. And immediately I decided Peppermint Bark would be added to my baking list this year!

I'd seen this recipe a few days before and while this clearly isn't Williams-Sonoma Peppermint Bark, it's delicious. And it's so Christmas-y and a super easy addition to the cookie baskets I make each year. On top of that, just look how pretty it is!!

Oreo Peppermint Bark
(recipe from Rachel at A Southern Fairytale)

Ingredients:

10 mini candy canes, crushed (about 1/2 cup)
12 Oreos, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

Directions:

1.  Line a cookie sheet with wax paper

2.  Add milk chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 second increments, stirring after each, until melted and smooth. Pour onto prepared cookie sheet and spread flat. Sprinkle with chopped Oreos. Let sit for 10 minutes.

3. Add white chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl and heat on 50% power in 30 second increments, stirring after each, until melted and smooth. Pour over Oreos and spread to the edges of the milk chocolate. Sprinkle with crushed candy canes. Chill until set, break into pieces and serve or package to give!

I suggest packaging this up right away to give to others (obviously after you've given it a try)! I consumed more than I care to admit while I was breaking it up. Or, just keep it for yourself and try not to consume it in one night ;)  

10 Days of Holiday Baking - Day 3

There are peanut butter cookies and then there are these Peanut Butter Cookies. The recipe came from the same place as my Chocolate Chip Cookies, so it's not surprising that they are excellent. I usually just do Peanut Butter Blossoms at Christmas (remember, they're on my must list), but these are Zach's (and his mom's) favorite so I knew they had to be on this year's list. I think it's the addition of honey in these that makes them so good. They're thick, and soft, and chewy and the perfect balance of flavors. They puff up and crack and remain the perfect consistency. Not surprisingly, these were also requested for Zach's office so here they are on day three!

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
(again, from Annie)

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup vegetable shortening
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup honey
2 large eggs
Sugar, for rolling the cookies

Directions:

1.  In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking power and salt; whisk together and set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the shortening, butter, peanut butter and honey. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and beat just until incorporated. 

3.  Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Roll the dough into 1½-inch balls, and roll each dough ball in sugar. Place the dough balls on an ungreased baking sheet, a couple inches apart. 

4. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until slightly puffed and golden. 

5. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough. 

• If you love peanut butter, I can guarantee you'll love these cookies!! Pour yourself a glass of milk, grab a cookie or two, and sit back and watch your favorite Christmas movie. Because it's Christmas and you deserve all three of those things together.
  
  Enjoy! 

10 Days of Holiday Baking - Day 2

Everyone needs a go-to Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. Everyone needs to have all the ingredients for said Chocolate Chip Cookies on hand at all times. You just never know when a craving for a good Chocolate Chip Cookie with a glass of milk will hit you.

Funny story; A few months ago I said to Zach, "At some point, I'm going to start keeping everything I need for Chocolate Chip Cookies in the kitchen." A few days later I opened the fridge and there was a pack of break-and-bake....bless him. I was thinking more along the lines of flour, sugar, butter, and chocolate chips. It's funny because he knows I bake. He's had my Chocolate Chip Cookies! He even volunteered me to make them for his office this week, hints the reason they made it on day two of my holiday baking list! I give him points for trying, but break-and-bake, not my thing (that doesn't mean we didn't eat them). Especially when I have this recipe nailed down to perfection.

There's nothing fancy here, just a consistently good, traditional Chocolate Chip Cookie. However, these cookies are quite large and extremely dense. Don't worry though, this is a judge-free zone and I will not judge you for indulging in a whole batch cookie...or 2 or 3. I should also warn you that this recipe usually makes about 16 cookies for me. If you're carrying this off to a party, feel free to either make the cookies smaller, or double up on the recipe if you'll need more. I'll probably end up tripling this one (at least) so I have plenty to keep and plenty to send off to several lucky recipients.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
(this recipe comes from the never disappointing Annie)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

• ½ tsp. baking soda

• ½ tsp. salt

• 12 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm

• 1 cup packed brown sugar

• ½ cup (3½ oz.) granulated sugar

• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1.  Adjust oven racks to upper and lower-middle positions. Preheat oven to 325°. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. 

2.  Whisk dry ingredients (minus the sugars!!) together in a medium bowl and set aside. With an electric mixer, mix butter (make sure it's not too warm) and sugars until thoroughly combined. Beat in egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add dry ingredients and beat at low-speed just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.  

3.  Roll a scant half cup of dough into a ball. Holding dough ball in fingertips of both hands, pull apart into two equal halves. Rotate halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, place formed dough onto cookie sheet, leaving ample room between each ball. Bake, reversing position of cookie sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are light golden brown and outer edges start to harden yet centers are still soft and puffy (approximately 14-16 minutes). Careful not to over-bake! 

4.  Cool cookies on sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

*Note: According to Annie, the dough balls can be frozen, although I've never done this. I have frozen the cookies after baking them in advance and they still taste great once thawed. To freeze the dough, first freeze on a parchment-line baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag or other storage container. To bake, place frozen dough balls on lined baking sheets and bake as directed above, adding a few minutes to the baking time (exact time will vary, just check on them). 

This picture is from this summer at Reese and Brooks' birthday party, but if you're feeling really gluttonous this Christmas, throw a cup of ice cream between two of these cookies and call it  a day. 

• 
  

  Do you have a go-to Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe? Maybe one that you think is just as good, if not better, as these, and makes more than 16? 

10 Days of Holiday Baking - Day 1

Every year at Christmas, my baking list seems to expand. I have my staples, the cookies I want have to bake. For the next 10 days, you can find me in the kitchen, whisk in hand, covered in flour and chocolate and probably in a sugar coma as I wear the motor out of my trusty stand mixer. But it's not Christmas until there are Chocolate Chip cookies, Peanut Butter Blossoms, and Sugar Cookies in the shape of candy canes covered in Royal Icing. And every year I try to add something new. Mind you, I don't delete anything from the previous year...you see where this is going, don't you? I'll have to open a bakery before too much longer just to make sure I get all my Christmas baking done! But then again, maybe that's what a lot of people are hoping for. But what's the next best thing to opening a bakery? This year I've decided to share all of my Christmas baking adventures with you! I want to get back into this blogging thing in 2015 and what better way to start?! 

Last year I added Snickerdoodle Peanut Butter Chocolate Covered Chex Mix Bites to my repertoire. Say that five times fast! They're time consuming, yes. And they're messy. I never claimed to be a tidy baker, but I do try to clean up as I go...these little bites required every clean dish in the kitchen before all was said and done and by the end, I was asking Zach to clean the kitchen for me, haha! And these bites, they're not to be gracefully eaten. Seriously, attack these not-so bite sized treats any way you like. Let the chocolate melt on your hands and give you a chocolate mustache. And I dare you to eat only one. They're sweet, salty, chewy, crunchy, and I would have never imagined cinnamon, peanut butter and chocolate to meld the way they do here, but trust me, it works! I'd already bought all of the ingredients for these (seriously, I watch the Publix ad for BOGO Chex cereal around Christmas!) when I found out at the last minute about our work Christmas goody tables. And since I won't be working next week, I decided to go ahead and make these to bring and share. 

So, are you looking for something new to sit at home and eat all by yourself carry off to a Christmas party this year? Look no further! I have the answer here with my 1st day of holiday baking recipe! 

Snickerdoodle Peanut Butter Chocolate Covered Chex Mix Bites
(adapted from Half Baked Harvest) 

Ingredients:

2 cups Corn Chex
1 cup Rice Chex
1 cup whole wheat Chex (I always just use the Cinnamon chex)
1 1/2 cups bite size pretzels
1 cup air popped popcorn
1 cup mixed nuts (I usually just use peanuts)
1/4 cup salted butter, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup karo syrup
1 cup light brown sugar
2-3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions:

1.  In a large bowl (with a lid), combine the corn Chex, rice Chex, whole wheat (or cinnamon) Chex, pretzels, popcorn, and mixed nuts. Toss well.
2.  In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, cinnamon, and vanilla. Pour the butter mixture over the chex mix and toss well. This is wear that lid comes in handy. Snap it on and toss until all of the chex mix is well coated. Side note: This is a good job for boyfriends who wander into the kitchen at the perfect moment ;)
3.  Using cooking spray, thoroughly grease 48 mini cupcake molds 
4.  Add the Karo syrup, peanut butter and brown sugar together in medium saucepan. Heat almost to a boil but be careful not to burn. Stir to combine the ingredients. Once the mixture begins to bubble around the edges, stir for 1 minute and then remove from the heat. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the chex mix and toss well with a spatula. This step has to be done quickly because as soon as the peanut butter mixture cools, this stuff becomes very hard to work with!
5.  Spoon the mixture evenly among 48 cupcake molds and lightly press the mixture together. I've found it easier to just get messy and use my hands for this part. 
6.  Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or over a double broiler. To microwave, heat on full power for 20 seconds, stir, heat 30 seconds again, and stir until melted. If still not melted enough, heat again for 10 seconds. Be careful not to overheat it because once you do, there's no turning back! Spoon a tablespoon or so of melted chocolate over each bar. Place the trays in the fridge for 45 minutes until the chocolate hardens. Once ready to serve use a butter knife to pop the bars up and out of their molds (also a good job for boyfriends). 
7.  Serve right away or store in an air-tight container. I've also found that these freeze really well. If you know you're going to be short for time, make them ahead and then take them out the night before you need them. 

So there you have it, my 1st day of Christmas baking is complete! Come back tomorrow for round two!