Reese's Cheesecake Bars

Oooooooh boy.

Do I have a recipe for you!

I've been absent a lot lately and the food-related posts have seriously been lacking, but now I'm back with a BANG!

Feast your eyes on these babies:

Hello, beautiful. Get in my mouth.

Reese's Cheesecake Bars.

Yes. You read that right. Reeses + cheesecake. Two of my favorite things, and hopefully two of your favorite things too.

If not, you're weird. (sorry)


My only complaint is WHY THE #$%^ DIDN'T I MAKE THESE SOONER?!?

In case you can't tell already, these are amazingly delicious. Probably going to make a batch of these as often as I possibly can (which if I want to still fit in my jeans is not that often).

I hope you enjoy these as much as we did!


Reese's Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars
source: The Sweets Life

Ingredients:
Crust-
-7 whole graham crackers, broken into small pieces
-6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted & cooled
-3 tbsp brown sugar
-2 tbsp all-purpose flour
-1/8 tsp salt

Filling-
-2 packages cream cheese, softened (I used reduced-fat cream cheese)
-2/3 cup granulated sugar
-2 eggs
-1/4 cup sour cream (I subbed 0% greek yogurt)
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-1 bag mini Reese's peanut butter cups, chopped

-1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325F. Line an 8-in pan with aluminum foil, leaving a 3-4 inch overhang on each side. Grease foil.
2. Make graham cracker crust by adding crackers to food processor and pulsing until fine. Add butter, brown sugar, flour, and salt. Pulse until mixture is combined. Press into the bottom of the baking dish.
3. Bake crust for 12-15 minutes until browning. Cool for at least 30 minutes.
4. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Slowly add sugar, beating well. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in sour cream (or greek yogurt) and vanilla extract until fully combined.
5. After chopping Reese's peanut butter cups, set aside approximately 1/2 cup for later. Stir the remaining chopped candies into the cream cheese batter.
6. Pour batter into baking pan, spreading evenly over crust. Bake at 325F for 35-40 minutes (rotate halfway through), until the edges are set and middle still jiggles slightly.
7. Cool cheesecake for 2 hours. Cover and refrigerate 3-24 hours.
8. Remove from fridge and using the foil overhang, remove bars from pan. Melt chocolate in the microwave (stirring every 15 seconds). Drizzle chocolate over bars and top with remaining chopped Reese's cups. Cut into squares and enjoy!

**Ashley's Notes: I had to speed this process along because I made these just a few hours before I wanted to eat them, so there was no time for 24 hours of chilling. Instead, I pulled the cheesecake out of the oven and let it cool at room temp for about 1 hour. Then I put the cheesecake into the freezer for about 2 hours (just enough to thoroughly chill but not freeze them). They still turned out great so if you're in a pinch, you can do it the faster way!

Another note, don't freak out if your cheesecake cracks as it cools. This happens. And you're just going to cover it with chocolate and Reese's anyway so it doesn't matter!

I Scream, You Scream

We all scream for ice cream!


I have a long and loving history with cheesecake ice cream. I first fell in love with the flavor combo at a Marble Slab Creamery. If you haven't been to a Marble Slab, go to the website, find the store closest to you, and go there now. Seriously, trust me on this....I think it's the best store-bought ice cream out there!

When I got my driver's license I would often go to Marble Slab at least 2 times a week and get a pint of the cheesecake ice cream to take home. Wow...gotta love young metabolisms!

Unfortunately, there is no Marble Slab within 3 hours of where I live now so I had to get creative to satisfy my beloved ice cream craving. (However, I definitely just checked and there are two Marble Slabs in Nashville, less than an hour from our next duty station! Woohoo!!)

I searched the web for cheesecake ice cream recipes and ultimately decided on the one that looked the easiest and didn't involve any stovetop cooking. I mixed up the ice cream base in the food processor and then popped it in the fridge for about 8 hours to chill.

Then I used my Kitchenaid Ice Cream Maker Attachment to freeze the mixture. And the result was.....
....amazing!!!!

Rich, creamy, tangy, perfectly cheesecakey (yes, it's a word).

My husband was mmm-ing the whole way through his bowl. It was almost obnoxious.

He's already requested that I make it again. Given that it's not exactly a health food, he might have to wait a little more than 2 days before I make it again.

Cheesecake Ice Cream
Source: adapted from David Lebovitz, The Perfect Scoop

8 ounces (1 box) cream cheese (I used reduced-fat)
1 cup sour cream (I used 0% greek yogurt)
1/2 cup light cream (I used half and half)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
Zest of 1 lemon (I omitted)
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch sea salt

Place all ingredients in food processor or blender and process until smooth. Pour into container, seal tightly, and refrigerate until well chilled.

When ice cream base is chilled, process in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. Place finished ice cream in a freezer-safe container with a tight-fitting lid and freeze immediately. Let ripen in freezer for at least 3 hours before serving, for best results.

Note: Next time I would probably double the recipe because it didn't make that much. Just enough for two me-size servings and two Husband-size servings.

Also, this ice cream is VERY rich so next time I might try using more half and half or milk to take down the richness a bit.

EDITED TO ADD: I made this a second time and I made some changes to make it a little less rich...
-Increased half and half to 3/4 cup
-Added 1/2 cup of skim milk (it was all I had...I would have preferred 1% or 2%)

These changes resulted in a not-so-rich but still totally delicious ice cream. It does freeze a little harder (because of the lower fat content) so just be sure to let it sit out of the freezer for 10 minutes or so before serving.

Lemon Curd Cupcakes

I'm way behind on posting about these, since I made them way back for an Easter celebration. Oopsie!

These cupcakes were the perfect, lemony spring treat! The cake was light and fluffy and the frosting was cool and creamy. They were a HUGE hit a the Easter party I went to. One guest even commented that these were the best cupcakes she had EVER eaten!!

I made both regular size cupcakes AND mini cupcakes, because this recipe made a TON of cupcakes! I was not prepared for that. I had cupcakes coming out of my ears!


I topped some of them with bunny Peeps and the rest I just garnished with extra lemon curd.

By the way, this was my first time ever making lemon curd and it was SUPER easy and delicious! The lemon curd alone would be worth making, if the cupcakes aren't really your thing or you don't have time to make the whole thing.


One complaint I have with these cupcakes was that this recipe was very labor intensive. I know I say that a lot (I guess I'm just lazy), but I really mean it this time. Making these created about a bajillion dirty dishes and took me a good 3 hours from start to finish.

That being said, I would still say these were worth it for a special occasion since they were such a big hit!

Lemon Curd Cupcakes

Source: yourhomebasedmom.com

Lemon Cake:

3 C flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 C unsalted butter (room temperature)

2 C sugar

4 eggs (separated)

1 C milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp lemon extract

zest of two lemons

Mix together flour, baking powder and salt.

Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time. Mix well. Alternately add in flour mixture and milk. Beginning and ending with flour. Add in vanilla and lemon and lemon zest.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Add egg whites into batter, folding gently.

Place into cupcake liners. Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool. Use half of lemon curd recipe to fill the cupcakes either with a squeeze bottle or by cutting a small hole in the middle of the cupcake and filling with lemon curd.

Lemon Curd:

2 lemons

4 egg yolks

3/4 C sugar

4 Tbsp butter, cold

Zest the lemons. Juice the lemons. In a bowl mix together the egg yolks and sugar until smooth. Stir in lemon juice and zest.

In a saucepan, over medium heat, bring to a simmer. Continue cooking, stirring constantly until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Stir in the butter 1 Tbsp at a time. Cover lemon curd with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled and thickened.

Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese, softened

1 C sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 C whipping cream

Half of the above lemon curd recipe above.

In a small bowl beat whipping cream until stiff. In another bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla. Add in lemon curd. Beat until smooth. Fold in whipped cream.

**Note: Be sure you refrigerate these cupcakes if you're going to store them for any amount of time, since there is cream cheese in the frosting.

Single Serving Healthier Brownie

Sometimes a craving hits me and I don't even really know where it came from.

For example, tonight I had a serious craving for brownies.

FYI I don't even like brownies (normally). They don't even tempt me (normally). I'd much rather have a cookie or a piece of pie or even a blondie (normally).

But tonight, I wanted brownies and I wanted them NOW.

The only teensy problem was that I had no eggs in the house and I was too lazy to make a whole batch of them. Plus, I didn't want a whole bunch of extra brownies sitting around the house for the next few days.

So I typed "single serving brownies" into good 'ole Google and found a recipe on Sparkpeople that looked perfect. Plus, it's healthy(ish), since it doesn't call for any butter or eggs! Bonus!

These turned out pretty darn good for a healthy and simple recipe! I was pleasantly surprised, as was the Hubs.

They totally fulfilled my need-a-brownie-now craving. I hope it does the same for you, if a Brownie Emergency arises in the future.


Single Serving Healthier Brownie
adapted from Sparkpeople

Serves one.

1 Tbsp whole wheat flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
a pinch of baking soda
a pinch of salt
1 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce or non-fat vanilla yogurt (I used applesauce)
splash of milk to thin it out as needed (I used almond milk)

Topping of choice (whipped cream, mini-chocolate chips, etc.)

Combine dry ingredients and mix well. Add wet ingredients and stir until combined. The batter should be about like the consistency of pancake batter so add more milk if needed to thin it out.

Spray a microwave-safe dish (such as a ramekin or a coffee mug) with cooking spray and then pour in the batter. Microwave for about 60 seconds.

Top with mini chocolate chips, whipped cream, or other toppings of choice.


P.S. I realized as I was making the brownie that this would be the perfect dessert recipe for a military wife with a deployed spouse! When Hubs was deployed, I always craved sweets but never felt inspired to bake when it was just me around the house. Definitely tucking this recipe away for the next deployment!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes

Sooo ummm...Don't hate me when I share this recipe with you.

Because this recipe is FAR from healthy.

In fact, it's sinful.

But if you don't make these cupcakes at some point, you won't know what you're missing out on....foodgasmic is one word that comes to mind.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes.

(Wipe the drool off your keyboard now.)

And, for the record, these are Worth. Every. Calorie. Trust me.

Just add in an extra 30 minutes of cardio and enjoy every last morsel of these scrumdiddlyumptious (LOL) cupcakes.

I came across these while searching for a good cupcake recipe to take to a party. I knew Annie of Annie's Eats is the queen of all things cupcake so I stopped by her blog for a looksie. I was not disappointed when I saw this gem of a recipe calling my name.


Chocolate chip cookie + Cupcake = BRILLIANT!! Two of my favorite desserts packed into ONE dessert.


I did take some liberties and simplified the recipe a bit. The original recipe called for stuffing the inside of the cupcakes with actual cookie dough AND topping the cupcakes with mini-chocolate chip cookies. I figured my brain (and waistline) would probably explode if I went that far, so I kept it to just chocolate chip cookie cupcakes with chocolate chip cookie icing.

They were so delicious as-is that I can only imagine the foodgasms that would result from trying the original recipe as-written.

The recipe below is how I made them (I also halved the original recipe), but please go check out Annie's blog for the original version as well (but be prepared for your pants to fit tighter just by looking at it).

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes

Source: Annie's Eats (adapted slightly)

Yield: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:
1.5 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the frosting:
1.5 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tbsp. milk
1 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

For decoration:
Mini chocolate chips

Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners (12 total). In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar. Beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together to blend. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl on low speed, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing each addition just until incorporated. Blend in the vanilla. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners, filling the cups about 3/4 of the way with batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, beat together the butter and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until creamy. Mix in the confectioners' sugar until smooth. Beat in the flour and salt. Mix in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.

When cupcakes are completely cooled, frost them as desired (I used a star tip and a piping bag) and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips for decoration.

Ashley's Notes: Don't be scared of the flour called for in the icing. I was at first but you really can't taste it at all. It just helps to give the icing a more cookie dough-like flavor. Also, if you don't have a piping bag a zip-top bag works just as well for piping icing.

Oh and, in case you were wondering, these were a big hit at the party I went to.

Duh.

Nutella Macaroons a.k.a. Coconut Heaven

Lately I've been loving on coconut. Coconut milk, coconut oil, coconut butter, and (most of all) coconut DESSERTS!

I think its partially because it's a delicious way to add some richness and creaminess to foods, but mostly because my husband is a Coconut Hater. You know what that means? That means anything I make with coconut in it is ALL MINE!! Muahahaha!


And boy oh boy, do I ever have a doozie of a coconut recipe for you! I spotted the recipe for these macaroons on Oh She Glows and was shocked at how it didn't call for any flour or butter.

The "butter" is actually made from grinding up coconut flakes until they release their oils and becomes coconut butter! How cool is that?!

Note: This is not how the coconut butter should look....you have to keep processing it until it turns into a smooth oil-like consistency. I just forgot to take a pic of the finished coconut butter. Oopsie!

And, although the original recipe is brilliant on it's own, I just couldn't leave well-enough alone.

So I added Nutella. Because EVERYTHING is better with Nutella.


So if you're a coconut lover, MAKE THESE! Immediately. Because they are really amazing.

Nutella Macaroons

Adapted slightly from Oh She Glows
Yield: ~22 macaroons.

Ingredients:
• 2 2/3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut (to make coconut butter)
• 2 (additional) cups shredded unsweetened coconut
• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 vanilla bean (just omit this if you don't have it - no biggie!)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 heaping Tbsp Nutella
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300F and line a baking sheet with a non-stick mat or parchment. In a food processor, process 2 and 2/3 cups of shredded coconut for about 5-8 minutes until coconut butter forms. You will have to keep scraping down the sides of the bowl. For a coconut butter how-to, see this post. Alternatively, you can use 1 cup of store bought coconut butter.

2. Once you have made the coconut butter, add the other ingredients to the food processor and pulse a few times until it's incorporated. (If you don't have a large enough food processor, just mix all the ingredients in a bowl...that's perfectly fine too, I just didn't want to dirty another bowl!)

3. Scoop about 1-2 tbsp of dough onto a baking sheet (with a cookie scoop, if you have it). You don’t have to leave much room in between as they do not spread out. Bake for 25-28 minutes at 300F. Watch them closely after 22-23 minutes.

4. Allow the macaroons to sit for 25 minutes so they can firm up. If you do not do this, the macaroons will crumble, so this step is crucial! Store in a sealed container at room temp (or in the fridge if you prefer).
I may or may not have gone out and bought an "economy size" bag of coconut after making this recipe so I can ALWAYS have enough coconut on hand for these macaroons! Mmmmm.


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Did you notice the fancy new Foodbuzz advertisements on the blog?!? Well, I'm officially a Foodbuzz Featured Publisher now! Woohoo! Basically all that means is that I get to connect with other food bloggers and maybe even earn a small (teeny tiny) amount of money off of the blog now. :)

I am submitting this post as part of the Top 9 Takeover on Foodbuzz. In a Top 9 Takeover, Foodbuzz asks all Featured Publishers to construct a post around a theme and then, for one day only, all Top 9 posts reflect that theme. Foodbuzz will donate $50 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund for this post and every other post submitted by Featured Publishers. Pretty cool, right?!

The theme for this takeover is "The Perfect Tea Party Recipe" and I happen to think that these semi-healthy, buttery and delicious macaroons would make a GREAT tea party dish!

But guess what?! YOU can participate too and help raise money for a great cause! Go to the Kelly Confidential website and pick out a perfect tea party outfit and Electrolux will donate $1 to the fund!

Cancer is something that affects EVERYONE in one way or another so whenever I can find an opportunity to help find a cure for ANY kind of cancer, you better believe I'm going to take it! I hope you feel the same way too and we can all pitch in to raise lots of money for this worthy cause! (Plus, you get to pick out a cute virtual outfit while you're at it!) :)

Double Chocolate Caramel Cookies

I've been bad.

Very bad.

I had a bag of these begging to be used:

And a dinner party to go to tonight so I decided to bake something to bring to the party.

Double Chocolate Caramel Cookies. Ohhhh baby. Yum.

These remind me of a treat that my mom used to make all the time affectionately known as "hiphugger brownies". They were chocolatey, melty, caramely brownies and called "hiphuggers" for obvious reasons. These are the cookie version of those indulgent brownies.

Double Chocolate Caramel Cookies

Source: Rookie Cookie

makes 64 small cookies

2 cups flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup caramel bits or chopped up caramel squares
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Set oven to 350°F.

Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar. Add eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually add flour mixture, beating well. Stir in caramel bits and chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or just until set. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

I actually did the calorie count on these, just because I was curious, and was surprised to find out that 2 cookies was only 184 calories. I guess I expected them to be much worse than that. (Granted, I did make the cookies pretty small, but still!)

184 calories per two cookies means....I'll have six. :)

Someone was hoping for me to drop some cookies on the floor so she could partake:

But I'm saving them for myself. Oh and I might share some with the people at the dinner party tonight.

Maybe.

My New Favorite Dessert Recipe: Cranberry & Apple Cake

This recipe is one that I actually made back in December, but I am finally getting around to posting it. Trust me though, the time it took me to post it has NOTHING to do with the quality of the recipe.

Ina Garten's Easy Cranberry & Apple Cake is actually probably one of my favorite things I made in all of 2010! That's high praise, coming from me!

I found the recipe while browsing through a cookbook that my mom received as a gift for Christmas. I wasn't super impressed with the majority of the cookbook but this particular recipe definitely caught my eye. I'm so glad I made it, because it's amazing and SO easy! Essentially it's just pouring a batter on top of some lightly sweetened fruit....Ina is right: "How easy is that?!" :)

It's actually more like a cross between a cobbler and a pie than it is a cake, but regardless it's awesome. You can't go wrong with the delicious combo of tart cranberries, apple and sweet "cake".

I served the cake to a whole bunch of my family over the holidays and therefore didn't remember to get a photo of a slice, so this photo from the cookbook will have to do...

easy cranberry & apple cake
 


Source: How Easy is That by Ina Garten

Serves 6 to 8
 


12 ounces fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over for stems


1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and diced


½ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed


1 tablespoon grated orange zest (2 oranges)


¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice


1 & 1⁄8 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided


2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature


1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar


¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled


1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


¼ cup sour cream


1 cup all-purpose flour


¼ teaspoon kosher salt
 


Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
 


Combine the cranberries, apple, brown sugar, orange zest, orange juice, and 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.
 


In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs on medium-high speed for 2 minutes. With the mixer on medium, add 1 cup of the granulated sugar, the butter, vanilla, and sour cream and beat just until combined. On low speed, slowly add the flour and salt.
 


Pour the fruit mixture evenly into a 10-inch glass pie plate. Pour the batter over the fruit, covering it completely. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar and 1⁄8 teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle it over the batter.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean and the fruit is bubbling around the edges. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Back in Action!

Good news! The first thing I unpacked was all our kitchen supplies so I could get back into the cooking/baking mode. Screw setting up the bed or worrying about unpacking silly things like clothing. I have my priorities, people! :)

So the first thing I baked was a recipe that I actually attempted before the move and failed miserably. The recipe is the extremely popular (in the blog world at least) MamaPea's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls. They're supposed to be like a chocolate chip cookie on the outside, but doughy and gooey on the inside.

Side Note: If you haven't already, please check out MamaPea's blog! She is a hilarious mom of 2 little girls who also happens to be a vegan. I'm not much for vegan cooking, but I totally love her blog and she even makes me want to be a vegan for a split second. But then I get a craving for a big juicy cheeseburger and that thought fades away pretty quickly.

The first time I made them they turned out wayyyyyyyyy too dry and crumbly...not "doughy" at all. This time I added some extra liquid to make them less dry and they turned out much better....however I still wish they were a tad bit more "dough-like" on the inside. There's always room for improvement!

Also, you're supposed to chill the dough before baking for 30 minutes in order to keep the dough balls from flattening while baking....however I am an impatient person so I decided to skip this step. To compensate for the lack of chilling, I baked them in a mini muffin tin to help them keep their shape. It actually worked pretty well and they look like cute little mini muffin cookies. :)

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Balls

adapted from Peas and Thank You

1/2 cup softened butter or margarine

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or you can use cake flour)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1-2 Tbsp of milk (if needed to reduce dryness)

1 cup chocolate chips

Beat butter, peanut butter, sugars and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer until fully incorporated. In a separate bowl, combine baking powder, baking soda, salt and flours. Slowly add the flour mixture to the mixer bowl and mix until a dough forms. The dough should be slightly crumbly but not dry....if it's dry at this point, add the milk. You should be able to form them into balls without them falling apart on you. Stir in the chocolate chips. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Scoop dough with a mini ice cream scoop, roll into a ball and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. They’ll still be soft and look much like they did going in, but don’t overbake. The bottoms will be very lightly browned. Let the dough balls rest on the pan for a minute before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Blogworthy

I haven't had much that I deemed blogworthy going on in my life since I got back from Seattle. Just your typical work, sleep, repeat cycle with not a lot of blogworthy cooking or eating going on.

Well, that is, except for the fried oreos that we devoured while at the fair last weekend.

Those were most definitely blogworthy, but unfortunately also undocumented. :(

And then there are the Iced Pumpkin Cookies that I made for a party earlier today.

Cakey, soft, sweet but not-too-sweet, positively delightful.

And lucky for you, those cookies WERE documented:

And they were quite a hit at the party, so I guess I'm not the only one who thinks these are blogworthy.

I need to remember to make these more often.

Iced Pumpkin Cookies

Source: Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups confectioners' sugar

3 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.

3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.

4. To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.