Simple Yet Gourmet

If I had to choose only one cookie to eat for the rest of my life, it would be these cookies!! They are my favorite cookie ever! I took my favorite brownie cookie recipe, wrapped it around a Candy Candy Cane kiss, rolled it in crushed peppermint and then rolled it in powdered sugar. The result? A rich, fudgy brownie like cookie literally oozing with white chocolate and peppermint with a delightful little peppermint crunch on the outside. If you love peppermint and chocolate as much as I do these are a must make! 

These festive little cookies are so fun and delicious! They are intensely chocolatey with a fudgy, brownie-like texture.  So delicious even if you stop there, but to make these more festive I added in white chocolate chips and Reeses Pieces, then rolled them in sprinkles for an added pop of color! I left a few without sprinkles and liked that they weren't crunchy, but they also weren't as colorful so just do what you like.  You can play around with the add-in's too.  Halloween M&M's would be another great option, but you really can't go wrong here!  

If you try one new cookie recipe this Fall, let it be this one!! I'm not kidding when I say that this is  one of the best cookies I've ever made.  They've already received rave reviews and comments such as, "Amazing!", and "Incredible!"  These are not your average snickerdoodle, not that I have anything against the traditional ones, they are made with browned butter and extra brown sugar for a rich caramel taste.  But wait, it also has a caramel center! And of course that classic chewy texture with a cinnamon/sugar coating.  I could eat these every single day. They are SO GOOD you guys! 

Have you experienced the deliciousness of a Pizookie yet?! It's a cookie baked like a pizza! Crispy on the edges and top while still being ooey gooey in the middle.  Topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream it is absolute heaven! While this isn't a new idea, I hadn't actually had one until a few years ago.  We ate at a restaurant called BJ's on a family trip and got a mini version of this with the kids meal.  Wow, just wow!  It was so delicious.  We ate there again the very next night just so we could get another pizookie. Since that trip I've been trying to find a copycat recipe but hadn't found one as good…until now! These turned out perfectly.  The recipe itself uses brown butter which adds a caramel undertone, and Ghirardellli Milk Chocolate.  Quality ingredients make all the difference.  Hope you love these as much as we do! 

While I love my Scrumptious Sugar Cookie frosting , Royal Icing is the way to go for decorated cookies that harden enough to stack and package. It definitely takes more time and patience, but the end result is so satisfying! You can make such fun cookies without having to worry about the frosting coming off.  Royal Icing can get super hard, and while this is perfect for building Gingerbread Houses, it’s not so great when you want to actually eat the cookie. Not to worry though- adding in a little corn syrup helps the icing dry firm without being overly hard.  I also like to add in my favorite butter vanilla emulsion to make the icing extra yummy, cause at the end of the day it’s not enough to just look pretty!  There are a few different ways to make Royal Icing. My favorite method is using Meringue Powder. If you can’t find this or don’t want to buy it, you can use egg whites instead. Or, if you’re in a pinch you can make some with just powdered sugar and water. You can f...

Looking for a fun and easy St. Patricks Day treat? These Not So Thin Mints are an easy and fun treat to whip up.  The crunchy mint chocolate cookie gets dipped in Milk Chocolate Chips and drizzled with melting chocolate.  I absolutely love Mint Chocolate, and I think these are even more delicious than actual Thin Mints, probably because of the Milk Chocolate coating! If the Mint/Chocolate combo isn't your thing though, just leave out the peppermint extract and you'll still have a delicious chocolate cookie. While these were fun to dress up for St. Patricks Day  they are delicious any time of the year.  The green drizzle and sprinkles are completely optional but make them extra festive! 

With their bright rainbow colors and larger size, these Soft and Chewy Colors are not only delicious but very pleasing to the eye as well! All those bright rainbow colors just make me happy, and biting into one makes me even happier.   While they are very similar to chocolate chip cookies, the higher ratio of brown sugar makes these taste a little more of butterscotch and have a chewier texture. These are also larger than normal cookies with 3 TBSP of dough each, making them extra thick and delicious!  The key here is to not over-bake the cookies. The first batch I baked stayed in a bit too long. They were still good, but more fluffy than chewy.  I decreased the time on the second batch, taking them out when the outside looked a little brown but the middle still looked soft and that was just right. They may seem a bit underdone at first but when cooled to room temp. they're perfect! Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, and lots of melty chocolate throughout...

Sugar cookies are one of my favorite things to make with the kids! It's tradition to make them for a few different Holidays including Valentine's Day. While decorating is the usually the main purpose in making these, over the years I have tweaked the cookie recipe and frosting to make them absolutely scrumptious as well! So much yummier that buying a store-bought mix and canned frosting.  I would even be so bold as to say I think they are every bit as good, if not better, than Swig and Crumble! Give them a try and see if you agree.   My Scrumptious Sugar Cookie Frosting is an ultra creamy, cream cheese frosting with a few extra additions that put it over the top! Sour Cream adds to the creaminess and takes the sweetness down a notch.  The frosting is still plenty sweet but not sickeningly so.  Butter Vanilla Emulsion is my other secret weapon that really elevates the flavor of this frosting! It can be found on Amazon, or in a craft store like Michaels,  but...

Up till recently, I hadn’t heard of Peppermint Meringues, and let me tell you, I have been missing out. I originally made these because I thought they were so pretty, but I actually love the flavor and texture of these as well!  While most treats at this time of year tend to be heavy and decadent, these are super light and literally melt in your mouth. The peppermint flavor is light, not nearly as strong as a candy cane but still delightful.  If you don't like peppermint, go ahead and omit the peppermint candies.  Chances are though, if you've clicked on the post you probably like peppermint, right?  I think these will add such a fun pop of color in the goodie boxes I'm putting together for our neighbors and if they've never had them before they will be in for a scrumptious surprise.  Fingers crossed that I actually have enough when the time comes- we can't stop eating them!  These are a wonderfully refreshing treat all or their own or as an add-in to hot c...

Valentines Day is coming up and as we always do, Brynlee and I made sugar cookies. While sugar cookies are fun to decorate, I'll admit that I've never been that big of a fan of the cookie itself. We'll choose chocolate any day over vanilla! That's why these cookies are so perfect- they can still be cut out, decorated and hold their shape perfectly, but have a rich chocolate flavor. We love these cookies! Frost them any way you like (I prefer cream cheese frosting) or just eat them plain. Happy Valentines Day!

These cookies are delicious!  I made them to bring to some friends but couldn't resist keeping some for myself.  I love the chocolate/minty combo so I had high hopes for these and I wasn't disappointed.  The base of the cookie is fudgy and loaded with melty chocolate chips.  Topped with a Candy Cane Kiss and you have perfection!  If you haven't already, try these out this Christmas season.  Seriously, so good!

What is more fun after school than a hot monster cookie!  Ok, so I didn't give my kids cookies before dinner, but as a child I sure did dream of that happening.  I found this recipe and loved the variety that was used to make these.  Oatmeal, rice krispies, chocolate chips, Reese's mini peanut butter chips, M&M's, how could these cookies go wrong.  I made these for a backyard movie night at our house a couple of weeks ago, and they were gone as soon as they came out of the oven.  Use your imagination and add your owe twist to this recipe to make it special.  I hope you enjoy these as much as we did!

Whew!  That's a long title but it tells you what you're getting out of this cookie, and let me tell you-it is a great combo!  We loved this one!  I had to use some self-restraint to not eat all the cookie dough.  It was soo good!  The baked cookies were delicious too though :).  The original recipe was a little too sweet and salty for our liking so of course I had to make them a second time to get them right.  These cookies will be made time and time again in out little family.  Hope you like them as much as we did!

I love finding healthy recipes for my kids that not only are healthy, but taste good as well.  What kid doesn't love cookies, so why not make it a healthy one.  Before the school year ended a great teacher passed this recipe on to me.  I am always looking for a healthy snack to make for my kids snack time at school or after school as well.  These little cookies have no sugar, except for the chocolate chips.  They are packed with oatmeal, nuts, bananas and I added a few currants just for extra healthiness.  My kids ate these up in just a few days time.  We took them on bike rides and hikes for extra energy, instead of store bought granola bars, love it!!  I think next time I might enjoy try adding a little shredded carrots as well!

No-Bake Cookies conjure up memories of childhood.  I think these were one of the first recipes I learned to make and would do so any chance I got.  I even got permission from my mom to make these when friends came over.  It's true.  I have always loved sugar, chocolate, and cooking.  Just in the genes I guess.  Anyway, I still crave these occasionally but have found that with my more "mature" adult palate I have had a hard time finding a recipe to really satisfy the need for a deep rich chocolate cookie.  Finally it dawned on me to just make my own. First I browned the butter to add some extra depth of flavor and then I added Dutch Cocoa instead of regular cocoa, for a more intense chocolate flavor, along with a few other changes.  Voila!  These are the cookies I have been looking for.  They are still so simple to make but they met my expectations completely.  I hope you'll try these out next time you need a quick chocolate f...

These are pretty much the easiest cookies ever!  While they are not the first homemade Oreo's I've ever had,  they are my favorite version of them.  Cream cheese frosting sandwiched by chewy chocolate cookies is a match made in Heaven.  These are so tempting to eat right off the bat, but if you can exercise a little self restraint and stick them in the fridge an hour or so, they are even better!  If you've never had them before, you need to try them. As a side note, they are fun to do with kids too.  Brynlee loved helping me sandwich the cookies!

I love trying out new kinds of cookies. My hubby however, wishes I'd only ever make Chocolate Chip Cookies . So whenever I am asked to bring cookies to something I almost always try something new. Enter the Chocolate Peanut Butter Surprise Cookies. Basically what we've got here is a Peanut Butter Cup in cookie form. Can't go wrong with that! From the outside they look like a chocolate Snickerdoodle, but once a bite is taken the creamy peanut butter center is discovered...hence the "surprise". Next time you want to try out a new cookie recipe, try these!

Who's ready for Spring?  I know I am.  Winter is still sticking around here, but when I was munching on these beauties, I felt like Spring was just around the corner. What a perfect treat to beat the winter blues!  These cookies are packed with orange zest and white chocolate chips, making them quite similar in taste to a creamsicle.  In my opinion, orange and vanilla are a match made in Heaven!  Also, I think that these cookies (and pretty much all cookies) are best warm out of the oven, but they were still delicious the next day.  After that, well I really can't say, because none of ours lasted that long.

These cookies are one of my childhood favorites.  I clearly remember helping my mom bake these and anxiously waiting by the oven waiting for them to finish baking. Basically a chocolate chip cookie, oatmeal and coconut are added in for extra flavor and texture.  I love the taste of the coconut and the chewiness of the cookie!  The original recipe calls for shortening, but I am of the opinion that everything tastes better with butter so I used that instead and it was a good call.  We could not stop eating these!

These cookies are awesome!  They are basically a delicious caramel brownie in cookie form.  Even Aaron loved them and that's saying a lot since he never wants me to make anything besides his beloved Chocolate Chip Cookies.  I made them for a cookie exchange and I loved how they turned out.