Happy December!!  How’s your countdown going:)  I LIVE for this month!!  My Christmas shopping is done, my decorating is finished, and most of my gifts are created!!  Time to relax and party!!  (do those two even go together??)

This week I’ll be preparing for my first ever Cookie Exchange Party!!  I saw this fabulous post from Funky Polkadot Giraffe, and was sold!!

I knew I wanted to host my own party this year!!

If you have any holiday parties planned this month, you gotta check out some of these darling ideas!!  I’m feeling sooo inspired!!!  Love you Pinterest:)

I’m totally loving this modern Christmas display!  This would be darling for any holiday party…

And then for a more traditional look, here’s another gorgeous display for ya!!

-K- two more pins for you:)  I can’t decide which cookies to make, maybe you can help me out??

These delicious white chocolate cherry shortbread cookies…

or…

these Cinnamon Sugar Roll cookies…

I’m drooling right now.  Anyway, hope these pins gave you some holiday inspiration!!  Hope your week is fabulous!!

Happy Holidays!!

HaHa, I love saying that!! I’ve got my Christmas tunes blasting, a few Christmas wreaths under my belt, new decorations purchased (thank you Hobby Lobby 50% off sale:), and I even made some Christmas Candy this last weekend!

I kinda got the hook-up from a good friend of mine who happens to be the marketing director for Thermoworks. He sent me the coolest cooking thermometer ever to try out!! Just in time for all of my Holiday cooking and baking!!

My mother-in-law has the best toffee recipe EVER.  I make it every year for Christmas to give as gifts.  I’m going to share the recipe with you all:)  And show ya how to use this fabulous thermometer:)

Shirley’s Chocolate Chip Toffee

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter

• 2 cups sugar

• 3 T water

• 3/4 c milk chocolate chips

• 3/4 c semi sweet chocolate chips

• 1/3 c white chocolate chips

• 1 cup almonds chopped and sautéed in oil

• 3 T malted milk powder

Directions:

Combine chocolate chips and almonds together in a bowl, pour half of the mixture into a 9X13 pan lined with foil extending over the edges.  Sprinkle malted powder evenly over first layer.

Combine butter, sugar, and water in a saucepan, and heat until it begins to boil.

Stir frequently, measuring the temperature every so often.

You want an even boil right at the surface, for 15-20 minutes.

You want the candy to get to the hard crack stage, about 300 degrees.

As you can see from the picture, it happens really fast!!

As soon as it reaches this temperature, pour the boiling mixture evenly over the chocolate nut mixture.  Immediately pour remaining chocolate nut mixture evenly over the top of toffee.  Allow to cool for an hour, and refrigerate if the chocolate is still not firm.  Break into pieces and enjoy!!

For a festive treat, wrap a bundle of toffee up in some colorful tulle, and tie with a ribbon!

(Yeah, my pictures were taken at night, and therefore look yellow!!!)

Enjoy your toffee and share with your friends:)

So I’ve kind of taken a dessert making hiatus.  I normally LOVE baking, especially with chocolate:)

My little brother just turned the big 30, and requested one of my cakes…

I found this gorgeously delicious looking cake while browsing Pinterest, and knew I had to try it.  It was sooo rich, decadent, and YUM-O, definitely a special occasion cake.

So for all the cakes, pies, and desserts I make, you’d think I’d have something to show them off, right…

I’m embarrassed to say, I have yet to add this little necessity to my bakeware essentials.

So I decided to make my own!!

In a few simple steps you can make your very own cake stand too!!

• Grab a few plastic platters from Hobby Lobby

• Glue the bowl to the platter with E3000

• Spray a few coats of spray paint, allow to dry completely  (I LOVE this glittery aqua color!!)

That’s it!  You’re done!!

Now you have a beautiful platter to display your beautiful dessert!!

*Make sure you use a paper liner or doily under the dessert, the paint is definitely not food safe…

The recipe for the cake can be found HERE, Enjoy!!!

Linking up HERE this week!!

Cruzie just turned 5!!! I can’t believe how fast the time has flown by!!

This day…

seemed like it was yesterday…

And now look how big he is!!

In pre-school they’re reviewing the letters in the alphabet, so for the letter “B” we made him some birthday bat cupcakes!!!

I found THIS idea on pinterest of course:)

Do you have some fun Halloween treats planned??!!!

Pumpkins, cider, apples, caramel…  All things fall, and all things yummy!!  I found the perfect fall dessert, trust me, this cake will NOT disappoint!

I found this one on pinterest from My Recipes

Apple Cream Cheese Bunt Cake

• CREAM CHEESE FILLING:

• 1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened

• 1/4 cup butter, softened

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1 large egg

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• APPLE CAKE BATTER:

• 1 cup finely chopped pecans

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten

• 3/4 cup canola oil

• 3/4 cup applesauce

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3 cups peeled and finely chopped Gala apples (about 1 1/2 lb.)

• PRALINE FROSTING:

• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

• 1/4 cup butter

• 3 tablespoons milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

• 1. Prepare Filling: Beat first 3 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended and smooth. Add egg, flour, and vanilla; beat just until blended.

• 2. Prepare Batter: Preheat oven to 350º. Bake pecans in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring halfway through. Stir together 3 cups flour and next 7 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in eggs and next 3 ingredients, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in apples and pecans.

• 3. Spoon two-thirds of apple mixture into a greased and floured 14-cup Bundt pan. Spoon Cream Cheese Filling over apple mixture, leaving a 1-inch border around edges of pan. Swirl filling through apple mixture using a paring knife. Spoon remaining apple mixture over Cream Cheese Filling.

• 4. Bake at 350º for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 2 hours).

• 5. Prepare Frosting: Bring 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and 3 Tbsp. milk to a boil in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly; boil 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar until smooth; stir gently 3 to 5 minutes or until mixture begins to cool and thickens slightly. Pour immediately over cooled cake.

  

I’ve made this twice already, with requests to make it again!!  This is a good one:)

Enjoy!!

Just in case you can’t wait until trick-or-treat day next month, I have a fabulous excuse to go grab some candy bars and make a little pre-halloween treat!!

This one is LOADED with the good stuff, not for the faint of heart:)

Fall Candy Bark

Ingredients:
1 lb. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 Butterfinger candy bars (or 8 fun size bars), roughly chopped
3 toffee candy bars (or 6 fun size bars), roughly chopped
8 Reese cups, cut into wedges
¼ cup honey roasted peanuts
3 oz. yellow and orange peanut M&Ms, coarsely chopped
3 oz. good quality white chocolate, finely chopped

Directions:
Line a baking sheet with foil.  Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water.  Heat, stirring occasionally until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth.  Pour the chocolate over the foil and smooth into a thin layer with a spatula.  Evenly sprinkle the chopped candy bars, Reese cups, honey roasted peanuts, and peanut M&Ms over the melted chocolate.  Press gently to adhere the candy to the melted chocolate.  Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.

Melt the white chocolate, again using the double boiler method, until smooth.  Drizzle over the chilled candy bark.  Return to the refrigerator and let chill again until the white chocolate is set, 3o minutes more.

Peel the sheet of chocolate away from the foil and break into irregular pieces.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Pace yourself, it’ll be gone in no time!!

I consider myself a connoisseur of cookies, namely chocolate chip cookies:)  So when I tried this “best” chocolate chip cookie recipe I was a little dubious…

But Guess What!!  They ARE the BEST chocolate chip cookies I’ve tasted!  I came across this recipe on Pinterest via The baking addiction…

Try it for yourself and let me know what you think…

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
2 cups minus 2 tablespoons
(8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content  (see note below)
*Sea salt (sometimes I add this, sometimes, I don’t)

Directions
1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.
2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.
3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.
4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day.

I’m telling you, the sea salt is a MUST, it really enhances all the flavors, soo yummy!!  Grab a glass of milk, and enjoy!!

Happy Labor day everyone!  Hope you’re all taking some time out to chill out!  You all deserve it:)

So I have a double wammy for ya today!

Doesn’t this sound delish!!  Are any of you cookie dough eaters (prefer the dough to the cookie:)  My husband sneaks cookie dough while I’m making cookies until I realize half my dough is GONE!!

This is a pretty tasty recipe that I found while browsing Pinterest! (Thanks to Recipe Girl

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

Ingredients:

BROWNIE:
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup butter, at room temperature
2 cups light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour 

COOKIE DOUGH (EGG FREE!):
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
3 Tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup semisweet chips + 1 teaspoon shortening for drizzle, optional

Directions:

1. Prepare the brownies: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9×13-inch pan with nonstick spray. In a medium glass bowl, melt chocolate in the microwave in short bursts of 30 seconds; stir after each burst and remove from microwave when melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl, mix butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract. Mix in melted chocolate. Blend in flour and mix just until combined (don’t over-mix). Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake 25 to 35 minutes. Watch closely and remove from oven when toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely. 

2. Prepare the cookie dough: In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to combine butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Mix in milk and vanilla. Mix in flour just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

3. Spread cookie dough over the cooled brownies. Refrigerate until the dough is quite firm. It’s okay to speed up the process and place it in the freezer too. The firmer the dough, the easier it will be to cut into neat squares. Use a sharp knife to cut the brownies. You may need to wipe the knife off with a paper towel in between cuts since the fudgy brownies and cookie dough will tend to stick to the knife a bit. These brownies are best to serve placed inside cupcake papers and served with a fork.

4. If you’d like to add chocolate drizzle on top, melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips with 1 teaspoon of shortening in the microwave; stir until smooth. Scoop the melted chocolate into a zip baggie and snip off the corner. Squeeze the bag to drizzle the chocolate on top of each brownie. Sprinkle additional chocolate chips on top, if desired.

I made this for a backyard party, and they were definitely a hit!!

Enjoy!!!

WARNING:  This stuff is the kind of addicting that may add a few pounds:)

But I say its totally worth it!!  Yummy stuff I’m telling you!!

Found this one on Our Best Bites

Cinnamon Bun Popcorn

Ingredients

12 C popped popcorn (about 1/2 C kernels)*
1 C roughly chopped pecans
1 C brown sugar
3/4 t cinnamon
1/4 C Karo syrup (or honey makes a good substitution)
1 stick real butter (1/2 C)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
3 squares almond bark

*You can use air popped or microwave popcorn. If using microwave, anything works, but I prefer a “natural” flavor that’s low in butter and salt.

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees

Place popcorn and chopped pecans in a large bowl and set aside. And by large bowl, I mean like, twice as big as you think you really need. If you don’t believe me, then maybe you will believe the scorching hot caramel goo that’s splattered all over your hands while you’re stirring in your not-so-big bowl. Just a thought.

Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a big, microwave-safe bowl. Like a 2-quart bowl or Pyrex measuring bowl. Again, use a bowl larger than you think you need to avoid scorching hot caramel goo accidents. It’s really important to incorporate the cinnamon into the brown sugar at this point. For some reason, if you don’t it does crazy things. I don’t know why. Try it and then email Alton Brown and ask him if you really want to know.

Chop butter into chunks and place on top of sugar mixture. Pour corn syrup (or honey) over the top of everything.

Microwave on high for 30 seconds (just to soften the butter a bit) and then stir to combine.

Return to microwave and heat for 2 minutes. Remove and stir and then microwave for 2 minutes more.

By this point it should be nice and bubbly.

If it doesn’t quite look like that you can microwave it a little longer, but just beware that if you overcook it, it will reach the hard candy stage and you’ll end up with a giant clump of tasty concrete-like substance with little popcorn pieces stuck to it. Don’t ask me how I know this.

Remove from the microwave and add in vanilla and baking soda.

Okay, back to caramel goodness. See what happens? The vanilla makes it bubble and pop and the baking soda makes it foam up, like this:

Now take that foamy science project and pour it right over the popcorn and pecans. Stir right away, and stir lots. Take too long and the caramel will harden on you. Keep stirring until everything is well coated.

Spread popcorn mixture onto a foil-lined jelly roll pan.

And yeah, go ahead and pop some in your mouth, you know you want to. It will be kinda chewy and stick-to-your-teeth-like. But we’re gonna change that. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

After 30 minutes, take a piece out and let it cool. “Sample.” If it’s not crunchy enough, bake for another 5 minutes. “Sample” again. This will not be the end of “sampling.”

When it’s done, give it a final stir and let it cool off for a bit while you melt your almond bark (just nuke it in the microwave according to the package directions) If you want, you can spread out your caramel corn on a clean piece of parchment, waxed paper, or foil. I always do this because sometimes it sticks to the hot foil if I leave it on the original pan. I’m kind of a clean control freak and I like to have it on a nice, fresh surface.

Now, just use a fork and drizzle the melted almond bark over the popcorn mixture.

When it’s hardened (pop it in the fridge to speed that process along) break into chunks and enjoy!

I have been baking up a storm lately!!  And packing on the pounds as a result:)  Thank you pinterest for all the deliciously gorgeous recipes…

The recipe for today is no joke.  1 lb of butter my friends.  But worth every bite!!  Thank you Cookies and Cups for the recipe:)

Salted Caramel Butter Bars

For the Crust:

1 lb. salted butter room temp
1 cup sugar
1½ cups powdered sugar

2 Tbs vanilla
4 cups AP flour

For the Filling:
1 bag (14 oz.) caramel candies (about 50 individual caramels), unwrapped
1/3 cup milk or cream
½ teaspoon vanilla

1 T. coarse sea salt (optional)

To make the crust:

In a large bowl, combine the butter and sugars. Using mixer on medium speed, beat together until creamy. Add the vanilla and beat until combined. Sift the flour into the butter mixture and beat on low speed until a smooth soft dough forms.

Spray a 9×13 inch baking pan lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Press one-third of the dough evenly into the pan to form a bottom crust.

Preheat to 325F.

Bake until firm and the edges are a pale golden brown approx 20 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool about 15 minutes.

While the bottom crust is baking and the remaining dough is chilling, make the caramel filling. Place the unwrapped caramels in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the cream. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and stir until smooth. If caramels are not completely melted, microwave on high for 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until smooth.

Pour the caramel filling over the crust.  If you are going to salt the caramel sprinkle it on caramel layer now.  (The salt is what makes this delicious BTW)…

Remove the remaining chilled dough from the refrigerator and crumble it evenly over the caramel.

Return the pan to the oven and bake until the filling is bubbly and the crumbled shortbread topping is firm and lightly golden, about 25 – 30 minutes.

Let cool before cutting into squares.

These are sooooo yummy!  I made these for a backyard bash and have had multiple requests for this recipe:)

I know you will love them..that is if you like butter, sugar and delicious caramel filling.  Yeah, that’s what I thought.