One Smart Little Cookie

Cooking Mama Birthday Party

2012-02-02T13:55:00.000-08:00

My daughter's have always asked to have princess parties to celebrate their birthdays with their friends and that is what I have been used to putting together and throwing for them. This year my 8-years-old daughter asked to have a Cooking Mama party. I was going between feelings of sadness that for the first time ever in our family, The Disney Princesses weren't going to make their annual debut; and a little excited to plan something completely different. I first googled "Cooking Mama Birthday Party"...nothing came up on the internet. I couldn't believe the theme was nowhere in the realms of "internet space"! Apparently, Cooking Mama is part of the Wild Frontier of birthday parties. So, to my birthday party planning board I went and this is what I put together for her.

Hamburger Cake

I usually bake from scratch because that's what I enjoy doing. But with a guest list of 26 cute and silly friends, I went the boxed route. No biggie! It made my life so much easier to do it this way. I purchased enough boxed yellow cake mixes, brownie mixes and sugar cookie mixes to make the yummy treats I needed for the party.

This cake is fairly simple to make. I baked a yellow cake mix in a regular round cake pan and a second yellow cake in a Pyrex glass bowl. Spray each with Pam Cooking Spray For Baking~it has flour mixed into the spray making it much easier to turn the cakes out of the pans. While the yellow cake "hamburger buns" are cooling, mix one brownie mix and pour into a round cake pan (either the same pan that has been completely washed, or another pan exactly the same size as the one previously used). Bake the brownie "hamburger patty" just until set. Remove from the oven, turn out of pan and let cool completely.

Now assemble the hamburger cake with lettuce, mustard and ketchup Frosting, here's how:

This is another of my favorite frosting recipes~

(You can use canned frosting too, nothing wrong with that. Whatever makes your day easier! I just enjoy the flavor of homemade frosting best.)

Perfect Buttercream Frosting

5 T butter 2 1/3 c powdered sugar

dash of salt 1/2 t vanilla extract

3 T milk red, green, yellow and blue food coloring

Soften butter, add salt and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add vanilla extract. Separate frosting into 4 different medium sized bowls. Keep one bowl of frosting white (mayonnaise), add red food color (a lot!) into another bowl with 1 very tiny drop of blue (this will make the ketchup a little bit deeper in color), add yellow (again, a lot!) into another bowl (mustard), and in the last bowl add a few drops of green (lettuce).

Fill 1freezer Ziploc baggy (thicker than the regular baggies) with red, another with yellow and last with green. Cut a small tip off of the corner of each baggie, set aside.

First place bottom hamburger bun on a cake stand or plate, using the white frosting frost a medium size inner circle on top of the bottom bun. Place round brownie center on top. Frost a smaller inner circle on top of the brownie layer, also pipe each condiment frosting as desired for the lettuce, mustard and ketchup. Place top cake bun on top of the brownie layer. Place in refrigerator until ready to display and serve. That's it, you're done!

Mini Hamburgers and Sugar Cookie Fries

Next I found this great tutorial for Mini Hamburgers and Sugar Cookie Fries here:

http://www.bakerella.com/fast-food-fun/ I think the buns came out much more cute and realistic when I left them in the oven until they were a medium golden brown.

I made these as part of the party favors. I made a small "Cooking Mama" card to add to the theme and slipped them into each of the vellum fry holder's I made. I also made the paper food trays which I downloaded from here: http://zakkalife.blogspot.com/2010/03/how-to-make-paper-food-baskets.html. I googled "red gingham images" and found a cute pattern I liked. I then resized it and printed the pattern onto cardstock, reran it through the printer with the paper food tray download and made enough for each guest at the party. I then lined each paper food tray with tracing paper and added the hamburger cupcake and sugar cookie fries.

Sugar Cookie Fries with Mustard and Ketchup Frosting

I used the extra Sugar Cookie Fries and condiment frostings as part of the treats at the party. I also made Peanut Butter and Jelly Sushi Rolls and Honey Caramel Popcorn.

Games!
As each guest arrived they chose a handkerchief to wear on their heads like Cooking Mama. The boys can wear the handkerchiefs around their necks like a chef. They chose from Red, Pink, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue and Purple.

Marshmallow Skewers

The kids had 15 seconds on a timer to put 5 large marshmallows on their sticks. This one was a lot of fun!

Hot Dog! (Hot Potato)

My husband found the cutest plush hamburger and hot dog at the dollar store. We played Cooking Mama music from Youtube as they passed the Hot Dog around as quickly as they could!

Egg Relay Race

I hard boiled 3 eggs and split everyone into teams of two. One person had to walk across the room balancing an egg on a plastic fork in their mouth, while the other tried to catch the egg being dropped into a cupcake cup at the end. Lot's of fun and giggles!

Cook The Fish In The Pot Toss

Frost The Cookie...and eat it!

30 seconds to frost and eat their cookies.

Decorations

The Party Fun

The Birthday Girl

Cooking Mama says,
"It's Delicious!"

2011-12-23T18:03:00.000-08:00

So this is my little Luci's first Christmas, and as a tradition in our family I make each of our children's stockings. I just finished hers today~

This is the front

And the back

I love how it turned out!~

Now onto what has been developing in our home. Our elf, Pinocchio, has been pretty busy it seems when he returns from reporting to Santa...

Our daughter's have waken up twice to find him being sweet to Snow White! Little rascal.

I guess when Snow White isn't around for games and stories, he get's a little bored and into mischief...he opened one of our family gifts!

My husband has now become a master doughnut maker.

Pinocchio also crowned our Christmas Tree with Mrs. Potato Head...poor Mrs. Potato Head.

How can you get upset with an elf that studies the Bible?

And holds Baby Jesus.

We can't wait to have him back in our home next year!

Besides yummy doughnuts, we've been enjoying a delicious goat cheese my friend introduced me too a few weeks ago, it's Amazing! But top that cracker with Boursin goat cheese and homemade "Crazy Tangy Cranberry Sauce" another friends husband made, and you get Christmas on a cracker in two bites.

Chocolate Candy Cane Hearts

2011-12-15T17:23:00.000-08:00

I found these Adorable candy cane hearts on glorioustreats.blogspot.com. They're so cute and so simple to make! My favorite kind of crafty treat.

I think they're the perfect Christmas treat for my daughter's amazing school teacher.

Pick your candy canes, mini or large, I used large. Place a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Place candy canes on parchment paper and position into heart shapes.

For 2 large hearts, melt 1/3 bag white chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli) for 30 seconds at a time. White chocolate never fully melts to the same consistency as milk or dark chocolate without caking. So melt it carefully, mixing with a fork in between melting times until you get a spoonable consistency.

While chocolate is melting I like to crush one candy cane into a mixture of small chunks and powder.

Spoon chocolate into 1 heart at a time. If the candy canes move around, reposition them together and continue spreading until the chocolate is touching all interior sides of the heart.

Sprinkle with crushed candy canes. I also used white sugar crystals to give my hearts an extra fancy touch and sparkle!

Place cookie sheet into freezer for 10 minutes until chocolate has set. Take out of freezer and place on counter until the hearts reach room temperature.

Package as you wish! I'll be placing mine inside cellophane bags with ribbon to finish.

Smart Little Cookie Tip:

You can use any sprinkle your heart desires; jimmies, colored sugar sprinkles, crushed cookies...also, you could use milk or dark chocolate to fill the hearts.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Chip Cookies

2011-12-14T16:06:00.000-08:00

It has been a very long time since I last posted any recipes-5 months! I've been very busy with my new sweet baby girl, my adorable 2 older girls and our new 5-year-old Shih Tzu doggie, Shamu. My blog has not been far from my thoughts though. Today I was in a chocolate chip cookie mood. Not just any chocolate chip cookie...an ooey gooey chocolate chip cookie. The only issue? I was out of my staple, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spread...great. So what did I do? What I always do, I improvised. After all, ooey gooey chocolate is always worth an improvisation.

I wanted to name these I Can't Believe There's Only 1 Tablespoon of Real Butter Chocolate-Peanut Butter Chip Cookies, but for the sake of title space, I shortened it.

These cookies are crispy on the outside, moist and dense on the inside.

Makes 2 dozen

The Recipe

1T unsalted butter, melted 2 1/4 c unbleached flour (or all-purpose if you prefer)

3/4 c granulated sugar 1 t baking soda

3/4 c packed brown sugar 3/4 t salt (I use Real Salt-it contains healthy minerals!)

1 large egg, plus 2 egg whites 1/2 pckg chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli Bittersweet)

1 1/2 t vanilla 1/4 pckg Reese's peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat sugars with melted butter, it will resemble moist sand. Add egg, egg whites and vanilla. Mix until blended.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl; gradually add butter mixture, mixing just until blended. Add chocolate chips and peanut butter chips, mix until evenly blended.

Using a cookie scoop, scoop and press dough against mixing bowl, compacting it tightly. Place on cookie sheet that has been lined with sprayed parchment paper. Bake until cookies start to turn golden on top, take out of oven and let cool on wire rack.

Enjoy!

Moist Chocolate Bundt Cake

2011-07-18T17:08:00.000-07:00

This Chocolate Bundt Cake is extra moist and delicious! The proof is in the...yogurt?

The Recipe

3 c unbleached flour 1/2 c plain fat free Greek Yogurt

1/2 t baking powder 2 c natural sugar

1/2 t salt 2 t vanilla extract

3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder 3 eggs plus 4 egg whites

1 c I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spread, or 1 c skim milk

1/2 c real butter

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray 10 in. Bundt pan with Pam for Baking spray.

Sift flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter, greek yogurt, sugar, and vanilla. Add eggs and egg whites one at a time (mix egg whites two at a time), beating well after each addition. Add flour and mix alternately, starting and ending with flour mixture.

Pour into Bundt pan and bake for 65-70 minutes, or until toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. Let sit for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack or plate to cool completely.

When cooled, drizzle Chocolate Glaze over the top ridge of the cake in a zig-zag design, allowing the glaze to follow the natural lines in the bundt cake. Reserve extra glaze for sliced pieces of cake once sliced.

Chocolate Glaze

2 c powdered sugar 1/2 t vanilla extract

4 T unsweetened cocoa powder 4 T skim milk

1 T I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spread,

or Real Butter

In a medium bowl, cream butter with powdered sugar and cocoa. Add vanilla, then add milk gradually until smooth; adding more or less to desired consistency.

Smart Little Cookie Tip:

I LOVE Greek Yogurt. I love to eat it plain, with fruit, in dips, and in my baking recipes! Substitute an equal amount of Greek Yogurt, or your favorite plain yogurt, in place of any fat in a recipe; for sour cream, shortening, even eggs! Only substitute one of these ingredients in any one recipe or the magic won't work!

I also cut 1 whole cup of sugar out of this recipe and it still tastes sweet and delicious!

You can bake your Chocolate Bundt Cake and eat it too!

Cinderella Ball Birthday Party

2011-07-18T15:46:00.000-07:00

My second oldest daughter recently turned 4-years-old, and in light of recently giving birth to our third baby girl, we managed to celebrate our little Cinderella with several of her sweet princess friends by having a Cinderella Ball Princess Party!

I displayed the glass slipper Cinderella didn't lose on the stairs of the Prince's Castle, in the center of the party decorations.

The Decorations

Blue and Pink Tissue Peonies

Yellow Tissue Daffodil

Smart Little Cookie Tip:

In place of making tissue balls, I made tissue flowers. To do this, I used half the amount of tissue asked for in these instructions from Martha Stewart: http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/article/pom-poms-and-luminariashttp://www.marthastewartweddings.com/article/pom-poms-and-luminarias; Love Martha!

Instead of fanning the tissue into a ball shape, I fanned the tissue out and teased it forward into a flower shape; I then used double stick tape to "arrange" the flower petals. I'm very happy with how they turned out and wish the tissue was floral scented!

Party Games

Painting Nails

Princesses need to look their very best for the ball, and every princess has her own unique personality;
they loved all of the pretty colors and stickers!

Pin The Crown on The Princess

Bippity Boppity Boo-Freeze Dance

Before dancing, we made sure the glass slipper fit Cinderella's foot-it did!

The Party Favors

Among the treats in the party favors, were pumpkin sucker rings I found at orientaltrading.com. Of course each favor was finished with a homemade glass slipper tag. They fit the theme perfectly!

The Cupcakes

Chocolate cupcakes filled with a fresh strawberry filling and topped with a Strawberry Jam Buttercream-Yum!!

The Fun!

It was such a charming morning with these little princesses!

S'mores Pops

2011-06-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

My daughter's and I are so excited Father's Day is coming up! My hubby is an amazing husband and dad and we can't wait to spoil him.

These little goodies are super easy to make. It's a good thing, because you'll be making more for the dad in your life soon after the first batch disappears!

The Recipe

Jumbo Marshmallows

Dark or Milk Chocolate Chips

Crushed Graham Crackers

Sucker Sticks

Melt about 1 cup chocolate chips in microwave for 1 minute at a time, stirring in between each minute until chocolate is melted. (you could also use a double boiler,
but I think the microwave is quicker.)

Put two marshmallows on a stick and dip into the melted chocolate, use a spoon to completely cover the marshmallows, if needed. Tap the stick against the rim of the bowl to catch any excess chocolate. Roll the chocolate covered marshmallows in the crushed graham crackers. Place on a cookie sheet that has been covered with parchment paper. When all of the S'mores Pops have been made, transfer the cookie sheet to the refrigerator for 10 minutes. If your making these ahead of time, put the pops in a large ziploc bag and seal out any excess air and store in the refrigerator, no longer than a day. This will keep the marshmallows from drying out.

Smart Little Cookie Tip:

My daughter's and I are going to make a S'mores Pop Bouquet for Father's Day. To do this, use long sucker sticks and arrange the pops in a vase. To help the pops stay in place, fill the bottom of the vase with your husband's, or father's favorite candies. What dad wouldn't want a delicious bouquet of treats he can eat?

You can coat the chocolate marshmallows with almost anything. Use sprinkles, chopped nuts, coconut, or drizzle with a little caramel...mmm, the possibilities are endless!

Scrumptious Banana Cake

2011-02-24T15:27:00.000-08:00

I made this delicious cake to celebrate my newest niece's First-Month Birthday. I've been on bed rest and immediately following my release, both of my daughters became sick. So, I'm anxious and excited to meet this new little addition to my extended family!
What better way to celebrate her first month of life than with a Scrumptious Banana Cake decorated in sweet pink frosting.

The Recipe

1/2 c unsalted butter, softened 3 ripe bananas, mashed

2 3/4 c unbleached flour 1/4 c applesauce

1 1/2 t baking powder 1 t vanilla extract

1 t baking soda 1 2/3 c sugar

1/2 t salt 4 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line bottom of cake pans with parchment paper cut into the shape of pans being used. Spray and dust with flour; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Mash bananas and transfer to a small bowl, mix together with applesauce, and vanilla; set aside.

In a seperate medium bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add flour mixture in two parts until blended. Mix in banana mixture until just combined. Transfer batter into prepared cake pans and bake about 30 minutes until golden brown, or when a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Invert cakes out of the cake pans, peeling away the parchment paper and carefully place each cake right side up on a wire rack to cool.

Crumb Coat and Frosting

When cakes have cooled, transfer the cakes into the refrigerator until set, this will eliminate any breakage while applying the crumb coat. In the meantime,

make ~The Perfect Frosting~

The Perfect Frosting

(for anything you might like to frost to perfection!)

1/4 c butter, room temperature

1 16-ounce package powdered sugar

1/4 c milk

1 t vanilla

Beat butter until smooth and creamy; gradually add powdered sugar, beating until well blended. Add milk a little at a time and vanilla. Add more milk and powdered sugar as needed until smooth. (Double this recipe when using as a crumb coat and as frosting)

Crumb Coat

Take cakes out of the refrigerator. Working with first cake layer, frost a thin layer of The Perfect Frosting on the top and side. Do the same with the second layer. Return both layers to the refrigerator until set, about 1-2 hours.

Frosting

When crumb coat is set, frost the top of the first layer with The Perfect Frosting. Place the second layer on top of the first and frost entire cake.

Smart Little Cookie Tip:

Use any flavor extract your heart desires. I use this frosting universally on everything from mint-frosted brownies, to sugar cookies, to cakes! It's my favorite, and I'm happy to share it with each of you.
You may like to use a cream cheese which would also be a delicious flavor combo with this cake. Mmm...my mouth is watering!

This Banana Cake is both Chic and oh, so Scrumptious!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-13T14:10:00.000-08:00

I love the rich color in this Valentine!

I hope you each have a day full of love, love, love!

Under The Sea Birthday Party

2011-01-22T16:55:00.000-08:00

My oldest daughter just turned 7 years old and Loves Ariel! So, for her friend party she really wanted to have an "Under The Sea" party.

I tried to make it as original and sweet as I could. Something I hoped a mermaid like Ariel would like to attend while on land.

The Decorations

Smart Little Cookie Tip:

Balloon "bubbles" float above the fishies I cut out of cardstock and scrapbook paper free handed.

Fishies swimming through and around the "seaweed" crepe paper.

Party Games

When the princesses arrived, they each chose a hibiscus flower clip (the flower of mermaids) for their hair and a mermaid name chosen by combining their favorite color with their favorite gemstone,

making them mermaids for the afternoon!

Pin The Flower on The Mermaid

For this game I printed an image of Ariel and mounted it on cardstock. For the flower, I printed a beautiful coral hibiscus flower also on cardstock

and used double stick tape on the back so the girls could try to pin it on Ariel's hair while blindfolded.

Feed The Shark

My hubby made this awesome shark for me. He did a great job! For this game I purchased the cutest little bean bag fishies at orientaltrading.com. The girls had so much fun playing, this was hands down their favorite game at the party!

We also played freeze dance to The Little Mermaid Soundtrack, which was also a big hit!

The Party Favors

These are the adorable party favors I found at orientaltrading.com as well. The cost of a "cake" of ten is the same price as a package of colored paper bags, I had to get it! I printed and cutout starfish name cards and placed them on top of the favor boxes to add to the mermaid theme.

Under The Sea Punch

I mixed 2 liters of Sprite with 2 drops blue food coloring, that easy!

The Cupcakes

You can make any flavor cupcake your mermaid's heart desires. Mine loves chocolate, so I made chocolate cupcakes, filled them with lemon creme filling, frosted them with a turquoise "bubble" ring and topped them with a chocolate molded flower. She Loved them!

Smart Little Cookie Tip:

You don't need to use the expensive chocolate melting wafers found at craft stores. I prefer to use chocolate chips. Melt them for 20 seconds at a time, pour into candy molds that fit the theme of your party and freeze until set.

The Ice Cream

Smart Little Cookie Tip:

This is a great tip I read about somewhere a while back. The day before the party, scoop ice cream into cupcake cups, cover and freeze. No messy hands while scooping ice cream at the party, no waiting and no melted mess on the party plates or your floor during cake and ice cream time!
I LOVE this tip!

The Fun!

It was such a fun afternoon with these Little Mermaids!

Love comes in many forms, even in a sack of potatoes!

2011-01-13T15:26:00.000-08:00

My sweet husband found this in a bag of potatoes as we were cooking dinner together. We couldn't bring ourselves to prepare it with the rest of the potatoes, so we kept it!

Chocolate Covered Gumdrops and Snow-Capped Gumdrop Mountains

2010-12-09T13:05:00.000-08:00

This deliciously fun recipe came from a simple mishap while baking Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies for a holiday party my family and I recently attended. While reaching for my peppermint extract, I accidentally grabbed the mint extract from my spice cupboard. Without realizing it, I added it to the cookie batter and noticed it smelled like mint which is quite different from peppermint. It was too late to fix the mishap, so I went ahead and continued mixing, hoping they wouldn't taste like chocolate-mint flavored toothpaste (I'm now wondering why haven't they marketed that flavor yet?) Once they were baked, I took a bite and surprisingly they tasted like how I would imagine a chocolate covered gumdrop would taste!

That's when the idea came to me-Chocolate Covered Gumdrops-Yummy!

The Recipe

1 Bag Spiced Gumdrops
(I found 2 lbs for $3 at Big Lot's in the holiday candy section)

Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

Melt chocolate chips for one minute at a time, stirring after each minute until chocolate is melted. Using a toothpick, gently pierce the side of a gumdrop and dip in melted chocolate until completely covered. Lightly tap against edge of bowl until extra chocolate has dripped away. Place gumdrop right side up on parchment paper which has been placed on a cookie sheet. When parchment is filled, transfer to freezer for about 10 minutes, or until chocolate has set.

Snow-Capped Gumdrop Mountains

Dip top of gumdrops into melted chocolate and place right side up on parchment. Freeze for about 10 minutes, or until chocolate has set.

Smart Little Cookie Tip:

Try using milk chocolate or white chocolate. I'm sure each would be delish-and look very pretty at your holiday party!

I hope this Christmas Eve you have sweet sugarplum dreams along with chocolate covered gumdrops of course!

Smart Little Cookie Tip-Cooking with Butter Substitute vs. Real Butter

2010-10-01T08:32:00.000-07:00

I don't have anything against butter, if it's 100% Real Butter. It definitely has it's place in cooking and baking and is a great flavor in many foods!

I'm sharing with all of you my long time baking light secret-I use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light Spread (ICBINB-Light Spread) in my baking recipes; Light being the keyword. I love using this spread, it already has the creamy consistency of softened butter, and it lightens up my recipes with only 5 grams of fat and 50 calories/T, as opposed to 11 grams of fat and 100 calories/T in butter. And if you've heard or read, like I have, that you shouldn't use butter substitute spreads in baking recipes, don't listen! They work great!

I use real butter when baking breads, rolls and occasionally when cooking; but I use half the amount called for in the recipe. When baking, I substitute all of the butter in the recipe with ICBINB-Light Spread. Sometimes, I like to substitute all of the butter minus 1 T with ICBINB-Light Spread and add 1 T Real Butter, melted. When used in cookie recipes, they come out dense and chewy-my favorite!

You can have your cakes and cookies and eat them too!

Maple-Walnut Cupcakes with Spiced Maple Frosting and Honey-Candied Walnuts

2010-09-21T08:06:00.000-07:00

Fall is in the air and I had an undeniable craving for maple this afternoon. I could actually smell maple throughout my home and thought the scent was being carried in by the breeze through my windows! Summer is coming to an end and graciously handing the season over to Fall, like good friends.

I love the Honey-Candied Walnuts on top, they look like lovely little candied flowers.

The Recipe

2 3/4 c unbleached flour 1 c sugar plus 1/2 c pure maple syrup

1 T baking powder 1 large egg plus 2 egg whites

1/4 t salt 1/4 c unsweetened applesauce

1 1/2 t cinnamon 1 t vanilla extract

1/4 t nutmeg 1 c milk

1 c I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spread 1 1/2 c walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin pan with paper liners. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a large bowl beat sugar with butter until creamy. Add egg and egg whites, one at a time and mix. Add applesauce and vanilla and mix until combined. Add flour mixture alternating with milk, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Stir in chopped walnuts.

Scoop batter into muffin cups until 3/4 full, bake until top bounces back when touched, about 18-20 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Frost with Spiced Maple Frosting and top with Honey-Candied Walnuts.

Spiced Maple Frosting

4 c powdered sugar

1/2 c pure maple syrup

1/4 c milk

1/4 I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spread

1/2 t cinnamon

1/4 t nutmeg

Mix all ingredients until combined, add more powdered sugar, as needed until thick and creamy.

Honey-Candied Walnuts

1 c whole walnuts

1/4 c honey

Place walnuts in a pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray, drizzle with honey, bake in oven at 350 degrees F, until honey is bubbling and golden brown, about 10-15 minutes. Let candied walnuts cool on parchment paper on a flat surface.

Smart Little Cookie Tip:

I love adding vegetable purees into recipes when I can, so my kids get extra nutrition without some of the fuss. They happen to love sweet potatoes, so I like to add 1/2 c sweet potato puree into the batter, along with 1/4 t ginger. So Yummy!!

I hope you enjoy these wonderful treats with a good friend
while welcoming this lovely season!

Smart Little Cookie Tip-Hulling Strawberries

2010-08-11T16:58:00.000-07:00

I love late summer; the sun is still out, the temperature is dropping a bit at a time and strawberries are everywhere! But oh, the daunting task of hulling the strawberries, what's a girl (or guy) to do?

I found this great tip on how to hull strawberries in a

Real Simple magazine, one of my favorites!

The Basics

All you need is a simple straw. After washing the strawberries, insert the straw into the bottom center of the strawberry and push up to the stem. So simple!

Coconut "Shortbread" Cookies

2010-08-04T15:03:00.000-07:00

These scrumptious cookies were created by making a cookie that had the flavor of a shortbread cookie, made with honey in place of sugar, used oat flour in place of all-purpose flour and real dairy butter for my husband. He loves cookies, but only when they're wholesome little goodies. This is how they turned out, pretty good I'd say by the picture below...

He was very happy, and so is the little hand reaching up

to grab her cookie at the bottom left of the picture.

A happy family is baking at it's best.

Enjoy!

Makes 2 dozen

The Recipe

2 c unbleached all-purpose flour 1/2 c butter

2 1/2 c oat flour 1 egg plus 2 egg whites

1/2 t salt 2 t vanilla extract

1 t baking soda 1 t almond extract

1 t baking powder 1/2 c chopped walnuts

1/2 c sugar 1 c raisins

3/4 c honey 1 c shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flours with salt, baking soda and baking powder, mix well. In a separate medium bowl, combine sugar, honey and butter, mixing well until combined. Mix flour mixture into butter mixture in two parts, adding walnuts and raisins with the second addition of flour mixture. Pour shredded coconut into a small bowl. Scoop cookie dough into balls and drop into shredded coconut. Coat each cookie dough ball evenly with coconut and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake around 10 minutes, or until coconut and bottom edge of each cookie are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack and watch them disappear!

Smart Little Cookie Tip:

You can easily make your own oat flour by pouring rolled oats into a blender and grinding it. You can use this two ways: Substitute oat flour for all-purpose flour, or, use half all-purpose flour and half oat flour in any recipe.
Also, try different mixes of your favorite raisins! We love to use Trader Joe's Jumbo Raisin Medley. It's a combination of seedless golden light raisins, flame raisins, and jumbo raisins. Delicious!

Chocolate Bavarian Creme Cupcakes

2010-07-12T16:41:00.000-07:00

These scrumptious little goodies are a take on two of my favorite childhood donuts, Chocolate Bavarian Creme and Chocolate Old Fashioned. Mmm...I've lightened them up and put them in cupcake liners for the yummiest, creamiest, chocolate treat.

You won't be able to eat just one!
Makes 2 dozen

The Recipe

Cake: Filling:

2 c unbleached flour 1 pckg french vanilla

3/4 c cocoa instant pudding mix

1 t baking powder 1 1/4 c skim milk

1 t baking soda

1/2 t salt Frosting:

1 c I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spread basic chocolate frosting

1 3/4 c sugar chocolate sprinkles

2 t vanilla
4 large egg whites

1 1/3 c skim milk

Prepare french vanilla instant pudding according to package directions and chill in refrigerator. When set, scoop into a pastry bag fitted with a small circle tip, refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare muffin tin with cupcake liners. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg whites two at a time and mix until combined. Alternately add flour mixture and milk, starting and ending with the flour mixture, while mixing. Scoop into prepared cupcake liners and bake about 20 minutes, or until tops are firm.

As soon as cupcakes come out of the oven, insert tip of decorating bag into the center of each cupcake and fill pudding to the top of hole in each cupcake. Scoop away any pudding above the surface, if needed. Refrigerate cupcakes.

When cupcakes are chilled, frost with basic chocolate frosting and dip in chocolate sprinkles until completely covered.

Smart Little Cookie Tip:
You might like to add chocolate chips into the cake batter for an extra chocolatey treat!

Sit back, Relax, and Enjoy your Bavarian Creme.

Happy Fourth of July!

2010-07-02T16:37:00.000-07:00

I love this vintage picture of a Lady Liberty. There is something very comforting to me when I see her waving the American Flag, beside the fact she's not messing around with that sword!

A BBQ, s'mores, ice cream, fireworks and family. What could be better on Independence Day?
Thank you to our brave forefathers and soldiers, my love and gratitude always.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

2010-06-21T12:07:00.000-07:00

I'm back! I've been very busy unpacking and setting up our new beautiful home. In the midst of it all, my darling daughter Cecelia had her 3rd birthday! So, of course, I loved the opportunity of taking a break to bake her a Chocolate Peanut Butter Birthday Cake for the Celebration!

My daughters LOVE chocolate peanut butter, in fact, I made this same cake for my oldest daughter Sophia, in January for her 6th birthday. My youngest, Cecelia, has been talking about it ever since-for 6 months! Both of my daughter's helped me make the cake, which was a lot of fun! While our birthday girl was taking her nap, I decorated it.

Needless to say, she was really excited to see our creation when she woke up!

The Recipe

2 round layers chocolate cake peanut butter

powdered sugar vanilla

cocoa milk

butter chocolate chips

I baked a homemade chocolate cake in two round layers, however, any cake will do for this super easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake. Before baking the cakes, mix 1/2 cup peanut butter with 1/8 cup sugar and 1/2 t. vanilla. With a small teaspoon, drop little spoonfuls around the cake batter before putting them in the oven to bake. This will give the cake a fun peanut butter polka dot look when the cake is sliced.

When the cakes are cooled, wrap them individually in saran wrap and place in the freezer. This will make it easier to frost without breaking the cake.

To frost, I made a basic chocolate frosting and added peanut butter to the mix. I don't follow a recipe when making a basic frosting. I eye it until it is the right consistency and flavor-the best way to make basic frosting, in my opinion.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Frosting:

Mix together powdered sugar, butter, cocoa, peanut butter, vanilla and milk.

Add less milk than usual to make the frosting a little thicker, this will be used as a Smart Little Cookie-Quick Crumb Coat.

Take the cake layers out of the freezer and place one layer on a cake stand or plate. Frost the top of this layer with frosting. Place the second cake on top and frost both top and sides of the entire cake with frosting, reserving about 1/3 of frosting for later. When the entire cake is frosted, mix milk into the remaining 1/3 frosting until it is a medium consistency and spreadable. Spread this on the top and sides of the cake making the cake look smooth and yummy.

In a small bowl, melt 1/2 cup peanut butter in the microwave until smooth and silky. Using a fork, drizzle on top of cake. Next, in a separate bowl, melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips. With a clean fork, drizzle over the peanut butter drizzles.

Next, decorate however you'd like!

Smart Little Cookie Tip:

It's always fun to decorate a cake! On this Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake, you could sprinkle chopped peanuts, chocolate chips, malt balls (I used chocolate peanut butter malt balls on top), or caramel...mmm!

Oh! le chocolat!

2010-05-26T07:22:00.000-07:00

Please hang in there, Smart Cookies! I'm about to move into my first home-Yay!! The above picture shows what I'll be thinking of while I'm away.:)

My favorite thing to do when we move into a new home is to bake a batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies, then it feels like home. I'll post more yummy recipes as soon as we're moved in.
So I'll be back in a flash!

In the meantime, bake a batch of your favorite treats and enjoy!

White Chocolate-Polka Dot Zebra Striped Peanut Butter Rice Krispies

2010-05-12T15:57:00.000-07:00

It's a mouthful to say-and even yummier to eat! This is a whimsical favorite at my house. The skies the limit with any kind of addition you might be craving.

On this particular day, my daughter's really wanted chocolate and peanut butter, but not just any chocolate peanut butter creation; they wanted it to have peanut butter chips with yummy white polka dots.

What if zebra's came with white polka dots and chocolate stripes?

I think they'd look Fabulous!

These are super yummy and so much fun!

The Recipe

6 cups crispy rice cereal 1/2 cup peanut butter chips

4 cups miniature marshmallows 1/2 cup dark or milk chocolate chips

1 T I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, or 1 T butter 1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Spray 8x8 inch square pan, large cooking pot and spatula with non-stick cooking spray. Melt 1 T butter over med-high heat. Add marshmallows and stir until melted, take off heat and mix in crispy rice cereal. Mix in 1/4 cup peanut butter chips, reserving the remainder 1/2 cup for later. Mix until combined, pour into prepared 8x8 inch square pan, spread evenly and press down firmly with spatula, compacting the mixture. Set aside to cool. Melt remaining 1/4 cup peanut butter chips in microwave until melted, about 20-30 seconds, frost on top of cooling rice krispies. Immediately sprinkle the white chocolate chips over the melted peanut butter chip frosting. Melt dark or milk chocolate chips in microwave until melted, about 30-40 seconds. With a fork, "sprinkle" the melted chocolate over the mounds of white chocolate chips. Transfer rice krispies to the refrigerator until everything is set. Before serving, take rice krispies out of the refrigerator and let stand on the counter for about 10 minutes. Slice into squares and serve. These are deliciously thick and dense.

Smart Little Cookie Tip:

This is a decadent treat, however, 1 T I Can't Believe It's Not Butter adds 5 g fat to the whole recipe, even if you use 1 T regular butter, that would add 11 g fat, as opposed to the traditional Rice Krispie Treat recipe which calls for 3 T butter at 33 g fat. This is a pretty good replacement and your waist won't regret it!

Something about rice krispies brings the simple things back into perspective.

Enjoy!

My New Blog Design!

2010-05-05T08:50:00.000-07:00

I am one lucky girl. I have the most Wonderful friends! One of which, is my wonderful and amazingly talented friend Heather, who created my Fabulous blog design. It's so fun to see something I have such passion for, be complimented and come to life with the talents of someone who can take what I've imagined in my mind, and create it on the computer. Thank you SO much my dear friend Heather, you're the best!! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I am. If you have a blog that you'd like to customize, contact my friend Heather at www.ritassweetshop.blogspot.com, or, click on her blog button on the left side of my blog-Rita's Sweet Shop. Each of her designs are brilliant!

Talent used to inspire and uplift,
is the best talent of all.

German Brown Mustard Dip

2010-04-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

A little odd to see a healthy veggie snack on a sweet-treat blog? Well, I do love to eat my fruits and veggies! This is a Smart Little Cookie way of eating healthy AND enjoy some treats! This is a little something I threw together late this morning for a snack and I want to share it! I love brown mustard, and wanted to mellow out the flavor just a little to go with my yummy baby carrots...Yum!

The Recipe

1 T German Brown Mustard

1 T Fat Free Ranch Dressing

Cut up veggies

Combine brown mustard and dressing together, mix well.

Smart Little Cookie Tip:

Use your favorite brown mustard in place of the German Brown if you'd like. I purchased my yummy German Brown Mustard at Whole Foods. In place of the ranch dressing, you could use sour cream or plain yogurt. This is an equal parts recipe, so you can easily make more or less.

So Simple, and So Delish!

Almond Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

2010-04-21T15:35:00.000-07:00

Today, I wanted to make my daughter's some yummy cookie dough for a fun after school treat. I was ready to whip up a batch, and sadly discovered I'm out of vanilla extract...
so, after much thought, my 2 year-old daughter and I decided almond extract would be a wonderful substitute for vanilla.
I've lightened up the recipe...a girl should be able to eat her cookie dough without all of the guilt, right?
I also made this completely egg-free, making the cookie dough safe to eat.
Almond extract is the perfect flavoring in this recipe!

The Recipe

1/2 cup I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spread 1 cup plus 1 T unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar 1/4 t salt

1/3 cup brown sugar 1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t almond extract 1/2-1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Combine flour, salt and baking soda together, mix well.

Beat the butters and sugars until well blended, add almond extract.

Add flour mixture to the butter mixture until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Smart Little Cookie Tip:

This recipe is very versatile. If you would like to store the cookie dough, place it in a covered container to refrigerate, or, in a freezer safe container or freezer bag and freeze. These also bake beautifully into delicious, soft cookies! Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes.
To use this recipe in ice cream, use your favorite sweet cream base and follow your ice cream makers manufacturers instructions.

For the original Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream recipe,
visit: www.heathersbytes.com/homemade-cookie-dough-ice-cream/

Fabulously Delicious!

Luscious Lemon Cupcakes

2010-04-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

Some days are just meant to have the flavor of lemon in them, and these pretty little yummies are the perfect treat for today. They will sweep you off your feet!

Makes 2 dozen

The Recipe

Cake:

1 lemon 1 3/4 cups sugar

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 2 large eggs

2 t baking powder 2 egg whites

1/2 t salt

1 cup skim or 1% milk

6 ounces non-fat lemon yogurt Frosting:

(or, 6 ounces non-fat plain yogurt with 3/4 cup I Cant' Believe It's Not

2 t lemon zest mixed in) Butter Spread

1 t lemon extract 16 ounces confectioner's sugar

3/4 cup I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Spread 2 T lemon juice (from zested lemon)

1 T butter, softened 1/2 t lemon extract

Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tins with paper liners.

Zest lemon peel (about 2 teaspoons). Juice lemon, set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well with a whisk until completely combined. In a measuring cup, whisk together milk, yogurt and lemon extract, set aside. In a large bowl, beat butters and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each.

Mix flour mixture into the butter mixture in three additions, alternating with milk mixture. Start and end with flour mixture, mix well after each addition. Fold in 2 t lemon zest. Divide batter evenly into each cupcake cup.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of one, comes out clean. Cool completely.

Frosting:

Beat butter, confectioner's sugar, reserved lemon juice and lemon extract. Mix until smooth, adding more confectioner's sugar as needed for desired consistency.

Smart Little Cookie Tip:
If you like, or even love the flavor of lime, like I do, substitute 1 lime in place of the lemon in this recipe for both the cupcakes and the frosting. You could also use 4-5 key limes for the equivalent of 1 lime-You can never go wrong with the flavor of key lime! Yum!!!

Avoir un jour succulent de citron !

Have a luscious lemon day!

Pumpkin Custard

2010-04-01T16:37:00.000-07:00

Today is April Fools Day, one of my favorite holidays, and it has been snowing for two days where I live. Apparently, Mother Nature has a very good sense of humor. So, when Mother Nature gives you lemons on April 1...you make Pumpkin Custard! I love pumpkin, and I for one, do not believe it's to be enjoyed only a few months out of the year. Why not in April, and May, and June, and July?
This is one of my family's favorite desserts. It's Absolutely Delicious,
and, Oh! My home smells so Heavenly, and yours will too!
What better way to enjoy this fun day of trickery!

8 Servings

The Recipe

1 1/4 cups sugar 2 large eggs

1 t salt 4 egg whites

2 t ground cinnamon 1 15 oz. can 100% pure

1 t ground ginger solid-pack pumpkin

1 t pumpkin pie spice 1 12 oz. can fat free

evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In small bowl, lightly whisk eggs and egg whites, set aside. In large mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, egg mixture, sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and pumpkin pie spice. Mix well with a whisk, until completely combined. Add evaporated milk slowly to pumpkin mixture while mixing until completely combined.

Using a ladle, pour pumpkin mixture into 8 individual ramekins. Place ramekins on cookie sheet and place in oven, baking at 425 degrees F. for 15 minutes. Turn oven to 350 degrees F. and bake for 30 minutes, or until toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. When cool, place in refrigerator until ready to serve. Top with whip cream and place a pecan, walnut or a dusting of cinnamon on top.

Happy Indulgences!

Greek Easter Bread

2010-03-25T08:16:00.000-07:00

With Easter on it's way, I've made one of my favorite Easter recipes, Greek Easter Bread. This bread is not only Delicious (it tastes very similar to Hawaiian Bread), it is Absolutely Gorgeous! It will look Beautiful on your special Easter table at breakfast or dinner. It also makes a delicious french toast, when sliced.

Bon Appetit!
20 Servings

The Recipe

1 t. allspice 1/2 sugar

2 t. cinnamon 3 T. butter

1 cup warm water 2 large eggs

pinch of salt 2 egg whites

pinch of sugar 1 t. salt

2 packages yeast 1 T. water

4 3/4 cups unbleached flour 1 large egg yoke

Combine water, pinch of salt, pinch of sugar, and yeast in a large bowl, stir with a whisk. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup flour to the yeast mixture and stir until combined. Let stand 20 minutes.

Place sugar and butter in a large bowl and mix until light and fluffy. Add eggs and egg whites, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the allspice and cinnamon. Add the yeast mixture to the butter mixture and mix with a whisk until well combined. Stir in 1 t. salt. Add 3 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup at a time. The dough will be sticky.

Place the dough in a large bowl, coated well with cooking spray, coat the top as well. Cover and let rise for 1 hour or until size has doubled.

Divide dough into 3 equal portions. Shape each portion into 14-inch-long ropes. Place the ropes lengthwise on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Pinch the ends together at one end to seal. Braid the ropes and pinch the end pieces to seal. Lightly coat with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 45 minutes or until size is doubled.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine 1 T. water and egg yolk, stirring with a whisk. Brush half of yolk mixture over the loaf. Let stand 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining egg yolk mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Mmmm...!

This recipe is from Cooking Light, so the recipe has already been lightened. I have cut a tad more fat and cholesterol in the recipe by using 2 egg whites, along with 2 whole eggs. This does not compromise the taste or texture of the bread.

Delicious!

Somewhere Over The Rainbow Cupcakes

2010-03-17T13:45:00.000-07:00

These are the best little rainbows you'll ever eat! They're worth the effort and are a lot of fun to make. They're definitely worth their weight in gold!!

Makes 2 dozen

The Recipe

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 2 1/4 cups sugar

2 t. baking powder 1/2 t. vanilla extract

1 t. salt 1 cup skim milk

1 stick unsalted butter 8 large egg whites

1 cup unsweetened applesauce food coloring~red,
yellow, green and blue

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two standard 12-cup muffin pans with white paper liners. Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt (I love to use Redmond Realsalt sea salt, found at Target or your local health food store). Set aside.

In a separate medium size bowl, beat together the butter (I like to use natural and organic unsalted butter, such as Tillamook-found at Walmart, and Archer Farms-found at Target), applesauce and 2 cups sugar (I like to use organic Florida Crystals brand sugar, found at Walmart), until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla extract. Add flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour; mix until just combined. Set aside.

In another clean medium size bowl, beat egg whites on low speed until foamy. With the mixer on, gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar; beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form. Do not over beat. Gently fold a third of the egg-white mixture into the cupcake batter mixture until combined. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites.

Divide the batter by 1/2 cups into 6 separate bowls. Add food coloring in each bowl making the colors of the rainbow-red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.

With a small cookie scoop, scoop a half-scoop of purple batter into the bottom of each muffin liner. Rinse scoop, add blue on top of purple...green on top of blue...yellow on top of green...orange on top of yellow...red on top of orange, rinsing the scoop before each new color is added. Liners should be about 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes, and until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Move cupcakes to a cooling rack.

White Cloud Frosting

2 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup skim milk

1 T. natural or organic unsalted butter, softened

2 t. almond extract

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl, adding extra powdered sugar until desired consistency. Frost each Rainbow with White Cloud Frosting.

Keep an eye on your pot of gold while eating this treat, leprechauns are very aware of how distractingly yummy these are!

My two-year old daughter, excited to eat her first rainbow!

Scrumptious Confetti Popcorn Treats

2010-03-09T12:47:00.000-08:00

These scrumptious little goodies are perfect for a party snack or a tea party hosted by the little princesses in your life. Each time I make these, they are eaten up very quickly-daintily, of course!

The Recipe

1 bag microwave butter popcorn

(I like to use 2 small bags of 100 calorie popcorn)

1/2 bag small marshmallows

sprinkles

Microwave the popcorn according to the package directions. When popped, transfer to a medium size mixing bowl. In a separate microwave safe bowl, melt marshmallows for about 1 1/2 minutes. Spray rubber scraper with cooking spray and pour marshmallow mixture over popped popcorn and mix thoroughly, but gently. Spread popcorn mixture onto a flat surface (such as a sprayed casserole dish or cookie sheet). Sprinkle the sprinkles over the popcorn mixture and let set, about 10 minutes. Pull apart and enjoy! (And yes, before typing out this recipe I've had several bite size yummies, myself.)

Smart Little Cookie Tip:

Be creative, use any topping your heart desires, especially for holidays or themed parties. You could use colored sugar sprinkles, oreo bits, peanut butter cup bits (found in the ice cream topping aisle of your local grocery store), you could also mix in nuts, chocolate chips, etc., etc...the possibilities are as endless as the rainbow!

Happy Munching!

Delicious Soft and Chewy Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cookies

2010-03-02T10:25:00.000-08:00

What day isn't a good day for chocolate and peanut butter? This was my first time making this particular recipe, tweaking the ingredient list a little bit. I think they turned out really well, and so does the empty cookie plate from our family night last night. I'll be taking most of them to a church program tonight and hope everyone

enjoys them as much as my family did.

The Recipe

1 cup unsalted butter 1 t vanilla

1 cup crunchy peanut butter 2 1/2 cups unbleached

1 cup white sugar all-purpose flour

1 cup packed brown sugar 1 t baking powder

1 egg 1/2 t salt

2 egg whites 1 1/2 t baking soda

1 package chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a bowl, sift together flour (I use all-purpose unbleached flour), baking powder, baking soda, and salt (I love to use Redmond Realsalt sea salt, found at Target or your local health food store). Set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream together butter (I like to use natural and organic unsalted butter, such as Tillamook-found at Walmart, and Archer Farms-found at Target), peanut butter (I use natural Skippy peanut butter) and sugars (for white sugar, I use organic Florida Crystals brand, found at Walmart). Beat in egg, egg whites and vanilla. Stir flour mixture into batter mixture.

Scoop into balls with a medium size cookie (or ice cream) scoop and drop onto parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray about 1 inch apart.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until the cookies begin to brown. Do not over-bake. Transfer to a wire rack.

While cookies are cooling, lay out a large piece of parchment paper on top of a large movable surface (I like to use a larger cookie pan or a large pizza pan). Melt 1 bag milk chocolate chips (I love Ghirardelli), in a medium microwave-safe bowl, in the microwave for 20-30 seconds at a time, stirring in between melting times, until the chocolate is melted and silky smooth. Working with one cookie at a time, cover the front half of the cookie with melted chocolate using a large spoon, turn and cover half of the bottom of the cookie, scrape off excess on both sides. Place the finished cookies on the prepared parchment paper. When the parchment is filled, transfer cookies to the refrigerator so the chocolate will set.

Smart Little Cookie Tip:

You might like to chop roasted peanuts or peanut butter chips and sprinkle them on top of the chocolate before the chocolate sets, to make it a bit more scrumptious.

Voila! And Enjoy!

2010-03-01T20:08:00.000-08:00

This is a collection of something I love to do, it brings me joy and makes me happy-Baking! I love to bake! As a little girl, I used to watch my mom bake in our kitchen, and it always felt like home. I have a long time passion for creating and recreating recipes, making them healthier without sacrificing flavor or texture. I know I've succeeded when a cookie or another sweet treat brings a smile to my face, and most importantly, to the faces of my family. Bon Appetite!