Cookies You Can Catch {If You Run Fast Enough}

“Run, Run, as fast as you can, you can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread man!”

‘Tis the season for cookies, right? I love to bake around the holidays and this week Benjamin and I baked gingerbread cookies. None of our cookies got away from us {although a few did break their legs so that could be why}, and I wanted to share the recipe with you all! Don’t worry, you don’t have to have men-shaped cookie cutters! We did trees, ladies, men, bears, and Benjamin’s personal favorite: stars!

Here’s what you need:

2 bowls {One larger, one kinda medium}
5 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup Butter Crisco {or other shortening – we didn’t use butter Crisco, just reg}
1 cup sugar {as it happens, I forgot to add this… and it still tastes fine! just not as sweet}
1 egg – OR 4 teaspoons meringue powder + 4 tablespoons water
1 cup molasses
2 tablespoons vinegar

 

Here’s what you do:

Phase One: Grease your cookie sheets & preheat your oven to 375. {in medium bowl} Stir together flour, soda, spices, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside. {or let your toddler keep mixing it while you take care of the next two steps}

Phase Two: Mix together the meringue powder and water until well mixed and frothy.

Phase Three: {in large bowl} With an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat the shortening for at least 30 seconds. Add sugar and increase mixer speed to high, beating until fluffy {if you don’t like super sweet cookies, you can leave the sugar out and it will still taste good}. Add the meringue mixture, molasses, and vinegar; beat well on high speed until batter is smooth and well blended.

Phase Four: Add dry ingredients gradually, beating continually with mixer. When batter becomes too stiff for the mixer, remove beaters and stir by hand.

The next step is one that I didn’t do. Maybe I should have to keep my mens from losing limbs.

Phase Five: Cover bowl and chill for 3 hours or overnight. After chilling the dough, divide in thirds.

I did do this, though:

Phase Six: Refrigerate two-thirds while you work on one-third. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Place cut outs on a greased cookie sheet about 1-inch apart. {Be sure to make small openings in the top of each shape if you plan on hanging the cookies as ornaments!}

Phase Seven: Bake at 375 degrees for 5-6 minutes. Let cookies cool for about a minute before transferring them to a wire rack.

Phase Eight: Decorate! {Separate post on decorating coming soon!}

Enjoy Baking!!

Lookin' Good!

Hey Good Lookin' is lookin' good with a new look! I'm excited to get back into updating this blog because cooking is something I am wanting to learn more about and get better at once we get into our new house! I hope you plan on checking back often! Don't forget to follow so you don't miss a tasty treat!

Happy Holidays, Y'all!

Bringin' It Back With Cake Balls!

Long time, no amazing recipe! This is about to change my friends! Get ready! This is going to be fabulous!!



Those cookies sure look fantastic, but I wanna talk about the cake balls!



Here's what you need:

1 Box Red Velvet cake mix (or any... by the way if your house smells like chocolate as you bake it, it's because Red Velvet Cake is actually Devil's Food Cake with red dye. Juuuust so ya know.)
1 Can Cream Cheese frosting
1 or 2 Packages of almond bark (you can use regular chocolate or white chocolate - and I say 1 or 2 because I ran out with just 1.)
Optional: Sprinkles

And here's what you do:

1. Bake cake as directions on the box say to.
2. Let cake cool for a bit, but while it is still warm, crumble it up in a big bowl.
3. Add the cream cheese frosting and mix it all up really well.
4. ****VERY IMPORTANT**** Stick the cake mixture into the FREEZER for about an hour. I stuck it in the fridge for like 2 and it didn't do very well... do it in the freezer if you can!
5. Melt your almond bark in the microwave or whatever... just do what the package says.
6. Take your mixture out and make little balls... I used a measuring spoon (tablespoon I think) to scoop it out and then rolled it into a ball.

7. Dip the cake balls into the melted almond bark. I used a Pampered chef egg separator. It worked pretty well for me. Some people use tooth picks or skewers.

8. If you're using sprinkles, make sure you apply them before the coating hardens!

Voila! You have cake balls and they are fantastic.


Perfect for the holidays! Make some friends or family really happy!


Enjoy!

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes

Friends, I am going to be candid with you. You may be thinking that with all the sweets I bake and share with you all that we are some of the most unhealthy people on the planet. But I'm going to be honest with you. I rarely eat what I bake. I try it, of course, but sometimes it doesn't go further than there.

But there has recently been a huge exception.



Do you blame me? Really, do you blame me for not being able to stay away from these cupcakes? I'm not going to disclose how many I actually ate... because I don't remember. But I'm telling you... these cupcakes had a hold on me. I will never make them again....

Ok.... I may. If I am feeling brave enough to feel vulnerable.

Here is what you need:

Cupcakes:
1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® devil's food cake mix
Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box - however, I used 5 egg whites instead of 3 eggs



Seriously, there is little more beautiful than 5 rows of freshly baked devils food cake cupcakes...

Filling:
3/4 cup Betty Crocker® Whipped fluffy white frosting
1/2 cup marshmallow creme



Here's a tip. If you don't have the desire or money to get a cupcake decorator or anything like that, and you still want to fill your cupcakes, I think these things are sold at like WalMart or a Dollar Store... Not sure. The reason I used it is because I forgot to bring mine to my mom's. Anyway, fill it up with your filling, insert it into your cupcake and squeeze. Make sure you pull up as you squeeze so your cupcake doesn't explode...

Frosting and Garnish:
1 container (12 oz) Betty Crocker® Whipped fluffy white frosting
10 oreos, coarsely broken (about 1 cup)



Here's what you do:

1. Heat oven to 350°F (or 325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. Make and bake cake mix as directed on box for 24 cupcakes, using water, oil and eggs. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
2. Stir together filling ingredients and fill yo' cupcakes.
4. Frost cupcakes with 1 container frosting. Garnish each with about 2 teaspoons broken cookies.



Guys... I'm telling you... these cupcakes are amazing. Don't believe me? Check these out:





Incredible.

Enjoy!

Vanilla Cupcakes with Lemon Cream-Cheese Frosting

Been a while, y'all! Sorry! You'll love this one, though!



Vanilla Cupcakes:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
]2/3 cup granulated white sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and milk, in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with icing.




Lemon Cream-Cheese Frosting
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners' sugar

Beat cream cheese, butter, lemon juice, and vanilla together until smooth and fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar in 2 additions. Beat until creamy. Add more icing sugar or juice as needed for easy spreading.









This is so fresh, like spring! You need to try this!

No-Bake Cookies

The best thing about these cookies is probably that you don't bake them. They are so easy and simple. I made these at 10:00 last night, and there was barely any cleanup!



Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cocoa
pinch salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter
3 cups quick-cooking oatmeal

In large saucepan, combine sugar, milk, cocoa, salt, and butter and mix well. Bring to a boil and cover saucepan for 30 seconds to allow steam to wash sugar crystals down sides of pan. Stir mixture and bring it to a boil that can't be stirred down for 1 minute. Then remove from heat and stir in peanut butter until smooth. Add oatmeal and mix well. Do not use regular or instant oatmeal; quick-cooking oatmeal is essential to the success of this recipe.
Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to let the oatmeal absorb some of the liquid.



Drop mixture by spoonfuls onto waxed paper or parchment lined baking sheets or Silpat sheets. Let cool until you can touch the mixture; then reshape the cookies to make them more a ball shape. Let cool completely; store at room temperature. You can also pour this mixture into a 9" square pan that has been greased with unsalted butter, let cool, then cut into squares.

Peanut Butter Cup Cupcake

Peanut Butter + Chocolate = Divine, right?



I thought so.

This recipe isn't so much about the cupcake, again. It's about what's inside the cupcake. Yes, I did say "inside".



Okay, calm down. This is what you need:

1 box Devils Food cake mix, and all the ingredients on the back.
- Go ahead and prepare this as directed, and bake as directed for cupcakes.
1 container of chocolate frosting
----------
For the peanut butter frosting:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons milk, or as needed
2 cups confectioners' sugar

While your cupcakes are baking, whip up your peanut butter frosting:
Place the butter and peanut butter into a medium bowl, and beat with an electric mixer. Gradually mix in the sugar, and when it starts to get thick, incorporate milk one tablespoon at a time until all of the sugar is mixed in and the frosting is thick and spreadable. Beat for at least 3 minutes for it to get good and fluffy.
(http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fluffy-Peanut-Butter-Frosting/Detail.aspx)



Prepare your icing bag, or if you're like me, your cupcake decorating kit. Attach a Bismarck tip. Bismarck tips are long ... they look like this:



Fill your bag or decorator with your peanut butter frosting. When your cupcakes have cooled off some, you can get started filling and frosting. Here's what you do. Take your cupcake and insert your Bismarck tip about an inch in and squeeze your frosting out. Do it until the frosting comes out of the hole on top. There was one cupcake that I didn't get filled the whole way:



Anyway, your cupcakes will look something like this when you're done:



Once you've gotten all that done, take your chocolate frosting and spread a thin layer of frosting onto the cupcakes with a knife:



Next you need to switch out your Bismarck tip for your Star tip:



Refill your bag or decorator with the peanut butter frosting. Now you'll only want to put a dollop of frosting in the center of your cupcakes.



You're finished! Enjoy!

Kkens' Apple Spice Pancakes

This is yum.

This is apple spice pancakes.

From my kitchen to yours.

Batter Ingredients

2 Cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
2 cups milk
4 tablespoons cinnamon applesauce {or regular applesauce - the applesauce is here because if you've been following my blog for a while, you know that Benjamin is allergic to eggs.}
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar mixture to your liking {what I mean is, dump as much of that good stuff in there as you want!}
cooking spray, or butter, to grease your pan or griddle.

Here's what you do:

1. Combine all ingredients, whisk together until smooth.
2. In your skillet or on your griddle, melt butter or spray cooking spray, and then brown pancakes on both sides.
3. Put syrup on those bad boys, and butter if you're daring.
4. Cut. Chew. Swallow. Repeat.



If you want to add some spiced apples to the mix, here's what you need to do:

1. Slice up your favorite apple. I recommend peeling your apples before hand. I didn't peel, and I wish I had.
2. Put the apple slices in a pot. Cover with water, but not too much water.
3. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top, or dump it all, whatever. Your call.
4. Cook on med-high to high {depending on your stove} and cover. Stir occasionally. Cook until the apples are soft, but not squishy.
5. Put on top of your pancake before step 4. of the pancake directions. You can even pour some of the juice from the pot on your pancakes if you feel like it.
6. Cut. Chew. Swallow. Repeat.



You're welcome.

Nutella-coffee Frosted Cupcakes

I know you want to know how to make fantastic, mouth-watering Nutella-coffee frosting. This post isn't as much about the cupcakes as it is about the frosting. Here's the cupcake recipe, if you'd like to try it out on my eggless cupcakes.

But like I said, this is more about the frosting.

This frosting is perfect for closet coffee lovers {like me - I say "yuck!" to hot coffee}, and Nutella lovers as well. I am a gigantic Nutella lover. I could sit and eat it all day. I'm sure I'd weigh 100lbs more than I do now, though. Thanks to the Sweetest Kitchen for the recipe.

Anyway.

Here's what you need:

2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons Nutella
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon instant coffee
1/2 teaspoon vanilla



I used Starbucks' Instant Coffee, VIA, which is actually pretty strong so it gives a nice coffee kick. The reason I used this {it was half a packet, if you feel like using the same} is because the only other instant coffee had been open for over a year... yeah, ew.

Anyway, here is what you do:

In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon milk with 1 teaspoon instant coffee and stir until coffee is dissolved.

In a separate bowl, combine butter, Nutella, sugar, salt, vanilla, and the 1 tablespoon coffee-milk mixture. Mix well with electric mixer, adding more milk as needed to make a fluffy spreadable frosting.

Makes enough to frost 10-12 cupcakes if just spreading it on with a knife.



It's seriously very delicious. Go ahead and taste a heaping spoonful or two, you deserve it!

Hey, Puddin'!

One of my favorite recipes that my mom makes is her good ol' corn puddin'. You may be thinking, "Corn-flavored puddin'? Yuck!" But I assure you, it is not yuck, nor is it "corn-flavored puddin'". It is delicious. When we were having our dinner party last week I had to call my mom up for her corn pudding recipe. I figured I would share with you!

What you need:

1 can whole kernel corn, with juice.
1 can cream-style corn.
1 box corn muffin mix {we use Jiffy because it's the bomb diggity. Yes, I just said that.}
2 eggs
1 8oz container of Sour Cream {you can use low-fat if you want!}

Here's what you do:

Preheat your oven to 350.
Beat yo eggs. Then mix everything together. I put mine in a 2qt glass dish. Dot the top with butter. Put it in the oven for 1hr.

And then you eat it.



It's so good. Let me know if you try it out!

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes for Chip

Last week, our friend Chip installed new flooring in our kitchen. It was much needed, and much appreciated. As thanks {as if it would be adequate to my appreciation} I made Chip some cupcakes. Actually, I made Chocolate Chip Cupcakes for Chip. ha!

Really it is quite simple to make. Today I wasn't feeling my best {stress, fatigue} so I took shortcuts. All you need for the cupcakes is a box of yellow cake mix, the stuff the box asks for, and a cup of chocolate chips. If I were you, I'd use mini chips, because I used the regular size and they happened to sink to the bottom. Not cool. Better "luck" next time.

What really brought my mood up, though, was the way my frosting turned out! I've always had a problem with my frosting, but today... today I dare say that it was perfect!

Here's the recipe for the frosting:

12 ounces (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
- Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes.
-Reduce speed to medium.
-Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition, about 5 minutes. (After every 2 additions, increase speed to high, and beat for 10 seconds, then reduce speed to medium-high). Add vanilla, and beat until buttercream is smooth. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. (Bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth before using.)
Martha's Basic Buttercream

And to make it chocolate chip icing, just mix in two cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips.


I used a couple of ways to soften my butter. The first stick I used a roller with the butter between two sheets of wax paper. This was all good and well until I had to peel it off of the wax paper. The second trick I used was to stick the sticks in the microwave for 14 seconds. That worked better. I did that for my remaining two.


Beaten Butter.


My fluffy {for once!} frosting!

After you've got all that done, frost your cupcakes. It may not turn out super smooth, but it still looks nice and tastes even better!



And here's my trial cupcake.... are you ready for this?









Oh, it was fantastic.

Tell me if you try it!