Monster Cookies

Peanut butter + Oatmeal + Chocolate Chips + M&M's = One good cookie! These festive cookies are extremely simple, and extremely tasty!

Monster Cookies

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 pound brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 pound peanut butter

2 teas. baking soda

2 teas. vanilla

4 1/4 cups oats

3 oz. chocolate chips

3 1/2 oz. M&M's

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients.

If you want big monster cookies, use an ice cream scoop to drop cookie dough onto ungreased baking sheets. Or, you can always do as I did, and make mini monster cookies! In that case, just drop dough by spoonfuls.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack.

Yep. As simple as that.

These cookies are perfect for parties! The M&M's give them just the right party touch! If you're like me, however, you won't need a party for an excuse to make these delicious treats! I like eating them just because!

A birthday cake...

...and cupcakes too! Abby and I's birthdays are both in April; 11 days apart! Since they're so close, I decided to do one big birthday post! I'll start with Abby's cake.

M&M Birthday Cake

1 yellow cake mix

1 recipe Creamy Chocolate Frosting (below)

1 12-oz. bag M&M's

Prepare cake according to directions on package. Cool. Prepare Creamy Chocolate Frosting.

Creamy Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
2 teas. vanilla
About 3 Tabl. milk

Mix butter and cocoa in a large bowl. Stir in powdered sugar. Beat in vanilla and milk until smooth and of spreading consistency.

Now for the M&M's!

Separate out the colors you want, and make a design or message.

Frost the cake.

Then place the M&M's on.

Now you have your M&M birthday cake!

Ok, now for my birthday cupcakes!

Festive Birthday Cupcakes

Heavenly White Cupcakes
1 recipe Creamy White Frosting
Multi-colored party sprinkles
Marachino cherries

Prepare cupcakes according to directions. Cool completely.

Prepare Creamy White Frosting.

Using a large round tip, pipe dots of frosting on cupcake until the whole cupcake is full.

Then, sprinkle with party sprinkles.

And finally, top with a marachino cherry!

Festive and fun!

Not to mention yummy!

Oh yeah. I LOVE close-ups! Well, there's the birthday post! Hope you enjoyed it!

Lemon Dreams

Yes, you really will be dreaming about these throughout the day. The cookie itself is actually just a plain shortbread cookie. It's the dreamy lemon filling that gives these cookies just the right touch!

Lemon Dreams

1 cup butter (no substitutes), softened

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 teas. vanilla

1 2/3 cups flour

Filling

2/3 cups sugar

1 1/2 teas. cornstarch

1 teas. grated lemon peel

1/4 teas. salt

1 egg, beaten

3 Tabl. lemon juice

1 Tabl. butter or margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and powdered sugar. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add flour.

Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet.

Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make an indentation in the middle of each.

Using your fingurs, strech out the indentation, to make a large gap in each dough ball.

Bake for 12-14 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool.

For filling, combine the sugar, cornstarch, lemon peel and salt in a saucepan. Stir in egg, lemon juice and butter until smooth. Cook over medium-high heat until thickened. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Cool. 

Generously spoon filling into each cookie.

Dust with powdered sugar if desired. Makes 2-3 dozen, depending on how big you make the cookies.

Ooooooooo!!! Doesn't it look dreamy?! Well, I can guarantee you that it certainly is!

Lovely Lemon Bread

This is a pretty lemon loaf that is perfect for spring! It is simple, pretty, light and lemony. Great for breakfast, with tea, or just because!

Lemon Tea Bread

 1/2 cup butter, softened
 1 cup sugar
 2 eggs
 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
 1 teaspoon baking powder
 2 dashes salt
 1/2 cup 2% milk

Lemon Glaze

2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and lemon peel; beat well. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk.

Transfer to two 5-3/4-in. x 3-in. x 2-in. loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.





Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over warm bread.







I love lemon!



This gorgeous lemon tea bread is simply lovely!

Chocolate Chip Cookies, and a Twist!

I have NEVER, had a better chocolate chip cookie than these. They're soft, filled with chocolate chips, and have ever so slight a hint of lemon. "Lemon with chocolate?" you might ask. Yes, I know it sounds a bit weird, but have you ever tried a chocolate chip cookie with a hint of lemon in it before? Well, if you haven't, now would be the perfect time to start! Plus, these cookies look pretty.

This recipe makes A LOT of cookies; about 5-6 dozen. And they're not small. So if you make the original recipe without halfing it, you're going to need a REALLY big bowl. This is what I use...

Big fellow.

Well, I know you're dying to have the recipe for these scrumptious cookies, so here it is!

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

1/2 cup oil

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

5 eggs

1 Tbsp. vanilla

1 tsp. lemon extract

2 Tbsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

6 cups white flour

2 cups wheat flour

16 oz. package chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together butter, oil, and sugars. Add in eggs, vanilla and lemon extract. Then stir in 2 cups of white flour and the wheat flour. Knead in chocolate chips and nuts. Then add the rest of the flour.

Shape dough into ping-pong sized balls, place on ungreased baking sheets, and flatten slightly.

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.

MmmmmMmmm! Have I convinced you yet? Well, if I haven't, then it's time for the twist. Take a look at these!

This is an easter egg cookie cutter. Bet ya can't guess what I'm going to do with it!

Take a cookie dough ball and press it into the egg shaped cookie cutter. Remove the cutter, and repeat.

Well, I could just bake them now, but I've got a better idea!

Got any of these on hand?

They're mini wooden popsicle sticks!

Insert one into the bottom of each of the dough balls eggs.

Bake.

Okay, I know, they don't look much like easter eggs...yet.

So, we shall prepare royal icing!

Royal Icing

3 egg whites

4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teas. cream of tarter

1/2 teas. clear vanilla or almond extract

Place ingredients in bowl and beat on medium high for a full 10 minutes. Icing will become thick and glossy. Keep covered with damp cloth while using. Icing hardens with a nice sheen.

Lay out cooled cookie pops on a sheet of wax paper. Frost with royal icing.

Hmm. Still not white enough. Let icing harden, and then, do another coat!

 

Much better!

Place the remaining icing in small bowls, and tint desired colors. Then, put frosting in small plastic sandwich bags, cut a small hole in the corner of each, and decorate the cookie pops!

Looks good!

        Tastes even better!

By this time, I hope you're convinced! Of course, if you made the pops, you wouldn't have to do them in the shape of an easter egg. You could do any shape that strikes your fancy. I've got to admit, these are definately killer cookies!