Strava Cookie Sunday

So this week I have written like 5 posts and deleted them. Mostly thinking about the perfect candidate for a newlywed Blog. I would KILL at writing newlywed blog posts. Like my advice would save the freaking world. Maybe I'll have rotating new husbands. This is the best thing ever. So many marriage pinterest boards.
As it is I decided it was finally time to learn how to do royal icing and made Strava cookies this week.

I had a shortbread recipe I just didn't do any sort of topping. I put them in the pan and dusted them with flour and used my silicone rolling pin to make sure they were even on the pan. used a spatula to even out the edges as well. I've tried a few shortbread recipes and my friend Laura has the best one. shortbread is dangerous- we've all had those stupid Christmas cookies with the giant sanding sugar that sort of taste good and then BAAM I've eaten an entire tin of cookies.

the only thing is- I'm not really great at making royal icing. I want a pastry bag I think. I googled the recipe for royal icing and picked one to mess with. Here's how I made it

2 medium egg whites

2.5 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp water

1/4 tsp vanilla

mix well. it seemed pretty fluid. I put my frosting in a plastic bag with a tiny hole cut in the corner. my first hole was too big. I learned a lot since this was my first project- like i should have had a tiny bit more water an traced the pattern I wanted then used a thinner filler.  

I'm pretty sure I'll be working on this more. These cookies are about the size of a post it note deck. You should always cut the shortbread as soon as it comes out of the oven so it's easy to cut and nice. I think if you use a hot knife you can still have a crisp edge. I used my Shun knives.

In other news I've really felt lucky lately. I have great friends and it's great to meet people who are respectful and value each other. I'm shocked at how some people act and I just don't think I could live with that kind of Karma on my back. Probably just naive of me.

If I'm not careful I'll turn into one of the everything happens for a reason people.

Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies

My daughter hates chocolate chips. Every week when I make cookies she sort of shrugs and says- you made the one's I don't like again.
Then she brings those crappy cookies to her friends. So every now and then I make ones she loves (or I just make multiple batches or split the dough and don't add chocolate chips to hers.)  Today Little Mr. was grouchy that there were no chocolate chip cookies. so he cried and crumpled on the floor in a heap of sadness and misery.
It's hard when your mom ruins her ONE JOB to provide you with chocolate chip cookies of various flavors every week.
These are pretty good cookies. I don't love butterscotch.

Recipe for Butterscotch Oatmeal Cookies

1 stick of margarine
1 stick of butter- unsalted I used Whole Foods butter. I like fancier butter normally but that's a different post.
1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
add chilled butter and margarine. Mix 30 seconds then scrape sides of the bowl. then cream for 2 minutes

3 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
add eggs one at a time with vanilla

1 cup pancake mix
2 cups white flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
this mixture should be stirred gently with a whisk- for best results sift the flour before you measure it out then spoon the flour into your cup measure and level the top.

2/3 cup oatmeal
1.5 bags Butterscotch chips
1/2 bag white chocolate chips

mix together and scoop onto cookie sheets with cookie scoop. I used parchment paper to line my cookie sheets and baked for 11 minutes at 350 for a smaller sized scoop.

Happy Valentines Day! Cookie Orders

Valentine's Day Cookies Pre-Sale

Want some cookies? It's Valentine's Day soon and while I have terrible taste in men I do make great cookies. Then my sister said I should sell them. AND I MAKE THEM ANYWAY. You could also give cookies to a loved one- you or someone else.
So here's the deal. I made a cute little paypal button BUT it includes shipping cost. If you are local to Lehi Utah (and you know me or work with me) just send the money to my paypal email address claireandjanae@gmail.com. I need to pre-sell the cookies so I can buy all the ingredients so the sooner you get your order in the better.

Prices for stuffed cookies are $22 for a dozen. Those are ones with oreos or caramels or other beautiful things in them- they are the custom option.
The cookies are giant so you will be able to eat all your feelings. They can even be your valentine. They might be mine but hey- they've never disappointed me or said my kids are unruly. They've never been a douchebag. Cookies are honest and they love you. Or they are the perfect present because FOOD IS LOVE. I can make any of the ones listed on this site the most common ones are on the drop down.

I will ship cookie orders Priority Mail which has a couple days. overnight shipping costs a lot so if you want that it's 20 dollars more than normal shipping (holy shipping).


Scroll ALL THE WAY DOWN for the buy me button. Or if you know me which I think everyone who reads this does come talk to me.

Happy Valentine's Day!
xoxo Janae 

Types of Cookies

24 sugar sprinkles small $18.00 USD 12 Smores $20.00 USD 12 chocolate chip $18.00 USD 12 large sugar frosted $18.00 USD 12 triple chocolate $20.00 USD 12 peanut butter chocolate $18.00 USD Pick your own 12 $18.00 USD 12 chocolate pudding $18.00 USD

Pinterest and Candy Corn

I used to have adorable apothecary jars.  Some I acquired at my seasonal job at williAms Sonoma. Others at pottery barn where you can usually find a great selection and nice seasonal decorations. The last were from target and I never cared as much about those ones but they weren't as expensive.
These were some of the things I lost in the divorce. I filled three of the apothecary jars with candy corn. I don't know if you know this but candy corn is a delightful looking holiday decoration. Now I would change all the picture frames in the house to our Halloween silhouettes I made in my spare 30 hours one year and loved. Then came the jars. I really wanted orange and white and yellow gumballs but apparently if you go and buy roughly ten tons of candy corn and say no one can eat it your husband doesn't want you to traipse out to the party store and spend 300 dollars on matching gum-balls and sixlets. Weird.
So I settled for candy corn And promised that we could recycle it not just eat it.
To be fair I have to disclose that I'm not and was never one of those people who felt like I couldn't do something because my husband didn't "let me." I hate it when people say that shit. He won't let you buy a sandwich? Maybe divorce his controlling ass. Oh wait I am divorced and I digress...

So candy corn and apothecary jars. There is something delightful about matching candy. I really liked it but I also felt strongly that we should give out pretzels or goldfish to kids. Candy is for decoration! Ok always goldfish no one likes pretzels they are shit.  I loved my apothecary jars they went great with my pottery barn candles and festive little black gems my kids love to play with. I can't decide if I like them or sparkly skull votive holders more. I kept the candles but didn't think the jars could make the move.

Here I am as the Halloween decorating season is in full swing trying to think of how to budget for new apothecary jars and matching candy.
I could get some high res images of candy corn and get the unhung frames out of the garage with lovely pictures. Maybe I could re-make the silhouettes of cats and a haunted city while I was on the phone at work. Maybe I could just take pictures of candy corn cookies since cookies are important in my life now.
First I have to make good cookies.  I looked at some online and I have to tell you- candy corn melts like crazy. Like want to tear your hair out when you are trying to make them. No joke if you add them to the top 5 minutes before your cookies are done like with mini marshmallows that's not going to work. Don't even suggest adding them to the dough or I will punch you. So there are all these Pinterest cookie recipes and I'm like- I wonder if those are fake or an approximation like when people asked me how much sugar I added to cookies and I want to say as much as looked right but instead I say 2 cups and omit the give or take a cup.
Seriously when people ask how much vanilla and flour I added the answer is " enough." But most people don't understand that. So I make something up. Just like this year I'm trying to get successful candy corn cookies. This is my fourth week. I'm using a Pinterest recipe. I didn't even photograph most of my attempts and there is a very good reason for that. They looked terrible. (Tasted OK)

So next time you look on Pinterest for a recipe just know that I'm there too, thinking most of the recipes are crap and trying to learn more about bread flour in cookies. Cool right? I'm not sure I think I will have to test extensively. Luckily I have a lifetime full of cookie Sundays where I can learn more and hopefully teach my children his important it is to actively spread joy.

I got a recipe from Pinterest from Averie cooks and used it for these cookies.
I split the dough to make sure each cookie would have a base without candy corn.
I made a double batch. I also looked at her website for over an hour and thought about how her cookies would taste. It's normal to study recipes online.
You can check the recipe out on her site or I will type out what I did. Her site is pretty good. I am going to try her recipes and I will link to them when I do.

Candy Corn Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
cream together

2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
4 tablespoons heavy cream
mix together until just incorporated (I actually used whipping cream which turned out OK

Kid Bowls!

3.5 cups flour (heaping)
4 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
mix together with a wire whisk and split evenly into 3 bowls.

Add each bowl one at a time.
for the last bowl switch from the whip attachment to the dough/cookie attachment of your mixer.

Split dough into 3 parts and put one in an airtight container. Refrigerate.

1 bag candy corn (larger bag)
1 bag chocolate chips
mix into dough- do not overmix and be careful that candy corn doesn't break.

Chill overnight or freeze 1 hour.

When you are preparing your dough take the portion without candy corn in it and make a 2 inch by 1/4 inch circle. Then scoop the candy corn dough on top- it's important to have this layer to make sure the candy corn isn't touching the cookie sheet. This can lead to a candy corn explosion and the end of the world.

Baking directions- bake at 350 for 9 minutes. They won't look done. take them out and leave them on the sheet. It's a soft batch cookie so they look different.

NOTE: you can use 1/2 self rising bread flour and they will rise more.
NOTE: I don't usually use cornstarch because I feel like you can taste it. I did in this case. The candy corn sort of overpowers the taste. I'm not convinced that most people can taste it.
NOTE: I used Giradelli white chocolate chips. I will blog about different chocolate chips soon because they all have very different tastes. I have strong feelings about them which I think you get after a few years of making cookies.

The Three stray neighborhood kids that were living at my house this Sunday liked the cookies. They brought some home. I think because I make cookies I get a lot of stray neighborhood kids. It's fun.


When Candy Corn cooks it gets darker. That way you can tell your friends you put siracha hot sauce in your cookies.