Meditation On Cookies

One time at one of the first yoga sessions I ever went to the teacher said we should always come to class with a goal- with something to meditate about. because coming isn't enough anymore. This is no zumba class where you just get to shake your booty you have to control your mind as well as your aching hamstrings. 

So every time for the next year when I went to yoga with that teacher I had a goal. Be good at yoga. Do all the poses. More than that- BE GOOD AT YOGA. That was my goal. Show up and do the poses. Meditation is the same way. My goal- Clear my mind. thoughts- be good at clearing my mind.  so. much. pressure.   We don't all need to be told that in addition to not being able to roll up like a pretzel then to the splits at the same time we need to be thinking about solving world hunger. So sometimes how my goal is thinking how I would change it. Which is why every Sunday we do Above and Beyond Yoga. And about the meditation-  Maybe I should lead everyone in ruminating. WHY CAN'T WE PRACTICE THAT I ROCK AT THAT. Quick everyone take a break from down dog and write down three things someone else got away with that they shouldn't have.  I will take a break for the people I think are being ridiculous at the gym. NO I'M NOT WATCHING YOU I PROMISE. Except you girl with the adorable leggings with lace at the bottom from the website work and sweat. And you boob job number 12 I've seen today at the gym since arriving 5 minutes ago. and you girl who humps the weights machine. What is that about? What are you even working out? At least she had cute lululemon pants on.

really no one likes down dog anyway we can take a few breaks. Except for ridiculously hot yoga man I think he should be making the poses even more advanced but I'm totally adding him to my list of things I'm upset about. STOP DOING ONE ARMED HANDSTANDS WITH THE REST OF US MORTALS- GO TO GOD YOGA AND STOP RUINING MY MEDITATION ABOUT YOGA BUDDY. 

no don't go you're beautiful.

I even like hot yoga so you can imagine I detest myself and I love exercise clothing and deep conditioner and wear flip flops in winter and need a pedicure.

In other news-

I've been swimming a lot. it makes me tired. like all day tired and I have blisters on my feet from training with flippers and I wear a super unflattering bathing suit with one of those ultra ugly swim caps on the daily. And I like it. I usually swim next to some ridiculously fit guy with a collection of ironman caps and no splash. WHY ARE YOU FASTER THAN I AM WHEN I WEAR FLIPPERS AND USE THOSE HAND PADDLES. STOP NOW! I can't keep them all strait because they are all swimming all the time. Maybe there's actually only three of them. Hey guys- some of us need swimming lessons and in September we couldn't even put our heads under the water and some of us have way way way more body fat than you do. Luckily now I have a heart rate monitor that tells me even if I'm bloody tired all day long after i swim it was only a mild workout. That's almost as rude as the teachers who act like you shouldn't be choking when you are trying to do yoga breathing. WHO CAN MAKE THOSE STRANGE NOISES?!

Anyway today I made cookies and questioned all my life decisions. I still have to make soft butterscotch oatmeal cookies for my friend Annie who is visiting but the oreo stuffed cookies had to happen today because why not. Remember how I will send you cookies now if you click here and buy them? well I will and it will be glorious. You can also make them they are a lot like the kit cat cookies. See what I did there? that's my pinterest. 

Anyway back to swimming and how it relates to cookie Sunday and yoga. I went swimming today. I did 10 sets of 200s. or something I forget. I thought about sitting in the hot tub but then I realized I had to go home to make cookies in time for church. ThEN CAME RUMINATING! BEST EVER!!!    I looked back and had that moment where you finally see what everyone else was telling you and think about what a bad place you were in about someone toxic.  Next week is the 3 year anniversary of my married life falling apart and my husband telling me he cheated on me and realizing it was a pattern from his phone. He was so angry at me. Now he might go to jail for non-payment since he avoided it in PA by moving.  3 years I've been doing this parenting thing pretty much alone and I've worked my way to have a job that pays for all my kids and I think I've finally found what I want to do with my life. Then finally at the end of the ruminating I realized I sort of had peace- I'm just way happier and I don't even recognize who I was before everything fell apart. I had no idea how strong I was or what I would go through.

3 years and tons of help. And tons of cookies. I made cookies to have a pattern- whenever life is falling apart I find myself setting a new goal and falling back on the patterns I've set. Go swimming every day- make cookies- go to work- go running. At first I was going through the motions of the life I wanted and it has become the life I want. Maybe that's what the yoga poses are supposed to be when I'm focused on straightening my back leg. 

Work is awesome I just got a job that I'm going to love. I'm close to my goal weight. I don't think I will drown during my first half ironman in June.We become the patterns we make for ourselves- so look at who you want to be and start moving.

Make sure you are using your yoga breathing during this time. and think about your goal. 

Mine? be good at yoga.

Candy Cane peppermint cookies.

Merry Christmas! A great day for cookies! 

So these are great Christmas cookies. My kids like them even d who hates chocolate chips.

This recipe is interesting because the first time I did it they were great and the second- not so much. 

So the trick here is to chill them. Don't skip this! Maybe even leave it overnight. 

1/2 lb butter. I used kerrygold butter. I like the taste of European style churned butter. However if you have a local farmer buy from them! You will think you changed the world with cookie making skills. 

1 cup brown sugar (light) 

1 1/3 cup white sugar. 

Cream 2 minutes on medium speed. 

3 large eggs 

2 tsp vanilla 

1tbsp heavy cream

Add in 3 parts 

Mix until just incorporated. 

1tsp baking soda

1tsp cornstarch 

1tsp salt

(These should all be heaping teaspoons) 

4 cups flour 

Stir dry ingredients together. Then add them to the rest in at least 4 parts. 

3 peppermint bark candy bars or the equivalent of 3 cups. 

1 bag chocolate chips. 

Cut in small pieces and stir in 1/4 inch pieces for the measurement lovers. I found awesome candy bars at wegmans the first time then when to whole foods and found adorable candy cane pieces. 

Chill 4-24 hours. 

Scoop out on sheets and let chill an additional hour. 

Bake at 375 for about 11 minutes or until done. 

#christmas, #candycane, #cookies,#recipe, #cookiesunday, #peppermint

#merrychristmas 

Kit kat cookies

Kit kat cookies for cookie Sunday 

The day after Halloween we have already confiscated all the Halloween candy. For kids staying up all night. After a nasty little letter from Danielle and an unapologetic parenting moment I have my kids the chance to earn back some candy by cleaning the entire house. Since they are quite young they weren't super effective, but they did a stand up job opening kit kits from Halloween and breaking them in small pieces. ( after they had baths-they seemed like a hand wash wasn't enough.) 

So we made these super fun cookies. Now if only I have enough candy left to get the bathrooms cleaned. 

1 cup white sugar

1.5 cups light brown sugar 

1/2 cup margarine 

3/4 cup butter 

Cream

3 medium eggs 

1.5 tsp vanilla 

Mix in one egg at a time 

I small package instant vanilla pudding

1.5 cups pancake mix

1.5 cups cake flour 

1 tsp salt 

1.5 tsp baking soda 

Add in three parts 

3 cups kit kat pieces 

1 bag semi sweet chocolate chips 

Stir in. 

Hooray for the tiny bowls we use to make this kid friendly. 

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.

Happy Father's Day cookie Sunday! Oreo m&ms cookies

These cookies were great for Father's Day! 

1.25 cups powdered sugar

1.5 cups white sugar 

1 cup butter

Mix 2 minutes on medium speed. 

3 eggs 

1 tbsp vanilla 

3 tbsp vegetable oil

Mix in parts- 1 egg at a time. Don't overmix. 

3.75 cups flour 

1 tsp salt 

1.5 tsp baking soda 

Mix in at least 3 parts 

2 bags mini m&ms 

Double stuff Oreos. 

Surround Oreos with dough 

Cook 14 min at 350. 

Give to someone who could use a cookie. This is an important part of cookie Sunday. Positive actions and gifts teach my kids being a good person is about action, not restriction. 

White Chocolate Cashew Smore's

White Chocolate Cashew Smores 

This week Danielle ordered Cookies with white chocolate chips. Ever week she wants that actually but since I'm trying not to eat any cookies I've been obliging her more often.

This week was extra fun because we made them together and then she delivered them to the neighbors.

1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter flavored Crisco. I like the little pre-packaged squares.

mix for 2 minutes

3 extra large eggs
3 tsp vanilla

mix in eggs one at a time

1 cup cake flour
3 cups white flour
1 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
(sift together)
add to mixture in at least three parts.

1 1/2 bags white chocolate chips

mix in
Bake 9 minutes at 325 degrees

Marshmallows and Cashews 

take out of oven and add one marshmallow or seven mini marshmallows
sprinkle with chopped cashews or almonds. (cashews are the preferred choice- I used raw cashews and almonds are pictured in some of the pictures.)

Bake at 4 minutes until done. Marshmallows should puff and just begin to brown.

Danielle added a bit of chocolate to some of the cookies after they came out of the oven. You should add it immediately after so it melts nice.

Almond Cookies

I went to a store and had a cookie.
It was almond and it was delicious.
So I decided to make some myself.

Almond Cookies

1 cup butter, cold
1 cup butter flavored crisco
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup sugar
whip together- make sure margarine and butter are cold

5 medium eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 tsp almond flavoring or 1/2 cup almond paste
mix 

3 cups flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Mix in parts
Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper then use a cookie cutter to get the shapes you want. I let my kids use some of their own cookie cutters to make shapes. 
(optional) chill dough for at least 10 minutes

cook at 375 for 8 minutes remove just before the edges brown. Do not overcook

My little almond cookie man. or as my son calls him- a white ginger-man

Frost with
Almond Icing  (not pictured)

2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup water
2 tsp almond flavoring

whip
add more powdered sugar as needed

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Butterscotch cookies

I may have already mentioned this but my daughter hates chocolate chips.
Not just a little bit. If I can convince her to try a cookie with Chocolate chips in it she slowly picks them out and throws them away when I'm not looking.

It only confuses me.
so she likes to tell me exactly what kind of cookies I should make. When I make the wrong kind she understandably reminds me AGAIN that chocolate chips are not her favorite. So half of my cookies can't have any chocolate chips in them.

The things we do for our kiddos. One of the things I did for my kids a while back was to hide all their Halloween candy on top of the fridge so I could secretly throw it away make sure they didn't eat too much.
Since that didn't work perfectly I decided to employ their help is distributing candy into cookie "recipes." It took all of one type of candy to make these nice cookies.

Butterscotch Reeces Cookies

1 cup margarine

1 cup sugar

1.5 cups light brown sugar

whip together

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

mix

2 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

add in 3 parts

A whole bunch of reeces pieces candy  bags. 

Or you can go buy a bag at the store and save some time with the tiny wrappers

1 package butterscotch chips

mix

bake 350 for 12 minutes or until done.

Finally a cookie my daughter can get behind.

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Lime Coconut Cookies

Lime Coconut Cookies

I really liked the lemon cookies so I decided I had to make Lime ones to match. 

1 cup butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup white sugar

whip together

3 eggs

2 whole limes, juiced

zest of two limes

1 tsp vanilla

add to butter mixture in parts

2.5 cups flour

.5 cups cornstarch

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Add in three parts

1 cup coconut

blend in.

scoop out dough into powdered sugar

bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until done.

Which recipe is your favorite? Lime or Lemon? maybe we should make orange cookies sometime soon.

S'mores Cookies

 S'mores Cookies

One day one of my co-workers told us all that she made s'mores cookies. They were FANTASTIC. Incidentally, that same co-worker is also fantastic at braiding hair. She taught me how to do a starburst crown braid which you can learn on the cute girls hairstyles youtube channel. I had no idea how awesome Youtube was for pretty much every question I've ever had. My new years resolution this year was actually to learn how to do my hair better so this was perfect. I still can't really braid my own hair but I did braid my daughters hair and I was proud that she didn't fuss.
These cookies are actually some of my favorite I've ever had.  I recommend them to everyone. They are a little bit tricky with kids because you have to take them out of the oven to add the graham crackers and marshmallows so be aware that if you child is too young to control themselves or always wants to touch things out of the oven it would be best to wait until after bedtime on these cookies.

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
cream for at least 2 minutes
3 medium eggs
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
mix in 1 egg at a time
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
mix dry ingredients together and add in at least three parts
1 bag semi sweet chocolate chips
mix in semi sweet chocolate chips
bake 5 minutes
add at least 
7 teddy grahams
bake 5 minutes 
add approximately
7 mini marshmallows and chocolate on top. I used mini hersheys
cook until they are done (3-5 minutes)

Merry Christmas Peppermint Crinkle Cookies

Peppermint Red Crinkle Cookies

I love most uses of powdered Sugar. Because it is Sugar.So in my quest to find more ways to fill the world with powdered sugar I like to roll cookies in it. These cookies are an adaptation of a traditional crinkle cookie. It started when I was at our grocery store and saw a product that I needed to buy for cookies:Andes Mints Peppermint baking chips. Now that I've tried them I want to go buy Williams-Sonoma Peppermint Bark and go cookie crazy. When I say cookie crazy I might mean eating half of it myself.

 

1 cup vegetable shortening at room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup sugar

Mix together three minutes medium speed.

3 medium eggs

1 tsp vanilla

15 drops red food coloring (optional)

Add wet ingredients together than mix in one egg at a time. More food coloring can be added until you get the desired color.

 3 cups of flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

have dry ingredients together and mix together with a wire whisk. Split the mixture into three smaller bowls. Children need to add each part of the cookie recipe in parts and it's easier with a separate bowl.

1 bag Andes Mints Peppermint Candies

Mix on low speed.

1 cup powdered sugar 

Drop cookie dough in powdered sugar and roll around until coated.

Refrigerate one hour and bake at 350 degrees for 11 minutes.

Tell your daughter you can't make green cookies until next week.

So close to Christmas Decoration time...

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Sugar Cookie Sunday

Sugar Cookie Sunday

  Based on the cookie recipes I've seen online I should name this recipe the best sugar cookies ever that your mom made super soft.  But the other day I made some sugar cookies. When I say the other day I could mean a few months ago or yesterday. In this case both are true. I made sugar cookies yesterday for Cookie Sunday but I didn't have time to finish the recipe posting.

One of the best things about yesterday was that I met up with some of the lovely ladies from Feminist Mormon Housewives. They came to be my visiting teachers. And I wanted them to stay all night and tell me everything about their lives and I wanted to have better food to invite them over for dinner and I wanted to go hiking with them. So overall it was really positive except I SLIGHTLY BURNED THE COOKIES. I have been making cookies for over a year every Sunday and THIS is the first burned cookie Sunday? That did NOT make me smile.

I burned the second batch that was chocolate cookies with kit kats and white chocolate chips. 

First I made sugar cookies because they are always popular. I had some circle sprinkles so I thought I should make cookies with them. That is really the BEST use of sprinkles ever. Sprinkles and sugar cookies are also fantastic because it is much less work than making cute shapes and rolling them out and frosting them with more beautiful shapes. That is also wonderful but sometimes I just want sugar and sprinkles.

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Sugar Cookies

Notes on ingredients:

To make these cookies vegan:

1 cup crisco or vegan Vegetable shortening. Crisco has some fantastic baking sticks that have one cup and I recommend them. I don't like washing crisco out of my cup measure. For this Recipe I don't like to use the butter flavored Crisco. My favorite brand is spectrum organics which is also vegan. These cookies are very easily vegan.

Use organically sourced non GMO sugar 

Use your favorite egg substitute. I use Ener-G egg replacer. I've had a lot of success if I mix it up in a mixer before I start making the cookies and let it sit, then mix it again.

Sprinkle Sugar Cookies

1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup vegetable shortening

mix for thirty seconds, then whip for at least two minutes.

2 jumbo eggs
1 tsp vanilla

mix in one egg at a time

1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3.5 cups white flour or cake flour

mix in three parts

1-2 packages sprinkles of your choice

spoon dough into a bowl of sprinkles and completely coat with sprinkles. refrigerate for at least an hour.
Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees

eat a lot. like a billion million.

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Peanut Butter M&M Cookies

Happy Cookie Sunday!

Today I just made one of my favorite type of cookies. The first thing I realized was that I was pretty much out of brown sugar. Which is a life threatening disaster when you are trying to make cookies every week. Last week I ran out of butter though and luckily a friend brought me some. I have tons of butter this week.

SO... I improvised a little. Also almost out of peanut butter. and milk. and all types of food because I haven't gone grocery shopping this week yet.  Please tell me I'm not the only one who keeps putting it off.

I LOVE peanut butter M&M cookies. I like making them little and eating a ton of them. I ate three of them today. I use a little ice cream scoop to measure out my cookies. I can fit 15 cookies onto one cookie sheet. Also I should mention that I have favorite cookie sheet brands and I feel pretty strongly about it. The Williams Sonoma Goldtouch nonstick pan is one of my favorites. I also like the Calphalon kitchen essentials series but I think I got it at bed bath and beyond and I have no idea what specific cookie sheet it is. If you just get really cheap crappy cookie sheets then your cookies might not cook as well. I use aluminum foil to line my cookie sheets. So I don't have to wash them. I've tried parchment paper and one of the silpat liners but I haven't tested those as much.

Peanut Butter M&M cookies

1 stick of margarine

1 stick of unsalted Tilamook butter

1 cup of white sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

cream sugar and butter for at least 2 minutes

1 cup peanut butter

1 tbsp vegetable oil

mix

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla 

mix

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

blend dry ingredients. I used a whisk

mix with other ingredients in at least 3 parts

1 bag mini M&Ms 

1 bag milk chocolate chips.

mix

chill at least one hour

scoop onto pre lined cookie sheets

bake for 10 minutes at 350degrees

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Lemon Drop Cookies

Lemon Drop Cookies

Today I typed out roughly a million recipes for cookies. give or take. I've been making cookies now every Sunday for almost 11 months.
So I have some recipes saved up to post later. Sometimes I make cookies and try something new and it fails miserably. I don't even eat the cookies on those days. It was an interesting day today. I went to church and it was the wrong building and I couldn't find the right one. That wasn't embarrassing at all.

I also made lemon cookies with lemon pudding.

Recipe for Lemon Cookies:
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup margarine (or crisco or other vegetable shortening)
cream 2 minutes

2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
zest of 1 medium orange
 mix in one egg at a time

1 small lemon pudding packet (I used instant)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 3/4 cups flour
mix dry ingredients together and add in at least 3 parts

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar in flat bottomed bowl

preheat oven to 350
scoop out and drop in powdered sugar.
roll in powdered sugar
freeze for 10 minutes or refrigerate for several hours.
bake around 14 minutes
remove from sheet.

optional: dip in powdered sugar again when hot and also after they have cooled.

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I should explain something about how I cook.
The first step to cooking to to clear all your kitchen counters and clean them off. with a food safe kitchen cleaner.
Then gather the ingredients for your recipe and the measuring scoops you will use. I measure out all the ingredients before I start. Then I add them to bowls in the order they will be added to my dough. the sugar and butter go in the main bowl right away since they are first. The eggs and vanilla (and in this case orange zest) get mixed together in one bowl. There is a separate bowl for dry ingredients mixed together. If it applies, there is another bowl for chocolate chips.
As I measure out ingredients I put them away. I always know if I have salt in my dry ingredients because the salt will be back in the pantry. I hate having clutter. I also like to clean the dishes as I go. Today I made bread and by the time it was in the oven all the bowls and the mixing bowl were clean.

There is nothing worse than a dirty cook, and kitchens with children get dirty enough anyway. Today while I was cooking my little one threw candy bars behind the oven and also dumped three or four cups of water on the floor. That floor gets wiped down a lot but still manages to look like a tornado hit.

I found a cute little poster that sort of reminds me of how these cookies make me feel. It's on etsy HERE. Next time I'm going to add lemon juice. The cookies have a kind of lemon bar feel.

Happy Cookie Sunday!

Butterscotch Caramel Cookies

Butterscotch Caramel Cookies

While I was at Target the other day I walked by something that seemed like it might be wonderful in cookies.
Kraft Caramel Bits.
Have you ever seen them? I hadn't. They are tiny little balls of caramel. just about the size of a chocolate chip. I guess they are for melting but you know what? I thought they would be good in cookies. So I bought them. Then I decided to make butterscotch cookies because my daughter loves Butterscotch cookies. (she hates chocolate chip cookies which I find totally incorrect.)

So I made them.

1 stick Margarine
1 stick unsalted Butter
1 cup white sugar
1 1/4 cup brown sugar (I used dark brown which I rarely do)
cream together 2 minutes

add 3 medium eggs
2 tsp vanilla
mix in eggs one at a time.

3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt ( I didn't level it on account of the unsalted butter)
mix in at least three parts.

1 bag Kraft caramel bits
1 bag butterscotch cookies.

Bake at 350.

My thoughts-
The caramel bits sort of exploded out of the sides of some of the cookies which I didn't love.  But my daughter told me I was the best mom ever and that she loves me forever so go figure.
My mother updated me that unsalted butter was the way to go because it doesn't store as long as salted butter so normally when you look at the butter on the shelves the unsalted butter will be relatively new whereas the salted version can sit quite a while without going bad.
So of course I bought unsalted butter because my mom put the fear of salted butter in me.