Caramel Kiss Peanut Butter Cookies

These were such a hit! I'm so glad I tried them. Everyone who ate them loved them. This is definitely a keeper recipe. I saw the idea over at Lauren's Latest. The only change I made was to add a tiny bit more flour to get my cookies to the right consistency. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all purpose flour (in my climate I usually have to add a tiny bit more flour to get to the right consistency)
1 1/3 cups chopped Hershey’s Caramel Kisses

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper. Set aside. In a large bowl, whip butter, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla and eggs. Scrape sides and mix again. Slowly incorporate all dry ingredients until combined. Stir in chopped Hershey’s caramel kisses. Scoop by the teaspoon full onto prepared baking sheet. Bake 8-9 minutes (mine took 10 and were perfect) or until the edges are barely golden and the middle looks like it’s not quite done.{You may have the urge to keep them in longer–don’t! Unless you want crunchier cookies in which case you should then leave them in a minute or two longer… but I like mine chewy so I pull them out sooner.} Cool on baking sheet 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Store in airtight containers.

Look at that cute Easter plate my mom gave me!

White Chocolate Dipped Sugar Doodles

It's almost like these cookies were designed specifically for Nate. He loves white chocolate, cinnamon-sugar flavored things, and vanilla. I knew these cookies would be perfect for him. Nate says he'd even enjoy these cookies plain. I saw this recipe over at Sweet Treats and More. I followed her recipe almost exactly. So if you haven't had quite enough sugar this holiday season, give these a try. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 egg
2 Tbsp. heavy cream (or milk)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (give or take. I almost always have to add more flour to my cookies to get the right texture because of where I live)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon (we love McCormick's Saigon cinnamon)
1/4 tsp. salt
white chocolate or almond bark

Preparation:
In a stand mixer, beat butter until smooth and creamy. Add the sugars and continue beating on medium-high speed until well combined and creamed together.
Scrape the sides of the bowl down, then add egg, heavy cream, and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes).
Stop, scrape down sides of the bowl again, beat on low speed and gradually add flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix until just combined.
Chill dough for 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 350. Roll dough into small balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
Once cooled, melt white chocolate in a microwave safe bowl on low heat and stirring every 30 seconds. Continue until completely melted. Dip one half of cookies in the white chocolate then place on waxed paper or foil until chocolate is set. Yields 18-24 cookies depending on size and if you need to add more flour.

German Chocolate Cake Cookies

Sorry for being so absentee lately! I had foot surgery and then was out of town for a week. Things should be getting back to normal now though. I made these cookies for our trip with Nate's family. Several of them love German chocolate cake and so I figured these cookies would be a hit. Everyone really enjoyed them. I found this recipe over at Crumbs and Chaos. I used a cookie scoop to portion these out and I ended up with nearly 6 dozen small cookies.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; mix until well combined. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Stir until everything is fully incorporated. Mix in chocolate chips, pecans and coconut. Put tablespoon sized balls of dough on cookie sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Super Soft Sugar Cookies

Can you believe I've never made sugar cookies the whole time I've been married? I know! Shame on me. To be honest, I didn't know that Nate liked them. Anyway, on Halloween night we made some sugar cookies. They turned out really well and are indeed super soft. I forgot to roll mine in sugar, but they were great anyway. I found this recipe over at Oopsey Daisy.

Ingredients:
1 c. sugar
1 c. butter
3 eggs
3 tsp. baking powder
3 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. vanilla

Preparation:
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients. Chill 1 hour. Roll and cut. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 375 for 8 minutes.


The picture is awful, we didn't start baking the cookies until almost 9 pm, so the lighting was non-existant.

Brownie Chunk Chocolate Chip Cookies

Earlier in the week Nate commented on how it has been a while since I made him any cookies. Usually I make him either chocolate chip or peanut butter cup cookies. I wanted to try something new so Nate picked these brownie chunk chocolate chip cookies. The recipe comes from Picky Palate. I LOVE her site. She always has the best ideas. I have tons of her recipes bookmarked to try.

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup chocolate chips
2 cups cubed prepared brownies

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment or silpat liner.
Place butter and sugars into the bowl of a stand or electric mixer, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, beating until well combined.
Place flour, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl, mixing to combine. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients along with chocolate chips and brownie chunks until just combined.
Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet about 1-inch apart. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes until cooked through. Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.
Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Ginger Snap Cookies

2 Cups Sugar
1 1/2 Cup Oil
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Molasses
4 Cups Flour
4 teaspoons Soda
1 tablespoon Ginger
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Salt

Cream together the sugar, oil, and eggs. Add the dry ingredients. Roll into 1" balls and roll in sugar. Place on a pan. Cook 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Nate's Favorite Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

I've had lots of people ask me for this recipe. Here you go!

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup peanut butter (Nate prefers creamy, not chunky)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 ½-3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup (6 oz.) milk chocolate chips
2 cups Reese’s peanut butter cups, chopped

Preparation:
Cream together butter, sugar, brown sugar, and peanut butter until fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt and then gradually add to the wet mixture. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and chopped Reese’s.
Drop cookies 2” apart on a cookie sheet, I always use a cookie scooper to shape my cookies. Bake at 350 for 9 minutes. Makes a ton!