Delicious Apple Crisp and a Goodbye...

This is one of my favorite desserts ever.  I know what you are thinking.  This girl has a lot of favorite desserts.  Yes, I do.  And there is nothing wrong with that!!! Of course, my favorite part is the 'crisp'.  I could eat that and only that.  I like a tiny little bite of apple LOADED with crisp. Crispy sweet brown sugar and oats with a touch of cinnamon and a little butter.  What's not to love about that? Yum Yum Yum.  Top it off with homemade vanilla ice cream and BAM...you have a sweet little treat.  Enjoy!

No, it's not goodbye forever.  Just for a week.  I'm off to Washington D.C for a little vacation with my hubby.  My brave Mother offered to take the kids, so we took her up on her generous offer.  Angel.  Anyways, I have my smart little computer all set up to post for you while I am away.  I promise to read all of your comments as soon as my plane lands back home!  I'll be back before you know it!!! Have a good weekend and a fabulous next week!

Apple Crisp

recipe by Stephanie

4 medium granny smith apples, sliced

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup oats

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/3 cup butter, softened

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg.  Using your hands or a pastry blender, mix in the butter until the mixture resembles pea sized crumbs.

2. Spread apples in the pan.  Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture evenly over the apples.  

3. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until the crisp is browned and the apples are tender.

4. Serve with ice cream.

Blueberry Buttermilk Streusel Coffee Cake

Long name, simple recipe! All I have to say about this recipe is, Yum.  I love coffee cake and I love blueberries.  I also love the combination of blueberries, lemon zest, and cinnamon.  And add a crunchy streusel to the top and hello, heaven!  To me, there is nothing quite like it. They blend together so perfectly.  I've been working on this recipe FOREVER.  I was originally trying to make it as bread in a loaf pan and also using plain yogurt.  I was having a lot of trouble with the bread rising and cooking in the middle.  I finally decided to turn it into a coffee cake and when I tasted this hot out of the oven, I was literally in heaven.  I could easily eat the entire pan in about 10 minutes, maybe even sooner. Breakfast, brunch or dessert, this recipe is amazing and you must try it, because if you don't, you will be missing out on an incredibly tasty treat! 

On one last note..My husband and I are taking a kid-less vacation next week to Washington D.C and I was wondering if any of you knowledgeable foodies out there knew any fabulous restaurants that we should not miss out on.  I've never been there, so I'm clueless!  If you do, let me know please!!! Thanks!

Have a great week everyone!

Blueberry Buttermilk Streusel Coffee Cake

recipe by Stephanie

For the Cake:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

For the Streusel:

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup cold butter

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a 9 inch pan.  

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  Set aside.

3. In a bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time until well incorporated.  Add vanilla.  

4. Slowly add flour mixture, and than buttermilk until just combined.  Do not overmix.

5. Stir in blueberries and lemon zest.

6. Pour batter in the pan, it will be slightly thick. 

7. Make streusel.  Mix sugar, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon.  Add butter and mix with hands, or a pastry blender until mixture is the size pea sized crumbs.  Sprinkle evenly over cake batter.

8. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a  toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

BBQ Chicken, Awards and My Mother

My brain is a complete blank right now.  I can't seem to form coherent sentences, but I will keep trying for the sake of this post!  I made these Barbecue Chicken Wingettes the other night and we were definitely licking our fingers clean.  Very delicious.  And whenever you can get all messy and use your hands is always a fun change.  My daughter loved smearing the sauce all over her hands and licking it right off.  I think she ate more sauce than actual chicken.  The recipe called for "drumettes", but I could only find chicken labeled as "wingettes".  If you ask me it looks exactly the same, but I may be wrong.  Nevertheless, this dish was a hit and I will definitely be making it again!  I got the recipe here.  Thank you Martha Stewart!

Brown Sugar Barbeque Chicken Drumettes

adapted from Martha Stewart (I scaled it down)

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

course salt and black pepper

2 pounds chicken drumettes, patted dry

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together ketchup, sugar, worcestershire, and vinegar; season with salt and pepper.  Set aside 1/2 cup for tossing raw chicken; use rest for baked chicken.

2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

3. Place drumettes on baking sheets and toss with 1/2 cup sauce.

4. Bake chicken until opaque throughout, 20-25 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through.  Toss baked drumettes with a little more sauce and serve the remaining sauce on the side.

And now, a big thank you to Holly over at Phemomenom for giving me the Yummy Blog Award!  You definitely made my day and I would love to pass it on to a few of my favorite food blogs!

First is Prudy from Prudence Pennywise.  As she states on her blog..scandalously good food on a budget.  My kind of girl.  I'm always looking to cook on a budget.  I've not mastered this art yet, but I love her tips and especially her recipes.  

Second Joy from Joy the Baker.  Joy cooks from the heart, and I love her writing as much as her recipes.  When I read her blog, I get a smile on my face and I usually end up laughing.  Her recipes are amazing, and I don't think there is one recipe that I'm not dying to try!

And lastly, Dawn from Vanilla Sugar.  I'm new to Dawn's blog, but I have enjoyed it so much since discovering it.  Her recipes are right up my alley and I love reading her food reviews.  

Thanks again Holly, and make sure you check out these blogs, if you haven't already, you won't be disappointed!

And one more final note, my dear sweet Mother recently started a French Linen business called My French Table.  She has some amazing French Imported tablecloths, aprons, kitchen hand towels and napkins.  They are really beautiful!  Make sure you check it out!  That is my sweet daughter with her Grandma, (My Mom), getting ready to bake away!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Chocolate Caramel Brownies

Okay, so if you are against using boxed cake mixes, please don't look any further. But as for me, every once in a while, I think they are perfect and so incredibly useful. In this recipe for instance, I use a boxed German Chocolate Cake mix and let me tell you, these are the best brownies ever! The chocolate and chewy caramel blend together effortlessly and end in a simply indulgent dessert. Yum! I had these at my Aunt's house years ago and I've been making them ever since. They are my go to brownie and I crave them all the time. So simple, yet so delicious!

Chocolate Caramel Brownies

1 box German Chocolate Cake mix
3/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 bag wrapped caramels (50 individually wrapped caramels
1/3 cup evaporated milk

1. Mix together the cake mix, melted butter and 1/2 cup evaporated milk. Mix until well incorporated, it will be thick. Press half of batter into a 9x13 inch greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 7 minutes.
2. While batter is baking, melt caramels and 1/3 cup evaporated milk in a saucepan until creamy. When brownies are done, poor caramel on top of the cooked portion of brownies. Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of caramel. Dot the remaining brownie mix on top of chips and caramel. Return to oven and bake for another 11 minutes. Cool in refrigerator for about 2 hours.

Low Fat Mini Cheesecake Tarts

I have been really lacking in posts lately...I just made these babies this morning.  I've gone through my entire archive of recipes and now I'm trying to play catch up.  So forgive me if I'm not posting as often for just a little while.  I'll get better, I promise.  I was craving cheesecake, which is weird for me because I've never been a big cheesecake fan.  But ever since my first Daring Bakers Challenge, which was the ever so delicious Cheesecake Pops, I've been liking it more and more.  It's so bizarre how our taste buds change throughout the years.  Anyways, I didn't want to spend a whole lot of time in the kitchen so I made these little cuties.  This is seriously one of the easiest recipes ever but so delicious!  I found these cute little mini graham cracker crumb ready crusts and I've been wanting to use them ever since.  I finally decided to brake them out and fill them with delicious Fat Free Cheesecake.  Okay, so they're not completely fat free, but pretty close.  I used fat free cream cheese, so the only fat would be from the egg.  Not bad though, huh?  If you don't want to use the mini graham crusts, another great idea is to put a vanilla wafer in a muffin cup and poor the cream cheese over that.  Just as delicious and easy.  I love my cheesecake with fresh sweet strawberries, so that's how I topped them. Yummy!  From start to finish, this yummy dessert only took me 20 minutes, and that's including baking time!  Hope you enjoy it!  Have a great weekend everyone!

Low Fat Mini Cheesecake Tarts

makes 6 mini tarts

1 package (8 oz) fat free cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

crust of your choice

1. Mix the sugar and cream cheese until creamy.  Add egg and vanilla, mix until creamy and smooth.  Fill tarts to the rim and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until set.  When cool, top with topping of your choice.  Refrigerate.  Enjoy!

Meatloaf Mania!

So every week I sit down and I plan out my menu for dinners for the next week.  For the last 3 years, I've had meatloaf on the menu, and for the past 3 years I've always skipped it and it was then put on the menu for the next week, and so on.  I'm not sure why I've had such a hard time making meatloaf.  I grew up eating meatloaf.  I've never met a meatloaf that I didn't like.  But for some reason, I've lacked the motivation to actually make it.  But this week, I finally gave in and decided to try it out.  I added a little bit of this and a little bit of that, hoping that everything would turn out tasty.  And I must say, I wish I wouldn't have waited so long.  It was so delicious, so tasty and so perfect.  I found some tasty Brocciflower (half cauliflower/half broccoli) which was so delicious as a side and of course mashed potatoes to finish it off.  Some tasty down home cookin' and comfort food to boot. That's my kind of meal!

Mini Meatloafs 

recipe by Stephanie

serves 4

1 lb. ground beef

olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

2 eggs

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 cup italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon tomato paste

salt and pepper

ketchup

1. In a skillet, add olive oil and onions and cook until onions are soft, about 8 minutes.  Add worcestershire sauce and set aside to cool slightly.

2. In a large bowl, whisk eggs.  Add parsley, bread crumbs, cheese, tomato paste,salt and pepper.  Mix together until well incorporated.  Add ground beef and mix with hands just until combined.  Do not overmix.  Separate into 4 even patties and shape into loafs.  Place on baking sheet and cover the tops of the loaves with ketchup.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 35-40 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches between 155 to 160 degrees.  

Lemony Lemon Muffins

I apologize for the lack of posts recently.  I think cookie week really tuckered me out and I haven't been cooking or baking much since.  I'm finally over that and ready to get back in the kitchen! 

If you are a frequent reader of my blog, than you know how much I love lemon.  Anything lemon really.  But put it in cake or muffins and I'm in.  I'm all in.  So yet another muffin recipe from Stephanie's Kitchen.  If you love lemon bundt cake, than you will simply adore these little beauties.  They are topped with a sugary streusel, and if that wasn't enough, top that with a lemon glaze and you have yourself one tasty little muffin.  Please..try it.  You'll love it.  I promise.

Lemony Lemon Muffins

makes 24 muffins

For the muffins:

3 cups all purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

1 cup plain yogurt

1 cup butter, melted

1 1/2 tablespoons grated lemon peel

1 tablespoon lemon juice

For the streusel:

1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cold butter

For the glaze:

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, butter, lemon peel and lemon juice.  Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  Mix, just until moistened.  Grease or paper line muffin cups and fill the batter 3/4 full. 

2. In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar and butter. Using your hands or a pastry blender, mix until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Sprinkle the streusel over the batter.  

3. Bake muffins at 350 degrees for about 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean.  Cool for 5 minutes and remove onto a wire rack.  

4. Mix together the confectioners' sugar and lemon juice and drizzle over muffins.

Buttery Vanilla Cupcakes with Creamy Chocolate Buttercream and Awards!

I've been trying to come up with more and more of my own recipes.  I realized that it's probably not the best idea to post all of the recipes out of the cookbooks that I haven't actually written myself.  So I've been trying to get my brain thinking and I've been experimenting and trying to become a more creative artist in the kitchen.  Hopefully that all works out...it's coming slowly though.  So, I just found these cute muffin cups that I wanted to use, and I was trying to create a half pound cake half cupcake recipe.  I had the recipe all on paper hoping it would all work out. My daughter helped me get the batter made and as I'm scooping it into the muffin cups I realize that I only added half the butter as I intended.  They turned out beautifully despite the mistake. Extremely buttery and moist.  The perfect cupcake.  I must not have had my baking "mojo" properly connected because another mistake of filling the muffin cups too full ended up as huge mess in my oven.  But they were salvaged.  These cupcakes were perfect.  I topped them off with a creamy chocolate buttercream frosting.  Delicious!  

Buttery Vanilla Cupcakes with Creamy Chocolate Buttercream

recipe by Stephanie

makes 12 cupcakes

For the cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla (or you could use almond or lemon)

For the frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup cocoa powder

2 2/3 cups confectioners' sugar

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream (or half and half or milk)

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  In a mixer, beat butter until creamy.  Add milk.  Add eggs, one at a time until fully incorporated.  Slowly add the dry ingredients until well mixed.  Beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes.  Batter should be fluffy and creamy.

2. Line muffin tin with muffin cups.  Fill the cups only 1/2 full with batter.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely in muffin tin.  Transfer to wire rack to frost.

3. For the frosting, in a mixer cream the butter.  Add the cocoa and mix thoroughly.  Add vanilla. Slowly add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup cup at a time, alternating with the cream until consistency is fluffy and creamy.  Frost on cooled cupcakes.

I felt so honored when I received not 1 but 2 Yummy Blog Awards! One from my good friend Jenny at Picky Palate and the second one from the lovely Leslie at The Hungry Housewife. Thanks girls! It made my day and made me feel very special! I've met some of the nicest people here in Foodie Land. I love seeing the creativity that comes from the blogs I love and it inspires me to do better! So now I want to pass this great award on to 5 other great Food Blogs. I could choose so many, but here are the glorious blogs I chose:

Holly at Phemomenom: Holly bakes so many wonderful treats, I really wish I lived next door. I could easily make everything on her blog and die a happy girl.  She is not afraid of a little flour and sugar, and I love that about her blog!

Lindsey at Cafe Johnsonia: I would hope that someday she does open her own cafe, because I would be a loyal customer!  Everything that Lindsey makes seems so fresh, healthy and delicious!  I love pulling up her blog nearly everyday and finding a new and delicious post and my mouth waters every time!

Lori at Recipe Girl: Lori's blog is outstanding.  I love seeing her new posts and the bounty of recipes she has on hand!  She always has something new and delicious waiting for me when I turn on my computer!

Kalyn at Kalyn's Kitchen: Kalyn is all about healthy, and so when I look at her blog, it inspires me to be more healthy in my cooking.  It is easy to get so many wonderful ideas to lighten up your diet!  Something I need for sure...

Emiline at Sugarplum:  Emiline is truly original.  She creates all of her own recipes and it is truly an inspiration!  Her recipes are all mouthwatering.  I've made a few and they were all completely delicious!  

Make sure you check out these great blogs and be inspired!

Last Day of Cookie Week, Lemon Shortbread Cookie Cups, and Giveaway Winners!

Here it is, the last day of Cookie Week.  I know, I know, grab a tissue, so sad!  I've really enjoyed baking all of these wonderful goodies, and now I won't have to have anymore for a very long time. (Who am I kidding?) No, it's not the end of my baking, but I sure am taking a break for a while.  I just bought a new baby though, and it just might take up much of my time for a while.  My beautiful little Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker!  I just need some yummy ice cream recipes now!  I haven't had much luck so far, but I'm not giving up.  I will somehow conquer the Ice Cream Dream Machine!  

So...I know the suspense has been dreadful to find out the winner of the wonderful cookbooks! I've been so excited for the giveaway, and I won't leave you in suspense any longer!  Drum roll please.....

The winner of Cookies Galore is......Elisebeth!  Please email me your address so I can get this out to you pronto!

The winner of Martha Stewart's Cookies is....Stupendous Treats!  Please email me your address so I can get this mailed ASAP!  

Congrats to you both, and I truly hope that you enjoy your new cookbooks!  

Now onto the last cookie recipe of the week!  I have definitely saved the best for last.  I am very proud of this recipe, because I thought it up in my own brain and created it from scratch!  And I was very surprised that it turned out even better than I imagined it to.  I LOVE lemon bars. Really, anything lemon is on my good side, but lemon bars..ooh...the mix between the butter shortbread and the tart gooey lemon filling and don't forget that layer of powdered sugar. Yum! So, I really wanted to make it into some sort of cookie, instead of a bar.  This is what I came up with.  Modeled after the Twisted Peanut Butter Cups that I made a while back, I made a shortbread crust and molded it into mini muffin tins.  I baked those off and than filled them with delicious lemon filling.  I did end up adjusting the recipe a bit so that when you make them, you have enough filling to fill the middles more than I did.  They should be filled to the top of the cup.  My husband even got wide eyed when he tasted them, AND went in for seconds..and thirds!  Let me tell you, that is not like my husband.  He told me that they reminded him of mini lemon meringue pies.  So, I was worried that you guys wouldn't really consider these a "cookie".  But they felt like a cookie to me.  So they went on the list.  And they definitely won as my favorite.  I hope you try them and fall in love with them.  Make them for a dinner party, and people will be so impressed with you!  

Thanks for all the nice comments this week, and most of all thanks for your entries in the giveaway.  It was so fun reading all of the comments and hearing everyones favorite cookie. I'm pretty sure the all time favorite was the chocolate chip cookie!  Sometimes simple really is best!  I hope everyone has a great 4th of July weekend!  

Mini Lemon Shortbread Cookie Cups

recipe by Stephanie

makes 24 mini cookie cups

For the Crust:

1 1/2 cups flour

8 tablespoons cold butter

1/4 cup sugar

2 egg yolks

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1/8 teaspoon salt

For the Filling:

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/8 cup whole milk

To Complete:

Confectioner's sugar for dusting the tops

1. Using a food processor if possible (it will work best, but if you don't have one, just use a mixer) process the flour and butter until they resemble course crumbs.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  

2. Divide dough into 24 equal balls and place in greased mini muffin tins.  Push down on the bottom and sculpt the dough up the sides to the rim of the cup.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden.  

3. Make filling - Cream together the eggs and the sugar. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until well blended and smooth. Fill each cup with filling until it reaches the rim of the cup. Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees.  Bake for 12-14 minutes or until set.  Let cool slightly. Remove cups from muffin tins and let cool completely.  Dust with confectioners' sugar.

Day 4 of Cookie Week - Peanut Butter Fancies

On to Day 4!  Remember that today is the last day to enter in the Giveaway!  I am quite new to this giveaway thing, and noticed that I probably should have mentioned that I need to have a way to get a hold of you (via email, or blog) if you are a winner.  I've had quite a few anonymous entries, and those obviously aren't in for the running, because I don't know who you are!  I will know better next time to mention that before hand.  Oops!  But, if you are one of the many anonymous's please just enter again and let me know your email address!

Now on to the cookie of the day.  I hope you have enjoyed the cookies I have posted so far.  I worked so hard to get the best of the best!  This one is no exception.  If you love peanut butter and chocolate, than this cookie is for you!  It doesn't get much richer than this, but let me tell you that it is worth it!  Yum.  Combining peanut butter, peanut butter cups and milk and semisweet chocolate on top, you have yourself one extremely happy cookie.  And you will be happy too if you give these a try!  

Now, I promised some expert cookie advice.  Now, this is mainly for my sweet mother who claims that she is not a "good cookie maker".  Love ya Mom! There are some simple tricks to make sure you have a perfect cookie every time.  I don't claim to be an expert, but I have learned a few tricks through the years that have helped me be more successful at cookie baking. Here are they are:

1. Always use room temperature butter.  It needs to be soft, but not melted to get the perfect creamed mixture.

2. Always whisk together your dry ingredients before adding it to your creamed mixture.  If you own a sifter (I don't), use it.  If you don't have one, use a whisk.  Same thing.  It needs to be evenly blended to make sure the baking soda or powder and salt get evenly distributed.

3. If your batter isn't very thick and extremely sticky, add more flour.  Not too much, just enough to get the batter to a thick enough consistency.  If you don't have enough flour, your cookies will be horribly flat.  I don't like a flat cookie, unless it's really supposed to be flat.  

4. Don't overbake your cookies.  The cookies continue baking on the baking sheet, even after being removed from the oven, so remove them right before you they get to be too golden.  They will set up perfectly once removed from the oven.

5. If possible, let your cookie dough chill in the fridge for at least an hour before baking.  

Now, don't hold me accountable if you don't agree with some of these tips, they work for me, so I just though I should pass them along!  Be sure to let me know if you have anymore great cookie tips!  I would love to hear them!

Peanut Butter Cup Fancies

makes 10-12 large cookies

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups quartered miniature peanut butter cups (about 30 cups)

1/2 cup melted milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips for drizzling

1. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.  

2. Cream the peanut butter and butter in a mixer.  Add the sugars and beat until well combined. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until well combined. Slowly add the flour mixture and mix just until just combined.  Stir in the peanut butter cups.  Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until firm enough to handle.

3. Roll into large balls (about 1/3 cup each) and flatten on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 10-12 minutes, until just turning golden.  Do not overbake!  Cool slightly and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.  

4. Drizzle cookies with melted chocolate.   

Day 3 of Cookie Week - Gingersnaps!

So, I have to admit I am a little baked out today.  I haven't baked this much in my life - ever. I'm literally exhausted from baking, cleaning, baking, cleaning.  But, it has all been worth it to bring you the best ever recipes!  After reading your comments, it seems to be putting everybody in the baking mood, so in that, I have succeeded!  Sorry if you are mad at me for putting you in the baking mood...But everyone needs a cookie once in a while.  At least I do.  

Now on to today's cookie.  The Gingersnap.  I grew up on gingersnaps.  My Mom would buy the bagged kind in the grocery store.  You know, the ones that when you bite into it, you very well could chip a tooth? Yep, those ones.  But I always loved the flavor of Gingersnaps. Although I only usually make these around the Christmas holiday, I was in the mood for them and so I decided to share my recipe for the best Gingersnaps in the world!  Yum.  They are crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.  I hope that you will try them, and love them!

Don't forget to comment on Monday's post to enter the giveaway.  You have until Thursday at Midnight!  And stay tuned for another delicious cookie recipe and some expert cookie tips!

Gingersnaps

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 egg, at room temperature

1/4 cup molasses

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 tablespoon ginger

1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

sugar for rolling cookie dough in

1. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg.  Stir in the molasses.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and salt.  Slowly add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture.  Refrigerate for 1 hour, or until firm.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Roll the cookie dough into 1 inch balls and than lightly roll in the sugar.  Place cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

4. Bake cookies for 12-14 minutes, or until golden.  Cool slightly and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Day 2 of Cookie Week - Lemon Gems

So, here we are on Day 2 of Cookie Week.  And yet another yummy cookie recipe to share!  This time, it's all about Lemon, another one of my favorite flavors, especially of the summer.  Lemon is so fresh and full of flavor, I love it!  And if you love lemon as much as I do, you will love this special cookie, the Lemon Gem.  I found the recipe in a recent issue of Taste of Home Magazine.  These delightful cookies are small but packed full of lemon goodness.  They literally melt in your mouth.  All the components for a perfect cookie in my opinion.  I hope you enjoy them!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway on Monday's post.  Just tell me what your favorite cookie of all time is, and you just might win a great cookbook!  

Lemon Gems

adapted from Taste of Home Magazine

makes about 28 cookies

For the Cookie:

3/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup colored nonpareils (or colored sugar)

For the Lemon Icing:

1 cup confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1. In a small mixing bowl, cream butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the lemon peel.  Whisk together the flour and cornstarch. Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and mix well.  Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle.

2. Shape into a 1 3/4 in.-diameter roll, and roll it in the nonpareils.  Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until firm.

3. Unwrap and cut into 1/4 inch slices.  Place 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.  Bake at 375 degrees for 9-11 minutes or until set and edges are lightly browned.  Cool slightly and move cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

4. In a small bowl, combine icing ingredients and spread over cookies.