Celebrating a New Baby Girl...

I made another batch of sour cream cookies this week.

This time I needed something special for a bit of a baby shower for a mom who is a part of the leadership team at our mom's group. I dressed them up as little cakes, remembering some cookie cakes I had seen in some Martha Stewart publication a few years ago. They had my almond flavored frosting on them. I piped it on with a round tip.



Didn't they turn out so sweet? I think you could easily make them work for a baby boy too. Or won't they be fun for a tea party? I was pleased with the result.

If you want to make some cookie cakes - follow that sour cream cookie recipe. And cut out equal numbers of three different size rounds. I used every other size of a graduated set of circle cookie cutters.

Then whip up a batch of frosting (fairly stiff). Make it any color you choose and fill a pastry bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe frosting between the layers of cookies - to stick them together. I piped my flower onto the top of the small cookie before placing it on the medium size cookie. When all the cookies are frosted together and stacked up, add the small dots around the seams where the cookies meet. Wah-lah... Beautiful cookie cakes to celebrate with an expecting mom!!!!

Making Baking Healthier: Shannon's Peanut Butter Jumbos

These cookies are some that my friend modified. They were already a flour free cookie. Plus they have the good fat of the peanut butter and tons of yummy oats. They are a really good, healthier cookie.

The recipe:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

1/4 c. butter softened
1 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 c. peanut butter
(Shannon uses natural, I've done it with both. Either works well)
3 eggs

Cream together. Add:

2 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla
4 1/2 c. uncooked rolled oats
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 c. butterscotch chips

Until combined. You may want to lightly grease your cookie sheet. Drop by heaping tablespoon full unto cookie sheet. You may need to press the dough together slightly and/or press the chips into the dough. Bake for about 10 minutes until set and slightly browned.

Shannon doesn't add all the chips that I do. But my family really likes all the chips. :) Think of these as kind of a homemade granola bar. You could certainly add dried fruit instead of some of the chips.

The original peanut butter jumbo recipe has twice the sugar and twice the butter that this recipe has. And the cookies are baked in a larger size - thus the name. But I like them smaller.

Try them - you'll love them.

a family favorite: Sour Cream Sugar Cookies all dressed for Valentine's Day

For Ella's school Valentine party, I made a batch of a family favorite: sour cream sugar cookies. These are one of my mom's signature recipes. I am not as good at making them as she is but I get a little better every time I try. :)

The recipe:

1 c. soft butter
1 c. sugar

Cream together.

1 c. sour cream
1 t. vanilla extract
3 egg yokes

Mix until blended.

1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
3 c. flour

Add and mix some more. I add just under the 3 c. of flour when mixing. I add the rest when I roll them out. Chill at least 1 hour. But ideally overnight. Roll out to about 1/4 inch thick being generous with flour. Cut out. Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes.



Here is a picture of the dough before it is chilled. I wanted you to see what a gooey mess it is. That's how it's supposed to look. :) I rip off two large sections of plastic wrap and wrap it in that before placing it in the fridge to chill. This is another tip from my mom. Because it is such a gooey dough, it chills faster in the smaller amount plus you have a smaller amount to work with when you take it out to roll. The less time it has to warm up, the easier it is to get it rolled out and unto the baking sheets.



These are a really tender cookie. SUPER soft. That makes them perfect for drizzling with a glaze. My mom used an almond flavored glaze. Sometimes I will decorate them with a pastry bag. Spreading frosting on them with a knife can be too difficult because they are so tender.



Here they are all ready to go to the party. Mmmmm.

My first "dump" cake...

Have you checked out Bakerella's website? I recently discovered her - wow, does she make some elaborate things and I love her blog's name. Her snowman pops look amazing. The other day she had this post about Peach Crunch Cake. I had to try it.

Here's a picture of how mine turned out.



We really loved it and almost the entire 9 x 13 is already gone 24 hours later.

The recipe is in bakerella's post but if I was going to do it again, I'd make a few changes:

I'd use more peaches - hers called for 24.5 oz. I even used more this time around but I'd do even more when I make it again. I used two 15 oz. cans and I think I could even use three cans. Maybe it would make it more runny or take it a bit longer to bake??? But I just felt the delicious topping could have used more fruit beneath it.

I also skipped the nuts on almost the entire thing (we have no nut people in our house - not allergies, just dislike of them.) But for a small section on one end - I used chopped pecans instead of walnuts like the recipe called for. Loved it!

Give this one a try. You'll be so glad you did! So easy and delicious!