Livin' the Dream in Lima

It's been a busy couple weeks. We've had LOTS of time spent with family & friends, which is always awesome. I can't believe it's already December... time to whip out the mixers and baking sheets and get cookie-baking! I debated whether to do the 12 Days of Christmas Cookies here on the blog this year, considering it's been 85 years since I last posted a recipe. But I figured, "why not?!" It gives me a good excuse to try out 12 new recipes.  For day numero uno, we've got Rocky Ledge Bars . One of my fabulous teacher-baker friends introduced me to these bars and they're absolutely delicious.  [ Side note : She is also a cupcake queen and our students always tell us we should have a makeshift 'Cupcake Wars' at school... haha. As long as the students provide the $10K prize, I'm in.]   These bars are a twist on a basic blondie, with a buttery brown sugar base.. They're loaded with all sorts of goodies - semisweet choco...

This past weekend, one of my good friends from college, Kristi, came down to the Bean Town with her daughter Cora. We hadn't seen each other in 10 (!) months, so it was a wonderful  weekend of catching up and hanging out. Back in college we always used to bake and/or cook together, so naturally we had to spend some time in the kitchen together. Hello, cookies! On Saturday, we had a Bake-a-palooza to make cookies for cookie tins & trays... and ended up making 15 varieties. Over 700 cookies! It was intense. So intense that we had to compile a plan. We made a variety of cookies from this year's 12 Days of Christmas Cookies and last year's 25 Days of Christmas Cookies. Yum. Funny story :  I actually wrote this list out on Thursday night... and then took it to school with me on Friday. And then I left it at school and almost freaked out. But then I remembered that I had taken a picture of it, so it was fine. Haha ! Once we had everything baked, we...

It's the final day of my 12 Days of Christmas Cookie Challenge, and I'm going out with a bang!  Ever since moving to the 'Buckeye' state, my love for all things chocolate and peanut butter has only increased. Case in point: Butterfinger cupcakes , peanut blossoms , Reese's cupcakes , homemade Take Five bars , peanut butter cup cake pops , puppy chow cookies . I knew these cookies would be no exception, considering they start out with a a pile of these: Heaven on a plate. This cookie starts with a chocolate-peanut butter dough, and is loaded with chopped peanut butter cups. Perfectly chocolatey and perfectly peanut buttery, these cookies are almost over-the-top. Key word: almost .  They also come together really quickly! I think I had the batch made from start to finish in less than 45 minutes. A perfect last minute treat, as long as you keep a stock of Reese's cups in your pantry. (And who doesn't?) In other (exciting) news... I was feat...

I'll admit it, I've never really loved sugar cookies. Take me to a bakery case full of cookies, and I'll always go for the chocolate. Every time. However, fancy schmancy sugar cookies with royal icing have always intrigued me. "How do they get that icing so perfect?" I was determined to try it myself. I did some research online, and found a great tutorial at Annie's Eats. If you're going to try it, you should definitely check out her site; she explains a lot of little tips & tricks that will help you succeed. But really? It wasn't that hard! It just takes a lot of patience. And kind of a lot of dishes. (But just find someone like my Business Man, who cleaned up after me all night. Best husband ever.) First, you start out with the sugar cookies. (Duh.) And these are delicious. Usually I don't love sugar cookies because they're too plain, too bland. These have just a hint of almond flavoring and a wonderful texture. Once...

One of my Business Man's ultimate comfort foods is a freshly baked cinnamon roll, slathered with frosting. (And it just might be one of mine, too.)  So when I saw these cookies pop up on Pinterest, I knew I had to try them. For the sake of my Business Man, ya know. Besides being utterly cute, these cookies are fantastic. Pretty much like a cinnamon roll in cookie form. Slightly chewy in the center, crisp on the outside. Perfectly cinnamon-y. They're prepared in the traditional cinnamon roll way - roll out the dough, layer on the butter & cinnamon-sugar, roll up tight, and then slice. Just as fun as cinnamon rolls, but no scary yeast to work with. I took some in for my first period class this morning, and one of my kids claimed, "They taste just like Cinnamon Toast Crunch!" And come to think of it, they do. (And Cinnamon Toast Crunch rocks! Definitely my favorite cereal as a child. And teenager, heh.) And just because it has 'cookie...

Oh, fudge. The only time of year I ever really think about fudge is when I'm on vacation. And they're selling it in the touristy candy shops. For like $2391/lb.  And when I'm there, it sounds sooooo good. Like Igottahaveitrightnow . But it never quite lives up to the expectation. Sickeningly sweet, hard as a rock, you know how it goes. I've never made homemade fudge before, but this Cappuccino Fudge is way better than any fudge I've had on vacation. It's very chocolatey, with just a hint of coffee flavor. The texture is spot-on, perfect to sink your teeth into. I found the recipe over at Annie's Eats ... I don't think I've ever found a recipe I didn't like over there. If you haven't checked out her site, you might want to do that soon. Just sayin'. What a wonderful gift for a teacher this would make! (Hehe...) Or anybody else special in your life. Who wouldn't love a tin of homemade fudge? Cappuccino Fudge ...

I don't remember where my mom & I got this recipe... we started baking these about 8 years ago. And haven't stopped since! The name says it all - there is a 'buried cherry' in each cookie. The cookie itself is chewy and chocolatey, and inside there's a surprise cherry! It's all topped with a unique type of frosting; it is poured over the cookie before  it's baked. It's like a cookie version of a chocolate-covered cherry! (Without all that nasty sweet white goo inside...) Here's a step-by-step break-down: Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Make an indentation in each ball. Place a cherry in each indentation. Make the frosting. (And don't forget to lick the spoon. And scrape the sides of the pan.) Top with the frosting. Bake! And then wonder what to do with the leftover 1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk. (What kind of recipe only calls for 1/2 cup?) I guess I could be like my friend Jen , as she tol...

Growing up, my mom made these cookies for her cookie tins every year. It's an old family recipe, passed down from my great-uncle Fran and probably even someone before him. As a child, I always turned my nose up at these... why would I bother eating the plain-looking bar cookie with nuts? There were chocolate and sprinkle-covered cookies to be eaten! However, a few years ago when I was home on break from college, I decided to give one of these a try, not expecting much. I don't know what I was thinking... because these are now one of my absolute favorites. Chock-ful of almond flavor, these bar cookies are almost like an almond-flavored version of a brownie. My Business Man couldn't keep his hands out of the container, and that's sayin' a lot, because he's not the biggest sweets person. (Unlike myself... the girl who  must  eat dessert everyday. Sometimes even twice a day.) Lesson learned... never judge a book cookie by its cover appearance. ...