Snickerdoodles

 Everyone loves a good Snickerdoodle cookie. Now that I've finally made them, I'm hearing from everyone that these are their favorite cookies. I have to admit that I was never a huge fan. I think I finally had my first Snickerdoodle a year ago, and it was only a bite. There was no real reason for me to not like them - especially because I'd never had one. But I mean how can anyone not like a good sugar cookie covered in cinnamon and sugar? But I finally cracked and decided to surprise Mike with a batch for his birthday a few weeks ago because, of course, they're his favorite cookie. You know me, I'm not the biggest fan of baking but the recipe I found was super easy. I used a recipe I found online (thanks Sue W.) and it'll probably always be the recipe I use. I've used this recipe once more since then and they came out fabulous yet again so I knew the recipe was worth sharing.

What You'll Need:

1 1/2 C white sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 teaspoon butter (softened)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 3/4 all purpose flour

1 teaspoon cream of tarter

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons white sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

What to Do:

1. Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees.

2. Then, in a large bowl, beat the sugar, eggs, vanilla, and softened butter. If you're fancy and have a nice mixer... well, then I'm jealous. I just use my good, old-fashioned hand mixer which I think is on it's last leg. Anyway. Make sure everything is mixed really well. (Tell me, is this not the best start to any recipe ever??

3. Once it's nice and mixed, add the flour, cream of tarter, baking soda, and salt to the bowl. I've only ever tried the recipe with cream of tarter but reviews I read said that you don't absolutely need it. I now have a little container full of it that have no idea what to do with. Maybe I'll make meringues... or more Snickerdoodles.

4. Mix everything until the dough forms. If you're a rebel and eat raw cookie dough on occasion, you 1) are like me and 2) NEED to try this.

5. Next, in a small bowl you'll want to combine the cinnamon and sugar so you can coat the cookies.This is what makes the Snickerdoodle a Snickerdoodle. So this two step process is essentially the most important. Funny how that works.

6. Get the dough and lightly roll it into balls then roll the balls into the cinnasugar mix. Place them on a non-greased cookie sheet and lightly press them down. Bake them for 8 minutes and immediately place them on a wire rack to cool.

7. ENJOY!

I think another great thing about these cookies is that they bake really quickly so I get to eat sooner! These cookies have definitely changed my mind on Snickerdoodles. They're crispy on the outside and soft and chewy in the middle. I'm thinking about adding these to my Christmas cookie lineup this year and seeing what I can do with making them look more festive. I doubt festivity would matter considering these are (almost) everyone's favorite cookie. I hope you try them and fall in love with them just as much.

Homemade Caramel Corn

It has been unnecessarily cold outside these days. I wished for colder weather and I guess I got it. Now, it's not my fault that this weather makes me want to eat everything in sight but it does. So when I had a day off recently I really wanted something comforting and sweet. I set off to Pinterest to find something that would hit the spot, and boy did I find it. I can't seem to find the original source but if anyone knows who it is feel free to let me know so I can credit that wonderful, wonderful person. Anyway the recipe is Caramel Marshmallow Popcorn and is super simple to make. If you frequent Pinterest as much as I do, then chances are you've come across this recipe. And if you haven't made it yet you definitely should. Some pieces are soft and gooey and some are just sweet like kettle corn. Anyway, it's simply amazing and only requires a few ingredients. In other words, it's my dream recipe.

 What You'll Need

1/2 C of Brown sugar

1/2 C of Butter (it's worth it!)

Around 1/2 cup of mini marshmallows

1 bag of microwave popcorn

*I admit the ingredients may seem somewhat indulgent but it's the holidays. That means indulgent foods are a requirement. Trust me. I adapted this recipe because I'm not a fan of microwaving things if I can just use a sauce pan - textures, flavors, and things tend to get weird in microwaves. I did, however, use it to cook the microwave popcorn. I totally prefer stove-popped popcorn I just didn't have any so I went with the processed stuff this time and thought it came out great. Use what you'd like though. 

1. In a small sauce pan melt the butter. Add the sugar and wait for it to dissolve. Meanwhile, pop your corn and set aside in a serving bowl. You'll be adding the marshmallow mixture to the popcorn soon so make sure the bowl will be big enough. 

2. When it's approaching smoothness you can add the marshmallows. Confession, I used all of the marshmallows that I had. Like, all those in the picture went into the butter. Minus the one's I ate of course. it was a lot of marshmallows. Now that this is off my chest we can move on. You should have this on low-medium heat just to make sure it doesn't burn. Now stir! Mix it until the marshmallows become creamy, kind of like you're making Rice Crispy Treats. 

3. When it's all mixed and smooth pour it on the popcorn. Gently stir that to incorporate all of the ingredients. Then voila, you have caramel marshmallow popcorn! I suggest eating this with a partner because it does get pretty sweet. And if you conquer this yourself then hell yeah to you! I hope everyone enjoys this. Cheers, until next time!