peanut butter blossoms

(a little maui vacation breakk) okay so i just made these yesterday. lindsey evans introduced these delicious and easy cookies to me a few years ago and ever since i've been hooked. if you're craving peanut butter and have hershey's kisses on hand, make these!

recipe
24 hershey's kisses
3/4c peanut butter
1/3c light brown sugar
1/3c sugar
1/2c shortening
1egg
2tbs milk
1tsp vanilla
1tsp baking soda
11/2c flour
1/2tsp salt

preheat oven to 375 degrees. beat shortening and peanut butter together. then add the sugars and mix until light and fluffy. add egg, milk and vanilla. then gradually beat in the dry mixture of flour, baking soda and salt. make one inch balls and roll into granulated sugar then place them on cookie sheets. bake for 8-10minutes. then immediately press an unwrapped hershey's kiss into each cookie!

these are from the universal hershey recipe on the back of any hershey's kisses bag or the internet. just type "peanut butter blossoms." a few changes i have made over the years are: no salt needed, i prefer not to roll into sugar (tastes better in my opinion!), small batter (only makes two dozen, and thats if you don't eat any of the batter haha) and cooks for 8minutes, no more! these cookies also store well and stay fresh for a long time. yummy.

chocolate chip oatmeal cookies

i make these all the time. out of all the cookie batters i've made, these ones set the best. they always look thick and don't flatten when you take them out of the oven.

recipe
2sticks softened butter
1c brown sugar
1/2c + 2tbs. sugar
2eggs
1tsp. vanilla
2c + 2tbs. flour
3/4tsp. baking soda
1/2tsp. salt (unless you use salted butter)
21/2c oats
2c chocolate chips
1c chopped pecans

preheat oven to 350 degrees. beat sugar and butter together. add one egg at a time. then the vanilla. sift together the remaining ingredients. blend. mix in the oats, chips and pecans. bake by the tablespoons on 2 greased sheets. bake for approx. 14minutes.

this recipe is yet another one from my mom. the batter makes almost two dozen (that is if you don't eat too much of the dough). i have two confessions when i make these cookies. the first is that i have never sifted the dry ingredients. the second is that i've never tried it with the nuts. but now thinking about that, i don't know why i haven't, so stay tuned. i take these cookies out at 12minutes not 14minutes.

lemon bars

i made these yesterday with my friend hannah! we haven't made these in a while -- my sister use to always ask my mom to make them for her birthdays instead of cake. these bars are so good and always go really quickly in our house.

recipe
crust
2c flour
1/2c powdered sugar
1c salted butter, softened

filling
4eggs
4tbs. flour
6tbs. lemon juice
2c sugar
1tsp. baking powder

preheat oven to 350 degrees. combine the first set of ingredients in a mixer. press in the bottom of a 9x13'' pan. bake for 12-15minutes. while the crust is baking, combine the remaining ingredients and mix well. pour over the hot crust and return to the oven for 20-30minutes. loosen the edges, sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut while warm.

this recipe comes from my mom. so gooey and the crust is just like shortbread, very flaky and buttery. one thing i would note here is the crust bakes for the time said (between 12-15minutes) but the second time around, take the bars out at exactly 20minutes! these are a definite keeper.

red velvet cupcakes

lauren and i made these a few nights ago on a rainy afternoon. you'll notice i try alot of barefoot contessa's recipes, she's the best. so i saw her making these on tv the other day and thought i'd try them!

recipe

21/2c flour

1/4c unsweetened cocoa powder

1tsp. baking powder

1tsp. baking soda

1tsp. kosher salt

1c buttermilk, shaken

1tbsp. red food coloring

1tsp. white vinegar

1tsp. vanilla

1stick unsalted butter

11/2c sugar

2eggs

frosting

8oz. cream cheese, room temperature

11/2sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2tsp. vanilla

31/2c sifted confectioner's sugar

preheat oven to 350 degrees. line the muffin tins with paper liners. sift together the dry ingredients. then in a bowl mix the buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar and vanilla. then in an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar together. add the eggs one at a time. add the dry and wet ingredients (altering three times, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients). scoop the batter in the muffin cups. then bake for 20 minutes. cool completely then frost. for the frosting mix the cream cheese, butter and vanilla. add the sugar last, don't whip! just until combined. 

like i said this recipe comes from barefoot contessa. the major point i'd make about this recipe is take them out sooner! i only baked them for 18minutes and i think that was even a little too late (next time watch closely after 15minutes). the cake was really dense, but overall the cupcakes were yummy. 

*picture came out too dark! so i made it black and white :)