blueberry pie bars

i like my blueberries. here's yet another recipe to use for these lovely berries ...

recipe
crust and topping
3c flour
11/2c sugar
1/4tsp salt
11/2c chilled unsalted butter
zest of two lemons

filling
4 eggs
2c sugar
1c sour cream
3/4c flour
pinch of salt
2 (16oz) pkg of frozen berries or 6c fresh

preheat oven to 350. grease a 9x13 pan. combine the crust ingredients in a food processor and save 1c of it for the topping. press the rest of the mixture into your greased pan and bake for 12min or until golden brown. let cool for 10min while you make the filling. whisk the eggs in a large bowl, then add everything but the berries. last step is to gently fold in the berries before pouring over the crust. bake for 45-55min and let cool for an hour. mmmm

this recipe is yet another joy the baker one. i didn't have enough berries so i halved the recipe and used a 9x9 pan instead. it turned out well except next time i'd use a bigger pan because they were a little too thick which made it hard to bake all the way through. but besides that how can one go wrong with something called pie bars?? you really can't/ so good.

brown butter white chocolate macadamia nut cookies

lately our summer days have been non-existent. cloudy days are baking days. these scrumptious cookies caught my eye because my mom just came bag from hawaii with a huge bag of macadamia nuts.

recipe
1 stick butter
1c brown sugar
2tbs. milk
1 egg
1tsp. vanilla
13/4c flour
1/2tsp. baking soda
1/8tsp. salt
1/2c coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
1c white chocolate chunks

preheat oven to 350 degrees. grease your baking pans. start off with browning the butter. melt the butter over the stove until you see brown flakes forming on the bottom of the pan. it will take about 5-7 minutes. then remove from heat and let cool. while the butter is cooling start combining your dry ingredients in a bowl. then beat together the cooled browned butter and sugar for 2 min. add the egg. then add the milk and vanilla. then the dry ingredients. finish off by stirring in the chopped nuts and chocolate and scoop dough onto baking sheets. bake for 9-11 min until just golden brown.

this recipe came from joy the bakers blog. these were super easy to make and the browned butter factor made them that much more delicious. i baked them in two different sizes and came out with about 2 dozen cookies. baked for right around 9 min! enjoy mmm.

blueberry crumble in ramekins

summa summa summatime. that means lots of fruit, crumbles, pies, cobblers, crostatas etc. lets get started ...

recipe
filling
1 pint blueberries
1 lemon zested and juiced (or orange)
1/3c sugar
2 tbs. cornstarch

topping
1 c flour
1/4c brown sugar
1/3 sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 stick unsalted, chilled butter (diced)
1/2 tsp. salt
slivered almonds (optional)

this serves four. preheat oven to 350 degrees. line a baking sheet with parchment paper and four ramekin dishes. mix together the filling ingredients and let sit for a couple of minutes before dividing the berry mixture into the ramkins. for the topping mix together everything except the butter and nuts. then add in the chilled butter using a food processor and lastly the nuts. sprinkle the topping over each one and bake for 40-45 min until crust is golden brown/ berry juice is bubbling. serve warm, enjoy.

went a little photo crazy on these babies but they just look so good. yummers. anyways this recipe comes from the blog TheCulturalDish. found it through foodbuzz (highly recommend checking it out). went through the recipe and comments and looked pretty fricken delicious. some minor changes i had to make: used an orange instead of a lemon, had no brown sugar so substituted for more white sugar and added 2 tbs. of molasses and took them out ten min early. oh and i'd use smaller ramekins next time because 1 pint of berries doesn't go that far. but easy and a perfect summer treat!

ginger- walnut- chocolate- blondies

no more brownies, time for blondies.

recipe

1 stick unsalted butter

1 c packed light or dark brown sugar 

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract plus scrapings from 1 vanilla bean (or 2 teaspoons extract)

1 c all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

1/8 tsp. salt

1/3 c chopped candied ginger pieces

1/3 c dark chocolate chunks

handful toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped

preheat oven to 350 degrees. grease a 8'' pan then line with parchment, grease again and flour. first whisk together the butter and sugar. then whisk in the egg, about two min until the mixture turns pale. then add the vanilla and vanilla bean. whisk together the dry ingredients then add them to the wet batter. fold in ginger, nuts and chocolate. pour the batter into your prepared pan, top with remaining toppings and bake for 20-27 min. cool then serve. 

from joy the baker's blog. i didn't have any candid ginger so these are more like ginger walnut chocolate blondies. i've never made blondies before but they are just like a chocolate chip cookie bar which i've made many a times. also i didn't have any vanilla beans on hand so i just did the recommended two tsp. of vanilla instead. only baked them for 20 min but a little to gooey even for my liking, i'd say leave them in for at least 25. so easy and delicioussss num num. and no electric mixer required! all by hand. 

peach- and- blueberry- crumb pie

my fourth of july masterpiece. have done the cupcakes and flag cakes so i wanted to change it up. made this for the parents and the iversons bbq, got great reviews and makes great leftovers (guilty of some slices). 


recipe

filling:

1/4 c quick cooking tapioca pearls, such as Minute Tapioca

1 lbs frozen blueberries, thawed and drained, or 1 1/2 c freshblueberries

1 lbs frozen peaches, thawed, or 3 large fresh peaches, pittedand thinly sliced

1/2 c brown sugar

2 tbs. fresh lemon juice

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 tbs. ground cinnamon

Zest of 1 large lemon

One 9-inch unroll-and-bake refrigerated pie crust

1 egg white, lightly beaten

topping:

1/2 c slivered almonds

1/2 c (1 stick) butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, chilled

1/2 c quick cook oats

1/2 c almond flour

1/2c brown sugar

preheat oven to 350 and butter pie dish. for the filling grind the tapioca in a food processor then mix it in with the rest of the filling ingredients. unroll the pie crust, place in dish and brush with the egg white. for the topping place all the ingredients in the processor and pulse until it forms chunks. pour the filling in the dish then add the topping. bake for 55 min; 30 min then cover edges with foil for the rest of the time. cool for 30 min then serve!

this recipe also comes from giada. i used fresh fruit and instead of dealing with the tapioca balls i used a tablespoon of cornstarch. think it did the job as a thickener. and we didn't have almond flour so regular all-purpose flour it is. turned out delicious even after all these changes. definitely will make again .. the toppings amazing plus you don't have to deal with making pie dough!

oatmeal, cranberry and chocolate chunk cookies

cooookies. i was craving some milk n cookies. kicking off july with yet another crummy day for washington, waiting for our lovely summer to come! my mom made these last fall and swears by them and we had the cranberries in stock so i thought i'd give them a try.


recipe
1 c all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 c light brown sugar
1/2 c sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 c old fashioned oats
1 c dried cranberries
1 (4-ounce) 60 percent cacao bittersweet chocolate bar (recommended: Ghirardelli), chopped into 1/4-inch chunks


preheat oven to 350 degrees. grease two cookie sheets. beat the butter and sugars together. then add the egg and vanilla. pour the dry the mixed dry ingredients into the batter then add the oats, chocolate and cranberries. scoop onto the greased sheet pans and bake for 13-15 minutes. enjoy!

nummers. this recipe comes from giada. i love her dessert recipes, they usually are pretty straight forward. this recipe made about 2 dozen; not too much batter to work with but delicious. i think the cinnamon is what makes these so good. they held their shape well and bake for just 13 minutes like she said. really good& easy to make cookies, will definitely use this recipe again. mmmm. 

s'mores brownies

brownies. chocolate goodness that I keep finding amazing recipes for; people have been getting pretty creative with these babies. saw this recipe and thought how appropriate to make as a kick off for summer.

recipe
11/2 c flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 c unsalted butter
6 oz unsweetened chocolate
5 eggs
11/4 c dark brown sugar
1 c sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c graham cracker, roughly crushed
12 big marshmallows

preheat oven to 350 degrees. grease/ butter a 9 by 13 pan. melt the butter and chocolate in a saucepan. then beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla in another bowl. add the warm chocolate mixture then the rest of the dry ingredients. fold in the crackers and pour the. batter into your greased pan. dot with the mallows and bake for 30-40 min! cool and serve.

this recipe came from one of my favorite bloggers to follow; joy the baker! they turned out perfect, gooey and delicious. I only baked them for the minimum 30 and the mallows were nice and golden brown. mmm yummy!

tri-berry muffins

and i'm backkkk. i found this recipe from one of the many barefoot contessa cookbooks we own. thought i'd give this recipe a whirl and take advantage of all the berries we have in our kitchen. and bonus!. the recipe calls for no whole milk, buttermilk etc. any creams that i would have had to go to the store for. boom it's fate i try these ...

recipe

3c flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/4c milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1c butter, melted
1c fresh or frozen bluberries
1/2c fresh or frozen raspberries
1/2c fresh or frozen diced strawberries
1 1/2c sugar.

preheat oven to 375 degrees. combine the melted butter, milk and eggs together. then add the baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon and flour into the mixture. just mix until combined, there should be lumps! add the berries and sugar last. again fold in until well combined. fill the muffin cups almost to the top and bake for 20-25 minutes.

okay wow i realized after typing this recipe out that i made a few mistakes. first off i forgot the sugar. i was going to comment how i thought these needed some sweetness in them, hmm. well don't forget the sugar! secondly i want to emphasize the importance to fill the muffin cups to the brim. this batter doesn't rise much so if you're looking for that nice 'muffin top' fill 'em up. she gives you alot of batter to work with so use it. i thought they tasted very good even without the sugar, and i can now say i've had strawberries in my muffins mmm. enjoy!

pretzel& macadamia nut chocolate chip cookies

now ain't that a mouthful to say; my goal was to cram as much into these chocolate chip cookies as i could haha. my sister found this recipe for me to try so i decided to make them for the weekend up to the mountain before i go back to school.

recipe
2sticks of unsalted butter
21/4c bread flour
1tsp. salt
1tsp. baking soda
1/4c sugar
11/4c brown sugar
1egg
1egg yolk
2tbs. milk or cream
1tsp. vanilla
1/2c pretzels, broken in pieces
1/2c macadamia nutes, chopped
1c chocolate chips
coarse sea salt

melt the butter in a saucepan until it turns golden brown. (right when it foams alot keep a close eye on it because it can go from golden brown to burnt in a matter of seconds). set the brown butter aside and let cool for a few minutes. sift the dry ingredients in another bowl. then pour the cooled butter and both the sugars in a bowl fitted with an electric mixer. combine then add the egg and yolk. then the milk, vanilla and beat for 2-3 minutes. slowly ass the flour mixture. lastly pour in all the fixings. refrigerate for a couple hours. preheat oven to 350degrees. scoop out the batter on greased baking sheets, bake for 10-12minutes. cool&serve.

this recipe comes from a blog that modified the original recipe from Alton Brown's The Chewy Cookies. this batter was so delicious and a pretty easy recipe to make. i've been trying to figure out what chocolate chip cookie recipe i like the best and as of now i'd say these. i think the key is using an egg+ a yolk, melting the butter and refrigerating the batter for as long as you can. the cookies keep their form better when you refrigerate. i've also been on this pretzel kick; they add salt and crunch. but i have to make a confession that i just realized when typing out this recipe ... i forgot a stick of butter. BIG mistake but i'm very confused because the batter was great, they baked well and taste delicious!. hmm well next time i'll remember and see if there is any change, which i'm thinking so. oh well, they'll be even better cookies in that case.

tribute-to-katherine-hepburn brownies

i've been in a brownie kick for awhile now so once i saw these i really wanted to try them. filled with nuts and very fudgy are my kind of brownies (notice how little flour is called for). so i thought i'd try to make these for some of my friends last friday night.

recipe
1/4c flour
1/2tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4tsp. salt
1stick unsalted butter
1/2c unsweetened cocoa powder
2tsp. ground instant coffee
2eggs, room temperature
1c sugar
1tsp. vanilla
1c chopped walnuts/ pecans
4oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

preheat oven to 325degrees. butter an 8x8 baking pan then line the bottom with parchment paper. whisk the cinnamon, flour and salt together and set aside the bowl. melt the butter in a saucepan then start to add the cocoa powder, then coffee. once well combined take off the heat and cool for a few minutes. whisk in the eggs. next stir in the sugar, vanilla and then add the nuts, chocolate. bake for 30minutes. cool, cut and serve. enjoy! makes nine well-sized brownies.

this came from a blog i stumbled upon a few days ago (the URL: http://www.survivingoz.com/2009/07/lisa-vs-tribute-to-katherine-hepburn.html). the picture of them on her blog sold me. and they were a hit. no doubt a gut bomb, but deliciously rich and gooey. i didn't add the coffee and added more cinnamon instead. i also took them out at 28minutes. i used pecans and would have used whole pecans to decorate them but i only had whole walnuts. i liked how the chocolate bits/ pieces added at the end of the batter didn't fully melt. a very good recipe and these will definitely be made again.

butterfinger truffles

okay this was the second recipe i chose. i've started making some candy (almond roca, carmel candies) but i have never ventured to making truffles, they always looked way too complicated. but after reading the recipe (... and saw how short the ingredient list was and no oven time) i thought i'd give it a try. i'm stepping out of my baking comfort zone on these ...

recipe
10oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
1tbs. unsalted butter
1c heavy cream
11/2c chopped butterfinger candy bars (about 8oz.)
4tsp. unsweetened coca powder
chopped/ peanut halves

place the chocolate and butter in a medium bowl. bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan. then pour it over the chocolate. let stand for 1 minutes before stirring together. once the mixture is smooth then stir in the chopped candy. cover and chill until firm, about 2 hours.
line a baking sheet with foil. using a melon baller scoop 3/4'' balls from the chocolate mixture. roll the truffles in cocoa powder. garnish with a chopped or half peanut. chill again until firm.

again from bon appétit. okay so not the typical looking truffle but pretty damn close. i say they look yummy and homemade. and they are really good! the butterfinger makes it and adds some crunch. some suggestions for next time: try chilling overnight to make it easier when scooping, do a better job rolling the chocolate in a more ball-like shape, get ready to make a real mess in the kitchen when dousing in the powder so prepare the tupperware before hand. but a good first truffle recipe.

lemon slice-and-bakes

looking through the december issue of bon appétit today i found two good- looking recipes to bake for my mom's new years party tomorrow. the first are these lemon shortbread cookies. they looked very elegant and new-year-like and didn't require an extensive list of ingredients (but you DO need fresh lemons/ juice, considering its the main ingredient).

recipe
cookies
21/2c flour
1/2tsp. salt
1c unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4c sugar
2tbs. finely grated lemon zest
1tsp. vanilla extract
4egg yolks

icing
11/4c powdered sugar
2tbs. fresh lemon juice
food coloring (optional)

use an electric mixture to mix the butter, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla together. mix until fluffy then add the egg yolks one at a time. add the dry ingredients. divide the batter in half; roll each half into 10'' long log about 13/4'' in diameter. wrap in plastic wrap and let cool for an hour.
preheat oven to 350degrees. using a sharp knife cut the log into 1/4'' thick rounds. bake for 16-18minutes then let cool before frosting.
for the frosting whisk together the two ingredients until the consistency is how you want it. spread or drizzle over the cookies! makes atleast 2 dozen.

this recipe (from bon appétit magazine) was very easy to follow and turned out so well. the dough was easy to work with and the frosting (more like a glaze) was delicious. i added some sprinkles to them too. i pulled them out of the oven at fifteen minutes and the bottom was slightly golden brown, think that's the best way to go for sugar/ shortbread cookies.

chocolate peanut butter pretzel brownies

need i say more ? these are quite something. i saw them on a blog i've been following and i've wanted to try making them ever since. perfect to try on a rainy tuesday. and ingredients wise i had everything but the pretzel sticks, not bad for homemade brownies.

recipe
brownie
8tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter
2oz unsweetened chocolate
4oz semi-sweet chocolate (chocolate chips)
1tsp. instant coffee (optional)
3/4c sugar
3eggs
1tsp. vanilla
2/3c flour
1/2tsp. baking powder
1/4tsp. salt
coarse sea salt for topping (just a little bit!)

peanut butter filling
4tbs. unsalted butter (melted)
1/2c powdered sugar
3/4c peanut butter
1/4tsp. salt
1/2tsp. vanilla
handful of pretzel sticks

preheat oven to 325degrees. grease an 8by8 baking pan and line with parchment paper so that it overhangs on two sides and grease the paper as well.
in a double boiler melt butter, chocolate (and coffee) over the heat proof bowl. once melted, remove from heat and add the vanilla. in a small bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. once the chocolate mixture has cooled slightly mix in the sugar then the eggs one at a time. fold in the dry ingredients and pour into the greased pan.
for the peanut butter filling, whisk together all the ingredients until smooth. pour this filling on top of the brownie batter and then use a butter knife to swirl the two together. arrange the pretzels however you like. top with some sea salt. bake for 40-45minutes. let cool before serving.

this recipe comes from Joy the Baker blog. (http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/) adapted from martha stewart. i think i'll be using her blog alot more ... the only thing i would remember to do next time was swirl the peanut butter filling more into the chocolate mixture and take out the brownies earlier! i think i over-baked mine, and they were in for 40minutes. i also opted out of adding coffee but that's just what i prefer. oh and a suggestion from my mom: break up the pretzels instead/ easier to eat and everyone gets a bite with pretzels. but other than that, very good. it's nice to change things up from just the plain old chocolate brownies.

chinese almond cookies

continuing with my tis the season theme ... so i've never celebrated the chinese new year, nor have i ever been to a chinese new year party but nonetheless these probably would go very well at one of those gatherings. very easy to make and different from the ordinary cookie. remind me of those pecan sandies you would buy at the store. i thought i would give them a shot ....

recipe
11/3c flour
1/2c sugar
1/2tsp baking soda
1/4tsp salt
1/2c butter
1egg
1/2tsp almond extract
24 almonds
powdered sugar

preheat the oven to 325degrees. mix together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a bowl fitted with an electric mixer. then cut the butter into the mixture. add the egg and almond extract. mix well until the dough comes together and forms one big ball. roll the dough into small balls and press an almond into the top of each cookie. bake for 12minutes or until the edges just barely turn brown. let cool before dusting lightly with powdered sugar. makes 2dozen.

this recipe comes from a blog i stumbled upon called elephantine. super easy and requires very little ingredients. also a bonus is that the butter doesn't have to be at room temperature! one thing i would add is that they seem to bake for a few minutes longer than 12minutes (i'd say 2/3 more minutes). but other than that a good recipe to have to bake quick, easy, delicate cookies.

gingerbread cookies

tis the season, no better way to do this then bake some homemade gingerbread cookies. we've been using martha stewart's recipe for these cookies for a few years now and they are quite delicious. really moist and makes the best dough! mmm ...

recipe

2c flour

2tsp ground ginger

1tsp ground cinnamon

1/2tsp ground nutmeg

1/4tsp ground cloves

1/4tsp salt

1/4tsp baking soda

1/2c unsalted butter, room temperature

1/3c packed brown sugar

1/3c molasses

1egg

in one bowl mix together the dry ingredients/ spices (flour, spices, baking soda and salt). then in an electric mixer beat the butter and brown sugar together. add in the molasses and egg. slowly add the dry ingredients until the dough just begins to form. place the dough on a floured plastic wrap, pat down and chill for 1-2 hours.

then preheat oven to 350degrees. divide the dough in half. work with one half at a time and roll out/ cut out shapes. bake for 8-10minutes. cool then frost. 

these cookies are always a favorite around the holidays. and martha stewart's recipe seems the easiest to use when you're trying to make homemade gingerbread. i ran out of ground ginger so instead i used some leftover real ginger and just shredded some. i also took the cookies out at exactly 8minutes and they were perfect. so good!

pumpkin patch spice cupcakes

happy halloween ... my mom and i made these themed cupcakes for our neighbors and austin's advisory! they turn out so well with their stems and vines -- and aren't as time consuming as you would think.

recipe
pumpkin spice
1box yellow cake mix
1c canned pumpkin
1tsp. pumpkin pie spice
3/4c buttermilk
1/3c vegetable oil
4eggs

decorating
12 standard cupcake liners
24 mini cupcake liners
4 green licorice twists (twizzler rainbow twists)
1can (16oz) plus 1c vanilla frosting
1c orange decorating sugar
green licorice laces (watermelon madness fruit streamers)

preheat oven to 350degrees. (follow instructions on box) then cool. cut licorice twists into little stem pieces. tint the vanilla frosting orange with food coloring. tint 1/2c of the orange frosting with a darker shade of orange and spoon in a ziploc bag. place the sprinkles in a shallow bowl. spread the light orange frosting on all the cupcakes and roll into the sprinkles. then with a wooden skewer make ridges in the top of each cupcake. then pipe a line in the indentations you made to make the ribs. insert the stems/ cut green vines and arrange on a plate, enjoy!

this recipe comes from 'hello, cupcake!' baking book that my mom got one year. i don't usually spend so much time and energy decorating cupcakes but i thought these were worth it for halloween! they taste really good because in the cake mix you substitute buttermilk for the water making the cake extra moist. these are deliciouss!!

pumpkin white chocolate drops

back for fall break! this recipe is so easy to make and the best fall cookies ever. whenever it's thanksgiving time i'm craving these pumpkin cookies -- so i decided to make them for justin's bithday down at the kelley's.

recipe
batter
2c butter, softened
2c sugar
1can (16oz) solid pack pumpkin
2eggs
4 c flour
2tbs. pumpkin pie spice
1tsp. baking powder
1/2tsp. baking soda
1bag (12oz) white chocolate chips

icing
1container (16oz) cream cheese frosting
1/4c brown sugar

preheat oven to 375degrees. beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. add the pumpkin and eggs; beat until smooth. add flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and baking soda. beat until well blended. then add the baking chocolate chips. drop tablespoonfuls onto the greased baking sheets. bake 14-18min then cool. combine frosting and brown sugar then spread on warm cookies. makes 6dozen.

this recipe comes from kristy! they always turn out good. this recipe makes so many cookies (this is a big recipe) that you can easily cut it in half. that's what i did this time because we only had half the amount of icing in the house. everyone loved them, the white chocolate chips add a really good crunch.

chocolate- hazelnut drop cookies

wanted to make something yummy for our boat dinner with all the neighbors tonight on the lake. i thought these would be a hit because all kids love chocolate and cookies!

recipe
1c butter, room temperature
1/4c plus 1c powdered sugar
1tsp vanilla
2c flour
1/2c nutella

preheat oven to 35o degrees. grease to baking pans. in an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. then add the vanilla. gradually add in all the flour then the nutella. using a small cookie scoop, drop the batter onto the pans. bake for 10- 12minutes. cool completely then roll the cookies in the powdered sugar. store in an airtight container.

i've never made these before and they turned out really well -- light and buttery. the recipe comes from giada again (starting to really like her cookie recipes!). they are suppose to be relatively small cookies and i was able to get about 3dozen out of the batter. i took them out at 10minutes and made sure to cool completely before adding the sugar. great simple, chocolate cookies ... enjoy.

my last blog before i go down to school, so stay tuned until i'm back home for one of my fall breaks!

peanut butter blackberry jam cookies

i just saw giada making these on her show the other day and thought i'd try them, they looked so good! they stood out to me because they're not your usual combo of cookie ingredients -- peanut butter, chocolate and blackberry jam. but they end up complimenting each other very well ...

recipe
1c flour
1/3c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2tsp. baking soda
1/8tsp. salt
1stick unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4c peanut butter, room temperature
3/4c sugar, plus 1/4c
1/2c packed light brown sugar
1egg, room temperature
1tsp. vanilla
1/4c blackberry jam

preheat oven to 375degrees. grease to baking sheets. sift together the dry ingredients in one bowl. then in an electric mixer beat the butter, peanut butter and sugars together. add the egg and vanilla. mix until blended then pour in the dry ingredients. form the dough balls and roll in sugar. indent with finger and spoon 1tsp. of jam on each cookie. bake for 11-14minutes. cool and enjoy!

this is my first time making them and i loved how they turned out! giada makes some really good recipes. the only change i made was eliminate the 'rolling in sugar' all together (done it before with for the peanut butter blossoms and thought it was unnecessary and messy!). i baked them for exactly 11minutes and they were slightly undercooked, just the way i like mine. made two dozen cookies. next time i would add more jam ... they just tasted so good with the jam!

coconut macaroons

i've made these before and they are so delicious, that is if you like coconut! very easy to make and requires very little ingredients.

recipe
14oz. sweetened shredded coconut
14oz. sweetened condensed milk
1tsp. vanilla
2large egg whites, room temperature
1/4tsp. kosher salt

preheat oven to 325degrees. combine the coconut, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. whip the egg whites on high speed with a whisked paddle attachment until they make medium-firm peaks. carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture. drop the batter onto greased sheet pans with an ice cream scoop. bake fore 25-3o minutes or until golden brown.

this recipes from barefoot contessa, family style. today it was a little tricky for me to bake these. for some reason the batter was runny when i put it in the oven so i tried another batter and whipped the egg whites a little longer (firmer peaks!) and that seemed to help. so remember to make sure the egg whites form peaks. other than that i thought they turned out. baked them for about 15-2o minutes instead. so good!! --oh and you can dip the cooled cookies in melted chocolate which makes them all the more yummy