Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Sugar Glaze

Howie left me alone in Cleveland this weekend to go to the Bills vs. Giants game...which means I finally have a Sunday that doesn't involve football!  Not that I don't enjoy football or anything, but it's about time I get caught up with my "life" things a.k.a. decorate my porch and fireplace mantel for fall, make Slow Cooker Garlic Rosemary Beef Stew and bake the all important Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Sugar Glaze.  Let me tell you, these suckers are addicting!  Like so addicting that I'm actually going on a run right now before dinner because I ate three in the last 2 hours.  And I'm probably going to have three more tonight.  And I actually don't even feel that bad about it because I'm just being seasonal.  Oh gosh you have to try these perfect fall cookies!

Funfetti Flower Cookies

Happy Easter Weekend! I love getting into the spirit of any holiday, and my baked goods always have to reflect the occasion! A few weeks back, a friend sent me the cutest how-to video for making flowers out of jumbo jet-puff marshmallows, and I knew I had to incorporate it into one of my Easter treats! It didn't even take me 10 seconds of thinking before my mind jumped to Pillsbury Funfetti Cookies. Have you ever tried them? They're super soft, melt-in-your-mouth cookies that taste exactly like cake, but get even better after you top 'em topped with creamy, colorful frosting. Can you say "perfect background for marshmallow daisies?!" If you watch the video below, the baker uses aerosol food dye to make the flowers different colors - I don't know where the heck that baker found it because I scoured the grocery stores around my town with no luck! After a failed test attempt to dye the flowers with regular food dye (which Howie deemed "scary-looking"), white daisies became the goal. Ya know, minimalist? I still think they're really cute! Try making Funfetti Flower Cookies this weekend for Easter, or even for your next birthday, bridal or baby shower!

Homemade Vanilla Extract

One of my all-time favorite baking ingredients is vanilla extract.  I can't get enough of the stuff!  I put it in everything from cookies, to pancakes, to oatmeal - you name it, I'll try it!  I just don't like the expensive price tag that you have to pay for mediocre quality at the grocery store.  So I took matters into my own hands and purchased vanilla beans from Beanilla so I could make it myself.  This brand is literally half the cost of the grocery store selection, so much fresher and shipping is free!  It came right to my door in 2 days!  I chose the Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Bean, but have purchased their Mexican Vanilla Extract  before, which is also AMAZING.

Care Package Cookies

My younger brother, Robert, was having a tough week at Miami.  He's double majoring in Finance and Accounting, and the Farmer School of Business was totally kicking his butt between exams, assignments and the career fair this week.  It basically meant a whole lot less partying, and way more studying.  I remember how much the care packages my mom sent me filled with baked goods or Starbucks gift cards cheered me up during undergrad, so I wanted to do the same for him.  I baked him one of his favorites, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and filled the rest of the package up with enough candy to put him in a sugar coma! 

Wedding Shower Munchies

I don't know about you, but my Labor Day weekend was a blast!  I was lucky enough to spend a few days in Buffalo for  Howie's sister Brenna's wedding shower and bachelorette party.  We had the best time catching up with friends and family over great food and games during the day, and partying with the girls til the wee hours of the night.  Since I couldn't bring much besides my dancing shoes to the bachelorette party, I volunteered to bring a few items to the shower earlier in the day, and they were a total hit!  Well, my broccoli slaw salad and cookies are always a hit...but the 5 types of cookies totally sent it over the top! Unfortunately, I didn't take step-by-step photos like I usually do - just a beautiful chocolate walnut coconut cookie fresh out of the oven (now how bad is that??)- but everyone was asking for the recipes, so here they are!

Island Cookies

For my final studio project, I'm designing a food television production studio on the Case Western Reserve University campus.  My 3-week programming phase of the project involved so much research on food, that I kind of felt obligated to bring a little portion of the discipline to my studio.  I decided to bake one of my favorite sweets, island cookies.  The smooth white chocolate, warm pecan flavor and hints of coconut make for a perfect summertime treat!

"Dazzling" Cookie Brownies

Dazzle the District is finally here!  I'm so excited to see all the of the lights, signs and, of course, the chandelier, the lit up!  Disclaimer: I may actually be even more excited to see an end to the traffic delays, blocked roads and 24-construction that I've heard from my apartment since early March?  After the Hot Chelle Rae concert and illuminating ceremony, we're of course going to throw an after party!  I couldn't decide if I wanted to bring cookies or brownies, so naturally I decided to combine both into a sinfully sweet dessert that I'm calling "dazzling" cookie brownies.  It's a little tacky with the stars, but so is a 25' diameter outdoor chandelier dangling over an intersection.  

Sweets For Your Sweetie

Valentine's Day has always been one of my favorite holidays.  I love the romantic dinners, flowers, and cards...but my favorite part is without a doubt eating as many sweets as my heart desires for the entire day!  My love for this day and all of the sweets that go along with it began when I was younger.  My mom would bake my brother and I our own massive cookie hearts in our favorite type of dough, and it made me look forward to the holiday every year.  Now that I'm older, I like to bake all the people that are special to me something delicious to carry on the tradition for Valentine's Day.  I promise my Italian Buckeyes and Nutella Heart Cookies are better than any storebought chocolates!

Peanut Butter Cookies!

This past Saturday, Cleveland greeted me with snow, wind, sub-zero temperatures, and gray skies yet again!  I feel like I've been snowed in since the holidays!  It didn't help that most of friends weren't around because they were busy doing a design competition.  After catching up on this week's TV shows and homework, I decided to surprise them with some cookies to help them get through the last 24 hours of the competition.  They've been staying up late all week, so I wanted a dessert that gave them a little sugar, a little protein, and a little motivation to pull through.  PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES!  Did I even need to say anything else after the word "peanut butter?"  This recipe has been my favorite cookie to make since I started baking with my mom as a little girl, and I'm fairly positive it's everybody's favorite cookie to eat as well!

White Chocolate Cranberry Biscotti

It's freezing outside!  So cold that my car wouldn't start and I had to work from home today.  Since I got started a half hour early, I finished a little early too, with just enough time to bake a batch of delicious white chocolate cranberry biscotti before dinner.  I know what you're thinking...isn't biscotti that stale, wannabe cookie that you have to dip in coffee in order to chew?  Typically, yes.  But I promise my biscotti is soft, flavorful, and does not require a warm beverage for consumption (but I'm not saying that a vanilla latte or a big cup of coffee wouldn't make the experience even more enjoyable).  This is the perfect treat for curling up on the couch on a cold winter day!