Mint Chip Chocolate Pudding Cookies

This past weekend, my boyfriend and I planned to have a cookie making night. I got really ambitious and decided that we were going to make four different holiday cookie recipes. I just love holiday baking. So we went to Target and picked out all of the ingredients we needed for the four cookie recipes. And then we got home to realize that I forgot the paddle attachment to my mixer. I had the stand and the bowl, but nothing to do the mixing. Such a bummer. But of course you can still make cookies without a stand mixer, it just requires a little more effort on your part. I definitely have gotten spoiled by my mixer since it does most of the work for me!

Anyways, we still made cookies but decided to try just two of the recipes. Don't worry, I will make my boyfriend take part in another cookie making night soon. I am sure he loves it just as much as I do.

It seems like I am the last person to jump on the pudding cookie bandwagon. For the past few months, I have seen them pop up all over the blog world. After making these mint chip chocolate pudding cookies, I can see why they are so popular. The pudding mix makes these cookies super soft and they are still soft days after you bake them. Now that I have made these cookies, the possibilities are endless-  vanilla pudding, butterscotch pudding, banana pudding- there are so many cookies to be made!

Mint Chip Chocolate Pudding Cookies
Recipe adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 3.4 oz package chocolate fudge instant pudding mix
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups mint baking chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

With a stand mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Add in the pudding mix, eggs and vanilla. Beat until fully incorporated after each addition. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on slow speed, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.

Stop the mixer and add the mint baking chips. Gently fold with a spatula until combined.

With a small ice cream scoop or tablespoon, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 11-12 minutes or until edges are set. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Cranberry Eggnog Muffins

'Tis the season for eggnog, gingerbread and peppermint! I know it is not December yet, but I decided to start my holiday baking anyways. Target declared it holiday season months ago, so I don't see why I can't start baking with eggnog now. At least I waited for Thanksgiving to be over!

These muffins are packed with flavor. Between the tart cranberries, the sweet eggnog and even the crumbly streusel topping, I loved the combination of ingredients in these muffins. And of course they make the perfect breakfast treat for the holiday season with their seasonal flavors. 

On a related note, I love the subtle use of almond extract in these muffins. Even more than the flavor, I love the scent of almond extract. If Bath and Body Works had a body spray that smelled like these muffins, I would totally buy it. Trust me, these muffins will make your house smell wonderful this holiday season! However, a little almond extract goes a long way, so don't add too much to the muffin batter :) 

Cranberry Eggnog Muffins

Recipe from Annie Eats (originally adapted from RecipeGirl)

Muffins:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar, divided

2 eggs

3/4 cup eggnog

5 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 1/2 cups cranberries, chopped

Streusel Topping:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

4 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12-14 muffin cups with paper liners and set aside. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of sugar, eggs, eggnog, melted butter and almond extract. Mix until fully incorporated. Add in the dry ingredients and continue to mix until combined.

Combine the cranberries with the remaining sugar. With a spatula, gently fold in the chopped cranberries and mix until combined.

Divide batter between prepared muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full. 

Streusel Topping:

In a medium bowl, combined the sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter. Slowly combine the butter into the dry ingredients until a coarse, crumbly mixture forms. Distribute the streusel mixture evenly over the muffins. 

Bake muffins for about 18-22 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let muffins cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Enjoy :)

Sweet Potato Pie Cupcakes

I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday! Ours was filled with family fun and delicious food. Earlier in the week I mentioned that I was bringing cupcakes to our Thanksgiving dinner. Cupcakes are certainly not your typical Thanksgiving dessert but I loved the way that these turned out. 

The cupcakes mimic a more traditional sweet potato pie in that they have a graham cracker crust and a sweet marshmallow frosting on top. For a little added sweetness, I sprinkled some of the cupcakes with chopped pecans and cinnamon, but of course that is just optional. These cupcakes are a great alternative to a homemade pie, which takes a lot more time and effort to whip up. 

Do you guys do any shopping on Black Friday? I have never camped outside or waited in any long lines before. I would much rather find some good deals online and do my all my shopping that way.  I do need to get started on my Christmas shopping soon though, it will be here before we know it! 

Sweet Potato Pie Cupcakes
Recipe from How Sweet It Is

Graham Cracker Crust:
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 tsp sugar

Cupcakes:
1 1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup (6 oz) mashed sweet potato
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup whole milk

Marshmallow Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups marshmallow fluff
1 tbsp vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
1-2 tsp whole milk, if needed

Graham Cracker Crust and Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs and sugar until combined. Evenly distribute the mixture to the bottom of each liner and press down slightly.
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg and brown sugar until fully incorporated. Add the mashed sweet potato and continue to mix.
Add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, mixing until combined. Finally add the milk and mix until smooth and fully incorporated. Fill each cupcake liner about 3/4 full on top of the graham cracker crust. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool completely on a cooling rack before frosting.

Frosting:
In a stand mixer, beat the butter until light and creamy. Add marshmallow fluff and beat for another 2-3 minutes before adding the vanilla.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar one cup at a time until fully incorporated. With the mixer on high speed, beat for another 2-3 minutes until frosting is light and reaches your desired consistency. If frosting is too thick, add 1-2 tsp of milk and continue to mix.
Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes.

Enjoy :)

Edible Eagles

This weekend is one of my favorite times of the year- the start of College Basketball season! Although  I'm having so much fun with my friends in Florida, I am disappointed that I have to miss my Boston College Eagles open up their season this Sunday. I have always been a fan of College Basketball and especially Boston College Basketball. While I was a student at BC (which seems like such a long time ago now), I was lucky enough to be a manager of the Men's Basketball team. I am so thankful for all of the opportunities I had as manager and all of the amazing people I got to meet along the way. Sometimes I wish I was still in college so that I could be a manager again. 

In honor of the Eagles starting their season this weekend, as well as BC Football's big game against Notre Dame tomorrow, I decided to make these Edible Eagles. Aren't they so cute? They are perfect for any team with an Eagle mascot. And you only need a few ingredients to make these cute little Eagles come to life. Happy College Basketball season! Enjoy!

Edible Eagles
Idea from Noble Pig

What You Will Need:
Large Marshmallows
Shredded Coconut
1 cup white chocolate chips, melted according to package directions
Chocolate Covered Cookies
Cashews
Store Bought Chocolate Frosting

How to Construct the Eagles:
In a small bowl, melt the white chocolate chips according to the package directions.
Take a large marshmallow and dip it into the melted chocolate, coating evenly. Then place marshmallow into bowl of shredded coconut, making sure the that the coconut evenly coats 3 sides of the marshmallow. Immediately place the coconut-free side of the marshmallow down onto a chocolate cookie. Allow the chocolate to set for a few minutes.
With a toothpick or knife, poke a small hole on the side of the marshmallow and place a cashew into the hole.
Use chocolate frosting to add two eyes.
Place finished Eagles into the freezer to set for 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy :)

White Chocolate Cherry Cookies

Yesterday was my dad's birthday. I have the best dad in the world so I wanted to bake something extra special for him. A while ago he went to some function and raved about the White Chocolate Cherry Cookies that were served. He told me that I needed to recreate those cookies for him sometime. I thought that was a great idea but like many of the recipes I want to make, I put off making these cookies for a long time. My dad's birthday was the perfect opportunity to finally try them out.

These cookies were soft and delicious. Filled with white chocolate chips and dried cherries, they also make the perfect cookie for the upcoming holiday season. But the ultimate test of the these cookies was whether or not my dad liked them. Even though he is my dad, he has alway been my toughest food critic. He is definitely not afraid to tell me when he doesn't like a recipe that I make. Luckily I picked a good recipe for his birthday because my dad loved these cookies :) Happy Birthday Dad!

White Chocolate Cherry Cookies
Recipe from Add a Pinch

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cherries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until light and creamy.
Add the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
Slowly add the flour, salt and baking soda. Continue mixing until fully incorporated.
Turn off the mixer. Add the white chocolate chips and cherries and mix with a spatula until combined.
Scoop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.
Enjoy :)