Vanilla Cookies

It's almost Valentine's Day! I think a holiday to celebrate love is wonderful. Whether it's love for a significant other, yourself, family members or your friends, it's always important to celebrate those close to you and let them know that you appreciate them.

Valentine's is knows for all of the sweets and sugar involved. These aren't an exception, but they are small, so it makes it easier to eat one or two instead of a sugar cookie. Sugar cookies are a typical holiday treat. Even though I like them once-in-a-while, it's nice to have a break sometimes. These vanilla cookies somewhat mimic a sugar cookie, but they are a little more crumbly and not as incredibly sweet. They're a favorite of mine and they are handed down from my Grandma.

Dulce de Leche Cutout Cookies

I wanted to make Halloween cookies, but I wanted to try something new! So, I thought I'd try one of my favorite cookies that my sister-in-law Sarah over at High Heels and Grills makes. When I was dating my husband (her brother) we drove from Utah to her house in Fort Collins, Colorado and she made these cookies for us, I fell in love with them! And then when we got married, she made a ton of desserts and these were definitely on the table for refreshments.

Shortbread is so delicate and crumbly, and I literally carved out the faces for these cookies with a toothpick! It took longer than I'd expect it to, so unless you have a lot of time on your hands, use a Linzer Cookie Cutter and it'll be way easier. You can find different holiday ones too, but probably not pumpkin faces ;).

You can find the original recipe here from my SIL's blog. I halved it so that we didn't have cookies coming out of our ears. Best recipe for baking for two!

Two Dozen Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are great because they make 2 dozen! I have halved it and it worked out great for me, so if you're wanting to make 1 dozen cookies, do that and it will work out great! But, I like to share cookies with others, and I still want a lot for myself, so 2 dozen is perfect for us! This recipe makes suuuper soft cookies and they look slightly undercookied, but they end up being perfect! They're very rich and so it makes it a little easier to stop after eating just a couple of them.
I never really liked cookies a ton growing up, but I have come to like them a lot more recently. I don't know why exactly though? I'm a chocolate lover, and usually brownies and ice cream means more chocolate, so that's my only guess. Ice cream is still my dessert of choice, but chocolate chip cookies are coming to be a very close second. Lucky for me, cookies are a lot easier to make than ice cream is, and it's also easier to share cookies with neighbors and friends. The day before my brother left on his mission, we got together and had dinner as a family. I brought these cookies for dessert, but they were gone before we even finished cooking dinner. SO GOOD! I have a favorite recipe, but they make like 8 or 9 dozen cookies, and that's way too many for me because after sharing, I still have about half of them left. And you know, I could eat all of them.

Lemon Bread

This lemon bread is fantastic! It makes one loaf, so that's perfect for a small number of people. This is, of course, more of a dessert bread, so the one loaf works great for me so I can make sure not to overeat like crazy. Bread is one thing that Michael and I can eat a TON of (and sadly, it doesn't even matter which kind). This lemon bread has been a favorite of mine for years. One of our family friends made it for us every year for Christmas, and it was one of my favorite Holiday treats. After we were married, Michael tried some and absolutely LOVED it, and even asked for it on his birthday instead of a cake. So, it's now on repeat for our treats we choose every once-in-a-while. 

This bread is pretty simple to make. I use my KitchenAid to mix it. Honestly, I use my Kitchen Aid all of the time. For breakfast, I like to beat pancake or waffle batter in it, and it always leaves it perfect. Muffin mix in this thing is great too, especially if you're using fresh fruit, because it doesn't mash them up too much. I also use it to mash motatoes (instead of actually mashing them) and it whips them up to make them super creamy. You can also knead bread in your KitchenAid! And, of course, I use it for all of my desserts that I love: cookie dough, brownie and cake batter, breads, and cupcakes. It's my go-to, and I am always so excited to find something new to do with it. 

Disney Copycat Pineapple Dole Whips

It's National Pineapple Day! So, I thought that I would share with you one of my favorite pineapple treats- Dole Whips. These are some of the best things you can grab at Disneyland, so making them at home will help to hold you over until your next Disney trip. One of the great things about this recipe is that they can be healthy when you make them at home! Nothing is more refreshing than a light, citrus, frozen treat. It only takes about five minutes to make these things. I altered the recipe from Gemma's Bigger Boulder Baking for less people and also added the lemon and lime juice.