Buttery Chocolatey Toffee-y Goodness!

I love to bake.  There is something about baking which makes me feel all warm and squishy inside.  I love to making goodies for my family and friends, co-workers, teachers, the marching band, the bake sale...if you ask me to bake something for somebody, chances are good that I'll say yes.  

So I am so excited to share this recipe that I tried out tonight.  So so so deliciously yummy and perfect in so many ways!  It's super-easy to make, and is so buttery, chocolatey, toffee-y, rich, crunchy, gooey, comforting, mouth-wateringly amaze-balls that you will think you died and went to heaven.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Toffee Cookie Bars

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup toffee bits

Preheat oven to 375.  Grease a 9x13" pan (I sprayed with cooking spray).

Using a wooden spoon, stir together butter and sugars until light and fluffy; mix in vanilla and egg and stir until smooth.  Combine dry ingredients and stir into butter mixture.  Dough will be thick - I mixed it a bit with my hands to make sure it was all blended.  Stir in chocolate chips and toffee bits, and spread dough evenly into pan with your hands.  

Bake for 20 minutes; cool on wire rack.  Cut into bars when completely cool.  Makes 24-36 depending on how big you want them.  Mmmmmmmmmm.

Candy Cane Crinkles

And so it begins...Christmas cookie baking!

Yesterday one of my co-workers received some very yummy-looking peppermint chocolate cookies from her Secret Santa. Since we are having a cookie swap tomorrow, I felt that I MUST make some kind of cookie with crushed candy canes in them. I had a recipe pinned on Pinterest already, and tried it out tonight. It's just wonderful!

Soooo...not only do you get this delish recipe, but you also get a printable sheet of recipe cards for your own cookie swap. How sweet is that? You can nab the PDF here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/aabkswmj6gtnuba/Candy%20Cane%20Crinkles.pdf

Without further ado, here is the recipe...I hope you enjoy!

Candy Cane Crinkles

3 candy canes, crushed
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cookie sheets lined with foil or parchment paper lightly with cooking spray. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla and egg; scrape sides and mix again. Combine all dry ingredients (except powdered sugar) and slowly mix into butter mixture until just combined. Scrape sides and mix again, and stir in crushed candy canes.

Pour powdered sugar on a plate. Roll dough into 1” balls, and then roll in powdered sugar. Place on cookie sheet and repeat with remaining dough. Bake 9-11 minutes or until bottoms are barely brown and cookies are matte (not melty or shiny). Cool on cookie sheets for about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling racks.

Makes 2 dozen cookies.


The original recipe came from www.laurenslatest.com. I changed it just a bit by adding an extra candy cane, and rolling the dough balls to 1" size.

My pictures of the cookies did not turn out great; I borrowed the one above from the fivefoldministryschool blog.

Warm and Cozy Winter Toesies!

Hello friends, it's been so long since I've been here...it seems my family and I are always going in a bazillion different directions! Things have calmed down a bit now that my oldest is done with marching band for the year, so before we get too far into the holiday season, I wanted to share a fun gift idea and printable with you!

I made these little gifts for my co-workers last Christmas and they were a big hit. The original idea came from Pinterest*, but I made up my own version of the tags with some fun text and fonts and colors (red, grey, aqua, and hot pink). Basically, it's a bottle of nail polish and a pair of socks arranged in a clear cello bag and tied with the tag and a bow. I found some adorable plush socks at Old Navy in fun colors and paired them with Essie nail polish in coordinating shades, with some shredded paper fill and wide Christmas ribbon to bring it all together. So. Darn. Cute.

All you need is nail polish and socks of your choice, a cello bag about 9" long, the tag (printable at bottom of this post, and ribbon. Here is a quick mock-up of the supplies:

Nail polish (OPI) and socks I found at AC Moore today.

Printable PDF with four tags in four colors!

You could also add a nail file in a cute pattern and/or some foot lotion in your giftee's favorite scent. For someone super special, how about a gift certificate for a pedicure too?

These would make great teacher, Secret Santa, co-worker, babysitter, and girlfriend gifts. I had a lot of fun putting them together and hope you enjoy too! You can download the printable for the tags here:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/tgq2dr72jma60ch/Cozy%20Toesies.pdf

Let me know what you think! XO Beth

*P.S. Original version is here:http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/12/cozy-toes-holiday-printable/

Wheatberry (Farro) Salad with Cranberries

My very favorite time of year is fall - I love the colors, food, decorating, holidays, all of it! Such a cozy time of year, don't you think? But summer is still here, and I would be remiss if I didn't post a transition recipe, one that is perfect as an accompaniment for both light summer meals and heartier fall fare.

Wheatberries are a nutty, hearty grain, and are also known as "spelt" or "farro." I found this recipe on food.com, posted in 2009 by zenveg, and changed it up a little to make it lighter. It has a bright, fresh flavor, and could not be easier to make. I used less oil in the dressing, and also used pecans (instead of hazelnuts) and fresh mint (instead of dried). Last night I served it cold, with grilled tilapia and fresh peas, but I think it would also be delicious served warm with pork tenderloin and maybe some butternut squash. This recipe made quite a bit - about eight one-cup servings, maybe a bit more. I hope you enjoy...we sure did!

Wheatberry Salad with Cranberries

1 1/2 cups wheatberries (farro), boiled according to package directions, rinsed in cold water and drained
3/4 cup dried cranberries (I used low-sugar Craisins)
1/2 cup toasted pecans
3 stalks green onions, thinly sliced (discard the white bulb part)
1 tbs. fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Juice and zest from one medium lemon
2 1/2 tbs. honey
3 tbs. apple cider vinegar
1 tbs. canola oil

Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl; combine all dressing ingredients and stir into salad. That's it!

Rainy Day Granola

I love being home. It's cozy and most of the people I love are here. All my stuff is here. Home is good.

Today it's raining, and when it rains I love being home even more. I get all domestic and want to make things. Sometimes I bake, sometimes I do crafty things. Today seemed like a good day to make granola...warm, sweet, full of love granola.

The original recipe for this granola came from my boss' wife. Not only is it the best granola I've ever had, but also it's ridiculously easy to make. Today I changed it up just a bit, adding cinnamon and brown sugar to the original recipe. It came out just a bit sweeter than I anticipated, so if you want to omit the brown sugar, you can, and it won't affect the results. You can also add dried fruit to it, and use pecans instead of almonds. (You may need to adjust the amount of coconut oil if the mixture doesn't seem wet enough after adding extra ingredients.)

This recipe makes a LOT of granola -- I was able to fill five 12-ounce Mason jars to the top, and still had about a cup left over. Which makes it perfect to share!

Rainy Day Granola

4 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups unsweetened, finely shredded coconut
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup sunflower seeds or pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
2 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 cup coconut oil
2/3 cup honey
1/4 cup light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 300, and line two cookie sheets with foil or parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix oats, coconut, almonds, sunflower seeds, and cinnamon and set aside. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the coconut oil, honey, and brown sugar together, and then pour over the oats mixture. Stir together until all ingredients are combined, and then spread evenly on the two cookie sheets. Bake for 20 minutes; remove pans and gently stir; and then bake another 20 minutes. (Do not overbake, as this will make the granola too dry.) Gently stir again, and let granola cool. When it's completely cool, spoon into glass containers with tight-fitting lids. Makes enough to enjoy now, save for later, and share with friends!