Batch 9 // Fluffernutter Cookies

Hey all! I promise I'm still here... I've just been on the move. This morning I realized that I have either been working, traveling, or hosting guests for the past 16 days. This introvert needed some time to  regroup and recharge today... which usually means either baking or organizing something. Baking won today - I decided to whip up a quick batch of cookies. These delicious little cookies (inspired by a favorite childhood sandwich) only have 3 ingredients... You read that right, only 3! They turned out really soft and chewy. Whip up a batch this week!

{Recipe and image via Picky Palate}

1 Cup creamy peanut butter 

1 large egg 

1 cup marshmallow cream 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  

In a large bowl mix the peanut butter and egg until well combined with a spoon. 

Slowly stir in the marshmallow cream until just combined. You want to see the marshmallow cream not fully incorporated, almost like swirled through. 

With a small-medium cookie scoop, scoop dough onto a parchment or lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until baked through. Let cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.

Batch 8 // Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Hey y'all... sorry for my absence this week. I'm back today with another cookie recipe. Can I just start by saying that giving up sweets for Lent while trying to maintain a cookie baking project just doesn't go so well together. I definitely caved and tried one of these cookies. Let me tell you, this may be my favorite one yet. Seriously, these little lemon cookies just melt in your mouth, and they are beyond simple to make. Whip up a batch this weekend!

{image and recipe via Lauren's Latest}

½ cups Butter, Softened

1 cup Granulated Sugar

½ teaspoons Vanilla Extract

1 whole Egg

1 teaspoon Lemon Zest

1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice

¼ teaspoons Salt

¼ teaspoons Baking Powder

⅛ teaspoons Baking Soda

1-½ cup All-purpose Flour

½ cups Powdered Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease light colored baking sheets with non stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Whip in vanilla, egg, lemon zest and juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Stir in all dry ingredients slowly until just combined, excluding the powdered sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix again briefly. Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

*If using a non stick darker baking tray, reduce baking time by about 2 minutes.

Batch 7 // Cake Batter Cookies

As promised, here is the recipe for the cookies I whipped up on Sunday.

{recipe and image via Chef in Training}

1 1/2 sticks (or 3/4 cup) butter 

3/4 cup brown sugar 

1/4 cup sugar 

1 (3.4 oz) package instant vanilla pudding mix, dry 

3/4 cup yellow cake mix, dry 

2 eggs 

1 tsp vanilla 

1 tsp baking soda 

2-1/4 cups flour 

1/2 tsp salt 

sprinkles 

Preheat oven to 350 F. Stir together flour, salt and baking soda and set aside. 

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars together. 

Add in pudding package and cake mix and beat until well blended. 

Add eggs and vanilla and mix until smooth. 

Add flour mixture slowly until well incorporated. Mix in sprinkles sprinkles.

 Roll into 1" balls and place on greased baking sheet. 

Bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes.

Batch 6 // Chunky Chocolate Gobs

I woke up with chocolate on the brain this morning, so I decided to search for a great chocolate cookie recipe online. Let me tell you, folks, this recipe is hands down the best I've tried in this project thus far.  If you give these a try, please do yourself a favor and eat one right out of the oven... It will forever change your expectations of what a chocolate cookie should taste like. Yum!

{image and recipe via Southern Living}

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 

1/3 cup butter-flavored shortening 

1 cup granulated sugar 

2/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar 

2 large eggs 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

2 cups all-purpose flour 

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

2 cups cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, coarsely chopped (16 cookies) 

3 (1.75-oz.) Mounds bars, chilled and chopped 

1 to 2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels 

Beat butter and shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating until light and fluffy.

Add eggs and vanilla, beating until blended. 

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating until blended. 

Stir in cookies, candy bars, and desired amount of chocolate morsels. Chill dough 30 minutes.

Drop dough by 1/4 cupfuls 2" apart onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until barely set. Cool on baking sheets 10 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Batch 5 // Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

{Recipe via Cup-a Cup-a}

¾ cup Crisco

¾ cup butter, softened

1 ¼ cup brown sugar 

1 ¼ cup white sugar 

4 Tbsp milk 

2 Tbsp vanilla extract 

2 eggs 

3 ½ cups self-rising flour 

2 tsp salt 

1 ½ tsp baking soda 

2 cups oatmeal 

3 cups chocolate chips* 

Blend together Crisco, butter and sugars. Add milk, vanilla and eggs. Add in remaining ingredients except for chocolate chips. Mix until blended. Add chocolate chips. 

Drop by spoon (or scoop) onto un-greased, cookie sheets. (I like to bake them on parchment lined sheets for ease and clean up). Bake 375 degrees 9 to 11 minutes (until golden). Remove from oven and let sit on counter for a few minutes. Remove from cookie sheets to cool. 

Makes about 4 dozen cookies. 

*or whatever mix ins you choose- M&M's; pecans, raisins, peanut butter chips, or “kitchen sink”style: craisins, chocolate chips, pecans

Batch 4 // Snickerdoodles

Apparently this is Mrs. Fields' snickerdoodle recipe... who knows if that's really true or not. Either way, these snickerdoodles were perfectly classic and simple. Definitely a must.

{image and recipe via Lovin' From the Oven}

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars with an electric mixer on high speed. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.

In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar.

Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees while you let the dough rest for 30 to 60 minutes in the refrigerator.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar with the cinnamon for the topping.

Take about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the dough and roll it into a ball. Roll this dough in the cinnamon/sugar mixture and press it onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat for the remaining cookies.

Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes and no more. The cookies may seem undercooked, but will continue to develop after they are removed from the oven. When the cookies have cooled they should be soft and chewy in the middle.

Makes 16 to 18 cookies.

{I would recommend doubling the recipe for a hungry crowd}

Batch 3 // Orange Creamsicle Cookies

Orange Creamsicle Cookies

{image & recipe via The Girl Who Ate Everything}
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons orange zest (for me that was the zest of 2 oranges)
2 cups white chips

  
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add flour mixture until combined. Stir in orange zest and chips.

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Do not flatten cookies; it will make them dry. Bake 8 - 10 minutes or until golden brown around edges. Do not overcook! Cookies will be plump. Cool for several minutes on cookie sheets before transferring to rack to cool completely. Store in airtight container.

Batch 2 // Oreo Pudding Cookies

Happy Saturday! I've seen this recipe pop up numerous times on my pinterest feed, and let me tell you, they did not disappoint. I'm literally in the middle of baking these delicious cookies, but after the first bite I knew I just couldn't wait to share with y'all. Make them this weekend... sorry to sound bossy. They're just THAT good.

Oreo Pudding Cookies

{via Sweet Treats and More}

1 cup butter, room temp

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1 (4oz) package instant Oreo Pudding mix

2 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 Hershey's Cookies N Cream Candy Bars broken into small pieces

2 cups milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Combine flour and soda in a small bowl and set aside.  Cream together butter and sugar.  Beat in pudding mix until blended, then eggs and vanilla.  Add flour and soda mixture. Stir in cookies n cream pieces and chocolate chips.  Using a cookie dough scooper, place dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.  Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet before moving to a cooking rack.  Store in air-tight container.  Makes three dozen (plus).

i shall use my time

{via}

"Don't get too close..."

"Be careful, they'll break your heart..."

"You're going to burn out if you invest too much..."

"Keep your distance with the kids and their families..."

"You've got to maintain strictly professional relationships"

"Trust me, it'll be for your good if you can leave work unaffected."

These cautionary words of advice from older nurses have been repeated over and over in the 5 months that I've been at my job. While I completely understand where they are coming from and value their experience, I must respectfully disagree.  I mean, in the eyes of the world their counsel carries a lot of wisdom. It's a risky thing to invest in others. You are no longer in control. Something outside of yourself has a pull on your emotions - on your heart. I can see why it would be much easier to do your time and separate yourself from the reality of the heartache you encounter. It would certainly take much less of a personal toll to stay detached. 

Still yet, the pulse behind these words doesn't jive with my heart. I have learned that I just cannot operate that way. I cannot go to work, clock in and care for people walking through literal shadows of death, then proceed to clock out and walk away as if I'm resistant to their tragedies. I simply cannot help but get attached to these kids and their families.

I want my patients to know that I care.

I want them to know that I'm not removed from their suffering.

I want them to know that I feel the weight of their grief.

I want them to freely share their burdens with me.

And I want to point them to the One whose hope can brighten the darkest of times.

I know that every person has to find their own way to cope with the stress of this job, and in no way am I writing this to bash on my coworkers... I'm not claiming to have it all figured out, but I am learning that the, "Don't get too close" approach is not the path for me. It's taken me awhile to yield to that, but I've decided I'd rather burn out in 6 months and love my patients in the only way I know how, than to stay at this job for 30 years manufacturing displays of affection while staying completely withdrawn emotionally.

I understand this is the harder option. Yet I'm resolved to this course.

I'm choosing to look mothers in the eye & tell them that my heart bleeds for them.

I'm choosing to hold onto hope even when things seem bleak.

I'm choosing to show my weakness and shed my tears.

I'm choosing to love these children until it hurts.

I'm choosing to leave work with bruises and scars.

Because I believe that is the call on my life; this is what Christ's love has compelled me to. I'm learning that it takes a lot of trust, because I never feel strong enough. I have to depend on His love to fill me back up when I am drained empty. I have to count on His mercy to flow through these ordinary hands when all I want to do is throw them in the air and give up. Sure, there are plenty of times where this melancholy soul feels crushed with grief, but I've met God intimately in those moments and am surely richer for it. 

At the end of my time at this job (whenever that may be),

I want to be close with those I encountered,

I want to be heartbroken,

and I want to be spent.

God, use my time for your name and for your glory.

Andes Mint Cookies + a new project

In an attempt to work on my cookie baking skills, I'm setting out to bake 50 batches of cookies in 2012. That's a little less than one batch/week. I know, I know... that's a lot of cookies. Don't worry, I'll share. I admit that I haven't been the best with carrying out the various projects I've started on this here blog. So, we'll see how this goes. I may get 5 batches in and decide to bail on the whole thing, but for now, the project stands. I started off this week with some leftover ingredients I had from the holidays. These cookies were ridiculously easy to make... I don't know if they technically qualify as "homemade" to all of you foodies out there because of the cake mix. But hey, I'm a little jet lagged and this was about as complicated of a recipe as I was willing to spring for today. They turned out wonderfully... Give these minty little treats a try!

{Recipe from Six Sisters}

1 Devil's Food Cake Mix
1/2 cup oil

2 eggs

1 package of Andes Mints

Mix cake mix, oil, and eggs together. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 6-9 minutes. 

Take sheet out of oven and while the cookies are still very hot, place an Andes Mint on top of each cookie. In about 5 minutes, the mint will be melted. Take a spoon and smooth out each mint like frosting.