Mini Cherry Pies

The weather here in Southern California has been gorgeous and I can't wait for spring and the continuous warm weather! Lately I've been craving warmer weather desserts including my all time favorite... PIE! I have a special connection with pie, probably because it was one of the first desserts I successfully made from scratch as a teenager. I didn't even know at the time that pie crust was something that required skill and practice, but I just followed the recipe and lucked out with an amazing home-made pie! Since then, this cherry pie recipe has been my absolute favorite and I make it all the time. The recipe comes from an old 1990's Debbie Fields cookbook that my mom has called Debbie Fields' Great American Desserts (which I can't even find anymore or I'd link to it!) and it is truly the PERFECT cherry pie. If you have a mini pie maker you can use that, but if not, you can just make them regular sized or experiment with mason jars, ramekins, or a cupcake tin. There are so many cute ways to package a pie and they make great gifts for the pie lover in your life! I made these for my bridesmaids for our wedding crafting night and everyone loved them!

Crust: 

•  2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks COLD unsalted butter
• 6-7 tablespoons ICE water

In a large bowl whisk together the flour and salt. Using a pastry cutter or a knife, cut small pea sized pieces of the cold butter into the flour mixture until the mixture is course and crumbly. (These pieces are what make your pie crust flaky so don't skip this step even if it is a hassle!) Then, add the ice water one tablespoon at a time and stir with a fork until the mixture starts holding together. Do not overmix! Seperate the dough into 2 balls, one slightly larger than the other, flatten into a disk shape and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 1 hour before using.

Filling:

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 5 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 16oz cans of tart, pitted red cherries drained (reserve 1 cup of the juice)
• 2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

In a large saucepan whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Over medium-high heat slowly add the cherry juices whisking until smooth. Bring to a boil stirring constantly until thickened. Gently stir in the cherries and bring back to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Cool slightly while preparing the crust.

On a floured surface, roll out the larger disk 1/8 inch thick and at least 2 inches larger than the pie pan. Transfer to the pan and trim the edges to a 1 inch overhang. Chill the pan in the freezer. Grab the smaller disk and roll out. Cut into 12 strips. Remove the chilled pan from the freezer and pour in the pie filling. Top with the dough strips in a lattice pattern and press the edges with your finger to seal. Brush the pie with an egg wash (1 beaten egg + 2 teaspoons sugar) and bake at 425 for 20 minutes. Lower the temp to 350 and bake for 30 more minutes or until its golden brown and bubbly.

Now obviously that is for a regular sized pie so you'll need to adapt it to whatever way you're making it. For mini pies, you would cut the dough using the cutter your machine provides and only cook for about 8 minutes. You could also fill a mason jar with the filling and lattice the top with dough. Experiment with different containers and see what you like the best! There is no wrong way to eat pie, people! Enjoy and happy Monday! XOXO

Chocolate chunk pretzel cookies

Lately I've been craving the sweet and salty combination in desserts and I've been pouring sea salt on everything I make! There's nothing like the crunch of salt to bring out the sweetness of chocolate. It's to DIE FOR. I've been looking for the perfect chocolate/pretzel dessert but every recipe I come across has something I either don't have or don't like. I decided to do my own take on the chocolate chip/pretzel cookie and created my own recipe! This is one of my most successful cookies to date! It's the perfect combination of soft and chewy and salty and crunchy. I used my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe as a base and then made a few changes as needed. They turned out beyond delicious so I knew I had to share the recipe!

You will need:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks) at room temperature 
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk at room temperature 
• 1 cup broken pretzel pieces (I put pretzels in a ziplock bag and just crushed them with my hands until I got the right size pieces)
• 1 cup milk chocolate roughly chopped (I chopped up a giant Hershey kiss that Mando gave me for Valentines Day, but you can use a few Hershey bars instead or any good milk chocolate bar or even milk chocolate chips)

First, pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees. Then mix the flour, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk and set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Then beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy.

Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate and pretzel pieces by hand using a wooden spoon. The dough will be very chunky and delicious!

Scoop out cookie dough and loosely roll into 1 inch balls onto the prepared cookie sheets. Don't worry if the balls of dough are falling apart a little bit, they don't have to be perfect! The cookies will spread a bit while baking so make sure to allow enough room.

Bake for 12-15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. (DO NOT skip this step! It's what keeps them soft and chewy!)

Make sure to try the cookies while they are still warm! The melted chocolate with the crunchy pretzels will send your taste buds over the edge! Delicious! If anyone tries these make sure to let me know how you like them! Enjoy! XOXO

Wedding Planning Wednesday - Dessert Menu

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I know I have posted about our wedding cake design in the past, but it has changed since then. You will find this happening a lot in wedding planning, especially when it comes to me! New ideas come up all the time and I'm switching things up! When we found out that our wedding planner has a friend who is trying to start his own baking business (He was featured on the Food Network show Cupcake Wars! How fun is that?) we knew we wanted to meet with him to see what flavor combinations and ideas he had. As soon as we met him and his business partner (our wedding planner's brother) we instantly loved them and I knew they would have a fresh perspective for my non-traditional ideas. His presentation was beautiful and we loved all 3 cupcakes he brought for us to taste!

Mando and I weren't sure if an entire dessert table would be in our budget but after talking to Isaac we determined that we could make it work! Instead of doing a gigantic wedding cake, we will be doing a smaller cake for Mando and I to cut into and then individual cupcakes of the same flavor for the guests. This was an easy way to bring the cost down and make more room for the dessert table budget.

I knew I wanted to do a theme for the dessert table, because honey, I'm all about the themes! I almost NEED one when it comes to planning! We thought about our absolute favorite desserts and I came up with the idea of rustic, country fair themed desserts. So, here's what's on the menu... most are being made by Isaac but some things we will be bringing ourselves!

• S'mores cake and cupcakes - these cupcakes are freaking amazing! I totally copied my wedding planner on the flavor, because she had it for her wedding and I fell in love with the idea. It's very different and I think the guests are going to love it.
• Mini cherry and apple pies - I knew if I was going to do a dessert table there would be pie. Because, obviously. Pie is amazing and everything is better in mini form, am I right?!
• Donut holes - A big ol' platter of them. Yum. Enough said.
• Gourmet mini caramel apples - Caramel apples always remind me of my mom because it's one of her favorite desserts. These are kind of dedicated to her and a silly thank you for all the help she's given us while planning the wedding. I think they are going to be so pretty once decorated, I can't wait to see what he comes up with!
• Cotton candy - you can't have a country fair dessert table without cotton candy! I think this will be something all of the kids at the wedding will specially enjoy. And trust me, there will be A LOT of kids there!
• Kettle corn - Mando and I are obsessed with kettle corn and we always get a huge bag when we go to the fair so this was a must on our table! We have a local popcorn shop that we love so we'll be picking it up from there and packaging it into individual bags for the guests!

I'm ridiculously excited about this menu. Like, I can't stop thinking about it. Wedding dress be damned, I will be stuffing my face with a little bit of everything! As for the design, I rented a covered wagon from a local prop house and we'll be using that (without the cover) as the dessert table. Fun stuff! Right now is crunch time, so we are busy working out all the tiny details that go along with planning a wedding. Less than 3 months to go! XOXO

My Favorite Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

If there's one thing I love to bake around Christmas time, it's gingerbread. For the past few years now I've been making this recipe from Food.com and it has become an absolute favorite. If you like traditional, classic gingerbread cookies then this is the recipe for you. This year, I made cookies and a gingerbread house and they were both incredibly delicious. This isn't my recipe, but I wanted to share it with you guys so you can use it, too!

You will need:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbl ground ginger
• 1 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 6 tbl unsalted butter at room temp
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. In a separate large bowl beat the butter, brown sugar, and egg until well blended. Add molasses and vanilla and continue to mix until blended. Gradually stir in dry ingredients until blended and smooth. Divide dough in half and wrap each half in plastic and let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.

Preheat your oven to 375°. Grease or line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place half of the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll dough 1/4-inch thick. Use more flour to avoid sticking if needed. Cut out cookies with whatever cookie cutter you prefer. Bake for about 7-8 minutes and then allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Once completely cool, it's time to decorate! I just used store bought vanilla frosting but homemade buttercream or royal icing would be great too!

I hope you all give this recipe a try this year! They would make great cookies to leave out for Santa on Christmas Eve night. Just sayin!

Quick note: As you can tell, my blog posts have been fewer lately. I'm not posting as much due to the holidays and spending time with family, but I will be back to my regular posting schedule after the New Year. I have a ton of fun giveaways planned for you in January so stay tuned! XOXO

Friday Favorites: Peppermint Treats!

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Happy December everyone! Holiday season is upon us, and just like apples are for September and pumpkins are for October/November, December is all about peppermint! I'm normally not a mint lover, but I won't say no to the magical combination of spicy peppermint and sweet chocolate! This time of the year is when I bake the most, so I've been hoarding some of my favorite chocolate/peppermint treats on my Pinterest board to share with you! And don't forget, some of these would make lovely last minute Christmas/hostess gifts!

If the peppermint mocha from Starbucks is your go-to holiday drink, you might want to whip up a batch of these peppermint mocha cupcakes from Bakers Royale immediately. Peppermint extract and Starbucks via instant coffee are the delicious base for this cupcake and it's all topped off with some peppermint infused buttercream. YUM!

If coffee isn't your thing, how about trying these delicious chocolate cupcakes with a sweet peppermint cream cheese icing from Glorious Treats?  She'll also tell you how to do that candy cane stripe effect for the frosting! Fun!

Here's something to make with all of your leftover candy canes... Chocolate peppermint cookies from My Baking Addiction! There are crushed candy canes inside the cookies and then they are dipped in melted chocolate and embellished with even more crushed candy canes for double the peppermint goodness! It's almost like peppermint bark in cookie form!

If you're a chocolate lover like me, you may appreciate these double chocolate peppermint crunch cookies from Sweet Pea's Kitchen. With dark chocolate, espresso powder, and peppermint extract, these cookies are sure to satisfy any Christmas craving!

Christmas isn't Christmas without a hot drink to cozy up with! Martha Stewart doesn't disappoint with her recipe for peppermint hot chocolate. Throw some in a thermos and go look at Christmas lights for a festive night with the family!

For once Miss Paula Deen isn't talking about butter, ya'll! Instead she's bringing us a delicious recipe for peppermint chocolate coffee. I don't know about you, but this is something I would definitely get out of bed for! She mixes a pot of freshly brewed coffee with chocolate and peppermint syrup and tops it off with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Can you say YUMMY!

I hope you all enjoy at least one of these fabulous concoctions this Christmas! We are busy over here with our 24 days of advent calendar activities (more about that later) and have a weekend packed full of winter fun! Have a great weekend everyone! XOXO

Happy Halloween + Pumpkin Pie Bites

Hello everyone! I just wanted to pop in quickly to wish you all a safe and happy Halloween! Being that this is one of my favorite holidays, I decided to whip up some delicious pumpkin pie bites late last night to share with you all! I was inspired by Miss Bakerella's pumpkin pie bites, but I didn't love her ingredient list so I made up my own pumpkin filling. These are super fun and yummy and perfect for your Halloween get together!

Ingredients:

• 2 frozen pie shells
• 15 oz can pure pumpkin
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cloves

First, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees and thaw out your frozen pie shells. When they feel soft roll them out on a floured surface with a rolling pin until flat and thin. Using a cookie cutter or biscuit cutter, cut out circles about 4 inches wide until all of the dough is gone (depending on size, it should make about 20 circles). Spray a mini muffin tin with baking Pam and insert dough circles. Don't worry about making them look perfect; the dough should scrunch up around the edges naturally.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, salt, and spices. Whisk together and then add eggs one at a time. Mix until just incorporated. Slowly add in pumpkin and stir. Spoon pumpkin mixture into your pie shells and fill about 3/4 full. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Immediately transfer to a wire cooling rack and then cool for about 20 minutes. Top with melted chocolate, whip cream, or enjoy them as-is!

I hope everyone has fun taking their littles out trick-or-treating tonight! Happy Halloween from my family to yours! XOXO

Wedding Planning Wednesday - Cake Tasting

This past weekend was all about the wedding planning! On Saturday we unexpectedly purchased our wedding rings. We meant to just go look but we both fell in love with 2 bands and ended up getting them that day. They are all off getting resized now (I feel so naked!) but as soon as I get them back I promise to share them with you! On Sunday we took our engagement pictures. Those will get their own post next week and trust me when I say you do not want to miss it! If you're friends with me on Facebook you have seen a few, but I cannot wait to share the rest! I am so, so happy with how they came out!

Another thing we did on Sunday was cake tasting! I already told you all about the design of our cake, but we had yet to pick a bakery! I wasn't having much luck searching online, but when Mando and I went to a bridal expo at Knott's Berry Farm a few weeks ago we ended up trying a sample of cake from their bakery. I don't know about you locals, but I for one, didn't even know Knott's HAD a bakery! We were both really surprised at how delicious the cake was and even more surprised at their great prices! So I called and set up an appointment with their baker and on Sunday we headed down there! We told her about our vision for the cake and she showed me some examples of similar cakes they've done in the past and then loaded us up with a great sample platter to take home and try! I was so excited to eat that cake, you don't even know! Here's what we tried...

I was really looking forward to the white cake with raspberry mousse because that's what we tried at the expo and it was amazing. When we tried it again it did not disappoint! We also loved the white cake with raspberry fruit filling; I'm a sucker for anything raspberry! I got samples of marble cake just to have a chocolate option, but I found it to be a bit dry so we decided against that one. We also weren't fond of any of the strawberry options, which was surprising because we both love strawberry! I'll be the first to admit, I'm not normally a lemon kind of gal, so we were both shocked to discover it was actually really yummy! I also made them give me a sample for fondant. Fondant is notorious for making wedding cakes taste dry and unappetizing so I was really scared it would ruin the cake. Surprisingly, it wasn't bad and as long as she spreads it really thin I think it will be really yummy!

Here's what we decided on: The entire cake will be white cake. The largest bottom tier will have the raspberry fruit filling because I think it's what most people would enjoy. The middle tier will have lemon fruit filling for a lighter, citrus option. The top tier, which will be mainly for Mando and I, will have our favorite which is the raspberry mousse! I think lemon and raspberry work really well together and it's perfect for our Spring wedding!

Today we will be meeting with a local taco truck to taste her food and then later tonight we have a meeting with a potential wedding coordinator. I'm really excited for both and can't wait to tell you all about it! Happy Wednesday everyone! XOXO

Friday Favorites: Fall Meals

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It's finally starting to feel like fall around here, and I couldn't be more thrilled. We had our first big cold front of the season and even had a few rainy days this week! I love this weather. The air is crisp in the morning and you can't go out without a jacket at night. It's perfect for cozying up under blankets and lighting pumpkin spice scented candles. Last week I talked about my favorite fall fashions, but this week I wanted to bring it a little closer to home and talk about all of the delicious flavors in fall foods. First up, appetizers!

Fall is the perfect time for soups. There's nothing better than coming home from a chilly day out to a steaming bowl of soup packed with delicious flavors. I've been wanting to cook with squash this fall so this corn and squash soup sounds amazing. I'll definitely be giving it a try!

One of my all time favorite soups is baked potato. You just can't go wrong with bacon, cheese, and creamy potatoes. This recipe from Betty Crocker looks delicious. I can practically smell it through the screen! The best part? You can throw it in the crock pot while you're at the pumpkin patch and come home to a hot meal!

 Every October there is a big chili cook-off in my mom's neighborhood. Last year we entered and won, but this year my mom will be a judge. Chili is the perfect fall meal; its hot and filling and tastes amazing served with cornbread. How fun would it be to serve up chili and cornbread in a jar to your guests? I love that it's portable and easy to bring outside for a fall dinner party!

Another delicious traditional fall meal is pot roast. Juicy meat, tender vegetables, and creamy mashed potatoes; is there any better meal than that? This roast from Jenny Steffans looks so beautiful and inviting. I've never made a pot roast, but this year I'll definitely be giving it a shot!

For dessert, nothing says fall like apples. I've been dying to go apple picking and now I have the perfect excuse... I need to make these amazing crock pot baked apples! With butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon it's just like apple pie without the crust! Can you say yum?!

I'm just gonna put this out there; pies are my specialty. Cherry pie was one of the first thing I ever baked completely from scratch when I was a teenager and my mom immediately named me the pie crust queen. I love the methodical mixing and rolling resulting in the perfect buttery, flaky pie crust. This year I really want to try some different variations of pies, including these adorable individual apple pies. Don't they look delicious?

I hope some of you are able to make some of these delicious meals this weekend and enjoy that crisp air! We're off to the pumpkin patch with family and I can't wait to continue our yearly fall traditions! XOXO

Wedding Planning Wednesday: THE CAKE

I love, love, love lace. It is so delicate, feminine, and just plain pretty! I'm incorporating it into so many different aspects of our wedding from our table runners and bouquets to hopefully even my dress! When looking for wedding cake designs I of course to turned to Pinterest to find lace inspired wedding cakes. I stumbled upon this one by Martha Stewart and fell in love. (Does Martha ever disappoint?! I die for her!) And surprisingly, when I showed Mando several pictures of different cakes, this one was his favorite too!  I love the neutral color palette of white and ivory. It's classic yet the lace applique gives it a pop of texture that I really love. This cake will definitely be the inspiration for our wedding cake.

As far as bakeries go, we haven't started seriously looking at our options yet. I don't have a favorite one, because I normally do my own baking which means we're pretty much starting from scratch! (pun intended) I do want to visit Sweet & Saucy shop in Long Beach. I discovered that they coincidentally designed not one, but TWO of the cakes I had in my inspiration folder... what are the chances of that?! Hopefully sometime in the near future we'll be able to stop by for a consultation and taste testing to see if they are a good fit for us!

So what do you think? Love it or hate it? Have any of you locals ever been to Sweet & Saucy or do you have another great bakery to suggest? I'd love to hear! XOXO

Friday Favorites: Fall has arrived!

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I don't know about you, but to me September 1st means one thing... Fall has arrived! Which means it's time to whip out the pumpkin puree and get to baking. My favorite favorite time to bake is in the fall. I love pumpkin, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and all of the other delicious fall spices. Since I've been waiting ALL year to make this stuff, I am dedicating Friday Favorites to our favorite orange flavor... PUMPKIN!

I love making pies, but they can be a lot of work. These mini pumpkin pie bites from Bakerella are easy to make and even easier to eat. Perfect!

I think you guys pretty much understand by now that almost every post of mine will contain a cupcake somewhere. These cupcakes with a graham cracker crust and pumpkin pie frosting (!!!) are making my mouth water!

I'm not normally a huge fan of cream cheese frosting, but I have to admit, cream cheese and pumpkin are a match made in heaven. These pumpkin bars look soft and moist and the cream cheese frosting is the cherry on top!

I love whoopie pies. I love them in the summer, in the winter, in the spring, and most definitely in the fall. Especially if that means I get to make these pumpkin whoopie pies with... wait for it... MAPLE cream cheese frosting. Uh yeah, enough said.



I don't know why I never thought of making pumpkin snicker doodles, but I'm sure happy Recipe Girl shared them with me. These are the perfect fall cookies to share with friends!

Last year I made chocolate chip pumpkin bread (which is still my favorite pumpkin recipe to date) so this year I really want to try these chocolate chip pumpkin bars from Bake at 350. There's just something about the combination of melted chocolate chips that's unexpected yet delicious.

I don't know about you, but I'm off to the grocery store to stock up on pumpkin! Have a great weekend everyone! XOXO

Friday Favorites: Can I have s'more?

To me, the end of August also means the end of summer. Soon the days will be shorter and the nights cooler. Maybe because I grew up in Newport Beach, but the end of summer always makes me think of bonfires at the beach. We would grab a fire pit and roast marshmallows as the sun set surrounded by all of our friends and family. And we always made s'mores which are pretty much my favorite sweets on the planet. There's something perfect about the combination of chocolate, graham cracker, and toasted marshmallow... it's sweet, crunchy, and gooey all in one bite. When we took Cayden to the beach a few weeks ago we planned to have a bonfire that night, but all of the fire pits were taken by the time we got there. So I was left with all the necessary s'more ingredients and decided to try this recipe from Fahrenheit 350.  These s'mores cookies are amazing! You take a chocolate chip cookie, add marshmallow, and bake them right on top of a graham cracker. It just tastes like summer! There are so many creative s'mores treats around lately, I wanted to dedicated Friday Favorites to the yummiest summer dessert as we say goodbye to another season!

 I love the idea of s'mores pops! Pre-roasted marshmallow, dipped in melted chocolate, and coated in graham cracker crumbs already on a stick and ready to devour? Perfect!

Okay, how creative and original is a s'mores cake? This cake found on The Sweetest Occasion looks amazing! Layers of chocolate and graham cracker and topped with a toasted marshmallow buttercream... Heaven!

 You knew there would be a cupcake somewhere in this post right? I have to try these chocolate s'mores cupcakes from Glorious Treats. You just can't go wrong with a moist chocolate cupcake topped with marshmallow frosting and a piece of baked graham cracker! YUM!

These s'mores bars are about as close to the real thing as you can get! I love how she mixed both chocolate chips and mini Hershey bars for double the chocolate-y goodness. Now get in my mouth!

Want to skip the whole open flame and stick hassle? These homemade s'mores candy bars might be the perfect solution, especially if you have young children. Just layer the chocolate, marshmallow fluff, and graham cracker pieces and let set and you are good to go!

Okay, I can't get over these s'mores in a jars from How Sweet It Is. I love anything in a jar (it's true). She layers a graham cracker crust with double chocolate chip cake, and then tops it off with big puffy marshmallows. AMAZING. How cute would these be as desserts or favors at a camping themed birthday party?

Obviously these are all wonderful ideas, and I think I need to make all of them by the end of the month. What about you? Are you ready for summer to end? I, personally, can't wait for fall... sweaters, pumpkin spice, and the holiday season! It's going to be amazing! XOXO

The BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe.

I'm going to tell you a secret, something I don't normally tell people: I used to be cursed when it came to chocolate chip cookies. No, seriously... I would try twenty different recipes of the basic chocolate chip cookie and they would NEVER turn out right. Sometimes they would melt into a gooey puddle and sometimes they would harden into a rock. I could never understand why and it eventually became a running joke in the family. I had no problems baking any other type of cookie, but the chocolate chip cookie hated me. It got to the point where I just stopped trying to make them altogether. Then one day, I decided to blog 3 fun Valentines Day treats and this was the first one. The first step was to bake chocolate chip cookies so I decided to give it a try and OH MY GOD. They were a-m-a-z-i-n-g! Soft, chewy, melt in your mouth, fluffy deliciousness (and no I'm not exaggerating)! Ever since that fateful day, I've made these cookies a dozen times and they've always turned out perfectly. I decided to share the BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe with you guys, in hopes that someone who has also been cursed can break through and enjoy the warm chocolate-y gooeyness that are these cookies. So without further ado...

The BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe:

 You will need:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

First, pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees. Then you're going to mix the flour, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk and set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Then beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy.

Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Scoop out cookie dough and roll into small 1-inch balls (a little smaller than the size of a walnut) onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. (DO NOT skip this step! It's what keeps them soft and chewy!)

Now run, don't walk, to your kitchen and whip some of these babies up! You can thank me later! XOXO

Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

 We are currently on our Oregon road trip, but I've scheduled some posts for you throughout the week. Enjoy!

It's late at night... the baby is asleep. Dinner was hours ago, and Mando and I have the munchies! 90% of the time I'm making these peanut butter cookies... Super easy to make and super delicious to eat, these cookies are the perfect late night snack! Try them tonight and you won't be disappointed!

Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

First, preheat oven to 375°. Set out your egg and butter until they feel room temperature.

Cream the butter, peanut butter and sugars until light. Add the egg and mix until fluffy.

In a separate mixing bowl add the flour, baking powder, soda and salt and whisk together. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients mixing well after each addition.

Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls onto lightly greased baking sheets. Dip a fork into flour and gently press into the cookies making a criss-cross pattern. Bake for 10-12 until golden brown. Cool for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack (this step is very important; it's what makes your cookies soft and chewy!)

So yummy! If you want to mix it up a bit, try adding 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips as your last step (you can skip the criss-cross step, too) for warm peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. They are to die for when you have a chocolate craving! Enjoy! XOXO

Cayden's Mickey Mouse birthday party.

Cayden is obsessed with Mickey Mouse so I really wanted his first birthday to be something that makes him happy. I'm not a huge fan of licensed character parties, so I stuck with a red, yellow, and black color theme and incorporated a ton of DIY details. Although the day was hot and hectic, I'm so glad that I was able to do this for him. We all had so much fun and it was worth all the months of planning, and sweat and tears that went into it!

Mando and I were up until 3am the night before the party baking 2 dozen cupcakes, brownies, lemon bars, and rice crispy treats. We were back up at 7am the next morning and immediately started packing everything up to get to my mom's where the party was taking place. We picked up the cake and the balloons on our way and then started cooking the food and decorating before the party started at 1. Like most hostesses, I was running around like crazy making sure everything was done and the guests were comfortable, and I didn't get nearly as many pictures as I wanted (including any of the food table, Cayden in the pool, his high chair banner, or the kids wearing the DIY Mickey ears) but I did the best I could with the time I had! There were a few hiccups like the wind, popping balloons, and flies trying to get to the food, but we made it work and in the end all 40 guests said they had a good time!

My favorite part of the day was Cayden eating his smash cake. He looked so serious, but ended up making a huge mess and eating almost the entire thing! It was so funny! The kids all had SO much fun playing in the pool with the big rafts, beach balls, and pool noodles. The food we served was yummy and everyone raved over the dessert table. Luckily, I had time to down some strawberry margaritas and was able to finally relax and enjoy my time with the birthday boy!

Now onto the pictures!

I sent these invitations out sooooo late, but at least I had the excuse that they were handmade! I designed and made all of them and thought they turned out cute! Special thanks to my sister for helping me create the party details on the back!

 "You've got ears, say cheers!" DIY Mickey and Minnie ears for the kids to wear. I made these using black headbands and hot gluing circles and bows that I cut with my Silhouette. Super cute, easy, and inexpensive! The kids loved them.

 Along with soda, water, and beer, we served homemade lemonade and sun tea. I found these beverage dispensers at Walmart for $10! I love how they act as a display piece with the lemons on the bottom.

One of my favorite things at the party was the strawberry margaritas we made using my mom's ice cream machine! They were cold and refreshing and they paired perfectly with the carne asada tacos. I bought the red and white striped paper straws at my favorite party planning site, Shop Sweet Lulu!

This banner frustrated me to no end! Every time I tried to tie it up the wind knocked it down. Finally I had to duct tape it to the wall, which wasn't the prettiest look, but it worked! This was the best picture we got (thanks, sister!), but as you can see the wind was pretty brutal. I also had really cute Mickey Mouse balloons on both sides, but half of them popped before the party even started! Sometimes you just have to laugh it off! :)

My amazing sister whipped up these fun tissue paper pom-poms hanging above the dessert table about 5 minutes before the party started and they ended up being one of my favorite decorations! We had planned to do them together, but just didn't have time so I'm so glad she took care of it for me. They turned out beautiful and everyone loved them!

The dessert table was A LOT of work, but I'm so happy with how it turned out! We baked everything in my kitchen (with the exception of the cake) and I made the 'sweets' banner, Mickey cupcake wrappers, pinwheel cupcake toppers, the cake and smash cake topper myself. (All available to buy in my Etsy shop!) The ice cream bar was a huge hit, and the kids loved picking their own toppings! The plates, napkins, and the ice cream cups were also from Shop Sweet Lulu and were adorable! I'm so bummed I didn't get a good picture of them!

I loved the smash cake and that picture of Cayden is my favorite of the entire day! The cake topper was custom made my me, and you can see he's wearing a pair of my DIY Mickey ears! :)

 My boy annihilated that cake! He was so messy afterwards I didn't even bother trying to wipe him down, I just turned the hose on him!

I can't believe my sweet boy is finally one. Since the party, it's like he exploded into toddlerhood and is now a walking, talking, tantruming little man! ;) I'm proud of myself for holding it together the entire day... I didn't cry until we got home and I was carrying my sleeping 1 year old from the car to bed. I spent a lot of time remembering where we were a year ago, and reflecting on those sweet few first days of his life spent in the hospital. It was so cozy and quiet and magical.  I can't believe a year has already gone by!

If you're planning a big party, my suggestion is to start early! Everyone thought I was crazy for planning 6 months in advance, but I'm so glad I did. It gave me plenty of time to really find out what I wanted to do, and allowed me to start buying and making everything over a long period of time instead of all at once. I'm so thankful to Mando, my mom, my sister, and my best friend for stepping in and helping me without me ever having to ask. I literally couldn't have done it without their help! In the end, everything might not turn out how you envisioned it, but you have to make the best of it and remember your there to celebrate and enjoy the time with your loved ones!

I think next year we'll have a smaller, family party... we (along with our bank account) are still trying to recover from this one... I think Mando might be traumatized!

XOXO