Chocolate Chip Shortbread Bars

Yea, it’s finally time to unveil November’s Cookie of the Month! These Chocolate Chip Shortbread Bars are so tasty that I can promise you that they won’t last long in your house. 

What makes them even better is that they only require a few common ingredients that just about everyone should have on hand, and they are so quick and easy to make.  How can  you beat that?

Follow along, because at the end of this post I’m going to show you a way to jazz these cookies up a little.  If you are like me and you are a peanut butter fanatic you won’t want to miss it.

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Bars

1 c. margarine, softened

1/2 c. granulated sugar

3 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

3/4 c. mini  semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, add margarine, sugar, and vanilla; beat with electric mixer until blended.  Add flour, and beat until crumbly;  fold in chocolate chips.

Spread dough onto an 12” x 8” ungreased cookie sheet; press down to about 1/4” thick. 

Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, until edges are light brown and center is set.  

While still warm, make the bars by cutting into desired strips. 

Makes about 1.5 dozen.

As for the jazzing up, I made a peanut butter glaze that I piped on top of half of the batch of bars after they cooled down a bit.

For the glaze, mix 1 heaping tablespoon of peanut butter, 1/8 tsp. of pure vanilla extract, and 1/4 c. powdered sugar together.  Add a drop of milk, a little at a time, until you get the desired consistency you are looking for. 

These cookies are great with or without the glaze, and I’m certain I will be adding them to my holiday cookie gift boxes this year.

If someone were to make you a box of cookies, what kind would you want them to be?

 

 

 

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Don’t feel guilty, we’ve all done it.

Sugar cookies can be time-consuming to make from scratch; sometimes we just need a cookie that is quick and simple to make without any hassle.  That’s when you buy a mix.

Now,  just force those guilty thoughts that you’re cheating if you use a mix out of your head.  We’ve all resorted to using a mix from time to time.

I happened upon this Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie mix in the Dollar Tree and I immediately saw a lot of potential in this little bag.  How can you go wrong when you buy a dozen and a half cookies for a buck?

And just because you’re using a mix doesn’t mean you can’t spruce your cookies up a bit with some food coloring, homemade buttercream icing, and some bright-colored Sixlets.

I used milk in the cookie mix instead of the water the directions called for.  I also added green food coloring to the batter to give the cookies the St. Patty’s Day theme I was shooting for.  I  dropped the  batter onto the cookie sheet instead of rolling the cookies out which saved even more time, and look how decorations can trick you into forgetting your cookies started out as a mix. 

These cookies were delicious and no one even questioned that they weren’t made from scratch.

Sixlets are a nostalgic candy.  What candy most says nostalgia to you?

 

Thin and crispy at a minutes notice

I’m all for easy when it comes to making dinner, and easy doesn’t have to mean sacrifice.  It seems like I (quite frequently) get a craving for pizza.  I prefer homemade pizza for a couple of reasons.  One, it’s fresh. Two, you know whose hands have been all over it.  And three,  it doesn’t cost you a small fortune.

The problem with making homemade pizza?  Time.  If you don’t think about it in advance, and by the time you’re hankering for it, you usually don’t want to wait for the dough.  Even a simple dough recipe takes a reasonable amount of time to prepare.

When I crave pizza and I’m not prepared, I go to my book of tricks.  That’s when the tortillas wraps come out. Tortilla pizza is  quick, easy, and deliciously good.   You can top them with any of your favorite toppings, and they also make great anytime snacks and appetizers too.  Tortillas happen to be a staple in our house, and  we usually have enough of the other ingredients on hand to throw these together without having to make a special trip to the store.

White Pizza (Olive oil, mozzarella, feta, garlic, olives, & chicken)

Red Pizza (Sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, onion, peppers, olives & parmesan)

I lightly spray a baking sheet with a non-stick cooking spray and bake them at 350 degrees until the tops are golden brown.

Add a fresh salad, and your good to go.  Here is a great, fairly healthy meal at a minutes notice.