Cinnamon Cookies Rolled in Brown Sugar

On the spur of the moment (like six o’clock at night) I decided I needed to bake something sweet.  Something with cinnamon and brown sugar kind of sweet.  While a lot of ideas came to mind, many would take far more time and energy than I wanted to expend so I came up with the perfect solution – cinnamon cookies rolled in brown sugar – yes! score! win!

These cookies are quite popular  in our home right now, and I’m sure if you make a batch, they will be just as popular in yours as well.

Cinnamon Cookies Rolled in Brown Sugar (Recipe adapted from themondaybox.com)

1/2 c. vegetable shortening

1/2 c. margarine

1 egg

1 c. granulated sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 c. brown sugar (set aside)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream shortening, margarine, egg, and granulated sugar together.  Add baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and vanilla extract.  Mix in flour one cup at a time until thoroughly combined.  Roll dough into 1” balls – here is a tip, if you want fat cookies roll 2” balls, roll each ball in brown sugar, place on prepared baking sheet, and press dough down with a fork leaving crisscross marks on the top of each cookie.  For 1” balls, bake about 8 minutes, or just until the cookies start to turn a light golden color.  If baking 2” balls, bake about 10 minutes.  Allow cookies to cool slightly before moving them.   Makes about 2 dozen cookies if rolling dough into 1” balls and makes about 1 dozen cookies if rolling dough into into 2”balls.

Have you tried any new cookie recipes lately?  If so, let’s hear about them!

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Hearty Oatmeal Cookies with Mini White and Dark Chocolate Chips

Of all of the cookies out there I think the oatmeal cookie has to be the healthiest.  I mean really, how can a cookie recipe that calls for 3 cups of oatmeal be bad for you?  Talk about hearty, these cookies are just that.

I got this recipe from That Skinny Chick Can Bake.  (Thanks Liz!) I did make a few minor adjustments to the recipe.  I used margarine instead of butter,  increased the vanilla from one teaspoon to two, and used 1/2 cup of mini dark chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips instead of the butterscotch chips.  I also added a 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter.  I noticed Liz’s cookies appear to have a slightly different texture than mine, but let me tell you this, these cookies are delicious!   I love how the white and dark chocolate chips compliment each other in these cookies. 

Hop over to the blog That Skinny Chick Can Bake to get her original recipe.  And take special notice in what Liz dipped her cookies in.  Oh man!

Grab & Go Bran Muffins

If I were going to invite (you) some of my closest friends over for a cup of coffee to catch up on things, which I really need to do, I’d make these yummy muffins to share.  This is by far is my most favorite muffin recipe – ever.  I can’t really explain why, but I’ll try.  These muffins are moist, a little sweeter than most, and their flavor is unique.  In other words, not so branny.

This recipe originated from one that my mom had.  Her recipe makes a whopping 50 muffins.  I certainly don’t have room for that many muffins in my freezer – do you?  So,  instead of making enough muffins to feed an army, I did a little adjusting and cut the recipe down considerably.  Now I can make a dozen at a time without having muffins up the wazoo.

These are some of the easiest muffins to make.  I just throw the ingredients in a large bowl and mix them up by hand.  This recipe makes a dozen muffins.

Grease muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grab & Go Bran Muffins

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. butter, melted

1 egg, beaten

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. sour milk

1 c. bran flakes (If you like raisins, use substitute raisin bran flakes)

Mix all ingredients together and pour into prepared muffin pan.  Bake for approximately 13 minutes.  Check with a toothpick to make sure center is done.  Remove from oven; let cool before removing them from the pan.

What is your favorite muffin?

Spice things up a bit

Nights are getting relatively cooler here in the North East so there is no better time to spice things up.  Follow along…

Start with fresh jalapeno peppers.

Cut in half; scrape the seeds and ribs out of each pepper.

Fill each pepper half with cream cheese, I used light.  You can also use goat cheese.

Wrap each pepper half with a 1/2 strip of bacon.

Place in a pan lined with aluminum foil.  Bake at 350 degrees until bacon turns crispy.

Finally, devour them!

(Writers note – I didn’t waste any time serving these, as you might suspect by the lack of a well taken photo of the finished gems.)

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.