Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened (I used unsalted)

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp water

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 pkg of semi-sweet morsels (I used Wegmans)

1 cup of nuts (optional)

1. Beat butter and sugars until light colored and creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time until well blended. Add vanilla and water, blend well.

2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually stir into butter mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts (if desired).

3. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake 12 to 15 min or until golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

New Things Monday

I love these Special K protein bars. So far, I've only had chocolate delight! I know they make peanut butter and chocolate chop. I love the chocolate delight so I'm sure I'll love the others. They are an easy quick fix while you're on the run or on the way to the gym and you need something to hold you over before you have something to eat.

MMM :)

Sugar Cookies with Candy Corn

While our whoopies were cooling we (Kristen and me) wanted to be creative. :) We thought about making a sugar cookie and melting candy corns to put on top of the cookies. We decided to experiment so we did.

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 egg
2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Beat together butter and sugar on low speed of mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in flavorings and egg. Mix. Stir in flour and baking soda.

Using a small cookie scoop or two spoons, shape dough into balls. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Press cookie down slightly to flatten using the bottom of a glass which has been dipped in sugar. Colored or white sugar may be used.

Bake for 9-11 minutes, just until cookies have set. Remove cookies to a wire rack to cool. Do not overbake cookies

Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies, depending on size.

Roll the dough into balls. Take a plate and put some sugar on it. Then take a glass, dip it into the sugar and press it down on the dough ball. Look how perfectly round the cookies are. :)

We baked the cookies for about 9 minutes. If you bake them too long then they will harden so you want to take them out while they are just a little undone and they will stay soft. :)

mmmmmm :)

We thought it would be cool to melt candy corn and pour on top of some of the cookies. Then add a candy corn on top.

It was a cool idea. But it was not good. LOL FAIL!! But we tried! :)

These are def the easiest and best sugar cookies I've had. Love em! :)

Chocolate Chip & Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

After the Apple Harvest Festival we (Kristen and me) decided to make some Whoopie Pies! We knew we wanted pumpkin and we decided to add some chocolate chips. :)

Done mixing! :) (yep used my kitchen aid mixer)

Kristen putting the mix on wax paper. (I need a ice cream scoop to make them more round and equal)

The book Kristen has with all the whoopie recipes. The pictures in the book are cute!! :)

Whoopies cooling! :) So, what if they don't look perfect.

For the icing Kristen cut the tip of a ziploc bag off and put the cake tip in.

She used a glass to put the 'icing bag' in to make it easier to add the icing. You just hold the glass while filling the bag with icing. Makes it so much easier. Great tip Kristen! :)

Once the icing is in your bag you can squeeze it down to the bottom. Then put on your whoopies.

You can put as much or little icing on your whoopies. :) (disregard that I need to repaint my nails) haha

Whoopies all done. They are soooooooooooo good. The chocolate chips with the pumpkin are perfect. :)

Here is the recipe:

Pumpkin:

2 ¼ cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 ½ tsp ground ginger

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp nutmeg

½ tsp salt

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature

1 ½ cups pumpkin

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 bag chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2 tbsp coop – drop on parchment lined baking sheet

15 minutes – 1 pan at a time

Makes 30

Cream cheese filling:

4 oz cream cheese at room temperature

3 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature

3 ½ cups conf. sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Graves Mountain Apple Harvest Festival 2010

Kristen and I went to Graves Mountain for their Apple Harvest Festival. It was the last day for it and it was kinda. crowded. We basically just walked around to the vendors just to make sure we didn't miss something, and then grabbed some food, and then got our apples and took pics. I think we were there for an hour and left. It was still fun tho! :)

We also stopped at a little place right by Graves Mountain that had a bunch of crates full of different apples.

I wanted Jonathan apples for Nate's mom. They had a sign but both people (who lacked social skills) finally told me they didn't have any. Apparently, the Jonathan apples were ripe 2 weeks earlier than normal so they were all out and they did not suggest any other places that might have them. :( Ah well. We tried!

Poor little pumpkin

Every year, I try to bring some holiday cheer to the station. I always put a little pumpkin in the studio for all of us to enjoy. Then I turn the little pumpkin into a turkey at Thanksgiving, I also put up Christmas lights. Something little like that, which puts a smile on all of our faces.

The other day one of the DJ's thought it would be funny to take a knife and put a sad face on the little pumpkin, color with red sharpie (for blood) and stab the poor thing with a knife. Yeah it's kinda funny but this was not their little pumpkin to do this to. :(

UPDATE:

Here is the poor little guy now. I gave him a band-aid and took out the knife and put a gauze on him. Then someone put staples in his mouth, put some 'blood' on the gauze and wrote him a get well card.

MMMM Whoopies!

Julia, who's blog I love to read made whoopie pies for a wedding she went to. I can't stop drooling every time I look at this photo. (I just had to share with all my blog friends and readers).

My friend, Kristen (who's made several whoopies, whoopies and more whoopies) is coming over tomorrow. We're going to graves mountain for the apple harvest festival and we planned the other day to make some whoopie pies. We won't be making as much a Julia. haha :)

Light the Night Walk

This evening, I did another walk. My friend, Jessica was the emcee and we walked together after her hosting duties. This walk was for Light the night. I had an uncle pass away from cancer many years ago so I walked in memory of him. :*)

My uncle holding my cousin Ben.

Each person gets a balloon with a light in it. It looks really neat at night with all the balloons all lit up. During the walk, walkers carry illuminated balloons - white for survivors, red for supporters and gold in memory of loved ones lost to cancer - thousands of walkers - men, women and children - form a community of caring, bringing light to the dark world of cancer.

Before the walk they had a lighting ceremony where you could light a candle to remember someone. They played "Fix you" by Coldplay. :*)

Lots of walking for 2 very emotional events but I'm proud to be a part of.