Brown Sugar Crackle Cookies

If you've never had brown butter, you need to make some...IMMEDIATELY. What is it you ask? It's butter, cooked on the stove until golden brown with a nutty aroma. Oh my lanta, it is sinful. Brown butter adds such a rich and unique flavor to anything it's added to, including these delectable cookies.

I saw these cookies from The Farm Girl Recipes on Pinterest and made them 48 hours later. These cookies were one of those recipes that just screamed "MUST EAT NOW!" at me. I am so pleased I listened to the call.

I love brown sugar, and this cookie is chalk full of the good stuff. It is a simple cookie, but it is packed with flavor. The brown sugar and brown butter are a divine combo, and when rolled in brown sugar before baking, they develop a crispy little coating.

Listen to the call, and make (and eat!) these cookies ASAP! Enjoy!

Brown Sugar Crackle Cookies
Recipe from The Farm Girl Recipes

• 14 tbsp. butter, divided
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 cups packed dark brown sugar, divided
• 2 cups plus 2 tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. table salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Heat 10 tablespoons butter in a stainless steel (do not use nonstick) skillet or small uncoated saucepan over medium heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook butter, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has a nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes (browned butter can burn easily and quickly so keep a close eye on it). Remove the skillet or pot from the heat and transfer the browned butter to a large heatproof bowl. Stir in the remaining 4 tablespoons butter into the hot butter to melt. Set aside for 15 minutes.
2. While butter is cooling, adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper, silpat liners or lightly coat them with non-stick cooking spray. Whisk flour, baking soda and baking powder together in a medium bowl; set aside.
3. Add 1 3/4 cups brown sugar and salt to the bowl with the cooled butter and mix until no sugar lumps remain, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla, and mix until fully incorporated, about 30 more seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined, about 1 minute. Give the dough a final stir with a rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain and the ingredients are evenly distributed (the dough will not look exactly like regular cookie dough, but no worries it is right).
4. In a shallow baking dish, pie plate or small mixing bowl, mix the granulated sugar and the remaining 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, rubbing the sugars between your fingers until well combined; set aside. Divide the dough into 24 portions (Note: I made 36 portions), each about 2 tablespoons. Working in batches, toss the balls in the sugar mixture to coat, and set them on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart and 12 dough balls per sheet.
5. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are browned and still puffy and edges have begun to set but the centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone, but don't overbake), about 11-13 minutes. Cool the cookies for 1-2 minutes on the baking sheets and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

***I shared this link at: Time to Sparkle Tuesday, Buns In My Oven, Semi Homemade Mom, ZentMrs & The Mr.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

I'm sorry for being MIA over here. School got the best of me last week, but I am ready to tackle whatever it throws at me next! So long as I can do it while shoving muffins (and let's be real, spoonfuls of peanut butter) down my throat.

I kid you not, I think I am addicted to peanut butter. I eat it on any and everything. Kid.You.Not. It's kind of scary. I really need an intervention. BUT I CAN'T STOP. And I won't. So there. I even have a board entirely dedicated to peanut butter on my Pinterest. Not sorry.

I have had my eye on these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins for quite some time, but for some reason have never made them. I don't know what's wrong with me. I think it's just that anytime I buy jars of peanut butter, I devour them in approximately 12 hours and never have enough leftover for baking. Luckily, that all changed when I saw that my family had two jars of peanut butter in our pantry - one for baking, and one for reserves. It was perfect.

I made a batch of these for my best friend, Nick, and my sister, Kelley. While I did give these away, you better believe I snagged a couple for my self (oops). All I can say is that you CANNOT beat the peanut butter chocolate combo. You just can't. If you can't tell from this, this, this, this, this, this, OR this, I will forever be loyal to PB & chocolate (hehe).

These are a perfect breakfast treat AND they double as a fabulous dessert. Or snack. Basically what I'm saying is that you can eat these whenever you want and your taste buds will sing songs of joy. That's a verified fact. So go ahead and enjoy!

Brown Sugar Bliss.

Choosy bakers choose Jif.

Yes. Just yes.

Gettin' all melty up in here.

Melted butter + peanut butter...I'm diving in this bowl.

Here comes the chocolate.

Sprinkle 'em with sugar. Every good muffin comes with a coating of sugar. It's a law.

Oven-worthy.

Hello, lover.

Devour.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
Recipe from Annie's Eats (originally adapted from Baking Bites)

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 6 tbsp. butter, melted and cooled
• 1/2 cup peanut butter (I used Jif Creamy)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips
• coarse sugar for sprinkling (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with 12 paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, peanut butter, eggs and milk until smooth. Add in the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Divide batter evenly between prepared muffin tins, filling each to the top. Sprinkle each muffin with coarse sugar, if preferred.
5. Bake muffins for 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

I linked up this post at: Inside BruCrew Life, Zent Mrs. & The Mr., Hungry Little Girl, Back for Seconds, Semi Homemade Mom, Buns In My Oven, Mandatory Mooch, Sassy Little Lady

Snickerdoodle Bread

Happy New Year to you all! Sorry for the delay in my wishes, but I was down in New Orleans with my family to ring in 2013! It was such a wonderful trip. I fell in love with the city and will definitely have a full NOLA blog post for you soon! 2012 was a rough year, so I am hoping that the fun my family and I had in New Orleans is telling of the great things to come this year!

As for New Year's Resolutions, I don't really make them...well, I don't make traditional resolutions. I'd never make a food or exercise resolution cause let's be honest, I'd never keep it. Everything in moderation right?! I kept my resolution last year to drink 64 oz. of water a day and I seriously felt so much better. I don't know if I am just saying that, but now I can't live without all that water! This year, I just am hoping to keep in better touch with friends and family and focus on being a more well-rounded and kind individual. It's not always easy!

But, since I am not cutting off sugar and carbs and all that fun stuff, I present to you this Snickerdoodle Bread. This is a recipe that I've eyed on Pinterest for over a year but have never made. I finally hunted down Hershey's Cinnamon Chips (gracias, Walmart) and put them to work! I made this bread for our neighbors' Christmas gifts, but my family kept a loaf for ourselves too! We munched on this bread while opening stockings on Christmas (hence the platter in the photos).

While the bread isn't the most photogenic, it sure is delicious. The cinnamon flavor is there, but it isn't overwhelming or overpowering. The bread is super soft, and it complements nicely the slight bite of the cinnamon chips. Like most quick breads, my FAVORITE part to eat is the top. The top of this bread is a bit crunchy from the cinnamon sugar mixture poured on top before baking...it's divine. I wanted to cut the tops off all the breads and save them for myself, but Christmas is about giving so I refrained (whomp).

Even if you are making a resolution to eat better, you should give this bread a try! Everyone's sweet tooth deserves a reward now and then! Enjoy!

***I linked up this post over at Taste and Tell,Chocolate, Chocolate and More, Recipes For My Boys, & Food Done Light  

Snickerdoodle Bread
Recipe from Eat Cake for Dinner

Bread:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 3/4 cup sour cream (I used light) 
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 pkg. Hershey's Cinnamon Chips

Topping:

• 3 tbsp. sugar
• 3 tsp. cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease either 4 mini loaf pans or 2 regular loaf pans and set aside.
2. Whisk together your flour and baking powder in a mixing bowl and set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or hand mixer) cream together butter, sugar, salt and cinnamon until fluffy. Add the eggs and mix well. Add the vanilla and sour cream and mix well.
4. Add your dry ingredients (flour and baking soda) to your wet ingredients and mix well.
5. Once all other ingredients are mixed well, stir your cinnamon chips into the batter.
6. Divide your batter between your 4 mini loaf pans or your 2 regular loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-38 minutes (mini loaves) or for 55-65 minutes (regular loaves). Let cool before removing from pan. Enjoy!

Melt in Your Mouth Sugar Cookies

Last night, my mom hosted a wine exchange at our house. Yes, you heard it right, a WINE exchange. She invited some close friends and they played White Elephant with wine. It was such a fun spin on your traditional holiday party. I mean, who doesn't love wine?! I see this becoming an annual tradition. There were lots of laughs and it was so nice to enjoy everyone's company. After all, that's what the holidays are all about.

Now, having a wine exchange doesn't eliminate the need (yes, need) to have a cookie exchange party. It is merely the icing on the holiday exchange cake. Of course, every home needs to be filled with 12 dozen different types of cookies during the Christmas season. It's Christmas law, Santa told me.

Naturally, I made cookies for the wine exchange. Now, I didn't want to make anything too over the top,  because the wine was the star of the show last night. So, when I came across these Melt-In-Your-Mouth Sugar Cookies, I knew they'd be perfect. And boy, were they a hit! My cookie platter was wiped before the party even ended! That's a sure sign of a fabulous cookie.

When I was baking these goodies, I knew they'd be heavenly because the dough was so light and airy. I took a picture of said dough and this little cookie ball before baking and put them on Instagram. Don't they look divine?!

Real quick side note...have you followed me on Instagram (@tarheeltastebud) and Twitter (@TarHeelTB)?! If not, you should! You'll be surprised how much goes on outside this little blog.

Buuuttt, back to the dough. Goodness it was fluffy. I imagine it's what clouds are made of, but I'll get back to you on that. I chose to top some of these cookies with crushed candy canes and some with sprinkles. Both yielded fabulous results.

Once baked, the dough is still just as light and airy. The cookies really do melt in your mouth. They are sweet, but not too sweet, and they remind me of cookies I ate growing up. Simple, back to the basics sugar cookies that do not disappoint. So go ahead, whip up some of these, and enjoy (with a glass of vino)!

Melt-In-Your-Mouth Sugar Cookies
Recipe from A Pretty Life in the Suburbs
(makes about 5 dozen cookies)

• 1 cup butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup oil (canola or vegetable oil)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 4 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• sprinkles, for decorating

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cream together the butter, oil and sugars.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time. Then add the vanilla. Mix until nice and fluffy.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, cream of tartar and baking soda.
5. Add the flour mix to the butter mix, and combine until fluffy.
6. Let the dough rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes or longer (mine sat overnight).
7. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
8. When ready to bake, drop the batter by the tablespoon onto the cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. At this point, I sprinkled on some of my sugar sprinkles. Depending on the type of sprinkles you choose to decorate with, you can sprinkle them on before or after you bake your cookies. I found that mine stuck better before (I tried just waiting till after and the results weren't as good!)
9. Bake for 9-11 minutes, making sure not to let your cookies brown!
10. Let cool and enjoy!

Blueberry-Buttermilk Breakfast Cake

                           

It's healthy because it's stuffed full of blueberries, am I right??!

I have no doubt that my dad is the greatest (and cutest) man to have ever walked the planet. As a married man AND the father of 3 daughters, he is truly a saint. He gives so much of himself for us, works hard to provide our family a wonderful life, and helps around the house A LOT! I will eternally be indebted to him for all he has done for me and I am so lucky to have him as a father. Love you, Dad!!!

In order to properly honor my dad on Father's Day, I decided to make him breakfast :). Nothing says love like waking up to an amazing meal!

My dad loves cobblers and fruity desserts, so when I came across this Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast Cake recipe, I knew he'd absolutely love it! And lucky for me, we had about 2 tons of blueberries sitting in our fridge (LOVE summer berries!).

What's best about this dessert? It's clearly a health food. It's packed with blueberries which are packed with antioxidants which in turn means that eating half of the pan by yourself in one sitting is actually a good idea. Really. You're doing yourself a favor.

The cake was the perfect breakfast sweet (healthy sweet, y'all...remember?). It was light, fluffy, and slightly flaky. It had a buttery taste as any good (healthy) breakfast cake should, while the lemon zest was a refreshing complement to the blueberries. We ate our cake the day after I made it, so we heated it up in the microwave before consuming and it was so tasty when served warm. Pair it with a cup of coffee and your morning will promise to be a little slice of summery heaven.

Blueberry-Buttermilk Breakfast Cake
Recipe from Alexandra's Kitchen

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tsp. lemon zest or more - zest from one large lemon
• 7/8 cup* + 1 tablespoon sugar**
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

*7/8 cup = 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons
**This 1 tablespoon is for sprinkling on top of the cake.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter with lemon zest and the 7/8 cup of sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with 1/4 cup of flour in a small bowl, then whisk together the remaining flour (1 3/4 cup), baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.
3. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.
4. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar, like I used) with butter or non-stick spray. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple more minutes. (Note: Baking for as long as 10 more minutes might me necessary. I had to leave mine in for 12 more minutes.) Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Had to proudly show off this beauty. 

Fresh blueberries. Yum, yum, yum!

Batter...covered in sugar, delish!

And it's pretty!