Taste the Rainbow

Since featured in Styled months ago, I cannot get this image out of my brain when I see sprinkles. And since then I have been allured to all sorts of treats embellished with the colorful adornments. Whether it be delectable strawberry milk whoopie pies or a glorious funfetti cupcake, everything tastes better with sprinkles.

And how fun is this inexpensive way to spruce up a candle?

Images: Styled, Sprinkle Bakes, Confessions of a Cookbook Queen, Cake Date, How Sweet Eats, Pink Preppy Lilly Lover, Sprinkle Bakes, The Yellow House

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

I haven't baked in awhile, so it was fun to get in the kitchen and make these delicious treats for some friends last week (who doesn't love peanut butter cookies?). It was one of the easiest recipes I have ever tried and they turned out pretty darn good.

Ingredients

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup white sugar (I opted for 1/4 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar instead)

1 egg

*I also added 1 tsp vanilla, and because the recipe doesn't make many cookies I doubled the ingredients.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine ingredients and drop by teaspoonfuls on cookie sheet. Use a fork to press down on dough balls to create traditional criss-cross look.

3. Bake for 8 minutes and let cool.

For a personal touch, I added chocolate frosting details in the criss-crosses.

One of my favorite ways to package cookies as gifts is simply wrapped up in parchment paper with some ribbon or yarn. It feels that much more special to give, no matter the occasion.

S'more Bars

Every football season we get all of our friends together and Sky makes up a huge batch of his delicious homemade chili for a little get together. Maybe all the amazing summer-like 70 degree weather in San Diego inspired me this year, but I decided to go with S'more bars for dessert. After finding this super easy recipe online, I tackled it the morning of and they turned out pretty darn tasty. I will warn you though - they were a little messy (lots of graham crumbs) and would probably taste AMAZING warm out of the oven. But even after I cooled them in the fridge and they were soft enough to eat, we all enjoyed thoroughly. :)

And as you will see below, I was TOO BUSY to even take a picture of the final product! Oh well. At least you get the idea.

New Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Who doesn't love freshly baked chocolate chip cookies? I found my NEW favorite recipe (they are both perfectly crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside) a few months ago in my Martha Stewart Living magazine but didn't have the opportunity to bake them until a few weeks ago for a friend. They turned out AMAZING! Even despite the ton of butter the recipe calls for, I will definitely be baking these again! Enjoy!

Ingredients

Makes 20

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups packed dark-brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips


Directions:

Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Add vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; beat until combined. Mix in chocolate chips.
Using a 2 1/4-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough, (about 3 tablespoons) onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake until golden around edges but soft in the middle, about 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack, and let cool completely.

Dough can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. Cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.

You can also find the recipe directly on Martha Stewart's website.

Image:

Martha Stewart Living