One in a Minion

This year for Valentine's day, we decided to go a different route and not just buy cards at the store for my daughter's class. I also wanted to avoid giving candy - I don't remember passing out or receiving candy as part of Valentine's Day card exchanges when I was a kid, but now it seems that everyone attaches some type of candy or lollipop to their cards. Now that my kids aren't in preschool, we no longer get to make things for class parties, so making a treat sounded like a fun way to go.

I have some seen some really cute ideas around and decided it would be fun to make something. We decided on making an edible treat and attaching a card to the baggie...so, I guess I didn't totally get away from sweets, but at least I went cookie instead of candy. What did we make, you ask...as if the title of this post didn't give it away...Minions!..and we attached a card that said "You're one in a Minion. Happy Valentine's Day"

This is not an original idea, you can see my inspiration here. I did go a cheaper route though and used a tub of frosting and used frosting colors to make the blue and the black frosting that I needed and used a decorating tip on a zipper baggie to decorate the cookies, rather than buying the more expensive pre-colored cake/cookie frosting. It worked well for me. I was able to find the candy eyes at Target in their baking aisle.

I started by giving all of them overalls. Then we did the glasses, smile and hair...placing one or two eyes on each as we went. For the glasses, I pretty much drew a straight line across and then either put one or two dots on it so that when the eye was placed, it would give a black rim under it.

We did our best to make several different looking Minions. Some had hair, others did not...we even varied up the hairstyle.

We used the snack size zipper bags for holding the cookies and used the Avery business card stock for printing the cards - they were the perfect size.

Giant Cookie Cake Giveaway!

I am a big fan of cookies. A well made chocolate chip cookie to me delivers the right balance of sweet and salty, gooey and crunch. As a child I really enjoyed it when one of my friends would bring in a giant decorated cookie for their birthday treat at school. There was just something so tantalizing about the taste of the Chocolate Chip Cookie combined with the frosting.

At Cookie Gift Baskets, they offer not only Chocolate Chip Cookies (approx 12"), but also Sugar Cookies (approx 9"). You can add your own custom message on many of their offerings to. Know someone that you want to send a cookie to? Right now, they are offering free shipping on their Cookie Cakes.

Are you a fan of cookies? Here is a giveaway that you can really sink your teeth in! Cookie Gift Baskets is giving away to 3 (three) winners a Giant Cookie Cake of their choice from over 16 designs! Below are just a few examples...

picture from CookieGiftBaskets.com

If you win, will you send it to yourself or send it to surprise a friend or family member?

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Holiday Gift Guide - Christmas Cookies and Candies

One of my favorite gifts to share at the holidays are my homemade cookies. I enjoy making a variety of cookies and enjoy that I can give them as gifts to others. Each year I experiment with new recipes (this year, the new recipe was M&M Pretzel Bark. You can find many of the other recipes over on A Busy Mom of Two in the Kitchen). Assembled together on a plate (or in a bag), they are nice to share with others.

When it comes to neighbors and co-workers as a whole, my goal is to help spread holiday cheer. For my neighbors, I like to put together a small plate of baked goods to share with them. I drop them off along with the Christmas card. It allows for a quick visit, during the cold time of year where we tend to see less of each other because we aren't outside playing. I also like to take a large platter of baked goods to work to share with everyone (although, I find myself eating more than one!).

For the kids teachers, I know that they are getting a number of gifts and try to avoid filling their life with more clutter. When my kids were first in daycare, I struggled with what I was going to give their teachers, I have a friend who is a teacher and she said - no apples, no smelly stuff and no mugs. Okay, that helped narrow things down a bit, but I still wasn't sure what to give.

So, I thought, why not make a plate of tasty treats that they could eat or share with friends and family that visit during the holiday season. For the teachers I decided it would be better to give them a plate that they could use over and over again, instead of the typical paper plate I use when giving plates of cookies to neighbors. I headed out to the store and found some really cute little square plates.

They were winter themed, not just holiday themed. I piled them with our homemade holiday cookies and candies,

>placed them in food gift bags and tied them with a tag.

I got a nice of lot compliments and thank you notes from the teachers. I've had teachers who didn't have my kids express disappointment that they didn't have one of the kids in their class at Christmas, so they could get the holiday treats. Now that the kids are older, they help me with baking the cookies and making the candies. Which, of course, makes it an even better gift for them to give to their teachers, because they helped make it. Homemade treats and a fancy plate as a Christmas gift for teachers works for me.

I also have started to use treat bags to allow me to share more cookies with more people. It is great to get to bake (something I really enjoy) and to share with others (especially those that have expressed appreciation because they don't or don't have the time to bake).

This post shared at Works for Me Wednesday.

Free Cookie - Subway Leap Day Offer

To celebrate Leap Day, Subway is serving a Free Cookie with any purchase.

Offer valid 2/29 only, while supplies last, limit one per person with purchase. As always, I recommend checking with your location to see if they are pariticipating.

Holiday Gift Guide - DIY Cookie Trays

One of my favorite gifts to share at the holidays are my homemade cookies. I enjoy making a variety of cookies and enjoy that I can give them as gifts to others. Each year I experiment with new recipes (you can find many of the recipes over on A Busy Mom of Two in the Kitchen). Assembled together on a plate (or in a tin), they are nice to share with others.

When it comes to neighbors and co-workers as a whole, my goal is to help spread holiday cheer. For my neighbors, I like to put together a small plate of baked goods to share with them. I drop them off along with the Christmas card. It allows for a quick visit, during the cold time of year where we tend to see less of each other because we aren't outside playing. I also like to take a large platter of baked goods to work to share with everyone (although, I find myself eating more than one!).

For the kids teachers, I know that they are getting a number of gifts and try to avoid filling their life with more clutter. When my kids were first in daycare, I struggled with what I was going to give their teachers, I have a friend who is a teacher and she said - no apples, no smelly stuff and no mugs. Okay, that helped narrow things down a bit, but I still wasn't sure what to give.

So, I thought, why not make a plate of tasty treats that they could eat or share with friends and family that visit during the holiday season. For the teachers I decided it would be better to give them a plate that they could use over and over again, instead of the typical paper plate I use when giving plates of cookies to neighbors. I headed out to the store and found some really cute little square plates.

They were winter themed, not just holiday themed. I piled them with our homemade holiday cookies and candies,

>placed them in food gift bags and tied them with a tag.

I got a nice of lot compliments and thank you notes from the teachers. I've had teachers who didn't have my kids express disappointment that they didn't have one of the kids in their class at Christmas, so they could get the holiday treats. Now that the kids are older, they help me with baking the cookies and making the candies. Which, of course, makes it an even better gift for them to give to their teachers, because they helped make it. Homemade treats and a fancy plate as a Christmas gift for teachers works for me.

This post shared at Works for Me Wednesday.

Biscoff

Have you ever had Biscoff Cookies? I love them. There is just something so satisfying about these cookies. They are sweet, without being over sweet. They are light and crispy with a caramel and a touch of cinnamon flavor. I first was introduced to them on a flight. I think that the first time that I had them was on a Delta flight. I'm not sure if it was my spring break in Arizona, or a trip to Disney, or sometime later, I just remember loving those cookies the very first time that I had them.

I always wondered if I could get them somewhere other than on a plane. I would always try to keep the wrapper, but by the time that I got around to looking them up, I had lost the wrapper.

Then, on my most recent flight, for business, on the trip to my destination they served the cookies and when I asked, I was able to get a second pack. Then, unfortunately, on the return flight, they had stopped the serving of complimenthttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifary items and only were offering snacks for sale. I asked about whether I could purchase the cookies, but was told that they were not part of their "snack packs." I had been looking forward to having them as a snack and was so bummed to learn that I wasn't going to be able to get one.

That made me start to wonder if I would have the chance to have them again. So, I was glad to learn that I can actually order them online through Biscoff.com. I learned that they are made by Lotus Bakeries, based in Belgium with offices in North America. Their product is available online and also at some retailers.

I learned that not only do they have those cookies that I have come to love while flying, but they also offer a spread that is made with the Biscoff Cookies. When I first tried it, I wasn't sure what to expect. Wow! It tastes just like the cookies, only in a smooth, creamy spread. I haven't actually spread it on anything, choosing instead to have a small spoonful at a time instead. I'm thinking that adding it to cream cheese to make a frosting could be pretty tasty or spreading it on vanilla wafers.

You can find the cookies and the spread online, or find a retail location on their site.

No compensation was received for this post. Lotus Bakeries sent me a complimentary jar of the spread and some cookies for my family to try and to share my experience. All opinions expressed are my own.

Brown Sugar & Spice Cutouts

As I mentioned yesterday, there is one Christmas Cookie that I make each year, because I love them - Brown Sugar & Spice Cutouts. I'm not really sure where I found this recipe, but I know I tried it because I like spice cookies (generally molasses based, but this one is not).

As requested, here's the recipe. Enjoy!

Brown Sugar & Spice Cutouts
1 c light brown sugar
1/2c butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350F.

Beat brown sugar and butter in large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until creamy. Stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Gradually add to the sugar mixture.

On a well floured surface, roll out half of the dough at a time to 1/8" thickness. Cut into shapes with floured cookie cutters. Bake on prepared cookie sheets, 12-15 minutes.

Decorate.

Some thoughts...I just noticed that the recipe says grease cookie sheets, but I'm not sure that I have ever greased the cookie sheets when I make these cookies. I tend to refrigerate the dough before rolling it out, probably because my regular cut out dough is supposed to be refrigerated. I always add maple extract to my favorite frosting when decorating these cookies. (my frosting is a butter/powdered sugar frosting) I tend to use a smaller cookie cutter for these than for my regular cut out cookies.

This post shared at the Ultimate Recipe Swap, Holiday Foods you Love edition.

Christmas Goodies!

I love to bake. Unfortunately, I love to eat what I bake too. The one time that I seem to be able to bake and not eat it all is Christmas. Why?, you ask? Well, because at Christmas, I bake to give it away. Most of my Christmas cookies and candies I make for others, there is one variety that I truly make for myself and don't give as many away. I'm not sure it is any healthier for me than the others, but it is a favorite of mine and it's the only time of the year that I have it. The funny thing, at least to me, is that many of the cookies that I make at Christmas time, I don't make any other time of the year. The thing is, aside from the cookie cutter shapes that I select, nothing makes them Christmas specific cookies and candies.

Here is what I made this year:

Christmas Cut Out Cookies
Brown Sugar and Spice Cut Out Cookies (mine!)
Lemon Squares
7 Layer Bars
Brutzel Bars
Mint Chocolate Cookies (think Thin Mint)
Sea Salt Caramels, chocolate dipped
Butter Caramels, both wrapped and chocolate dipped
Cookie Dough Truffles
Thumbprint Shortbread Cookies
Fudge

The plate pictured above is what I am taking to work to share with everyone. I also made up containers of cookies for my son's two teachers last night and will make up plates for my daughter's teachers later this week. Many of these cookies are classics from my childhood, but others are ones that I made for the first time this year. I always bring cookies to share when we go to Christmas at my parent's house. In the end, I am usually left with just a few cookies to share when we have company and for the kids to enjoy as snacks over the holidays.

Baking cookies and making candies to share with others at the holidays, Works For Me!

Food Gifts

As I mentioned in Wednesday's Works for Me Wednesday post, one of the gifts that I have found to be both personal and practical for teachers is a fancy holiday plate piled with homemade cookies and candies.

Two of my favorite (and super easy) to include are my Mint Chocolate Cookies and Brutzel Bars.

Both are super easy, as they start with a cracker base. The Mint Chocolate Cookies are very similar in taste and delivery to the Girl Scout Thin Mints. I'm not sure what I would compare the Brutzel Bars to, but I know that they are addictive. There is just something about the way the butter and sugar caramelize combined with the salty crispy base and the milk chocolate top that keeps me wanting more.

Brutzel Bars
1 Sleeve Butter Crackers (Club)
1 cup Butter
1 cup Granulated Sugar
12 oz Milk Chocolate Chips

Line a 10x15 pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. Arrange crackers in a single layer over the foil.

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter and sugar. Bring to a boil. Boil for one minute and then, gently pour over the crackers. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle chocolate chips over top. Wait 2 to 3 minutes, until chips begin to melt and then carefully spread melted chocolate over the top.

Cool and refrigerate for a few hours. Remove from refrigerator and break into bars following cracker lines as a guide.

For more ideas on great food gifts, check out the Ultimate Recipe Swap over at Life As Mom.

For more recipes, check out the Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

Reminder - Free Cookie Tomorrow!

Don't forget -

Celebrate National Cookie Month (who knew?) with Mrs Fields. Get a free Chocolate Chip Cookie on October 1st from 11 am - 1 pm at all participating locations.

Details and location information can be found here. As always, you might want to confirm that your location is participating before heading out.

Free Cookie Day - October 1st

Celebrate National Cookie Month (who knew?) with Mrs Fields. Get a free Chocolate Chip Cookie on October 1st from 11 am - 1 pm at all participating locations.

Details and location information can be found here. As always, you might want to confirm that your location is participating before heading out.