Recipe: Passion Cookies for May Day

To celebrate the beautiful weather we are having here in Portland and to welcome the coming May, I decided to whip up a batch of Passion Cookies. These cookies are the perfect spring treat. Sweet, spicy and crunchy. I plan to treat myself to some May Wine and cookies tomorrow evening to welcome in the warm weather and the May.


Passion Cookies:
• ¾ cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup molasses
• 1¾ cups whole grain flour
• ½ tsp. salt
• 3 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1½ tsp. ground cloves
• 5 tsp. powdered ginger
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• ½ cup crystallized ginger, coarsely chopped (optional)
• Red sugar sprinkles

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar then beat in the egg and molasses.

Sift the dry ingredients into a medium bowl, then stir into the wet batter. Add crystallized ginger and mix until combined. Place dough in the refrigerator to chill at least 20 minutes.

Using a rolling pin and a floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/4" thick. Cut out with a cookie cutter. Press one side of the cookie into a plate of red sprinkles then place sugar side up onto the baking sheet, about 3 inches apart. Bake 9-11 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Carrot Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

I shared a new favorite recipe on the Evermine blog yesterday. These Carrot Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting are the perfect treat for Easter! To see the full recipe and a cute gift packaging idea, click here.

Sweetheart Cupcakes + Free Printables!

February is here and that means Valentine's Day is right around the corner! My favorite things about Valentine's Day are the color pink, candy, hearts and showing my friends and family how much I love them. This year I decided to whip up these pretty Sweetheart Cupcakes!

They turned out so cute I knew I had to share the recipe along with some fun free printables I made just for the occasion. You can download them here and make your own cupcake toppers!

Sweetheart Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from Cheese and Chocolate
Makes 18-21 cupcakes

• White cake batter (If using a store bought mix, follow the directions on the box to make your batter. I used this recipe for Lemon Buttermilk cake batter)
• Red food coloring
• Vanilla or other white or pink frosting (I used buttercream frosting)
• Red and pink sprinkles (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (or as instructed on the box). Line 2 muffin tins with about 20 cupcake liners.

Prepare your cake batter per your chosen recipe’s instructions. Fill each cupcake liner about 1/3 full with white batter. Then set aside. Add a few drops of red food coloring to the remaining batter (I added in about 3 drops to make a light pink color). Pour 1/3 of the pink batter into a pastry or ziploc bag and set aside.

Add more red food coloring drops to the remainder of the pink batter until you get a nice dark pink or red color. Pour the red batter into another pastry or ziploc bag.

Cut the tip of the red bag batter off and stick the open tip into the middle of each cup of white batter. Squeeze a few tablespoons of the red batter into each cup. Repeat this process with the pink batter- cut the tip of the bag off and stick the tip into the middle of the red batter, squeezing in a few tablespoons of batter into each cup.

Bake cupcakes for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer the cupcakes to cooling racks and let cool completely.

Next make your frosting. If you want to make your own, use your favorite recipe for vanilla or buttercream frosting. If you’re like me and lost steam after making all the cupcakes, you can use a store bought jar. Add in a few drops of red food coloring to make your frosting pretty n’ pink. Frost each cupcake and top with red and pink sprinkles.

For extra cuteness, download these free printables and make your own toppers! Cut out each heart and attach them to wooden skewers or toothpicks (I used small pieces of tape). Poke them into the top of each cupcake and you're done!

PB&J Cookies

The other day I was craving sweets so I decided to make one of my favorite cookie recipes, Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies! I found the recipe in a 2006 issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray. They are soo yummy and easy to make. I've probably made this recipe a dozen times over the years.

PB&J Cookies

Makes 20 cookies

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 1 large egg

• 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon strawberry jelly (I used my friend Lindsay's homemade raspberry jam)

• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar

• 1 1/2 tablespoons whole milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together flour and baking powder in a small bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer, blend together 3/4 cup of the peanut butter with the butter on medium speed. Add granulated and brown sugars and beat until smooth, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg until incorporated. Stir in the reserved flour mixture until just combined.

3. Using a small ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop the dough 2 inches apart onto an ungreased baking sheet. Use your thumb to gently dent the center of each cookie. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of jelly into each center. Bake until golden, about 12 minutes. Remove to a rack and cool.

4. In a small bowl, beat together the remaining 1/4 cup of peanut butter and the confectioner's sugar. Whisk in the milk, a little at a time, until the frosting reaches a good consistency for piping. Using a resealable ziplock bag with a tiny corner snipped off, pipe the frosting over the cookies.

Lucky You!

St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner and I’ve got a fun cupcake recipe to share! When I was young, I remember every year on St. Patrick’s Day my mom would make me a green lunch. And I mean everything was green! She would put green food coloring in everything, from the mayo on my ham sandwich to the milk in my thermos. Even as a little kid I was a little grossed out (haha!) but she always made up for it by adding in a special St. Patrick’s Day treat!

So to relive a little bit of my childhood I decided to make my own green treats for St. Patrick’s Day. I found the recipe from Betty Crocker. These fun cupcakes are simple and easy to make, not to mention lots of fun.

What You Need:
• 1 box Betty Crocker yellow cake mix
• Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on the cake mix box
• Green food coloring
• Vanilla frosting
• Lucky Charms cereal
• Green sprinkles

Follow the directions on the cake mix box to make the cupcakes (don’t forget to add green food coloring into the cake batter!). Bake according to instructions and cool completely. Frost with vanilla frosting and top with Lucky Charms and sprinkles.

Mmm.. Garlic!

So last night I made two of my favorite dishes for dinner. First I made Gypsy Soup, a sweet and spicy vegetable soup that I have made over and over again. It's low calorie and delicious!

The next dish I made, unfortunately is not low-calorie, but it is sooooo good! (If you're a garlic fan). Garlic & Goat Cheese Spread served with Crostini:

I got this recipe from an old coworker. I'm only allowed to make it once a year, as it makes the entire house reek of garlic. Here's how you make it:

INGREDIENTS:
1 head of garlic (about 10 cloves)
2 medium red onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp brown sugar
10oz goat cheese (I used an 8oz package and it worked fine)
Balsamic Vinegar
Fresh basil (for garnish), chopped
Baguette
Olive Oil & Sea Salt

1. Roast the garlic in the oven. About 40-50 minutes.
2. Saute red onions in butter and brown sugar, until carmelized.
3. Layer garlic and onions in oven-safe baking dish. Top with goat cheese.
4. Bake in the oven @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
5. Next slice up your bread and put it onto a baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sea salt. Bake/broil in the oven until toasted (on both sides).
6. Once the dip is ready, drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and garnish with the basil.
7. Serve hot!

October Fun

October is one of my favorite times of year. I love the fall leaves, crisp cool breeze, and of course Halloween! This past weekend I spent time with my family. We carved pumpkins and made pumpkin cookies with chai glaze and even had a turkey dinner complete with stuffing and cranberry sauce on Sunday night. Yum!



Check out more photos of the pumpkin carving fun at my sister's blog, Sweet Pea