Oatmeal Peach Cookie Bar #Recipe for your next cookie exchange

Headed to a cookie exchange this holiday season? Here is a super yummy, rather impressive, yet simple and easy recipe to get you through your next cookie exchange

Preheat your oven to 350F

1.5 cups flour
1 cup oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup peach puree
dash of vanilla
1/2 cup melted butter

Start out by greasing a 9x11 baking dish. Once greased, set aside.

Combine all of the above ingredients, then separate your dough into two parts. Take half, and press it into the bottom of your pan. Now, spoon on and spread out your jam. I chose a wildberry jam, but you could certainly use an orange marmalade, or standard strawberry jam.

Next, press the second half of your dough to make the top crust. The dough may be a bit sticky, so flour your fingers as necessary, or use the back of a slightly greased metal spoon.

Bake for 18 minutes.

Here's a trick to make getting the bars out of the pan super easy. When you take them out of the oven, cut them immediately, then allow them to cool completely in the pan.

These bars make a great school snack, are perfect for cookie exchanges and holiday parties.

Yield: 20 bars

Looking for more Christmas ideas? Over the next week, 25 bloggers will be sharing their creative ideas with you for recipes, decor, crafts, printables, and holiday traditions. Each day 5 new posts will go live so make sure you come back to check them out! At the end of our 25 Blogs of Christmas, we will be hosting a HUGE giveaway for a $250 Amazon Gift Card!

Candy Cane Shortbread Recipe #baking #cookies #recipe

Happy holidays! With guests on their way, dinners to host and attend, it's time to get the apron out and get your holiday baking done!

Preheat your oven to 300F

Mix together

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Cream in

3/4 cup melted butter
dash of vanilla
optional: dash of peppermint extract

Once your batter is ready, press it firmly into your pan. I typically use a 9x9 square, but really love doing this recipe in an 8" round springform as well.

Sprinkle with crushed candy canes, pressing the pieces into the batter so they stick. Dock with a fork lightly.

Bake for approximately 60 minutes, or until golden brown, then remove from the oven. Cut into squares or wedges immediately, and set to cool completely.

These cookies are sweet and buttery, with a hint of mint {extra from the extract if you used it!!} and are great put in a tin with a tag as a hostess gift...or left out for Santa.

Optional: dip baked shortbread wedges or squares in melted milk chocolate, then set in the fridge to harden.

Holiday Cakes on Pinterest #holiday #entertaining

If you are prepping to entertain this Thanksgiving or Christmas, you likely are wracking your brain for an impressive dessert to serve your guests. I always love serving up a cake or cupcake recipe, and try to do something unexpected to impress my guests. Often, the most impressive desserts are the simplest, but sometimes special holidays call for over-the-top and yummy cakes!

Clockwise from Top Right

I'm not going to lie, this Molten Peanut Butter and Chocolate Lava Cake made me weak in the knees. A combination that was just meant to be, the presentation is stunning and it certainly is something that will impress your guests!

For Autumn and Winter, you can't go wrong with a bundt cake. They're also super easy to do, and require less work than individual cakes or cupcakes since you can whip up a tasty glaze and drizzle it over your cake. This Spiced Rum Cake is an easy recipe that you can throw together in no time.

Caramel apples are synonymous with Fall, so it stands to reason that a caramel apple cake would be fitting for a fall celebration. Again, a beautiful presentation, this Caramel Apple Cake is impressive and tasty!

My own creation, Vanilla Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Ganache Filling and Chocolate Buttercream. A mouthful, but a tasty one, I assure you!

And finally, a Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcake. Flourless cakes are known for being sinful and rich, and I haven't met one that I didn't like yet! This recipe combines just 6 ingredients to make these little beauties!

Whipping up an impressive fall dessert doesn't have to take a tonne of time or ingredients, as you can see from the five recipes featured above. It's all about presentation and combining yummy flavors together!

Ginger Molasses Cookie Recipe #recipes #dessert #baking

Do you have a favorite cookie that you make every year around this time? I do, and that is my chewy ginger molasses cookie. Rolled in sugar, and baked to perfection, these cookies are chewy, sweet and perfect with a cup of tea (or left out for Santa on Christmas Eve!)

Preheat your oven to 350F

Mix in a bowl

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
4 tsp ground ginger (I used dried, but certainly you could use fresh)
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups sugar

Once mixed, blend in (with an electric mixer, or stand mixer)

1 1/2 cups butter (softened or melted)
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses

Once you put your molasses in, your mixer may have a hard time blending the ingredients. I find it works best to use a slower speed so it doesn't burn out the motor.

After your dough is blended, roll your scooped cookies (I use a cookie scoop, but you can use a tablespoon as well) in granulated sugar.

Place on your cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until slightly golden brown. If you overcook, they will become crispy gingersnaps rather than chewy ginger cookies. Transfer to a wire rack after cooling on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then store in an air tight container.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Vanilla Cookie Recipe

This summer, as a thank you gift to Owen's amazing teacher at The Little Gym, we whipped up a batch of cookies.

When we started baking, I wasn't quite sure what they were going to be. I always use a standard recipe, one that I have tweaked over the years from a family recipe, but it never comes out the same way twice! Flavors are added by way of fresh fruit, jams, homemade purees. Textures change with oatmeal, flax, and nuts. You just never know what you are going to get!

 Preheat oven to 350F

3 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter
2 eggs
splash of vanilla
2 heaping tbsp strawberry jam

Mix all of your dry ingredients, then mix in the butter, eggs, vanilla and jam. If your batter is slightly loose, add in a bit more flour (one tbsp at a time) to tighten it up.

Scoop onto a prepared cookie sheet using a cookie scoop, or a tablespoon, and bake for 13 minutes. The edges should be golden brown, and the tops firm but slightly soft to the touch. If the tops of your cookies are a little squishy, put them back in the oven for a few more minutes.

Allow to cool, then enjoy!

This recipe makes a double batch, so you can expect about two and a half dozen. They freeze very easily, and make great additions for snack time in school lunches.

To make a healthy version of this cookie, use whole wheat flour, add oatmeal, and cut back on the sugar or use honey instead!