Decadent Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies

So what happens when you spend a few evenings watching shows on Food Network? Well, at some silly hour like 11:30 at night, you decide to peruse your Pinterest boards, then you automatically gravitate toward your dessert photos, at which point you hone in on a particular Deep Dark Chocolate Cookie recipe from heaven itself... {I'm pretty sure the recipe is in the Bible somewhere at least.}

And you can't stop thinking about it because it's made without flour or butter... and you wonder - 'How is that even possible?!!' So you dive right in, not even sure if you have all of the ingredients, all the while hoping that the mixer won't wake the children ...because no one is licking the spoons this time but you!

I won't repost the recipe here since Amira at Divine Baking provides such a great photo step by step of the {super easy} process, but I will tell you what I did a little differently since, as I suspected, I really didn't have all the exact ingredients on hand.

*The recipe called for 1 cup of melted bittersweet chocolate chips; I used melted semi-sweet chocolate chips.
*The recipe called for 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided between the dry mix and egg whites; I used 1 cup powdered sugar in the dry mix and 1/2 cup granulated sugar in the egg whites {I was low on the powdered!}
*The recipe called for unsweetened cocoa powder; I used Hershey's Special Dark unsweetened cocoa.
*The recipe called for an additional {unmelted} 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips added to the batter just before forming the cookie balls; I used 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips.
*The recipe said to roll the cookie balls in powdered sugar before baking; I skipped that step.

{Notes: I think that if you use the semi-sweet chocolate chips like I did, you may even be able to get away with even less sugar in the dry mix - try say about 1/2 - 3/4 cup as opposed to an entire cup. Also, if your batter is too runny to scoop into balls, put it in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes. It's a thousand and three degrees here in Tennessee right now and my batter was pretty runny until I let it firm up in the freezer. I baked the cookies as the recipe said - for 10 minutes. They were perfect!}

The result? Very moist and chewy, rich, sinfully decadent cookies that look very much like brownies in cookie form!


They were also very light because of the egg white base - and remember, no flour! Gluten-free girls, that's your happy dance cue!


Please let me know if you try these... and Enjoy!

My Garden Themed Cupcakes

If I had a flower for every time I thought of you...I could walk through my garden forever. - Alfred Lord Tennyson

I don't know about you, but I am absolutely smitten with cupcakes. So when a friend recently asked me if I would mind making a few cupcakes for a baby shower she was helping to throw, I jumped on the opportunity to get my hands in some fondant again. When I asked about colors, etc., I was told to just do whatever I liked. I knew that there would be a big cake made by a professional and I did have some fears that whatever I came up with would clash horrifically with it. But I took the plunge and decided to with a garden theme - hoping that all would be fine.

Because last week was so incredibly crazy with school plays, dance recitals, and just about anything else you can imagine, I decided to purchase plain frosted cupcakes from a bakery so that I could just focus on making the "garden" decor for the tops. I'm so glad I did because I just about ran out of time to finish them even without having to bake the cupcakes myself!

My two regrets are that I didn't get to bake them myself {but that just couldn't be helped} and that I put too much frosting under the mushrooms to adhere them to the cupcakes. A dear friend and I were putting those little mushrooms on the cupcakes in the car at the shower.. I was late and moving like a mad woman!






I made all of the little cupcake wrappers and flags using my new Silhoette SD die cut machine. I can use images, templates, and fonts from my own computer - I don't have to buy any cartridges. I just LOVE that machine!!!!










I was so happy to discover that the cupcakes and baby shower cake looked really pretty together. No clash!



I am very pleased with how they turned out and I can't wait to work on another cupcake project again! By the way, this is the recipe I used for the fondant. It was so good! I flavored the fondant with peppermint extract so all the little flower and bug pieces {ummm...} tasted just like those little soft pastel after dinner mints you often see at weddings.

If you haven't already, be sure to check my Cottage Charm giveaway to enter to win a dollhouse kit! And of course, you'll want to check out all the other charming giveaways in this years Cottage Charm giveaway event. Have fun!

Little by Little

Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained. - Marie Curie

Did everyone have a beautiful weekend? I know I did! It was filled with a wedding and a fun pizza night here with friends. And as I'm sure you know, there's nothing quite like company coming to motivate you to spend part of your weekend thoroughly cleaning your house!

Last week's Muffin Bakin' Day went really well thanks to the help of my littlest baker ZoZo, who was home on Snow Day #4.


We were able to make five different kinds: blueberry, apple cinnamon, peanut butter banana, peanut butter banana with chocolate chips, and plain old chocolate chip. {The chocolate chip varieties will be reserved for afternoon snacks though I'm sure my children would happily eat them for breakfast if I let them!}


I will share some muffin recipes a little later on, but for now, do you see in the photo below the mirror that was once above our living room fireplace? Oh, things are in strange places all over the house at any given moment for various reasons- often because, well, I'm a bit scatterbrained and not terribly organized...


...but in this case, we've been working on our living room mantel. It was quite wimpy before so we removed and replaced the mantel. Instead of tearing out the old mantel 'legs' {the vertical parts of the fireplace surround}, we just bulked them up by adding more trim work.




My favorite part is the rope moulding which I think ties in nicely with the rope moulding we added to our kitchen cabinets.


We still have tons of caulking and painting to do, but when it's all finished, I'll be sure to share with you! Can you believe it? Little by little, we're getting there!

Muffin Bakin' Day

"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"
"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"
"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said."
— A.A. Milne

Oh my goodness...I just can't get warm this morning! My instinct is to crawl up under a blanket {my favorite heavy chenille blanket that I affectionately call 'Grandma Blanket'. There is a 'Grandpa Blanket', too} and sit by the fire to read for a good part of the day. But we are on Snow Day #4. That means another schedule free day to do some things I've been wanting to get around to for awhile...

Things like baking... For the the longest time I've wanted to make several batches of muffins to freeze and have ready for the children in the morning. We already have to get up too early {we have to be out the door by 7 am} so you won't find me baking at the crack of dawn - but it's nice to pull out some muffins the night before to thaw or just defrost in the microwave in the morning.

So I'm going to bake today until I run out of ingredients. My goal is to make four different kinds of muffins. We'll see how far I get before deciding that Grandma Blanket and I need to spend some time by the fire!


Have a lovely day, everyone!

Summer's Bounty

I took the leap and planted tomato plants this year for the first time, along with my herbs and jalapenos. I know it sounds silly, but I couldn't believe the tomato plants actually produced!

And there is nothing, nothing better than eating tomato and mayo sandwiches all the live long summer! When I'm in the mood to fancy the sandwiches up a bit, I use whole wheat buns if I have them on hand. Then I take some of my fresh thyme, oregano, and basil leaves, chop them into small pieces, and blend them together in a small amount of oil and vinegar, salt and pepper, and grated parmesan. I pour this mixture right onto my thick tomato slices and then add spinach leaves and onion slices. Oh My Yum! Coupled with a glass of sweet iced tea, you'll wish summer - and it's bounty - would never end!

The Mouse and the Motorcycle Cupcakes

The Mouse and the Motorcycle. Who could forgot that clever and adventurous chapter book character of our youth? To celebrate the end of the school year and reading through two of Beverly Cleary beloved "Ralph" books to my daughter's class this year, I decided to make "Mouse and the Motorcycle" themed cupcakes for everyone. I'm pleased with how they turned out, and though they seemed to be a challenge every step of the way, after a week I finally completed them!

I was up until about 2:30 am last night making these little polka dot banners. The cupcakes just wouldn't have been the same without them! I didn't get to photograph the red and white polka dot paper doilies I served the cupcakes on, but they were so cute.


Ralph loved his treasured "toy" motorcycle, for it was just the right size for a mouse! He quickly discovered that when he said "Pbbbbbbb!", the motorcycle would run like a real one!


I made the motorcycles and mice from marshmallow fondant using a recipe I found here. There are 20 different pieces that make up each motorcycle, and I adhered each piece together using minute amounts of jam applied with a toothpick. I did not make or ice the cupcakes - I just bought them from the bakery. No time!


My favorite part was brushing on the edible metallic finish!


One of Ralph's favorite foods was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Here he's having a snack while sporting his white motorcycle helmet - which was a "half a ping pong ball".


Ralph often found himself in predicaments, like being lost in the middle of a pile of laundry. His solution was to just chew his way through!




While you're thanking the teacher, Ralph, I'd like to thank you for a great year of adventure! Now stay out of trouble, will you!?

{Many thanks to everyone who has written this last week with their well wishes! I very much appreciate your thoughtful sentiments and kind words! Once again, I find myself very behind with my emails, but I just wanted you to know how much your notes meant to me!}

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The 4th Annual Cottage Charm Giveaway list is growing and growing! Thank you to everyone who has contributed a giveaway so far and making year four a great success! Make sure you click on the banner below for more information! There is still plenty of time left to add your giveaway to the list and to sign up to win some really great cottage style gifts!

Conversations with Ralph

{Me:} Pssst. Hey Ralph. Up here. Hi little fellow. I'm sorry to interrupt you chewing through that towel and all but, ummm...I'm going to have to put you on a cupcake soon. And...ummm....you're going to be eaten. I am so sorry.

{Ralph:} Cupcakeawhaaa??????

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The 4th Annual Cottage Charm Giveaway list is growing and growing! Thank you to everyone who has contributed a giveaway so far and making year four a great success! Make sure you click on the banner below for more information! There is still plenty of time left to add your giveaway to the list and to sign up to win some really great cottage style gifts!

A Twice Remembered First

Did you know that in all my years of homemaking and cookie baking, I've never owned one of these practical kitchen accessories? A good old fashioned cookie jar! I found this gem on clearance for $7 at my local Wal-Mart. I love the large, oversized pull at the top.


I also like the fact that the lid is black. It goes well with some of the other dark accessories in my kitchen. {Have you ever heard it said that every home should have a touch of black? I believe this!}


So now I'm going to be making a lot more these...


...to keep this filled! Isn't there something so homey about a full cookie jar waiting for the children when they return from school, or for a husband who wants a late night snack...or for you just because?


Do you have a cookie jar? I would love to hear about it!

Perfect White Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

I've been thinking about all of you who are having to endure these huge snowstorms in various parts of the country. How are you faring? Are you tired of it all yet or are you still enjoying being cozied up at home while enjoying your winter wonderland?

Well, if you are snowed in and are looking for a great comfort food to make for your family...and you happen to have white chocolate chips

Here is an outstanding recipe that produces a cookie that would make Grandma proud.

on hand {or any kind of chip for that matter}, here is an outstanding recipe that produces a cookie that would make Grandma proud. There was a time after I married that I couldn't for the life of me make cookies. They were always too cake like and more closely resembled biscuits. But since discovering this recipe, I can finally say that I've mastered the art of making any kind of chip cookie.

White chocolate chips make especially rich cookies - absolutely divine! My oldest daughter isn't a chocolate lover {where did I go wrong?!} so this is one of her favorites. Or instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips, try milk chocolate chips. Oh my goodness! They are so heavenly!

{Perfect White Chocolate Chip Cookies}
* 1 cup butter, softened
* 1 cup white sugar
* 1 cup packed brown sugar
* 2 eggs
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 teaspoons hot water
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 cups white chocolate chips {I just use the whole bag- minus the hand full or two that I eat...I never measure out 2 cups!}

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.
3. Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven.

My personal notes:

*I use two scoops {with a cookie scoop / cantaloupe scoop} per cookie.

*I bake my cookies for 10 minutes exactly. The cookies right out of the oven will look strangely under baked and may not be brown on top, but let them set up for a little while and you'll see that they will finish "baking" a bit on the inside as they cool. This produces a cookie that stays soft, moist, and chewy for a few days. Just be sure to store them in an airtight container. You won't regret "under baking" them - I think it's the secret to baking cookies with the most perfect texture.


So remember, use the basic recipe to make any kind of "chip" cookie. Here I've used chocolate chip and M&M, but I've also done Ande's Mint, butterscotch, and Reece's chips.



On the home front today I'll be emptying out the girls' room of everything in preparation for installing their wood flooring tomorrow. Goodness, I think clearing their room will take longer and be more exhausting than actually laying the floor!

{Just a little head's up, I'll soon be making an announcement regarding the month long 4th Annual Cottage Charm Giveaway event...Can you believe it's coming up again already?!}