Cookie Swap!

My friends Reba and Amanda host an annual cookie swap that has become one of my favorite Christmas traditions in NYC. Something about baking and spending time with friends really gets me into the holiday spirit.

This year, I put a little spin on the classic sugar cookie double doozie. I added some Christmas by spicing up the simple sugar cookie recipe with some red and green sprinkles. And coloring the icing red and green to spread a little Christmas cheer as well.  The cookies were quite easy to make, but I wish I would have made them a tad smaller (especially since each one was technically two cookies).

I managed to win 3rd prize at the swap which surprised me because there were some really tasty selections! It was a great getting to have all the "old girlfriends" back together again since Tarra happened to be in town, too. Such a fun night with a lovely crew!

What kind of cookies are your favorite?

Andrea :)

Amanda's Annual Cookie Swap

In mid-December, my friend, Amanda, hosted her annual cookie swap!  I struggled to decide which cookie I should make this year.  I wanted to make something that was relatively easy since I didn't have too much luck last year with a butterscotch cookie that proved a bit too difficult for me to conquer.

After much searching, I finally decided on Rolo Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookies.  I found a great recipe over at Sally's Baking Addiction.  I had no problem following it to make these yummy treats!

The only recommendation I would have for myself if I was making them again is to make less cookies and put more dough on the top portion of the cookie.  I think this would eliminate the bump on the top of them to some degree.  It was the only part of the cookie that I would change from my batch.

 

At the cookie swap, I actually won second place.  Yay!  I was so excited because I have never won a prize there before.  I guess it is safe to say that the cookies were a big hit with everyone!

Did you make any new treats over the holidays?

Andrea :)

Cookie Swap!

My friend Amanda's annual cookie swap was a ton of fun this year!  It was great to see everyone and taste such amazing cookies that all the lovely ladies worked hard to prepare.

I made Soft Butterscotch Pumpkin Spice cookies.  I saw the recipe over at Design Eat Repeat when she was posting her 30 days of cookies series.  I printed out a handful of the recipes and asked Chris to pick the one that sounded the best to him.

The cookies turned out great, but they were a little more difficult to make that I anticipated based on the recipe.  First, the dough was a bit more sticky than I anticipated it would be so I had to add some additional flour in order to even get them on the cookie tray.  Fortunately, it didn't seem to change the taste too much so I still considered the cookies a win.

The icing, however, was a HUGE issue.  Initially, I began heating up a small batch of butterscotch chips to practice the drizzle that was supposed to top the cookies.  That nearly ended in me burning down my apartment building.  Apparently, I was not using a microwave safe bowl.  Oops!  After starting the melting process (which is NOT as easy as it sounds) again, I gave the drizzle a shot and when I didn't have any success, I just decided to fully ice them.  Chris said they tasted great to him...and that is really all that mattered!

There were several great cookies at the swap this year, but I think mine held its own in the end.  Not sure I'll try making these particular cookies again though I did enjoy giving something new a chance.  Even through the baking and icing woes, I think they turned out pretty good.

What is your favorite cookie to make this time of year?

Andrea :)

Pecan Pie Muffins

These were such a tasty treat!!  And so simple to make!

I saw the recipe here and decided to give it a shot.  I'm glad that I did because these were the perfect treat for a rare lazy Saturday morning!

Pecan Pie Muffins Recipe

(Makes 3 dozen)

Ingredients:

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

2 cups chopped pecans

2/3 cup butter

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease pan.  (I used Pam spray.) 

Mix sugar, flour and pecans in a bowl.

Beat butter and eggs in a separate bowl.

Stir the dry ingredients into the moist ingredients.

Bake for 12 minutes (mini-size pan) or 15 minutes (regular size pan).

Enjoy!!

 
Andrea :)

Amanda's Birthday + New Running Shoes

This weekend, I was able to relax for a change!  I still managed to get a few things done, but mostly I just tried to catch my breath from all the recent traveling.  It can wear a person out sometimes!

On Friday, I met up with friends at Tavern 29 to celebrate Amanda's birthday!  It was a great venue!  Lots of fun catching up with friends I hadn't seen over the past few weeks!

On Saturday, I tried out a new recipe for breakfast - Pecan Pie muffins.  I'll share more about these tasty little treats with you later in the week.  For now, check out this scrumptious goodness...

Later, I went for a run.  Not just any run though!  My first solo run in Central Park.  Sure, I've run several races there at this point.  And sure, I shouldn't be scared of running there alone.  But, I am was.  I didn't venture too far into its depths, but I did manage to run a solid couple of miles in there before detouring over to Michael's up on Columbus.  Spent WAY too much time there, but did manage to find some great stuff...as always!!

On Sunday, I unfortunately slept way too late.  I had intended to get up and go to church, but the time for that came and went and I was still sleeping.  I told you I was worn out!  Anyway, once I did wake up, I tried to make as much out of the day as possible!

I went for another run.  This time I stuck to my standard area - the West Side Hwy.  However, I took a detour around 14th street to head over to JackRabbit to pick up some new shoes.  I came across the cutest little park via this detour - Hudson River Park.  It even has free wifi!  Great little spot tucked away at 14th street and 11th ave.  It's not too far from the entrance to the High Line Park, Chelsea Market, and the meatpacking district, but it seemed very peaceful there.  Not crowded at all which is very odd in NYC...especially on a nice day!  After a brief stop there, I did manage to make it to JackRabbit.  I found a couple of pairs that I liked so I bought one (on the right) and ordered the other (on the left) with a Nike giftcard I have been meaning to use for ages now!  Worked out great!  Now, I have the perfect motivation to get myself in the training spirit for my upcoming races and the ever important 2013 NYC Marathon!!  Yay!

After all that, I managed to get home in time to make it to the laundromat.  Perfect timing!  Too bad there is an OH SO delicious bakery next door.  I couldn't resist a treat this time...

I rounded out the night by working on purchasing and creating some upcoming gifts.  Lots of birthdays (and our anniversary...this Wednesday!!) coming up in the next few weeks!!

How was your weekend?

Andrea :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

If you didn't know it by now, you will soon realize, I really get into celebrating holidays.  I am especially fond of this one because I have Irish roots and you gotta love being Irish on this day :)  To celebrate, I decided to host a little cookie making party with a few girl friends. SO FUN!!

We started the afternoon with my version of a homemade pizza.  I should have taken some pictures of that because I realized a couple of my friends were interested in how I made it.  It was SUPER easy.  I bought the crust in the cookie dough/biscuit section of the grocery and just rolled it out on a pan.  That's usually the most difficult part.  After that, I just put a little sauce, some cheese, and pepperoni on it.  Takes about 15 minutes to cook and it's sooooooo good!!  I also had some veggies and ranch and grapes with my own little concocted sweet dip.

Anyway, on to the more fun part of the afternoon - the cookie making and decorating!!!  We had such a fun time.  We all took turns cutting cookies and decorating them.  Everyone had such fun ideas.  We colored some icing green and then used ziplock baggies for the piping.  Take a look at some of the fun we had this afternoon....

first time using these cookie cutters...worked out nicely :)

Jessi is a decorating master!!

yay for fun friends and yummy cookies!!!

the finished product!

Hope you had a wonderful St. Patrick's Day!  Based on the noise I hear outside now and craziness I saw on my morning run, I was much happier to be inside making cookies than out on the streets of New York today!!

Andrea :)