Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

Pumpkin cookies. They are an autumn staple dessert, people! If there is one thing I love, it's a super moist and soft pumpkin cookie. Yum. Get in my belly! My phone's camera does not do these cookies justice, I promise!

I have made several different pumpkin foods so far this autumn season (don't get me started on the pumpkin pancakes I made a few days ago... they were so yummy topped with butter and brown sugar!) but until yesterday, I hadn't gotten around to making pumpkin cookies. That was a problem I needed to fix.

I love my mom's pumpkin cookie recipe, but I could not find my copy of it... so I looked up a couple different recipes online that were similar to my mom's and tweaked them a bit to come up with my own version. They turned out pretty well! And I love how orange they are.



Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

1 cup canned or fresh pumpkin puree
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 large egg
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Combine pumpkin, sugars, oil, egg, and vanilla in a bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Slowly add this flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture and mix well.

4. Mix in the chocolate chips.

5. Drop by medium spoonfuls onto a baking sheet (lined with parchment paper or lightly greased). Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool in pan for 2-3 minutes and then remove onto cookie rack to cool.

6. Enjoy with a big glass of milk! Store them in a sealed container to maintain moisture and freshness.



Really, you guys. These cookies are so good, I am not even joking! I am definitely going to be making them again this season. On another note... I've decided that I really want/need cookie scoops. Does anybody want to give me an early Christmas present? ;)

{Recipe}: No-Bake Peanut Butter Squares

Sometimes, you NEED the classic chocolate-peanut butter combo.

And sometimes, it's the middle of summer and you don't want to turn on your oven.

I think these treats are the perfect solution! Not only does it satisfy my little preggo sweet-tooth, but I cannot eat these things without a good glass of milk - so our milk will quickly disappear as these treats do. The recipe is listed right below. Just take note that I did not use peanuts in mine; I just used a full 3 cups of graham cracker crumbs instead. Whatever floats your boat! And yes, I've shared this recipe on my blog before, but I can't help it! They're just so good! Gotta share the love.



No-Bake Peanut Butter Squares

2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup chopped peanuts (like I said before, I left these out and just used a little more graham cracker crumbs)

For topping:
1 package (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
1/4 cup peanut butter

Line square pan, 9x9x2 inches, with aluminum foil. Beat powdered sugar, butter, 1 cup peanut butter, and vanilla in large bowl on medium speed. Stir in graham cracker crumbs and peanuts (mixture will be stiff). Press in pan.

Melt chocolate chips and 1/4 cup peanut butter over low heat, stirring frequently, until smooth. Spread over bars. Refrigerate about 1 hour, or until chocolate is fairly firm (but not too firm because you don't want the chocolate to break when you cut it!) Remove from pan, using foil to lift. Cut into rows (6x6 is a perfect snack-size, but for the pictures above I did 4x4). Refrigerate about 2 hours or until firm. Store covered in refrigerator.


Enjoy! (with an enormous glass of milk, of course)

But waffles aren't awful...

I've mentioned to Doug more than once that we need to eat at "The Awful Waffle" but he never agreed to go eat there with me. Then a little over a week ago, the restaurant announced they'd be closing at the end of May... which resulted in all of their menu items being 50% off on May 31st. After two margherita pizzas and a big waffle covered in strawberries, nutella, and whipped cream, Doug admitted it was pretty good. And very worth it, with the 50% off.

And now we've graduated to mimicking the waffle creations of The Awful Waffle at home.

Exhibit A:

And yes, there is nutella layered under those strawberries. Yum.

For 4 days straight we ate waffles covered in nutella, strawberries, and whipped cream (the good, thick stuff that you have to whip and sweeten yourself) at some point during the day. Sometimes for brunch, sometimes for a late night snack... it's kind of ridiculous. But it tastes so good!!!!

And of course, the lighting is never good enough for a smartphone picture. But I take pictures anyways.

Exhibit B (We used an excessive amount of whipped cream.):

Somebody stop me, I'm going to overdose on these things! Yesterday we decided to take a waffle break so that we don't end up hating the taste of them by the end of the week.

At least I've withheld from slathering the waffles with ice cream. I've definitely done that more than once in the past, but the toppings we're using on these waffles are so much more addicting than using ice cream.

In other news... I went to the BYU spring ballroom dance lab last night. First time dancing in a month and a half. I've still got moves! And I've missed dancing so much. Like... so much. And it's such a good source of exercise!

Peanut Butter Cookies

In my personal opinion, peanut butter cookies are a great transition dessert. In other words, I'm ready for summer to be over but it feels too early to break out the pumpkin foods (and I needed something sweet!) and that's where peanut butter cookies come into the picture!

This recipe is pretty good. In fact, my mom would steal my cookie book from me just so she could make them. I decided to try changing things up by using all brown sugar and using 1/2 cup of butter instead of 1/4 butter and 1/4 shortening. Supposedly, it makes the cookies richer... if you try my version, though, don't flatten the cookies with a fork or else they'll get too flat when you bake them.

Here's the original version!

Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1 egg
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Granulated sugar

Heat oven to 375 F. Beat granulated sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, butter, shortening, and egg in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Shape dough into 1 1/4 inch balls. Place about 3 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly in crisscross pattern with fork or potato masher dipped into granulated sugar. Bake 9-10 minutes or until light brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

It makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies, but I tend to make mine a little bigger :)

Enjoy!

Texas Sheet Cake

I don't know why this delectable dessert is called Texas Sheet Cake because it doesn't seem very "Texan" (can anybody shed some light on that for me?) but it sure is delicious! I could care less what it's called, as long as I can eat some.

If you have not heard of Texas Sheet Cake, I pity you. If you have, and if you like it, we can be friends. Because it makes my top 10 for the cake/brownie dessert category.

It's not your typical cake, so don't expect it to taste like one. It has a taste all its own! And it is wonderful when you serve it with ice cream :)


TEXAS SHEET CAKE

You will need:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup warm water
4 tbsp cocoa powder
2 sticks butter (I used margarine and it turned out fine)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the flour, sugar, and salt. Set aside. In a saucepan, combine the water, cocoa powder, and butter. Bring to a boil. Mix the dry ingredients and the chocolate mixture together. Then add sour cream, eggs, and baking soda. Pour into a greased large cookie sheet or jelly roll pan with sides. Bake for 20 minutes.

While that bakes, you can make the FROSTING!

You will need:
1 stick butter (once again... I used margarine)
6 tbsp milk
4 tbsp cocoa powder
1 one lb. box powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Bring butter, milk, and cocoa to a boil. Then turn off hear and add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add vanilla. Spread on warm cake.


Alright. Now stop looking at this blog post and go make it for yourself. It's yummy, I promise!

Sometimes you've got to "girl" things up

On Tuesday and Wednesday, we did not have any performances for the play I'm working on. Two whole nights!!!! I was almost at loss for what to do with myself... but Tuesday evening turned into a girls night of sorts. Pardon my lack of pool pictures, I preferred to swim and chat rather than bother with my camera. You can't blame me, right? I did snap one shot, but I'm not in it... I don't think you guys would want to see my super white legs anyways.

And no GNO is complete without dinner and a movie! We stopped by The Awful Waffle for some savory crepes, fries, Italian-style pizza, and dessert waffles. For those of you living in Provo who have never been there... go. Now.

The lighting was horrible for smartphone pictures, but I took some anyways. Look! The tables are made of this black material that you can write on with chalk! And the waffles are to die for. Really truly.

Horrible lighting, am I right? But those waffles taste good, let me tell ya! And then it was back to an apartment to watch... wait for iiiiiiiit... Star Wars. Yes, you heard me. Return of the Jedi. Who said GNO movies had to be chick flicks? For the record, I had Sense and Sensibility in my bag just in case.

Please tell me I'm not alone in my Star Wars fanaticism...
#ItsATrap

The BEST no-bake cookie recipe there is!

I am a huge fan of chocolate/peanut butter combos, as I said when I shared this recipe last September.

This being said, I am a sucker for a good no-bake cookie. There are plenty of no-bake cookies recipes out there, each a little different from the next, but I would like to claim that I have pinpointed the best no-bake cookie recipe of them all! I tell no lies! These things are amazing!

Don't mind me playing with photo filters in these pictures :) It's something I'm trying out.

I made two batches because I promised my cast members that I would bring them a treat on the day of our first run-through, and they were gone in a heart-beat. I've eaten tons of them already.

You guys... I don't call them the best dang cookies for nothing!

For those of you who don't believe me, go try them for yourselves.

The BEST No-Bake Cookies

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons cocoa

1 stick margarine

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups oatmeal

Directions:

Mix the cocoa, margarine, sugar, and milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil, making sure that you stir it constantly. Let it boil for 2 minutes (or 1 1/2 minutes if you have a pot that retains a lot of heat because the mixture will keep bubbling after you take it off the stove... you might have to experiment), still stirring constantly. Add peanut butter and vanilla. Mix well. Add oatmeal. Drop spoonfuls on cookie sheet. Let cool (I put mine in the refrigerator).

Short, sweet, and simple. Just make sure you boil it for the right amount of time or else the cookies will be too sticky (not enough boiling) or too dry (too much boiling).

I promise, you'll enjoy them!

Goodbye GFC, Hello... Italian Pizza?

Hello Italian pizza, indeed! I love Terra Mia. A little piece of Italy in the middle of Provo.

Next time I go there, I am getting gelato. I've decided already.

On another note...

For those of you who have not heard, Google Reader is on it's way out in less than 2 weeks. In other words, you will no longer be able follow the blogs you love via RSS Feed or GFC (Google Friends Connect). So, the 380 pretty little faces on the side of my blog will disappear. All my followers will be lost, and yours will too.

There IS a way to remedy this, though! Follow the blogs on Bloglovin! It's very simple, really... click on the Bloglovin' button on the top of my page (or another blog you want to follow... it's usually represented by a heart or an upper-case B) and after clicking the heart, click "Follow".

If you don't have a Bloglovin' account yet, hurry up and create one and then link your blog to your account. All of your new posts will show up on your Bloglovin' account, and anyone following you on Bloglovin' will be able to see them.

Goodbye, GFC. It was nice knowing ya.

Baby Dutch Babies

Behold... the result of my latest mini kitchen experiment.

The "full-sized" version of these bites are known by many names: puffed pancakes, dutch babies, dutch oven pancakes, German pancakes... the list goes on. I grew up calling them German pancakes, but I've really grown to like the sound of "Dutch Babies".

So, I suppose that you could call these Baby Dutch Babies. They're teeny-tiny! And they still taste pretty similar to their full-sized counterparts.

I saw the recipe in a book and thought it would make a fun Monday evening project. They were very fast to make, although I did panic a little bit when I was only able to fill up 12 muffin tins instead of 24. I suppose my mini-muffin tin is not the smallest you can get. This recipe calls for tiny muffin tins, folks. That way, these Baby Dutch Babies will literally be bite-sized. Mine are twice as big as they should be (apparantly) but they still taste pretty good.

Note to self: I need to get a powdered sugar shaker. It will make life easier, food prettier, and my kitchen less messy.

For those of you who are curious and want to try this recipe yourselves, here ya go!

Baby Dutch Babies (Makes either 12 or 24, depending on the size of the mini-muffin tin you use)

1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup milk

2 large eggs

1/8 tsp salt

Place your muffin tin in the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. While the oven is heating, mix the four ingredients in a blender until smooth. When the oven is done heating, take the muffin tin out (careful, it's hot!) and quickly spray it with cooking spray. Fill the tins 3/4 full with batter and then stick it in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the baby dutch babies look puffy and slightly golden.

Melt 2 tbsp butter, and when you take the bites out of the pan, drizzle the butter over them. Then you can either dip the baby dutch babies in syrup or do what I did: take some strawberries (5-6, frozen or fresh) and blend them up. Pour them over the dutch babies and sprinkle some powdered sugar. I think these also taste good with yogurt, and I daresay that Nutella would taste pretty awesome on them as well. Dang it, I should have tried that... I have a big, fat container of Nutella sitting in my cupboard...

Enjoy!

The food, the weddings, the dancing... and stuff

Wonderful weather
Picnics with perfect-looking "traditional" sandwiches
Birthday crepe dates with my favorite blonde roommate
Weddings for another roommate and a Theatre buddy of mine
Finding out my winter semester grades (10 A's and 1 A minus. Take that, 11 classes!!!!)
Starting a new term
18 hours of dance per week (and that's not counting practicing outside of class)
Daily 3-hour Seussical rehearsals
5 hour Wrinkle In Time rehearsals every other day
Stocking up on Nutella
Eating WAY too much ice cream
My brother coming to stay with us for a night
(And then getting his mission call... West Virginia, baby!)
My father-in-law coming to visit
And treating us to a Japanese Grill and Tucanos
And taking us to see Jurassic Park in 3D (which was awesome)

Between all of those things (and more)
It's been a crazy few weeks.
No wonder I have not been giving my blog any attention.

Not to mention I watched the first 2 seasons of Downton Abbey during my less-than-one-week break between winter semester and spring term, and I'm very annoyed with Amazon for buying the rights to the show so I can't watch season 3 on Netflix or Hulu Plus. (I may or may not have stayed up until 2 in the morning watching episodes back-to-back. No, I do not have a problem.)

It's been a good couple weeks, though, even though they've been crazy busy.

BBQ Chicken and French Kiss Gourmet Crepes 

Right in my backyard.

Sunday naps? Wonderful.

Outdoor Sunday naps right after a picnic? Even better.

The thing about weddings is... I only take a couple pictures. And then I come home wishing I had taken more. Doesn't Emilee look gorgeous? Her whole reception was just so... Emilee. Wonderful.

And I didn't get one picture of Beth's dress on my camera (or any pictures with her, frankly... but the photographers got plenty, so I'm satisfied.) Gah, I can't wait for their pictures to be put up on FB so I can "borrow" one and show you guys. I wanted to steal that dress right off her body, it was so cute!

Oh... and my body may or may not be very angry with me after this week. 18 hours of dance? After going for a couple weeks with no dancing or stretching whatsoever? Yeah. My muscles don't like me. But dancing is just so awesome!

Not to mention I took half of my toenail off on my left big toe. But that's another story.

Alright. Ashley out.

Food can be Happiness

I love food. And frankly... who doesn't like food?! This week was filled with some tasty treats! Here were some of my favorites (just because I want to make your mouth water).

If you haven't seen past posts, then you might not be aware that I am a big fan of The Cocoa Bean Cupcake Cafe here in Provo. It's made a couple of appearances on my blog before, and there have been some visits that I never posted on my blog. In any case, I won a free date night special, and so I took the hubby with me. It was his first time going, and we got identical orders.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup cupcakes and Mexican Hot Chocolate.
Yum.
I need to play around in the kitchen and come up with a recipe that mimics these. Because they're good.

Yes, the frosting is peanut butter flavored. It is really rich, let me tell ya!
The Mexican Hot Chocolate is delicious too. This wouldn't be the first time I've ordered it!

The hubby's birthday is coming up, and so we got his birthday deal for Tucanos Brazilian Grill in the mail this week. Tucanos = an all-you-can-eat Brazilian buffet with endless rounds of meat skewers. I was stuffed.

We sat down to eat at about 3:20... and we couldn't eat anything else for the rest of the day. Except a couple cookies later that evening when we went to a friend's apartment. But other than that, we were stuffed.


On another note, I like my grey bubble necklace too much. Wearing it twice in one blog post?!
What can I say... it's cute.


And, of course, we did our weekly homemade pizza tradition tonight.
Pizza. It never gets old.

Is your mouth watering yet?

I should post the recipe for this pizza too...

I just want to go back to Tucanos. Thankfully, my birthday is in one month and we can go again when I get my coupon. Until then, though, our homemade pizza will keep me satisfied.