tis the season with peppermint chocolate chip cookies

happy holidays!!!!

here’s a great peppermint chocolate chip cookie recipe to give you a break from all the shopping.

when you make these cookies you are going to be the star everywhere you take them. these cookies are a.m.a.z.i.n.g. … seriously. go right now to your kitchen and preheat your oven. they are that good.

measure flour and sift in a large bowl.

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add baking soda and salt to the flour.

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cream butter until fluffy.

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add brown sugar and granulated sugar!

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almost cookie dough…

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add flour slowly

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weigh your chocolate chips.

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mmm!

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put candy canes in food processor and pulse a few times.

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add candy canes to cookie dough.

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i use a tablespoon to make the cookie dough balls. you can use a small sized ice cream scoop. or a large one but the baking time will be different.

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sprinkle with sea salt!

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i wish you could SMELL this!!

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and here i went crazy and started to take a million pictures. i love the santa.

recipe and directions are below!

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peppermint chocolate chip cookies

ingredients:

6 oz semisweet chocolate chips
6 candy canes
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
1 large egg, room temperature {sitting on the counter for 30-50 minutes approx.}
2 tsps vanilla extract
1 stick {8 tbsps} unsalted butter, room temperature {cold to the touch and not melted; sitting on the counter for 30-50 minutes approx.}
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour, sifted
1/4 tsp sea salt, and more to sprinkle cookie dough balls
1/2 tsp baking soda

yields about 28 cookies

directions:

preheat oven to 375F.

measure flour and sift. add salt baking soda and mix well.

cream butter in medium-high speed until fluffy {2 minutes}. add sugars and mix well.

reduce speed to medium and add egg and vanilla. make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of mixing bowl so everything is mixed well.

reduce speed to low and add flour slowly until combined. don’t over mix.

add chocolate chips and mix with a rubber or wooden spatula.

in a food processor grind candy canes until they are powder. well, you’ll have chunks, but that’s the idea :) add candy canes to cookie dough.

spoon cookie dough with a tablespoon and release dough with the help of a teaspoon onto a cookie sheet. i could fit 12 cookies in mine {about 2-3 inches apart}. sprinkle with sea salt.

bake for 8-10 minutes rotating cookie sheet half way through. yes. you have to rotate it because it makes a huge difference.

let cookies cool a minute and transfer to a cooling rack to cool even more. then you’ll have the chewiest cookies you ever did eat ;)

repeat the steps above until you are out of cookie dough!

***note*** if using a large ice cream scoop, bake for 10-12 minutes. if you have a thin cookie sheet turn down oven temperature to 350F or bake for less time. If the cookie dough it’s too soft, put it in the fridge for 15-30 minutes and start baking away! you may make this recipe without the peppermint and watch everybody drool ;)

have a great holiday season!

love,

carolina

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crowd pleaser side dish

for some reason I didn’t take as many pictures of the “how to” for this post. i truly don’t know what happened. um, maybe too much cooking and distractions {insert laziness here} during thanksgiving day that i completely spaced it out. my sincere apologies.

mashed potatoes are that type of food {not so good for you} but, mmm, sooo good that if you do it in moderation, the guilt cloud hanging over your head won’t be as big and heavy as you’d think.

this recipe is for classic and flavorful mashed potatoes. it’s also versatile since you can add either garlic, chives, cheddar cheese {or other type of cheese}, green onions, you name it. trust me, you can’t go wrong!

we accompanied our traditional thanksgiving meal {lemon chicken & roasted carrots} with these mashed potatoes!!!!

let me know if you make this recipe, your thoughts and if you made any variations – i’d love to hear from you!

classic mashed potatoes {yields 8 servings}

ingredients:

5 russet potatoes, scrubbed and washed
1 cup of milk, extremely hot
4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tsp sea salt, more if needed
fresh ground black pepper to taste

preparation:

put a large pot with cold water to boil. enough water to cover the potatoes. salt water to taste and let it boil.

meanwhile cut potatoes in big chunks, approximately 3 inches. it varies by potato. when water is boiling add potatoes and cover half way with lid. boil for 30 minutes or until tender when pinching with a fork.

once potatoes and ready to be mashed, rinse and put half in a large bowl. add 1/2 cup of hot milk and 2 tbsp of butter. mix with a hand mixer on the medium high setting until combined and potatoes are mashed and creamy.

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add the rest of the potatoes to bowl and follow with the other 1/2 cup of milk and 2 tbsp of butter. mix with hand mixer until desired consistency. add salt and black pepper. taste and add a bit more salt if needed.

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serve hot!! {i garnished with parsley} mmmm!!!

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i decided to grind some black pepper in the middle of taking pictures. haha.

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and my pumpkin obsession continues

i’m mildly extremely obsessed with pumpkin and anything that has a hint of the awesome flavor in it. i didn’t used to like it. but now. now. now i can eat it all day long.

pancakes on the other hand are my weakness. i could also eat them all day long for breakfast, lunch and dinner. one day i went to an “all you can eat” pancakes breakfast and ate 9. nine good sized pancakes!!! nine! not good for a bride-to-be hahaha.

i created this recipe for you to enjoy on sunday mornings or like me, any day/any time of the week :)

one thing about this recipe is that it has tons of spices, which makes them really flavorful. you can add more, less or substitute with your favorite spice. you can also add pecans, walnuts or chocolate chips.

pumpkin whole wheat pancakes



preheat oven to 170F and place an oven proof platter or plate in upper rack. preheat griddle to 400F or skillet to medium high. if you are using a skillet, heat up when you are almost done with the batter so it’s not too hot. burnt pancakes are a crime ;)

in a large bowl, whisk in flour, sugars, spices, salt and baking powder.

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add egg, vanilla, melted butter and pumpkin puree to flour mixture. whisk in together for a few seconds. don’t over mix. it’s okay if there’re lumps in the batter :)

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add buttermilk {i made mine by adding two teaspoons of lemon juice to the milk and let it rest for 10 minutes or until a curd forms}.

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add 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter to griddle or skillet and push down batter with the back of the spoon {if needed} so it’s flat. i used an ice cream scoop and the pancakes were too thick. if using a skillet, coat with butter or cooking spray prior adding pancake batter.

{my husband wanted to show you his r2d2 spatula}

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let pancakes cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side. place cooked pancakes in the oven so they stay warm.

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serve with butter and really good quality maple syrup. i like target’s archer farm organic maple syrup.

pumpkin whole wheat pancakes by the baking cup

pumpkin whole wheat pancakes by the baking cup

pumpkin whole wheat pancakes by the baking cup

pumpkin whole wheat pancakes by the baking cup

pumpkin whole wheat pancakes by the baking cup

ingredients:

1 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour or regular flour
2 cups buttermilk or regular milk {skim, 1%, 2% or whole}
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp granulated sugar
2 tsp light brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp all ground spice
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg, lightly beaten

yields 15 pancakes

directions:

preheat oven to 170F and place an oven proof platter or plate in upper rack. preheat griddle to 400F or skillet to medium high. if you are using a skillet, heat up when you are almost done with the batter so it’s not too hot. burnt pancakes are a crime ;)

in a large bowl, whisk in flour, sugars, spices, salt and baking powder. add buttermilk {i made mine by adding two teaspoons of lemon juice to the milk and let it rest for 10 minutes or until a curd forms}.

add egg, vanilla, melted butter and pumpkin puree to milk and flour mixture. whisk in together for a few seconds. don’t over mix. it’s okay if there’re lumps in the batter :)

add 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter to griddle or skillet and push down batter with the back of the spoon {if needed} so it’s flat. i used an ice cream scoop and the pancakes were to thick. if using a skillet, coat with butter or cooking spray prior adding pancake batter.

let pancakes cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side. place cooked pancakes in the oven so they stay warm.

serve with butter and really good quality maple syrup. i like target’s archer farm organic maple syrup.