what's for your sweet tooth {grandma cornwell's sugar cookies}.

i'm such a stickler for traditions.  especially at christmastime.  i love making memories with my girls and there's actually a lot of research that points to families who engage in traditions create more feelings of security and safety for their children.

bam.

i grew up in the most tradition-ing-est family maybe ever known on earth.  we did the same thing every holiday right down to chex mix at christmastime, eating at a fancy local restaurant every easter sunday and salmon and egg gravy every fourth of july (i'm thirty four years old and i still have no idea what egg gravy is, but apparently it's an independence day must have for new englanders in my grandparents generation...and for the record, i never ate it).  it's so important to me to pass on family traditions, memories and history to my sweet girls and weave them together with some of our own original ones too.

my husband had the best grandmother.  i only had the privilege of knowing her for a few years before she passed, but she was the kindest and most generous woman, who was the rock of the entire family.  she grew up in harsh minnesota winters and raised five children all on her own in the sweltering texas heat.  her house always felt like home, even to me, one who was from the outside coming in.  she made everyone feel welcomed and cared for, and food was a big part of how she loved (my kind of woman).

and.  she made the BEST frosted sugar cookies.  nick has so many memories of them being at every holiday, and eating them until his stomach ached.  i don't know how many batches of those cookies she must have made in her lifetime, but every one of them was baked with love.  when we first got married, i decided i wanted to intertwine her cookie-making-and-loving-with-food legacy into our family and started making these cookies every year... first just nick & i, and then with our girls.

and they are delicious.

here is the recipe.

grandma cornwell's frosted sugar cookies

* 1 c. shortening

* 2 c. white sugar

* 2 eggs

* 2 t. vanilla 

* 1 c. sour cream

* 6 c. flour

* 2 t. baking soda

* 1 t. salt

- cream together first four ingredients.  

- add sour cream.

- add dry ingredients in a separate bowl, slowly add into creamed mixture until just combined.

- roll out and cut, bake at 350 for about 10-12 minutes depending on size and thickness.  Cool before frosting.

Frosting: melt 1 1/2 sticks of butter, add a 2 lb. bag of powdered sugar and 2 or 3 teaspoons of vanilla.  Add enough milk to make it the desired consistency.  I separated into several batches to color and let the kids go crazy ;)

we miss grandma cornwell... so thankful we can keep her memory alive in the generations of cornwells to come.  i can still taste her love in each bite of these cookies.

enjoy!

what's for your sweet tooth {flourless peanut butter chocolate chip cookies}.

i've been on a cookie kick lately.

i never had much of a sweet tooth until i got pregnant with bella.  that girl must've been sugar in my womb because ever since she left it, i crave sweets.

i saw this recipe on a blog the other day and i knew immediately i had to try it.  we had all the ingredients in our cupboard, and it was a rainy outside.  our day pretty much begged for some cookie baking.  this recipe is super easy and bella loved helping (and eating chocolate chips as we baked).

there is no butter, white sugar or flour in these babies, so even though it was ten o'clock in the morning when we pulled the trays of freshly baked cookies out of the oven, i felt completely justified in giving one to each of my girls.

yum.

enjoy!

flourless peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

* 2/3 c. quick oats
* 1 t. baking soda
* 1 c. creamy peanut butter
* 2/3 c. brown sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 1/2 t. vanilla
* 2/3 c. chocolate chips

- combine oats and baking soda, set aside.
- in a large bowl, combine peanut butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth; about three minutes.
- mix in dry ingredients.  gradually fold in chocolate chips.
- scoop cookie dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  gently flatten with the back of a spoon.
- bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes, just until the edges begin to turn golden brown.  cookies may seem a bit underdone, but they will continue to cook as they cool.  makes 16-20 cookies.

* note: these are best fresh outta the oven.  i'm a stickler about eating warm cookies; i love to pop our leftover cookies the next day in the microwave for a few seconds before i eat them.  these are best warmed in a toaster oven--or real oven--to get that golden brown goodness back.  yum.
(that's if you have any leftover)

what's for your sweet tooth {world's best peanut butter chocolate chip cookies}.

i found this recipe on pinterest at 9:30 one night and had to make them right then and there. due to a shortage of peanut butter (bella is obsessed with it these days) i had to wait. i decided they'd make the perfect valentine's gift from bella to her peanut-butter-and-chocolate-loving daddy.

the title of this post does not lie. these are the world's best peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. hands down. pure deliciousness.

try them as soon as possible. like, maybe tonight.

world's best peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

* 1/2 c. butter, softened
* 1/2 c. peanut butter
* 1/2 c. sugar
* 1/2 c. brown sugar
* 1/2 t. baking powder
* 1/2 t. baking soda
* 1 egg
* 1/2 t. vanilla
* 1 1/4 c. flour
* 1/2 to 1 T. milk
* 1/2 to 1 c. semi sweet chocolate chips

- preheat oven to 375.
- in a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and peanut butter until smooth and creamy.
- add sugars, baking powder and baking soda. add in the egg and vanilla. mix in flour. stir in milk and chocolate chips until blended.
- drop cookie batter by rounded spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. bake 7 to 9 minutes, or until golden brown.

enjoy warm from the oven with a tall glass of cold milk.
pure heaven.