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Sugar Cookie Bars

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Cookie Bar vs Blondie

Sugar cookie bars are clearly a cookie bar. Technically, though, a blondie is also a cookie bar. The two desserts look very similar. Of course, the primary difference is in the ingredients rather than the appearance. What type of sugar you use is the specific difference. For these sugar cookie bars, I used white sugar. A classic blondie, would use brown sugar and butter for a butterscotch type flavor. Blondies also often mix in chocolate chips and pecans. A classic sugar cookie really does not have any type of mix ins. However, I did use rainbow sprinkles in these sugar cookie bars. Are the sprinkles required? I would say yes but feel free to decide for yourself.

Stack of sugar cookie bars with sprinkles.

No Chill

These sugar cookie bars have no chill. Literally. You do not need to chill the dough. You also don’t need to soften the butter – you’ll just melt it. Go ahead and grab everything out of your pantry and fridge. Whisk your dry ingredients. Mix your wet ingredients. Stir the dry and wet ingredients together. Add the sprinkles. Press the dough into a prepared pan. I added a few more sprinkles on top to make them extra colorful, no need to press these in. Bake for thirty minutes. Once cooled, cut the bars into 16 squares. It really is this easy. And the reward for your work is very sweet.

Sugar Cookie Bars with rainbow sprinkles.
Stack of sugar cookie bars with sprinkles.

Sugar Cookie Bars

Sarah Baade
These sugar cookie bars are sweet, tasty, and made festive with rainbow sprinkles.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 16 bars

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons corn starch
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup rainbow sprinkles (an additional tablespoon for sprinkling on top if desired)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and line 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, corn starch, baking soda, and salt.
  • In a large mixing bowl, stir together butter, sugar, and vanilla.
  • Mix egg into wet ingredients. (If butter is still quite warm from melting, be sure to mix egg in rapidly so that it doesn't become a scrambled egg in the batter.)
  • Gradually stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until almost completely blended together.
  • Add 1/3 cup sprinkles to cookie dough and mix until evenly distributed. Dry ingredients should also now be fully incorporated.
  • Press dough into prepared pan. Add remaining tablespoon of sprinkles on top if you choose using (no need to press these into the dough).
  • Bake 30 minutes or until slightly golden on top and a test toothpick comes out clean.
  • Let cool completely before cutting into 16 squares.
Keyword Cookie Bars, Peppermint Sugar Cookies, Sugar Cookie Bars

Looking for more cookie bars? Give these recipes a try:

All In Cookie Bars

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

All In Cookie Bars

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All In

All in. These All In Cookie Bars have a thick chocolate chip cookie base packed full with add-ins you have in your pantry. To create these, I literally grabbed bits and pieces of ingredients from half empty packages. This is the perfect recipe to use up that random bag of pecans, different chocolate ships, etc. Toss them all in! With that in mind, you won’t need to stick exactly to the add-ins I used here. We’ll get into that as we get to each step of the recipe.

Cookie bar with chocolate, pretzels, marshmallows, and pecans.

Step By Step

Let’s get into the details of these All In Cookie Bars! In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients. This makes for even distribution when you mix into the wet ingredients. Set the dry ingredients to the side and grab a large mixing bowl. I like to use a stand mixer but you can absolutely use a hand mixer. In the large bowl, beat together both sugars with the butter until light in texture. Mix in the eggs and vanilla then gradually add in those dry ingredients until just combined.

Cookie bar with chocolate, pretzels, marshmallows, and pecans.

Add Ins

Here is where the All In Cookie Bars get fun and can be customized. Let me start by telling you what I used: pecan pieces, semi-sweet chocolate chunks, dark chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, pretzel pieces. Ultimately, you want a mix of sweet and salty add ins and don’t skimp on whichever ingredient is your favorite. No pretzels on hand? Use plain potato chips or gold fish crackers. No pecans? Use walnuts or peanuts. Use whatever type of chocolate you have on hand – dark, milk, white, whatever. Toffee bits are another fun sweet option. If you have large marshmallows instead of minis, just cut them up and toss the pieces in. Get creative! Whatever add ins you use, toss them all into the dough together and stir them in by hand so as to not over mix the dough. Feel free to sprinkle a few on top before baking as well.

Cookie bar with chocolate, pretzels, marshmallows, and pecans.

All In Cookie Bars

Sarah Baade
Thick chocolate chip cookie base packed full with add-ins you have in your pantry.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 35 mins
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 16 cookie bars

Equipment

  • 1 Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
  • 1 8×8 baking pan

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Add Ins – can be customized based on what you have on hand

  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks
  • 1 cup mini marshmallows
  • 2/3 cup pretzel pieces
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup pecan pieces

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and line 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
  • In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with sugar and brown sugar until light in texture.
  • Mix in eggs and vanilla.
  • Gradually stir in dry ingredients until just combined.
  • With a sturdy wooden spoon, stir in add ins of your choice.
  • Press dough into prepared baking pan and bake 30-35 minutes or until golden in color and a test stick comes out clean.
  • Once cooled, cut into 16 squares and enjoy!

Notes

Use whatever add ins you happen to have in your pantry. Possible options: toffee bits, walnuts, peanuts, potato chips, gold fish, chocolate of any type (dark, milk, white, etc).
Keyword All In Cookie Bars, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cookie Bars

More Cookies With Chocolate Chips:

Perfect Dozen Chocolate Chip Cookies

Almond Monster Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

RED VELVET CRINKLE BLOSSOM COOKIES

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Holiday Cookies

This is the third year in a row that I have created a new recipe specifically for Valentine’s Day. Probably my favorite holiday to make sweet treats for! But don’t let all the red and pink fool you, these treats are fun to eat year round! First was my Peanut Butter Cut Out Cookies. Then came my Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars. This year, I’m bringing you Red Velvet Crinkle Blossom Cookies. Red velvet cookie dough rolled in powdered sugar then topped with a chocolate kiss fresh out of the oven. Absolute perfection.

Red velvet cookies topped with chocolate kisses.

Dry Ingredients

You know the routine by now, right? Start these Red Velvet Crinkle Blossom Cookies with your dry ingredients. In a bowl, you’re going to whisk together the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt. This will disperse the baking powder throughout the cookies. You want to do this for two reasons. First, you don’t want anyone to bite into a clump of baking powder. Trust me on this, a clump of baking powder makes for a very bitter bite. The other reason you want to whisk these ingredients is to make sure your cookies rise properly.

A bite taken out of a red velvet cookie topped with a chocolate kiss.

Wet Ingredients

In a separate mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Make sure you’re using room temperature butter. Beat it with the sugar until it is light in color and texture. In other words, beat it until you think you’ve got it and then beat it some more. Then mix in the eggs, vanilla, and food coloring. Yes, this recipe calls for a lot of food coloring. Yes, this is normal for red velvet. We want RED Velvet Crinkle Blossom Cookies, not pink. Finally, you can gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Now chill. Seriously, cover the dough with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour. I like to let it chill overnight.

A bite take out of a red velvet cookie topped with a chocolate kiss.

Make Them Pretty

Once your dough is chilled for these Red Velvet Crinkle Blossom Cookies, go ahead and preheat your oven to 350℉. Roll dough into tight tablespoon sized balls then coat heavily in powdered sugar. No need to shake off any excess powdered sugar. Place on prepared cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes. As soon as you pull the cookies out of the oven, gently press a chocolate kiss into the middle of each cookie. Let cool slightly before transferring to a cooling rack. These are particularly delicious when they are still barely warm and the chocolate has warmed enough to fully melt in your mouth.

Red velvet cookies topped with chocolate kisses.

Red Velvet Crinkle Blossom Cookies

Sarah Baade
Red velvet cookies rolled in powdered sugar and topped with a chocolate kiss.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 1 hr 40 mins
Course Dessert
Servings 30 cookies
Calories 127 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2½ cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • 3 eggs
  • 1-2 Tablespoons red food coloring
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup powdered sugar (may need more depending on how heavily you coat the rolled dough)
  • 30 chocolate kisses, unwrapped

Instructions
 

  • In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar.
  • Mix eggs, 1 tablespoon food coloring, and vanilla.
  • Gradually stir dry ingredients in. If dough is pink in appearance, add more food coloring until you reach a deep red color.
  • Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill 1 hour minimum (can chill overnight if preferred)
  • When ready to bake cookies, preheat oven to 350℉ and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Tightly roll dough into tablespoon sized balls then roll in powdered sugar until fully covered. Place on prepared baking sheet, 3 inches apart. Bake 10 minutes.
  • When cookies are fresh out of the oven, gently press a chocolate kiss into the middle of each cookie.
  • Let cookies cool slightly before transferring to cooling rack.
Keyword Blossom Cookies, Lemon Crinkle Cookies, Red Velvet, Red Velvet Cookies, Red Velvet Crinkle Blossom Cookies

VIRTUAL BAKING WITH MAMA

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Up For The Challenge

At the start of 2021, I hadn’t seen any of my family in over a year due to the pandemic. My mom and I have always enjoyed baking together and so we decided to create a virtual baking challenge for the year. Each month, we chose a bake that neither of us had ever attempted – that alone was a challenge as we both have years of baking experience. We baked each recipe on the same day and then did a video chat to compare our results, discuss what we might change about the recipe (if anything), and review how easy or difficult we felt it was. You can find the virtual baking reviews on my Instagram video series titled “2021 Baking Challenge”. In the mean time, here are the links to the recipes we made along with some brief discriptions. *None of these recipes are my own.

Top Three

I’m giving you the full list of virtual baking recipes, month-by-month, below. But I know you want the short version so here is my top three. Be sure to check out my descriptions below for more detail though. Drumroll please… Coming in at #3) January – Tarte Tatin. #2) April – Burnt Basque Cheesecake. And my #1) October – Beef and Potato Pithivier. I never would have guessed that the savory bake would be my top choice but the belly wants what the belly wants. I’m already looking forward to making it again soon.

January – Tarte Tatin

This one had me nervous. I thought it would be really complex in skill level. As it turns out, the hardest part was finding the right size pan. I would add some warm spices next time to make it a little more flavorful. Overall though, I found it to be relatively easy to make and I loved the crispness of the crust.

Tarte Tatin

February – King Cake

This King Cake itself was heavenly! We purchased our decorations here so as to get the colors just right and to ensure we had the traditional baby to add under the cake. My only issue was that the filling did not disburse evenly throughout the cake. Next time I make this, I will roll the dough out and spread the filling evenly before rolling it up. (*This is the only recipe we used that came from a cookbook rather than online.)

King cake topped with icing and green, purple, and yellow sprinkles.

March – Almond Puff Pastry

Possibly my least favorite recipe from the entire year. The filling was delicious but I had trouble with the puff pastry itself. If I were to make this again, I would purchase pre-made puff pastry dough but still use the homemade filling. Not only would pre-made dough give you quality texture and rise, it would save a lot of time.

Almond puff pastry on a sheet pan.

April – Burnt Basque Cheesecake

If you want an easy, luscious dessert, this is the one for you. The creaminess is unlike any you’ve had in a traditional cheesecake. Just 5 ingredients and no crust. You will need a large food processor or blender and a spring form pan as well as some parchment paper. It looks burned but the flavor and texture are out of this world.

Burnt Basque cheesecake

May – Cannolis

There are some things in life left best to the professionals. Cannolis definitely fall into that category for me. The flavor was fantastic. However, I had a lot of difficulty keeping the shells wrapped together as I fried them. I also generally don’t like dealing with the mess of frying things.

Plate of cannolis with chocolate chips.

June – Pavlova

This is a show stopper!! The white fluffy meringue topped with fresh fruit is absolutely stunning. I know I didn’t get the texture of the meringue just right (I believe I over baked it) but it was still delicious. To me, this would be worth practicing and perfecting the techniques in order to get it just right.

Pavlova topped with fruit.

July – Sticky Toffee Pudding

This is NOT an American style pudding. This is a European style dessert which is what Americans would consider to be more of a cake. I was fascinated by how this was made. The sweetness of the cake itself comes mostly from dates. The toffee sauce gives it a more sugar sweet topping. I appreciated learning how to use dates in ways I’d never thought of before. It essentially looks like a brown blob in the end but it really is yummy.

August – Black and White Cookies

These NYC style cookies are huge and have a cake-like texture. I found it mildly difficult to get a clean line between the chocolate and vanilla icings. I’m sure a little more practice and review of how different people approach it would come in handy. Otherwise, this is a very manageable recipe. If you’re craving a taste of NYC, these are a great way to achieve it.

Black and white cookies.

September – Clafoutis

Let me first say that I am a texture person with food. I’d never eaten a clafoutis before so I’m not sure if we got the texture wrong or if I just don’t like the texture of this dessert. I wanted to like this so badly but it turned out to be a huge fail for me. Again, this may very well be due to my own texture issues rather the quality of the recipe itself.

Pan of clafoutis with spoons in it.

October – Beef and Potato Pithivier

Our only savory bake of the year. This one also had me pretty intimidated on the technique. However, it turned out to be basically a pie without the pie dish. It was much easier than I anticipated! I actually made the dough on one day, the filling the next day, and then put it all together on the third day. This worked out beautifully for my busy schedule. I wish the recipe had given more specific ideas on how to flavor the filling but the rosemary and garlic I added turned out fantastic. I highly recommend this one!

November – Sugar Spice Pear Gallette

We chose this recipe in honor of my late brother, Ron – it was a favorite of his. I followed the recipe as directed except didn’t add all of the sugar mix to the top. Mine lacked flavor because of this. Mom, cut the sugar measurement in half but kept the full measurements of the spices and said her’s was very flavorful. Overall an easy recipe to make and could be made even easier if you used a store bought pie dough.

Pear gallette with a slice taken out.

December – Stollen

This was one of the more involved recipes we made all year. We candied the citrus peel ourselves and made our own marzipan. You just can’t beat homemade quality on these ingredients. I’d say it was worth the time and effort but I would tweak the marzipan to leave out (or at least reduce) the rose water based on my own flavor preferences. We both also decided we will wait to coat the loaves with powdered sugar for when we are ready to serve it rather than when it is fresh out of the oven. We will also roll out the marzipan, lay it over rolled out dough and then roll them up together rather than do the rod of marzipan in the middle. This would give a more even distribution of flavors, textures, and moisture.

Two slices of stollen bread.

Next Challenge

Although the official year of virtual baking is over, the challenges will still continue. Life is busy so we aren’t shooting for a new bake each month. However, we do plan on completing a virtual baking challenge a few times throughout the year. What would you like to see us bake?

PEPPERMINT SUGAR COOKIES WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

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Holiday Cookies

Cookies are always a hit this time of year and these Peppermint Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting are no exception. I was inspired by these Key Lime Sugar Cookies but wanted to put a winter twist on them. I essentially subbed the lime flavor for peppermint, tweaked the cookie recipe itself slightly, and opted for a cream cheese frosting. For that peppermint flavor, the recipe includes crushed candy canes as well as peppermint extract. (*I crushed my candy canes by putting them in a large zip lock bag and gently smashing them with a hammer.) Let’s get into the full details on how to make these peppermint sugar cookies…

Sugar cookies covered in cream cheese frosting and sprinkled with bits of candy cane.

Peppermint Sugar Cookies

Peppermint Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting. Let’s start with the dry ingredients – whisk them together to ensure you don’t have any clumps of baking soda or corn starch. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat the heck out of that butter and sugar together until it is light in both color and texture. Don’t forget to scrape the sides of the bowl periodically. Now add in the egg and peppermint extract. Finally, you want to gradually stir in the dry ingredients and half of the crushed candy cane pieces. Save the other half of the candy for decorating the cookies. Now the part everyone hates, chill the dough for an hour. Yes, you could make these straight away without chilling but they absolutely turn out better if you take the time to chill the dough. Once chilled, form the dough into 1″ balls, place them on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees F for 14-16 minutes. Exact time will vary based on your individual oven.

Sugar cookie covered in cream cheese frosting and sprinkled with bits of candy cane.

Peppermint Cream Cheese Frosting

Yes, you could eat the cookies as is. However, peppermint sugar cookies WITH cream cheese frosting is what really puts this recipe over the top. While your cookies are cooling, you can make the peppermint cream cheese frosting. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, and peppermint extract together. Gradually stir in the powdered sugar. Don’t add it all at once as the powdered sugar and easily puff up out of the bowl, making a huge mess. Spread the frosting over the cookies and sprinkle on the candy cane pieces reserved from the cookie recipe to decorate. FYI, this frosting would also be incredible on chocolate cake/cupcakes.

Sugar cookies covered in cream cheese frosting and sprinkled with bits of candy cane.

Peppermint Sugar Cookies With Cream Cheese Frosting

Classic sugar cookies with a festive peppermint twist.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 30 Cookies

Ingredients
  

Cookies

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons corn starch
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 5 oz crushed candy cane, divided (This is 12 candy canes)

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 4 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 4 oz unsalted butter, softened
  • ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
  • 1½ cups powdered sugar

Instructions
 

Cookies

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, corn starch, and salt. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light in color. Scrape sides of the bowl as needed.
  • Mix in egg and peppermint extract.
  • Gradually add in flour mixture and half of the crushed candy canes. Again, scrape the bowl periodically. Mix until just combined.
  • Chill dough 1 hour.
  • Once dough is chilled, preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Roll cookie dough into 1” balls then place on parchment covered cookie sheet, leaving 2 inches between cookies.
  • Bake 14-16 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, and peppermint extract until fully combined.
  • Gradually stir in powdered sugar.
  • Spread frosting over cooled cookies and top with remaining crushed candy cane pieces.
Keyword Christmas Cookies, Cookies, Cream Cheese Frosting, Peppermint, Peppermint Sugar Cookies, Sugar Cookies

Lemon Iced Ginger Cookies

Peppermint Cocoa Cookies

Oatmeal Cherry Cookies

PUMPKIN BLONDIES

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Fall Flavors

Let’s just dive right in, shall we? Fall flavors are my favorite when it comes to desserts. Sure, I’ll gladly eat baked goods from any season, but Fall is where my heart is. And my latest obsession is this recipe for Pumpkin Blondies. With just ten ingredients, the hardest part of this recipe will be waiting for the butter to soften.

Mise en Place

Here we go.. Soften that butter!!! Set it out first thing in the morning so you know it will be ready when you get going on these pumpkin blondies. I know, we all have days where we forget to soften the butter in time. If that is the case, pull the butter out of the fridge first and then start setting up the rest of your ingredients. Preheat your oven. Pull your ingredients out of the fridge/pantry, grab your measuring cups and baking pan. Line your baking pan with parchment paper or sprtiz it with a light coating of non-stick spray. Measure everything out. Once you’ve got all this set, your butter may nearly be softened already.

Plate of pumpkin blondies and a small white pumpkin.

Ingredients & Equipment

Make sure you are using pumpkin puree for these pumpkin blondies. I know the canned pumpkin pie filling will be right there on the same shelf but that is not what you want. We are going to add the pumpkin spice ourselves so we don’t need the pre-spiced filling.

I prefer to use a stand mixer for this recipe because you can cream the butter and brown sugar without tiring your arm. Plus, as long as that butter is softened ahead of time, you can measure and mix your dry ingredients while the mixer works on that butter/brown sugar mixture. However, a hand mixer can absolutely do the job. Stand mixer or hand mixer… either way, make sure you cream those ingredients until it becomes a light, almost fluffy consistency.

Once you’ve got that butter/sugar mixture ready, you’ll mix in your eggs and vanilla. Then mix in the pumpkin puree – it will not fully combine at this point but get it equally distributed. Stir in your dry ingredients and then finally stir in the chocolate chips. Spread it out in your prepared baking pan and then sprinkle your flaked salt on (if you choose to use it). You are now 30 minutes away from you house smelling amazing and indulging in these delicious pumpkin blondies.

Pumpkin blondies with a white pumpkin in the background.

More Options

Before I give you this full pumpkin blondies recipe, I have to give a shout out to some of my other Fall desserts. Pumpkin Bars. Lemon Iced Ginger Cookies. Pumpkin Pecan Pie. Pumpkin Bread. Which one is my favorite? All of them. Now, without further ado… here is the full Pumpkin Blondies recipe.

Small white pumpkin next to a plate and cooling rack of pumpkin blondies.

Pumpkin Blondies

Sarah Baade
Pumpkin blondies with chocolate chips – the ultimate Fall treat.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 9 servings

Ingredients
  

  • ⅔ cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅔ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup pumpkin puree
  • ⅓ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • ½ teaspoon flaked salt (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350℉ and line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper or spritz pan with non-stick cooking spray.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin spice, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Scrape sides of bowl as needed. When you think you have it fully combined, scrape the sides again and continue beating the mixture for a few more minutes.
  • Mix eggs and vanilla into butter/sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and add pumpkin puree. The puree will not fully combine but you want it evenly distributed.
  • Gradually stir in dry ingredients until just combined.
  • With a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in chocolate chips.
  • Pour mixture into prepared pan. If using flaked salt, sprinkle over batter. Bake 30 minutes or until test toothpick come out almost clean.
Keyword Fall Desserts, Pumpkin, Pumpkin Bars, Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Spice

LEMON CRINKLE COOKIES

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Challenging Month

March brought more blogging challenges than I’ve had in a while. As with many aspects of life, there are seasons of smooth, easy success. And then there are seasons where it seems like absolutely nothing is working. Last month, I had fail after fail after fail. I always have a running list of recipe ideas. I assign a few ideas to each month in my calendar to keep me going on new recipes and posts. With a goal of accomplishing a few new recipes each month, that list is essential. So during the month of March, I hit that list like I normally would. But this time, nothing was working out. I tested recipe after recipe and in the end, I only succeeded in getting one new post up on this site (here’s looking at you, Green Pea Hummus). Where does a food blogger go from here? You keep trying. Plain and simple, you keep going. And my next move was turning lemons into… cookies. To be honest, even this recipe for Lemon Crinkle Cookies took more trial and error than I prefer. But, I have to say, all of that effort has paid off and I am incredibly happy with these cookies!

Gold rack with powder sugared yellow lemon cookies.

Sweet Success

These Lemon Crinkle Cookies are a great balance of sweet, bright lemon flavor without being tart – the perfect lemon cookie. While creating this recipe, the first batch actually went straight into the garbage. Yes, it was that bad! But the potential was there. I love lemon desserts and I don’t give up easily. So, I tweaked and adjusted and then… success! I could eat an entire batch of these. I won’t, but I could. What do you do with extra cookies? I am a fan of freezing cookies but we don’t have room in our freezer right now. Instead, I brought these cookies to work and I’m so glad I did. I love sharing treats but I also appreciate getting honest feedback on new recipes. The praises were high on this one. I mean “these are my new favorite cookies” is not something I take lightly. Or how about “best cookies ever” as an unprompted review? Give these Lemon Crinkle Cookies a try for yourself and let me know what you think!

Gold rack with powder sugared yellow lemon cookies.
Gold rack with powder sugared yellow lemon cookies.

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Sarah Baade
These lemon crinkle cookies are a great balance of sweet, bright lemon flavor without being tart – the perfect lemon cookie.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 3.5 dozen

Ingredients
  

  • 2½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1½ cups sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • yellow food coloring
  • 1 cup powdered sugar for rolling

Instructions
 

  • In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar.
  • Mix eggs, zest, and lemon juice into butter and sugar.
  • Gradually stir dry ingredients in.
  • Stir food coloring in a drop or two at a time, until you reach the desired brightness of yellow.
  • Chill dough for a minimum of 1 hour. Can be chilled overnight.
  • When ready to bake cookies, preheat oven to 350℉ and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Roll dough into tablespoon sized balls then roll in powdered sugar until fully covered. Place on prepared baking sheet, 3 inches apart. Bake 10 minutes.
  • Cool cookies on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Keyword Cookies, Lemon Cookies, Lemon Crinkle Cookies

Looking for more citrus based recipes?

Orange Spiced Monkey Bread

Five Spiced Citrus Salad

Key Lime Sugar Cookies

FUDGY BROWNIES

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The Fudgy Brownies Journey

All my life I was making brownies out of a box mix. And I was content with it, until I wasn’t. A couple of years ago I made a box mix that was dull, flavorless, and more cake-like than true brownie texture. I didn’t even really want to serve them to my friends but that was all I had time for that day. Maybe it was the brand or type of mix that I bought that was the problem. I suspect it is actually just that I have higher expectations of baked goods. So I began the process of creating my own recipe. I bake everything else from scratch, why should fudgy brownies be the exception??

Brownies on a white background.

The Challenge

As it turns out, fudgy brownies are actually a huge lesson in chemistry. I did not study chemistry of any sort in college, certainly not food related chemistry. So, when my first attempt at my own fudgy brownies failed, I began to research. You’d be surprised how little information there is out there on how to get that shiny, flaky “skin” that we all love to see on top of our brownies. Without finding much info online, I have modified, adjusted, and tested several versions of brownies. Each version has been delicious. The asthetic has just been off from what I want.

Brownies on a white plate and white background.

The Answer

As I was about to finalize my recipe, a friend shared a YouTube video with me. She didn’t know I had been working on this recipe for a year and a half. A delicious, chocolate filled year and a half. This video explained what I was trying to figure out. That flaky shine on top of brownies is related to the sugars being fully coated in fat. I altered my recipe again… and again. As I sit here typing, I literally have four slightly different batches sitting on my counter. What I’ve determined is that the a super high gloss shine is achievable. I can almost see my reflection in one batch but it doesn’t taste as good. The ultimate balance is a light, flaky shine on top while maintaining that fudgy, rich chocolate in the middle. So here it is, my labor of love, my fudgy brownies recipe. Enjoy!

By The Way…

My favorite pairing with these Fudgy Brownies is my No Churn Chocolate Chunk Coffee Ice Cream. Go ahead and try it, and let me know if you agree 😉

Brownies on a white plate and white background.

Fudgy Brownies

Sarah Baade
Rich chocolate flavor with that classic flaky shine on top. You'll never reach for a box mix again.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Equipment

  • Electric mixer. Ideally, a stand mixer is best for this recipe.

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional but adds richness to the chocolate flavor)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350℉.
  • In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Scrape sides of bowl as needed. When you think you have it fully combined, scrape the sides again and continue beating the mixture for a few more minutes.
  • Add powdered sugar to the butter mixture. Start mixing on low so the powdered sugar doesn't fly out of the bowl. Gradually increase speed of mixer and beat until mixture is light in texture and almost white in color. (I use a stand mixer and let it run at the second highest setting while I prepare the next ingredients.)
  • In a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate chips in microwave. Stir every 30 seconds in order to not burn the chocolate. Once fully melted, set aside to cool slightly.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, and salt. Set aside. (Don't skip sifting. This prevents you from having clumps of cocoa powder in your brownies.)
  • Add eggs and vanilla to butter mixture and begin mixing at low setting.
  • While continuing to mix butter and eggs, add melted chocolate. Beat on medium speed until fully combined. Scrape sides of bowl as needed.
  • With a sturdy wooden spoon or spatula, gradually stir dry ingredients into mixture.
  • Spread brownie batter into greased 9×13 baking pan. Bake 30 minutes or until test toothpick come out almost clean (you want to see a few bits of slightly undercooked batter on the toothpick).
Keyword Brownies, Fudgy Brownies, Homemade Brownies

Looking for additional dessert recipes? Try these Peanut Butter Cut-Out Cookies or Chocolate chip Cookie Bars.

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS WITH STREUSEL TOPPING

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Muffin Memories

Blueberry muffins with streusel topping always seemed so fancy to me as a kid. What in the world was that magical topping? Why didn’t we get this topping on the muffins we made from a box mix? I recall blueberry muffins being something we ate on special occasions, like on Christmas morning. Always made from a box mix. And I loved them. In short, those muffins were something special and yet I still longed for that streusel topping. Friends, this was the 80’s and streusel seemed fancy. Today, you can get a box mix that includes a streusel topping and I will never judge you for making those. I get it. Busy lives need simple solutions. But I promise you, the homemade version is also very doable.

Dark gray tray of blueberry muffins with extra blueberries on the tray.

That Homemade Touch

Now that I’m an adult and the primary cook in the household, I find little ways to treat myself. One of the ways I treat myself is with homemade muffins. Yes, I still make a boxed mix on occasion but homemade always tastes better and don’t actually take much longer to make. I use frozen blueberries because they aren’t as delicate as fresh and don’t streak juice throughout the muffins. As for that *magical* streusel topping? Turns out it is quite easy to make! In fact, I might never make another muffin recipe without it. There is something about that crunchy, sweet topping that I can’t resist. With blueberry muffins being such a strong memory of childhood, I knew I needed to start here. Classic blueberry muffins with streusel topping. These make you feel like you’re eating something from your favorite corner bakery without actually having to leave the house.

Dark gray tray of blueberry muffins with extra blueberries on the tray.
Dark gray tray of blueberry muffins with extra blueberries on the tray.

Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping

Sarah Baade
Classic blueberry muffins with a light streusel topping.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine American
Servings 12 muffins

Ingredients
  

Blueberry Muffins

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup frozen blueberries

Streusel Topping

  • ⅓ cup all purpose flour
  • ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
  • 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

For the Muffins

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and place paper liners in muffin tin.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar.
  • Mix eggs and vanilla into butter mixture.
  • Stir in half of the dry ingredients, then all of the milk, then the rest of the dry ingredients until just combined.
  • Gently fold frozen blueberries into the batter.
  • Pour batter into prepared muffin tin.

For the Streusel Topping

  • In a small mixing bowl, stir all ingredients together. Sprinkle mixture over muffins.
  • Bake 35 minutes or until a test toothpick comes out clean.
Keyword Blueberry, Blueberry Muffins, Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping, Breakfast, Easy Breakfast, Easy Recipe, Homemade Muffins, Muffins, Streusel Topping

Looking for more easy breakfast recipes? I’ve got you covered…

Baked Oatmeal

Southwestern Hash Brown Waffles

Savory Spinach Turnovers

Pumpkin Spice Granola

Best Banana Bread

PEPPERMINT COCOA COOKIES

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December can only mean one thing when it comes to food blogging… COOKIES! Over the years, I’ve done more Christmas cookie baking days and cookie exchanges than I can count. These traditions are fun, right? And they truly bring joy. Joy that tastes delicious, and sweet, and comforting. So many of us have memories of a grandparent or a parent making a certain favorite cookie. No matter how old I get, I will always feel nostalgic love for a chocolate crinkle cookie (in my family, we call it a chocolate Kringle cookie) because that’s what tastes like home so to speak. In a year when many of us can’t be near our families for the holidays, we can at least come together over holiday cookies. Perhaps you and your mom make the same traditional recipe on the same day this year? Or maybe you video chat with your brother as you both try a new cookie recipe? Let’s make cookies together this year even if we still aren’t close enough to hug.

White background with chocolate cookies surrounded by red and white peppermint candy pieces.

I’ve had chocolate on the brain lately, brownies specifically, actually. However, brownies don’t scream Christmas to me. With that in mind, I converted a brownie recipe I’ve been working on and turned it into a holiday cookie. My husband loves peppermint with chocolate (frankly, I do too) and so this peppermint cocoa cookie was born. To keep things festive, I used actual peppermint candies for this recipe rather than peppermint extract. I hope you’ll think of your family and holiday traditions as you dive into these cookies.

White background with chocolate cookies surrounded by red and white peppermint candy pieces.
White background with chocolate cookies surrounded by red and white peppermint candy pieces.

Peppermint Cocoa Cookies

Sarah Baade
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 36 cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional but add richness to the chocolate flavor)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs
  • 5 oz starlight mint candies or candy canes, broken into small pieces

Instructions
 

  • In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, mix together sugar, melted chocolate, vegetable oil, espresso powder and vanilla.
  • Stir in eggs one at a time.
  • Gradually stir in dry ingredients.
  • Stir in broken candy pieces.
  • Chill for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat over to 350°F.
  • Form cookie dough into walnut sized balls and place on parchment lined cookie sheet, 2" apart.
  • Bake 13-15 minutes.

Notes

*I did not have any marshmallow fluff on hand when I made these but I think it would be great for turning these into a sandwich cookie.
Keyword Chocolate, Cookies, Peppermint, Peppermint Cocoa Cookies