Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

We've had a fun filled weekend of activities at our house.  With Ryan gone hunting for the weekend, the kids and I played.  We went to the movie, played with cousins (and Grandma), made a gingerbread house...

Yes...its a store bought kit.  We were focusing on quality time here, not the quality of the gingerbread.  I did my good mother deed by not allowing the kids to eat any of the candy or cookies (who knows how long those had been in there!!)

We watched more movies, went to church and out for lunch, made cookies...

I lied...I made the cookies myself.  No kiddos in the room.  I needed to be alone in my kitchen...just me and my oven and my mixing bowls.  Ever had one of those days??  And then I ate a bunch of the cookies and made by kids have bananas for their snack.  That may veto my good mom deed from earlier.  But like my dad used to say, "Do as I say, not as I do."

And now the kids are wrestling.  Hmm...pretty sure this will end up with someone in tears yelling, "It's all your fault!"

These cookies are soft and chewy.  Chocolaty and sweet.  Very much semi-homamde.  A great cookie to have in your repertoire. 

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

   adapted from Cookin' Cowgirl

1 box devils food cake mix

2 eggs

6 Tbsp butter, melted

1/2 bottle red food coloring

1 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375.  Melt the butter and set aside to cool.

In large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, butter, and food coloring.  Mix well.  

Drop by teaspoon (I used the smallest Pampered Chef cookie scoop) into the powdered sugar.  Roll around to coat (and make into a ball).  Shake off excess powdered sugar and place on cookie sheet.  

Bake for 9 minutes.  Allow to cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute and then move to cooling rack to cool completely.  Enjoy!

makes about 3 dozen cookies

I'm hoping to get a lot more Christmas baking done, so hopefully I'll have a lot more to share with you soon.
I'm linking up to Jane Deere's Fusion Fridays  

Homemade Box Brownies

I have a confession to make.  

I will take a box brownie over homemade any day.  No questions...hands down...done and done.  

I have just never had a "from scratch" brownie that tasted as good.  

Until I tried this recipe.  I wasn't going to give up on the idea of a from scratch brownie...

and I'm so glad I didn't.  

These are chewy, fudge-y, crisp on the edges (if I didn't have a bridesmaids dress to fit into in two days, I'd be in the kitchen making another batch).  

Mmmm...so good!  Ryan couldn't believe they were from scratch.  

And realistically....while I don't always have a box of brownie mix in my pantry...

I always have these ingredients.

Homemade Box Brownies

adapted from King Arthur Flour's King Arthur Fudge Brownies

1 cup unsalted butter

2 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp instant coffee

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Grease a 9" x13" pan and set aside.  

In a saucepan, over low heat, melt the butter, then add the sugar and stir to combine.  Heat on low until the mixture is hot, but not bubbling (it will look shiny as you stir).

Transfer the sugar mixture to a medium sized bowl.  Stir in the cocoa, baking powder, salt, instant coffee and vanilla.  Whisk in the eggs, stirring until smooth.  Add the flour and chocolate chips.  Stir until smooth.

Spoon batter into prepared pan.  (At this point I added chopped peanut butter cups to the top...be creative and add your favorite candy or leave as is)  Bake for 30 minutes, or until cake tester comes out with a few moist crumbs on it.  The edges should feel set and the center should look very moist, but not raw.  Remove from oven and let cool completely.  

Cut and serve!

I'm linking up to Jane Deere's Fusion Fridays  

Chocolate Donut Holes

The icy conditions outside led to a pajama clad morning at our house.  Without church to go to, I thought it was the perfect time to make chocolate donut holes.  I saw the recipe on Smitten Kitchen awhile ago and was just waiting for the perfect day to make them.  They are wonderful!!!  The kids enjoyed theirs coated in powdered sugar...I ate mine with my cup(s) of coffee.

I made a few changes to the original recipe - I only had dark chocolate powder on hand so I used that.  And instead of rolling them out and cutting them, I used a small cookie scoop to make balls and dropped them right into the hot oil.  This resulted in less than perfect "holes", but it was much easier.

Happy Eating!