Orange Cream Cheese Cookie Squares

I can't think of anything worse that affects so many people I know....being allergic to chocolate! It just breaks my heart! ;)  Well here's a recipe that even the poor unfortunate choco-phobes can enjoy.  Light, fruity & not to sweet with a crunchy with cookie bottom and crumble topping. Perfect to close out the summertime and head into the fall!

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup AP flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

8oz cream cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1 canned mandarin oranges

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter & sugar together.  Sift flour.  Add flour & walnuts to mixture until it becomes crumbly.  Pat mixture into 9 x 9 pan, but reserve some for topping.  Bake crust for 12 mins.

Combine all other ingredients together, except for oranges.  Remove baked crust from oven and layer mandarin oranges on top.  Pour cream cheese mixture over and add topping. Bake for another 20 mins.  Cool & serve!

!0 Wedding Myths...Debunked

I recently read a post by BrideFinds about 10 wedding myths de-bunked that I found very interesting.  Getting married just a little over a  year ago I can say I totally agree! I think there may have been one tradition we actually kept (which was wearing white - I'm not that bold yet!!) and the rest was completely a reflection of our personality and who we are as opposed to tradition.  My brother actually walked me down the aisle, we totally skipped the garter & bouquet toss, my husband wore TOMS as his shoes, my husband didn't technically have a best man, and we held a buffet dinner.  And it was great! I think the best complement we got after was from my brother in law who told me .  Perfect!

Here are the 10 myths debunked:

1. You have to wear white.

2. You can’t ask for cash.
3. You need something borrowed, blue, old, and new.
4. You have to have a bouquet toss and garter toss.
5. You have to serve a full meal.
6. You need a full wedding party
7. You need a planner.
8. Your father has to walk you down the aisle.
9. You have to spend a small fortune.
10. The bride’s family pays for everything.

I think I totally agree!

Cinco De Mayo Cinnamon Chips Dessert Recipe

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Mexican militia's over the French army with food drinks & traditions unique to Mexico.  You had me at food & drinks & celebration! I'm always down for that :) We used to make these cinnamon chips at our celebrations and there are super easy and super delish! How will you be celebrating today?

INGREDIENTS:
- 6 Flour Tortillas
- 7 TBS melted butter
- 6 TBS sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Brush each tortilla with melted butter. Combine cinnamon & sugar and sprinkle over each side of the tortillas.  Stack on top of each other and cut into 12 wedges.  Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees  for 12-14 minutes until crisp.  SO easy! ;)

You can always make dessert nachos with these as well topping with caramel, chocolate, fruit & whipped cream.  A little chopped pecans and candied walnuts would be delicious too!

Mother's Day Gift - Gourmet Stuffed Cookie Gift Box

There's a Jewish proverb I love that says, " God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers." 
If there's one thing most mothers have in common it's how they always just seem to know to be there when you need them the most.  I could NEVER pull a fast one over on my mom including leaving my stable accounting job to start a cookie business :). But throughout the years she's been the most supportive & encouraging mother a girl could ever ask for.  

So this year's Mother's Day Cookie Gift pack is made in honor of my mom! Get a dozen of my mom's most favorite cookies specially packaged for Mother's Day with FREE SHIPPING anywhere in the US!
- 2 Velvet Loves
- 2 Twisted Oats
- 2 Mudslides
- 2 Sweet Fiestas
- 2 Sweet & Salty &
- 2 Peanut Butter Truffies

Get one today!!! »
Orders must be placed by May 7th for shipping and May 11th for pick-up.

Why do my cookies spread so much when baking?

I received a message from a friend last night in desperation trying to bake hundreds of cookies for her son's school that kept spreading.  After about two failed attempts in the oven she called.  Baking is SO sensitive! Here are some of the most common causes as to why your cookies may be spreading too much:
- Your dough is too warm and needs to be chilled
- The baking pans were greased - tip: don't grease baking pans unless the recipe calls for it
- The butter was too soft when using it in the batter.  At room temperature you should be able to poke an indentation with your finger but the indentation shouldn't stay
- You substituted shortening for butter
- The baking pan was warm when before you put it in the oven
- You used the wrong kind of flour.  Unbleached all purpose flour is the best for cookies.

Always bake a test batch when baking a large amount of cookies.  If the test cookie does not come out right you can then adjust before baking an entire batch.  Hope this helps! If anyone has any other baking questions.  Please feel free to ask!

Drumrolll please.....Carrot Cake Cookies finally in test phase

Okay, so maybe it's not that big of a deal but for years now it's been on the back of my mind to add a carrot cake stuffed cookie onto the menu.  However it wasn't until I had the most amazing dinner of my life at Truclucks in La Jolla that I was finally convicted to start the R&D process. (The constant nagging of the crazy sweet tooth of my husband helped too).  After a huge dinner of crab cakes, oysters, crab legs, bacon mac & cheese, garlic mashed potatoes and the best risotto we've ever had.... (yea I know....what? we like food!! :) I thought I couldn't add a single nibble of food into my incredibly stuffed belly.  That was of course until I saw the 10ft carrot cake being presented to me on  the dessert tray.  We just couldn't resist.  This 7 layer carrot cake, with just the perfect combination of cream cheese and cake drizzled with a butterscotch glaze and topped with candied pecans was a dessert you just didn't say no too! It demanded at least a bite....or two....or twenty! We devoured the ENTIRE thing!!  Really? Cause we don't eat enough sweets as it is! But it got me thinking I would totally come back just for this cake.  What if I had a cookie that just demanded to be eaten? Wouldn't you try it at least once? Stay tuned for how it turns out!