My Favorite Christmas Cookies

When I was little and it got to be the middle of December, my mom would ask us what Christmas cookies we wanted that year. Without fail, I chose candy cane cookies. I'm sure my mom wanted to cringe when I mentioned them because they're a LOT of work, but I loooooved them and still do. Tonight is the Ohio Blogging Association's annual holiday party and cookie swap. Guess what cookies I decided to make? P.S. We have to bring four dozen. Nathan thought I was CRAZY for mixing, rolling and twisting four dozen of these cookies, but I want to spread the love. The almondy-minty goodness is just so delicious!

In case you're up for making these (they're ALWAYS a hit!), I wanted to share the recipe with you all. And if you have a favorite Christmas cookie, please share in the comments below! I have a husband who loves cookies; I'm pretty sure they rank just after me on his list of favorite things.

Candy Cane Cookies (makes "four dozen," but that's actually a lie. I'd say it's more like two)

1/2 cup margarine, softened 1/2 cup shortening (I use more margarine here; butter works too) 1 cup powdered sugar 1 egg 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon red food color 1/4 cup crushed peppermint candy 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 375.

Mix margarine, shortening, powdered sugar, egg and flavorings thoroughly. Blend in flour and salt. Divide dough in half; blend food coloring into one half.

Shape 1 teaspoon dough from each half into a 4-inch rope. Roll over a floured board. Place ropes side by side and twist. Place on ungreased cookie sheet (I still grease it!).

Bake about nine minutes or until set and very light brown. While baking, mix candy and granulated sugar. Immediately sprinkle cookies with candy mix. Remove from baking sheet to cool.

The Late Night Ice Cream Run

The other night Nathan and I looked at each other and smiled. We were both thinking the same thing: It was time for a late night ice cream run. Since moving to Cleveland, we've become rather obsessed with Sweetie Fry in Cleveland Heights. If you haven't been there yet, you Need to go. Need with a capital N. They serve gourmet homemade fries (chicken parmesan, pizza, etc.) and ice cream (strawberry and sour cream, turkish coffee, deep chocolate, etc.), and we just can't get enough! Check out a review I did for my friend Jen's blog, WhyCLE?

Because Sweetie Fry is open late ('til 1 a.m. on Saturday!), Nathan and I make up excuses to go at like 10:30 p.m. A few weeks ago, we hadn't really had dinner, so we decided the next best option was eating fries and onion rings. Then just a couple nights ago, I had a craving for peppermint ice cream with hot fudge so ... off to Sweetie Fry we went. Unfortunately, they were out of the holiday-special peppermint, so I opted for mint chocolate chip instead.

It's probably kind of sad, but these spur-of-the-moment, weeknight Sweetie Fry trips make me feel liberated. Like we're back in college and this is our date night. These trips are definitely about the fries and ice cream, but they're also about feeling part of the community and getting to spend quality time with each other. Uninterrupted time over creamy ice cream and gooey hot fudge.

DIY 101: Salted Caramel Apples

My goal this week was to pre-blog, but Election Day kind of got in the way of today's early post. I had only voted two times before today and each time I waltzed into my polling location, grabbed a ballot, voted, and waltzed out. Today, not so much. There were lines. LONG lines. But I'm happy to report that my civic duty is complete! At least for today. :)

So, let's talk about gooey caramel and crispy apples. I love them both separate and together, and because I've been eyeing these salted caramel apples for awhile now, I decided it was time to try making my own. I feel like I owe everyone a warning though ... my apples didn't look anything like that link. I know, I know, you're probably shocked. It's mostly because I was scared my caramel was burning, so I slapped it onto the apples before it was ready. They do, however, taste delicious, so I give myself one point for that.

You will need: Apples Caramels (If you're really ambitious, you can make your own caramel. I am not, so I bought my caramel pre-made. :) ) Vanilla Extract Milk Sea Salt Branches (to hold onto while you're eating!)

1. Melt the caramels in a double boiler (or if you're like me, in a bowl sitting over a pan of hot water. We're not fancy at the Baldwin house). As the caramel is melting, add a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a couple tablespoons of milk (I learned this from The Pioneer Woman). Stir well and keep stirring until the caramel is runny in texture.

2. Insert the branches into the apple cores. Make sure they're firm so you don't loose your apples when dipping.

3. Dip half of the apple into the caramel. Smooth the caramel with a rubber spatula if it globs too much.

4. While the caramel is still hot, sprinkle sea salt on the apple. (I decided not the roll the apple in the salt because I was afraid it'd get too salty, but I'm sure you can do that too.)

Voila! How awesome would these be at a fall wedding??

When I Grow Up, I'll Drink My Coffee Black.

McDonald's employee: Welcome to McDonald's. What can I get for you? Mom: I'll have a medium coffee with two creams and a packet of Equal.

Every time my mom ordered her coffee, she'd turn and say to me, "When I grow up, I'll drink my coffee black." As a kid, I thought that was the funniest thing because my mom was grown up! Now I totally understand. I've learned to like the taste of coffee, but drinking it black? Huh-uh. Never going to happen ... except maybe when I grow up. :)

While I definitely enjoy Starbucks, I've decided as of late that I need to be making my own lattes instead of spending $3.25 every time I need a pick-me-up. I recently got my very first coffee maker and have been experimenting with hot coffee. This morning though? I wanted something cold, so I made up an iced coffee/smoothie recipe I thought I'd share. There's a slash in there because it's more iced coffee consistency with just a little thickness to it. I'm a big texture person; I've got your back!

Lane's totally-made-up, not-grown-up iced coffee/smoothie (Be forewarned, this makes enough for three-ish glasses)

6-8 ounces of bold, black coffee, chilled 1 container of plain Greek yogurt 4-6 ounces (totally made that up. Really, it's a couple pours) of store-bought iced coffee (I use International Delight, vanilla) 1-ish teaspoon of vanilla sugar (regular sugar would be equally as delicious I'm sure!) 10-12 ice cubes

Blend and enjoy! :)

The Greek yogurt makes the consistency a little thicker, plus it gives it a nice little tang (also why I add some vanilla sugar) and you get your morning protein with the caffeine. Let me know if you have an even better iced coffee/smoothie recipe. I'm always up for trying something new!