Week 11:
Cookies - Chewy Key Lime Coconut Cookies
Event - David's birthday
Recipe - http://www.willcookforsmiles.com/2013/08/chewy-key-lime-coconut-cookies.html
Review - I wasn't at all excited to make these personally as I am not a huge lime or coconut fan, but David likes them so that was the purpose. I ended up really enjoying these. Everyone else enjoyed them as well, most importantly David. I think the addition of the cream cheese in the batter really makes it smooth and sweetly delicious. Neither the lime or coconut were overpowering in this cookie. They were a great little bite size, too. The only negative was having leftover coconut in my pantry - yuck! :) Maybe I'll just have to make another batch sometime, with just slightly less coconut than it calls for!Week 12:
Cookies - Salted Margarita Cookies with Tequila Glaze
Event - Loretta's Bachelorette
Recipe - http://www.doughvelopment.com/2014/05/salted-margarita-cookies-with-tequila.html
Review - This was actually my first time using my Kitchen Aid and I absolutely loved it. It makes mixing much easier and much smoother. I planned to make these for Loretta's bachelorette so I wanted to make them on Friday before I left to keep them fresh for us to enjoy. Well my grandma ended up breaking her hip and having surgery that Friday, so these cookies got delayed til after the party. I still sent some to both Loretta and Jessica in the mail so they could enjoy. These weren't my favorite, since I don't love margaritas (only when I'm in the right mood for them). They were a lot of fun though, and interesting to have a cookie that really did taste like a margarita. The key was that they had salt sprinkled on top of the glaze. I made a few with no glaze for Grandma and kids, then made a few with the glaze but no salt to test the taste difference. I think I preferred them with the glaze but no salt. However, the salt really made them stand out as something different and as a margarita. The tequila was barely noticable, but a good flavor addition.
Week 13:
Cookies - Perfect M&M Cookies
Event - Jake Waxman request
Recipe - http://picky-palate.com/2013/04/03/how-to-make-perfect-m-and-m-cookies/
Review - Jake had seen all my cookies and wanted some. When I made my other M&M cookies he said those were his favorite, so I told him to send me his address and he'd be on the list! I had another M&M cookie recipe to try and a free week, so his mailbox got a special treat. I think these were even better than my other M&M cookies. The others were a sugar cookie while these were more like chocolate chip cookies. I loved the mini chocolate chips and mini M&Ms in these cookies. The secret ingredient was a little bit of vanilla pudding mix in the dough. Yum! Fun, pretty, tasty. The only trick about these cookies is that they are really only the most delicious within the first few days. I've noticed this with any type of chocolate chip variety. They tend to get crumbly after a few days. They seem to be better when heated up a little bit.
Cookies - Perfect M&M Cookies
Event - Jake Waxman requestRecipe - http://picky-palate.com/2013/04/03/how-to-make-perfect-m-and-m-cookies/
Review - Jake had seen all my cookies and wanted some. When I made my other M&M cookies he said those were his favorite, so I told him to send me his address and he'd be on the list! I had another M&M cookie recipe to try and a free week, so his mailbox got a special treat. I think these were even better than my other M&M cookies. The others were a sugar cookie while these were more like chocolate chip cookies. I loved the mini chocolate chips and mini M&Ms in these cookies. The secret ingredient was a little bit of vanilla pudding mix in the dough. Yum! Fun, pretty, tasty. The only trick about these cookies is that they are really only the most delicious within the first few days. I've noticed this with any type of chocolate chip variety. They tend to get crumbly after a few days. They seem to be better when heated up a little bit.
Week 14:
Cookies - No-Bake Nutella Peanut Butter Cookies
Event - Brandon's birthday
Recipe - http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-no-bake-160655
Review - Brandon said his favorite cookies are no-bake, so he got the one no-bake recipe I had on my list for his big 30th birthday!! It was nice to not have to wait to bake these - a much quicker "baking" week! These were some of my favorite as well. I think everyone enjoyed them. The hardest part was waiting for them set in the fridge while I could still smell the lingering melted chocolate. The combination of ingredients was a great balance. I think I could've made these a little smaller size, but they looked good as a big mound. If I'm ever in a rush to make a nice treat, this will be my go to. The good thing is I pretty much always have these ingredients on hand. So even if I haven't planned something I will probably be able to grab these few things and whip up a batch to share.
Cookies - No-Bake Nutella Peanut Butter Cookies
Event - Brandon's birthdayRecipe - http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-no-bake-160655
Review - Brandon said his favorite cookies are no-bake, so he got the one no-bake recipe I had on my list for his big 30th birthday!! It was nice to not have to wait to bake these - a much quicker "baking" week! These were some of my favorite as well. I think everyone enjoyed them. The hardest part was waiting for them set in the fridge while I could still smell the lingering melted chocolate. The combination of ingredients was a great balance. I think I could've made these a little smaller size, but they looked good as a big mound. If I'm ever in a rush to make a nice treat, this will be my go to. The good thing is I pretty much always have these ingredients on hand. So even if I haven't planned something I will probably be able to grab these few things and whip up a batch to share.
Week 15:
Cookies - Orange Zested Cookies with Sweet Orange Glaze (or chocolate)
Event - Karthick's birthday
Recipe - http://www.suziethefoodie.com/orange-zested-cookies-with-sweet-orange-glaze/
Review - These were some of the best I've made I think. They were gorgeous as well as tasty. I always feel more accomplished when they cookies look as good as they taste. Most of the time I don't have the "make it look pretty" part down, just the yummy factor. This recipe had an alternative glaze to try with chocolate if you preferred. Karth told me he wanted the chocolate. Of course I have the try the recipe so I did half of each. Karth isn't a huge fan of sweets, but I always like to bake him something for his birthday and he always enjoys it. I thought the orange would be something different without being overly sweet for him. I loved them. They reminded me of some carrot-orange cookies one of my grandma's friends used to make for my mom's birthday. Boy do I miss those! Karth enjoyed the chocolate glaze more, but I can't decide which is my favorite. Even after several recipes with zest, I do not have a great talent for zesting fruit!
Cookies - Orange Zested Cookies with Sweet Orange Glaze (or chocolate)
Event - Karthick's birthday
Recipe - http://www.suziethefoodie.com/orange-zested-cookies-with-sweet-orange-glaze/Review - These were some of the best I've made I think. They were gorgeous as well as tasty. I always feel more accomplished when they cookies look as good as they taste. Most of the time I don't have the "make it look pretty" part down, just the yummy factor. This recipe had an alternative glaze to try with chocolate if you preferred. Karth told me he wanted the chocolate. Of course I have the try the recipe so I did half of each. Karth isn't a huge fan of sweets, but I always like to bake him something for his birthday and he always enjoys it. I thought the orange would be something different without being overly sweet for him. I loved them. They reminded me of some carrot-orange cookies one of my grandma's friends used to make for my mom's birthday. Boy do I miss those! Karth enjoyed the chocolate glaze more, but I can't decide which is my favorite. Even after several recipes with zest, I do not have a great talent for zesting fruit!
