Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies

Another online recipe I can thank both Pinterest and ModHousewife for recommending.  The original recipe is from Love Veggies and Yoga.  It is posted as half of what I made and also includes a cream cheese frosting.  I have to agree with ModHousewife that I prefer a buttercream frosting.  Charlotte and I made a batch to take to her classmates for her birthday. 

 
Ingredients:

1 stick butter (softened)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1 Strawberry cake mix

Preheat oven to 350.  In a mixing bowl, cream the butter.  Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.  Add Strawberry cake mix until well blended.  For best results put the cookie dough into the freezer for 15-20 minutes.  This will help the dough from spreading so much while baking. 

When ready, form 1-inch balls onto a cookie sheet that is greased or use parchment paper.  Be sure to leave enough space for some spreading.  Do not overcrowd the cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes.  Cookies may seem undercooked (not completely firm) but take them out and let them finish on the cookie sheet a few minutes before transferring to cooling rack.  Do not overbake.  I made about 36 cookies using this recipe.

These are really tasty as is.  However, you can spruce them up by adding a frosting after they are cooled and some sprinkles.  I made the frosting I used on my Christmas cookies.  That recipe is HERE.  I added 2 more tablespoons of milk (5 total) to make it even creamier.  Then a few red sprinkles finished it off!

Brown Sugar Blondies

I got this recipe from Baked Perfection HERE which was adapted from allrecipes.com.  At a friend's suggestion, I doubled the recipe to fit a 13 x 9 pan.  And since I was making it for an event on the eve of Valentine's Day...I threw in the white, pink and red M&Ms.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter (I used salted sticks)
2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
One bag (12-13 oz.) of M&Ms of any color

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13 x 9 pan.

Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and set to the side.  Melt 2/3 cup butter.  Mix melted butter with the firmly packed brown sugar - I used a mixer for this.  Cool slightly (just let it sit a minute).  Add 2 beaten eggs and then the vanilla.  Blend well (again in mixer).  With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture a bit at a time until it is all well mixed.  Stir in 1 1/3 cup of the M&Ms.  

Spread into a 13 x 9 pan.  Sprinkle the remainder of the M&Ms on top. 

Bake for 40 minutes.  Cool before slicing.