cookies in a jar - cranberry white chocolate oatmeal

These cookies are a recipe I found for cookies in a jar on Launder, Fold and Repeat. I'm hoping to gift the jar for Christmas this year and I wanted to make sure the recipe would turn out. One year I found a chocolate chip cookie recipe and gave a handful of cookies in a jar to a few of my friends and I was super dissapointed when most of them reported back that the cookies had turned out tough. I'm glad I did a practice run on these, the recipe was great! I love the combination of cranberries and white chocolate.

Christmas Cookies in a Jar, adapted from Taste Of Home via Launder Fold and Repeat (makes ONE quart-sized jar)
18 Servings

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup dried cranberries (I used Craisins)
1 cup vanilla or white chips

Additional ingredients (list these on a tag, or email me for the PDF of the label)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Using a quart sized glass jar, layer (use a canning funnel!) the white sugar, followed by the brown sugar. Tamp down between each layer to create a clean line. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pour gently into jar and tamp down gently. Layer in the oats, cranberries, and white chocolate chips, tamping between the oats and cranberries. Cover and store in a cool place for up to 6 months.

To prepare cookies (provide these instructions to the recipient!): Preheat oven to 375. Pour cookie mix into a large bowl, stirring to combine. Beat in the butter, egg and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2" apart onto un-greased baking sheets. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes until browned, cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!

birthdays and cookies

Thanks to SplurgeBakery and Jersey Bites, I won a set of personalized cookies and had them sent to my dad for his birthday! They were 12 individually wrapped sugar cookies and tied with a choice of color ribbon. SplurgeBakery was really great to work with, and extremely patient while I had my sis find and scan the photo in for me when my dad wasn't around! These cookies were tasty and looked beautiful! They were a hit with my family and I bet would be great for wedding favors, holiday parties, or even company logo cookies!

This is the picture I sent (circa 85 or 86, so not a very good quality photo):

And this is how the cookie turned out!

(White) Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies

I don't know what has gotten into me these days. Somebody stop me! Made these delicious oreo chocolate chip cookies from Picky Palate for my husband - he loved them, I loved them. They were sinfully delicious.

(White) Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies
Recipe from Picky Palate

1 stick softened butter
6 Tablespoons sugar
6 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 ¼ Cup flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
8 broken pieces Oreo Cookies
1 Cup chocolate chips (I used white chocolate)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter, and sugars until well combined. Add egg and vanilla until mixed well.

2. Place flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl, stir to combine. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients then stir in oreos and chocolate chips until just combined.

3. With a medium cookie scoop, scoop onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until cooked, but still soft. Let cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

My jeans may be bursting at the seams these days but hot dog, these were goooood!! Made the house smell scrumptious all morning long. These muffins have a nice spice to them and the chocolate chips just melt in your mouth.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
recipe from she's in the kitchen

1 15 oz. can pumpkin ( I use Libby's)

2 cups brown sugar, packed

2 sticks unsalted butter, melted

4 large eggs

1/2 cup apple cider

3 1/2 cups flour

2 t. baking soda

2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

4 1/2 t. cinnamon

4 1/2 t. ginger

1 t. nutmeg

1/2 t. cloves

1 cup milk chocolate chips (I used 1 1/2 c), plus more for the tops

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease muffin tins.

2. Place the pumpkin, brown sugar, and melted butter in mixer bowl and mix well.

3. Add the eggs and mix again, then add the cider.

4. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and spices and salt to the mixer bowl.

5. Mix on low until well blended, then add the chocolate chips and mix one more time.

6. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop batter into muffin tins: for regular sized muffin tins and using a normal ice cream scoop, each muffin should be one scoop. Continue filling tins until all the batter is gone. Sprinkle one or two ( or three!) chocolate chips on top of each muffin.

7. Bake for around 25 minutes, or until tops are firm when gently pressed with your finger.

8. Remove to cool. After ten minutes, use a dull knife to edge out the muffins and let cool further on a cooling rack.

Seriously. Seriously?!?

This was husband's tomato pickings JUST from today. Sigh. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful our plants were fruitful this year, but by golly I'm running out of ideas here!!
And to top it off, husband randomly brought this inside - apparently it was also hiding in the tomato garden!
WTF is it? Is Shrek living in my garden?!? Is this why we have had an abundance of tomatoes??

I didn't want to deal with it today, so instead I baked.
(White) Chocolate Chip Cookies
recipe from here

2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup butter (or you can use margarine)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 bag chocolate chips (I used white chocolate)

Cream butter, shortening, and sugars together. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add soda, salt, and flour and mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake at 375 on an ungreased cookie sheet for 8 to 10 minutes. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.