doubletree chocolate chip cookies

Woah. Haven't updated this blog in the longest time.

With everything going on though, I've been feeling a little restless so I thought it was time to dust it off and start showing up around here again.

I've been seeing posts about how great the DoubleTree Hilton chocolate chip cookies are. Have you ever tried them? I haven't. But so many people claim that they are some of the best so I needed to know for myself. And that means making them at home.

halloween oreo brownies

Or how to make boxed brownies better.

I feel guilty even writing this a blog post because it's so easy, but I always like sharing helpful tips like this. And while you'll need to have some kind of Oreo for this, you'll need one more ingredient that I bet you always have in your kitchen. It's probably even something you have every day. And you'll need so little of it that you can just put it aside in the morning.

Are you ready?

homemade filled chocolates

There isn't a new video today {I'll be back with one next week!} so a fun little recipe will have to do!

I've always thought that making homemade chocolates, especially if they're filled, would be difficult. You need to temper the chocolate. You want them to be shiny. You hope they come out of the molds. You hope they come out of the molds without breaking!

With so many things to worry about, I put off making filled chocolates for a long time. A few weeks ago, I decided it was time to face my fears and just melt some chocolate and see how it goes. I had a silicone Disney ice cube tray laying around and decided that it would be the most perfect mold for my first attempt at homemade filled chocolate. If they didn't turn out, at least they were cute, right?

Jokes on me because homemade filled chocolate are the easiest thing in the world to make! So easy in fact that once you read through this recipe, you'll want to do it yourself.

peanut butter m&m chocolate chunk cookies

If you follow me on Instagram, then you probably saw that I made cookies over the weekend with red, white, and blue M&Ms. And if you guessed that those cookies were going to end up on the blog - then you are correct!

These are super easy to whip up {you don't need a stand or hand mixer!} and you can use any kind of M&M variety really. Either way, I promise you'll love them!

festive christmas cookies

I love to bake, but Christmastime is my favorite time to whip up lots of goodies. There's something about the holiday season that really gets me in the baking mood. Everything from cookies to cakes, cinnamon buns to baked donuts - I love infusing all of it with festive flavors of the season.

This year though, I really want to try my hand at recipes I've never attempted before. Of course, I'll still be making cinnamon buns on Christmas morning {from scratch and a family tradition!}, but I've been researching lots of different things to bake in the days leading up to Christmas. These five caught my eye and look absolutely delicious so I just had to share them with you!

Chocolate Espresso Thumbprint Cookies from Half Baked Harvest

Chocolate Peanut Butter Saltine Toffee from Pinch of Yum // I've made toffee using graham crackers and I'm curious as to what it tastes like with saltines!

Grinch Cookies from Wanna Bite // One of my favorite stories and movies during the holidays!

Chocolate Peppermint Ganache Cookies from Two Peas and Their Pod

Santa's Trash Cookies from Delish 

And apologies for the lack of posts lately! If you follow me on Snapchat {sheriann_snaps}, you know that my laptop's charger was literally taped to my computer. I've been using it sparingly but don't worry! Videos and blog posts for the next few weeks are coming your way! :]

Happy baking!

ryder cup m&m cookies

If you follow me on Snapchat {sheriann_snaps} and Instagram, then you'll know that I'm at the Ryder Cup! And I'm so incredibly excited to be here! We left on Monday night and have going to the golf course every day to just walk around and see Team USA and Team Europe practice a bit before the real action starts today.

If you don't know what the Ryder Cup is, let me give you some information. It's one of two {the other being the President's Cup} team competitions in golf and happens every two years. Team USA will face off against Team Europe {consisting of players from Great Britain, Ireland, and continental Europe} in three days of matches. Today and tomorrow there will be four matches in the morning and four in the afternoon. Sunday consists of just singles matches, and that's where we get to see some real action. Team Europe has won three of the last four Ryder Cups, so it's about time we bring it home for the USA!

I baked up a batch of really simple M&M cookies last weekend before we left to help get into the spirit of things. Of course, you don't have to specifically make them with any event in mind. The sugar cookie dough itself is really delicious so you could just throw in M&Ms and call it day! In fact, I'm already thinking these would make a really great go-to Christmas cookie...

Ryder Cup M&M Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
5 ounces M&Ms

Directions:
1. Cream together the butter and sugars in a mixer. Then, add in the eggs and vanilla extract. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure that everything is incorporated.
2. Add in the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix together on low until combined.
3. Chill the dough for at least two hours.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
5. Scoop out a teaspoon amount of dough and roll it between your hands to form a ball. Only place 6-9 cookies per sheet because these will spread a lot.
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. If they look under-done, let them sit on the baking sheet for another 5-6 minutes and they'll be perfect!
7. After about a minute out of the oven, press your M&Ms into the top of the cookie just slightly. Press hard enough to have them in the dough but not all the way through the bottom of the cookie.
8. After 5 minutes of cooling on the cookie sheet, move them to a cooling rack and ENJOY!

five must-make fall apple recipes

The first day of fall is just days away! I cannot even begin to explain how excited I am. Autumn is my favorite season for just about everything - the fashion, the makeup, the weather, the food. And while it's not quite time to break out the big sweaters and riding boots, it's certainly never too early to get dig into the seasonal food.

I am not a pumpkin fan at all, but I love just about anything apple. I've shared some really delicious recipes in the past for cinnamon sugar apple doughnuts, baked apple cider doughnuts, and Milky Way apple blondies. And as much as I love those and already have plans to bake those soon, I've always looking for more apple recipes. I've found five that I think sound so perfect and tasty for the season that you {and me!} need to make immediately!

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls // Little Spice Jar

Baked Apple Cider Doughnuts with Brown Butter Glaze // Camille Styles

Glazed Apple Fritters // The Kitchn

German Apple Cake // Sweet Phi

Chocolate Almond Baked Apples // Maebells

toffee chocolate chip shortbread + the open!



Two things I love: golf and baking. I've done other posts similar to this where I combine the two by baking up something that reminds me of a major location. I've done pimento cheese and chocolate cake with pistachio buttercream for the Masters, Arnold Palmer baked doughnuts for the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and shortbread cookies for the British Open. Well, if we're going to be completely honest, I wasn't all that happy with the cookies I baked up for last year's Open. So for this year, I decided to try a new recipe with chocolate chips and toffee bits. These turned out SO. GOOD. I brought extras to work and my coworkers loved them. A success in my eyes!

Since shortbread cookies is still new to my repertoire, I followed this recipe step-by-step from The Kitchn but eliminated dipping them in chocolate. I'll try that out the next time I make them...

Wondering why I chose shortbread cookies? The 145th British Open is taking place at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. Shortbread originated in Scotland so it just made sense. Plus, who doesn't love these crumbly buttery cookies?

pistachio chocolate cake & the masters

It's Masters Monday! If you aren't aware, the Masters Tournament, the first golf major of the year, starts on Thursday and I am very excited. The Masters if my favorite of the four majors so I always look forward to this one. It's one of the prettiest courses you'll see, I promise!

Last year, I tried my hand at making pimento cheese because it's one of the most spreads and sandwiches served at Augusta National. This time I wanted something sweet and something green to represent that iconic green jacket the winner receives. Before this, I'd never had or made pistachio buttercream before but am a total fan now. Plus, pistachios, raspberries, and chocolate must be on the best flavor combinations ever.

Seriously. EVER.

Ingredients:

Chocolate Cake:
1 cup AP flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp instant espresso powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Raspberry preserves for filling/spread

Pistachio Pudding Buttercream:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 package pistachio pudding {a 3.4 oz package}
2 1/2 - 3 cups confectioners sugar
4-5 tbsp cold milk
Green gel food coloring (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350℉. Grease and line two six-inch cake pans with parchment paper.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, coca powder, baking soda, baking powder, instant espresso, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. You can do this my hand {what I usually do for this cake} or with a stand or hand mixer.
4. Add the flour mixture and mix until well combined. There shouldn't be any lumps left!
5. Divide the batter between the two cake pans and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Let cool for five minutes in the pans. Then, remove and let them cool on a wire rack.

Pistachio Pudding Buttercream:
1. With a stand mixer, beat the butter until creamy.
2. Add the entire package of pistachio pudding mix and one cup of the confectioners sugar. Make sure the mixer is off!
3. Mix on low and incorporate the rest of the ingredients, alternating between the milk and confectioners sugar. If you like a sweeter frosting, add the full two cups and five tablespoons of milk. If not, just add another cup and a half and about four to four and half tablespoons of milk.
4. If you're using the green gel food coloring, add it in here at the end. I used 11 drops of Leaf Green from Americolor to get the color in the pictures.

Assembly:
1. If necessary, level the bottom layer of your chocolate cake. You get to eat the extra! Otherwise, place the bottom layer on the cake stand.
2. Spread a layer, as thick or thin as you'd like, of raspberry preserves, leaving about a one inch gap from the edge of the cake. Place the second cake on top.
3. Frost your cake with the pistachio buttercream and ENJOY!

cadbury creme egg hand pies

My favorite Easter candy is definitely Cadbury Creme Eggs. I know they've been around for quite some time, but I didn't try them until two years ago. Now, whenever I see them pop up in stores before Easter, I buy a few - some to snack on and some to bake with. The past two years I've put them in brownies, something you definitely need to try, but I wanted to do something different this year. After seeing so many images of creme egg croissants floating around on Pinterest, I decided to do something similar and came up with these!

These Cadbury Creme Egg Hand Pies are super, super easy. But you have to freeze them overnight. If there's anything you remember from this recipe, it's that these chocolate and fondant eggs need to be frozen. Otherwise, they'll just melt once you put it in the oven. And no one wants a melted chocolate hand pie. Or maybe you do... It'd probably still be delicious.

Ingredients:

Cadbury Creme Eggs {or Cadbury Caramel Eggs, I used both!}, frozen overnight

Refrigerated pie dough, store-bought or homemade

1 egg

A splash of water

Granulated sugar for sprinkling

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 425ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. If you're using homemade pie dough, roll it out to about 1/8-inch thickness. If you're using store-bought pie dough, all you need to do is unroll it onto a lightly floured cutting board.
3. Using a cookie cutter/biscuit cutter/bowl that is 5-6 inches in diameter, cut out your pie discs. For reference, I used store-bought for this recipe and only got two discs per crust.
4. Unwrap your frozen Cadbury Creme Eggs and place it in the middle of the disc.
5. Whisk the egg with a splash of water. Brush the edge with the mixture and fold one side over to seal the hand pie. Crimp with a fork or spoon.
6. Brush the top with the egg mixture and sprinkle with sugar.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
8. Let cool before eating since the filling will be very hot!

 

arnold palmer baked donuts

One of my all-time favorite drinks is the Arnold Palmer - a mix of iced tea and lemonade that is  so delicious and refreshing. The drink is named after the legendary golfer, Arnold Palmer. "The King", as he is affectionately called, said he always made the drink for himself at home and, as his story goes, ordered it one day in Palm Springs when a woman overheard him and copied him. From then on, the drink had a name and became increasingly popular.

Now, I'm not just talking about this for no reason. Tomorrow is the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational so I thought it would be an Arnold Palmer-inspired treat with you! I whipped up these cakey donuts over the weekend and loved them. They've got just the right amount of black tea to match with a slightly sweet yet tangy lemon glaze. It's the perfect thing to have for breakfast or as an afternoon treat with a cup of hot tea. Or with an ice cold Arnold Palmer of course...

Ingredients:

Black Tea Infused Donuts:
1 cup water
7-8 black tea bags {I used Lipton}
2 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp butter {room temperature}
2 egg

Lemon Glaze:

1½ cups confectioners' sugar
Juice of 1 lemon

Directions:

1. In a kettle or in a bowl in the microwave, heat the water until lightly boiling. Add the tea bags and steep for 30 minutes. Allow tea to cool.
2. Preheat oven to 325°F and grease your donut pan.
3. Whisk together the dry ingredients and set aside.
4. Mix the sugar and butter together with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer.
5. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until combined.
6. Pour in the tea liquid and continue mixing until fully incorporated.
7. Slowly add the dry ingredients while mixing. Mix until the batter is completely smooth.
8. Transfer the batter to the donut pan using a piping bag, spoon, Ziploc bag... whatever your preferred method is. Pipe the wells about 2/3 full.
9. Bake for 12-13 minutes.
10. Let the donuts cool in the pan for about five minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Lemon Glaze:
1. In a bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice.
2. Dip the completely cooled donuts into the glaze. You can either dip these twice or drizzle the remaining glaze over them.

Enjoy!

valentine's day chocolate desserts

Cheesecake Swirl Brownies // Molten Chocolate Espresso Cakes // Chocolate Meringue Cake with Fresh Berries // Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Oreo Pie // Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Cake // Cranberry Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies

The last Valentine's post for the week is probably my favorite. I love baking and desserts and chocolate so of course this weekend would be one of the best times to combine the three {not like there's ever a bad time} and whip something up. I've been looking around for some inspiration and these caught my eye immediately. Some are light and airy, some are fruity and creamy, and the rest are intense and decadent. None will disappoint!

If you follow me on Instagram {@sheriann_}, you may see what I end up baking for Sunday!

mexican layer dip {for game day!}

Who else is excited for the Super Bowl this weekend? My team isn't playing this year {boo} but it's still fun to watch anyway. And Super Bowl parties seem to be such a big thing that I thought I would share one of my favorite dips ever. I promise it will be a hit at this weekend's party and any party you bring it to.

I promise it's a good one!

Ingredients:
16 oz can refried beans
5 oz grated cheese {I used to Mexican cheese mix from Sargento}
16 oz jar chunky salsa
12 oz sour cream
3 1/2 tbsp taco seasoning
16 oz creamy guacamole {handmade or store-bought}
1/3 cup green onions, optional
1/3 cup olives, optional

Directions:
1. In the container of your choice {I used an 11x7" brownie pan}, lay the refried beans in an even layer.
2. Next, layer the grated cheese. If adding green onions or olives, place them over the cheese.
3. Spread the salsa over the cheese. I suggest using chunky because it's not as watery and won't mix in with other layers.
4. Mix together the sour cream and taco seasoning in a separate bowl. Then spread this over the salsa.
5. The last layer is the guacamole. If you're finding that it's hard to spread this over the sour cream, outline the pan first and then fill in the middle.
6. Serve with tortilla chips - I love this with hint of lime chips! - and ENJOY!

 

 

 

 

new year's eve menu

I hope that all of you had a very merry Christmas!

Though I'm still trying to recover from all the food I had on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day {so many sweets!}, I wanted to share some ideas for a New Year's Eve menu. My family and I always try to keep some food traditions - noodles for long life and something round for prosperity - so I made sure to keep those in mind when looking for recipes. Don't worry, I'm always looking out!

Enjoy!

Cranberry Fizz Mocktail // Blackberry Thyme Sparkler // Pineapple Coconut Champagne Cocktail // French Pear Martini

Cacio e Pepe // Mushroom & Mozzarella Arancini // Pink Champagne Cake Pops // Ferrero Rocher Cupcakes

chocolate peppermint baked donuts

One of my favorite holiday flavor combinations is peppermint and chocolate. I started thinking about making these donuts before Thanksgiving. Seriously! I've been waiting over a month to make these.

And now I'm sharing the recipe with you! You can make these this weekend or next week. It would be a great Christmas morning addition to your breakfast spread! I have it on good authority that these are even better the second day. So make them the night before Christmas so that you don't have to worry about anything on Christmas morning and will have the most delicious chocolate and peppermint donut. Everyone will love you. I promise.

Ingredients:

Chocolate Cake Donuts:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder {dark cocoa powder works well here}
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup milk {I used skim milk}

White Chocolate Glaze:
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
3/4 cup cream

Andes Peppermint Crunch baking chips for sprinkling

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350℉. Grease your donut pan with non-stick baking spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. Stir in the egg, vanilla extract, melted butter, sour cream, and milk.
4. Transfer the batter to a piping bag or just a Ziploc bag and snip off a corner. Pipe into the donut wells about 2/3 full.
5. Bake the donuts for 13-15 minutes. When you touch the top, it should spring back.
6. Let the donuts cool in the pan for 5-8 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

White Chocolate Glaze:
1. Melt the white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl for 45 seconds. Stir and melt in 20 second increments until melted. Note: Don't keep microwaving this until all the white chips are completely melted. You should stir in between because the heat should help melt the remaining chocolate chips. White chocolate seizes much sooner than regular chocolate!
2. Stir in the sifted confectioners' sugar. Another note: I was lazy and didn't do this and it shows. If you want a smooth glaze, you need to sift the sugar.
3. Add in the cream until you get a thick but still pourable glaze. You may not need the full amount.
5. Dip the completely cooled donuts in the glaze. Place back on the cooling rack with parchment paper underneath to catch the excess glaze. Then, sprinkle or place the Andes Peppermint Crunch on top.

Enjoy!