When December comes around, you're pretty much obligated to add peppermint into at least a few desserts. It'd be strange to bring peppermint treats to a party in the summer, but in the winter, people expect them somewhere on the dessert table.

Sometimes I feel like my blog is an ode to pudding cookies and chocolate, so it's only natural that I incorporate peppermint into my winter baking in the form of delicious white chocolate peppermint pudding cookies. They're sweet and sugary, which is to be expected with white chocolate and peppermint. It's a good thing because I could eat a million chocolate chip cookies, but I find myself satisfied with just one of these (and then maybe going back for another in an hour or so). They also have the soft inside with slightly crisp edges that you get by adding a box of pudding to the mix and allowing the dough to chill.

I've talked about my love for pudding cookies countless times, so it seems pointless to write much more since the only thing different about these are the mix-ins. Regardless, you should all put these on your holiday baking list because they are a perfect winter cookie!

Peppermint White Chocolate Pudding Cookies
Recipe adapted from Averie Cooks (idea adapted from The Baker Mama!)
Yield: 15 large cookies Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 11 minutes
Total Time: about 3+ hours, for dough chilling

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened (1 1/2 sticks)
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup instant vanilla pudding mix (not sugar-free and not 'cook & serve'), OR use 2 teaspoons cornstarch in place of pudding mix
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt, optional and to taste
 3/4 cup white chocolate chips (1/2 cup in the dough and 1/4 cup for placing on top of the dough mounds)
3/4 cup Andes Peppermint Crunch (1/2  and 1/4 cup for placing on top of dough mounds)

Directions:

1. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) combine the butter, sugars, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined, about 4 minutes.
2. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, pudding mix (or cornstarch), baking soda, optional salt, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.
3. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips, and 1/2 cup of the peppermint crunch. Beat on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.
4. Using a large cookie scoop, 1/4-cup measure, or your hands, form 15 equal-sized mounds of dough, roll into balls, and flatten slightly.
5. Add about a few white chocolate chips and peppermint crunch pieces to the top of each dough mound. This will make them look even better when they come out of the oven!
6. Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 5 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.
7. Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (8-10 cookies per sheet depending on the size of your cookie sheet) and bake for 11 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just set, even if slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center. Cookies firm up as they cool. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving.
8. Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.

Crisp edges + soft inside = the perfect cookie.

I know this seems like an unnecessary recipe..chocolate, pretzels, sprinkles. You can't get much simpler than that. Still, sometimes I feel like it's worth posting this sort of recipe just to remind people how easy so many delicious things are to make.

The salty and sweet combination is hard to beat. As long as you don't burn the chocolate while melting it you should have no problem creating perfect chocolate covered pretzels. I usually just melt regular chocolate chips in the microwave for these, but if you want to make this more foolproof I'd suggest using white melting chocolate. This is especially helpful if you are using white chocolate, which can be pretty finicky and burn easily. You can find melting chocolate near the chocolate chips in most major grocery stores now. You can cover the dipped pretzels with sprinkles, chocolate drizzle, candy cane pieces (the holidays will be here before we know it!), etc.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Dipped Pretzels

1 12oz bag white chocolate chips (melts or squares work too)
1 15-ounce bag mini twist salted pretzles
Sprinkles

Lay out one large baking sheet and line with parchment paper. Melt the chocolate in 30 second intervals in a microwave safe bowl, stirring at each interval until smooth and melted. Be very careful not to keep burn the white chocolate, as this happens very quickly. You can also melt it in the top of a double boiler.

If you are making half-dipped pretzels, dip one half of each pretzel into melted chocolate, tapping lightly on the bowl to shake off excess chocolate. Set on baking sheet and add sprinkles before chocolate dries. To make fully dipped pretzels, it's the same process, but you dip the entire pretzel (as I'm sure you would've guessed). Shaking the excess off in this method is more important because it will give you the chocolate dipped pretzel look where you have a very clean coverage without the holes being half covered in chocolate. When you set the pretzel on the baking sheet, you will need to slightly smooth over the place where your finger was. Cover with sprinkles and you won't be able to tell there was an imperfect spot. You can also toss the pretzel in the chocolate and use a fork to dig it out so you avoid this, but as the chocolate starts to thicken this method may be more difficult.

Sometimes I also like to drizzle more melted white chocolate over the top of the pretzels if I'm not using sprinkles. Put the melted chocolate in a ziplock bag and cut off just a small bit of the corner. Then just drizzle the chocolate back and forth over the pretzels. This is an especially pretty tactic if you are decorating for something with a two color theme and you use the colored candy melts.

Place in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.

I'm sure I've mentioned before how I'm not usually a huge fan of blondies. I love the flavor, but I think that most of the time they're just too dry. I can never decide whether they're more cookie or brownie, but I almost always find myself wanting them to be one or the other, and not a blondie. My usual fix for this is just slightly under-baking them. With some recipes even this doesn't help, but it's a step in the right direction. 

On the other side of this is that I love how blondies are so easy to make. You almost always have all of the ingredients on hand, and they're perfect when you're pressed for time. Despite what seemed like my blondie-hating above, these blondies are a prime example of everything that's great about blondies. I had everything I needed already in my cabinets, and they took me almost zero time to put together. When they came out of the oven I ate way too many because I was convinced they were about to get dry like most blondies. They didn't! The shelf-life is shorter than brownies because they will get a bit crumbly and dry as the days go on, but you probably won't have a problem finishing these off before that time comes anyways.

Enjoy!

M&M Blondies

Recipe from A Zesty Bite

Ingredients:

1/2 stick butter, unsalted
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
2 lg eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup m&m candies
1/2 cup white chocolate chip morsels

Directions:

Add butter to a medium size sauce pan over low/medium heat. Stir constantly until the butter has melted then remove from heat. Add the brown sugar and stir until it is well coated. Set aside until it becomes room temperature.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixing bowl whisk the eggs and vanilla. Then add the butter and brown sugar mixture.
Slowly add the flour, salt and baking powder. Whisk until everything is combined.
Stir in the m&m candies and chocolate chip morsels.
Line a 8X8 baking pan with parchment paper and drop the mixture into the pan. (It may seem thick so you will have to work with it to go all around the pan.)
Cook for 25-30 minutes and then remove. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before cutting into pan.

Whew - I am so sorry for the long break between my posts. March got a little crazy, and next thing you know the month is over. You'll notice that I did manage to get a much needed layout change in the past few weeks thanks to the lovely folks at Yellow&Savvy. I'm also going to step up my blog game a bit in the coming months (I say that now..) and make a Facebook page, start regularly posting, add in some other features and restaurant reviews, etc. I've been out of town half of the weekends in March, so that always takes away my weekends for picture taking. March is not a sign of what's to come, I promise you that!

Now to the recipe. I love Rice Krispie Treats, but I am super picky about my marshmallow to cereal ratio. I like my treats to be gooey when you pull them apart, not actually 'krispie' at all. There are a few keys to this, one of which is upping the amount of marshmallows in the recipe (shocking!). I also know a lot of people who use marshmallow fluff instead of marshmallows. I'm sure this helps as well. Unfortunately another issue is that Rice Krispie treats don't keep well. I'm not a big fan of desserts with only 1-2 days of shelf life, but if you make a dessert that is both cute and perfect for individual portions, you will have zero issue finding a way to use these all up in that time. These fit the bill.

I may have to make another batch this weekend because I saw another variation where the eggs were filled with candy (kind of like a Kinder Surprise... aka coolest candy ever). Can you have too much of a good thing? Not when it comes to these. Start to finish in under an hour. Enjoy!

Chocolate Dipped Easter Egg Rice Krispies
Recipe Adapted from Kellogg's

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 package miniature or regular marshmallows
• 6 cups Kellogg's Rice Krispies cereal
• Multi-colored sprinkles
• 16 oz white chocolate melting discs*
• Food coloring (if desired)

*I used the Wilton Candy Dip cup this time because it was 50% off at the store. SO easy! I bought two and used about one and a half.

In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

Add Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated.

Using 1/4-cup measuring cup coated with cooking spray divide warm cereal mixture into portions. Using buttered hands shape each portion into 2 1/2- x 1 1/2-inch egg shapes. Or, coat insides of plastic snap-apart Easter eggs with cooking spray. Press cereal mixture into eggs. Remove cereal mixture from plastic eggs.* Cool.

Place chocolate discs in a microwave safe bowl and microwave at 50 percent for 60 seconds. Stir chocolate and then microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted. Add food coloring if desired.

Dip the bottoms of the chocolate eggs in the chocolate and add sprinkles immediately. Place standing up on parchment lined cookie sheet. Allow chocolate to harden and enjoy!
Best if served the same day. 

*I used plastic eggs as molds which was fast and much easier than shaping them. I sprayed the inside with butter spray and rubbed it around to make sure it was covering all surfaces. I also didn't measure the amount of mixture I put into them, I just crammed in whatever fit and popped the top on to seal the shape. The same thing goes about buttered hands for either of these methods. Yes, you may find rubbing butter on your hands slightly off-putting, but it's either this or gooey marshmallow and cereal hands.

Cake pops have to be one of the most brilliant food creations of the 21st century. Cake pops, Chick-fil-a sauce and those milkshake machines they have at Sheetz and WaWa...all acts of pure genius. I make cake pops every once in awhile when I have an occasion. They're super easy, but I'd never make them just for fun because they take quite a bit of time (especially when you want to make them into shapes). For those that somehow still have not hopped on the cake pop train, here's the 'recipe' again. It's not as much of a recipe as it is steps for assembly.

I made this batch for my roommates birthday, but gave them a little Valentine's Day flair. The round ones were red velvet with cream cheese icing and the heart shaped ones are funfetti with rainbow chip icing (note that using anything other than those two types of icing with their cake counterparts is forbidden). The cake pop stand is one of my typical weird, impulsive Amazon purchases, but I LOVE it. I think it was well worth the money. It also packs up into a cute little bag. As you can see, I've already justified the purchase. I set it up at a party we had for her Saturday night, and we've been eating the leftovers with breakfast and dinner since then. Cake for breakfast. That's the way to go.

Cake Pops
Recipe from Bakerella

1 box cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
1 can frosting (16 oz.)
1 package white chocolate bark
wax paper

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with one can frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet. (Should make 45-50. You can get even more if you use a mini ice cream scooper, but I like to hand roll them.)
4. Chill for several hours. (You can speed this up by putting in the freezer.)
5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package.
6. Roll balls in chocolate and lay on wax paper until firm. (Use a spoon to dip and roll in chocolate and then tap off extra.)
I also only melt a few pieces of chocolate bark at a time because it starts to cool and thicken. It’s easier to work with when it’s hot.

First of all, I apologize for putting up two pumpkin recipes in a row. I would try to put up something different if I didn't love this recipe so much. As it is, I feel you all need this recipe in your lives as fast as possible, so I'm sacrificing variety. I'll change it up next time!

I only made these pumpkin bars because I had a 1/2 cup of pumpkin left and nothing to do but bake. I'd had them bookmarked for awhile. There's nothing fancy about them, so I think they got overlooked whenever I was deciding on which recipe to make next. I should know by now that the simple recipes are always the best. These were amazing. Technically they're blondies, but I still think of blondies as somewhat dry and crumbly. These are the opposite. It's like biting into that top gooey part of pumpkin bread, but without the issue of having to savor it since you know the next bite won't be as good. I also added in white chocolate chips to jazz them up a bit. 

I have zero complaints about this recipe. Honestly, just thinking about them makes me want to go whip up another batch. You should do the same.  

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Blondie Bars
Recipe from Lauren's Latest
yield: 12 small; 9 large 

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1/2 cup pumpkin
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8×8 square dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Stir in egg, vanilla and pumpkin. Pour in all dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread dough evenly into prepared baking dish. Bake 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean after being inserted. {Some ovens are hotter than others. Keep an eye on yours!} Remove from oven, cool 5-10 minutes, cut into bars and serve warm. Or wait and serve at room temperature.

I'm not sure which bothers me more--posting things that didn't turn out quite right or taking a two week break from blogging altogether because I refuse to take pictures of anything I didn't love. Pretty much any time I disappear from the blogosphere you can bet that I'm struggling with this dilemma. Thankfully today I have a recipe that was much easier than any of my unpostable (made up word) mistakes over the past few weeks, and it's delicious!

With exams right around the corner, my diet will almost certainly be composed of Coke Zero, pizza bread and sweets (why can't I eat like a normal girl?). This banana monkey bread works for breakfast, but I can also see it fitting into many other categories. Dress it up and it's dessert. It definitely works as a late night snack, and it would be a lovely addition to any brunch. This is one of those recipes you want to have around because it's just that easy. Thank you for being patient with my busy self as junior year winds down. More posts to come!

Banana Monkey Bread
Makes 4 ramekins
Recipe from Pinch of Yum

Pillsbury Grands Biscuits (4)
Bananas (2-3)
White chocolate chips
Cinnamon and sugar

Directions

1. Cut biscuits into 1-inch cubes.  Slice bananas.  Combine and coat with cinnamon and sugar.
2. Arrange in greased ramekins and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
3. Melt white chocolate; spoon over tops

*I used five biscuits because that's what came in the container (and why would I want one extra plain biscuit when I could have it covered in cinnamon sugar instead?). The bananas I had around were on the large side, so I only used two. For the white chocolate I just melted a cube of white melting chocolate, but I'd say melt about 1/4 cup if you are using chips. Lastly, I used about 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon for the cinnamon sugar.

Also, my ramekins are a bit thicker than some others, so I needed about 3-4 more minutes of cooking. I also realized that filling them up quite as high as I did is just a mess waiting to happen, and since none of you probably want to clean cinnamon sugar from the bottom of your oven I'd suggest putting the ramekins on a pan before baking.

Only I would decide to take pictures the same day as tornadoes are going through NC. Sorry for the dreary backdrop!