Cherry Vanilla Love Monsters (aka Whoopie Pies)

Let me just tell you one more time. I love holidays! Seriously, there might not be anything better than cutesy themed dessert and containers filled with festive sprinkles and sharing some goodies with friends! These Love Monsters don't take too long to bake or assemble and they're just so cute, who wouldn't wanna get bitten by the love bug today? Happy Valentine's Day!

Cherry Vanilla Love Monsters [click to print]
Makes about 36 whoopie pies

For the cake

• 1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 2 eggs, large
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2-1/4 c. flour
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 pkg. candy eyes (I used Wilton Candy Eyes)
• Sprinkles

For the filling

• 1 c. unsalted butter, softened
• 2 c. powdered sugar
• 1 jar (7.5oz) marshmallow fluff
• 1 c. cherry vanilla compote (or pie filling)
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. salt

1) Preheat oven to 375 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or coat with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. 

2) In bowl of stand mixer, cream butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, incorporating well between each addition. Beat in milk and vanilla. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, powder, salt and soda; gradually add to batter in about three additions. Beat until just combined. 

3) Scoop heaping teaspoons of batter onto prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. Add candy eyes to half of the cookies, placing eyes about 1/3 of the way towards the center of the cookie (otherwise the eyes melt when they bake). Bake one sheet of cookies at a time for about 10 minutes or until edges are just barely golden. Allow to cool on baking sheet about 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely. 

4) For the filling, beat butter and sugar until well combined and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add fluff, vanilla and salt. Stir in pie filling, mixing until just combined. Spread filling on half the cookies and sandwich with the eyeball cookie halves. Fill small dish with sprinkles and roll edge of assembled whoopie pies in sprinkles to coat. 

Source: Adapted from Just Baked

Almond Swirl Sugar Cookies

I admit it, I've eaten my fair share of those store bought sugar cookies. You know the kind. Perfect cookie circles taunting you with thick, rich frosting. I was always disappointed, though, by that cookie. Even though it's soft, it's also dry and crumbly. Not my favorite. 

The secret in this recipe is sour cream. It keeps these cookies nice and soft and moist. 

Just change up your choice of food coloring and sprinkles to make these cookies perfect for any holiday!

Almond Swirl Sugar Cookies [click to print]

Makes about 3 dozen cookies


2-3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
1/2 c. sour cream
10-15 drops red food coloring

Whisk together flour, soda, nutmeg and salt; set aside. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Add sour cream and extract. Add dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Scoop about half of dough into separate bowl and set aside. Add food coloring to remaining dough and mix well.

Press each half of dough onto a separate piece of parchment paper, flattening to a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Slide parchment and dough onto baking sheets and chill about 30 minutes.

Remove chilled dough slabs from refrigerator. Run a rolling pin over each slab to even out the surface. Peel parchment off red dough and stack directly on top of white dough. Use a pizza cutter or knife to trim edges to make even rectangle. Beginning at one end, tightly roll dough like a cinnamon roll. If there's an open space in the center, gently press and rock the dough back on forth on the counter until it seals as shown below.

Generously coat outside with red sugar sprinkles. Cover entire dough roll with plastic wrap and refrigerate about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375.


Remove dough from plastic wrap and slice cookies about 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper about 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 for 6-8 minutes. They won't look done! They should still be pale but puffy in the center and look just a tiny bit wet still. Allow to cool about 5 minutes on baking sheet, then move to wire rack to complete cooling.

These cookies taste great with thick buttercream frosting!

Source: Adapted from Peppermint Plum

Sweet Sixteen: Valentine's Day

Ah, yes. The holiday of love. I had a bunch of friends in college that absolutely hated V-day. Instead they'd celebrate SAD (Singles Awareness Day), which is somewhat depressing in its own right. I see nothing wrong with pink and red and hearts all over the place. And so, despite my current singleness, take a look at this week's photo roundup, and by all means, feel free to test out a recipe and drop it by my door!

Row 1: Thumbprint Cookies, Chocolate Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwiches, Cranberry Cherry Ribbons, Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Row 2: Frozen Strawberry Pie Shot, Blackberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars, Cherry Vanilla Tuxedo Cake, Strawberry Yogurt Cubes

Row 3: Cinnamon Crisps, Strawberry Hot Chocolate, Raspberry Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Mug Brownie Cakes, Vanilla Bean and Cherry Swirl Icebox Cookies

Row 4: Cherry Cordials, X O S'mores, Chocolate Dipped Strawberries, Cocoa and Raspberry Cream Cookies

Sweet 16: Glitter and Sparkles!

In honor of our sparkly New Year, this week's photo roundup is everything with glitter and sparkles!

Row 1: Sparkly Spice Bites, Valentine Cupcake Pops, White Snowball Sprinkles, Gold S'mores

Row 2: Valentine's Day Truffles, Gooey Vanilla Sparkle Cookies, Sparkly Pear, Sparkly Red Velvet Brownie Bites

Row 3: Glitter Cake Pops, Sweetheart Sugar Cookies, Super Sugar Sparkle Cookies, Shiny Black Cats

Row 4: Sparkly Peppermint Macarons, Persimmon Rice Pudding, Rock Candy Trees, Peppermint Ice Cream Sandwiches