Chunky Choco-Cranberry Heart Cookies

I couldn't resist buying the silicone heart mold at the Target dollar spot for $2.50. Or later, this ruffly heart mold by Wilton that I found at JoAnn's. Never mind that I don't have much time to bake, or blog, this year. Some things are just irresistible.



I used this oatmeal cookie recipe from Food Blogga as a base. Easy. Yummy! The cookies have a nice crusty outside and are soft and chewy inside.


Without wasting words, here is the recipe:

Chunky Choco-Cranberry Heart Cookies


1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. By hand, stir the dry ingredients together in a large bowl:

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/4cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3. In another bowl, use a mixer to blend the butter and sugars together. Then add the eggs and vanilla and mix together.

• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

4. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and blend by hand. Then add the chunky bits. (Feel free to use your own variations.)

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

5. Spray silicone molds with cooking spray. Fill each heart with about 1/4 cup of cookie dough. Press gently into the mold with a spoon. Place molds onto a cookie sheet.

6. Bake cookies for 18 minutes, or until golden on top. Let cool for about 5 minutes on a baking rack (to cool the bottoms) before removing from the mold.

7. Let cool. Then fill a small zip bag with about 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. Microwave for about a minute or until the chocolate melts. Snip a corner of the bag, then drizzle on top of the cookies.

Makes about 3 dozen.

Google Alerts for Your Blog

Do you have a Google Alert set for your blog? It is an easy way to keep track of who might be talking about you online or using/featuring your "stuff." Unfortunately, people don't always ask before using. I usually don't get bent out of shape as long as somehow I am credited. But I do like to know. This week my alert turned up this picture of my inspiration board on a blog called Toolulu.

And here is where you can set up a Google Alert. It is a great idea to set one up for your name and your blog and will take less than a minute!

Butternut Squash Soup with Apple and Bacon

I'm not a big fan of squash, but when I saw this soup recipe in the Detroit Free Press last fall, I had to try it. So easy! I tweaked it by adding some extra seasoning and the green onion. It was rich and creamy and easy! I liked that the bits of apple, bacon, and green onion added a bit of texture to the soup.

I used this soup and apple sauce from Trader Joe's.

Butternut Squash Soup with Apple and Bacon

1 Granny Smith apple
4 slices of bacon
1 box (32 ounces) creamy butternut soup
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
salt
pepper
cayenne pepper
thyme
chopped green onion

Peel, core, and chop the apple. Chop the bacon into bite size pieces and fry in the soup pot. Remove the bacon and drain on a paper towel. Pour off the bacon grease but don't wipe out the pot (to leave some of the bacon flavor). Add the soup, apple, and apple sauce to the pot and heat for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Season to taste with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper (to add a little bite, just a touch, can omit), and thyme. Garnish with the bacon and the chopped green onion.

Lovely Lacey Winner

Well, I have been deep back into planning for school this afternoon, but I did a quick drawing for the Lovely Lacey tag and the winner was:

Tammy is part of my PLN (Professional Learning Network) and a leader/trainer in Edtech. Tammy, I will be in touch to get info on how to send the tag your way!

Thanks again to all who have been so faithful to keep reading the blog!

Reminder

Just a reminder to my online friends that read my blog that I am having a little giveaway! Be sure to leave a comment at this post by Sunday afternoon!

http://cleverkaren.blogspot.com/2009/12/little-laceys-and-new-years-giveaway.html

Matchbox Tags

I took a lot of shortcuts this year for Christmas. Can you say "giftbags?" Yes, I recycled all the bags I had received over the past few years and just plopped my presents inside. It was pitiful. I just didn't have time to make gift bags and tags and make pretty wrappings like I had done in the past.


But then I discovered One Lucky Day - a gorgeous blog with all these wonderful tutorials showing how to make lovely tags! Oh my! I just had to go out and buy a snowflake stamp and play arround. I also had bought some matchboxes a while back, so I ended up combining a mathbox with a tag. A bit of stamping on the tag, covered the matchbox with some scrapbook paper, added a vintage picture and sticker, and attached a bit of ribbon and a jingle bell. I stuck a quarter and a perfume sample inside the matchbox as a little surprise for two little girls!

In case you are looking for further inspiration - Tags Reinvented is one of my favorite books!

Under my Tree

The cat finds a cozy spot.


-- Post From My iPhone