chocolate sugar cookies

Decorating sugar cookies is a staple during Christmas time. Even though the happiest time of year has come and gone, I thought I'd share this recipe because it was so good!

the non-chocolate version

sprinkles

My sister Shelby had a birthday this month... 21! In honor of her special day, I made one of her favorites - a cake with lots and lots of sprinkles. It was pretty to look at, and even yummier to eat. Happy birthday to the most incredible girl in the world.

I attempted to use a recipe I found, but didn't have the time (or patience) to make the cake from scratch, so I cheated and used a store-bought vanilla cake mix. It still turned out amazing though! If you're feeling extra ambitious I highly recommend going for the gold and using the full recipe.

Thank you Sweetapolita for this fun recipe!

sugar cookies in a pan

These are AMAZING! We've had them a few times from a friend and I finally got the recipe. I made them tonight and had forgotten how good they are! Mike isn't a huge cookie fan but he devoured these! It's a perfect mix between a cookie, cake and bar.

sugar cookies in a pan:

1 cup butter, softened
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 3/4 cups flour

Combine butter, cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg, almond extract and vanilla. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated. With a floured knife, spread into a greased and floured 12"x17" sheet pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Cool and frost.

cream cheese frosting:

1/2 cup butter, softened
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla (I did 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp almond)
splash of milk
food coloring (optional)

Blend butter and cream cheese well. Gradually add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add vanilla and a splash of milk to reach spreadable consistency. Stir in food coloring, if desired. Frost and decorate with sprinkles. Cut and serve.

banana bread

It's been a great first half of the week! The BYU women's tennis team had a home match yesterday so I got to enjoy that all day! I love that the matches are outside now. Mike had a BYU intramural basketball game last night, and once again... they dominated. His team is so good, which makes watching the games even more fun. After his game, we went to dinner with the Weekes family at our favorite place, Outback. I love getting together with everyone, we have a great time. Especially with cute little Gwen running around! That girl is an absolute doll. McKenzie told me the first thing she said when she woke up from her nap Sunday was, "Where's Whitney?" Talk about making my heart melt!

UVU intramural football started last week, the boys won their first game and have another one tonight. I love basketball, but football is where my heart belongs :) So happy my athletic hubby is great at both. Their games get me excited for Fall!

I made cinnamon banana bread last night, it was really good! I posted this picture on my Instagram and some friends asked for the recipe. Here it is!

Cinnamon Banana Bread:

For the bread:
- 3 over-ripe bananas, smashed up
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp baking soda
- dash of salt
- 1 1/2 cups flour

For the cinnamon "swirl":
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 Tbs cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour a loaf pan. You can use a 9x5 or I used three smaller ones. Keep a close eye on it in the oven and adjust the time as needed.
2. Mix bananas, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla together. Sprinkle baking soda and salt around on top of the banana mixture. Then gently stir in flour. Be careful not to over-mix!
3. In a small dish, mix together 1/3 cup sugar and 1 Tbs cinnamon.
4. Add 1/2 of the batter to the loaf pan and then sprinkle half (or a little more, it tastes better IN the bread than on top) of the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the batter in the pan. Add the rest of the batter, and then sprinkle the leftover cinnamon-sugar on top.
5. Bake for 50-60 minutes (for a 9x5) and 35-40 minutes for the smaller pans. I did mine for 40 minutes but it probably could have been taken out a little earlier.

Enjoy! I'm off to my piano lesson, I'm hoping one day I have something to show for it. When your parents encourage you to take lessons when you're younger, do it! (Sorry mom!) It's so much easier than learning now. It takes a lot of practice, but I enjoy it. There's something so beautiful about music! Have a wonderful Wednesday!

sugar cookies

My best friend Sky Sefcik came to Provo for the weekend and my sister and I couldn't have been happier! The three of us have grown up together since birth - she's a sister to me! Her and her husband live in Texas and we love every chance we get to see them. We're hoping they move back soon :) We always have so much fun, there's never a dull moment!

When the three of us get together, we love to bake. My sister makes the BEST cookies and cupcakes you'll ever taste. She has a great sugar cookie recipe but had been wanting to try a new frosting. To say the least, it definitely passed the test! These were so good!

Here are the links to the recipes: sugar cookies & frosting (we used almond extract instead of vanilla)

dutch babies

My mom makes the BEST Dutch Babies/German Pancakes. We decided to try it out Saturday morning, and they did not disappoint!

Mike was intrigued with the way they "puffed" :)

Here's the recipe, it's so easy!

1. Melt 1 cube of butter in glass pan while heating the oven at 400 C. Make sure to watch so the butter doesn't burn. I set a timer for 5 minutes to remind myself. 

2. In blender, mix: 5 eggs, 1 1/4 cups flour, 1 1/4 cups milk, and 1/4 tsp salt. Put eggs in first, then part flour and part milk, mix, then add part flour and part milk (3 times). Add salt. 

Optional: Add an extra egg for a little bit of extra fluff. I used six eggs in the pic above. 

3. Pour mix on top of butter and bake at 400 C for 20 minutes. Check at 18 minutes. 

Serve with fruit, syrup, powdered sugar, jelly, or my personal favorite: mix together freshly-juiced lemon juice and powdered sugar :)