With Sprinkles on Top

I made these two months ago for my friend’s birthday. Better late than never on posting them, right?! They taste a lot like the infamous Lofthouse cookies (but lemonized!) – and are decorated similarly as well. I didn’t realize the resemblance until someone at school mentioned it!

Lemon Sugar Cookies
Recipe source: Mother Thyme
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3 cups cake flour [use cake flour! it makes a difference!]
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
Zest from 1 lemon
Juice from 1 lemon (2 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Lemon Buttercream:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3 cups confectioners sugar
Zest from 1 lemon
Juice from 1 lemon

1. In a medium bowl combine cake flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
2. Using an electric mixer cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in eggs one
at a time stirring after each addition. Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla until combined.
Gradually add in flour mixture combined.
3. Chill dough for at least one hour in refrigerator.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Roll 3 tablespoons of dough into a ball. Use flour on your hands if needed. Place ball on baking
sheet and flatten to about 1/2 inch thick, molding sides to keep round shape if necessary.
Continue with remaining dough, placing each 2 inches apart.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Cool for a few minutes on baking sheet, and
transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Lemon Buttercream:
Using an electric mixer combine butter and gradually add in confectioners sugar. When all sugar is added, add in lemon zest, lemon juice and blend on medium until fluffy.

Frost the cookies with the buttercream icing. Enjoy!
Makes about a dozen large cookies.

My friend Andrea and I wanted to baked something Disney-themed. We are both grown women in our twenties and we both LOVE Disney. No shame. Don’t judge. What’s not to like about something that reminds us of being a kid — and reminds us of an ideal world where good always wins out? ‘Cause let’s be real, we’ve learned as law students that the human world… it’s a mess. [Bonus points if you knew that Sebastian/Little Mermaid reference]

So we decided on Monsters Inc. cupcakes in celebration of the new movie coming out tomorrow. We made little Sulley and Mike Wazowski treats. They were a little time consuming, but not that difficult. Here’s what we did and what you’ll need to make them:

Monsters Inc Cupcakes
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1 box cake mix (plus required oil, eggs)
Cupcake liners (we used green and purple liners, but use what you’d like)
Neon green food coloring
Neon blue food coloring
Purple food coloring
A Wilton #233 grass tip
A small Wilton round tip
3 plastic pastry bags
White Necco wafers (buy a few rolls and pick out the white ones)
Blue M&Ms
Oreo cookies

1. Make 22-24 cupcakes according to box instructions.
2. Make a batch of icing. See below:

Buttercream Icing:
Recipe source: therepressedpastrychef.blogspot.com
1 stick salted butter – room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter – room temperature
1 cup shortening
1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract**
2 pounds confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar, 10x)
4-6 tablespoons very cold milk
(The CLEAR extract is very important if you want WHITE buttercream. Most buttercream tends to have a yellow-ish tint if you use real vanilla extract)

Cream the butter and shortening in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer. Add the clear vanilla extract and combine well. Begin adding in the sugar and mixing thoroughly after each addition. After all of the sugar has been added and mixed thoroughly, begin adding the very cold milk… one tablespoon at a time, combining very well after each addition (mixer on medium-high to high speed) until you reach the desired consistency.

3. Place about 1/2 cup of the white icing into a separate bowl and set aside.
4. Divide the rest of the icing into thirds. Dye one portion neon green, one portion neon blue, and one portion purple.
5. To make the Sulley cupcakes: Fit a pastry bag with the Wilton #233 tip and fill with blue icing. Pipe patches of Sulley’s blue fur onto the cupcakes using this tip. Repeat the process with the purple icing.
6. To make the Mike cupcakes: Spread the neon green icing onto each cupcake with a knife or offset spatula. Remove the filling from the Oreo cookies and cut each cookie in half. Place a half Oreo onto each cupcake and pipe little teeth onto the cookie with white icing and round tip. Place a white Necco wafer above the Oreo. “Glue” a blue M&M onto each Necco wafer using a bit of icing.

That’s it! Enjoy!

I met Andrea on my very first day of law school. We actually met at law school orientation. In the sea of nervous, terrified people I found Andrea. We immediately bonded over our love of Disney World, as Andrea had vacationed to the land of magic over the summer. The rest, as they say, is history. We’ve been friends ever since and continue to navigate through law school together. And what a scary, slightly-nauseating trip it’s been!

Last semester, Andrea brought a batch of these cookies to class (she’s a baking lover, too!). I fell in love with them. They are the perfect combination of chewy and crunchy – and the graham cracker crumbs that are incorporated into the dough give the cookies a really great flavor. And they remind me of summertime – having a bonfire and making real s’mores.

So here’s to Andrea, law school, and eating our feelings every now and then via baked goods.

Andrea’s S’mores Cookies
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1-3/4 cups flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (I used a food processor)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
1-2 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips
6 Hershey bars (chopped into pieces)
1 bag mini marshmallows1. Preheat the oven to 375F and line a cookie sheet or two with parchment paper.

1. Preheat the oven to 375F and line a cookie sheet or two with parchment paper.
2. Mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly combined. Add the eggs and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl combine the salt, baking soda, flour, and graham cracker crumbs. Mix together until combined. Then add 1/3 at a time to the wet mixture. Mix until combined.
4. Add the chocolate chips. (Some people find that 1 cup is too little or 2 cups is too much so it’s really up to you.)
5. Roll tablespoon size dough into balls and then place them on a greased baking sheet
6. Bake for 5 minutes then remove them from the oven and stick the Hershey’s pieces and marshmallows in the tops of the cookies. Put them back in the oven and let them bake for another 3 minutes.
7. Allow to cool on the cookie sheets for a minute or two, then remove to wire racks for complete cooling.

Alright, truth time: these cookies have become my favorite homemade cookie. For. Real. This is serious biz, as I REALLY loved my chocolate butter cookies or homemade Oreos. But these cookies are perfect. I’ve been a fan of Rolos since age five. My grandma used to take me to Dinkel’s Pharmacy (cute, yet ridiculous name, right?) and would buy me a roll of Rolos. It’s no wonder I love the little caramel candies so much.

Furthermore, pecans are my favorite nut. I normally don’t like nuts in cookies, but I’m sold on these. I’ve made two batches already. Plus another batch for the office. They’re a huge hit around here. Give them a try – I guarantee you’ll like them!

Rolo Stuffed Cookies
Recipe source: My Baking Addiction
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1-1/2 cups unsalted butter; softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs
3-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped pecans
30 Rolos; frozen at least 2 hours

1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. In large bowl, beat butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Mix in flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in chocolate chips and pecans.
3. Measure dough using a medium cookie scoop (about 1.5 tablespoons). Roll into a ball and then flatten in the palm of your hands.
4. Place a frozen Rolo in the centers of the flattened dough balls and form dough back into a ball around the Rolo.
5. Place Rolo stuffed dough balls into the freezer for 15-20 minutes before baking.
6. On cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, place dough balls 2 inches apart.
7. Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

I decided that I wanted to make s’mores cookies, but I had two recipes to choose from — so I decided to make both! Check back next week for the other variation of these cookies. Both versions are amazing (otherwise I wouldn’t be blogging them), but they are distinct and different. Today’s, from Kevin & Amanda, features little marshmallow bits. Yes, they sell marshmallow bits (like what you find in hot cocoa mixes) at the store! They’re made by Kraft, under the Jet-Puffed brand name, and I found them in the baking aisle at Target. They are so tasty!

Anyway! On with the recipe.

Gooey S’mores Cookies
Recipe source: Kevin & Amanda
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1/2 cup  butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/3 cups flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (7 full graham cracker sheets)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup Jet Puffed Mallow Bits

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat for an additional 2 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, use a food processor or blender to crush 7 graham cracker sheets into 3/4 cup fine crumbs.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder, and salt.
5. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together. Add the chocolate and marshmallows and stir to combine.
6. Place 1-1/2 Tablespoon sized scoops of dough onto the prepared cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.