It’s birthday week for KH which means homemade cookies every night! Ok, actually two nights but still.. I’m making all of his favs- sugar cookies and peanut butter cookies (basically every variety without chocolate). While we didn’t make the sandwiches this time around, if you’re looking for a fun and different spin on cookies try it out- it’s almost like a homemade version of a do-si-do Girl Scout Cookie. Enjoy!

Cookie Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup PB
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt

Peanut Butter filling: 

• 1/2 cup pb
• 4T milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups powdered sugar

1. Cream together butter and sugars in a large bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in pb and vanilla.

2. Sift together (I don’t believe in sifting) flour, baking soda and salt.

3. Stir into creamed mixture. Form dough into 1″ balls. Place on greased cookie sheet 2″ apart. Flatten with floured fork to make “hatches”. Bake at 375F for 8 minutes or until brown.

4. Let cool, get your filling on.

*Recipe yields about 60 single cookies

And what family get together would be complete without an assortment of desserts. So not only did we enjoy Kyle’s family’s famous Nut Butter balls at our Easter dinner yesterday but I also decided to make a new dessert as well. Chocolate and peanut butter candies in a blondie, topped with vanilla ice cream. What more could you need?! Enjoy 🙂

Ingredients

• 2 cups brown sugar
• 10 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3 large eggs, whisked
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 9-12 Reese’s 6oz peanut butter eggs (usually individually wrapped)
• 1 bag peanut butter M&Ms

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare 9×13 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray and sprinkled lightly with flour.
2. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add in eggs and vanilla and blend until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Pour into the butter mixture and stir with a wooden spoon.
5. Press 1/2 the dough into the pan (coat your hands with flour and spread with your hands if needed).
6. Cut the Reese’s eggs into small chunks and lay them on top of the dough.
7. Place the remaining cookie dough on top of the Reese’s by dropping in spoonfuls.
8. Gently press the peanut butter M&Ms on top.
9. Bake for 35-40 minutes. When done, the bars will look puffy and the edges will be golden brown. The dough should still be soft in the center as it will finish cooking a bit while cooling.
10. Allow bars to cool. Eat while warm with ice cream! Heavenly!

Original recipe available HERE.

From our family to yours.. Happy Easter!

I love it when my husband tells me stories from when he was growing up. There is something so sweet about family traditions and stories from a long time ago. This recipe and these cookies are one of those sweet stories. When KH was growing up his Grandma used to make these cookies every Christmas. Then his mom began helping and over the past several years took on the tradition herself once Grandma was in a nursing home.  Grandma passed away last year and we didn’t have the cookies for the first of many Christmases. Somehow the idea came up to make these for Easter and so here you go.. nut butter balls that have in a way doubled as what I like to call “tombstone cookies” because they remind me of the large tombstone that was rolled away on Easter morning where Jesus was buried. Despite my (what I like to think) clever tie in to Easter,  KH is pretty firm on the fact that these will remain a Christmas tradition. Still sounds perfect to me!

Beat together thoroughly:
1  cup butter
½  cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
1  tsp vanilla

Sift together and stir in:
2 1/4 cups sifted flour
1/4 tsp salt

Stir in:
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Chill dough. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll into 1″ balls. Place 2 ½” apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake until set but not brown, about 10-12 minutes.
Gently remove from baking sheet while still warm and roll in sifted confectioner’s sugar, then cool on cooling rack. Roll again when cool, then store in an air tight container.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.