The Prettiest Cookie + 32 Weeks

Hi there!

I hope you've been enjoying holiday cookie week up in here. And today I'm not bringing you a new recipe, but one that I posted last year but which requires repeating again (and again!) because I just love it so much.

We discovered these gorgeous cocoa thumbprints in last year's Food Network magazine and when my cousin Veronica declared that they must be added to the list, we had a great time choosing different fillings for these pretty lil' things. I think they are the prettiest and most Christmasy of all the cookies we make. Not to mention that they are soft and cocoa-y and and all around treat! Head over to last year's post for the recipe!

Meanwhile, today I'm officially 33 weeks pregnant. Baby Girl is about the size of a pineapple this week which on one hand blows my mind and on the other, I can totally believe it. Here's my bump from last week:

Kinda large, no? 

I also had a bit of a shock when I saw how round my face looks in this photo. A lot different than even my 27 week photo, which doesn't feel all that long ago!

This week, when she is moving around...she is m.o.v.i.n.g. around! No joke. It's super fun because I can actually feel which side of my stomach she is curled up on and feel (and see!) her shifting positions. At my last doctor's appointment, he noted that he thinks the baby is head down and is fairly certain that it's a little booty right in the top center of my stomach. That pretty much made me melt, thinking about her little tush wiggling around right there. He also noted that he *thinks* the baby is on track to be around 8 pounds at birth. I can't wait to compare that prediction to what she will actually be!

For the first time thus far, I am actually starting to feel mildly uncomfortable in this body (like actually uncomfortable, not just being nitpicky). My hands are starting to swell (meaning both of my rings are officialy off) and my bump feels so huge that it's really a challenge to bend down, or even lean forward to pick something up off of the coffee table while I'm lounging on the couch. Oh and getting up off of the couch is a whole other story. Thank God I have Shaun to pull me up!

Oh and remember how I raved about the American Apparel tee's being perfect for a growing bump?

I still love them for their cuteness and extreme softness like no other, but...yeah, they are barely covering me now! I do think they will be perfect for right after the baby is born though. Until then, I'll be rockin' them short and probably switching to some oversized men's tees. Sigh.

Foodwise, I'm still digging my Raisin Bran Crunch...

but aside from that, no real cravings or anything. I have enjoyed my fair share of pancakes though, especially this past weekend at the Brownstone Diner & Pancake Factory in Jersey City! I dined on some oversized buttermilk pancakes with apple cinnamon topping. It was highly divine and part of our 'soak up our lasts' initiative on Sautrday morning.

We've also been making serious nursery progress, and here's another little teaser for you:

I promise when it's all done I will do a full nursery tour, but as of now, it's still got a ways to go! I'm continuing to wash baby clothes, towels and blankets which has been taking a surprising amount of time. I'm pretty sure Baby H has more clothes than I do! I also made a trip to Ikea to get some nice frames for my sweet little art prints. I can't wait to frame and hang them! Of course, no trip to Ikea is complete with out a $1 treat.

Lastly, we are doing all of our baby classes this week! Last night we had our newborn baby care class at the hospital (or as I like to call it: How Not To Kill Your Baby class) and it was very reassuring to hear about what happens right after birth and what is normal (and not normal) should anything be concerning regarding rashes, eye goop and more. We also swaddled, changed diapers and learned how to hold the baby. A lot of it felt very natural, but I think it was a good refresher for both Shaun and me!

I think that's about it for this week. I'm excited for the holidays and for right after because then we will be just about there! I get more and more excited everyday to meet my baby girl!

Eggnog Snickerdoodles + Tree Trimming

Admittedly, we finished decorating our Christmas tree a bit later than I would have liked. Usually we get our tree the weekend following Thanksgiving and decorate it that very same weekend, leaving a nice, long stretch of tree enjoyment for the season.

{I heart Christmas tree shopping!}

But this year, since the weekend after Thanksgiving fell SO early, we decided to wait until this past weekend to get our tree (so that it would last until Christmas!) and just finished decorating it last night. We always get our tree from the 14th Street Garden Center in Jersey City and have always gotten a beautiful, full Frasier Fir. Strong branches with light blue on the underside of the branches - we always fall head over heels for our tree!

Shaun and I tag-teamed the lights and the ornaments, which made for a nice, easy decorating session (followed by some seriously swollen feet for me!). Unfortunately we still do not have a proper tree-topper, but it's been tough to find one that we like. Someday, perhaps, we will find a good one!

So holiday cookie week continues over here and today I'm seriously crushing on these Eggnog Snickerdoodles. My sister Kim started making these many years ago and quickly became a necessary part of our holiday cookie tray. I'm not particularly turned on by snickerdoodles, but the eggnog flavor combined with the crispy edges and soft center makes these a true holiday treasure that I look forward to each holiday.

A bit of rum and brandy extract along with a hint of nutmeg take these ordinary snickerdoodles right over the top. Oh and the pretty red and green sprinkles are just the ticket to pretty Christmasy-ness.

Eggnog Snickerdoodles

2 1/2 C all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 C granulated sugar

1 C butter, softened

1/2 tsp. rum extract

1/2 tsp brandy extract

2 eggs

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 C colored sugar (we used both red and green)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, cream of tartar and baking soda.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the sugar and butter together until fluffy. Beat in the extracts and eggs. Slowly add in the flour and mix until completely combined.

Move the mixing bowl to the fridge and chill for 20 minutes.

Combine the colored sugar and nutmeg in a small bowl (we used one bowl for red and one for green sugar sprinkles). Roll the dough into 1-inch balls, place on a parchment or silicon mat-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with the sugar mixture. Note: these cookies will expand significantly, so don't overload your pan! Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Yields about 3 dozen cookies.

We packed these up for upcoming holiday parties, but I so wish I had some for breakfast this morning. I think they'd be perfect with some coffee, no?

Do you like eggnog? Snickerdoodles? 

What are the most fun holiday flavor combinations you've ever had in a cookie?

Holiday Cookie Week: Salted Caramel Shortbread (and a sweet surprise!)

This morning I awoke to a Tweet from my good bloggy friend, Lindsay who writes The Lean Green Bean.

Um...what??!! I was so wonderfully surprised to find that some of my best blog ladies have put together an amazing virtual baby shower for me today and I'm just overwhelmed. My favorite thing about blogging has been the incredible community of people, all of whom are so encouraging, so genuine and though I've never even met some of them in person, such great friends who I look forward to reading about and interacting with every day! So thank you, amazing, wonderful, glorious ladies for making me feel super loved today :) And I cannot wait to make all of these recipes! Yowza!

Here are the posts - be sure to head over and check them out!:

Baby Shower Chocolate Clusters from Keep It Sweet Desserts

Candy Stuffed Peanut Butter Cookie Bars from The Lean Green Bean

Garlic Mini Monkey Bread from Yums and Loves

 [Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple-Marshmallow Filling ] from Eats Well with Others

Thanks again girls! Hopefully we will all get to meet someday :) And a super duper special thanks to Lauren @ Keep It Sweet Desserts for hosting and organizing this; Lauren was my very first blog friend and the first whom I've actually met in person...Lauren, you rock!!

Meanwhile, my glorious Holiday Cookie Week continues and today I'm featuring these pretty little salted caramel shortbread cookies that we whipped up on Sunday during our annual holiday bakeathon at my mom's. We had tried these for the first time last year and we knew immediately that these would need to be added to our permanent collection.

 

The buttery shortbread is mostly crisp with just a hint of softness in the middle. They are then topped with smooth, sultry melted caramels, drizzled with melted chocolate and sprinkled with coarse sea salt. Can you imagine anything better?!

Admittedly, they are a little more labor intensive since the dough requires being rolled out and cookie cuttered into rounds. Is it me or is that whole thing just a bit intimidating? But I promise you, these sweet and salty shortbread cookies are so, so worth it!

 

Salted Caramel Shortbread Cookies

*Adapted from Betty Crocker

1 1/2 C + 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened (divided)

3/4 C granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 1/2 C all-purpose flour

1 (14oz.) bag caramels, unwrapped

2 Tbsp milk

4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 tsp coarse sea salt 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the 1 1/2 C butter on high until creamy. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until completely combined. With the mixer on low, beat in the flour. 

Divide the dough in half and place one half in between two sheets of wax paper. Roll the dough into 1/4" thickness. Using a 2 1/2" cookie cutter, cut out circles and place on an ungreased cookie sheet, about 2" apart. Roll out any scraps and repeat. Repeat with second half of dough.

Bake 12 - 14 minutes or until set and just golden. Remove from oven and let cool on wire racks.

Meanwhile, in a microwavable bowl, melt the caramels and milk for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Stir the caramel mixture every 30 seconds until softed, melted and spreadable. Spread on the cookies.

In another microwavable bowl, melt the chocolate and butter for 1 minute and 30 seconds, stopping to stir the mixture every 30 seconds. Drizzle the chocolate over the caramel and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

Yields about 3 dozen cookies.

Eat immediately!...errr, I mean, save them for Christmas or other fun holiday celebration ;)