Peppermint cupcakes

3/4 c butter, room temp

1 1/2 c sugar

3/4 c sour cream 

1 tsp vanilla 

10-12 drops peppermint essenti oil

6 egg whites

2 1/2 c flour

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 c milk

1/4 c water

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla, sour cream, and peppermint oil. Mix well. Then add egg whites 2 at a time, and mix well. Then add dry ingredients mixing half/half at a time with the milk and water. 

CUPCAKES- put into cup cake pan and bake 350 for about 15-18 min. Makes 24.

CAKE- pour batter into 2 8" pans (well greased) bake at 350 for about 22-24min. 

Cool then frost! 

FROSTING- mix all together until light and fluffy... 4 oz cream cheese, 4 Tbsp room temp butter, 8 drops peppermint Essential oil, 5 cups powdered sugar. If frosting is too thick, I would add a Tbsp hot water. If frosting is too thin, add a little more powdered sugar. 

I love cream cheese frosting, and I'm terrible about measuring the ingredients when I make it!! I just add a little and mix til it looks yummy!! 

Sprinkle with crushed candy canes!! 

VALENTINES DAY

CHRISTMAS 

BENEFITS OF PEPPERMINT ESSENTIAL OILS

helps digestion, calms upset stomach/nausea, energy, brings oxygen to your brain (helps with easing/removing headaches, helps circulation, and it can suppress your appetite!

USES OF PEPPPERMINT ESSENTIAL OILS

Baking!

Dilute with coconut oil and add to a roller bottle, you can rub over your forehead (careful of your eyes!) and this will help ease headaches, help you feel more awake, gives you a boost of energy, even just breathing it in from the roller bottle can help you with a queasy stomach.  Rub on your stomach (add grapefruit EO and lemon EO to suppress your appetite)

Use to freshen breath too...if you put this on the roof of your mouth and BREATHE in deep, it will help you clear your sinuses!!

Saltine Toffee

Saltine Toffee

 

My boys actually call this "Tupac Candy" since my husbands friend (call sign is Tupac) loves this stuff.  After a couple years of making it for him each Christmas, I finally gave them the recipe so they could see how easy this is to make!!  Add different types of chocolate chips for a  new variety.  Heath bar chips and layering some of the saltine crackers so it was thicker was SUPER amazing!! 

Layer your saltine crackers in a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.

Bring 1 cup butter and 1 cup sugar to a boil for 3 minute.

Pour over crackers then put back into oven 400 degrees for 3-5 minutes until you see it bubbling.

Bubbling sugar and butter...yum!!

Sprinkle on the chocolate chips or heath bar chips...mint chips, dark chocolate...anything you'd like!!  add nuts too!!

But back in the over just to soften the chocolate so you can spread.

Then melt vanilla chips and drizzle on top.  Cool, then you can break into pieces.

Root Beer Cookies

ROOT BEER COOKIES

(Heidi Perry Hardin's recipe)

My sister Heidi has made these cookies for years...she put this recipe in our church cookbook years ago.  My moms' cookbook was so worn, I actually copied the whole cookbook and bound it for myself.  This recipe is amazing, kids and adults love them!  Pile on the frosting too because it makes the cookies delicious!

DOUGH:

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup softened butter

2 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk or water

  (I like using buttermilk = 1 tsp lemon juice and 1/2 cup milk)

2 tsp Root Beer extract

3 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

First mix brown sugar, butter and egg in bowl until fluffy. 

Stir in buttermilk then the root beer extract. 

KIDS LOVE THESE COOKIES!

Add flour, soda, and salt.  Should be smooth and fluffy.

Then refrigerate for at least an hour.  As pictured below... I like to use saran wrap or wax paper, sprinkle with flour, then roll dough up. 

Smaller cookies cook better... about 1-2 tsp of cookie dough, 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet.

When the dough is cold it seems to cook up better.  I have had trouble making these cookies, if the dough isn't cold, they flatten too much.  So if you can see in the pictures, they are done cooking when they look pufffed up and cracked, and the edges are slightly browned. 

 Bake them in oven preheated to 400 degrees.  Bake 6-8 minutes or until almost no impression remains when a cookie is touched lightly.  Let them cool on cookie rack, then frost.

FROSTING (or glaze)

I like them frosted better but it can be made thinner and spooned over warm cookies.

Mix in bowl:

 2 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup softened butter

 1 1/2 tsp root beer extract,

 then mix in up to 2 Tbsp hot water. 

More frosting the better!!  Enjoy!!

Oatmeal chocolate chip (or Reese's Pieces) cookies

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip (and/or Reese's Pieces) Cookies

Mix: 1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

Add and mix:

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 Tbsp milk

Add and mix:

2 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp soda

1 tsp baking powder

Stir in:

2 cups quick oats

1 cup chocolate and/or 1 cup Reese's Pieces

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes unitl light brown.  Makes about 4 dozen.

Melt-in-your-mouth Snickerdoodles

Melt-in-your-mouth Snickerdoodles (or as my kids say "snickernoodles")

1/2 cup butter softened

1/2 cup vegtable oil

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 3/4 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp salt

Combine:

2 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix butter, oil, and sugar until light and fluffy.

Mix in eggs.

Mix all dry ingredients together and add to above mixture just until blended.

Roll into  balls and roll into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet.

Bake 8-10 minutes.