Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

School has begun, so the cookies are in the jar. Or in the office. As long as there are cookies, I’m happy!

These might look similar to snickerdoodles, but they’re not. Do you know why? Because I’m not that fond of snickerdoodles. They often have a crunchier texture and aftertaste that I just do not enjoy.

Cinnamon, though, is the best. So these soft-baked sugar cookies are rolled in cinnamon sugar and baked to happy perfection. These are the way to get your school snack munchies on!

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Cinnamon Caramel Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

Cinnamon Caramel Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

Happy National Ice Cream Day! It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

For a special day like this, I couldn’t just make any ice cream. No, siree. I had to really stretch my creative boundaries and think of a flavor that I wish someone would just go ahead and invent already. And you know what? Jackpot!

This is probably my favorite ice cream that I’ve made, and I’ve made a lot of winners. The base is creamy cinnamon with the best mix-ins in the world: cinnamon chips, chocolate chunks, and Rolos! Prepare to swoon.

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Chocolate Chip Almond Mandel Bread

Chocolate Chip Almond Mandel Bread

Grab a cup of tea, because this is the cookie it was meant to hang out with!

The week should be winding down, which is good. My head is packed with to-do lists and tasks, and it’s always a good feeling when Friday evening hits and everything comes to a halt. No calls, no texts, no notifications. Just me and the fam!

When life gets crazy, cups of tea are important. Sometimes, I need a little more than just tea to calm down, and that’s where a good cookie companion comes into play. These Eastern European cookies are very similar to biscotti, but they’re built on a smaller scale and have a little more softness to them. The traditional version just contains nuts, but I added chocolate chips and a nice sprinkling of cinnamon sugar on top. You can’t go wrong with that!

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Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bread

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bread

If you like oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, this bread is for you. Or loaf cake. Whatever you wanna call it is fine by me!

Lately, I’ve been all about the recipes you throw into a bowl and mix together. No mixer, no butter to cream. Not only is that absence of butter healthier, but the actual baking process is just a teeny bit simpler. So why not?

This particular bread is filling and hearty, but full of chocolate chips just to brighten your Friday morning breakfast. Anyone wanna argue with that? I didn’t think so.

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Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls

Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls

Confession: when it comes to bread dough, I’m a total hack.

It has nothing to do with a fear of yeast, which has never really bothered me. It’s pretty easy to use, unless the yeast is dead. And that doesn’t happen very often. No, it’s more about the ultimate convenience and endless wonder of a bread machine. Why work on the dough myself when there’s a lovely machine sitting on my counter that can do all the heavy lifting for me?

Now, now, bread enthusiasts. Back off. I’m sure that my machine can’t do the wonderful things you can do, but it sure can make some cinnamon rolls lickety-split. I made these (and they’re dairy-free, too!) the night of our big snowstorm, and they made a perfect breakfast to wake up to.

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Apple Cider Donuts

Apple Cider Donuts

It’s apple cider time! My, this is exciting.

With the exception of one twisty road trip through the mountains where I drank a cup of cider right after and things didn’t go well, I’ve always been a fan of apple cider. Not apple juice. Cider. Totally different animal. The alcoholic version is nice, too.

And donuts are just a natural next step. You may have had a fried apple cider donut before, but have you tried the healthier baked version? With a maple cinnamon glaze? Step right up!

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Cinnamon PB Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cinnamon PB Chocolate Chip Cookies

I’m in a cookbook kind of mood this week. Enter Martha Stewart.

For the record, I find Martha as intimidating as most women like me do. You know, the women who can’t tie ribbons or decoupage their way out of a perfectly wrapped present. In fact, I’m not even sure what decoupage is. We had an intern once who was really into it, though.

Intimidating or not, I love Martha’s cookbooks. Her baking book on cookies is a constant goldmine. This is a recipe from her book, except I made some changes. That’s just my way!

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Cinnamon Crumb Bread

Cinnamon Crumb Bread

The other day, I posted an easy Mother’s Day recipe. This one is not quite that easy, but it’s still pretty doable. So if you know what a spatula is, dig in!

For some reason, people associate Mother’s Day with brunch. Okay, I know that it’s traditional to take mothers out for brunch on the big day, but why? Don’t we rate a fancy dinner?

Listen, I’m not trying to knock brunch. The food is delicious and decadent, and it’s totally fine to feature chocolate in your pancakes, or waffles, or French toast. How could I possibly object to that? But I really, really love going out for dinner. Dinner out means one night of not having to cook for greedy little mouths.

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Cinnamon Chocolate “Quesadillas”

Cinnamon Chocolate “Quesadillas”

So I speak enough Spanish to know that quesadillas contain cheese. These do not. But the concept is the same, so I’m cheating a little!

My third (and not final, one more Monday) Cinco de Mayo offering are these easy dessert…quesadillas? Tortillas with a rich cinnamon chocolate filling?

Who cares what they’re called? As Shakespeare said, roses are cool even if they’re not called that. That’s exactly the way he phrased it. And while I wish my name had been different, I’m still me.

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