Grab-And-Go Snack - Jif Whips Peanut Butter Cookies

Spending an entire weekend at home sounds like absolute bliss. That is exactly why we decided to have a “Staycation” right here at home last weekend. After a crazy busy Summer and a whirlwind first week of school, we were all looking forward to some downtime relaxing together and getting recharged for another full week.

Since I had already gone to Walmart to get all of my snacks, I wanted to get creative in what we had to snack on to keep the weekend fun even though we weren’t really doing anything. The plan was “to have no plan” – and that is just exactly what we did.

Plus, I wanted to check out the new Jif Whips which has 25% less calories and fat than normal Jif peanut butter. A few minutes on Pinterest and I knew exactly what I would make… Bear-y Delicious Peanut Butter Cookies!

These cookies are absolutely delicious – easy to make and all with ingredients you probably have at home! (If not – grab them from Walmart while you are there!) All you need is one cup of Creamy Jif Peanut Butter Whips, one tub of Jif To Go Chocolate Silk, one egg, one sup of sugar, and a few chocolate chips! The kiddos can even help!

Mix together the egg, sugar, and Creamy Jif Whips. With floured hands, roll dough in to three balls – one large and two small. Place them on a lined cookie sheet and push down just a little bit – making sure to “attach” the ears with the dough.

Bake at 350* for 12-15 minutes – or until done and edges begin to brown– being careful not to burn. Let cookies cool completely.

Spoon one tub of Jif To Go Chocolate Silk in to a ziplock bag and snip the corner to make piping the ears and muzzle easier. Add chocolate chips for the eyes – dipping in to the Chocolate Silk to make it them stick – and one in the center for the nose! Voila!

I fell in love with the Jif Whips – while I was baking the cookies Midge and I dipped celery in to the tub for a snack. Delicious! I loved how light and fluffy plus the tub was great to just dip right out of – we didn’t need to dirty up any more dishes… which is nice when you are on “vacation”… even if it is a “Staycation.”

By the time Monday rolled around we all felt refreshed and ready to tackle another week. Plus we had some Jif To Go left over – so the girls happily tossed them into their lunch boxes for school. It was an absolutely perfect weekend.

Have you ever had a Staycation at home?

Name: Chocolate Kiss Valentine’s Day Cookies
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 1 h 32 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 c all purpose flour; 1/3 c cocoa powder; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1 stick unsalted butter, , softened; 2/3 c sugar; 1 egg yolk; 2 teaspoon milk; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 c Valentine’s sprinkles; Hershey Kisses, , unwrapped

Baby Shower Ideas: Milano Cookie Babies

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Remember a few weeks ago when I hosted the #PampersFirsts Baby Shower with some of my close girlfriends and their little bundles? We had an absolute blast and it was by far one of the most fun parties I have ever thrown. I went completely overboard on the food and decorations - but hey, it's what you when its your besties having babies!

The biggest hit of the day - both in cuteness and in taste - were the Milano Cookie Babies. They were super simple to make and were absolutely delicious. All you need is four ingredients and a little bit of time to make a cute and memorable snack! In fact - these were gone so quickly I did not get any great pictures - so please forgive that!

Milano Cookie Babies

Ingredients:

Carton of Milano Cookies - either size works great! I used the minis.
White candy melts
Food coloring
Chocolate decorators icing

Start by melting your white candy melts in a large bowl. You want it to be deep enough that you can dip your cookies in to make the "diapers." Gently dip each cookie about ⅓ in to the white candy melts and place on a foil or wax paper lined cookie sheet to let cool completely.

While they are cooling, add a few drops of food coloring to the white candy melts to make the "hats" of your choice. Since we had both boy and girl babies at this party (well... one little girl who arrived 48 hours later) I mixed up a bowl of pink and blue. When the cookies have cooled completely, gently dip the other end of the cookies in to the colored candy melts and place back on the cookie sheet to cool.

When candy melt has completely cooled, pipe on two little dots for eyes using the chocolate icing and voila!

Chocolate Kiss Valentine's Day Cookies

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These Double Chocolate Kiss Cookies are your go to Valentine's Day Cookie Recipe! So easy to make and so chocolatey everyone will love them!

My favorite holiday by far is Valentine's Day. Even when I was single, I still loved the whole idea of a holiday that celebrates love. Maybe it is because I am a hopeless romantic - but I just think there ought to be more love in this world!

I also love baking and crafting for Valentine's Day, and one of my favorites is my Chocolate Kiss Valentine's Day Cookies. And yes, they taste as good as they look ... especially warm!

The ooey gooeyness of the Hershey's Kiss with the crunch of the sprinkles... total chocolate perfection.

These cookies are super fun to make and they are so easy even your kids can get involved! You can give each cookie a different look simply by changing up the sprinkles!

Yield: 12

Chocolate Kiss Valentine’s Day Cookies

These Double Chocolate Kiss Cookies are your go to Valentine's Day Cookie Recipe! So easy to make and so chocolatey everyone will love them!

Cook Time 12 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 32 minutes

Ingredients

1 c all purpose flour
⅓ c cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, , softened
⅔ c sugar
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 c Valentine’s sprinkles
Hershey Kisses, , unwrapped

Instructions

In a bowl, combine flour, cocoa, and salt and set aside.
In your mixer beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy – about two minutes. Add egg yolk, milk, and vanilla and mix well.
Slowly add in flour mixture until combined.
Cover and refrigerate dough until firm – at least one hour.
Roll chilled dough into one inch balls and then into sprinkles – covering the entire outside of the dough.
Place balls on a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
Gently use your thumb to press down the center of the ball to make a small indentation.
Place back into the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
Bake at 350* until set – about 12 minutes.
After removing cookies from the oven, immediately place a Hershey Kiss in the center of each cookie.
Remove to a cooling rack to cool. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 261Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 54mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 1gSugar: 21gProtein: 2g

How Do You Say "I Love You" On Valentine's Day?

My #Whole30 Birthday Cake

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Don't let your birthday derail your Whole30 success! This Whole30 Compliant Birthday Cake will be loved by everyone!

When I began my first #Whole30 back in July, I did not really put it together that my birthday would fall inside those 30 days. I know, I know - part of planning is looking at the entire time frame, but I was so focused on what I could and could not eat - I did not really look to see what other events might be going on during that time. But, because I had committed to myself (and of course all of you) for those 30 days, I knew I could not use the excuse of my birthday to break my commitment. Not to mention it was like Day 22, so I was feeling like a million bucks by then. I had the normal birthday shindig with friends and family here at the house, but everything was Whole30 style... even the #whole30 birthday cake.

Whole30 Inspired Birthday Cake

Items needed:

one seedless watermelon

favorite fruits such as cantaloupe, honey dew melon, pineapple, grapes, blueberries and strawberries

fruit baller

small cookie cutters

wooden skewers

very sharp knife

Begin with one seedless watermelon. Cut of both ends - as straight as possible. Then, stand on one side, and carefully cut the rind off lengthwise in small pieces, leaving a cylinder shape. This will be the base of your "cake." Using the fruit baller and cookie cutters, make shapes from firm fruits such as pineapple and cantaloupe. I let the girls help with this part.

Then begin "decorating" with your fruits using the wooden skewers to secure. Push the skewers all the way through the decorating "fruit" to secure. If you need to make it shorter, simply cut or break the skewer to your desired length.

To be honest, I had no real idea of what design I was going to end up with - I just started sticking stuff places. Eventually I was happy with where everything was. The good news is on this fruit cake - if you do not like the design, you can easily just remove the fruit and start over! Try that on a "real" cake and you have a total disaster.

Everyone loved this "cake" and unlike when I have had normal baked birthday cakes in the past - there was not a single piece of fruit left over. In fact everyone there asked if I would make them a fruit cake for their birthday. I think that was the best gift I could have asked for.

Fourth of July Peeps S'mores Pops

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We are getting geared up for Fourth of July Celebrations here at the Moscato household. Hamburgers, hotdogs, and potato salad will be in abundance as well as desserts like my Fourth of July Surprise Cupcakes. The one thing we will not have though is a bonfire for roasting marshmallows for S'mores. Since we will have little ones in attendance and an all too nosey dog, we opted to just forego the bonfire. However... I gotta have S'mores!! What's a Fourth of July Party without the ooey gooey goodness of marshmallows and chocolate between honey graham crackers?! Thankfully I discovered the new Patriotic Peeps at the grocery store - and an idea was born.

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Fourth of July Surprise Cupcakes Duncan Hines Summer Velvets

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Surprise everyone with these Fourth of July Surprise Cupcakes - perfect backyard party food!

A few months ago I shared with you the new Duncan Hines Spring Velvets Collection making a beautiful layered cake that made me appear to be a much better baker than I actually am. Not only was the cake beautiful - but it was also delicious. So when I saw the new Duncan Hines Summer Velvet Collection at my local Winn Dixie, I had to get it and see what I could create.

Fourth of July Surprise Cupcakes

Ingredients:

Duncan Hines Summer Velvets kit
4 eggs
8 tablespoon butter
1 cup water
Star shaped cookie cutter - small
9 inch round shallow baking pan
6 cup muffin tin
White decorators icing
Sprinkles and toppers

Begin by mixing up the Blue Velvet package first using the directions on the box. Make sure that you tap out as many of the bubbles in the batter prior to baking. This will help your stars hold their form. Cook completely and let cool. Chill in the freezer for about one hour to help firm up cake for cutting. Firmly press the small cookie cutter into the cold cake to form stars.

Place each star into your muffin tin facing the same direction. The star should take up most of the center of the tin - not touching any sides.

Mix up the red packet of cake - using twice as much water as the recipe calls for. Because you will be piping the red batter in around the blue star, it needs to be a little thinner than your normal red velvet batter. Put the entire red batter into a piping bag or a gallon size ziplock and snip the corner - so that you can gently and slowly pour the red batter in and around the star. Cover the top of the star completely and bake according to package directions - approximately 35 minutes. Watch the baking to make sure the cupcakes do not overflow.

Let cupcakes cool completely before decorating. What looks like normal delicious Red Velvet Cupcakes will now have a fun Fourth of July surprise with every bite!

How are you celebrating the Fourth of July?

Miniature Monkey Bread Recipe

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I am not a huge fan of sweets. In fact weeks will go by and I realize the only "sweet" thing I have had is key lime Greek yogurt. But every once in a while I need something sweet and delicious and simple to make. Enter my current favorite - miniature monkey bread. This unbelievably simple recipe takes only 4 ingredients and 20 minutes to make. That is hard to beat.

Miniature Monkey Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

Pillsbury canned biscuits
3 tablespoon melted margarine
½ c sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a small bowl, mix cinnamon and sugar together. In a separate bowl, melt margarine until completely liquid. Using kitchen scissors, cut Pillsbury biscuits into small pieces.

Then drop each piece in to melted butter and roll around in cinnamon sugar mixture. Then places pieces into a greased muffin tin about ¾ full - giving some room for biscuits to rise.

Bake at 350* for about 15 minutes or until biscuits are completely cooked through. Serve warm.

We absolutely love these and love that we can make them on a whim with ingredients we almost always have on hand.

What is your favorite go to sweet snack?

Celebrate Spring with DuncanHines Spring Velvets

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Finally... finally Spring is here. After what feels like the longest Winter in history, we are finally getting a chance to get outside to do some gardening, spend days at the beach, and my favorite - enjoy our meals outside on the patio. This week I had the chance to test out Duncan Hines new Spring Velvets box cake mix and I thought what better way to kick off Springtime then to enjoy it on the patio with the whole family.

Since the 1940's the Duncan Hines brand has been bringing delicious cakes, cookies, brownies, and more to households around the country. They now have over 80 varieties of cakes, brownies, muffins, and cookies, as well as frostings and ready to bake brownies. Their newest collection - The Velvets - are available nationwide. The Velvets Collection includes their signature pink and blue velvets - perfect for birthday parties or Gender Reveal Parties - Spring Velvets and Summer velvets. The girls and I enjoyed mixing up the new Spring Velvets for our outside dinner party and not only was it delicious but it was so simple it looked like I actually knew what I was doing 😉

The Duncan Hines Spring Velvets comes with both pink and yellow velvet cake mix. In just a few minutes we whipped up each bath and put them in round bakers in the oven. After baking we set aside and let cool completely, and then sliced off the top and layered with Duncan Hines Creamy Cream Cheese Frosting.

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Valentine's Day Strawberry Puppy Chow

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When I made Funfetti Chex Buddies Candy last year, it was all I could do to keep from eating the entire batch in one sitting. It was absolutely delicious. This year I wanted to make the same thing, but pink for Valentine's Day. I swapped out a few ingredients and voila! Another family favorite!

Yield: 12