I love shortbread.

It's buttery, crunchy, travels well, and last for days.

These travelled with me to the sewing summit.

I think it's always best to travel with cookies.

lemon shortbread

2 sticks butter (at room temperature)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

zest of one lemon

2 teaspoons vanilla or vanilla paste

2 drops lemon extract

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In bowl of mixer combine butter, sugar, salt and lemon zest. Beat on medium speed for about five minutes, or until the dough is soft and light in color. Add vanilla, lemon extract, and ginger and mix to combine.

Slowly add flour and mix until just combined. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press by hand into a thick rectangle, wrap with plastic wrap and chill dough for 1 - 2 hours.

Once chilled, place dough on lightly floured surface and roll to about 1/4 inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into squares. Place the squares onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, sprinkle with sugar and bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until the start to just turn golden on the edges. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes or so before removing to cooling rack to cool completely.

I know what you are thinking... is she really posting a recipe for these?

Here's the thing, most of the time when I'm writing these posts, especially the baking ones, I have lulu in mind.  Someday she's going to want to know how to make all of her favorite things and these are definitely one of her favorite things.  It's also spring break this week so I'm making life easy for myself.

So I give you...

scotcharoos

1 cup sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 cups corn flakes

1 cup creamy peanut butter

5 oz. dark chocolate chips

5 oz. butterscotch chips

Butter the bottom and sides of an 8" x 11" (or similar size) pan.

In a large saucepan, heat sugar and syrup, stirring gently until sugar dissolves and just bubbles at the edges of the pan.  Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla.  Add the cornflakes and stir to coat them.  Use a rubber spatula to press mixture into the prepared pan.

Using a pyrex measuring cup or other microwave safe dish, heat chips for one minute and stir well to melt the chips.  Spread over the cornflake mixture.  Let set on counter to cool because if they sit in the fridge too long they become too hard to eat.

These are some of the most addictive cookies to ever be made in this house.

They look as though they involve feats of amazing engineering, but they are so simple.

peppermint meringues

(adapted from Martha Stewart Living)

3 egg whites, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

red paste food coloring

Preheat oven to 175 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

Heat the egg whites and sugar in a heatproof bowl of a mixer set over a pan of simmering water, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is warm to the touch (about 3 minutes).  Transfer bowl to mixer.  Whisk on medium to high speed until stiff peaks form.  Whisk in extracts.

Using a food safe paintbrush, paint 3 stripes of red food coloring up the inside of a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4 inch plain round tip.

Transfer the egg white mixture to the pastry bag.  I used a long-handled teaspoon to get the mixture down to the pastry tip without messing with the stripes.  Pipe onto parchment lined sheets in candy cane shapes.

Bake until cookies are crisp but not brown.  They should easily lift off of the parchment.  This takes about 1 hour 30 minutes.  My second batch took longer, but the mixture was also not as stiff as the first, so be sure to beat them to the stiff peak stage.  Cool on pan.

Now I'm ready to start packing teacher's gifts.

These were one of my favorite treats growing up.  Now I get to share them with the cj and lulu.  Sometimes we even leave some to share with the spouse.

peanut butter bars

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 brown sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 cup oatmeal

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream butter and sugar.  Add peanut butter and mix well. Add eggs and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda.  Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture.  Stir in oatmeal.  Spread  on to bottom of a 9 x 13 pan.  Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Place on rack (in pan) to cool.  Frost while still a bit warm.

peanut butter frosting

1/2 stick butter (at room temperature)

3 cups powdered sugar

scant 1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup peanut butter

Cream butter with electric mixer.  Slowly add one half of powdered sugar.  Add milk and vanilla.  Add remaining powdered sugar.  Mix until it reaches a spreading consistency.  Adding more milk or powdered sugar as needed in small amounts as needed.  Mix in peanut butter.

I spent a couple of days last week making cookies for a graduation party.

pecan shortbread

white chocolate peanut butter with chocolate chips

double chocolate

peanut butter

chocolate chews

gingersnaps with pearl sugar

ready for delivery

These are my go to cookies.  When I'm in a pinch and need cookies fast, which is more often than you might think, I make these. For this recipe, I use the White Chocolate Wonderful peanut butter from Peanut Butter & Co.

peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

(adapted from The Greyston Bakery Cookbook)

1 cup white chocolate peanut butter

1/4 cup softened butter

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Use an electric mixer to cream together the peanut butter, butter, and brown sugar.  Add egg and vanilla.  In separate bowl, combine flour and baking soda.  At a low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture.  When combined, stir in chocolate chips by hand.

Roll into balls and flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Pour glass of milk and enjoy.