Hello Monday!

Hi!! Happy Monday!

How was your weekend??

We had a great couple of days "off."  My girls have school until Wednesday- then we are officially on Christmas vacation!! I am SO excited to have a break from getting everyone up and out the door by 7:10 am!!

It's Monday, so of course, I am linking up with one of my favorite blogging friends, Johannah! 

I got a lot of holiday baking done this weekend and I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite recipes with you!! I have shared my cookie recipes several times already- but you can never have too many SUPER yummy cookie recipes on hand, especially during the holidays!!

So- here's what I made over the course of the last two days-

- sugar cookies with cream cheese icing

- cowboy cookies with Christmas M&M's

- chocolate chip cookies

- rice krispie treats 

- (not-pictured) cut out sugar cookies

The iced sugar cookies and rice krispie treats are for one of my daughter's Christmas parties this week and the plates of chocolate chip cookies and cowboy cookies are for our neighbors! One of our family Advent traditions is to bake cookies and then deliver them to our neighbors. We let the girls go by themselves and they LOVE it!

I made cut-out sugar cookies for a little cookie decorating party we were supposed to have on Saturday- but one of my daughters got sick on Friday afternoon- so we had to cancel it :( No worries- though- I put the cookies in the freezer and we have re-scheduled our party for this upcoming Friday!

Here's the recipe I use for my "cowboy" cookies with the Christmas M&M's. 

I make the dough as mentioned with the 12 oz package of chocolate chips PLUS about 1/2 bag of Christmas M&M's. Then right when the cookies come out of the oven, I will put several MORE M & M's right on the top of the cookies.  It is important to do this right when they come out so they stick to the top of the cookie.  By putting some on top after the cookies have been in the oven, the M & M's stay nice and pretty and don't lose their color (sometimes when you bake the M & M's directly in the dough they lose their bright color or they crack). 

Here's my tried and true chocolate chip cookie dough recipe. This makes a TON of cookie dough. If you don't have time to bake all of the dough all at once- just freeze it! When you are ready to bake again- just take your dough out of the freezer and let it warm up a bit!

Now onto my sugar cookies :) 

So- I LOVE baking from scratch- but I have tried MULTIPLE sugar cookie recipes and never found one I like. On a whim, about a two years ago- I picked up this sugar cookie mix from Aldi and made them. My husband and kids absolutely LOVED them. I am pretty sure Aaron said something along the lines of, "These are the best sugar cookies you have ever made- stop trying other recipes." HA! Don't have to tell me twice! :) This mix + 1 stick of softened butter + 1 egg and 10 - 12 minutes in a 350 degree oven make the BEST, slighty crispy on the outside, super moist and soft on the inside sugar cookies! 

And finally- for my rice krispie treats- I follow the recipe off the back of the rice krispie cereal box :) Except I add about double the amount of marshmallows....because...why not?!? 

I would love to know- what are some goodies you are making this holiday season??

Any recipes I need to know about?? :)

Hope you have the BEST day!!