funfetti cream cheese cookies.

Yes, you read correctly: funfetti cream cheese cookies. Cream cheese in cookies is easily one of the best baking ideas ever.  It gives cookies an extra boost of rich flavor while also making them super soft & gooey.

I didn't add quite as many sprinkles/nonpareils as suggested but it's pretty obvious when you have enough (or not enough). I also didn't chill the dough and my cookies were fine. If you are worried though, scoop out individual cookie dough and put on a plate for 10 minutes in the freezer.

These are perfect for any season or occassion- enjoy!

~

funfetti cream cheese cookies from the messy baker

ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 stick  unsalted butter

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

½ cup white granulated sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 egg, at room-temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

~⅓ cup sprinkles 

~¼ cup nonpareils

directions:

1. Cream together the butter, cream cheese, both sugars until pale and fluffy; about 3 minutes. Scrap down the sides of the bowl.
2. Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Whisk in vanilla and almond extract.
3. Gradually add in the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Beat until the batter comes together and the dough is smooth, about 1 minute.
4. Beat in all the sprinkles/nonpareils. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give the dough one last stir to make sure the sprinkles/nonpareils are evenly distributed.
5. Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours or overnight. *I skipped this step and my cookies were fine*
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
7. Using a medium cookie scoop, drop dough 3 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake for 12-13 minutes, no longer. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

cake batter chocolate chip cookies.

Happy baking...err...spring break to me!

In honor of these wonderful 2 weeks I get off from work, I went to the store and got all the essentials for the week which includes but is not limited to, sprinkles, chocolate chips, birthday cake Oreos, brown sugar, and butter. You cannot forget the butter. 

I made up a list of recipes I wanted to bake and got started right away! 

These colorful, cake batter-y, chocolate-y gems were first on my list. Thank you Sally's Baking Addiction :)

They were super easy to whip up and unbelievably delicious. 

The recipe yielded about 38 cookies for me. 

With this, each cookie has roughly 18 grams of carbohydrates :)

Ingredients:

1 and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 and 1/4 cup  yellow or vanilla boxed cake mix
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/4 cup sprinkles

What to do:

1. In a large bowl, sift together flour, cake mix, and baking soda. Set aside.
2. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the softened butter and both sugars together on medium speed until smooth. Add the egg and mix on high until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and beat on high until combined. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low-medium speed until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and sprinkles. Mix on low until the add-ins are evenly disbursed.
3. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days. This step is mandatory. The dough is fairly sticky, so chilling the dough is required in order to avoid the cookies from spreading too much. If you chill longer than 2 hours, make sure you roll the cookie dough into balls after the 2 hour mark. Place dough balls on a plate, cover tightly, and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
4. Once dough has been chilled, preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
5. Scoop rounded balls of the cold dough onto baking sheet, use about 1-1.5 Tablespoons of cookie dough per cookie. 
6. Bake the cookies for 9-12 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Mine took about 9-10 minutes. The centers will still appear very soft, but the cookies will set as they cool. 
7. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 4 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 
8. Cookies stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.

Recipe Credit: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/12/09/recipe-round-2-cake-batter-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Stay tuned for more of my spring break recipes!

homemade funfetti cake.

I had the honor of making my sister in law's birthday cake last weekend. I heard she liked funfetti cake so I just had to make this version. It was homemade, incredibly moist, and most importantly delicious.

The frosting was also to die for, seriously. It was rich and creamy. It calls for heavy cream which sounds deadly but it's all worth it for the flavor. 

The birthday girl!

Ingredients:

CAKE

• 1 and 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup yogurt  (plain or vanilla; or greek yogurt; or sour cream)
• 3/4 cup milk (cow's milk; or soy milk; or almond milk)
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup sprinkles (not nonpareils)

VANILLA BUTTERCREAM frosting

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3-4 cups powdered (confectioners') sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. 

2. Spray a 9-inch springform or baking pan (round or square) with nonstick spray. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. 

4. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Whisk in the sugars vigorously getting out any brown sugar lumps - mixture will be gritty. Whisk in egg, yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract until combined. 

5. Slowly mix in dry ingredients until no lumps remain. Batter will be thick. Slowly stir in sprinkles, but do not overmix because the sprinkles will bleed their color.

6. Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil (loosely to avoid the top from sticking to the foil). Bake for 13-17 more minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool.

7. To make the frosting, beat softened butter on medium speed with an electric or stand mixer. Beat for 3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla extract with the mixer running. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add more powdered sugar if frosting is too thin or more cream if mixture is too thick. Add 1/4 teaspoon (or more) if frosting is too sweet. Frost cooled cake as desired and top with sprinkles. There may be leftover frosting depending how much you wish to use.

Recipe from http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/03/19/easy-homemade-funfetti-cake/