We are at the halfway point of summer holidays! This time last year I was sick in bed, in the dark and missing out on, well, everything.
Not this year! So far, so good! I don’t want to jinx it though so I just knocked on wood! Lol For real though, with MS, that’s always the fear. I don’t feel awful today. How long could that last for? With MS, each day is a question mark. One minute you could be fine and the next minute you can be barraged with multiple symptoms flaring all at once. So far, I know some of my triggers are heat, getting emotional, and lack of sleep, but sometimes, there isn’t a clear reason. That’s hard for someone like me to accept. Just tell me the rules and I will follow them but when fatigue hits for no reason, it sucks and I can’t “fix” it. I can’t figure out the variables and change them to have a different outcome. When the side of my face including my eye, ear and mouth go numb just because of the friction of my shorts on my thighs as I walk through the grocery store, how can I prepare for that? Tight clothes make my skin unbearably itchy and loose clothes cause my skin to be super sensitive. Sometimes. Every day is different.
So, as I try to kick 46 years of my organized, scheduled, structured personality lol I’ve been trying to focus on one day at a time. I’m incredibly grateful for being able to participate in so many summer highlights already and am looking forward to so many more! While July may be ending we have so many fun things planned for our last month of holidays like our 15th anniversary, Peachfest, JazzCool Camp, gymnastics camp, our trip to the Island, date night with CPatch, eating peaches and more summer fun!
Growing up, every summer that we came to BC to visit my grandparents, my Nana baked bags of cookies and froze them for us. It’s a good thing we were young and sweating it out on the beach because I stuffed my face with cookies all summer long! This year, I decided to stock up our freezer with cookies for the summer too! The thing about summer is, it’s hot. Like, really hot. Even when I chilled the dough, the cookies still spread!
If you live in a place, like I do, with strict bans on campfires, these S’mores Blossom Kisses are for you! These taste just like a s’more but with WAY less mess lol. These were delish and had the same texture as a snickerdoodle. Loved these!
I’m not a baker. I can follow a recipe (on good days) but I can’t gather ingredients and bake a cake without step by step instructions. However, I like to bake and have learned a lot, so when I read this recipe, I didn’t think it would turn out well… at all. WRONG! These Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies don’t use any flour but make no mistake they are absolutely decadent and delicious!
I love me an oatmeal cookie. I love oatmeal raisin but it’s summer! Let’s live a little! I made these Chewy Oatmeal Smarties Cookies for a little twist on our traditional oatmeal cookies. They were chewy and chocolatey and super yummy!
These Pink Lemonade Cookies are pretty, pink and make you PUCKER! Ok. So, I ran out of pink lemonade mix and used half pink lemonade and half regular lemonade. It may have made these cookies a little more sour than the recipe actually is, who knows, but they were super tart! So if that’s your jam, these cookies are for you. It was 40 degrees out when I was baking these. The recipe doesn’t even call for you to chill the dough, but I did, and they still spread!
A while back I made a peanut butter and jam cookie bar, it was very, very, very good lol. I ate the last bar not too long ago and have been craving that taste again. These Strawberry Jam Sugar Cookies are similar, but without the peanut butter. They look so pretty and they’re chewy, gooey, and absolutely scrumptious.
I just really enjoy a good chocolate chip cookie. These Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies were my favourite! A soft chocolate chip cookie with a little crispy edge, but with the added bonus of a pop of cherry! Heck, yeah!
S'mores Blossom Kisses
2
dozen15
minutes8-10
minutesIngredients
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
20 large marshmallows, cut in half
24 Hershey Kisses
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or baking mats.
In a large bowl, combine 1 cup graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl, beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar together until creamy and smooth. Add in egg and vanilla and continue to mix until well combined.
Slowly add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Scoop out about a tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Roll the cookie dough ball in the remaining 1/4 graham cracker crumbs.
Drop rounded dough onto a baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
Remove from oven and gently press a half marshmallow (sticky side down) onto each cookie. Let cool completely.
Once all cookies are cooled down, preheat broiler. Place cookies back on baking sheet and broil for 30 -60 seconds, keeping a close eye on them so they don’t burn.
Remove cookies from broiler and place a chocolate kiss on top of each cookie.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
18
cookies10
minutes2
hours8
minutesIngredients
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
Directions
To the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine peanut butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well-combined and the sugar is fully incorporated and is mixture is no longer granular. Stop to scrape down the bowl as necessary.
Add the baking soda and beat to incorporate. Add the chocolate and beat to just incorporate; don’t overmix you don't want the chocolate chunks to break down.
Using a medium cookie scoop, form two-tablespoon mounds. Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds slightly, cover with wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking.
Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper.
Place mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges are set and tops are barely set, even if slightly underbaked in the centre.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.
Chewy Oatmeal Smarties Cookies
3
dozen15
minutes30-60
minutes11-12
minutesIngredients
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon molasses
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups old-fashioned whole rolled oats
1 1/2 cups M&Ms
Directions
Using a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the softened butter and both sugars together on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and mix on high until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and molasses and mix on high until combined. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Add to the wet ingredients and mix on low until combined. Beat in the oats and M&Ms on low speed. Dough will be thick, yet very sticky.
Chill the dough for 30-60 minutes in the refrigerator. If chilling for longer (up to 2 days), allow to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling and baking.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or baking mats. Set aside.
Roll balls of dough (about 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of dough per cookie) and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
Bake for 11-12 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look soft and under-baked.
Remove from the oven and let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Pink Lemonade Cookies
2
dozen15
minutes10-12
minutesIngredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup pink lemonade drink mix (powdered)
1/4 cup white chocolate chips
Directions
Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F and lining two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter, sugar, and powdered sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes).
Beat in the egg, lemon juice, and lemon zest until well combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pink lemonade drink mix.
Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, stirring until fully incorporated. Fold in white chocolate chips.
Drop rounded balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Flatten each ball slightly.
Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Strawberry Jam Sugar Cookies
2
dozen10
minutes4
hours14-16
minutesIngredients
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 heaping cup strawberry preserves, chilled
Directions
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter and sugar.
Whisk in the egg and egg yolk (about 1 minute of whisking) followed by the vanilla).
Switch to a rubber spatula and dump in the dry ingredients. Gently mix and fold the dough to fully combine.
When the dough is smooth and combined, plop in spoonfuls of jam throughout the bowl of dough.
Using the rubber spatula, gently fold the dough 3-4 times max. Fold just enough to disperse ribbons of strawberry throughout the dough but not too much to where the preserves fully mix in.
With a large cookie scoop (2 tablespoons), scoop up the dough and place on a plate. Place the uncovered dough in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
To bake, preheat the oven to 350F.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and place 3-4 cookie dough balls well spaced apart.
Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the center looks puffed but slightly underdone.
Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for a minute or two, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Maraschino Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies
2
dozen15
minutes12
minutesIngredients
2 ¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup maraschino cherries, drained and chopped
Directions
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and sugar until creamy and smooth. This should take about 2-3 minutes on medium speed using an electric mixer.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and almond extract.
Gradually add in the dry ingredients mixture until just combined.
Fold in the chocolate chips and maraschino cherries using a spatula to distribute evenly throughout the dough.
Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches of space between each cookie.
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until edges are slightly golden. The centers may still appear a bit soft.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Check out How Was Your Week, Honey? Episode #435 It’s Pouring Plaskett. This week, we get together with a new bi-weekly recording schedule to discuss: updates, human weather vane, fall drinks, back lane noises, RibFest, Wyndham Clark, Blue Jays, SOW, radio station, & the Dream Cafe.
Thank you to Miz Helen’s Country Cottage for featuring my Cherry Vanilla Muffins at her Full Plate Thursday Link Party, and the Crazy Little Lovebirds for featuring my Cherry Pie Cocktails at her Link Party last week.
Midway through summer! Walks on the beach with Papa, coffee with friends, Ribfest with Papa and the family and a night of pakoras and Legend Joel Plaskett.
18 thoughts on “Halfway Point & Summer Cookies”
All those cookies look incredible! I see quite a few very different ones I’ve never heard of or thought of trying like the lemonade and cherry/chocolate. My mom had made us some strawberry shortcake cookies earlier this month that were really good too and I had never thought to try and get that taste in a cookie before either.
The pink lemonade cookies were much too tart for me lol but I loved those cherry chocolate chip cookies! They would be great at Christmas too! Honestly, chocolate chip cookies are good anytime of the year lol. Thanks for popping by!
WOW, those S’mores kisses does look so incredibly yum.
Thank you for linking to SSPS 371. See you again Monday
Thanks, they were SO good! See you again next week!
They all look so great – I’d have to try the pink lemonade out of curiosity!
Not my favourite but my daughter’s boyfriend ate them ALL up lol. Let me know if you try them!
Just looking at all the cookie photos is a treat in itself! I haven’t baked cookies in ages.
A fun post for In My Kitchen.
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Thanks! I bake quarterly and stock the freezer, the cookies don’t always last that long though LOL. Thanks for stopping by!
Such a variety of cookies to choose from! Enjoy the second half of summer too, and take care!
Thank you 😊
Lots of delicious-looking biscuits here!
cheers
sherry https://sherryspickings.blogspot.com/
Thank you! I linked up with your latest link party! Thanks for stopping by.
All of your cookies look delicious. My mom always made chocolate chips with cherries and I do too from time to time. They are a favorite at our house.
I hope you’re feeling well and enjoy the remainder of the Summer.
Thank you! Your Mom knew what was up, chocolate and cherries is the BEST combination. Thanks for stopping by!
I just love your cookie collection! Such inspiration to get baking this weekend 🙂
Yay!! Happy baking 😊
I’m glad you’re feeling okay today. And you had me at peanut butter. Lol. Anything peanut butter is right up my alley. Those pink lemonade cookies sound interesting.
Thanks bunches for sharing with Sweet Tea & Friends this month dear friend. I’m so happy you’re here.
{{Hugs}}
My Kids loved the pink cookies but I was all about the peanut butter too! Great minds think alike! Thanks for having me at Sweet Tea & Friends, have a good week!