Only a homemade birthday cake will do

Hi there! I wanted to share my latest baking adventure with you. My mother in law turned 90 this past week, and I volunteered to make the cakes. It took me all day to bake 2 cakes and make 2 kinds of frosting. It was a long day...but it was fun! I'm a baker at heart, so what can I say? For this first cake, I used this recipe for "Classic Vanilla Butter Birthday Cake" from Sweetapolita and it turned out great!  I decided to go with a flags/bunting type of decoration for her main cake. I think buntings are just so adorable on cakes, and I've been wanting to make one. My mother in law got a kick out of the flags as well, and was excited to put them on display in her China closet where she keeps such memorabilia. I made my bunting with scrapbook paper, bakery twine and a dowel rod.

And.......onto the chocolate cake! Once again, I used a recipe from Sweetapolita. For the cake part, I used this recipe called "Chocolate Celebration Cake". For the frosting, I used this recipe: Nutella Cloud Frosting. I loved the flavor and texture of this cake...so dense and such a deep chocolate flavor. The key ingredients are dark cocoa powder, dark chocolate and strong coffee! So delicious!!

I've baked many birthday cakes in my time....for my kids, my hubby, my parents, my co-workers, friends, extended family. It is my personal belief that everyone deserves a homemade birthday cake for their birthday!

Do you enjoy baking birthday cakes for your family and friends?

super soft, sugar cookies

I love soft sugar cookies!! Well, I love the crunchy ones too....but, if I had to choose...I would go with soft. I came across this recipe on the net and was intrigued by the claim that this cookie was guaranteed to turn out a soft, puffy cookie. I have to say, I was not let down!! The dough was perfect...easy to roll out, easy to cut out and easily lifted from the table with a metal spatula. The secret to this dough: cake flour. Buy it, use it, you'll like it!!

These little colorful heart shaped sprinkles I used are the bomb! They remind me of the 80's with their bright colors. And....being as I was a teenager in the 80's....it just kinda warms my heart is all.

I also had some teeny tiny heart sprinkles: red, pink and white. See below.

 

I really liked the recipe for the butter cream...so definitely try it if you get the chance. I'll use it again for sure. It is really just a basic butter cream recipe but was just right in my opinion.

{recipe found on the wonderful blog A Bountiful Kitchen}

Soft Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 cups cake flour

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add dry ingredients and mix. Chill dough before rolling. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick, cut out shapes and bake in 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Butter cream Frosting

1 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
a bit of milk, start with 1 Tbsp and mix, add more milk as necessary to desired spreading consistency
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat softened butter and powdered sugar til smooth. Add milk and vanilla, mix well. Tint frosting with food coloring. Decorate with sprinkles while frosting is still wet. Enjoy!!

gingerbread cookies, old recipe, new designs

Gingerbread cookies! I just love 'em! My favorite recipe for gingerbread cut-out cookies came from my Home Economics/Cooking teacher, Mrs. Johns, my senior year of high school, 1988.  She made us keep a recipe box all semester. We students would grunt a little, what with the constant copying of recipes from the board. But, I have kept that box, and cherished that box, almost weekly, if not daily, for the past 24 years. I remember, each class, we'd add to it daily. Some recipes Mrs. Johns gave us...some recipes were from other students...some were of dishes we prepared during class. One I'll never forget...Steak in a Bag, cooked in the microwave. We actually cooked a steak, in a brown paper grocery bag, in the microwave. I kid you not! Truth is...it was down right delicious and very tender! I still have that recipe tucked away in that box...and I am never ever gettin' rid of it...or any other recipe in that box...especially the recipe for gingerbread cookies!

Well, you can't make gingerbread cookies without molasses. Here's the brand I use. 

Brer Rabbit Molasses. Don't you just love the vintage art work on this bottle?

It is simple, classic and beautiful.

Ok, let's get to the cookie designs! I could not resist making a gingerbread Yeti. You know, the Abominable  Snow Monster that lives in the Himalayan Mountains in Nepal. I guess you might say he is Sasquatch's snowy cousin. LOL! I just love the folklore behind Sasquatch and Yeti. It's just too fun! Don't forget the ever famous clay-mation, Abominable Snow Monster character from Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.

Boo!

Beautiful snowflakes...holiday colored Sixlets chocolate candies in the middle. 

Gingerbread Cookie Cut-outs

1 1/2 cups dark molasses

1 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup cold water

1/3 cup shortening

7 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. allspice

2 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix molasses, brown sugar, water and shortening with electric mixer. Beat in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate dough until chilled. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut with cookie cutters. Bake 10 minutes. Cool and decorate with any basic decorator frosting and sugar.

Enjoy!

old fashioned nut rolls, yields 5

A good old fashioned nut roll...just like grandma used to make! Oh my gosh, I just love nut rolls. They are so delicious. I especially love when some of the nut filling oozes out of the roll while baking....it gets all crisp and sugary....oh man, that is the best part! It's pure heaven! There is nothing better than sitting down to a cup of coffee or hot tea and a few slices of nut roll. It just makes my afternoon. Especially on those cold, snowy days....it's the best! 

How do you like this wintery, owl wrapping paper? Isn't it adorable? I bought it at Target, in the Christmas section. (about $5 dollar)  I'll be using this paper to make into bags for the nut rolls. I purchased long, clear, "hoagie sandwich" type sleeve baggies to put each roll in. You can usually find them for sale at your local cake and cake supply store. I purchased mine for 14 cents a piece. I wanted something extra special to package the nut rolls in...that's where this cute owl paper comes in!  It will make great custom made bags for gift giving!

Nut Rolls
*makes 5,  15 inch rolls

the dough:
1/4 C. lukewarm water
2 packets dry yeast
2/3 C. evaporated milk
2/3 C. water
6 C. flour (possibly more, depending on dough)
1  1/2 C. sugar
1  1/2 tsp. salt
1/2  C. butter
1/2  C. vegetable shortening
4 eggs, beaten

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water and set aside. Beat together eggs, shortening and butter. Add the sugar and salt and mix. Add the evaporated milk and the 2/3 C water, the yeast mixture, and 1 C of the flour. Beat well. Add the remaining flour gradually. It is quite possible you will need more than the 6 cups of flour. Sometimes I need to add as much as 2 1/2 cups of extra flour. You are done adding flour when your dough is no longer sticky and it is smooth and elastic and easy to knead without it sticking to your hands. Don't over add flour...just be careful and do it a little at a time. Knead the dough until smooth. Place in a greased bowl and cover until the dough has doubled in size. This dough will not rise as much as bread dough, so don't worry. Give it a good hour or so, and you will be fine! While the dough is rising, make your nut filling.

nut filling:
2 pounds shelled walnuts
2 1/2 C sugar
1 C melted butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 C milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

Grind the walnuts in a food processor for best results. The walnuts should be ground to the consistency of finely chopped. Combine all the ingredients into a large saucepan and cook over low flame until thickened. Stir almost constantly and keep flame low. Cook for at least 10 minutes. Allow nut filling to cool. This will take a while and I sometimes divide up the mixture into 3 separate bowls to help the mixture cool faster. You can refrigerate for a few minutes as well. You don't want to spread the raw dough with hot nut filling, so make sure it is at least cooled down to just warm to the touch.

assemble nut rolls and bake:
When dough is doubled, divide it into 5 equal parts. Roll each piece out to about 1/4 inch thickness. You do not have to roll dough into a square. Roll the dough out into a circle...not a perfect circle...but a big awkward circle...this will be just fine! Divide the nut filling into 5 equal portions and spread filling on each circle of dough you roll out. Spread to within a 1/2 inch of the edges. Roll up like a jelly roll and tuck in the ends. Place on baking tray. Prick top of roll with a fork a few times and brush with an egg yolk wash. (1 egg yolk mixed with 2 tsp. water) Let roll sit 30 minutes before baking. Rolls do not need to rise like bread dough. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool before slicing. Enjoy!

A very blueberry crisp, A very quilty quilt, and Some very crazy chickens

Man oh Man!! 

We've been blessed with some REALLY good blueberries in our CSA this summer.

Not to mention they are organic. Double bonus there! 

I made some blueberry pancakes a couple of times, and they were heavenly. 

These blueberries are not tart at all.

They are perfectly sweet.

I love blueberries. 

Yesterday, I made a very yummy, blueberry crisp. 

I was happy that the recipe used the remainder of my blueberry stash, as I didn't want them going to waste. 

The recipe for the awesome crisp will be at the end of this post.... so DO check it out.

I finally got myself going on my sailboat quilt again.

Yay!! 

I have really been putting the hours in on this thing.

I am hand quilting, so it does take some time. {but I machine pieced it together} 

Anyhow, I am proud of myself, because the quilt is starting to really come together. 

I am hoping to be done with all  hand quilting by tonight, 

and then I can start making the bias tape that goes around the edges. 

Call me crazy, but I love sewing on the binding. 

It is so fulfilling!! 

I attach the binding edge with my sewing machine... 

and then when you fold it over the edges and tuck in under, I hand stitch it to the back. 

For some reason...I love this part. 

I think because it is just stitch after stitch and it's almost mindless. 

It's just good.

For now, I will leave you with a couple photos of my crazy chickens. 

They look dead, don't they?!

Don't worry, I assure you...they are very much alive!

They are sunbathing on the hot wooden deck.

I have read that chickens don't like the heat and the sun...

so what's wrong with my silly chickens???

They have always done this....this is nothing new....this is a normal thing for my chickens.   

They apparently love the deck because the wood is so warm. 

Sometimes there's 3 or 4 of them all doing this together. 

In the rare occasion the chickens do this when we have a visitor, our guests will look out on the back deck and say "OH NO! I think something's wrong!!"  

I'm like, "oh, ya, they're fine, just get a little closer to the glass and they'll notice you and be up and running." 

My chickens don't do this all the time, but they do it a few times a week. 

Mostly, they do this in the cooler months when the sun is out and warming the wood...

but they do it once in a while in the summer too.

To me, chickens are a constant source of interest and entertainment.  

Too funny!!


A VERY BLUEBERRY CRISP

3 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. corn starch
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
pinch of salt
4 Tbsp. softened butter

Toss blueberries with white sugar, corn starch and lemon juice
Dump into 8 or 9 inch baking dish.
Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, oats, salt and butter with a pastry blender of fork.
Sprinkle mixture evenly over berries.
Bake in 375 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes until golden.

Crusty bread * * * Canning * * * and Rainbow Swiss Chard * * *

Wow! Right now, my head is just all over the place...and I am loving it!  There are SOOO many new things to try, and thankfully, I have actually been getting to some of them.

For instance...I finally made myself try this very easy.... very beautiful.... very delicious.... no-knead bread, that is baked in an insanely hot Dutch Oven. It turned out perfect and was no bother at all! I am now hooked and I am never looking back....ever! Here's the link to the recipe. Simply So Good--Crusty Bread.

Another thing I am so excited and ready to dabble in, is canning! I am planning to start out slow and easy...taking my time...learning all there is to learn, studying all there is to study, watching videos on YouTube, the whole nine!  I am bound and determined to experience canning this Spring! So far, I have purchased a water bath canner, funnel, jar tongs annnnnnnd....this wonderful book, by Ashley English, called Canning and Preserving. It just arrived in the mail today and I am ecstatic! I flipped through it at the book store 2 days prior and decided this was the one....THE BOOK...to get me started. It is very informative and Ashley really spells it out....every little detail...and that is definitely me....I am such a detail person! Especially when it comes to canning...you've got to know what you're doing! I haven't made the purchase of a pressure canner yet {for veggies/low acid foods}. Not sure if I am ready for that yet! One thing at a time....baby steps!

I've come across a wonderful website called Sweet Preservation. It's all about canning.... great information and great recipes! Check it out! I have to admit.... I am nervous and don't want to mess up or make anyone sick!! I will be following the recipes and every single step to the letter! I believe I am finally confident enough to do it. Oh...you will most definitely be reading about  my canning adventures here on this blog...so stayed tuned for that my friends!

Another thing I've been into lately...... trying foods that I have never tried before..... things like Swiss Chard, golden beets, dandelion greens, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, collard greens, and plenty more....these things have been on the grocery produce shelf forever, and I keep passing them by. I have had beets before...but only the red ones...this is the first time I've ever seen golden.....they are a yellowish, orangey color. I cooked with rainbow Swiss Chard for the first time last night, and it was fun! It was great trying something new! Just look at the colors of this veggie! Just stunning and brilliant....so vibrant! I was reading how Chard is one of the most highly nutritious vegetables out there! That's pretty awesome, and that will definitely make it a contender for new foods winding up on our dinner plates!

I cooked it with chicken, shallots, and garlic in one big fry pan...all in a bit of olive oil and a bit of water. It turned out great! I got the recipe from the twister tie that was holding the stalks of Swiss Chard together in a bundle! How great is that!

By the way...I did not do the cheddar cheese part of the recipe...somehow, it just seemed to cheapen it. Cheddar cheese??? It just seemed wrong....here was all this healthy food I was cooking...and then to top it with cheddar cheese! I don't think so!

Well, let me close with that.....that being the last subject for now. There are many other things that I've been excited about and they will be turning up here...sooner or later!

For now, have a great weekend and enjoy your blessings!

Welcome Spring

We've been having perfectly beautiful Spring weather, and I am loving it! I cannot believe how quickly winter has left us! The weather here in SW Pennsylvania feels more like June than March, bringing yesterday to a high of 80 degrees!

The gorgeous sunlight put me in a good mood and got me motivated to mop my kitchen floor, do my dishes and tidy up! I felt like baking, which I haven't been motivated to do so in a while. It's that sunshine I tell ya! I was in the mood for something sweet, pretty and uplifting...and what could be more uplifting than a birthday cake?! . . . so I went with that! No . . .  it's no one's birthday . . .  but there's nothing like the taste of  REALLY GOOD birthday cake!

While perusing Pinterest, I came across a beautiful cake from  Sweetapolita  and fell in love with her photo and her recipe! I was definitely making this cake! I knew it would hit the spot . . . and it did!  It turned out wonderfully! I love the texture, the density and the flavor . . . it's just perfect! The frosting is killer! So sweet and light!

What a great way to welcome in Spring with this beautiful, perfect cake!

CLASSIC VANILLA BUTTER BIRTHDAY CAKE
recipe slightly adapted from Sweetapolita.

4 eggs, separated, room temperature
3 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar, divided
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup milk, room temperature
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three, 8 inch round cake pans. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In bowl of electric mixer, using paddle attachment, beat butter for 1 minute. Add 1 1/2 cups sugar and beat 3 minutes. Add egg yolks, one at time. Add vanilla. With mixer on low, alternately add flour mixture and the milk, in 3 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

In separate clean bowl, using whisk attachment, beat egg whites until frothy. Add cream of tartar and beat until egg whites have soft peaks. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar and continue to beat until egg whites form stiff peaks.

With a rubber spatula, gradually fold egg whites into cake batter being careful not to over mix.

Divide batter evenly between the 3 cake pans and level each with an offset spatula. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool cakes, remove from pans and frost cakes with Buttercream frosting.

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

1 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
5 cups of powdered sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon water
pinch of salt

Using electric mixer with paddle attachment, beat butter and powdered sugar for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the whipping cream, vanilla, water and salt. Beat for 3 minutes. If consistency is too thick, add 1/2 tsp. of water at a time to thin.

Lucky Leaf Pie Fillings and Giveaway!

Have you tried Lucky Leaf pie fillings?

They are absolutely delicious and so easy to work with!

I was recently contacted by a representative for Lucky Leaf, and was asked if I might be interested in baking with their premium pie fillings.

I was very excited about about this, as I know Lucky Leaf has a great reputation and has been in business for many years! I was able to choose the pie fillings I wanted to bake with, and I chose strawberry as well as apple.

Later in my post, read about my Lucky Leaf giveaway!

By the way, Lucky Leaf has fantastic recipes on their Facebook page. Here is the link.

Facebook Lucky Leaf pie filling recipe/videos  The recipes look fantastic and I plan on trying each of them.

Inspired to create my own recipes, I decided to make apple hand pies.

They turned out fantastic! Soooo delicious! The cinnamon and apple, combined with the flaky and sugary pie crust was perfect together! It made me think of those golden, sunny days of autumn!

{One 21 ounce can made 12 apple hand pies}

I made the pie crust from scratch, but you can also use unbaked, ready-made pie crust dough from the grocery store. Click here  for my double-crust, pie dough recipe.

First I rolled the dough and cut a 5 inch circle with a paring knife using a cereal bowl as a guide.

Place 3 or 4 pieces of apple slices from the pie filling into the middle of the circle.

Wet the edge of half of the circle with water.

Fold the circle in half over the pie filling.

Crimp together dough at edge with a fork to seal hand pie.

Next, brush hand pie with egg white wash...{one egg white beat with 1 Tbsp. water}

Sprinkle white sugar generously on top of hand pie.

Cut 3 small slits in top of hand pie to allow steam to escape while baking.

Place hand pies on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in 400 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes. Hand pies will be light golden brown when done.

Allow to cool and enjoy!

***

The next recipe I created was Chocolate Bottom Mini Strawberry Pies.

These were so fun to make and tasted like heaven!

It brought back memories of the strawberry festivals my mom took me to as a child!

Just look at that!

That is a tiny work of art!

A work of art that I want to eat...right now!

{one 21 ounce can made 8 mini pies}

First, make a double pie crust recipe..click here for recipe...or you can buy ready-made pie crust dough in the grocery store. Roll out pie crust dough and cut 8, five-inch circles with a paring knife using a bowl for a guide.  These will be used for the bottom crust.  Next, cut out 8, three-inch circles. Use a drinking glass for a guide. Cut a small hole or a small heart in center of each of these circles. These will be the top crust of your mini pies. Set aside.

Ease one 5 inch circle of dough into each cup of a muffin pan. Sprinkle semi-sweet chocolate chips to cover the bottom of each dough-filled cup.

Fill with Lucky Leaf Premium strawberry pie filling, mounding slightly.

Next, wet the edges of the 3 inch circles of dough, and place {wet side down} on top of each strawberry filled cup. Press top crust and bottom crust together gently at edges, and either crimp edges with fork or flute edges with your finger tips to seal.

Brush top of mini pies with egg white wash. {one egg white beaten with 1 Tbsp. water}

Sprinkle generously with white sugar.

Bake in 400 degree oven for approximate 20-23 minutes.

Pies will be golden when done.

I am so pleased with how these turned out, and how delicious the pie filling was!

I think I am in love!

Well, I know I am in love!

I will definitely use Lucky Leaf pie filling again.

I was very impressed with the taste of both the apple and the strawberry filling.

Trust me, I am a "from scratch" kind of girl...so for me to say that, you know it's worthy!

I was also very impressed with the minimal amount of ingredients in the pie filling...no high fructose corn syrup and no long list of chemicals and preservatives that I can't pronounce.

Very impressive!

And now for the giveaway!

Lucky Leaf has graciously offered to give one of my readers a fantastic giveaway! 

This giveaway includes: 

one can Lucky Leaf Premium Apple pie filling, one can Lucky Leaf Premium Cherry pie filling, Apple Crisp mix, recipe booklet and a pot holder!! To enter this fabulous giveaway, please leave a comment below! That's all you have to do! I will pick one random reader on Monday, February 6th, and announce the winner here, on my blog! 

Thank you Lucky Leaf!

*P.S. My blog is printer friendly now. Look for the print button at the end of each post. It will bring you to a window where you have the option to eliminate the images so you can print and not have to use up all your ink. Also it gives you text size option. You can also highlight content that you don't want printed by putting your cursor on the sentence. You will be asked if you want that particular part deleted so you don't have to print the whole post. You will be able to just print out the recipe, or whatever it is, specifically that you want printed. Awesome! :)

pumpkin, it's not just for autumn anymore

Have I got a pumpkin muffin for you! 

Not just an ordinary pumpkin muffin, but a healthy pumpkin muffin! 

{made mostly with whole wheat flour instead of white flour, sweetened with honey instead of white sugar} **oh yes, and a few chocolate chips thrown in for fun!

I have made this recipe twice...and twice has it been gobbled up by everyone in this house! 

We love the taste of the whole wheat and pumpkin together, and the chocolate chips just round it off nicely. Heck, I haven't even mentioned yet...the healthy benefits of eating pumpkin!! 

**Pumpkin is a powerhouse for Vitamin A, Potassium, Calcium, Iron, antioxidants, Beta Carotene and Fiber...not to mention the other vitamins: K, B, C, E. It's just all-kinds of good for you! 

Now... knowing all that...all the healthy stuff about pumpkin...

there's no reason NOT to make this recipe :)  

You will be healthier for it! 

Don't delay...buy yourself a can of pure pumpkin puree today! 

{I have not been paid by the national council for pumpkin farmers to say that......hee hee!}

WHOLE WHEAT AND HONEY PUMPKIN MUFFINS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 1 CUP PUMPKIN PUREE 

1/3 CUP VEGETABLE OIL OR CANOLA OIL 

2 EGGS 

1 CUP HONEY 

1 CUP WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR 

1/2 CUP WHITE FLOUR 

1 TSP. BAKING POWDER 

1/2 TSP. BAKING SODA 

1/2 TSP. SALT 

1 TSP. GROUND CINNAMON 

1/2 TSP. GROUND NUTMEG 

1/4 TSP. GROUND GINGER  

1/2 CUP SEMI-SWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS 

IN A BOWL, WHISK TOGETHER, PUMPKIN PUREE, OIL, EGGS AND HONEY. IN SEPARATE BOWL, MIX TOGETHER FLOUR, BAKING POWDER, BAKING SODA, SALT, CINNAMON, NUTMEG AND GINGER. ADD PUMPKIN MIXTURE TO FLOUR MIXTURE AND MIX UNTIL JUST INCORPORATED. STIR IN CHOCOLATE CHIPS. FILL MUFFIN CUPS 3/4 FULL OF BATTER. BAKE IN 325 DEGREE OVEN FOR 25 MINUTES. 

 ENJOY!

The bestest, hardest, crunchiest oatmealy, coconuty, dried cranberriest, M &M-y, chocolate chippy, almondyish cookie perfect for dunking in coffee and tea ever!

Okay!

Will you kill me if I suggest a recipe that tastes fantastic but turns hard as heck the next day?!

Seriously people!

This is a really good, tasty, scrumptious, addicting cookie that I just love!

I'm not gonna lie...one day later and these things get harder than woodpecker's lips!

But you know what?

I don't care!

It's worth losing a filling or two!

Ok, all kidding aside...yes these cookies get hard and crunchy. Are they still edible...yes! Is the combination of chocolate, coconut, oats and cranberries awesome...yes! Should you make these anyhow...yes! Should you put on a pot of coffee or tea...yes!

Here's the recipe...you're gonna love it! Come on, just try it..you'll see.

Hey, every single one of these cookies were gobbled up by both my kids, my husband and me...with no complaints. Well, except one...my youngest thinks the dried cranberries are raisins and he hates raisins...which, dried cranberries, raisins...not much difference there. Ok, fine!

By the way, I used coconut flavored M&m's because that's what I had on hand.

You can use plain M&M's or whatever flavor you have on hand! There are some really great options out there these days when it comes to M&M's.

Here's the recipe. I hope you give it a try!

THE HARDEST CRUNCHIEST OATMEAL -FILLED WITH GOODNESS- COOKIE EVER

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

2 cups old fashioned oats, uncooked

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup M&M's

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. In separate bowl, mix oats, flour, baking powder and baking soda. Stir flour mixture into creamed mixture. Stir in remaining goodness of M&M's, chocolate chips, chopped almonds, dried cranberries and coconut. Drop by rounded tablespoon or cookie scoop onto greased cookie sheet or parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for approx. 13 minutes.

Enjoy!