Thumbprint Cookies with the Classic Twix Candy Bar Flavors!

It's getting to be that time of year, where there seems to be an endless supply of cookies coming from every direction - or maybe that's just me because I make ridiculous amounts of cookies during the holidays! But no one is complaining around here.

I've made a chocolate version of these cookies but I wanted to go with a traditional vanilla version - and they will remind you so much of a Twix candy bar!

What's not to love here? Melt in your mouth shortbread style cookie, chewy caramel center with a hint of sea salt, and a finishing touch of luscious chocolate, they are simply dreamy! Be sure to try them at least once during the holidays, you won't regret it!

Sugar Cookies with Peppermint and White Chocolate!

During the holidays I love to make peppermint flavor for everything so I decided to come up with a festive peppermint version of a chewy sugar cookie (last year I did soft peppermint sugar cookies so I wanted to try chewy this year).

What would make a cookie more festive than dipping it in white chocolate and covering it with crushed peppermint candy?

Are you guys cookie'd out yet? Because I definitely am not :)! I've been sharing cookie recipes like crazy and still have another cookie recipe to share next week too, Lemon Snowball Cookies, they are amazing! As are these perfectly flavored eggnog snickerdoodles. That's right you guys, all the flavors of eggnog combined with all the best things about a Snickerdoodle cookie, and BAM! You get these! And they are dangerously delicious!

Crazy enough, these cookies actually contain no eggnog. I felt if I added it we'd end with more of a cakey snickerdoodle and with these, I wanted something more soft and chewy because to me that's the way a true snickerdoodle should be (plus that must-have, lightly crisp outer layer from the sugar coating that slightly melts while baking. I just love biting through that!). They get their eggnog flavor from a fair amount of nutmeg and also from the rum extract. Rum extract can be found near the vanilla extract in most grocery stores. It's a must in these cookies so be sure not to skip out on it. Plus if you buy it and need more uses for it you can try any of these recipes here.

Another fun way to reinvent this classic Snickerdoodle cookie would be to use red sugar in your cinnamon-sugar mixture! Roll your cookie dough ball in the mixture then place on a silicone mat on your cookie sheet to bake. Sprinkle additional sugar after baking if needed!

And since you can never have too many cookie recipes... I'm so excited today to be part of a virtual cookie exchange with some of my food-blogging friends! You really need to check out all their delicious recipes! I don't know which one to start with first, they all look so delicious! Follow the links below the image to get the recipes.

Happy cookie-making!

Fruit Filled Pecan Thumbprint Cookies from Chef in Training

Gingerbread Biscotti from Completely Delicious

True Love Cookies from Creme de la Crumb

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Macaroons from Inside BruCrew Life

Candy Cane Kiss Cookies from Our Best Bites

Pumpkin Spice White Chocolate Cookies from Sweet Basil

Candy Cane Cheesecake Cookies from Sweet Treats and More

Chocolate Cherry Sandwich Cookies from Taste and Tell

Chocolate Mallow Drops from The Recipe Critic

Peppermint Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Rudolph Cookies from Your Cup of Cake

It's that time of year when I start to get a little obsessed with all things peppermint! One thing I love about seasonal foods, like peppermint-flavored treats, is that they are only around once a year so it gives you just one more thing to look forward to during that time of year.

Peppermint Frosting Sugar Cookies

Like fresh berries in the summer, pumpkin in the fall, carrot cake everything in the spring, and peppermint and eggnog during the winter. Another thing I look forward to during this time of year is the snow, call me crazy but I love it!

After it snows and the sun comes out and glistens across the horizon, I just love the way the snow shines and sparkles and that blanket of white that covers everything is truly gorgeous. Each season has its perks and I'm grateful to live in a place that has four seasons. I may not be saying that come February though :).

Let the holiday baking begin and let these cookies be at the top of that holiday baking list! These cookies will simply tantalize to your taste buds because they are anything but boring.

These White Chocolate Dipped Ginger Cookies are oh so dreamy!

They are loaded with gingery goodness which is deliciously complimented by all the other spices and the molasses just give them such a tremendous depth of flavor that you just don't find in nearly any other cookie.

How do You Make Ginger Cookies with White Chocolate?

• Prepare cookie dough batter. Chill 1 hour.
• Preheat oven. Shape dough into balls, roll in sugar.
• Transfer to prepared baking sheets. Flatten slightly.
• Bake in preheated oven, let cool.
• Dip in white chocolate coating, add decoration. Let set.

Ginger Cookies Video!

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Red Velvet Oreos

Today I'm so excited to be sharing a recipe with you from Deborah Harroun's new book, Red Velvet Lover's Cookbook! I'm not one to buy a lot of cookbooks, but this is one you need to own! I'm a huge red velvet fan so you don't know how excited I am to own this book. It is loaded with more than 50 irresistible red velvet desserts that will have your mouth watering with every page.

Red velvet isn't just for cake anymore and Deborah has proved that with this amazing cookbook. I love how inventive she is in this book, sharing things like Red Velvet Cannoli, Red Velvet Funnel Cake, and Red Velvet Biscuits with Chocolate Sauce. You will also find the classics you love with a red velvet twist, like cheesecake, gooey butter bars, and pancakes.

These Red Velvet "Oreo" cookies are one of the first red velvet cookie recipes I knew I had to try. I love homemade Oreos so I could only imagine how good they would be with a red velvet spin on them. These chewy red velvet cookies are everything I'd hoped them to be and more! My family couldn't get enough of them, my husband and kids kept telling me how delicious they were. Our little family of four had no problem finishing all of them off.

The cookies themselves are so moist and chewy and the filling is just what a homemade Oreo filling should be, fluffy, sweet, and melt-in-your mouth delicious. Trust me you want to try this recipe and you want to add this book to your cookbook collection, it won't disappoint!

You can purchase the book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Target, and Walmart.

It is what pumpkin pie dreams are made of. It's perfectly pumpkin-y, has just enough spice, and the delicious streusel texture just takes it way over the top.

Streusel Pumpkin Pie

I'm all about a crumb topping on pie—it just adds so much more. You get more structure (I love the contrast next to the really creamy pumpkin filling), more flavor, and more crunch (when it contains nuts like mine). Pumpkin pie has always seemed a little boring to me, but when you add the streusel and mix in a little cream cheese? It's now complete!

I didn't blind-bake my crust for this pie, but if you can if you prefer it. I'm torn with blind-baking pie crust on a pie like this, because I feel it cooks the edges too long and they become too dark and crisp (even when covered), but the bottom won't have that delicious flake like the sides do if it's not blind baked. Skipping the blind-bake will save you time, which is another bonus. So, do as you'd like! I can't say there is one right or wrong way.

Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

My obsession with sugar cookies continues. This time around we've got an autumn-inspired sugar cookie that is completely irresistible! These are soft along with just the right amount of slight chewiness to them. They have just enough pumpkin flavor and the cinnamon cream cheese frosting just takes them over the top. You need to try these at least once...and then you'll want to make them forever after.

I love pumpkin spice everything so it's really due time that I have a pumpkin sugar cookie recipe. I know my family completely agrees. They got to test one from each of the 4 test batches this past weekend. Far too many cookies around here, but we aren't complaining.

I recommend using a cookie scoop to create uniform dough balls, then giving them a quick chill in the fridge so they'll hold their shape while baking.

It took several attempts to get a homemade version that is like a Krispy Kreme. As the saying goes, third times the charm. I tried three different types of flour, bread flour first then blend of cake and all purpose flour and I ended up settling on just all purpose.

It's hard to get the exact same texture as theirs because according to the ingredients they have listed online they use emulsifiers, gluten, thickener, firming agents and other additives, which I'm guessing is what gives their doughnuts such a delicate texture.

For us home cooks, are we ever going to try and track down all that stuff? With that said these doughnuts are very close, just not identical. Also, my version isn't as pretty :).

The dough is somewhat delicate to work with after the second rise so they didn't keep their shape perfectly well once I lifted them to transfer to the oil. If only I had one of those conveyer belts like they have at Krispy Kreme.

My family and I did a side by side comparison with my version and theirs and both flavor and texture were so close.

If you like a thick coating of glaze, you can make more glaze and double dip them. This recipe could easily be doubled for feeding a crowd.

When you eat one of these warm, that perfectly golden, glaze covered edge and fluffy interior just melt away in your mouth.

Holiday Desserts

I know, I know, I get crazy with red velvet when Christmas or Valentines rolls around. I just can't help it. It's so festive and it tastes so good. My list of red velvet baked goods will be never-ending.

The one that I've yet to try making is red velvet ice cream. I've bought it before but haven't made it at home yet. One of these days. There's no rush though, now that I've added these Red Velvet Sugar Cookies to my list of red velvet treats.