Chocolate Snowballs (Christmas Cookie Countdown 2017 #1)

This is my 5th annual Christmas Countdown tradition where I try to bake a cookie-a-day until Christmas (provided by Taste of Home). So far, I've been pretty successful, but not 100%. Some years it was timing, other years, I simply chose not make some of the selections. If it's too intricate then it doesn't happen. As much as I love to bake, I'm not very good at "pretty"; I'm better at "yummy". ;)

This one was easy to make and a GREAT number one for the year. I ended up using mini chips and walnuts.

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/chocolate-snowballs?_cmp=CookieCountdown&_ebid=CookieCountdown11262017&_mid=184125&ehid=dfef5f62f666e299097ce5854fb7aea035676b6b

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

The last of the zucchini came in this weekend. The sweets are getting low, so I popped this in the oven. I decided to cut the recipe in half and used 2 bread pans. Silly me forgot the walnuts, but I think next time I'll also add chocolate chips. This recipe uses coconut oil, so I had to make sure the eggs were room temperature and ran the mixing bowl under hot water to keep the oil from hardening too quickly. Definitely a good snack. :)

https://www.healingharvesthomestead.com/home/2017/9/21/make-incredible-chocolate-zucchini-bread-out-of-giant-zucchini-small-zucchini-works-too

Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

It's the month of Zucchini and I always get excited to see what Pinterest has for me each year. I literally started with the first and have been working my way down. This is a different version than the one I did last year (which had sour cream), but by far, my favorite way to "sneak" zucchini into a recipe. I ended up adding walnuts for the PERFECT brownie. I could probably make this one every week--but it's a tough one to share and calories aren't my friend. :)

http://www.dinner-mom.com/zucchini-brownies/

Pistachio Dessert

So I've been doing a pantry inventory of expiring foods. I had a series of pudding that I've slowly been using up. I think I was planning something with pistachio last year that never made it to the table, so I decided it was time. Pistachio pudding is my favorite, so needless to say, I ended up eating quite a bit of this one (found on Pinterest). You can't go wrong with a shortbread crust and cream cheese. ;)

Bullet Brownies

Finally carved out time to get caught up on blogging some awesome recipes that I've tried in the past couple of weeks. First up is desserts-I've been doing a lot of baking from "Aunt Bees Mayberry Cookbook". There are some really fun recipes that use both old fashioned methods and combine interesting ingredients. 

These are probably the best brownies I've ever made. They are very dense (almost fudge-like) and possibly due to the altitude I had to bake them 35-40 minutes. Wish I would have had some of my homemade ice cream on hand.

1 cup margarine
2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

Grease a 9 inch square pan and dust with cocoa. In a saucepan, melt the margarine. Add the sugar and cocoa, and blend well. Remove from the heat and add the remaining ingredients. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes. [These freeze well.] They're very rich so may server more than 9. 

Cranberry Cookies with Browned Butter Glaze Recipe

The picture does not do this recipe justice! These are probably the best cookies I have ever eaten. It was also my first time making browned butter glaze. I'm going to tuck this recipe away and use the glaze for cinnamon rolls. If you like to bake--you HAVE to make these. Your friends and family will love you (even more), should you decide to share. :)

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cranberry-cookies-with-browned-butter-glaze?pmcode=&_cmp=CookieCountdown&_ebid=CookieCountdown11/27/2016&_mid=126412&ehid=dfef5f62f666e299097ce5854fb7aea035676b6b