I know ... I'm a liar. Will Cookie Dough Cupcakes help?

I know, I know! I said I'd be posting more and then I'm all like, nevermind. But I'm trying! Life, man.

Anyway! I made these crazy-good cupcakes tonight. Now, to be fair, I only ate the cake part because the frosting? Totally not my thing. So why did I make them and how do I know they're good?

Because I made them for my kiddos. And they ate them happily -- they may have even eaten the frosting from a tube, directly into their mouths.

Because these dark chocolate caramel fudge cupcakes are topped with cookie dough. Oh yeah. I said it. COOKIE DOUGH. Best part? EGGLESS cookie dough. So it's totally safe to eat for anyone who's actually into that sort of thing.

But I mean, come on. I hate cookie dough and all ... but even these look appetizing to me. A little. If I squint.

But they loved them. And really, isn't that what a Valentine's Day gift is for -- making the ones you love happy?

Want to make these yummies? Of course you do. Click-arino.

Hey ... Remember me?

So, it's been almost a year since I last posted ... man, can I tell you how crazy 2012 was for my family?

Without going into too many details, I'll just say it's been quite a learning experience. I wasn't sure that I'd come back to this blog, but I kept it up, just in case.

So for any of you who are still here, thank you. How's the year been?

For anyone new who finds me, hello! So glad you're here :)

I'll be back soon with new things. Fun things.

Or I'll take another year off ... ha. Probably not.

To New Moms ...

Two words:

Don't. Blink.

Happy birthday to you.

Homemade Moon Sand

Oh man, was this a hit. You've seen Moon Sand, right? That wonderful, colorful, messiful (yes) kids' sand that clumps together for easy molding, but is soft and fun to squeeze?

Well, I made some at home, y'all. Much to the delight of my kiddos.

And it took all of 5 minutes.

The recipe is 8:1 flour to vegetable oil (or canola, or even baby oil). I used two cups of flour to 1/4 cup (and some change -- I wanted it a little clumpier) oil. Literally all you do is dump the oil on the flour and mix with a whisk. Period. Done. Game over.

The results?

Hit.

OK, so she wasn't sure of it at first.

SUPER HERO!

Make it happen, Flash.

Don't worry about her. She totally got into it.

Give it a try! I just used a milk carton and a water jug, cut in half, but I'm storing it in tupperware. Great, easy project!

Next Pinterest Idea!

OMG. How cute is this?

I think I might make this a little differently ... large poster board, maybe?

Oh, how I love Pinterest.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Dreams

Hello.

Remember me?

I used to have this blog about cupcakes and stuff?

Then my daughter got chickenpox, strep throat and almost pneumonia all in one week? Then I got sick? Then everyone started avoiding me like I had the plague? Then I stopped posting because I was knee-deep in snotty noses and calamine lotion?

Yeah, welcome to my December.

Ugh.

In the midst of all of that gunk, you want to know what my saving grace was? Oh, it was cookies. Yummy, salty, sweet cookies.

And they are STUPID easy to make. Like, you could be hopped up on cold meds and STILL rock out these cookies.

Shall I share? Oh, I think I shall.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Dream Cookies

Listen, first of all, you cannot make enough of these. My husband eats them by the plateful. They're seriously THAT good. That said, here's the recipe for a "smallish" batch. You will eat more than you intend. Keep that in mind.


Ingredients:
36 Ritz crackers
6 tablespoons peanut butter
4-5 squares almond bark (8-10 oz)
Sprinkles, nuts, etc., for topping -- totally optional (also totally cute)

Directions:
Put 1 teaspoon of peanut butter between two crackers. You can spread if you want, but you could also just plop it in the center of a cracker and smush the other one down carefully, so as not to break them. Your call.
Make all cookies and set on a lined baking sheet (aluminum foil works fine -- don't feel like you have to waste your wax or parchment paper on this).
Melt the almond bark according to package directions. DO NOT BURN! Burned almond bark is sad and smelly. Mix to smooth chocolate.
Using two forks, submerge each cookie one at a time into the chocolate and drag bottom of cookie along the edge of bowl to get most of the excess chocolate off. You don't want to sit the cookie on a big blob of chocolate. It will look prettier the more attention you spend on this step.
Before the chocolate sets, top with sprinkles, nuts, etc. Once the cookies cool and harden, EAT. Eat so much you cry with happiness.

Saltine Cracker Toffee

These are super yummy.

I made these to go in a treat box for my son's teachers. Fortunately, there were some leftovers.

There are no leftovers now.

Burp.

There is no final picture. Please go here for that.

Again, burp.

Line a cooking sheet with a single-layer of crackers.

Add caramel sauce to the crackers. Bake for 5 minutes.

Add chocolate chips. Don't add marshmallows. Trust me.

Ingredients:
1 sleeve saltine crackers
1.5 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Place saltines in a single layer on foil lined baking sheet.
Melt butter in medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and bring to low boil. Boil for 5 minutes.
Pour mixture evenly over saltines. Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes or until the entire layer is bubbly. Watch this closely.
Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over saltines. When the chips begin to melt, spread the chocolate evenly over saltines making sure to spread all the way to the edges.
Place baking sheet in freezer for about 15 minutes until the entire layer has hardened. Break into pieces and enjoy!