These brown sugar chocolate shortbread cookies are a true Christmas miracle in my book. First of all, they take only four ingredients. Second of all, two of those four ingredients are chocolate and brown sugar, two of the best and most Christmas-y tastes in the world. Third, they are the perfect, perfect last minute Christmas gift if you have found yourself at that point in the holiday whirlwind. A plate of these and you are a Christmas superstar. Let’s make them!
Red Wine Hot Chocolate
I have been saving up this recipe for red wine hot chocolate for today, because…TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY! And when my birthday falls on one of my regular post-writing days, I always want to make it one of my most favorite recipes of the past year. And this rich, creamy, chocolate and cinnamon and red wine-infused cup of heaven is by far my favorite recipe of the past 365 days. It has almost all my favorite things in it. It’s positively decadent. It’s like a birthday in a mug. And so on my birthday (did I mention it’s my birthday?) I want to share it with YOU! Let’s make it!
The Very Best Brownies!
One of the things it is essential to have in your possession is a recipe for really good, really fudgy, really easy, really reliable BROWNIES. Because while it seems like the path of least resistance to just grab the box, I promise that it is just as easy to whip them up yourself with ingredients that are probably in your pantry Right This Minute. Butter. Flour. Cocoa powder. Eggs. Sugar. Vanilla. Vegetable Oil. We don’t need any of that mysterious brownie mix stuff (just say no to xanthan gum and soy lecithin!) when stirring up a batch of rich chocolate goodness, do we? We don’t!
And in case you need a little further convincing, I have an adorable giveaway to help talk you into it…read on!
Oreo Muffins
This recipe for Oreo muffins is a dangerous, dangerous thing for me to make, because I will admit right now that I have zero self control when it comes to having Oreos in the house, and I’ll warn you now that the recipe only calls for 15 Oreos. Meaning that there will be more than half a package of Oreos lurking around after this recipe is over. As long as you are able to grapple with that, go ahead and read on…in my case, I literally had to gift my remaining Oreos to my friend Paul in order to save myself from myself. Oreo-wise. But it was all worth it in the end, because I came out the other side with these crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside, stuffed with chunks of Oreo, drizzled with vanilla glaze muffins. Let’s make them!
Heath Bar Birthday Cake
It would be impossible to keep count of all time times this Heath Bar Birthday Cake has been requested in my mama’s house, not only for birthdays but also for holidays, parties of all kinds. And sometimes just because someone or another has a sudden and urgent need for a light and lovely angel food cake frosted with a decadent creamy frosting filled with crushed bits of Heath bars, which are toffee candy bars covered in chocolate (and you can also get them in packages of baking bits, too). I’m pretty certain that my mama goes all in and makes the angel food cake herself, but whenever I’m the one making it I go for the pre-made angel food cake from the market, and spend my time making the delectable frosting. Which means this cake is all of five ingredients, with no baking and maximum dramatic creamy Heath Bar deliciousness. Let’s make it!
Chocolate Chip Coffee Shortbread
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to start your holiday cookie-baking engines! And while I know you already have a list of your favorite cookies on your to-bake list, I’m here to add another one with this easy recipe for chocolate chip coffee shortbread. Tiny chocolate chips and a hint of coffee flavor all collected in a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread. And to add to the wonderfulness, the whole batch bakes up in one pan, so there is not even any cookie dough scooping needed. It’s the chocolatey gift that keeps on giving!