red velvet

Red Velvet White Chocolate Cookies

/ Jodi / 44 Comments

For my penultimate wedding cookie table cookie recipe, I present….

Red Velvet White Chocolate Cookies.

I was so excited to find this simple recipe that uses Bisquick baking mix and creates such beautiful and delicious cookies.

Won’t they look pretty next to the Lemon Crinkles?!

Red velvet lovers rejoice!

Red Velvet White Chocolate Cookies

  • Servings: approx. 3 doz.
  • Print

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups brown sugar, packed
  • 4 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 tsp. red food coloring
  • 3 1/2 cups Bisquick mix
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 2 cups white chocolate chips

Directions:

In large mixing bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in vanilla, eggs, and food coloring.  Add Bisquick and cocoa just until combined.  Gently stir in white chocolate chips.

Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart on baking stone or cookie sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.  Do not overbake.  Cool on stone/sheet for 5 minutes.  Remove to cooling rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

New Birthday Balls

/ Jodi / 25 Comments

I have to admit.  I love a good theme.
Party that is.

birhtdaygiphy

Birthday, holiday, any ole’ special occasion.

You would think I’ve had my fix raising my two sons, celebrating birthdays, creating Halloween costumes, being homeroom mom every elementary school year.

But nooooo – my boys are in their twenties, hubby in his fifties, and I’m still “theme”ing it up when I can.  They always harass me about it, but “I’ll betcha a nickel,” (as Pap used to say) they would be disappointed if I didn’t….

So when Marty said all he’d like for his birthday this year is some new RED felt for a beautiful gently-used pool table Nick helped him find on Craig’s list for the “man cave,” I couldn’t resist going with it.

The kids came over one evening while Marty was at a meeting and did an amazing job re-felting the table from an ordinary green to an extraordinary burgundy red.  (and saving me $300+ labor to boot!)

pool table red felt

Going with the theme, the boys bought Marty some beautiful new balls (which we had fun with all evening) 🙂 and some other pool table accessories.

pool balls

Of course I made a pool ball cake…

pool balls cake 1

…which consisted of RED velvet cupcakes (they don’t make red felt cake mix) decorated as stripes and solids (even if not the exact colors and numbers to match as was pointed out to me – and THEY give ME a hard time about my themes!?!) with white Necco wafers I numbered with black icing.

And you don’t want to know how many rolls of those things I had to go through to get 15 whites – that were NOT broken!?! 🙂 I now have a pint jar full of all the other colors if anybody has any creative ideas for using these little disks of hard sugar that pretty much taste like nothing.  (C’mon Jill – I know you’ve got something in you!!)

And by the way – no need to purchase all the different colors of sugar.  Did you know you can simply add a couple drops of food coloring to a scoop of sugar in a jar, shake, and Voila! – colored sugar!

pool balls cake

And, of course,  I had to make a little card to go along with the theme too.

pool table cake

I got lucky and won ONE game of pool….

and ZERO games of “Smart Ass” – but we sure had a lot of fun.

Happy Birthday Merv!

Cheers & Hugs & Lots of Love,
Gert

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

/ Jodi / Leave a comment

rvThis weekend, I needed to whip up some cookies for Nick to take to a special someone’s birthday dinner.  Always happy to bake cookies, I wasn’t even fully unpacked from our weekend away before I was mixing up some dough to chill a bit before baking and getting done in time for him to take.

I always like to chill my cookie dough for at least an hour, if not a few, before baking.  It helps hold the cookie shape better, prevents them from spreading and flattening on the cookie sheet, and makes for a chewier cookie center while allowing for a bit of a crispy outside.

This recipe is a simple, but quite yummy cake mix cookie that has been getting raves.  The recipe is on the side of the box of Duncan Hines Red Velvet Cake Mix, and the ingredients are basic pantry stock items, so these make a great last-minute special treat.

rv1For 3 dozen cookies, I used:

2 boxes Duncan Hines Red Velvet Cake Mix, 2 sticks of softened butter, the zest of two lemons, and 4 eggs.

rv2After thoroughly blending and refrigerating for a bit, roll the dough into tablespoon-sized balls and then in powdered sugar.

rv3Place the powdery sugared balls of red velvety gooey goodness on a baking stone about 2 inches apart, and bake for about 8 minutes at 375 degrees.

rv4When they come out of the oven, they are a crinkly red and white delight.  Let them set on the baking stone to cool for at least 10-15 minutes, then remove to fully cool on a cooling rack.

rv5Your guests will be pleasantly surprised by the lemony “twist” to these red velvet cookies that makes them super delish.

Marty took what was left to a friend in the hospital whose wife and sister-in- law asked for the recipe.  I think that means they were good.  I actually didn’t even get to try one, but with rave reviews from Marty, Nick and friends, I think I will be making these again –

soon –

when I have some time –

at Life in Between.

Cheers and Hugs,

Jodi