Scotchilla Cookies

Yum, yum, yummy.  Dave and I couldn't get enough of these.  Partially because I split the batch and sent some to my Dad and brother, some to my Foodie Pen Pal and left just a few for us, which we finished promptly.  I love the sweetness of the butterscotch and white chocolate chips paired with the nutty oatmeal.  This is a soft cookie loaded with chips and lots of flavor.  Plus I love the name--a combination of butterscotch and vanilla after the flavored chips included in the dough--so much fun!  A twist on a traditional oatmeal cookies, these are so good, they might make it into the Christmas cookie rotation.

Yup, it's Foodie Pen Pal time again, and I was paired with two lovely ladies.  First I sent a package out to Stephie of Eat Your Heart Out.  She's a sweetheart and I swear we're like long lost sisters.  Be sure to check out her blog to see what I sent her, besides these cookies.  And I received a package from Summer, a Las Vegas native and devoted food blog reader.  She sent me some local Las Vegas treats, including barbeque sauce, a champagne mustard (can't wait to try that on grilled chicken) and these lovely dark chocolate chip cookies from Heaven's Cookies.  These were delicious (and finished more quickly than I care to admit) and I loved the story behind this Las Vegas-based cookie company.  Since Dave and I foster rescue dogs until they find their permanent home, I loved that these cookies were inspired by a desire to stop puppy mills and raise awareness about animal cruely, with a portion of the proceeds going to animal charities.

Watermelon "Cookies"

Aren't these cute?  This isn't really a real post, but I wanted to share this twist on serving watermelon.  These would be adorable if you have kids and watermelon at your Fourth of July cook out.  Simple and festive, make these in whatever shape you like to keep with your festive theme. I particularly likes the stars, but this flamingo turned out quite adorable, too.

I saw this trick on Pinterest and immediately thought of my cookie cutter collection.  Which ones would be the best option?  I really wanted to make the Mickey ears, but waited too long and ran out of watermelon slices big enough.  The star, moon, heart, butterfly and flamingo turned out perfect.  The cupcake cutter worked too, but it looked like a house without any decoration for cupcake context.

Mini Corn Dog Muffins

One of those foods that just screams summer and amusement parks, corn dogs are just plain fun.  Deep fried with a sweet corn coating, it's just one of those treats many people have to have each year.  I am not one of those people, but when I saw this recipe, I knew it was something I had to try. We took these to a cook out at my aunt and uncle's house and everyone loved them.  Bite-sized, baked and just a little sweet taste reminiscent of the traditional on-a-stick version these will be sure to please a crowd for your Fourth of July gathering or other fun summer get-together.

Originally I saw this treat pinned on Pinterest, but I wasn't in love with the actual recipe.  So I adapted it, using my favorite corn muffin recipe from Jean Childress' Country Kitchen Muffin Cookbook as my guide and turning them into mini muffins rather than full-size.  Besides traditionally being deep fried, the batter on a corn dog is usually pretty sweet (one of the reasons I'm not a huge fan).  Depending on how sweet you like the batter, you may choose to increase the amount of sugar in the recipe, but I thought this amount was good.  Either way, these will be a hit if you serve them with mustard, ketchup and relish for dipping and enjoying.

Bacon Ranch Broccoli Slaw

Bacon makes everything better, right?  Exactly.  And in this recipe, it even makes a run of the mill slaw better.  Crunchy broccoli slaw with a lightly creamy ranch dressing speckled with bacon bits for a twist on traditional slaw. Plus, it's not bad for you!  I don't normally do nutrition stats, but this stuff comes in at only 71 calories per serving, a third of which comes from the veggies, so I just had to share!  I make this to take for lunch for a little extra crunch and additional serving of veggies, but it would be a great accompaniment for a summer barbeque buffet.

This recipe is a Hungry Girl concoction from Lisa Lillien's Hungry Girl 1-2-3.  I love Lisa's  dedication to healthy recipes made quickly from easy ingredients that are super tasty.  I don't change a thing to this recipe, as easy as it would be to add more bacon!  But really there's plenty of bacon flavor, coupled with a quick ranch dressing, really transforms the crunchy broccoli slaw into something different.  A great, light summer side dish that's tasty and healthy.  One taste and it will definitely be an addition to your cookouts this summer.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Wow.  I've never actually posted a recipe for chocolate chip cookies.  It kind of makes me feel like a fraud of a food blogger.  I mean, I did post my M&M Cookies which were adapted from my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, but I've never done a traditional chocolate chip recipe.  But these were definitely worth the wait.  Chewy cookies with a perfectly golden shell that gently crack and break to reveal the chewy cookie insides and speckled with chocolate chips throughout.  These are the epitome of chocolate chip cookies.  If you are a fan of the chewy version, this is a recipe you must try.

Thumbing through my King Aurthur Cookie Companion Cookbook, I found the Essential Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe and thought this was exactly the kind of comfort cookie I needed.  Some were going to be for sharing, but the leftovers would go in the cookie jar and I wanted something simple and delicious.  This recipe did not let me down.  Easy to make, simple ingredients and ending in a lovely, delicious and chewy cookie, I know I'll be making these again and again.