Ingredients Needed

• Granulated Sugar: You can also use brown sugar
• Baking Soda: Baking soda is activated by the buttermilk and the two work together to produce an extra fluffy pancake!
• Baking Powder: To help them be extra fluffy!
• Vegetable Oil: You can substitute this for melted butter!
• Buttermilk: Buttermilk is the best way to get a fluffy pancake! If you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, make your own!

Crinkle Cookies with Cake Mix

These days it seems like my time is super thin, between working and being a parent…there’s not a lot of extra time. I’m trying to create shortcuts wherever I can, especially because I really want to enjoy the holidays.

These cookies are some of my favorite ones because they’re so easy. Cake Mix Crinkles are even better because they’re a little fancier (perfect for Christmas) and no one will know they’re from a cake mix!

I always love crinkle cookies at Christmas. They seem so festive, kind of like snowball cookies. We used to make chocolate crinkle cookies when I was a kid and I remember loving them. Whatever your reason for making cookies with a mix, these are a great go-to recipe for any occasion.

4 Ingredients Needed

• You can use ANY flavor cake mix. Lemon, chocolate, yellow, strawberry: you name it you can use it. Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies are some of my favorite behind these! That makes it SO easy to make a ton of different flavor cookies for your holiday platters without all the work and extra ingredients.
• Eggs: Be sure to use large eggs.
• Vegetable Oil: Makes these easy to mix!

How to make Cake Mix Crinkle Cookies

1. Choose your cake mix flavor. Use whatever flavor you like, or pick a few!
2. I love using vegetable oil which keeps them tender, but if you want to make cake mix cookies with butter, you can use melted butter instead.
3. Use your favorite mix-ins (optional). I used chocolate chips in these crinkle cookies but you could leave them out. Or, add mint chip pieces or M&Ms or chopped candy.
4. The dough is sticky, so if it’s too soft, chill it for 30 minutes before baking.
5. I like to roll these in powdered sugar before baking – that’s what makes them crinkly!

Chewy and Soft Shortbread Cookies

Years ago I worked with a brand called Krusteaz and they had a shortbread cookie mix. I don’t think it’s still available, and a lot of people wanted to know how to make them, because they were so good. The taste was classic shortbread that was soft in texture instead of crumbly. This is the substitute I came up with!

These are a bit softer and melty than your traditional buttery shortbread cookies, but that’s what makes them the best for me. I love homemade buttery and soft cookies! Plus you don’t need a rolling pin – these are drop cookies!

These drop cookies have 4 easy flavor variations. Whether you decide to dip them in chocolate, add m&ms, or make shortbread thumbprint cookies, you’re going to love using this recipe for Christmas cookies (or anytime you feel like them!)

Ingredients needed

• Butter: unsalted butter at room temperature. If you use salted butter, just omit adding salt later. Real butter is important when making shortbread.
• Vegetable oil: A neutral oil doesn’t add flavor but is what keeps the cookies soft. The combination of butter and oil makes a soft and chewy cookie (like my World’s Best Cookies).
• Powdered sugar: The sugar used in the cookies is confectioners’ sugar instead of granulated or brown sugar. This also keeps them soft.

How to make soft shortbread cookies

• Beat butter and oil with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, then slowly mix in powdered sugar and salt. Slowly add salt and flour and mix until a thick dough forms. 
• Scoop 1 or 2 tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough onto baking sheet. Flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. Bake until the edges just turn brown and tops are just no longer translucent. Cool on a wire rack before dipping or stacking.
• For M&M Shortbread Cookies: add M&Ms on top of the cookie dough ball before baking.
• For Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies: Dip cooled cookies halfway into melted chocolate or white chocolate and sprinkle with crushed candy canes, toffee bits, nuts, or sprinkles while still wet, if desired.
• For Thumbprint Cookies: make 1 tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough. Roll them between your hands to form a ball. Bake until lightly golden on the bottom and then press a thumb hole with a wooden spoon handle or the back of a measuring spoon. Cool completely. Fill with about 1/2 teaspoon of jam, cold hot fudge ice cream topping, or cold caramel ice cream topping.

Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodle Cookies

Snickerdoodles have always been one of my absolute favorite cookies. Sure, chocolate chip cookies are near and dear to my heart but I’m all about the sugar cookie style cookie recipe. (I’m #teamvanilla too!)

I remember when I was younger, in school, I’d always buy cookies hot from the cafeteria. I’m pretty sure they were Otis Spunkmeyer from the freezer, but they were so good – and my favorite was – you guessed it – SNICKERDOODLE!

I can still taste the buttery soft and chewy cookie texture with that hint of cinnamon and I figured it was about time that I created my own version of that PERFECT Snickerdoodle recipe.

What’s in Snickerdoodle Cookies?

• Butter: make sure it’s softened! I recommend unsalted butter, but if you use salted, omit the salt in the recipe. Learn how to soften butter quickly. Also, don’t use imitation butter or margarine. A snickerdoodle must be made with real butter!
• Sugar: Granulated Sugar is the traditional one for snickerdoodles. For a twist, substitute brown sugar!
• Baking Soda: A full teaspoon helps give the flat look of traditional snickerdoodles.
• Cream of Tartar: the most important part of a snickerdoodle! Cream of Tartar is what gives them that tang or distinct flavor you associate with them. A snickerdoodle without cream of tartar is just a sugar cookie!
• Cinnamon: This is what makes a snickerdoodle a snickerdoodle – use ground cinnamon.

How to make Snickerdoodle Cookies

1. Cream your room temperature butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until it’s nice and fluffy. Mix the egg and vanilla into the creamed butter mixture.
2. Add salt, baking soda and cream of tartar. Mix in the flour. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl during mixing. Combine until dough is nice and smooth.
3. Scoop cookie dough using a cookie scoop. Roll dough into balls and then roll in cinnamon sugar mixture before placing on prepared baking sheets.
4. Bake at 350°F for 10-13 minutes.

Other Snickerdoodle Recipes

• Chocolate Chip Snickerdoodles
• Apple Butter Snickerdoodles
• Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles
• Pumpkin Spice Snickerdoodles
• Snickerdoodle Bars
• Snickerdoodle GOOEY Bars

What is a Lattice Pie Crust?

Lattice top pies are so gorgeous, don’t you think? I always see them online or in bakeries and just think how pretty they are.

Like a cake roll, a lattice pie crust looks really hard and confusing to do. But also like making a cake roll, it’s much easier to make a lattice pie crust than you think. Once you visually see the method, how to weave a lattice clicks into place and becomes really easy to do.

Lattice top pies are perfect for all sorts of fruit pies, like apple or blackberry or any fruit pie you love. Weaving a lattice on top just adds another kind of pie crust to your baking arsenal for when you’re making pie!

Ingredients Needed

• Pie crust: You can use my all butter pie crust recipe or you can use a refrigerated pie crust. Don’t use a frozen pie crust!
• Tools: A knife or pizza cutter or pastry wheel for cutting the strips and a ruler to keep your edges straight.

Why blind bake pie crust?

Blind baking, or baking blind (or pre-baking) is the process of baking a pie crust without filling. This method is used when you’re going to be filling a pie crust with an unbaked filling, like a banana cream pie. Partially baking a crust (par-baking) is done for pies where the crust needs a head start to bake through, like lemon meringue pie or custard pie.

Blind baking isn’t just as easy as popping a pie crust in the oven. Pie crust is delicate and baking it without using the proper blind baking process will cause breakage, bubbling, or shrinking. Following these tips will ensure success!

The BEST Pie Crust Recipe

I’ve been using this all-butter pie crust recipe for over 10 years. I always try other recipes but I come back to this one because it’s so easy and so good.

To make a good pie crust you need just 4 ingredients: fat, water, flour, and salt. You can use a few different kinds of fats for pie crust, the most popular being butter, shortening (Crisco), or lard. I’m going to go against the grain and tell you, my crust is all butter. I love butter and I find that the taste of an all butter pie crust is so much better than any other recipe.

My all butter pie crust recipe is quick, fast, easy and delicious! It’s the perfect vehicle for ALL your pie recipe needs.

4 Ingredients Needed

A pie crust recipe with butter is such an easy pie crust to make. There are two ways I make this crust: in a food processor or by hand. You can do either one! This really is a no fail pie crust made with butter!

1. Flour – plain all-purpose flour is best
2. Salt – A little bit of salt helps add flavor to the pie crust.
3. Butter – make sure your unsalted butter is COLD
4. Water – make sure to use ICE WATER

This crust makes one 9-inch pie crust. If you want to make a double crust pie, just double the recipe.

How to make Pie Crust in a food processor

• Add your all purpose flour and salt to your food processor. Pulse once or twice to combine.
• Add your butter. It’s COLD, straight from the fridge. Don’t touch it too much. Don’t go answer the phone. Cold, straight from the fridge to the food processor! Pulse a couple of times.
• Add your ICE water. Not the ice, just the cold water. Start with 1 tablespoon.
• Pulse a few times, let it run a few seconds. I always add a second tablespoon of water at that point, always. But, depending on altitude and humidity and your kitchen and the star alignment, you might need more.
• Wait to see if it comes together before adding more than 2 tablespoons of water. You do not want a wet dough. It takes a few seconds for it to turn into the ball of all butter pie crust!

How to make pie crust by hand

• If you don’t have a food processor, you can do this by hand with a pastry cutter. Just whisk the flour and salt first. Then cut in the butter with your pastry cutter until you can’t anymore (this is called a shaggy dough).
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press it together until it forms a disk. Try not to work it too much – just enough so it comes together.

How to roll out pie crust

I roll out my pie crust before I chill it. This is unconventional but it works and makes your life so much easier! Roll it between two sheets of wax paper so it won’t stick to your surface or rolling pin. By not adding more flour you reduce the toughness of the crust.

• Place the dough between two sheets of wax paper or parchment paper. Roll to 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch thick.
• I like to pick mine up and flip it over and around every few rolls until it gets too big to do that. This is important because that way you know it’s not sticking to your surface. There is nothing worse than rolling out the perfect dough and have it crack and break when you go to pick it up.
• The easiest way to transfer your all butter pie crust to your pie plate is to roll it up on the rolling pin. If you’ve moved your crust around a bit, it should roll up no problem.

FAQ

BEST Easy Sugar Cookie Recipe

Drop sugar cookies are a go-to recipe for the easiest soft sugar cookies. These cookies are an all-time favorite because they’re so soft and chewy with the perfect frosting.

I created this recipe to try to replicate my Nana’s Sugar Cookies. Turns out the cookies she fed me my entire childhood…were from the refrigerated section of the grocery store. I didn’t find that out until I was an adult and had already recreated her recipe – homemade and from scratch!

Important Ingredients

• Butter – a good sugar cookie uses real butter. Butter-flavored shortening is okay, but to get that traditional sugar cookie flavor, you need butter. Use unsalted butter to control the amount of salt. If you’re using salted butter, reduce the amount of salt in the recipe by 1/4 teaspoon.
• Sugar – this drop cookie recipe uses granulated sugar, unlike my cutout sugar cookie recipe, which uses powdered.
• Egg and Egg Yolk – 2 eggs was too much egg, but one egg wasn’t chewy enough so I added an egg yolk to add a bit more chew to these soft cookies.
• Leavening – this drop cookie recipe uses a combination of baking soda and cream of tartar.

How to make easy sugar cookies

• Cream butter and sugar in a bowl until the mixture is fluffy..
• Add the room temperature egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix until smooth, then mix in baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.
• Add flour and mix until the sugar cookie dough forms.
• Scoop 2 tablespoon-sized balls on a baking sheet. Bake for 11-15 minutes, or until the bottoms start to get golden and the top is no longer glossy.  Cool for at least 10 minutes on the cookie sheet before removing. Cool completely before frosting.
• Mix frosting ingredients together until combined and smooth. Color as desired with food coloring. Frost and decorate with sprinkles.

Other Easy Cookie Recipes

• Make chocolate chip sugar cookies by adding 1 cup of chocolate chips to the batter and skipping the frosting.
• Make M&M Sugar Cookies by adding 1 cup of M&Ms to the batter, skip the frosting.
• Add 1 cup of sprinkles to the batter to make a sprinkle cookie (omit frosting).
• Roll the cookies in sugar or cinnamon sugar (reminiscent of snickerdoodles) and skip the frosting.
• Flavor your frosting with lemon juice or a bit of cocoa to make a new flavor!

No Knead Focaccia Bread

Focaccia is an Italian bread that’s baked flat. It’s a yeast bread that’s no knead, easy to make and perfect as a side dish or for sandwiches. And it’s absolutely perfect when dipped in good olive oil!

Kneading bread isn’t hard but it does take time and you have to know what you’re doing. There’s more chance for error when you have to knead a recipe. All you have to do when you’re making focaccia bread is to stir together the wet and dry ingredients. That’s it!

Why This Recipe Works

Once you try making homemade pie filling, I can promise that you will never want to buy canned pie filling again. Using fresh cherries makes a huge difference! Perfectly sweet with just the right amount of sugar this pie filling is all about that fresh cherry flavor. 

The cherries cook down with cornstarch to get nice and thick. You can make this with fresh or frozen cherries and it’s the perfect pie filling or topping for anything you like.

FAQ

Ways to use Cherry Pie Filling

• You can use this filling to make the BEST cherry pie!
• Cherry Delight
• Cherry Cheesecake Dessert
• Cherry Dump Cake
• Cherry Pie Bars
• Switch out the apple pie filling for the cherry in Apple Cheesecake Pie