Recipe Archives – Tastebud Travels

Triple C Shortbread Cookies [Sweetest Season Giveaway]

Tiffani — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 13:52:00 +0000

Now, I don’t know about you, but anytime the holidays roll around, I’m all about the sweets. I absolutely love love love shortbread cookies, and I love chocolate chip cookies, but I wanted something different. Who doesn’t love chocolate covered cherries? Ha! ME! I hate them actually, but I wanted to give these a try. Let me just tell you…. They are nothing like chocolate covered cherries, they are a million times better! These little cookies have the perfect structure to be stacked and wrapped for little Christmas goodies, or to be enjoyed all for yourself!

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup maraschino cherries, chopped
4 Tsp granulated sugar, divided
1/2 cup white and/or dark chocolate chips
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Cream the butter and the confectioners sugar
Mix the flour, salt, and 2 tsp sugar generously
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet until it starts forming large clumps
Chop maraschino cherries, sprinkle with 2tsp granulated sugar
Mix in the maraschino cherries, chocolate chips and vanilla extract.
Form the dough into the shape that you want, wrap it in plastic or foil and set it to chill in the freezer for at least an hour, I usually let it sit over night.
Heat oven to 325F
Cut the log into 1/4 inch thick slices and place them on a baking sheet with one inch of space between them
Bake 20-25 minutes, until they just start to turn lightly golden brown on top
Let cool & enjoy!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

51 bloggers teamed up to bring you an awesome cookie-centric giveaway! We picked out a stand mixer and other goodies to make baking this season go smoothly. And, a big thank you goes out to the generous sponsors who helped with The Sweetest Season by organizing, as well as providing products to the participating bloggers and donating some incredible prizes for our giveaway! Be sure to check out Imperial Sugar, Dixie Crystals, Bob’s Red Mill, Cabot Creamery and The Crumby Cupcake for lots of great recipe ideas. And check out Garnishing Co., who designed our graphics.We’re giving away The Sweetest Cookie Prize Pack, and it is worth $690! See the Rafflecopter below to enter to win this amazing set of cookie baking goodies. The prize pack includes:

One KitchenAid 5-Qt. Artisan Design Series Stand Mixer with Glass Bowl in Sugar Pearl Silver // $315 value
One $50 Bob’s Red Mill gift card and one exclusive set of Bob’s Red Mill products: One 5-lb. bag Organic All Purpose Flour, one 5-lb. bag Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, one 40-oz. bag Almond Meal, one 28-oz. bag Sparkling Sugar, one 28-oz. bag Cane Sugar // $95 value
Two 4-lb. bags of Imperial Sugar/Dixie Crystals granulated sugar, one My First Cookbook and a silicone baking mat // $50 value
Coupons for $40 worth of Cabot Creamery products, including butter and yogurt // $40 value
One OXO Good Grips 5-Quart Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl // $35 value
One Jenaluca Stainless Steel Medium Cookie Scoop // $33 value
One 2-piece Calphalon Nonstick Baking Sheet Set // $30 value
One 10” x 15” Stainless Steel Metal Cooling Rack // $25 value
One 7-piece OXO Good Grips Multi-colored Nesting Measuring Beaker Set // $20 value
One GIR: Get It Right Ultimate Spatula in Gray // $19 value
One 5-piece R & M Snowflake Cookie Cutter Set // $10 value
One OXO Good Grips 11” Balloon Whisk // $10 value

I received free product from Imperial Sugar, Dixie Crystals and Bob’s Red Mill as part of The Sweetest Season Cookie Exchange. As always, all opinions and recipe are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that support Not Your Average Southern Belle!

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Pumpkin Snickerdoodle cookies {GalPal Holiday LinkUp}

Tiffani — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 19:22:00 +0000

This week, I’ve teamed up with a few of my favorite Gal Pals to share some of our favorite seasonal things! I’m not much for Halloween, but I LOVE fall! Anytime fall rolls around, I began craving thing with cinnamon, pumpkin and spice. Nothing is better to walk in to your house and smell the sweet aroma of a freshly baked batch of cookies. In the fall, this means a hearty batch of Pumpkin Snickerdoodle cookies. A warm cookie is really my weakness, and Snickerdoodle cookies are easily my second biggest weakness. Now, I’m not one to brag, but these pumpkin Snickerdoodle cookies take the word “weakness” to a whole new level. They’re so easy to make, and are sure to have your mouth watering!

* 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

* 3 1/2 tsp cornstarch

* 2 tsp baking powder

* 1/2 + 1/8 tsp salt

* 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

* 1/2 tsp ground ginger

* 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

* 1/4 tsp ground allspice

* 1 cup granulated sugar

* 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

* 1 cup unsalted butter, softened

* 1 large egg yolk

* 3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

* 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

* For rolling

* 1/4 cup granulated sugar

* 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions

In a large bowl mix together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice with a fork until well blended, set aside for later use.
In a glass or stainless steel bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until blended- not fluffy. Use a spatula to scrape down sides and bottom of bowl during the mixing process. Mix in egg yolk, then pumpkin and vanilla extract seperately. With mixer set on low speed, slowly add in dry ingredients little by little, then mix until combined. Divide dough into two seperate bowls, cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour (dough should be slightly sticky so the cinnamon sugar will stick when rolling but they should be manageable to roll in the palms of your hands).
In a small bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup granulated sugar with 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Use a tablespoon to scoop out about 2 tbsp at a time. Roll dough into balls and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture to evenly coat in sugar and place cookies 2-inches apart on prepared cookie sheet.
Freeze dough for 30 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of freezing, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Bake in preheated oven 12 – 14 minutes. You want cookies to be slightly too soft when pulled out of over, they will continue baking after removed from oven. Cool on baking sheet about 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely
ENJOY!

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Pumpkin Kisses, Harvest Wishes!

Tiffani — Wed, 23 Sep 2015 19:21:00 +0000

September 23rd is finally upon us, and I could not be more excited! Fall is my favorite season to decorate for. It is also the longest holiday season, and that is just fine with me! This year, I decided to change the decor up just a bit from LAST YEAR.

I woke up early and knew the morning needed to start with a little pumpkin action. I managed to get my decorations up a few days early, so my apartment was alright alive with the colors of fall, and now I could finally fill it with the scents of fall! I pulled out my William Sonoma Spiced Pecan Pumpkin mix and got to baking.

I filled the little muffins with cinnamon cream cheese frosting and was absolutely delighted! I get lost in William Sonoma’s fall offerings, and the Spiced Pumpkin mix is a must grab once they roll out the seasonal items!

I knew I wanted a larger chalkboard above our sofa table this year, and of course I couldn’t find one big enough, so I made one! You can check out how I’ve mad similar ones in my DIY Framed Chalk Board tutorial.

This little table is always one of my favorites to decorate! It’s fairly different than last year, and I love it even more! I even added our OG Big Tex bobble head to the table this year because the State Fair is one of my favorite parts of fall!

We recently bought Sophie a new dog bed, and it just happens to go perfectly with our fall decor. Our galvanized clock from Magnolia Market ended up staying put in its original location. The two bushels of wheat beside the TV were thrift store finds and I LOVE how they look.

I love the little wall hanging I found last year- Pumpkin Kisses, Harvest Wishes!

Last, but certainly not least is my pumpkin topiary and wreath in our front door area. I totally changed how I displayed the pumpkin topiary, and I love it so much more! I can’t wait to have an actual porch and be able to go decorators crazy!

How are YOU starting off fall?

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Red, White & Cool {Recipe}

Tiffani — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 13:25:00 +0000

It’s no secret. Holidays mean, food, food and more food! For this years July 4th dessert, I decided to whip up something new! This pie is quite different than any normal fruit pie. It’s a fresh, chilled, fruit pie, and it is so good! Shoutout to my mom for helping me come up with the adorable name for this one! HI MOM!

Ingredients: (Yields 2 pies)

Crust

1 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

4 Tbsp. sugar

1½ cups flour
2 Tbsp. Cinnamon (optional)

Filling

2 c. water

2 c. sugar

6 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 (6 oz.) package strawberry jell-o

2 quarts strawberries, cleaned, and sliced

Instructions:

Crust

Mix butter, sugar, and flour and press into a greased pie plate.
Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.
Let cool

Filling

Bring water, sugar, and cornstarch to a boil, constantly stirring, until thick and mostly clear.
Add strawberry Jell-O, mix well and let cool.
Mix in cold strawberries.
Pour into pie shell.
Store in refrigerator until set; serve with whipped cream.

This pie was a hit when dessert time rolled around this past weekend! I think my favorite part is knowing it can be made with any fruit/Jell-o combo. I can’t wait to try out the recipe with a different fruit!

Hope you all enjoy!

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Homemade Tomatillo Salsa Recipe

Tiffani — Mon, 29 Jun 2015 11:53:00 +0000

Lets get real for a second. Eating healthy is hard. I mean really hard sometimes. It’s always easy to run through the drive through at Chick-fil-A, grab a #1 or a #5 and a half and half tea, where, in a perfect world, the calories wouldn’t enter your body when the food does, but reality is, they do. I’ve been making some serious life changes lately. Not that I didn’t already know how to properly fuel my body, but more recently, I have really begun training my mind that food is fuel for my body, which had lead to me creating some awesome recipes, including this one!

Scroll over the pic and click the “PIN” button to save this recipe to your Pinterest boards!

Ingredients:

6-10 Tomatillos

1 Large lime

1 Bushel of cilantro

1/2 White onion

1/2 Cucumber

Pinch Sea Salt (optional)

1 tsp Cumin

Directions:

1. Dice tomatillos, cilantro and 1/4 onion

2. Blend tomatillos, cilantro and onion until smooth

3. Add cumin, juice from lime and salt to blended mixture, gently blend

4. Dice remaining onion and cucumber and douse in remaining lime juice

5. Add to blended mixture and mince gently (you want cucumber to still be slightly chunky)

6. ENJOY!

It’s so easy to make, and has the entire kitchen smelling like a Mexican fiesta! I ate this salsa with so many things this week, and I see myself making it again this week. Super easy, and it stores well in the fridge! Give it a try!

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway! Click here for the details!

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Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezey Greek Yogurt Cupcakes!

Tiffani — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 16:00:00 +0000

I’ve keep seeing Greek Yogurt being used in more and more things. My most recent Greek Yogurt based recipe is Cupcakes. Who doesn’t love cupcakes? These are far too easy to make, and knowing they aren’t as unhealthy as a normal cupcake makes me feel just a little better about eating these delicious treats.

Ingredients:
1 Box Super Moist White Cake
8 ounces Lemon Greek yogurt (single serve contains are 5.4oz, so you’ll need about 11/2)
1 Cup Milk
1 Lemon
Supplies:
Mixing bowl
Whisk
Cupcake tin
Zester or Grater

Instructions: (Prepare yourself, these may be the easiest instructions ever)
1. Heat oven to 325 degrees
2. Empty 8 ounces Lemon Greek yogurt into mixing bowl
3. Mix in 1 cup of milk with yogurt, stir until smooth consistency
4. Pour box cake mix in to yogurt/milk mixture
5. Whisk until smooth
6. Zest 1 lemon
7. Add lemon zest to cake mixture
8. Empty mixture in to cupcake tins
9. Cook for 25 minutes (times may vary)
10. Let stand for 10 minutes
11. Decorate to your desire!

I love love love lemon cake/cupcakes, but, unfortunately, they normally give me a headache. Thankfully, these didn’t give me a headache! SCORE! I’m excited to try this out with other flavors of Greek Yogurt! Try it out and let me know what you think!

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Cloud Nine Christmas Cookies

Tiffani — Wed, 31 Dec 2014 16:36:00 +0000

Every year I search and search and search some more for the best recipe for Christmas Cookies, and every year I end up with a mediocre cookie that probably could’ve just as easily come out of a box. But this year was different. The recipe I found put all other cookie recipes to shame!

I’m calling them Cloud Nine Christmas Cookies, well, because they taste how I’d imagine cookies on cloud nine would taste!

I forgot the Red & Green Sprinkles, but I think the rainbow ones looked pretty cute!

Ingredients:

-8 ounces unsalted butter
-3/4 cup granulated sugar
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
-1 large egg yolk
-2 cups all-purpose flour
Directions:
1. Beat the butter, sugar, salt and vanilla together until smooth and creamy.
2. Mix in the egg yolk until well incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl at least once.
3. Add the flour and mix just until incorporated.
4. Scrape onto a lightly floured board and knead a few times, just until the dough smooths out.
5. Turn onto a sheet of plastic wrap and roll into a log, wrap up and freeze for a few hours. (This is crucial!)
6. Before baking, preheat the oven to 325°F.
7. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or foil.
8. Slice the dough into slices about 1/8″ thick and place them on the sheets about an inch apart (they won’t spread very much, but they need room around each cookie).
9. Bake until JUST beginning to turn golden around the edges, about 16-18 minutes.

10. Let cool for at let an hour then decorate

There are so many possibilities with these cookies! With the given recipe, you will get about 10 cookies, so if you plan to serve them at a party or to family, I’d suggest doubling or tripling the recipe, because they are that good! These could definitely be decorated for any season or occasion. ENJOY!

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