Deck The Halls…🎄

You are the light of the world- Matthew 5:14

Hell0, sweet friend…

I hope you are well and that you had a great Thanksgiving.

Joe & I spent a wonderful time with family in Bend, Oregon.

Shortly after returning back home…

Joe turned into Santa‘s Elf quickly stringing the Christmas lights all around the outside…

I became the other elf helper…

carefully placing bows and ribbons strategically…

Before long together we had completed the decorating….

for our sweet cozy home…

just in time to light up this small corner of the world.

Happy December!
🎄

What’s Cooking…

👩‍🍳

This yummy very chocolate-y cookie is a favorite go to baking tradition for me. It’s almost as fun to bake as it is to eat…almost…

Candy Cane Cookie Bars

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup candy canes, crushed
• 2 cups mini chocolate chips

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar with a hand mixer.
2. Add the egg and mix well into the butter mixture.
3. Add the flour, salt, vanilla and 1/4 cup of crushed candy canes. Mix well to combine.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. I always use a half sheet pan, which is 18″x13″
5. Turn the cookie mixture out onto the parchment paper and press with your hands to form a flat, rectangular-shape, about 1/4 inch thick.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the cookie base.
8. Return the oven for 90 seconds.
9. Remove from oven and smear the chocolate evenly with an offset spatula.
10. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup crushed candy canes.
11. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Using a pizza cutter, trim along the rough edges (those are for you to munch on right away!) and cut the entire cookie into 32 squares.