Overdue Sweet Treats!

  What a wonderfully crazy-busy holiday season we've had! Our first Christmas as Mr. and Mrs. flew by and we got the chance to make a lot of wonderful memories with both of our families! From gag gifts with my husband's family (next year should be interesting!) to catching up with my mom's family, to successful hunting trips on my dad's place, we've had a very exciting week and a half!
    Celebrating the new year and my birthday last night as a married couple was also so much sweeter this year! We were so blessed in 2011 and we have many exciting things to look forward to in 2012!

But on to the recipes! As promised, here is the hot pink zebra cookie recipe! These were perfect for my sister-in-laws bachelorette party, and I was so excited when I first spotted them on Pintrest!

1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. shortening (I used regular Crisco)
1/4 c. butter, softened
2 Tbsp. milk
1 egg
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. milk
about 6 drops of hot pink food gel coloring (I actually used more)
pink sugar sprinkles
Hershey's Hugs


Cream together butter, shortening, and peanut butter. Mix in sugars, egg, and milk. Add the remaining ingredients (except for sugar sprinkles and Hershey's Hugs). Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll the dough into 1 1/2 to 2-inch balls and dredge through pink sugar until fully coated (for one batch of cookies, this took an entire container of the sprinkles). Place on an ungreased cookie sheet at least 3 inches apart. Bake 9-10 minutes. After the cookies are finished baking, immediately place a Hershey Hug in the middle of the cookie, pressing it down half-way. The hug will keep it's shape as long as it isn't touched. Once the cookie and chocolate cool completely, the hug will become solid again and the cookies can be transfered to the airtight container of your choice. If you move them too soon, the Hug will droop to one side.


I also have another recipe to share with you! This one is another of my father-in-law's favorites! I found the original recipe on allrecipes.com where it was called "Lemon Lover's Pound Cake," but I've adaptaed it to be a little more digestive system friendly for the lactose-challenged like me! (I am still able to eat butter in dishes, so I'm not sure how well margarine or another butter-substitute would do with this recipe, especially since the recipe said "no substitutes" on butter. The yogurt worked great in place of the sour cream through!).

 Lemon Pound Cake

1 c. butter (no substitutes), softened

3 c. sugar

6 eggs

5 Tbsp. lemon juice (I used between 7-9 small lemons)

1 Tbsp. grated lemon peel

1 tsp. lemon extract

3 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/4 c. plain yogurt

Icing:

1/4 c. plain yogurt

2 Tbsp. butter, softened

2 1/2 c. powdered sugar

3 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 tsp. grated lemon peel

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in lemon juice, peel and extract. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with sour cream. Beat until combined. Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool for at least an hour before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. For icing, in a small bowl, beat the sour cream and butter until blended. Gradually stir in powdered sugar. Beat in lemond juice and peel. Drizzle over cake (you definitely won't need all of the icing!)

I pray many blessings for you and your family in 2012 and I hope you had a wonderful Christmas season!