RETIRING

Well, not forever, but for the season. Winter has pretty much come and gone in our neck of the woods. I was SO busy and SO thankful for everyone who like my stuff enough to buy something from me. But don’t fret, I’ll be be back next fall and winter. And I think I’ll stock up and make a bunch throughout the summer to keep me caught up. I’ve been very blessed with all of you supporting me and even giving me suggestions and ideas throughout.

I am going to keep making things, mostly gifts. Baby blankets, booties, etc. I made this for a good friend. It turned out so cute that I’ll probably make one for our little girl… eventually.

**I think the brown ribbon around the edging really makes it. Other ideas I thought of  was skipping the ribbon and maybe putting a cluster of flowers in a corner.**

GIANT BIRTHDAY COOKIE

This thing turned out to be a HUGE pain at first… There are a few things I would have done differently. To start… You can use whatever size pizza sheet you want. I happened to buy a 13” pan… a 16” pan would be perfect, in my opinion. It would have been just fine but I made a bunch of mistakes. Learn from them.

1. Make sure you have enough room on the edges for expanding. It WILL drip over and burn at the bottom of the oven. I would give yourself 1-2” at least. I ended up taking out 2 1/2 cups of the dough. Which is GREAT because then you have it on hand to make regular cookies later on.

2.If you’re super worried about spilling over then put another LARGE cookie sheet underneath. Problem solved. I learned this he hard way. Mine spilled over, set my oven on fire (after getting the cookie out in time), and filled my house with smoke. It was a learning experience, to say the least. But you know what?? The cookie was REALLY good and everyone ate it up.

3. After it completely cools decorate however you see fit. It happened to be my daughter’s 5th birthday, so I piped some frosting and WAHLAH!

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. In large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well.
2. Gradually add flour, salt, and baking soda, beating until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
3. Spread in greased 14 inch round pizza pan. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 20-25 minutes. Cool cookie in pan on a cooling rack. Decorate as desired.