Halloween Monster Cookies

How fun are these?! I love a festive spin on desserts, and as soon as I saw these Halloween Monster Cookies on pinterest, I knew Jack and I would be baking them. With black cocoa, creamy white chocolate chips, candy eyeballs, and the m&m ghoul's mix - these are equal parts spooky and delicious!

ingredients

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups flour (I use gluten free)
1 cup black cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup halloween m&ms, plus more for garnish
edible candy eyeballs, for garnish

directions

{1}
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

{2}
In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars together on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract and eggs on at a time. 

{3}
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the stand mixer. Stop halfway to scrape down the side of the bowl and ensure all ingredients are well combined. Beat until a sticky dough forms. Fold in the white chocolate chips and m&ms with a rubber spatula. 

{4}
Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, place dough balls at least 1-2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Add 2 eyeballs to each dough ball, pressing in gently. Repeat with extra m&ms to ensure all colorful elements are represented before baking. 

{5}
Bake for 8-10 minutes, until puffy but still soft - careful not to overbake! Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container, or pop some in a gallon freezer bag for maximum freshness! Enjoy :)

Blue Ridge Girls Trip

I am so grateful to have amazing co-workers that have become some of my best friends. Four of us did a girls trip to Georgia last week and had such a great time! The fall weather and red leaves were a welcome change in season for these FL girls.

We spent three nights at Tiffany's parents' lodge in Mineral Bluff, which was incredible! We could have easily stayed at the lodge the entire trip since it was decked out with three levels, multiple fire pits, a hot tub, movie theatre, pool table, side-by-side and four wheeler. Late night s'mores and espresso martinis while wearing matching sweatshirts and playing card games made for a lot of laughs & memories.

Adventures around Blue Ridge and Dahlonega filled our days - winery hopping, enjoying delicious meals and checking out the pumpkin patch and apple orchard. My favorites were brunch at Monteluce Winery (best bolognese I've ever had!), the Mountain Mama coffee shop was so cute, dinner at Black Sheep and the rose brut at Wolf Mountain Winery were both fabulous.

Katie, Kylie, Tiff and I had so much fun and cannot wait to plan more trips together, and we will definitely be back to Blue Ridge!

{all dressed up in neutrals for our first night}

{the ultimate s'mores kit}

{dinner at Black Sheep}

{enjoying coffee on the balcony overlooking the Toccoa River}

{looked like we were in Tuscany when we pulled up to Montaluce Winery}

{cutest backdrop}

{the BEST filet Bolognese}

{winery + beautiful weather}

{rose at the Wolf Mountain winery}

{we spent hours in the hot tub}

{sunset at Old Toccoa Farms}

{Mountain Mama coffee shop had the cutest aesthetic}

{pumpkin patch}

{loved getting to wear our fall outfits}

{afternoon chardonnay at Bear Claw winery}

{Kylie gave us all matching sweatshirts with our fave cocktails - mine is spicy marg!}

Pumpkin Crisp

I enjoy baking every day of the year, but something about the shift in seasons to autumn really makes me want to throw on an apron and whip something up in the kitchen. I came across a recipe on pinterest for a pumpkin crisp and quickly saved it to make last weekend. I tweaked the original recipe a bit, and have shared my version below.

It came out AMAZING! Rich & flavorful, not too sweet, with a little crunch from the crisp topping. It just tastes like fall in a bowl. I will definitely be baking this again - Thanksgiving anyone?

We served it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream - highly recommend :)

ingredients

{pumpkin pie layer}

1 15-oz can pumpkin puree

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2/3 cup half & half

{cinnamon crumble}

2 cups flour (I use GF)

1 cup oats

1 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 tbsp (1 1/12 sticks) of butter, melted

directions

{1}

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat the inside of a medium (9x9) dish with non-stick cooking spray.

{2}

In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, salt and vanilla extract. Add the half & half and cream until smooth. Pour into the prepared dish and set aside.

{3}

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add melted butter and stir with a fork until crumbles form. Spread the crisp topping evenly over the pumpkin pie mixture.

{4}

Bake for 40-45 minutes until the filling is set and crumble is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for ~10 minutes. 

{5}

Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 5 days, and either indulge in this treat cold or reheat in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.