Chocolate Roll Out Cookies

I lived my life for 31 years before I had seen or tasted a chocolate roll out cookie. Isn't that so depressing? Don't you feel sorry for me?

Well don't, because now I know how to make them. And you can too!!

It all started when I went to a baby shower for a friend. She had these cute chocolate roll out cookies in the shape of a onsie. I might have had more than a few. A few days later, I asked her where she got them and she said a friend had made them. So like any sane person, I stalked her FB friend list until I found the friend of a friend and messaged her with a plea to send me the recipe. And then I waited and waited. I saw her commenting on my friend's photos and statuses. Why wasn't she messaging me back?!? WHY WOULDN'T SHE GIVE ME THE RECIPE!!?!? I SEE YOU ONLINE!!!!! You are playing Candy Crush RIGHT NOW!! GIVE ME THE COOKIE SECRETS!!!!

And then she did. And I thanked her and offered to clean her house from top to bottom.

These are, hands down, the best chocolate cookie recipe ever.

Excuse my shitty decorating skills here. I clearly need to work on it, a lot. But really, these cookies were so good, it didn't matter if I did a shitty icing job.

They are thick and chewy and dense and rich. The icing provided just enough sweetness to balance out the cookie.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup cocoa
3 or 3 1/2 cups flour
 
Directions:
~Cream butter, shortening and sugar together. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Add baking powder and salt and mix again. Stir in the cocoa until well blended. Add flour 1 cup at a time.

If baking the same day: Add 3 1/2 cups flour. 
If chilling the dough: Add ONLY 3 cups. 

~Roll out cookies to 3/16" thick on lightly floured surface. Bake at 375 F for 7 minutes.Cool and decorate.

recipe by LilaLoa

Rainbow Fest! The Good Daughter Turns 4

Hi my name is SarahBeth and I love to throw parties. I had two kids, just so I would have an excuse to make cakes and decorate shit. You are free to gawk at my obsession.

This year, The Good Daughter wanted a rainbow birthday party. It might have something to do with all the My Little Pony she has been watching, since Rainbow Dash is her favorite pony. Or it could have been the Pride Parade I have taken her to every year since she was born. I knew they would rub off on her. ;)

I will admit that when she told me her theme, my cold, small heart grew three sizes. I have loved rainbows since I was little. It was all the Lisa Frank. I am sure. So I loved the chance to have rainbows all over the house. And I got to get my craft on, which I love.

This year is a bit different than anything I have ever done for TGD ever. See, she and The Good Son have birthdays exactly two weeks apart. For the last three years, Abby's birthdays have been huge family affairs. Everyone comes and eats and hangs out and then a week later at the annual 4th of July family reunion, I give them all their thank yous.

This year was just a cake and ice cream party for Abby with the grandparents, since Holden (TGS) will have the BIG birthday this year. The plan is to alternate BIG parties with cake and ice cream ones until the kids can tell me what they want and hopefully, have some join pool parties or some shit.

Presenting - Rainbow Fest!!! Thanks Pinterest!

My shitty attempt at a cool background. FAIL.

Easy streamer and tissue paper decorations.

 

Welcome sign with more streamers.

b/c I have to have food to match the theme - a plate of rainbow veggies (tomatoes, carrots, pepper, cucumber, olives) and dip (not pictured), color goldfish, chips and dip and chocolate roll out cookies

rainbow roll out cookies, chips and dip and rainbow fruit (strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple, honeydew, blueberries and grapes)

rainbow cake

I made a wand for the Birthday Girl, which she loved, along with the cookies.

For the first time ever, she loved her party, since she knew it was all about her. You can't help but love her little face as we sang Happy Birthday to her.

She didn't even mind the shitty icing job I did on her cake.

Happy 4th Birthday, Big Girl. You are my rainbow.

Father's Day ~FREE PRINTABLE~

Just like for Mother's Day, I created a FREE PRINTABLE to celebrate all things Dad.

This is a super cute way to document all the thoughts your littles have about their dads while they are still young and funny and in the "kids say the darnedest things" stage of life. That goes away all too soon, so what better way to capture it than with this printable.

You can download this FREE PRINTABLE here.

Need something cute to give to Dad this Father's Day? How about this I Love You to Pieces craft? 

Now to have The Good Daughter fill this out for The Good Husband. I wonder if she claims he is stinky, just like me.