Decorating Cookies

I've been following Bridget's blog for a while now. She just inspires me with all of those amazing cookie decorating ideas!! So for Christmas, my friend Haej got me THE coolest gift ever! She got me Bridget's Decorating Cookies book, but what REALLY makes it special is.....

it's SIGNED!

I love leafing through this book, looking at all the possibilities of colorful royal icing and cookie cutter shapes. She's also got some great cut-out cookie recipes in here, which I would share with you, but you really should just go out and get her book... I particularly like her Chocolate-Hazelnut Cookie recipe, which is oh-so-chocolatey and not too sweet!

As I drooled over page after page of beautiful cookies, I realized I needed to get my hands on every single cookie cutter imaginable! OK... maybe I don't need EVERY cookie cutter, but I did hop online to order the ones I thought I would use the most. My search took me to Etsy, where I bought one elephant, one onesie, one teacup, one teapot, one candy, one diamond ring, and one balloon cutter, adding to my collection of holiday and shape cutters.

My friend, Joyce, also got me the hippest cookie cutter set for Christmas! I think I may have enough cookie cutters...

- Band of Outsiders Cookie Cutters-

Neiman Marcus for Target

Here's my haul and the book of inspiration for my shopping spree~

So what did I do with my new cookie cutters and book of recipes/ideas? I baked cookies of course! I really wanted to use my new elephant cookie cutter, so I went with a baby shower theme. Now what to do with 3 dozen baby-themed cookies...

Peanut Butter & Pinterest

My baby bro, Andy, had finals last week so I wanted to make him a little somethin' somethin' to help ease the pain of all-night studying. I put together a big bag load of Korean snacks and Red Bull, along with a little homemade treat! This is a recipe that I found on Pinterest that just seemed way too yummy and easy to not try.

Andy loves Oreos, and brownies, and err peanut butter. Let's just say he's a fan of sweets (which is great for me because I can always count on him to eat my baked goods). I saw these brownie-covered Oreo peanut butter stacks and thought they'd be THE perfect indulgent snack!

You take 2 Oreos, spread some peanut butter on top of both, and stack. Place them in a paper-lined muffin pan and cover with brownie batter. Bake for about 15 minutes and voila you have the perfect little dessert! 

Here's another recipe I tried and loved on Pinterest! These require just 6 ingredients and make the most gooey, chocolatey, peanut buttery cookies. They are no-flour, no-butter, and no-white sugar!

These recipes are definite must-tries for the peanut butter enthusiast who wants an easy snack!

*** These pictures are clearly not taken with my new baby....