On the 5th Day of Christmas Creativity...

How-de-do, friends!  Are you enjoying our 12 Days of Christmas Creativity?  Sure hope so.  I know I am!

Today it's Ileana's turn to host.  Be sure to head over there and give her some love!

I've been thinking about holiday traditions lately.  We have a few, but over the years it seems they've evolved.  We have two generations of kids and some things have carried over from the older generation to the younger.  For example, we like to have a family shopping day where we all go to the stores, split up and shop for each other.  The challenge is to hide your purchases from the person you are buying for... without being charged with shoplifting or something.

My parents have a tradition that we have carried over to our marriage.  Their first Christmas together as a married couple they bought (or received as a gift, not sure) a pair of stuffed animal puppies with Christmas hats on.  Every year they go under the tree (even today) and keep watch over the presents.  I loved those Christmas Puppies when I was a kid.  It made me feel so connected to the past.  Victor and I also have a pair of Christmas Puppies that go under our tree. I think they were from Hallmark. They have little magnets in their noses that make them kiss. Awwwwwww.... Whenever I see them, I think of my parents and the Christmases of my childhood.  In our house, the doggies have to hang out up on the tree with the ornaments.  That way they don't get eaten by our actual dog, AKA The Christmas Bandit.

One last tradition to share with you.  Every year for the past several years, I make tons and tons of baked goodies.  We make up plates and take them around to people we love or people we think need a lift.  The kids love doing it and so do we!

Today, I have another awesome Christmas cookie recipe for you.  Thumbprint cookies have got to be my hands-down favorite Christmas cookie of all time... ever.  Here's my recipe.

Jam and Butter Thumbprint Cookies
Makes: About 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
4 oz. (1/2 of an regular size package) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour
Seedless jam or jelly

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar together.
3. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.
4. Add salt and flour and mix well.
5. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour or until easy to handle.
6. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
7. Form 1/2 inch indentations in the balls with the back of a small round measuring spoon or end of a wooden spoon.
8. Fill each indentation with about 1/4 tsp of jam or jelly.
9. Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until sides are just set.  Don't allow to brown.
10.  Remove from cookie sheets and cool on a wire rack.

These don't stick around very long, I'll promise you that!  I made a bunch to give away last weekend and my family was so mad they couldn't have any.  I had to make a double batch on Monday to make up for it!

Hey, don't go yet! We've got prizes, remember? Here are the details:

Here are the prizes:

1) The whole set of 12 Days of Christmas Tags
2) $10 gift code to Sam & Hailey Designs
3) $10 Michaels Gift Card
4) The December VDBC Grab Bag (or a $7 gift code to Sam & Hailey Designs if you have already purchased it)

How can you win them? On the 12th Day (that will be the 23rd for our little blog-fest) I'll hold a drawing for each one of the prizes (that's four drawings in one day... I think I can handle it!). All you have to do to enter is comment on my blog to enter. You can comment on my blog on each of the 12 days so you'll have up to 12 entries in the drawings! Each day I'll have a new thing I'll ask you to include in your comment so keep an eye out for that. It's as simple as that!

Today's comment requirement:

Leave a comment and tell us one of your family's holiday traditions!

Be sure to include some way to contact you in case you win the drawing (for example, your VDBC forum name, your email address, etc.). If you don't, I might not be able to get your prize to you!

Time to get crafty, people!

On the 2nd Day of Christmas Creativity...

It's Ileana's day to host the 2nd Day of Christmas Creativity over at her blog, I Scrap Designs.  Be sure to head on over there and give her some love today!

My thoughts on the 2nd Day of Christmas Creativity are.... "What did you say????  Less than two weeks until Christmas?  What the heck?!?!"

Oh sorry, I was supposed to say something serene like, "I hope you are having a most blessed and merry Christmas!"  Right?  Sorry!  Well... I hope you are having a most blessed and merry Christmas, but seriously???  Less than two weeks???

Time to get some holiday baking done.  We always like to take plates of treats around to our friends and neighbors the weekend before Christmas.  The girls really look forward to it. Samantha is now old enough to help with the baking, which is fun.  And by help, I mean stand next to me and ask, "Can I do that?" for every step.  It's sooooo hard for me to give up control but I want her to learn to do things, too.

On some of the days I'm not hosting the 12 Days of Christmas Creativity, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite Christmas treats recipes!  I hope you'll enjoy them as much as we do.

Today I'm sharing my recipe for Melt In Your Mouth Sugar Cookies.  These are frighteningly addictive so watch out. Normally, I prefer a soft chewy cookie over a crunchy one, but I make an exception for these.  I didn't tell Samantha the name of these, I promise, but when she and Hailey were taste testing the first batch out of the oven, she turned to Hailey and said, "Wow! These just melt in your mouth, don't they?"  And they do, they really do.  Give them a try!

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Sugar Cookies
Makes: about 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300° F. 

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, shortening, and 2 cups sugar.

3. Beat in baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. 

4. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla.  Beat until light and fluffy.

5. Mix in flour.
6. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Dip tops in sugar and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 14 minutes or until edges are just set. Do not let the edges brown. 

8. Cool cookies for 1 minute on cookie sheet. Remove cookies from sheet and cool on a wire rack.

You can store these in an airtight container for a few days on your counter. If you need to store them longer, just put them in layers between waxed paper and freeze.

I made the ones pictured above dipped in colored sugar.  I actually prefer them with sparkly white sugar, but the girls are always after color, so that's what we did.

Hope this recipe helps you decide to get creative in the kitchen!

Remember that I said you would have a chance to enter to win my prizes every day?  In case you forgot what the prizes were, here's a recap.

Here are the prizes:

1) The whole set of 12 Days of Christmas Tags
2) $10 gift code to Sam & Hailey Designs
3) $10 Michaels Gift Card
4) The December VDBC Grab Bag (or a $7 gift code to Sam & Hailey Designs if you have already purchased it)

How can you win them? On the 12th Day (that will be the 23rd for our little blog-fest) I'll hold a drawing for each one of the prizes (that's four drawings in one day... I think I can handle it!). All you have to do to enter is comment on my blog to enter. You can comment on my blog on each of the 12 days so you'll have up to 12 entries in the drawings! Each day I'll have a new thing I'll ask you to include in your comment so keep an eye out for that. It's as simple as that! 

Today's comment requirement:

Leave a comment and tell us your favorite holiday treat! Share the recipe (or a link to the recipe) if you feel so inclined!

Be sure to include some way to contact you in case you win the drawing (for example, your VDBC forum name, your email address, etc.). If you don't, I might not be able to get your prize to you!

Time to get crafty, people!

Fantabulous Friday Freebie: Thanksgiving Cupcake Wrapper Sample + Recipe

Weekly Wrap-Up:
Make Your Own Monday: Chevron Paper
Trendwatch Tuesday: Chevrons
Project Wednesday: Subway Art on a Shutter

Soooo..... Thanksgiving is really next week?  You aren't kidding me?  I know any moment I'm going to wake up and it will still be October.  Pinch me... please!

No?  Well, I suppose it's time to face reality.  And that reality is that I'm way behind on just about everything!

If you are feeling like me, be sure to check out the VDBC Annual Holiday Gift Giving Guide for quick and easy gift ideas.  It's so huge, we had to do it in two parts!

VDBC Annual Holiday Gift Giving Guide - Part 1

VDBC Annual Holiday Gift Giving Guide - Part 2

If you are going ahead with this "Thanksgiving is next week" concept, I might as well help out with a little recipe and a little free sample.  Who doesn't love free samples?  Oh, and there's going to be another BOGO deal in the mix, too.

First, I'd like to share with you the easiest and most delicious muffin recipe you'll ever taste, make, or lick the bowl from.  It's No-Measure Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins.  It took longer to type that name thank it does to make them.  Seriously easy and hilariously delicious.  I'm also sharing my secret muffin baking methods.  I guess they won't be secret anymore.  But it's too good to keep to myself.

You may have seen as similar recipe floating around the pinterest-sphere.  That recipe insists that just the cake mix and pumpkin will make great muffins.  I'm sure they'll be fine, but I think the eggs are my secret ingredient for getting fluffier muffins.  I wouldn't make them without the eggs but you certainly can try.

And as for the chocolate chip addition... welll, duh!   What doesn't taste better with chocolate chips?  Okay, maybe a few things wouldn't but just go with me here.  They totally enhance the muffin experience, so put them in.

FYI, you can also substitute other cake flavors.  Spice is my favorite, though.

Pin It

No-Measure Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 box Spice Cake Mix
1 can Pumpkin
2 eggs
1/2 bag of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Combine the first three ingredients in your mixer and beat.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Fill muffin tins and bake for 10 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350° F and bake for 15-20 minutes longer.

Remove from muffin tins and cool on a wire rack.

Jan's Tips for Big Muffins

You know you want big muffins with a high dome, right?  But every time you make muffins they come out looking like measly little cupcakes, barely risen out of the pan.  Here's my secrets for getting the highest, fluffiest dome on a muffin.

1. Fill your muffin cups almost full (not 2/3 like some recipes will tell you).  This will require that you have a fairly thick batter.  If your muffin batter has a cake batter like consistency, add some more flour until it's more like brownie batter.

2. Fill any empty muffin cups with water.  The recipe above will make about 14 standard sized muffins.  If you only have 1 muffin tin that makes a dozen muffins, don't fill all the cups the first time around.  Leave a few empty and fill the empty ones with water.  A nice humid oven is good for muffins.

3. Bake the first 10 minutes on a higher temperature.  Then lower down to the regular temperature for the rest of the baking time.  Why does this work?  I have no idea, it just does, so I go with it.

Seriously, just look at the size of the dome on that muffin!

Now, what's a delicious muffin without a pretty wrapper?  I couple of weeks ago I tried making Pumpkin-Apple muffins using some pretty autumn patterned cupcake papers.  Wow, what a mistake that was!  The muffins stuck to the wrappers like undeserved fame on a Kardashian. Won't make that mistake again!  For Thanksgiving, how about cutting out some "post-baking" decorative Cupcake Wrappers!

This one is from my Cupcake Wrappers - Thanksgiving set.  So easy and so pretty!  Just pup the muffin inside and you've got instant eye candy.

Before I give away a little free sample, I want to let you know that if you buy the whole set of Thanksgiving Cupcake Wrappers from the Sam & Hailey Designs store this weekend, you'll get my Thanksgiving Placecards set absolutely free!  More fun and easy Thanksgiving decorations for free? Why yes, thank you!  I'll have seconds! Remember to get the deal, you'll need to put both of those products in your cart at the same time.  Don't make me have to track you down to give you your free file!

Okay, on to your free sample!  Gobble up this Pilgrim Hat and Leaf Cupcake Wrapper right now!

Boring but Important Legal Stuff: My terms of use are included in each zipped download. If you have any questions about how you may use this file, please read it. By clicking to download the file, you are agreeing to abide by the terms. If you'd like to share it, please don't. Rather, send your friends a link to this blog post. Once it's no longer available as a freebie, you might be tempted to share it with someone. Please don't! 'Nuf said!

This design will be up until Monday. Get it while it's hot! Click to wrap up your favorite file type:

Sorry!  This download has expired!  Look for this design and plenty of others in the Sam & Hailey Designs store!

Don't forget about that BOGO deal!  Only good through Monday!

Time to get crafty, people!

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