Dear Diary

Sorry there have been no new entries. I'm pretty busy snuggling with the cutest pug in the world, Mugsy Bags.

xoxo, Shannon

Breaking this Silence Deserves Cookies

I'm leaving to pick up my little brother from the airport in about forty-five minutes, and to prepare for his visit I figured I'd make good on the promise of christmas cookies that I failed to fulfill over the holidays. To do this, I began to scour my favorite baking blogs to find the PERFECT recipe for chocolate chip cookies and food gawker helped me to stumble upon these delicious looking love children of three of my favorite things- chocolate chip cookies, s'mores and reese's peanut butter cups.

Of course, I adapted it to my own liking, but I give all the tasty credit to Une-deux senses.

Reeses Smores Cookies

Yields: about 3 - 4 dozen

1 3/4 cups flour

1 cup graham cracker crumbs --> I used cinnamon grahams.

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt ---> I used fine sea salt.

1 cup/ 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature ---> I splurged Kerry Gold's imported Irish butter. It's just too good. Paula Deen would eat it with a fork.

3/4 cup sugar ----> I used Splenda!

3/4 cup light brown sugar ----> Again, Splenda!

2 tsp. vanilla ---> Trader Joe's Bourbon Vanilla .

2 eggs

1 cup peanut butter chips --- I used half semi-sweet chocolate chips and half mini peanut butter cups.

1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

8 Reeses cups, cut into pieces

In a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugars and mix until fluffy. Mix in the eggs and vanilla until combined. Add the flour, graham crackers, salt and baking soda and mix well. Stir in the peanut butter chips then cover. Preheat oven to 375 F. Take a tablespoon of the dough, roll into a ball, and drop onto a greased baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of dough, leaving about 2 inches between each to allow it to spread. Bake for 6 minutes, then remove from the oven. Push a 3 - 5 marshmallows and a few pieces of the chopped Reese's bar into each cookie. Return to oven and bake for another 2 - 3 minutes until golden brown and the marshmallows are a bit toasted. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!