Orange Crinkle Cookies

I made these cookies this past weekend for our Easter festivities and oh my goodness, they were awesome!  I made them on Saturday and was a little worried about them staying chewy but they were perfectly moist & chewy still Sunday night for our last Easter family get together! 

I will definitely be making these cookies again and the only thing I will do differently next time is add in more orange juice & zest ~ I think a second small orange would be perfect.  With the recipe as is, you get just a hint of citrus flavor, almost like a sugar cookie with just a splash of citrus so next time I want to up the orange flavor!

ORANGE CRINKLE COOKIES

YIELD: about 5 dozen cookies

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 small navel orange (lunchbox orange)
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

COOKING DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Zest the orange into a small bowl and set aside. Do not discard orange ~ you will also use the juice.
3. In a large mixer bowl, beat butter and granulated sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Turn mixer down to low and add the vanilla and the eggs. Then add in the orange zest and the juice from the orange. Mix until combined then turn up to medium high for one minute. Scrape down sides of bowl and turn mixer on low.
4. Slowly add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt to the bowl until just combined.
5. Place the powdered sugar into a small bowl. Measure a 1/2 tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball, then roll the dough in the powdered sugar. Place on the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough.
6. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look dry and crackled. Remove from oven and cool cookies on sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

RECIPE INSPIRED BY: Amanda's Cookin'       

Wonderful Food Wednesday

Sorry I'm late in getting this up this week!!  We got wrapped up enjoying this Spring weather outside with the neighbors & I lost track of time & I obviously didn't plan ahead and schedule this post in advance!! ;/  Forgive me!!

 

Now on to

Wonderful Food Wednesday - Week #31

 

It's hard to believe it's April already! We hope you and your family had a wonderful Easter.

We loved all of the Easter recipes linked up last week and look forward to seeing your new and exciting creations this week.

This Impossibly Creamy Baked Sausage Mac N Cheese from Sumptuous Spoonfuls shared at last week's party caught our attention ~ it's made creamy with a secret ingredient you're going to want to head over & check out!!

Thank you so much Ann for sharing such a great recipe!!

 

Rules:

1. Follow your hosts Kerrie @ Family Food and Travel

and Jessica @ All She Cooks and Jaime at Mom's Test Kitchen

*If you are a new follower please leave us a message/comment so that we can hop on over for a visit.

2. Visit as many blogs as you can, leave comments, follow and grab their recipes.

If you are interested in guest hosting for a week, please send an email to twinstravelblog (at) gmail (dot) com

Yopa! Yogurt: Balance Perfected

Princess P is a picky eater.  I'm pretty sure this comes with the territory for a toddler but I feel at times she tends to be worse than others.  Especially when it comes to breakfast.  If it doesn't involve cereal or a cereal bar, she normally does not want anything to do with it.  This of course makes me concerned because as her mom I don't feel like I'm doing everything possible to make sure she's eating balanced, nutritious meals.

Don't get me wrong, she gets plenty of whole grains, fruits and veggies.  The main area I run into problems with her is with protein.  It just doesn't feel right to feed her chicken nuggets for breakfast.  But she just won't eat anything else.  She won't eat eggs, bacon, ham, string cheese.  None of it!  What's a mom to do?!?!

Well, thank goodness for yogurt!  This is one source of protein she will eat!  I decided to press my luck and see if she would eat Greek yogurt.  We tried the Yopa! Greek Yogurt Strawberries with Nine Whole Grain Granola.  Luckily, I got a four pack because I will be honest, the first time she tried it, she wasn't a fan & I thought we were just going to have to go back to regular yogurt.  But I decided to give it another try & this time around we had better luck!  I think she just needed to get adjusted to the difference in textures between regular & Greek yogurts.  Either way, she ate it & that made this momma happy!!

So now we have a breakfast she likes that lets her get fruit, dairy, whole grains & protein all in one perfectly well balanced bowl! 

playing with her food

 

 

enjoying a bowl of Yopa! Greek Yogurt Strawberries with Whole Grain Granola

Speaking of balance, gold medalist Gabby Douglas is an expert, and she's challenging you to take the Yopa! Taste Challenge where you can win a variety of prizes, including $10,000! Just "like" Yopa! on Facebook for a chance to win.

DISCLOSURE:

I was selected for participation in this campaign as a member of Clever Girls Collective.  All opinions are my own.