It's very possible that starting a blog the same time as I was starting out my career wasn't the brightest idea... I can't seem to find time to update! Over the past few months, I've had idea after idea for blogposts and I literally just couldn't find a few spare moments to post! Being a first year teacher is tiring! (Be assured, however, that I'm still absolutely in love with what I'm doing...) My days are over before I feel like they've even begun, my mind races at 100 miles a minute, and it's all I can do to cook a decent meal, keep my apartment clean, and deliver quality lessons.
That being said, here I sit on a Sunday afternoon, a long to-do list in front of me with only three (out of many) items checked off, and I'm choosing YOU, blog friends, so you should feel special!
I am one of those people who is, and I don't say this lightly, obsessed with the Christmas season. I love the music, the cookies, the movies, the cookies, the smells, the cookies, the snow... I love it all! I set up my Christmas tree and decorated my apartment earlier in the week and put up my fresh evergreen garland that I ordered through a fundraiser at school, so my apartment smells wonderful!
Yesterday, I finished my Christmas shopping, and in the next few weeks, I will finish up my homemade gifts! (I will post about those after the holidays, of course, in case any of the gift's recipients frequent this blog!) It feels good to have it all accomplished, but it makes me a little sad, too. I think so often people rush through the holidays that they forget about the true spirit of Christmas. As I was shopping yesterday with my mom and sister at crowded shopping mall, I was shocked with the large amount of crankiness and general unfriendly attitude of people. I know that not everyone loves the holidays like I do, but c'mon people! It's Christmas! Life is too short to not enjoy every minute you're given... and Christmas shopping, time spent with family or friends picking out the perfect gift for a loved one, should be enjoyable. Who adds a minute to their life by giving dirty looks or bumping into someone and not saying excuse me?? Okay, I'll end this little mini rant here and get onto a recipe share!!
Chocolate Star Peanut Butter Cookies
These cookies are my favorite to make over the holidays. I used to make them with Hershey's kisses, but I always thought they were a bit too chocolate heavy (I know, say what?!). The kisses took away from the yummy peanut butter cookie, so I started using the milk chocolate stars from Brachs. 
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (2 sticks)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
1 bag Chocolate Stars
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- In mixer, beat together butter, peanut butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla.
- Slowly add dry ingredients.
- Form dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in sugar.
- Place on baking sheets about 1 inch apart. (They don't spread very much)
- Bake for 8 minutes.
- Remove from oven and quickly press 1 chocolate into each cookie. (You'll know the cookies are cooked for the right amount of time because when you press the star into them, they kind of I crack)
- Move to cooling rack.
Keep in mind that these cookies need to cool for quite awhile before they can be layered into a tupperware for storage... The chocolates take a looooong time to harden up.
Enjoy!
