Creating the life you dream of, one essential oil at a time. Your complete guide to everything Young Living Essential Oils. Located in Dallas, Texas, USA.
Supplies for POO-Pourri Spray Witch Hazel (At your local grocery or online here) Vegetable Glycerin (I got mine at Hobby Lobby, but you can also find it here) 4 oz…
Essential Oils during a nice hot bath sounds wonderful in theory but if you are anything like me, taking the time to draw a bath is not on the priority…
If you are anything like me there are diffusers in several rooms throughout the house. Although traditional diffusers are great, sometimes there are spaces you need freshness but do not…
As the temperatures rise this summer our need for crisp, cool and refreshing increases exponentially! These fun essential oil inspired popsicles are fun enough for the kids but sophisticated enough…
Happy Summer Solstice! 🌞 The beginning of such a wonderful time of year! Everyone loves summer nights in the yard or by the lake but, let’s be honest, no one loves…
My whole life I have struggled with hormone-induced cystic acne. Over the years I have tried every spot treatment on the market, each one worked great for the occasional breakout…
Just in time for the weekend! This crisp and refreshing cocktail features the smooth vanilla of Crown Royal, the bright flavor of freshly squeezed lemon and the crisp finish of rosemary!…
What You’ll Need 4 oz glass bottle 2 tbsp hydrogen peroxide Juice of one large lemon 10 drops of Lemon Essential Oil ORDER HERE 10 drops of an additive Essential…
For me, nothing screams Memorial Day weekend and the start of summer break like an ice cold, creamy potato salad. The perfect potato salad in my eyes has crunch, tang,…
Creating unique and interesting ornaments at the holidays is always so much fun! The crafting, the conversation and the memories – always a great time to be had. For this…
Creating unique and interesting ornaments at the holidays is always so much fun! The crafting, the conversation and the memories – always a great time to be had. For this round of kid-friendly holiday crafts, we chose to use plastic ball ornaments!
As our base we used plastic clear ball ornaments, I got this 25 pack at Michaels – plenty to go around!
To embellish these ornaments we used various materials:
To attached the embellishments we utilized a mix of Quick Dry Tacky glue and hot glue *use caution – requires adult assistance/supervision*
For this ornament, we painted the tacky glue on the bottom of the ornament using our fingers. We then rolled it in a paper plate of fake snow and allowed to dry.
So simple and pretty!
These ornaments were especially easy!
Begin by cutting square pieces of holiday fabric. Wrap them around the ball and tie using fun ribbon or string. For some extra jazz, we added bells to each one.
The red ornament was painted using red craft paint and then sprinkled with white glitter for a beautiful snow effect!
Some of the ornaments were filled with surprises, like little snow globes and others were wrapped with candy cane string and red rickrack.
This beautiful snow globe ornament was then embellished with holiday ribbon and fake snow!
Always remember to write the artist’s name and year on each ornament so you can relive the memories every year!
Cherry chocolate is definitely one of my favorite flavor combinations of all time. Whether it be in ice cream, baked dessert or out of a box of chocolates – I always…
Cherry chocolate is definitely one of my favorite flavor combinations of all time. Whether it be in ice cream, baked dessert or out of a box of chocolates – I always seem to reach for it. This recipe offers those same great flavors you’ve come to love with a vegan option.
After creaming the vegan butter add the sugar, almond and vanilla extracts to the batter. Turning your mixer on low slowly drizzle in the cherry juice. Once the juice is mixed in add the flour and mix on low to create a soft dough. Once mixed completely pack tightly in the bottom of a bowl and place in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours (overnight is best) in an airtight container.
After dough has chilled roll into one in balls. *Dough must be firm and cold*. Using a Silpat or parchment, place cookies two inches apart. Indent the top of the cookie with your finger or a spoon. Stuff each indentation with vegan chocolate chips (fill to the brim).
Bake as instructed. Once removed from the oven use a butter knife or spoon to smooth out the melted chocolate.
Allow to set and enjoy! These cookies are light, fluffy and super moist!
Vegan cherry almond thumbprint cookies topped with melted vegan chocolate.
This cookie dough must be chilled, so plan accordingly.
Course
Dessert
Keyword
vegan
Prep Time5hours
Cook Time10minutes
Total Time5hours10minutes
Ingredients
3/4cupVegan Butter Substitute softened to room temperature
2/3cupGranulated Sugar
1teaspoonVanilla Extract
1/2teaspoonAlmond Extract
1TablespoonMaraschino Cherry Juice
2cupsAll-Purpose Flour
16Maraschino Cherriesdrained and chopped
1cupVegan Chocolate Chips
Instructions
Before you begin, ensure there is enough room in the freezer/refrigerator. This dough must be chilled before baking.
Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute.
Switch mixer to medium speed and add the sugar, vanilla and almond extracts. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl as needed.
With the mixer running on high, slowly drizzle in 1 Tablespoon of the cherry juice. Beat for 1 minute on high.
Turn the mixer off and pour the flour into the wet ingredients. Turn the mixer on low and slowly beat until a very soft dough is formed, then, with the mixer still running on low, add the chopped cherries. Beat just until the cherries are disbursed in the dough.
Press the dough down to compact it and tightly cover with plastic wrap to chill until firm, at least 4 hours (and up to 3 days). If the cookie dough is not sufficiently chilled, your cookies will spread all over the cookie sheet.
After Chilled
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats (silicone mats preferred to reduce spreading).
Shape the cookie dough into 1" balls. Make sure they're nice and smooth. If you find that the balls of dough are sticky and/or have gotten a little soft after rolling- place the balls of dough back into the refrigerator to firm up. You absolutely DO NOT want soft dough.
Press your thumb gently into the middle to indent the cookie. Drop vegan chocolate chips in the indention.
Bake for 10 minutes, or until very lightly browned on the edges. The cookies will puff up and spread slightly. Do not overbake.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then gently spread the melted chocolate to cover the center. Allow chocolate to set before stacking.
Recipe Notes
Make ahead tip: Store cookies covered at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for 6 days. Shortbread cookie dough may be frozen up to 2 months; baked cookies may be frozen up to 2-3 months.
Non-Vegan: Use real butter and Hershey Kisses. Once you take the cookies out of the oven place the Kiss on each cookie. Quickly transfer cookies to the fridge as to slow the melting process.
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a small commission.
Still looking for the perfect gift for friends at work or even your child’s teachers? Look no further – these DIY Essential Oil Bathbombs are fun to make and even…
Still looking for the perfect gift for friends at work or even your child’s teachers? Look no further – these DIY Essential Oil Bathbombs are fun to make and even better to receive!
To begin this craft make sure you have all your ingredients:
Start by combining all your dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Then combine the melted Coconut Oil, EVOO and Essential Oils in another small bowl. *I added some food color to my liquid ingredients. This did not work. I recommend adding dry powder food coloring*
SLOWLY add your liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients whisking constantly. If the mixture bubbles add wet ingredients even slower.
When choosing a mold, I chose the silicone one from Hobby Lobby mostly because you can make four at a time and they are smaller than your average bathbombs. After experimenting with this activity I would highly recommend beginning with a larger single mold like this one. The silicone mold made it difficult to compress the bathbombs.
For my first batch I used Lavender Essential Oils. For my next batches I would like to try Palo Santo, Peppermint and of course Stress Away.
If you enjoyed this activity please pin the image above!
One of the many things on the “to-do” list this time of year is holiday cards. Running short on time or funds? These fun finger painted holiday cards are just…
One of the many things on the “to-do” list this time of year is holiday cards. Running short on time or funds? These fun finger painted holiday cards are just the answer. Full of color and personality – each one an original piece of art.
Protection for your work area and wet paper towels
Using the black Sharpie doodle on each card the basis for each design, I did four designs:
A curly line, to look like Christmas Lights (add black squares at the base of each “bulb”)
Holly leaves, using a green marker
Straight vertical lines and bows, to look like hanging Christmas ornaments
Christmas Trees
Place a very small drop of paint on to the paper plate. Have your kiddo use their pointer finger (or assist them in this, if younger) to make fingerprints in the appropriate places on each card. We did one color at a time and completed all the cards.
For the ornaments we made bigger circles by spreading the paint out.
Continue adding different colors of paint. For this project I was lucky enough to barrow my 14 month old nephew. For us it was best to do two colors per sitting. 🙂 Kept him interested and attentive.
Finally allow to dry completely and sign with the artist name and the year on the front. Family and friends alike will LOVE these one of-a-kind masterpieces!
Like this craft? Please pin the above image and spread the cheer!
Anybody else firmly on the Salted Caramel trend train? 🚂 I absolutely love a good salty/savory combo. These buttery cookie bars, filled with chewy salted caramel are sure to be…
Anybody else firmly on the Salted Caramel trend train? 🚂 I absolutely love a good salty/savory combo.
These buttery cookie bars, filled with chewy salted caramel are sure to be a hit at any pot-luck or gathering!
To begin mix together butter, sugar, powdered sugar and vanilla until combined thoroughly. Then slowly add the flour, mix until dough forms.
Break off 1/3 of the dough. Place the larger portion of the dough in the refrigerator in an air-tight container. Press the smaller amount into the bottom of the pan being sure to fill the pan completely without any holes.
Bake at 325*F for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack (about 15 minutes).
While the first layer is cooking and cooling prepare your caramel layer. First, start by unwrapping all the caramel candies. Place candies in a microwave safe bowl and add cream. Microwave in one-minute intervals, stirring in between until caramels are melted completely and smooth. Once smooth stir in the vanilla.
Spread the melted caramel evenly over the bottom layer of cookie. Then sprinkle with coarse sea salt, be sure to use the full tablespoon. (On my first attempt I did not and the salt flavor was not noticeable.)
Remove the remaining dough from the refrigerator. Crumble into pieces and place over caramel layer until dough is gone.
Bake in a 325*F oven for an additional 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and firm.
Allow bars to cool completely before cutting. Store in airtight container for up to 5 days.
Preheat oven to 325°F. Prep a 9×13 baking dish by lining with parchment paper or coating with nonstick spray. Set aside.
In a bowl, mix the butter, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar together on medium speed for 2 minutes.
Add the vanilla and mix until combined.
Turn the mixer to low and add in the flour, mixing until a soft dough forms.
Press one-third of the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
Wrap the remaining dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until the edges are a pale golden brown. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool about 15 minutes.
Caramel:
While the bottom crust is baking and the remaining dough is chilling, make the caramel filling.
Place the unwrapped caramels in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the milk or cream. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and stir until smooth. If caramels are not completely melted, microwave on high for 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until smooth.
Once the caramel is melted add in your ½ teaspoon of vanilla and stir until combined.
Pour the caramel filling over the cooled crust. (If you are going to salt the caramel sprinkle it on caramel layer now.)
Remove the remaining chilled dough from the refrigerator and crumble it evenly over the salted caramel.
Return the pan to the oven and bake until the filling is bubbly and the crumbled shortbread topping is firm and lightly golden, about 25 – 30 minutes.
