Sally McKenney's Blog, page 146

Peppermint Mocha Cookies.

Have your peppermint mocha and eat it too.

Hey Monday! I’m back in Philly after a quick trip to Texas for my book tour. I’m all done for 2015. What a trip. Or should I say, 10 trips. This week I’m sleeping in, staying in my pajamas, getting back into my running routine (can I run in my PJs???), decorating the Christmas tree, and baking Christmas cookies until I’m tired of baking Christmas cookies. Which is NEVER.

I’m so excited to be home that I’m going to skip Jude instead of walk Jude. Should I sing a little tune as we skip down the street too? My poor neighbors. This post is weird. I’m going to put down my wine now. So what’s new with you? What did you do bake this weekend?

Before I left for Texas last week, I made a few new cookie recipes to share in my Christmas cookie palooza. First up this week are my soul-warming peppermint mocha cookies. Just like an actual peppermint mocha, but better. Because they’re COOKIES. That you can eat alongside your actual peppermint mocha and literally be the queen (or king!) of peppermint mocha things. Bows down. ♡

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© Sally’s Baking Addiction 2012

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Salted Caramel Cinnamon Macarons.

DIY French macaron cookies with cinnamon and salted caramel buttercream filling.

They’re baaaaaaack! And better than ever. My love for homemade French macarons hasn’t subsided in the past few months, so I decided to whip you up a new variation for your holiday baking. If it’s not the magical nougat chewiness in each delicate cookie, it’s the glittering sprinkle of cinnamon on top. Or maybe the salted caramel buttercream that draws me in? Yes. It’s definitely that.

Salted caramel runs through my veins.

Bottom line: you need to make salted caramel cinnamon macarons this weekend.

Before we get into recipe #5 in my annual Christmas cookie palooza, let me tell you what today is. Today, December 5th, is my last book tour stop of the year!! Like a complete freak, I’m getting teary eyed (again) as I type this. I’ve been to 18 cities in the past 2 months and today I’m in Houston. For the first time ever! Hoping to meet lots of you at Williams Sonoma (4060 Westheimer Rd) from 12-4pm. Stop by; I have oodles and oodles of candy samples for you.

Thank you for making this a wild and completely unforgettable book tour. The fun continues in February. Hoping to add more stops throughout 2016 as well. So stay tuned! And scroll down for a giveaway to celebrate. ♥

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© Sally’s Baking Addiction 2012

The post Salted Caramel Cinnamon Macarons. appeared first on Sallys Baking Addiction.

Salted Caramel Cinnamon Macarons & a Cookbook Giveaway.

DIY French macaron cookies with cinnamon and salted caramel buttercream filling.

They’re baaaaaaack! And better than ever. My love for homemade French macarons hasn’t subsided in the past few months, so I decided to whip you up a new variation for your holiday baking. If it’s not the magical nougat chewiness in each delicate cookie, it’s the glittering sprinkle of cinnamon on top. Or maybe the salted caramel buttercream that draws me in? Yes. It’s definitely that.

Salted caramel runs through my veins.

Bottom line: you need to make salted caramel cinnamon macarons this weekend.

Before we get into recipe #5 in my annual Christmas cookie palooza, let me tell you what today is. Today, December 5th, is my last book tour stop of the year!! Like a complete freak, I’m getting teary eyed (again) as I type this. I’ve been to 18 cities in the past 2 months and today I’m in Houston. For the first time ever! Hoping to meet lots of you at Williams Sonoma (4060 Westheimer Rd) from 12-4pm. Stop by; I have oodles and oodles of candy samples for you.

Thank you for making this a wild and completely unforgettable book tour. The fun continues in February. Hoping to add more stops throughout 2016 as well. So stay tuned! And scroll down for a giveaway to celebrate. ♥

(more…)

© Sally’s Baking Addiction 2012

The post Salted Caramel Cinnamon Macarons & a Cookbook Giveaway. appeared first on Sallys Baking Addiction.

Mocha Cheesecake Brownies.

The best of all desserts.

Why, hello beautiful. 

Toasted Pecan Snowballs.

A cookie with many names, but always a classic favorite. All made in 1 bowl!

QUICK. What you do you call these? Because I’ve asked over a dozen people (psycho cookie lady alert) and I got all different answers.

Russian teacakes, butterballs, Mexican wedding cookies, Mexican teacakes, snowdrops, pecan snowballs, the list goes on. Well no. That was about it. But I went insane over what to call these on my blog.

“Snowballs” it is because it sounds adorable. Welcome to recipe #3 in my annual Christmas cookie palooza, everyone!

These cookies have been around for decades and are often overlooked in favor of cookies with chocolate, caramel, or smiles. We all get it; they’re not the most exciting cookies on the cookie tray! But there’s just something about them that has me coming back every single December. Maybe it’s all the butter? Well, yes. But it’s most definitely the melt-in-your-mouth texture. They’re dense, tender on the inside, and very crumbly. Sort of like that crumbliness we love in scones.

They’re surprisingly irresistible. You can’t stop at one!

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© Sally’s Baking Addiction 2012

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November in Photos.

Interrupting your regularly scheduled cookie palooza recipe to share my completely absurd, yet exciting, inspiring, and unforgettable month of November. From Baltimore and NYC to St. Louis and Chicago to Pittsburgh and Cleveland and back in Philly. Meeting so many of you. ♥

And all your smiling faces!

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© Sally’s Baking Addiction 2012

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My Favorite Gingerbread Men Recipe.

Here is my favorite gingerbread men recipe! Soft in the centers, crisp on the edges, perfectly spiced, molasses and brown sugar-sweetened holiday goodness. 

So did you do any shopping on cyber monday yesterday?! I did a little Christmas shopping for Kevin but won’t go into too much detail in the off chance he is reading this. (He doesn’t read this.) Also got presents for my sisters and MAYBE another Christmas ornament for… my dog. What? It was on sale.

So anyway! Welcome to day 2 of my Christmas Cookie Palooza. A huge party filled with butter, sprinkles, melted chocolate on our sleeves, and flour all over our faces. Is that just me? Marathon cookie baking is soooo glamorous in my kitchen.

Yesterday I shared a classic holiday cookie and I decided to repeat the traditional trend today as well. Whenever I think of Christmas cookies, gingerbread men come to mind first. Well, after these of course! It’s something about them. Their spice. Their molasses flavor. Their smiles. Their charm! (Aren’t they charming looking?? Seriously look at them!) Gingerbread cookies, you have my heart. And stomach.

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© Sally’s Baking Addiction 2012

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Double Chocolate Crinkle Cookies.

Here is my recipe for undoubtedly fudgy classic crinkle cookies. With a little extra chocolate for good measure!

Welcome bake! (I just typed that. I meant welcome BACK.) 

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Truffles + 6 Easy Christmas Candy Recipes.

Dark chocolate, peppermint, smooth, silky, simple chocolate goodness!

Hope you’re all enjoying the long Thanksgiving weekend. Back to the grind tomorrow. What have you been up to all weekend?! Did you see my Thanksgiving feast? I’m still recovering from the potatoes and pie overload.

I have so, so many recipes coming up. We’re talking almost every single day for the next two weeks. Like a complete weirdo, I’ve been working on my Christmas season recipe list for over 6 months. And got to testing, baking, and shooting them the past few weeks. I hope you enjoy the total holiday dessert madness!

We’re kicking things off this Sunday morning with some suuuuuuper rich chocolate truffles. Some of you actually got to taste these at my Pittsburgh book signing a couple weeks ago. They’re dark chocolate and peppermint flavored, impeccably creamy, and silky smooth. Not a single one left! A few readers said they needed a little more peppermint flavor to really shine through underneath all the dark chocolate. I agreed! So I tested the recipe again using a little more extract. Perfection. Holiday perfection. You’re going to flip for ’em!

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© Sally’s Baking Addiction 2012

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Thanksgiving Feast-ing.

Happy black Friday! Do you go out shopping each year? Sometimes I partake, but this year I avoided the mass crowds. Instead, we are decorating the tree.

Tell me about your Thanksgiving. What did you make? I saw so many of you making my recipes on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter and it truly made my Thanksgiving even more special. I kept checking in. I loved seeing it all! So, thank you for making me part of your day. ♥

We all went to my parent’s house. My sister and brother-in-law are in town from St. Louis, and my other sister and fiancé and a few friends came by too. It was an all-day event with turkey, dogs, a little too much pie (is there such a thing on Thanksgiving?!), and plenty of wine. I was going to post some of our Thanksgiving feast photos on my photo blog, but figured the pics belonged right here. As most of the recipes pretty much live on this space too!

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© Sally’s Baking Addiction 2012

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