Rainbow Cookies

rain·bow

ˈrānˌbō

noun

1. an arch of colors formed in the sky in certain circumstances, caused by the refraction and dispersion of the sun's light by rain or other water droplets in the atmosphere.

I like my definition better: freakin' awesome.

You know what's even better than a rainbow? Rainbow + cakes, rainbow + cupcakes, rainbow + cookies... you see what I'm saying? I decided to make rainbow cookies for a birthday party, based on this post by GoodLifeEats. They look almost too perfect, don't they? That's because they are. Your cookies will not come out like this. If they do, you should start your own business called, "Magic Rainbow Delight" and I will be your first customer. However, if you're like me and NOT an expert baker, I guarantee you'll come up with a cookie that doesn't look anything like the original but will still be to your liking.

To start, make some sugar cookies. I made mine from scratch, because in the comments she says they're delicious but really, they're just meh. The Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix will probably produce the same result and will taste better. But, if you're insistent on making these from scratch, here's what you'll need:

1 1/2 cups of unsalted butter (3 sticks)

2 cups of sugar

2 whole eggs AND

2 whole egg yolks

4 teaspoons of vanilla extract

2 teaspoons of almond extra

4 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of baking powder

Food coloring

Start by combining the butter and sugar and beat well for a good two minutes. It should be very light and fluffy. After two minutes, add the eggs and egg yolks. Once those are mixed in, add the vanilla and almond extract.

Note the paddle attachment, not the whisk

In a separate medium to large bowl (since it is a lot of flour), combine the flour, salt, and baking powder and whisk together. Slowly add to the wet ingredients until just combined.

Now if you have a kitchen scale, you can use that to evenly divide the dough six ways. If you don't, like me, just eyeball it. Wilton food gel is awesome for vibrant colors - these are the six I used:

So the dough went from this...

To this...

Put the dough in individual saran wrap or plastic bags and stick on the fridge. The original post says "until firm, about an hour or two." I had mine in the fridge for 7 hours and it still wasn't firm but I wasn't waiting any longer.

Use flour to roll out the dough (so it doesn't stick to the table or the rolling pin) approximately 6"x9".

Layer the dough in rainbow order and I recommend having a piece of saran wrap underneath the layers so it'll be easier to wrap up once you're done.

Now you're supposed to cut off the edges so they're clean cuts but my dough was so greasy and soft (even after 7 hours!) that it was a little sloppy but eh, oh well.

Wrap in saran wrap and they say "freeze for several hours." Well, I was going to bed and didn't want it to be rock hard when I woke up, so I put it in the fridge for 10 hours. I should have put it in the freezer, though, because it was still pretty soft.

When you take it out, you should be able to slice 1/4" thick pieces and cut them in half to create rectangles. 

I found this to work only half the time. As the dough got softer, it wasn't as easy to slice so I decided to make some rectangles, some with a cookie cutter (which I don't recommend), some as rainbows, and with the leftovers? Combine them to make rainbow-colored cookies! Let them set one more time = in the freezer = until you're ready to bake.

Once you're ready, bake them at 350 for as long as it takes (the original post says 6-10 minutes but mine took 15 minutes) and let them cool before devouring. But here's the thing: the point of keeping them in the freezer is so they won't expand as much... but you can't tell me that rainbow isn't bloated. So the whole freezing thing? Seems like a waste of time.

But there you have it folks! Rainbow cookies for a birthday party, a St. Patrick's day get-together, or gay pride this month! Sure they don't look anything like the original post, but that's ok. No two rainbows are ever the same!

TOTAL COSTS: Less than $20 to make over 2 dozen (prices from Vons)

$.99 for butter 

$2.69 for sugar

$2.49 for eggs

$4.99 for almond extra

$3.29 for flour

$.99 for salt

$1.99 for baking powder

Food coloring on hand and vanilla extract homemade

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 21 hours
15 minutes to make the dough
20 minutes to color the dough
7 hours to let set
40 minutes to roll out and layer
10 hours to set
30 minutes to cut out pieces
2 hours to let freeze
15 minutes to bake

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 3 out of 5
I suppose if I had put the dough in the freezer when slicing the pieces instead of the fridge, it would have been easier to slice. I was just afraid the dough would have been rock hard. Nonetheless, I'm happy with the outcome. They're not the best tasting cookies I've ever had, but they're definitely the most colorful!

Irish Soda Bread

Happy St. Patrick's Day! In the spirit of the holiday, what better day to make traditional Irish soda bread? Honestly, I had never made it before (never even heard of it before!) but when my husband said it was delicious, and it wouldn't take 2-3 hours to make because there's no yeast that needs to rise, I gave it a shot. Now the original post from Spoonful is written by an actual Irish woman, so I trust her recipe. However, I made a few adjustments (such as converting the measurements for you below and giving a helpful hint near the end). Here's what you'll need:


* 1 1/2 C of white flour
* 1/2 C of whole wheat flour
* 1 teaspoon of baking soda
* 1 teaspoon of butter (but I did a Tablespoon and it came out great!)
* 1 1/2 C of buttermilk
* (optional) A fist full of oat bran

First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Next, if you have a sieve, lay it over the rim of the bowl and sieve the white flour and baking soda. If you don't, you can use a sifter like I did.

Once you're done, pour in the whole wheat flour.

Using your fingers, rub the butter into the mixture and lift the mixture above the bowl so as to let in as much air as possible. This isn't going to rise as much as a typical loaf of bread so this is an important step.

If you want, you can add the oat bran here (it's a good source of fiber).

Pour in your buttermilk all at once and using your hands, combine it to form a dough in a circular pattern.

Don't overmix it or it will become dense and clumpy when baked so combine the buttermilk until you're able to put the dough onto a floured surface. I know, it'll look like the blob but that's ok.

Add flour until you're able to form the dough into a ball. Note that your hands will get covered in dough (I had to wash my hands 2 or 3 times during the kneading!)

Roll it out until it's roughly 1" thick.

Flour your pan or baking tray. I decided to use a 9" cake pan, since it closely resembled what the original post used.

Now here's where I changed it a bit... instead of cutting into the bread and then putting it in the pan, put it in the pan first. Trust me, it won't be easy transferring it and if you do all the cutting and poking first, you'll just have to redo it. So, put the dough in the pan, make a shallow cross-cut over the dough, and poke the top using a fork.

Put it in your oven for 35-45 minutes (every oven is different so just keep an eye on it) but 5-10 minutes before you take it out, flip the bread over in the pan and cook the underside to darken the bottom. I took it out at 35 minutes and it looked great! I recommend putting butter or jam on it as soon as it comes out of the oven and eating it with some corned beef and cabbage! Slainte!

TOTAL COSTS: About $10 (if you don't have any of the ingredients - prices from Vons)

$3.29 for flour and whole wheat flour
$1.59 for baking soda
$.99 for butter
$2.39 for buttermilk
Oat bran optional

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 1 hour

25 minutes of prepping

35 minutes of baking

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 2 out of 5

It's not as simple as pouring ingredients in a pan and sticking it in the oven, but it's pretty close. You might have some difficulty with the kneading because it will be very wet at first but keep adding flour until you're ready to put it in the pan!

Black & Tan Brownies

With St. Patrick's Day around the corner, black and tan brownies are a great holiday treat! Now I'm not a fan of beer, and the recipe does call for Guinness, but I promise you can't taste it one bit. I found this recipe on FloridianWeddings (as they would make great groomsmen gifts!) so whether you're celebrating the groom or celebrating the holiday, make up a batch and enjoy!

For the Tan brownies:
* 6 Tablespoons of softened butter
* 1 1/2 cups of lightly packed brown sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
* 1 C of all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon of baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon of salt

For the Black brownies:
* 3 ounces of dark or bittersweet chocolate
* 4 Tablespoons of butter
* 1 C of granulated sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
* 1 C of Guinness Stout
* 1 C of all-purpose flour
* 1/4 teaspoon of salt

Preheat your oven to 350 and butter the bottom and sides of your 9x13 pan. Take a piece of parchment paper, lay it down, and butter the top of it. The point of this is to not burn the Tan brownies because they'll be in the oven twice and that will prevent that from happening. Hopefully.

To make the Tan brownies, combine your brown sugar and butter until it's light and fluffy (I gave it ample time - about 5 minutes in the mixer). Then add your eggs and vanilla. While those are mixing, combine your dry ingredients in a small bowl (the flour, baking powder, and salt). Add the dry ingredients to the mixer, beating until just combined.

Pour out the mixture into your greased-up pan and using a knife or spatula, try to make the batter as flat as possible (since you'll be adding the Black brownie mixture on top later). The original recipe suggested 15 minutes in the oven on the lowest rack but I had to double the time to 30 minutes because the batter wasn't completely baked. Every oven will be different, so be sure to stick a toothpick in the middle and if it comes out clean, then you're ready for the Black brownie mixture to be laid on top.

While the Tan brownies are baking, melt your chocolate and butter in the microwave in 10-15 second intervals until completely melted. If it helps, you can chop the chocolate before placing in the microwave. It only took me 45 seconds total - keep a watchful eye on the chocolate because you definitely don't want to burn it! 

Once it's smooth, add your sugar, eggs, vanilla, and Guinness. Be sure to stir with a whisk until it's well combined!

In a small bowl, combine your flour and salt, then add your chocolate/Guinness mixture until it's well combined.

Pour the mixture over the Tan brownies (once they're completely baked, as you don't want to mix layers) and put it in the oven on the middle rack for at least 30 minutes. The original post says 30, but I had to put them in for almost 45 before they were completely done!

Let them cool before cutting into squares and voila! Your black and tan brownies are complete! No, you won't be able to get drunk off of them (I didn't even use a full bottle!) but they will be a delicious treat for the leprechaun in your family!

TOTAL COSTS: About $30 (assuming you don't have any ingredients - prices from Vons)
$.79 for butter
$2.49 for sugar
$2.99 for eggs
$4.99 for vanilla
$1.99 for baking powder
$3.29 for flour
$2.50 for chocolate
$5.77 for Guinness 6-pack
$2.99 for parchment paper
$1.99 for salt

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: About 1 hour, 45 minutes

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 2 out of 5
If you have a difficult time making regular brownies, then this probably isn't the recipe for you. However, if that's no problem, all you're doing is making two types of brownies on top of each other. Relatively easy, looks cool, and tastes good too!

Girl Scouts Thin Mint Truffles

Ok, the title should have done the trick to get you to try this recipe. I found this post on SixSistersStuff and it's nothing short of amazing. Who needs drugs or alcohol when there's Girl Scouts cookies in the world?! And to make them St. Patrick's appropriate, they're green! To make these oh-so-delicious treats for your little leprechauns, you'll need:


1 box of Girl Scouts Thin Mint Cookies

4 oz. of cream cheese (though to be honest, I probably used 6oz)

Candy coating

Green food coloring

The original post also used green mint chips but I couldn't find any so I left them out of the recipe.


If you own a food processor, go ahead and put the two package of Thin Mints from the box in there and pulse until they're crumbs. If you're like me and don't own anything that fancy, grab a plastic bag and a hammer and get to pounding!

Once the Thin Mints are but mere crumbs, add your cream cheese. Now as I said, I had to add more creme cheese than what was recommended because there were so many crumbs, but I didn't want to have to throw any away!

Using your hands, take the Thin Mint/cream cheese mixture, roll it into a ball, and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. I was able to make 18 truffles of various sizes. Once they're rolled up and on wax paper, stick them in the fridge for 30 minutes to harden.

Meanwhile, melt your candy coating (I usually do this in the last 5 minutes of waiting for the truffles to harden).

Now you can dye the chocolate, add peppermint extract, do whatever you like! I dyed half of it white and half green, drizzled some on top, and added sprinkles. Place them back in the fridge to harden and voila! Your very own Thin Mint truffles!

TOTAL COSTS: About $10
$4 for a box of Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies
$4.49 for CandiQuik
$1.99 for 8oz. of cream cheese

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 1 hour
20 minutes to make the truffles
30 minutes to let harden in the fridge
10 minutes to cover in candy coating/chocolate

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 2 out of 5
It's a no-bake recipe so it's not difficult at all, it can just get a bit messy when you're making the balls and you have to be careful not to burn the chocolate, but other than that they're....ummm... well, now in my stomach. Oops.

Zombie Poker Card Hair Pin

Planning a trip to Vegas? Love zombies? Have a regular game night? This might be the perfect accessory for all those situations and, if you really want to stretch it, could be for St. Patrick's Day as well (I only used the clubs in this case). Yeah, that last one might be a bit of a stretch... but it's relatively quick and easy to make and I can guarantee no one else will have anything like it! I found this post originally on Instructables. To make this you'll need:

1. A template to cut out the large, medium, and small pieces. I used the original's template, however I suppose you could just as easily make your own!

2. Card stock paper (for the template)

3. A deck of cards

4. Something to draw the template on the cards. A marker smeared, a pencil hardly showed, so I found a pen worked the best!

5. Glue - hot glue, glue stick, whatever you've got!

6. Something to put in the center. I thought of using a gemstone or a dime but found a better idea - see below!

7. A hair pin/barrette/clip/etc.

8. Scissors

First, print and cut out your three templates on card stock. Once they're cut out, place them on top of the following cards, trace around them with a pen, and cut them out:

* Large template over the top corner of the Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10 cards

* Medium template over the number and suit of the 9, 8, 7, 6, and 5 cards

* Small template over the faces of the King, Queen, and Jack

Once all the pieces are cut out, fold the bottoms of each card up and cut a slit in the middle of each, up until the crease.

Slightly bend all the cards so they'll won't lie flat. You'll want them to pop out a bit once you're at the gluing stage.

Now the original post recommended gluing all the large cards in order (10, J, Q, K, A) in the top-right corner and once dry, pulling the Ace and 10 cards together to create the circle. I spent a good 10 minutes trying to do that and I failed miserably. Instead, I glued the bottom right corner of each card and created the circle that way. Don't worry if it's not perfect, it'll hardly be seen!

Once your large cards are glued together, take your medium cards and glue them on top in the middle.

And finally, take your three small cards and glue them in the middle as well.

Now you'll want to find something roughly the size of a dime. I used the back of one of the cards, used a dime as a template, and glued it in the center. It's a nice bloody touch, don't you think?

Glue your pin/barrette/clip to the back. Note that this could just as well work as a broach - it doesn't have to go in your hair.

And voila! Your unique accessory is complete!

TOTAL COSTS: $2.99

$2.99 for the Bicycle Zombies cards from Walgreens

Card stock, pen, scissors, hot glue, and hair pin all on hand

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 1 hour

However, I spent 10 minutes trying to figure out how to glue just the large pieces in a circle so you might have better luck and get it done faster!

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 2 out of 5

The only difficult part is gluing the large pieces into a circle, however it's really not that hard, it's just a little frustrating if you're OCD like me!