Gooey Vanilla Sparkle Cookies

Thanks to Duncan Hines for sponsoring my writing. There’s no limit to the baking possibilities, so grab your favorite Duncan Hines mix and Comstock or Wilderness fruit fillings and Bake On! www.duncanhines.com.

Oh hi, who wants to talk about dessert? Or drinks? Or maybe holiday parties? How about a fancy sparkly dessert themed holiday party I’m throwing for my baby girl when she turns one this month? I’ve got myself on a pretty strict baking schedule to get as much as possible done in advance, so my house is FULL of sweets right now. After the cake near-disaster at Evan’s 2nd birthday, I decided maybe fancy frosting is little outside my skill set, in the same way running a marathon is outside my skill set. You think, come on, it’s just running. Anyone can run. Here, let me just run right into the kitchen and make a cake worthy of its own TLC special. Hahahahaha. Do you know HOW HARD it is to make frosting smooth? Imagine how hard you think it is. Now multiply that by one hundred. And then give up and go drink a glass of wine because it is not even worth trying.

The plan for Caroline’s first birthday is to stick with easily frosted cupcakes, lots of cookies…and cocktails for the grown ups. I firmly believe the best way to celebrate surviving the first year of a child’s life is with a stiff drink. Day drinking: It’s not just for lonely cat ladies anymore! Now it’s appropriate for women who haven’t slept more than 4 hours in a row in 365 days and don’t even try to tell me it’s not because I am too tired to argue and will probably just punch you in the face instead. And then go eat a cookie. Luckily, a little peppermint schnapps makes everything from hot cocoa to egg nog to champagne more festive – plus it tastes great with gooey vanilla sparkle cookies.

Gooey Vanilla Sparkle Cookies

1/2 cup butter softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 8-ounce package of cream cheese
1 box Duncan Hines French Vanilla cake mix
White sparkling sugar sprinkles (from the cake decorating section at the craft store)

Parchment paper

Beat butter, vanilla, egg and cream cheese in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add cake mix. Cover bowl and chill for at least 30 minutes, so dough is firmer and easier to roll. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay parchment paper on cookie sheets. Use a teaspoon to scoop out chilled dough. Roll into balls, then roll in sparkle sugar, pressing lightly to make it stick. Place cookies on the parchment paper, leaving room between for cookies to spread. Bake for 12 minutes or until edges start to brown slightly. The sugar crystals make them a little crunchy on the outside but the inside is super soft. Variations: add food coloring to make them match your color scheme, roll them in rainbow sprinkles or powdered sugar, or use chocolate cake mix instead. Happy Baking!

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Remember to check out Duncan Hines’ website www.duncanhines.com to find some great recipes for your holiday get-together! I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective.

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Tagged as: caroline's first birthday, cookies, delicious, dessert, duncan hines, food, recipes, sponsored