Sweet as Sugar & as Naughty as Egg Nog Holiday Cookie Recipe with SPLENDA®!

Today's discussion is sponsored by SPLENDA®.

One of my favorite parts of celebrating the holiday season is all the sweets involved. From chocolate covered everything to super sweet sugar cookies, I'm loving being able to share the spirit of the holidays with delicious dessert recipes! While I love real sugar, I know that my body holds onto it forever and ever, so I try to limit myself... luckily, that's where SPLENDA® comes into the picture.

I know you've heard of SPLENDA® whether you've had it in your coffee or tried it in a recipe - it's a brand we all know and love and the cookie recipe I'm sharing today is one inspired by the brand.
The original recipe (found here) is actually really easy to follow but since I like to mix things up, I added my own little touch to the cookies - adding a delicious Egg Nog icing and instead of baking them with real flour, I opted to make my cookies gluten-free with coconut flour!

If you want a cookie that'll leave you wanting more, these are the Sweet as Sugar & as Naughty as Egg Nog cookies you've been looking for! If Santa wants something a little different this year, these are definitely the cookies to make for him!

Ingredients:

Cookies:
    1 cup unsalted butter, softened    
1 cup SPLENDA® Sugar Blend
2 large eggs    
2 teaspoons vanilla extract    
3 cups coconut flour   
1 teaspoon baking powder    
½ teaspoon salt



Icing:
1/4 cup vanilla egg nog

3 cups confectioners sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
a few pinches of cinnamon

You'll start this recipe by preheating the oven to 325 degrees, then begin beating the butter at a low speed in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until it has a creamy texture. Gradually adding the SPLENDA® Sugar Blend, mixing it well.

Next you'll add the eggs into the mix, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Following the original recipes directions, now is the time to stir in vanilla.

Next you'll combine the coconut flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate mixing bowl.

Slowly add flour mixture to SPLENDA® sugar blend, beating until completed blended.

Form dough into balls and flatten slightly or place into a silcone mold.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until slightly browned.

Remove from oven and let cool, while the cookies are cooling you can prep the icing.

Mix the butter and vanilla eggnog on low with an electric mixer. Adding confectioners sugar about a cup at a time to the mixture and mixing until smooth each time. Spoon into a piping bag and chill in refrigerator for a few minutes.

Once the cookies have completely cooled, add icing, and little sprinkles or candies!

Enjoy!

While the Sweet as Sugar and as Naughty as Eggnog Cookies are delicious, there are so many amazing Sweet Swaps™ Recipe ideas found here and you can easily get a bag of SPLENDA® from Walmart to get baking right away! Which recipe do you want to make first?

Holiday Traditions & Hickory Farms Gifts

Thanks to Hickory Farms for sponsoring today's discussion.

It's obvious that I love the holidays, with the joy that's spread through out the season and the loving times I get to spend with family - what's not to love? While hubby and I are celebrating our 7th Christmas married this year, we're still working on building traditions of our own but we both have traditions we follow with our families and those traditions truly matter to us!

This year we're going to try to make new traditions while traveling, with having to make so many stops along our journey in the midwest to see all of our family it should be an adventure. One new tradition that I'm super excited about is our little off-the-beaten-path vacation we're plotting and hopefully going to take. We'll be driving all the way home so we want to stop a few beautiful places along the way and hopefully we'll make a random stop a tradition each year. With that said, another new tradition that I love to partake in around the holidays includes giving (and receiving) food as gifts and now it includes tea parties! What better way to any person's heart than through their tummies & taste buds?!

Receiving a fancy tea party package in the mail from Hickory Farms recently was an amazing experience! With two wonderful tea selections, Belgian truffles, Pretzels, Fruit Spread, and Biscuits - I felt like I had stepped into a regal tea party the second I laid eyes on my new collection!

While I was enjoying my "biscuits" and tea, I suddenly realized I knew just the right person to surprise with a Hickory Farms box first. I decided to check out the variety of gift baskets I could send and realized I could check almost every one off of my list!

Are you a foodie wanting to celebrate the upcoming holiday the right way? I bet you are wondering where can you buy Hickory Farms for your family? Hickory Farms' food gifts are available at Holiday market locations, on HickoryFarms.com, and at most big box retailers!

Not only can you buy Hickory Farms at those locations, you can win an awesome Hickory Farms giveaway here on the blog! Simply fill out the giveaway tools form below & leave a comment completing one simple sentence, "Traditions matter because..." - I may include your quote in an upcoming post as well!

Entry-Form

Disclaimer: Compensation and products for review were provided by Hickory Farms via MomTrends. I received a free sample of the product for the purpose of this review and to facilitate a giveaway.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Hickory Farms. Must be 18+ to enter to win, US residents only. Lauren Paints | a beautiful life is not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prizes, all information submitted via the form is only submitted to LaurenPaints.com. 

Well, now that you've had your chance to enter to win an awesome giveaway and I've shared one of my favorite ways to treat others (and myself), I suppose it's time for you to treat yourself as well!

The Perfect Holiday Treat: Chocolate Ice Cream Cone Cups wtih Egg Nog & Hot Chocolate! #ShareYourDelight

The holidays are quickly approaching, which can only mean one thing, I'm preparing desserts and tasty little treats a little more often and our house may or may not be covered in gold glitter, tinsel, and Christmas lights. I'm all about getting into the holiday spirit, whether that be giving thanks or spreading cheer - I love the joy and merriness surrounding this season.

While our house is full of reminders of our childhood and little bits of joy, our bellies are craving something familiar and delicious and that's where International Delight comes into the picture. Their delicious line of Egg Nog and Hot Chocolate are the perfect compliment to any winter celebration! With flavors that capture the holidays perfectly, I can't imagine a better drink to fill my cup with as I reminisce about Christmas' past.

While our cup runneth over with joy and delicious International Delight, this leads me to what I really want to share with you today. These tasty little cup alternatives are the BEST way to serve hot chocolate or egg nog to your friends and family, plus there's no dishes involved after the party because your guests can eat the cups!

These super simple to prepare ice cream cone cups are such a fun and inventive way to serve up something delicious to all of your party guests and if you feel so inclined they'd be the perfect little something to hand out to carolers as well! If you're in the giving spirit then I suggest you grab an apron and your best mixing bowl and let's get started!

For this super simple ice cream cone recipe you will need:

International Delight Hot Chocolate
International Delight Egg Nog (Classic and/or Vanilla)
2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 package of ice cream cones
sprinkles
whipped topping (optional)

To get this cup making party started, melt the chocolate chips as directed on package.

Fill each of the ice cream cones quickly with the melted chocolate, letting each one drip the excess for a few seconds but making sure there are NO HOLES in the chocolate coating.

Next you'll dip the chocolate covered cone directly into a small bowl of sprinkles and place it on a cookie tray with wax paper or foil, if possible.

That's it! Stick these adorable little cups into the refrigerator for a few hours (or in the freezer for a few minutes) until the chocolate has set and they are ready to serve!

Now's the fun part, choose your favorite International Delight product: Hot Chocolate, Dark Hot Chocolate, Vanilla Egg Nog or Classic Egg Nog! Fill each cup up with your beverage of choice within a few minutes of serving, make them a little prettier with a dash of whipped topping, and a pinch of sprinkles and you're all set to enjoy the best little treat you've ever tried!

Try not having a good time with a drink like this in your hands! From the rich flavors of the ID Egg Nog to the comforting taste of the Hot Chocolate, your family and friends are bound to be smiling from ear to ear as they sip on their favorite drink... and then eat their cup afterwards! That's what the holidays are really all about in my mind, spreading joy to everyone.

So now that I've shared a super fun way to get into the holiday spirit with everyone's favorite seasonal drinks, I think I should let you know something. If you visit InternationalDelight.com and share how ID helps you capture the holiday spirit you could win a $5,000 holiday brunch hosted by International Delight!

I guess I should also let you know, if you click over now, you can score a coupon - so what are you waiting for? It's time to get into the holiday spirit with International Delight!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of International Delight. The opinions and text are all mine.

Simple + So Delicious: Elevated Peanut Butter Ball Recipe

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SpreadTheMagic #CollectiveBias

Creamy, with a little bit of crunch, covered in chocolate and coated with sprinkles... What's not to love about an elevated version of peanut butter balls? I've always had a thing for the delicious little pieces of heaven my grandmother tends to make only around the holidays. They are like gold in my family, we literally divide them into equal portions for each of us girls and we each take a bag home... They are that good!

But the thing is, my tastes have changed as I've gotten a little older and I was looking for something to give these balls a little more oomph... so today I'm sharing how I elevated one of my favorite recipes from good to amazeballs, with the help of Peter Pan Simply Ground Peanut Butter! Why is this peanut butter better than the others? It's the perfect mixture of creamy and crunchy, with a taste that you'll crave! Plus, it has no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives!

I not only changed the recipe for the peanut butter balls by choosing a better peanut butter; I decided to add sprinkles, a fruit preserve drizzle, or a tiny pinch of coconut to my peanut butter balls as well. This recipe really is amazing and you can grab everything you'll need in one quick run to Walmart!

You will need:
1 jar of Peter Pan Simply Ground Peanut Butter

3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

1 stick salted butter
2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 tbsp shortening
Sprinkles, Shredded Coconut, Fruit Preserve or other "toppings"

You'll be happy to find out this recipe is super easy! You'll begin by mixing the peanut butter and butter together with a handheld mixer. Once combined start slowly adding in confectioners sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time.

Once all of the confectioners sugar is added into the bowl, continue mixing until the "dough" starts to form one giant ball. Place in your refrigerator for at least an hour, maybe longer if you live in warm climate like Florida. Now remove the giant peanut butter ball from the fridge and try to refrain from eating it! You'll want to start rolling about 1inch sized balls, placing them onto a wax covered cookie sheet.

Once all the dough is rolled, you'll want to place your peanut butter balls back into the fridge until they feel dense and chilled to the touch.

Once your PB balls fit this description, you'll want to begin melting your chocolate according to package directions - although, I will mention that I tend to add in 1 tbsp shortening to make it easier to coat the PB balls! Once the chocolate is melted, remove the PB balls from the fridge and place a toothpick in each one and begin dipping into the melted chocolate quickly.

Using a large spoon and drizzling chocolate with the other spoon seems to be the easiest way to coat a peanut butter ball... and here's a little tip to prevent a mess: holding the ball in the left hand, tap your left wrist with your right hand. This slight tapping motion is the only way to rid your peanut butter ball of access chocolate without making a mess, you can thank me for that later when your counter tops aren't covered in chocolate splatter!

Now quickly add sprinkles or coconut to the peanut butter balls of choice, drizzling a few with a room temperature fruit preserve as well.

Place back into the refrigerator for a few hours and they're ready to serve and so delicious!

It's that easy to get these amazing little treats ready for your next event. Whether you are looking for a way to treat your family this Thanksgiving or wanting to surprise your family with a homemade treat for Christmas, this super easy peanut butter ball recipe using Peter Pan Simply Ground Peanut Butter is the answer!

So tell me, what recipe will you add this creamy, yet slightly crunchy peanut butter to? I love anything that involves peanut butter so I can't wait to hear all about your delicious PB-inspired ideas! Don't forget to snag this coupon for 50 cents off your next jar of Peter Pan Simply Ground Peanut Butter!

Ruby Rocket's Snack Time + Pies Made with Planetary Pink Lemonade Pops!

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Ruby Rocket’s. I received product samples to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

I snack to live and I live to snack. As a foodie with a passion for tasty-ness and fitness, I've had to learn how to snack on healthy foods. With amazing new additions to my diet like broccoli based slaw and ice pop-based pies, I can say that I'm trying all kinds of new healthy foods and absolutely loving them!

Today I want to share a creative recipe for my mini ice pop pies with you, using Ruby Rocket's delicious and nutritious pops! I decided to use Planetary Pink Lemonade for the recipe this time around but these little pop pies are the perfect little finger food in every Ruby Rocket's flavor! Since these pops come in such a variety of flavors like Celestial Cherry, Far Out Fudge, Meteorite Mango, Gravity Grape, Galaxy Green, Rock-It Red, and Orbit Orange; I never know which flavor to choose since they are all so amazing!

I love Ruby Rocket's any time of the day, post work out or in between errands on a busy, busy day... but sometimes I like to mix things up a bit and since they sent me a whole freezer full of ice pops I decided to play around and make a recipe or two.

These mini frozen pop pies are the best finger food I've had in a long time, they would be perfect as a quickly served Hors d'oeuvre for any occasion this winter - with just the right amount of sweet and creamy flavors, they almost taste like a super creamy pink lemonade cheesecake and are bound to be a hit!

Want to make a batch of these beautiful little tiny finger foods?

You will need:

1 box of Planetary Pink Lemonade Ruby Rocket's Pops
1 container of Marshmallow Fluff
2 tbsp Powdered Sugar
1 package GF Graham Crackers
1 1/2 tbsp Butter, melted

To make this fantastic little dish, you'll begin by melting the Planetary Pink Lemonade Pops. I defrosted my pops in my microwave for a few minutes and they came out cool still and completely melted. This is how I recommend getting your pops into a liquid state, but you could always leave them out on the counter and allow them to melt naturally as well.

While your pops are melting, place the graham crackers into a food processor and blend until it's a crumb texture. Add in melted butter and stir.

Once your pops are melted, you'll mix in two cups of Marshmallow fluff and 2 tbsp powdered sugar, stir until thoroughly combined.

Add a layer of graham cracker crust in each little holder in a mini muffin silicone pan, then pour mixture into each holder as well.

Refrigerate until your pop pies are a solid state, (approximately 4 hours).

Enjoy!

The best part of using Ruby Rocket's as a main ingredient: they are made with all real foods that a kindergartner could pronounce, they are no more than 40 calories, gluten free, dairy free, non-GMO, and are made with a unique ingredient - monk fruit. Monk fruit is similar to sugar in taste but it doesn't have all the calories so it makes the perfect addition to these tasty ice pops!

Now we know these pops contain all kinds of tasty fruits and veggies, but did you know they also contain probiotics? Ruby Rocket’s uses Ganeden BC30 composition, which has the ability to survive the manufacturing process to withstand freezing temperatures!

Ruby Rocket's are by far, one of the most unique and tasty pops I've ever tried. I think next time I make a batch of these little pop pies I'm going to make some Galaxy Green fluff! Which Ruby Rocket's flavor do you want to try first? 

Chocolate Drenched Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Ever had one of those days when everything just goes wrong? Those days when you just want a piece of chocolate cake, a long bath, a glass of wine, or whatever tickles your fancy? Well, I had one of those days last week and instead of wallowing away on the couch, I baked my frustrations out and this Chocolate Drenched Chocolate Chip Banana Bread is an other-worldly concoction of goodness, created with the items I happened to have in my pantry and a chocolate craving that just wouldn't go away...

So my advice, when you're craving chocolate cake, but don't want it to go straight to your hips or when you're just not feeling yourself, making something like this Chocolate Drenched Chocolate Chip Banana Bread may be just the thing you need.

Ingredients:
4 eggs
3 over-ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup local honey
1/4 cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 cups gluten-free baking flour blend
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips (+ a handful for the top of the bread)
2 tbsp chocolate syrup

You'll want to begin by preheating the oven to 350.

In a bowl, mix together the eggs, bananas, honey, almond milk, and vanilla with a beater. Once thoroughly mixed, add in baking soda, flour blend, sea salt, brown sugar and cinnamon and beat until completely mixed.

Add in chocolate chips and stir gently.

Pour batter in bread pan and add a line of chocolate chips on the top, I had some leftover baking chocolate that I added to the top but you can just use chocolate chips.

Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and drizzle chocolate syrup over the top.

Let cool for a few minutes and then serve! This "dessert" is so tasty, I like to eat it for breakfast sometimes and on occasion, I'll have a slice or two for lunch! I know I brag about all of my recipes, but I promise you guys - this one takes the cake!

Do you have a favorite "healthy" dessert? I'd love to hear all about it in the comments below!