Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Cookies

"What time is it?" I saidddddd "What time is it???"

 PEANUT BUTTER JELLY TIME! PEANUT BUTTER JELLY TIME!

What could be better than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Um, a peanut butter and jelly COOKIE sandwich. I have to admit I was wondering how these cookies were going to pull together, but they turned out perfectly, ya know the kind that melt-in-your-mouth and you can't resist having more than one!

I've been so excited to make this cookie all year (Outside of the Game Day Cookies- those were amazing!). If you have poked around my blog you know that I LOVE peanut butter! I took special care in making these to make sure they turned out perfect.

I made this for a fall BBQ we went to a few weeks and they were a HUGE hit. I kept getting compliments on them all night and everyone who had one went for at least one more. Enough of the chit chat though- Lets get baking!

Active Time: 1 hour
Total: 2 hours and 15 minutes
Makes: About 32 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1.5 cups smooth peanut butter (not natural and not chunky)
• 2/3 cup concord grape jelly

Instructions:

1. Whisk the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. 
2. Beat the butter, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg until combined, then beat in the peanut butter until smooth. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour mixture until just combined. Turn the dough onto a piece of parchment paper and pat into a rectangle. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
3. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, preheat to 375 degrees. Trim the edges of the dough and cut into 1.5 inch squares (I used a ruler for this to make sure the lines where even, precise and to make sure the cookies were the same size). Use a butter knife or a knife with a lip on it (think a cake cutter) to pick up the cookies and place them 2 inches apart on 2 unlined nonstick baking sheets. Press each with the back of a fork to make a crisscross pattern, flattening slightly. Gather the scraps and refrigerate until firm, if needed, reroll to cut out more cookies.
4. Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are almost set, about 14 minutes.* Let cool for 5 minutes on the pans, then transfer to racks to cool completely. Sandwich the grape jelly (about 1 teaspoon) between the cookies
5. ENJOY!

*I have a gas oven and my cookies were done in about 10 minutes.

I hope you enjoy them as much as we did! Also, next time I make these I think i'll put more peanut butter in the middle because ya know, why not?!

Peach Pie Cookies

What could possibly be better than fresh peaches from the farmers market on a warm summer day??

Baking those peaches into individual handheld pie cookies!

The original recipe by the Food Network calls for plums, but I am not a fan so I switched it up with a fruit I love. I am sure you could use nectarines, apples, plums, strawberries, or any other fruit of your desire. These were a fun cookie to make because I enjoy making pies, but there were on a smaller scale. However, they did take a good amount of work to put together like a normal pie. The dough needs to chill for an hour in between making the dough and actually baking it. I would set aside an afternoon to make these when you aren't rushed.

I had to bake my cookies in two batches because I had enough dough to re-roll and then put back in the fridge to chill for about 10-15 minutes. Even thought they take a little bit to make they are well worth it! Lets get baking!


Ingredients:

• 2.5 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into cubes, at room temperature
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten, plus 1 beaten egg for brushing
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 small peaches
• Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Directions:

1. Pulse 2.5 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and the salt in a food processor (I used my ninja blender) until combined. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks crumbly. Drizzle in 1 beaten egg and pulse until the dough holds together when pinched.
2. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead a few times until the dough comes together. Divide the dough into 2 balls (I used a food scale to get the dough precisely even) and place each ball on a separate piece of parchment paper. Flatten the dough a little with a spatula and then top with another piece of parchment paper. Roll each ball into an 11-12 inch round (about 1/8 inch thick). Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
3. Position racks in the upper and lower third of the oven; preheat to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.* Whisk the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Halve, pit and thinly slice the peaches, then cut each slice in half crosswise.
4. Cut out small rounds as close together as possible from 1 piece of dough using a 2.5 inch round cookie cutter (I didn't have one so I used the top of a circular drinking glass). Gather the scraps and refrigerate until firm; re-roll once to cut out more rounds.
5. Meanwhile, arrange 9 rounds on one of the prepared baking sheets and brush the edges with some of the remaining beaten egg. Toss the peaches in the sugar mixture, then arrange about 4 peach pieces in the center of each dough round on the baking sheet, leaving space around the edges. Top each with a second round of dough and press the edges to seal. (If the dough is too stiff to work with, warm the dough briefly between your hands to make it more pliable**) Crimp the edges with a fork and cut 4 small steam vents onto the top of each cookie. 
6. Lightly brush he cookies with the remaining beaten egg and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are golden brown about 22-25 minutes.*** Let cool completely on the pans. While the cookies are in the oven repeat steps 4 and 5 with the remaining dough.
7. Enjoy!

*I used parchment paper and the cookies stuck to the paper because the middle of the cookie oozed out so I would go without the parchment paper.

**I did not have this problem as the dough warmed up pretty fast just from being out of the fridge. Work quickly, but be careful NOT to press the fork all the way through the bottom layer of dough

*** I have a gas over and my cookies were done in about 18-20 minutes to keep an eye on your cookies!

Figure Competition 2019 Season Complete

2019 will be an epic competition year to remember!

Man, you guys what a crazy whirlwind the month of May was. As you saw in my last post from the end of April I was getting ready for my 2 back to back figure competitions. So to make sure I keep everything straight I am going to talk about each show individually! Here we go!

Show 1: May 4- OCB Richmond Atlantic Supershow in Richmond, VA

This show was set up a little differently than my show last August, but then again that is the only show I have to compare it to. There were SO many competitors they divided the day into men and women. Men went in the morning and the women's portion started at 3 pm. Since my show did not start until the afternoon I didn't have anywhere I had to be at the crack of down, but I still had to get up at 6 am to start eating for the day. On show day I have my meals pre-planned as well and I have to eat them at certain times, hence the 6 am wake up call. On a side note, my breakfast was a few tablespoons full of dry instant oatmeal. No milk, No water. Straight up oats. It wasn't as bad as I thought. Once my saliva made the oats wet they tasted pretty good! haha

It was weird though because my fiance and I just relaxed in the hotel room all morning because my hair appointment wasn't until 12 pm. I didn't feel that excited in the morning and I started to question myself like "why am I not more excited?" But when it came time to leave I got really excited!! I was so ready! Hair and makeup went SO incredibly smooth. I loved my look! I went for a soft but edgy look. Backstage I had one of my friends Anna with me so that was fun to have a familiar face to hangout with. Backstage I didn't feel nervous, but as soon as I went out on stage to compete in the Novice Category and hit my first pose my body started shaking to the point I felt like I was trembling and I freaked the judges could see it! (I was told later they could not!) When I went back out a few divisions later for Open A Category my body didn't shake.

The competition was tough this year! The judges had us up on stage probably for a good 5-10 minutes, which feels like FOREVER when you're holding those poses. It was well worth the fight! Overall, I placed 2nd in Novice and 2nd in Open A. I was BEYOND PROUD of myself and all that I conquered. I knew I could walk away knowing that I gave it my all!

My feedback from the judges was I need to tone/slim down my quads more and build more shoulder. It was very similar to the feedback I received for my August 2019 show, but I definitely made progress in those 9 months. Albert and I went out afterwards and had some of the best cheeseburgers ever!!!! I am still drooling over them.

Show 2: May 11- OCB Catonsville Conquer in Catonsville, MD

I went through a second peak week as my shows were back to back. My coach and I took the feedback I got from the May 4 show and put it into training hard for this show. We added 45 minutes of fasted cardio back into every morning and weightlifting at night. I knew I could do it because it was only 5 days. I knew there was an end in sight and I was determined to give it my all. For the May 4 show we took the cardio out during peak week and as you'll see later it definitely made a difference!

This show was amazing and so much fun! We started at 10 am so that meant I had to wake up early, but I also started getting ready earlier. The show had men and women, but all the men's divisions went first and then the women did. So in the morning it was a little hard to stand around and wait, but I made friends and we all kept each other busy. One of the things I love about competing, at least with OCB, is most of the girls I've met backstage are super nice and we become friends. We are competing against each other, but we support each other too.

Can I side track for a minute? I LOVED my tan! It looked so natural and on stage it made my suit pop! ah! I competed in Open A and Novice categories again this show....working for that first place! The competition was also tough this show too. I walked into it thinking I would place 2nd again or hopefully first since I did so good in my show the weekend before. I took 3rd place in both categories! I am not going to lie and say I was thrilled with 3rd place. Again, I took 2nd place the week before and for this show I came in leaner and tighter, essentially I brought a better package, so I was a little disappointed in myself. But it just goes to show you it depends who shows up that day to compete.

Albert was at both shows cheering me on! I loved having him there. He is my rock and supporter! <3 After the show we went and stuffed our faces at this AMAZING restaurant called Jimmy's Famous Seafood in Baltimore, MD. I can't wait for us to go back there again!

Well that was it! That's a wrap on my 2019 season. It was amazing and I couldn't have asked for a better coach to help guide me! She truly became one of my friends! I will be taking a long off-season as now I can focus my time and energy on becoming Mrs. Smolinski. I know what I need to work on...build more shoulder and slim down my legs. So season 2021 I am coming for you with a vengeance. I hope you're ready!

All in all I gave it my best and I couldn't be more proud of myself!

Here is a transformation between show 1 and show 2:

Thank you so much for sharing in my journey with me! Stay tuned for my next post as we will discuss reverse dieting!

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumble Muffins

With summer right around the corner it is never too early to start planning those summer treats!

I love these muffins because they're light, fluffy, and scream fresh fruit. So I made a trip to my local farmers market and picked up a few containers of fresh strawberries. They were sweet and perfectly in season.

Even though this is the muffin recipe for May you could definitely make these all summer long! Pair with a bowl of yogurt, fresh fruit, or maybe a little ice cream on the side.

There are a few working parts to this recipe so make sure you read the recipe before you get started. I am always so excited to start baking that I usually half-read the directions and then I have a few oopsy moments!

I hope you're having as much fun with these muffins as I am!

Let's Get Baking!

Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Makes: 12 muffins

For the Topping:

• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces

For the Muffins:

• 1 cup 1/2-inch pieces rhubarb (1 stalk)
• 2/3 cup chopped strawberries
• 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2/3 cup milk
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• confectioner's sugar, for dusting

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Make the topping: Mix the oats, brown sugar, flour, and salt in a small bowl.  Add the butter and work it in with your fingers until the mixture comes together in clumps (approx 5-10 minutes). Set the toppings aside.
2. Make the muffins: Toss the rhubarb and strawberries in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, set aside. Whisk the flour, remaining 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl, make a well in the center. Add the eggs to the well and gently whisk. Stir in the milk, melted butter, and lemon juice until just combined with only small bits of flour remaining. Stir in the rhubarb-strawberry mixture.
3. Divide batter among the muffin tins, filling them almost to the top. Top each muffin with the crumble mixture. Bake until the muffins are lightly browned, about 25 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the middle of the muffin, the toothpick should come out clean and then you know they're done!
4. Once the muffins are done, pull them out of the oven and let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then transfer them to a rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners sugar once cooled.

Enjoy! Stay tuned for next month's muffin of the month!

Carrot Cake Nest Cookies

Food Network's April cookie of the month is perfect for this time of the year! The cookies jelly beans remind me of Easter Eggs and the carrot cake flavor of the cookie is a bold spring flavor this year. Carrot cake is definitely a Spring flavor and when made right can provide the right amount of sweetness without being over the top sweet.

I made these cookies for a girls night at my friends house. It was a potluck so I thought what a good excuse to bake a fun treat and show my creative side, so that's exactly what I did!

This recipe is pretty easy to make. I baked the cookies earlier in the day and then before I headed out to my friends I whipped (literally!) the cookie filling up real quick, placed the jelly beans on top, and out the door I went. The girls loved them! I had a few left over so I took them to work the next day as a treat for my co-workers. Well I am sure you're dying to know how to make these, so let's get to it!

Cookie Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• pinch of ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup finely grated carrots (about 2)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped toasted walnuts
• 1 1/3 cups shredded sweetened coconut 

For the Filling:

• 2oz cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
• Jelly beans for topping

Directions:

1. Position the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, preheat to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside. Whisk the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat until well combined, then beat in the carrots and walnuts. Reduce mixer to low and slowly beat in the flour mixture until just combined.
2. Roll 1 tablespoon of dough into a ball, then roll in the coconut (you may have to press the coconut onto the dough). Repeat until all the dough is gone and rolled in coconut. Arrange cookies 1 inch apart on prepared baking pans. Make a deep indentation with the back side of your tablespoon or another spoon. Bake, switching trays halfway through, until the cookies are set and the coconut is golden brown (about 22 to 25 minutes). Let cookies cool completely on pan.
3. Make the filling: Beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. Mix in the confectioners sugar until fluffy. Refrigerate until ready to use. Dollop a teaspoon of the filling into the deep indentation of each cookie. Fill with 1 teaspoon and if necessary you can go back and add extra filling to fill the indentation. Top with whatever color jelly beans you prefer!

I hope you have fun making this recipe! It's definitely kid friendly as kids could help roll the dough in coconut or top the cookies with whatever jelly beans they want. Choose different color jelly beans depending on what time of year you make them too coordinate with the season or holiday!

Have you made this? I would love to hear how it turned out! Share with me below!

Stay tuned for May's cookie of the month! We're making Macarons!

Competition Prep 2019: 2 Weeks out from OCB Atlantic Supershow

TWO WEEKS OUT!!

It may not seem like it's that far away, but sometimes the days drag on and by this point I am so ready to compete that I just want to get on with it! But alas, I still have 2 weeks. This year I have been doing monthly updates, but so much happens in the month before the show that I wanted to provide a mid-month update.

In the past couple of weeks I attended a Judges Clinic and an OCB 101 Clinic. The judges clinic is for people who want to eventually be a judge for OCB shows.  I learned the ethics behind judging, how to address conflicts of interest, and the criteria competitors are judged on. OCB posts the criteria on their website, but it helped me have a deeper understanding of what they look for. While I am not going to be a judge right now, attending the clinic helped me to learn as a competitor how I can be better on stage and training. The more knowledge you have the better!!

The OCB 101 Clinic was an amazing event! It was held at the Grind Gym in Baltimore, Maryland. There was about 20 or so competitors there and we learned how OCB as an organization works, the do's and dont's of show day, and proper posing. I even ran into a few girls I competed with last year which made it like a family reunion! The people I met at my show, the Presidential Cup, last year have become some of my biggest supports and greatest friends. We also had a posing lesson and they gave us these amazing swag bags, which was so sweet! Every time I attend an event I learn something new.

Okay, lets talk diet and workout schedule. BOTH changed. *sigh* Which I knew was coming, but still it's not always easy. I started my cutting diet to help me slim down for show day and I originally had a combination if veggies, almonds, chicken, and brown rice, but then my coach cut out the brown rice (CRYING). My quads still dominate the overall symmetry of my body. My symmetry is a little better than last year because I have built my shoulders, but not enough so no more carbs for me. Symmetry refers to having equal muscle built on the top half of my body as the bottom half. The decisions our coaches make is never to torture us, but to get us looking the best for show day. I trust my coach because I know she knows what she's doing. I am around 1,400 calories and eating chicken, green veggies, protein shakes, and almonds. Did I mention I still have 2 more weeks? haha

At the end of March/beginning of April, I started doing fasted cardio in the morning for 45 minutes. For me that mean no eating in the morning before I workout and then for 45 miuntes I run for 5 minutes and then walk for 5 minutes or any combination of those intervals. Well since I can't eat before my cardio that meant my lifting workouts were moved to the evening since I couldn't do my cardio at night after eating all day. My lifting workouts are a pyramid system so I do each move for 4 sets. I start off with light weight and increase the weight for each set. Also, all the workout moves are build into a super set. A super set is when you perform two exercises back to back with no break in between, then when you're done with the super set you get a break.

This workout schedule has not been easy for me. I am not a runner by nature and my body the second week in April started feeling all my days of doubles in the gym. My body was tired, my right knee was sore, and I had no energy. I still pushed, but it was not easy. I wanted to give up. I even texted my coach complaining like a 5 year old that I did not know how much longer I could keep up the schedule. She apologized and told me she did not like this and if we had more time to train it would not be this way, but we are doing the best we can! I was feeling overwhelmed with work, training, home life, etc. I felt better afterwards....sometimes you just need to get it out and move on! But tonight as I write this I feel like I have a new wave of energy and that I am ready to PUSH.

Last thought for this post. On Saturday, Albert and I set aside the whole day to celebrate our 6 year anniversary. Our anniversary was during the week so we couldn't do anything special (he did bring me flowers home!). We planned to got to this area of DC called The Wharf. It is an up and coming area being rebuilt along the waterfront on the Potomac River. They have a lot of amazing restaurants, activities, and beautiful scenery. I decided it would be easy for us to drive there as I figure there would be a lot of parking garages....wrong. They were all full. So what started off as a 30 minute drive ended up an hour long with traffic and trying to find parking. I was NOT happy. I am now in a mood. The scenery was beautiful and the weather was perfect for walking around. We got coffee from Dolcezza and walked down the boardwalk. Well, then I started getting hungry. All the restaurants were on at least a 45 minute wait and I couldn't eat at any of the small food stands so I told Albert we had to leave because I needed to eat. We left, ended up finding a food court I could eat at only for them to tell us they closed 5 minutes earlier. My mood right now was not pleasant. So we trucked back to find where we parked the car and go home to eat.

By this point Albert is not saying much and I could tell something was wrong. I knew I ruined the day. I apologized and we both agreed the day did not go how we wanted it to. Sometimes it happens- the not so pleasant part of competing. It is not all rainbows and sunshine and getting in really lean shape and having abs--- it comes at a price and my price that day was enjoying the day with Albert because I could not eat anything. We made up and I told him I would make it up to him! <3

So here we are 2 weeks out and 3 weeks out from my show in Catonsville, MD! Check out some progress photos below!

Stay tuned for my next update! It will be after my OCB Richmond show and right before my OCB Catonsville Show! Thank you for all of your love & support!

Rainbow Slice-And-Bake Cookies

March Cookie of the Month:

Rainbows are just for the Irish to show where a pot of gold might be, but I guarantee if you follow your baking skills to the end of this rainbow you will be proud of accomplishing this recipe!

I have never made a layered cookie like this before, and if you have, then kudos to you because it is a challenge. To achieve the layered look of these cookies you make one dough, but then measure sections of dough into different pieces, dye the dough a color of the rainbow, and then layer on top of each other.

The cookie dough makes and looks like a sugar cookie mix, but when the cookies bake they come out of the oven as a light, crispy cookie with a nice crunch. They don't lay heavy in your stomach, which could be a blessing and a curse because then you can enjoy more!

Even though this was the cookie of the month for the March issue of the Food Network Magazine this is a cookie you can make for many occasions, such as birthday parties, summer BBQs, or just to spread some sunshine around your office.

As a side note, you will need a food scale to portion out the different sizes of cookie dough.

Now, let's get baking!

Active: 1 hour / Total: 3 hours / Makes: about 36 cookies

Ingredients: 

• 2.5 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon of each red, orange, yellow, blue, green, and purple gel food coloring
• 1 cup white candy melts (I found them at Michael's!)

Instructions:

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter, granulated sugar and confectioner's sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks and vanilla until smooth. Reduce the mixer speed to medium-low and gradually beat in the flour mixture until the dough just comes together.
2. Divide the dough into 6 pieces: 
• 2 large pieces (approx. 7oz each), tint 1 Red and the other Orange*
• 2 medium pieces (approx. 5oz each), tint 1 yellow and the other green
• 2 small pieces (approx. 3 oz each), tint 1 blue and the other purple
• While you mix the color with the dough use gloves if mixing by hand or a spatula in a bowl
3. On a floured sheet of parchment paper, roll the purple dough into a 7-inch log (about 3/4 inch thick) and set aside. Using a rolling pin, roll out the remaining dough into rectangles on separate floured sheets of parchment paper, dusting with more flour as needed.**
• Blue: 3.5 in by 7 in
• Green: 5 in by 7.5 in
• Yellow: 6 in by 8 in
• Orange: 7 in by 8.5 in
• Red: 8 in by 9 in
4. Tightly wrap the blue dough around the purple loge, keeping the dough in a log shape. Pinch the seam where the 2 dough's come together to close. Continue wrapping the logs with the dough: green, then yellow, then orange, and finally red. Wrap the whole log in plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Trim the ends of the log to have nice even ends then slice into 3/8 inch-thick rounds (I used a ruler). Arrange cookies about 1 inch apart on 2 unlined baking sheets and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. 
6. Bake one pan at a time until the cookies are just set around the edges and golden on the bottom, about 10-15 minutes. Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to cookie racks to cool.
7. While cookies are cooling, put the candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring, until smooth, total approx. 2 minutes depending on the power of your microwave. Allow to cool for 1-3 minutes. Transfer into a resealable plastic bag, filling from the corner of the plastic bag up. Snip a small section of the corner (be careful, if you snip off too much the melted candy will come pouring out) and pipe small clouds on the ends of each rainbow. I did 3-4 clouds on each side of the cookie depending on how big the cookie was. Let clouds set at least 5 minutes.
8. Store in a sealed Tupperware container for up to a week. 

*I used A LOT of food coloring to make sure they were a bright, vibrant color. You can't over do it.

**I felt the dimensions o the rectangles were too large. I had a lot of extra dough left on the sides of the cookies so I would suggest making the rectangle dimensions a little smaller than what is suggested. It may have been me, but this is one of those recipes that I may need to make again to figure out what the best way is.

May the luck of the Irish always be on your side and who knows, maybe you fill find a pot O'gold at the end of your rainbows! 

I hope you enjoy baking and eating these cookies! Stay tuned for April's Cookie of the Month!