Decals and cookies

I realized today that I never shared one of my favorite Christmas presents.  And that's a shame, really, because I love it!  Then I realized that I was going to be showing off my mixer and am empty mixer is pretty boring.  So I whipped up a family classic.  My mom made these all the time for us and they are a recipe I still turn to when we're in need of a cookie fix, but I don't feel like baking.

But first, admire my KitchenAid decal.  I found it here and ordered it for myself for Christmas (on Cale's behalf of course because I like to be helpful!). It arrived and I waited for it and then Cale forgot to wrap it and put it under the tree.  Oh well!  I've got it now and it makes me happy every time I use my mixer.  Since it's always out on the counter it adds a little personality to my otherwise boring (but oh so useful!) appliance!

And now back to the cookies. Enter: The Toffee Bar.  No idea why the toffee, since there is none included and in fact, you probably always have these items on hand.  I like to make up a half batch for us because it satisfies the cookie craving without too many leftover.  It's also a fun one for this time of year, because you can shape it into a heart for a little Valentine treat that takes about 5 minutes to make.

Toffee Bars
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts (or pecans)

Cream butter and sugar together.  Add vanilla.  Then add flour and mix til totally combined.  Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.  Press dough onto cookie sheet in a rectangle (or a heart!).  Bake at 350 for 16-20minutes or until edges are golden brown.  Slice into bars while still warm.  Wait til cool to remove from pan.


-I like to under bake them a little bit so they are nice and chewy. Also, if you're going to make a heart shape I would recommend doing it with a half batch otherwise it's a lot of dough to mess with.