Cake Batter Cookies

Pinterest Inspiration:
http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/11/29/holiday-confetti-cake-batter-cookies/+

Materials:
1 box of cake mix
1 teaspoon of baking powder
2 large eggs
1/3 cup of canola oil
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 cup of sprinkles

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line a large baking sheet with with parchment paper.
3. Mix cake mix and baking powder in a large bowl.
4. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, and vanilla by hand until well combined.
5. Add the egg mixture to the cake mixture and stir until there are no more bits of dry cake mix.
6. Fold the sprinkles in gently.
7. Roll one-inch balls of dough by hand, making them taller than they are wide, then arrange them on the cookie sheet.
8. Bake for 9 minutes, making sure that the cookies don't get brown.
9. Once they're out of the oven, let the cookies cool for 3 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
10. Eat the delicious cookies!

Hot Chocolate Spoons

Backstory:
My RA, Madi, and I decorated mugs this past week. (The post explaining that adventure is right here.) To go with our brand new mugs, we decided to make hot chocolate spoons! The premise is that the spoons have chocolate on them, so that when you heat up the milk for your hot chocolate, you can then stir it with the spoon and the chocolate will melt into the milk to make some delicious hot chocolate!

Original Pinterest Inspiration:
http://sweetapolita.com/2012/01/sprinkled-chocolate-party-spoons/?crlt.pid=camp.KROjr9UZDYWQ

Materials:
Plastic spoons
Wax paper
Chocolate (The pin says to use "quality chocolate." We're college students. We used Hershey's.)
Sprinkles, Crushed Peppermint, or anything else you'd like to mix into your hot cocoa
Plastic wrap or cellophane (optional)
Curling ribbon (optional)

Procedure:

1. Chop or break the chocolate up, to speed up the melting process.
2. In a glass bowl, microwave the chocolate in 20-second intervals, stirring in between, until it is completely melted.
3. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper.
4. Arrange the spoons on the cookie sheet. You may want to prop them up a bit so that the chocolate doesn't spill out of them. We just rested the handles on the edge.
5. Scoop portions of chocolate into the spoons, filling them about 75% of the way full, so that they don't overflow.
6. While the chocolate is still warm, sprinkle your toppings onto the spoons.
7. Transfer the entire cookie sheet into the freezer to set for 20 minutes.
8. Because I was giving some spoons as gifts, I wrapped the bottom of the spoon (not the handle) loosely in plastic wrap and tied them up with curling ribbon.
9. Stir into warm milk and enjoy your delicious hot chocolate!

Hand-Decorated Mugs

Backstory:
So, I am now officially a college freshman. And my RA, Madi, is super cool. Naturally, we decided to begin crafting time. For our first crafting session, we decorated mugs, because I saw some adorable ones on Etsy and decided I could make them instead of buying them. Also, we made hot chocolate spoons to go with the mugs. For that tutorial post, follow this link!

Original Pinterest/Etsy Inspiration:
http://polkapics.net/2013/01/08/ive-been-looking-into-this-sharpie-mug-350-degrees-craft-and-it-looks-as-though-many-people-have-been-experiencing-fading-or-the-colors-coming-off-altogether-therefore-i-would-like-to-share-this-b/

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VQ9M04/?ref=cm_sw_r_pi_dp_u4kTrb0298GGH

http://www.etsy.com/listing/159210968/harry-potter-inspired-coffee-mug-set?ref=sr_gallery_41&ga_search_query=harry+potter+mug&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all

Materials:
Sharpie Paint Markers (we found them at Hobby Lobby)
White Ceramic Mug(s)

Procedure:

1. Decorate the mugs to your heart's desire!
2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Wait for the markers to dry completely.
4. Bake the mugs for 30 minutes, then turn the oven off and let the mugs cool in the oven.
5. Enjoy your new personalized mug!

P.S. Make sure to hand wash the mug, otherwise you'll be super sad when you take it out of the dishwasher and there is no more pretty design! *pouty face*
P.P.S. The color on my mug changed a bit when I baked it, so just be aware that it may not come out exactly as you intended.

Pictures!
This one is my mug:

And this is the one Madi made for herself:

A couple more pictures of another mug that I made can be found here.