My Baby Turns 30!

Happy Birthday, Danny! My baby boy is 30 today. How time flies by. He was a darling baby, the cutest toddler, a funny kid and a hilarious teenager. Now he is a handsome man and a dedicated father. I couldn't be more proud of him. I love you Danny! 

Danny and Erin in Venice, Italy

Danny and Claire and Jackson in Georgia

And to celebrate Danny's birthday, let's bake some cookies! Cookies are fun, especially when they are funfetti cookies!

I saw this recipe on Pinterest and since my sister wanted to be a taste-tester, I took them to our "Girl's Lunch" yesterday. I've been eating a lot less sugar these days which is why my sister said I thought these were too sweet (and I certainly don't miss the 17 pounds I've lost and hope never to "find" again!). Perhaps you won't think they are too sweet though. 

The plate was nearly empty before lunch was over. 

Funfetti Cookies (slightly adapted from Crazy for Crust)

1/2 cup butter, softened (that's 1 stick)

1 cup sugar (next time I make these I'm going to use less sugar and see what happens)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp butter extract (can be omitted if you don't have any)
1/4 tsp table salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 box (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles (or color of your choice to match a holiday)

Preheat oven to 350°F. In stand mixer, beat butter and sugar for about three minutes until it is light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla extract (and butter extract if using). Add in the salt, baking soda, and pudding and mix until combined. Add flour and mix until it is incorporated. Stir in sprinkles. I used my small cookie scoop and dropped these onto my parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until just barely beginning to brown on the edges. Remove from oven and immediately transfer to cooling rack.
In the original recipe over at Crazy for Crust, she never mentioned when to put in the butter extract or the sprinkles. I pointed that out to her with a comment and she fixed the butter extract directions but still didn't fix the sprinkles direction. Oh well. I'm going to play around with this recipe a little bit to see if I can make it more to my own liking. You try it the way it's written and tell me if you think it is too sweet or if it is just right. I'm dying to know.

And once again, Happy Birthday to Danny!