Cranberry Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

When I think of Christmas, I think of cookies...gingerbread, decorated sugar, ones to serve Santa Claus on Christmas Eve...'Tis the season for cookies! (Jon's kindergarten class just had their Christmas party, and you know what there was plenty of???)

This recipe is a fun, simple "holiday dress-up" for my favorite cookie of all-time. Warm, always-comforting chocolate chips are festively paired with red, tart cranberries and rich, crunchy pecans! Not only is this an easy dough to whip up, the recipe makes a lot of petite-sized cookies. They're perfect for swap/exchange parties this weekend, nibbling on with tea or hot cocoa, and (of course) sharing with the kids!

Chocolate Chip Cookie & Ice Cream Cake (Happy Birthday, Jacquelyn!)

While everyone was busy getting ready for their Memorial Day barbeques and graduation parties, I was busy also figuring out what kind of birthday cake to make. Jacquelyn celebrated her 3rd birthday on the 24th! This little lady has already appeared a few times on the blog...getting ice cream-wasted at Disneyland, proving her status as a farmers market veteran, and even serving as the inspiration for my Strawberry-Kiwi Shortcakes...I thought that it was only right that she had something special to dig into for her big day!

Last year, her Lemon-Raspberry Cake was inspired by the beautiful, pink hydrangeas starting to bloom in the garden. (SO HANDY, those Buster Posey cups are...) I was definitely motivated to top last year's creation, so there were two things taken into consideration: Jacquelyn's love for ice cream and Jacquelyn's love for chocolate. My sister was the one who suggested that I make an ice cream cake. The only thing was...I'd never made an ice cream cake before. But I'm never one to shy away from a challenge or experiment!