It is mid-December and you need some cheering up. You deserve a cookie.

Under times of duress, we like to bake things for ourselves and for other people (lucky you!).

Made with cake flour, toasted marshmallows, a smattering of sprinkles, and a bit of love, these discs of delight will make your December bright. So don’t stress. These cookies are all fiesta.

Party Cookies (Adapted from Spoon Fork Bacon)

• 1 stick of softened unsalted butter (about ½ cup)
• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar (OR ½ cup white sugar plus 1 ½ tbsp molasses…this works better for our purposes)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 ½ cups cake flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 ½ cups rice krispies
• About ½ cup chocolate chips (optional!)
• 1 cup of cut up large marshmallows
• 4 tbsp rainbow sprinkles

Begin by sectioning your marshmallows into quarters,

Cream butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon. Add one egg and a splash of vanilla and stir to combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk together cake flour, salt, and baking soda. Incorporate into butter mixture until just combined.

Knead in rice krispies, chocolate chips, marshmallows, and sprinkles and leave to chill in refrigerator for one hour (these cookies spread!). While the cookies are chilling, preheat oven to 350F.

Spread these cookies far apart from each other on a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Roll them into little balls and place them in the oven for 12-15 minutes. Don’t over-bake them!

 Chew away!

We love snacks. Like hobbits, we’re ready to graze on something at any given time during the day. We have made emergency provisions for a week filled with group meetings, essays, and midterms by (quite literally) stirring up a large batch of sweet potato hummus. Eat it with vegetables, crackers, or as a spread on your sandwich. Your taste buds will hum in delight at its velvety texture and notes of wholesome saccharine goodness.

Sweet Potato Hummus (Adapted from Spoon Fork Bacon) 
Fills 1 large yogurt container

• 2 sweet potatoes
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 6 tbsp tahini
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Begin by peeling the sweet potatoes and boiling them to an oblivion, or until soft and can be readily pierced with a fork. 

Rinse and drain can of chickpeas and add sweet potatoes, garlic, tahini, and all spices. Blend together until smooth (we used our handy hand blender). 

Stir in salt and pepper, to taste. 

Yummy hummus! (Try saying that ten times fast)

Although beets look like brains, they will fuel yours with the nutrients it needs to outlast the last of your midterms.  Arm your hands with gloves lest you want your fingernails stained a bright fuchsia. These chips are easy to make and will be ready in ten minutes or less. You’ll never want to settle for an ordinary golden potato chip again when you can crunch and munch upon these vibrant half-moons of red delight.

Beet chips

• Beets
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Gloves

Line a long, flat pan with aluminum foil (if you have it) and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice beets thinly (width should be about 2 centimetres) and toss to coat with olive oil and salt. Lay on pan and bake for about 10 minutes, or until crunchy.

Beat that beet up and enjoy!!

Good churros are like good amigos. They’re sweet, you enjoy spending time with them, and they can only be found once in a blue moon.  Boast all you like about the mountain of free doughnuts you have amassed over this month’s Roll up the Rim. We guarantee you that churros are better.

These fun-sized nibbles of crunchy dough will leave a delicate dusting of cinnamon-sugar upon your tongue. While traditionally served with hot chocolate, we think they hold their own with or without that little hint of liquid cocoa. Besides, nobody likes a soggy churro. For the adventurous, we’ve included a recipe for chili-chocolate dipping sauce.

Fun-Sized Churros (From Nigella Lawson’s Kitchen)

Ingredients - Makes around 30-40 mini churros 

• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon 
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup freshly boiled water (you can do this in a kettle)
• Canola oil

In a shallow bowl, toss cinnamon with sugar until granules become tinted the slightest shade of brown. Set aside for coating.

Heat canola oil so that it runs at least 1/3 up the side of your pot. Meanwhile combine flour and baking powder. Beat in olive oil and water until a pliable, sticky dough forms. Let it rest for 10 minutes while the oil heats up.

To test if ready, drop a cube of bread into the pot. It should sizzle and condense into a crunchy brown cluster. Place dough into a piping bag or a large Ziploc (nip the corner so that it forms an opening). Squeeze about 2 inches of dough into oil and gently clip them off with chopsticks. Cook about 3-4 minutes until their exterior is golden and slightly hard. Fish them out with chopsticks and blot them with a paper towel to remove excess oil. This is only an exercise for the most dexterous, so be careful!

Toss to coat in cinnamon-sugar and get’em while they’re hot.

Chili Chocolate Dipping Sauce 

• A couple of squares dark chocolate or chocolate chips 
• 1 tbsp maple syrup 
• Pinch of chili flakes
• Pinch of cinnamon

2/3 cup double cream (can substitute with milk)Over a pot of boiling water, melt all ingredients in a separate pan until thick and combined. Let cool before serving.

Go loco

Don’t drown in your frowns. A chocolate cake for one can become a party for plenty with the right amount of spoons and people to share it with. This mug of sadness, when cared for by four, metamorphoses into a pool of happiness that many people can sink into. It’s easy and has both chocolate and peanut butter. It’s like a Reese Cup, but better.

Stop living vicariously through others and make life a bit sweeter with others. Sharing is caring.

Chocolate Cup of Cheerfulness (Adapted from Some Kitchen Stories)

Ingredients- Makes 1 large cup of cheer, to share

• 4 tbsp flour
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp Nutella
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 spoonful peanut butter

Combine all ingredients in a large coffee mug and whisk with fork until smooth.
Microwave for 1 ½ to 3 minutes. Halfway through baking time, drop a spoonful of smooth peanut butter. Sprinkle with chocolate chips. 

Roasted chickpeas are a mighty satisfying snack food. Much to the delight of the makers of Food Inc, they are not made from corn (as is everything else, evidently). AND they’re good for you!  Best when eaten fresh out of the oven, these chickpeas are perfectly guilt-free companions to any scary-movie marathon. We used a tandoori spice mix from our cupboard to season them but the original recipe—which calls for a teaspoon each of cumin, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper—fares just as well.

Even if this weekend shapes up to be a Halloworkend, no worries! Munch and crunch on these spicy spherical darlings and spook your stress away.

Roasted Chickpeas (adapted from Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Body)

Ingredients- Fits on 1 large baking tray

• 1 Large Can Chickpeas
• 1 Tbsp Tandoori Spice
• ½ Tbsp sugar
• Canola oil, to drizzle
• Salt, to sprinkle

Preheat oven to 425

Drain and rinse chickpeas, lay to dry on paper towel completely.  Some of the skins will peel away but do not discard them! They will be the crunchiest components of this creation!

Once dry, mix in medium-sized bowl with a bit of oil and toss in spices, and sugar

Lay flat on baking sheet and toast for 40-60 minutes until firm and visibly coated in a layer of crunchy goodness.