Cookies, Chocolate and a Ghiardelli Coupon Giveaway

I’ve been a bit MIA the past day or two. You can blame these guys:

I bet you thought I was going to say my kids!

I have a Christmas Cookie Exchange tonight with my Early Childhood PTA group. I’ve been thinking about it for over a month. Scouring the December issues of magazines, subscribing to holiday cookie e-newsletters.

Pillsbury almost had me with quick and easy Pinwheel Cookies. They seemed wonderful only the recipe called for refrigerated gingerbread dough and I couldn’t find it anywhere. I could have made some from scratch but that goes against my main requirement for a cookie exchange recipe – it has to be easy and fast.

So I searched and searched and then I found the perfect recipe for the colorful cookies above.

They are called Cake Mix Cookies. All you do is take a box of cake mix (any flavor), add 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of oil and any add-ins you’d like (chocolate chips, M&M’s etc.). Mix it up, form into balls, and cook them at 350 degrees for 5 – 10 minutes. Incredibly easy and delicious!

Since I wanted something Christmasey, I used red velvet cake mix and white chocolate chips for one set and then chocolate cake mix and dark chocolate chocolate chips mixed with minty green chocolate chips (found these at Target). You can’t really see in the photo, but the chips in the dark chocolate cookies are light green.

The cookies turned out delicious, were easy – I whipped out nearly 8 dozen in about 30 minutes, and they look great too.

I have to admit, before I had Logan I was one of those annoying women who could eat one cookie and be done. Someone who would turn down dessert almost every time and I almost never ate candy bars or even thought about them. Chocolate cake and brownies? I’d walk right on by.

Then I had my son. I don’t know what happened to me, but I’m now obsessed with food. I think about snacks and desserts all the time. Since the cake mix cookies came out of the oven I haven’t stopped thinking about them. They are taunting me. Just one more! I’m always drooling over recipes and I can’t get enough of Top Chef and other cooking shows.

I don’t know if it happened because I had a bit of a rough pregnancy with Logan and had no outlet for the stress – obviously no drinking, couldn’t do much exercise since I was having early contractions etc. So Hubby would be kind enough to bring home a candy bar for me after a rough day. I think it flipped a switch and now I looooove chocolate.

That’s why I was thrilled recently when SheSpeaks sent me out Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate with Peanut Butter Filling Squares.

I couldn’t open the bag they came in fast enough. They were delicious! I love their Milk Chocolate with Caramel Filling Squares so I was eager to try the Peanut Butter. I liked it, but I have to admit I am a caramel addict and think the Caramel Squares are divine.

Along with the sample SheSpeaks also sent me 6 coupons for Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate with Peanut Butter Filling Squares at $1.50 off each. That’s a savings of $9.00 on chocolate!

Since I wasn’t head over heels for the Peanut Butter flavor, I’ve decided to offer these coupons up for giveaway to someone who might be. If you are a chocolate-peanut butter Ghirardelli junkie, today is your lucky day!

Win It!

I am offering 6 coupons each to one reader of 2 Toddlers and Me. The coupons read: $1.50 Off the Purchase of Any One Ghirardelli Squares Peanut Butter Bag 4 oz of larger.

To enter: Leave a comment below and let me know you want to be entered. Also, in your comment let me know what blogging platform (Blogger, WordPress.com, WordPress.org etc.) you use and why you like it. As a side note, that’s another reason my presence has been a bit spotty, I’ve been researching blog format changes I will be making around the New Year. Exciting but nerve-wracking stuff that’s why I want your opinion.
Extra entries in seperate comments:

- Follow my blog publicly or tell me that you do

- Follow me on Twitter and tweet this giveaway

- Subscribe to 2 Toddlers and Me by Email or RSS or tell me that you already do

- Grab my button for your blog or tell me that you already have it (3 extra entries)

- Blog about this giveaway and link it back to this post (5 extra entries)

Rules:

Giveaway is open to U.S. Residents only. Must be 18 years of age or older. Giveaway ends Tuesday, December 22nd at 11:59 pm EST. Winner will be chosen by Random.org. Must have a valid email in blog profile or leave email in comments. I will notify the winner in a post and by email. If the winner doesn’t respond in 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.