cookies – Sapphires in Paradise

1) Bake. Nothing is more aesthetically pleasing than baking something delectable that you can devour afterward. I find baking to be relaxing and stress-relieving. I can be having the most chaotic week, but when I put on that apron, I forget everything and drift into a world of sugary dreams.

I made my favorite crispy chocolate chip cookies ( I have a blogpost on the recipe) along with a lovely darjeeling chai.

2) Read or Watch a Good Movie
Most of us have busy schedules and our fridays and saturdays are packed with parties and fun. We often don’t have time to do things as simple as watch a movie or catch up on reading. I believe that Sundays were made to do the things you love and most of all relax. Curl up with a good book or put on an old hollywood movie on netflix and have fun!

This is an excerpt from one of the cutest books on style by Nina Garcia, “The Little Black Book of Style”. This is one of my favorite quotes❤️.

3) Go for a long walk
Long walks are always fun. I love going on a walk and taking pictures of the beauty of nature and perhaps doing a mini-photoshoot while I am walking… It depends on my outfit / mood. But it is honestly so fun and adveturous.

Here are some flowers , I picked up from my front yard after the walk. I love fresh flowers. It looks so rustic and crisp. Placing flowers in a mason jar or cute bottle makes your floral arrangement look vintage and unique.

4) Take a bubble bath
A hot bath with some good music, “spa water” or tea , and a fizzing bath bomb or bubble solution is all you need for a pleasant bath. Baths are calming to the body and often require alot of time. That is why I prefer to take long bubble baths on Sundays. I love addig some essential oils to my bath for a calming aroma and some bath salts.

This is my all time favorite bubble solution. I have been using it ever since I was a little kid and still love it! You can find in the baby section of Target. It smells like berries and last forever. I also love using this lemon sugar scrub. Its exfoliating and has a lovely citrus scent that lingers on your skin throughout the day. I am not exactly sure where its from, but bath & body works sells great scrubs. A combination of these two make for a luxurious and relaxing bath.

5) Exercise
This means do anything athletic. It can be anything from yoga to playing dance games on the x-box or just going for a run. My definition of a workout is jumping on the trampoline. It is a great workout for the lymphatic system. I also love doing yoga. It relaxes me. I think sunday’s are a perfect day to do fun workouts if you get lazy during the week! Make sure your playing some of your favorite music while doing so. Music radiates energy and motivating vibes during workouts.

Xoxo,
Shiza

This recipe was not created by me and in no way am I claiming credit for it. I am simply sharing a slightly altered version of them because I am absolutely obsessed with them and may or may not be addicted…..This is Ree Drummond’s recipe from thepioneerwoman.com , who also happens to be one of my fav chefs and someone who has an amazing show on the food network. Yes, I am a teenager who watches food network, judge me for it. But its a channel whose spectacular chefs such as Giada and Bobby Flay have inspired me to have an immense love for cooking.

I have tweaked the recipe, to better fit my tastes. Also it is halved and makes about 13-16 cookies depending on how large you decide to make each cookie. If you want the original recipe search, “Malted Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies” . Hope you enjoy this recipe.

Preheat Oven: 375 degrees Fahrenheit
Bake time: 10 to 12 minutes ( I typically bake mine for about 10 so that they’re chewy and crisp)
Ingredients:
– 1 c. all purpose flour
– 1 tsp vanilla
– 6 tbsp brown sugar
– 6 tbsp white granulated sugar
– 1 egg
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– 1/2 tsp + 1/8 tsp baking soda
– 1/2 c. or 1 stick butter (recipe calls for
unsalted but salted works just as
well… trust me)
-1/4 c. malted milk powder ( SECRET
INGREDIENT)
– 1/2 bag or 6 ounces semi sweet
chocolate chips
– 1/4 c. walnuts or pecans ( or a
mixture of both, I kinda just add as
much as I want ) .
*You can sub almonds or completely
leave out any kind of nut if you’re
allergic. It will still taste amazing.
– splash of milk (less than a tbsp) in
case batter gets too dry

Directions:
1) Preheat Oven
2) Cream butter, add the two sugars ,
continue creaming until mixture is
fluffy. Add vanilla. Mix.
3) Crack egg in a seperate bowl and
whisk with a fork. Add eggs to
butter sugar mixture. Beat until
it is thoroughly combined and add
the malted milk powder. This is
what makes the cookies thin and
crisp.
4) Sift the flour and baking soda.
Gradually add into the butter sugar
mixture. Be sure to add about 1/3 of
the dry into the wet a time so that
you do not end up in a cloud of
flour. Mix well.
5) Add the nuts and chocolate chips
and stir gently.
6) Bake, Cool, & Enjoy. Bon Appétit ❤️