Chocolate and Caramel Cake Mix Cookies

When you bite into the soft, fluffy, warmth of a cake mix cookie, it seems like all of your worries melt away. Add the sticky, sweet dulce de leche on top and they are down right heavenly. I am the first to tell you that I have always been a baker more than a chef. I enjoy the satisfaction of opeing the oven door to have the sweet smelling warmth of baking goodies hit my face.
As I become older (and busier) it is nice to know that I can still take a little time to indulge my baking addiction. I think Derek enjoys it as well. Whether he is waking up to fresh baked pastries, coming home to a decadent cake, or slicing up some of my homemade bread for a little snack. It really is the simple pleasures in life that bring us so much joy!
These cookies are so perfect for a delightful dessert, and guess what... the recipe is super simple too. All you need is cake mix of your choosing, butter, an egg, and caramel sauce. I chose Swiss Chocolate cake mix, half a cup of butter, and one egg. For the caramel sauce you just need one can of sweetened condensed milk. I make the caramel the night before because it takes 3 hours. You can buy a can of premade Dulce de Leche in the mexican food section of the grocery store if you prefer.
To make caramel, remove label and place unopened can of sweetened condensed milk in a pot and cover completely with water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Let boil for 3 hours and replenish water as needed while cooking. Once finished, let cool and then remove from water. Open (be careful of slight pressure build up in can) and VOILA! Sweet, sweet caramel!
For cookies preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit. Melt 1/2 c. of butter. (please note I do not have a microwave... it makes us more accountable for actually cooking nutritious meals instead of heating up pizza rolls or t.v. dinners.) Put cake mix in a bowl and add hot melted butter. Mix on low until all ingredients are combined together. It will have a crumbly texture. Now add in one egg and beat on low for about 1 minute. Make sure you add the egg after mixing butter and cake mix so it gives the butter time to cool and you don't end up with scrambled egg cookies.
Now form into 1 inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Cook for 9-11 minutes.
Remove from oven, drizzle with caramel, and ENJOY!

The Vintage Homemaker

Girls today aren't being taught the importance of a well maintained home and supportive wife and mother role. Very few young ladies desire a future in homemaking and even less have the skills bestowed upon them to succeed in it. Homemaking is truly a lost art in this day-in-age (Which is a shame because we have so many more amazing resources readily available to us now.) Hi, I am Amanda and I am a proud homemaker. At a very young age, I knew my calling in life was to be a wife and mother.

As a 26 year old woman, you can imagine that the art of homemaking was one I had to teach myself, since there aren't many places that teach this specific skill set these days. It used to be the norm that at a certain age, a young lady would begin diving into the world of domestic husbandry. Classes were taught in school and mothers were there to provide their domestic wisdom to their daughters.

OH how the times have changed!

Now it seems you are expected to live your days working whatever dead end job you can land, hire someone to do your cleaning for you, be consumed by technology, and squeeze in a meal when you can. I refuse to let that be my way of life! I want to do work that I find rewarding to my family and to myself. I want to feel accomplished when I put a little elbow grease into making my house a Home. I want to be able to sit down at a computer or television and not feel like I am rotting away in front of it. I want to be able to sit down to a nutritious homemade meal with my family every night and really enjoy our time together.

So if you agree, let me show you the finer things in life through the eyes of a homemaker! This blog will include Tips and Tricks for around the house, How-to's, DIY's, Recipes, Inspiration, Manners lessons, and What it means to maintain a Home. 

I so look forward to this beautiful journey with all of you by my side. 

                                                                -Amanda