Five on Friday

This next week is going to be an absolute whirlwind with finals! I will try to post during necessary study breaks. I am linking up with the lovely ladies today for another Five on Friday linkup... Better late than never!
{one} I am such a list maker. I LOVE checking boxes beside items I write down in my planner. However, my goals and to-dos seem to merge together and I am really challenging myself to keep them separate. This month I posted my December Goals and I am having so much fun making them happen!  Coffee or Cupcake dates with friends over finals week. I had a perfect coffee date with my dear friend Sidney after our last journalism class together. Y'all, she is hysterical and incredibly talented (more on that later...PS scroll down). 

Emily and I enjoyed a cupcake date tonight after we put our class rings in the Bell Tower (more on that later as well!) This Butterfingers cupcake was D E L I C I O U S! There was even a surprise peanut butter filling...mmm

{two}I promised y'all more on my sweet friend Sidney and here it is! I have known Sidney since my freshman year at NCSU through Young Life. We lost touch over the middle years of school but lone behold when I walked into my journalism class this semester we were in the same class! Who knew I would make one of my best friends my senior year?! Her handwriting is absolutely to die for... I am always peaking' over her shoulder to see what she is doodling during class. 

She recently started a stationery and calligraphy business and is making gorgeous custom prints. Follow her on instagram @sidneyleescott or email her at slscott4@ncsu.edu for custom order information!

{three} I checked off another December Goal this week at the lovely Carolina Inn, Build a gingerbread house {or barn}. Southern Weddings hosted their third annual Gingerbread Barn Building Competition  and it was a merry ole time! My friends and I piled in a car and headed to Chapel Hill for some much needed stress relief. We spent the evening drinking hot chocolate, eating candy, and building a gingerbread barn. I am so thankful for the Southern Weddings gals and their kind hearts!

{four} Oh my word! Have y'all seen the new Southern Weddings website design?! It is cute as a button!! Those gals have been busy! Not only have they released a gorgeous website, they also just announced their partnership with Southern Living... Talk about match made in HEAVEN!! 

{five} Today Emily and I got to put our class rings in North Carolina State University's Bell Tower. In that moment, it really began to sink in that I am a senior and my time at State is ending. Our class rings get to stay the night in the Bell Tower so that the NCSU spirit is forever within them. I can't wait to get my ring on Sunday!

 Naturally, to commemorate this grown-up moment...we take jumping pictures!!

 Andd then of course it's time to hold up the Bell Tower with our muscles!

Happy Friday friends! Now off to the library...

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Icing

I had a slice of pumpkin spice cake with maple cream cheese icing in NYC and have been dying to attempt to remake it! Of course it wasn't as good at the NYC cake but it is still a delicious fall cake :)

Preheat the over to 350 degrees... Cream together butter, sugar and vanilla and then add the eggs one at a time.

Add in the lovely pumpkin puree

Add in the flour, baking soda and powder, and dry spices

Pour batter evenly into three cake pans. I tried two new silicone pans and they were great!

For the icing: Butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar andd maple syrup!

I like to pack on the icing in the layers :)

Lather the icing on the cake and enjoy the deliciousness!

Recipe from Country Living Magazine

Ingredients:

3/4 cups (1 1/2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened

1 cup Firmly Packed Dark Brown Sugar

1 cup Sugar

3 large Eggs

1 1/2 cups Pumpkin Purée

1/2 cup Buttermilk

1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

2 cups All-Purpose Flour

2 teaspoons Baking Powder

1 1/2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Fresh-Ground Nutmeg

Maple Cream Cheese Icing

2 Cream Cheese packages

4 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar

2 sticks Of unsalted butter

a splash or two of milk

1/4 cup of maple syrup

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease 3 cake pans 

2. Cream butter, sugar, and add eggs one at a time until mixture is smooth  

3. Add in pumpkin puree, buttermilk, and vanilla 

4. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and nutmeg slowly into the mixture

5. Pour batter into three pans and back for 35 to 40 minutes. 

6. Let the cakes cool-- try not to rush this step, I know I always do!

7. Cream icing ingredients together and ice your cake!!

Happy Fall!

Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tuesdays... so close to the middle of the week but just not quiteeee there yet. Tuesdays and Thursdays are a full day of classes and today I found myself wanting to enjoy one (a few) of these delicious cookies as soon as I arrived home. I found a recipe on Pinterest {here} that looked delicious a few weeks ago and decided to give it a try. I ended up altering it a little bit to achieve the perfect "after a long day" indulgence and my sister definitely approves!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup salted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups dark chocolate chips

2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Cream together butter, sugars, egg, milk and vanilla with a mixer.

3. Add dry mixture of flour, cornstarch and baking soda.

4. Stir in chocolate chips.

5. Roll dough into one inch balls and place about two inches apart on a cooking sheet.

Bake for approximately 10 minutes (depending on your oven's temperature) the cookies will stay golden in color and harden as they cool! 

Enjoy!