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double-mocha {fudge} brownies.

February 4, 2012 in Obsessed, Sweets + Treats with 1 Comment

I know, I know. Ever since I used the term face-melting to describe these brownies, you’ve been dying to get your hands on them.

Or at least, dying to know exactly what we (as in, Daniel and I – we’re obvs a team here) mean by the term. Unfortunately, there’s no real way to explain it. You’ll have to taste them to truly understand.

I’d like to say it’s just the frosting that makes these brownies so good. Then, all you’d need to do to experience this food-gasm is whip up a stick of butter, a little coffee, cocoa powder, and some confectioners’ sugar (…okay, and a little salt and vanilla) in your mixer and melt away. I’m quite sure, however, that it’s the combination of this super-simple yet totally mind-blowingly dreamy frosting with the insanely rich and fudge-y brownies that evokes such a feeling.

apple-blackberry banana bread.

January 18, 2012 in Healthy Eats, Sweets + Treats with 2 Comments

Now is the time for banana bread.

Why? Well, because what else does one bake when the holidays have just passed, so you can’t bear the thought of another cake or – gasp! – cookie…but you’re still in the mood to bake?

{Is now a bad time to mention that double mocha-fudge brownies are on next week’s menu?}

Banana bread is the answer to our post-holiday, January baking cravings. This banana bread in particular is super, super-healthy. Whole wheat? Check. Low in sugar? Check. Three different fruits and the addition of applesauce to replace half the butter? Healthy fats in the form of crunchy walnuts? Check, check, and check.

how-to: espresso crème brûlée.

January 15, 2012 in Project Pastry Queen, Sassy in the Kitchen, Sweets + Treats with 8 Comments

You’re only as good as your last crème brûlée.

So says Rebecca Rather. It’s one of her mottos as a pastry chef.

Well, I don’t know about you – but I’m not a pastry chef. And guess what? My crème brûlée was – in a word – AWESOME.

Make that two words: EFF-ing AWESOME.

Yours can be, too. It’s super-easy. Guys, crème brûlée is just not something to be afraid of. You’re making a custard, baking it in a water bath, and blow-torching sugar to caramelize it into a crispy layer of deliciousness.

Yes – breaking out the blow-torch makes this dessert doubly amazing. You can use your broiler if you’re torch-less, sure…but why? Why live a torch-less life? There’s no reason for it.

Making custard is so easy, in fact, it pains me to write about it. Watch the video. You’ll see. And to make matters ~~worse~~ better, you probably have all of these ingredients in your fridge/pantry right now. Meaning you’re mere hours away from taking the creamiest, crunchiest espresso-and-vanilla-filled bite of your life. How many bites can you say that about?

{homemade} confetti cake pops.

January 2, 2012 in Celebrate, Sweets + Treats with 5 Comments

January 2nd – it’s totes the new January 1st, don’t you think?

Let’s be real: I was an alien yesterday. Today marks the official start of my 2012. In fact, it should be mandatory that everyone receive this day off in addition to the 1st. Doesn’t matter what day of the week the holiday falls on. Aliens need rest.

{Also: Copious amounts of water. Breakfast casseroles made of bacon, cheese, bread, and eggs. Grape soda. And, chili dog nachos. True story. Look away…I’m hideous}

My intention was to share these cake pops with you yesterday. You know, confetti on New Year’s Day – it made sense. But yesterday, nothing made sense. So today I bring you these ridiculously adorable confetti cake pops. My guess is that today, you’re probably feeling more human too, and let’s face it – yesterday you were not about to consider embarking upon a three-day project to make cake pops.

rainbow {seven-layer} cookies.

December 23, 2011 in Sweets + Treats with 8 Comments

I’d like to be able to tell you these cookies are a breeze to make.

They’re not.

Would you believe me if I told you they’re worth it? They beat out at least 20 other cookies – rather de-licious cookies, I might add – at this year’s cookie exchange.

{Though I won’t lie – I know it has something to do with the torta. I wonder if an appetizer exchange party might be the next big thing?}

Seriously though…aren’t you proud of me for keeping my word and bringing you these lovely cookies this year? I’m not sure how much time you’ll have to make them before Christmas, because you need at least two days for these precious little gems – even if most of it is downtime.

red velvet whoopie pies.

December 19, 2011 in Sweets + Treats with 2 Comments

Today, my girlfriends and I are hosting our second annual cookie exchange!

I figured this would be the perfect time to show you the cookies I made…last year.

C’mon guys…you know I’m perpetually late to the game when it comes to posting recipes. If a recipe is extremely seasonal, for example, and I miss the boat on posting it in time, I’ll opt to save it for next year – as is the case with many holiday recipes. These I could’ve posted anytime, because who said red velvet is only for Christmas? It’s also perfect for Valentine’s Day, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday – there are endless opportunities to enjoy red velvet!

{mini} eggnog pound cakes.

December 17, 2011 in Sweets + Treats with 5 Comments

Is it normal to eat pound cake for breakfast?

Seriously…I’m confused about pound cake’s purpose in life. Is it supposed to be eaten as dessert? All this coming from a person who eats cupcakes for breakfast.

Hi. Clearly, I don’t follow the rules.

But at least I know what the rules are supposed to be for cupcakes…pound cake, I’m not so sure. Pound cake doesn’t seem like something I want to eat for dessert. It doesn’t seem rich enough. Right – because a cake that gets its name from being comprised of one pound of butter, one pound of sugar, and one pound of eggs isn’t rich.

Let me backtrack here. Pound cake is rich…fine. I’ll give you that. But something about it just screams breakfast to me. Is that wrong? I don’t think so. These pound cakes are especially nice for breakfast because they taste like eggnog. And they’re dripping in a rummy-nog glaze. Rum for breakfast? I’m in.

how-to: fleur de sel caramels.

December 10, 2011 in Sassy in the Kitchen, Sweets + Treats with 10 Comments

I interrupt this {seemingly normal} blog post to bring you a message.

Check it: It’s me. In my kitchen. Lookin’ like a fool…with my pants on the ground.

Kidding! My pants are totes on in this video. Nothing weird going on over here. Well, that I can’t say for sure. Is making fleur de sel caramels and forcing your boyfriend to film it weird? Maybe.

I’m slightly intoxicated in the second half of this video. Is that weird? Psssh. That’s def not weird. I had to wait three whole hours for that caramel to set! What else is a girl to do? There was champagne to be had, people!

Here’s the deal: A while back, I said I was bringing video to 20something cupcakes. I’m all about keeping my word, and I did; I made this fabulous meal, Daniel was taping it, and in the midst of it all, a bottle of wine fell from the top of my fridge, causing a jagged piece of glass to ricochet off the floor so hard that it cut my wrist…like, bad. Like, I had to go to the emergency room because my wrist grew a golf ball bad. Like, a year later, it’s still hard for me to hold a plank on that wrist bad.

This is a true story, y’all. I can’t make this stuff up!

Maybe it was a sign. Maybe I just had too many bottles of wine piled on top of my fridge. Either way, a couple of months went by and I started a new job that I got super-busy with. So I’ve been really busy working, right – like it’s *totally* normal to get to work at 7am and leave at 8pm – and then somewhere along the way, I had an epiphany. I realized that even though I love my job, I was losing sight of other things that I love. Things like this blog. This blog provides a creative outlet that just can’t be touched.

And so, I made myself a promise that I would stop working so damned much (can I get an amen!?) and get back to the other things in my life that make me happy – things that I’m fully in control of, things that really allow me to grow. I’m a person who always likes to be pushing myself. When it comes to this blog, and myself, and my own pursuit of happiness, nothing can stand in my way.

This {right here} is my world, I’m in charge – and I’ve recently made the decision to take it back into my own hands.

I can hardly think of a better way to do so than these fleur de sel caramels. Part of my goal is to show you, if you’re even the least bit unsure – or at the very least looking for some entertainment, which I hope to provide you – that what I’m doing is easy! And fun. If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong.

cranberry-white chocolate {holiday} cookies.

December 6, 2011 in Sweets + Treats with 1 Comment

So…let’s talk holidays. Holiday baking, to be exact.

Have you been baking all sorts of fantastic goodies in your kitchen lately? I bet you have. You’ve probably been very busy back there, you know, baking cookies for cookie exchanges, for your neighbors and friends…for, ahem, yourself.

Not yet, you say? Perhaps I am a bit early here – it is only the first full week of December. Last week, we were still kindasorta in November. Last week, you were living in sweatpants after stuffing yourself silly with deep-fried ~~turkey skin~~ turkey, oyster stuffing with tons of fresh herbs, the creamiest homemade salted caramel ice cream ever, and waaaaay too much apple-cinnamon sangria.

Nevermind. That was me. I supposed I got confused for a second, because we’re just so…similar.

To start, we both love cookies.

Do we both love big, fat cookies packed with white chocolate, dried cranberries, and salty toasted macadamia nuts? I hope so.

chocolate {salted caramel} cupcakes.

November 9, 2011 in Sweets + Treats with 15 Comments

Today, I thought you deserved something special.

And by special, I mean luscious salted caramel. Tucked inside perfectly moist chocolate cupcakes. Does that qualify?

No? Hmmm… How about if I throw in some salted caramel buttercream frosting? I thought so. I knew you’d be into this. What’s not to be into? These cupcakes are a little taste of heaven in every bite. Well, if you like chocolate and salted caramel…and the food-gasm that entails once you’ve achieved that perfect salty-sweet combination. That’s what salted caramel is all about, after all – and chocolate is an obvious match for it.

Caramel…shall we discuss? I have a feeling we’ve talked this one through before, but just in case you’re new here, let me tell you: It’s not that hard to make. Try it, if you never have, and you’ll likely surprise yourself. The trick I can let you in on – and it’s not exactly a secret – is that caramel turns quickly from velvety and smooth to a hardened, burnt mess. As long as you’re paying attention, you’ll be fine. This is not something you want to be doing while talking on the phone, while licking the cake batter bowl clean, while trying to braid your dog’s hair with your toes.