Livin' the Dream in Lima

I'll admit it, I've never really loved sugar cookies. Take me to a bakery case full of cookies, and I'll always go for the chocolate. Every time. However, fancy schmancy sugar cookies with royal icing have always intrigued me. "How do they get that icing so perfect?" I was determined to try it myself. I did some research online, and found a great tutorial at Annie's Eats. If you're going to try it, you should definitely check out her site; she explains a lot of little tips & tricks that will help you succeed. But really? It wasn't that hard! It just takes a lot of patience. And kind of a lot of dishes. (But just find someone like my Business Man, who cleaned up after me all night. Best husband ever.) First, you start out with the sugar cookies. (Duh.) And these are delicious. Usually I don't love sugar cookies because they're too plain, too bland. These have just a hint of almond flavoring and a wonderful texture. Once...

Last year, I made Cookie Dough Truffles during my 25 Days of Christmas Cookies challenge, and they were very well-received by all who ate them. How can you go wrong with chocolate chip cookie dough that has absolutely no possibility of making you sick, enclosed in a layer of chocolate? I thought I'd go with the same idea and try out these Cake Batter Truffles. What is it about cake batter and cookie dough that get people (and by people, I mean myself) so excited? Sometimes I'd almost rather eat the batter or dough than the finished product.  And clearly I'm not the only one, with the abundance of cake batter ice cream , cake batter rice krispy treats , cake batter blondies , and even cake batter pancakes (?!) out there in the world. These truffles are just a little taste of cake batter enclosed in a chocolate (or vanilla) coating. The perfect little sweet treat, all wrapped up in its own little shell. I added my own sprinkles so they would be more Chris...

Oh, fudge. The only time of year I ever really think about fudge is when I'm on vacation. And they're selling it in the touristy candy shops. For like $2391/lb.  And when I'm there, it sounds sooooo good. Like Igottahaveitrightnow . But it never quite lives up to the expectation. Sickeningly sweet, hard as a rock, you know how it goes. I've never made homemade fudge before, but this Cappuccino Fudge is way better than any fudge I've had on vacation. It's very chocolatey, with just a hint of coffee flavor. The texture is spot-on, perfect to sink your teeth into. I found the recipe over at Annie's Eats ... I don't think I've ever found a recipe I didn't like over there. If you haven't checked out her site, you might want to do that soon. Just sayin'. What a wonderful gift for a teacher this would make! (Hehe...) Or anybody else special in your life. Who wouldn't love a tin of homemade fudge? Cappuccino Fudge ...

These cookies might just be my absolute favorite cookies. EVER. I've mentioned before that I worked at a bakery/cafe (Katie's Cafe) during high school & college. And I absolutely loved it.  Cookies were definitely one of the most popular items at Katie's Cafe - there were always at least a dozen freshly baked varieties up for grabs. And, they were huge!  Think cookies the size of your face. My favorite cookie from Katie's was the Peanut Butter Cup - rich peanut buttery cookie dough, smooshed into a muffin cup and baked, and then filled with chocolate frosting. Like an inside out Reese's cup, in cookie form. I've made some slight adaptations to the cookie, making it even more decadent. Instead of filling it with a powdered sugar chocolate frosting, I've filled it with a deep chocolate ganache. Yum.  Sinking your teeth into the soft chocolate ganache then the chewy peanut butter cookie might just be the best bite ever. However, these...

Last year, about this time, I embarked on my first ever blog challenge. I challenged myself to bake twenty-five different types of Christmas cookies, and blog about them. I called it the "25 Days of Christmas Cookies." I almost  completed the challenge, but slacked off a bit on Days 24 & 25. (aka Christmas Eve & Christmas. I might have been a bit pre-occupied with other things...) This year, I thought about doing the same challenge, but as my students would say, "That's doin' too much." Heh. Honestly, it was a lot of work, a lot of time, a lot of ingredients, and a lot of cookies! So this year I've decided to do just "12 Days of Christmas Cookies". Still lots of fun but not as overwhelming. I'll be starting tomorrow, so make sure to check back each day from December 1st through 12th for a fun new holiday treat! If you're interested in seeing what I made last year, here it is! They include some of my family favorites, al...

Today was such a wonderful day... my first 'relaxed' day of the break. I slept in, and had a lazy morning with my coffee and Regis & Kelly. I got to play around in the kitchen, and go for a longer run. (Outside again!) Then, I got a haircut, ran a few fun errands around town, and spent the afternoon wrapping gifts and eating biscotti.  Yup, biscotti! That is today's cookie of the day. It is an old Italian treat, that comes from the word biscotto , which is broken into two words: "bis" (twice) and "coctum" (baked). So, biscotti is twice-baked. And yes, literally, you do bake it twice. These biscotti's are light in flavor, and have a good crunch to them. Flavored with cranberries and orange, they are a perfect wintery flavor. The white chocolate drizzle adds an extra bit of sweetness that make them slightly indulgent. These would be beautiful wrapped up in a cute little bag, and given to someone as a gift along with a pound of their f...