Category Archives: Dessert

Valentine’s Day is fast approaching.  Do you plan to celebrate with your significant other, kids, or perhaps host a Galentine’s Day celebration?  We like to do something every year but it’s never the same thing.  Some years we go out, some years we stay in, and some years we postpone until we can figure out what we want to do.  Whatever you end up doing (or not doing), I hope you enjoy it! One tradition of mine is to ALWAYS make a beverage or 2 and a dessert or 2 to celebrate during the month of February.  I try to make simple recipes that don’t take a lot of time or ingredients and are something anyone could whip up at home.  Here’s what I have for you this year: Strawberry Pink Hot Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake Martini Love Letter Pastries Strawberry Puff Pastry Hearts   Now let’s walk through how to make each recipe: STRAWBERRY PINK HOT … Continue reading

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Cookies are something I always enjoy baking and sharing with others.  They tend to make enough to bring to work, have throughout the week at home, or freeze for later (although I don’t know why you would have any to freeze and not eat them right away).  And the recipes are often simple or less complicated that you can quickly whip up a batch.  Today I have 4 different cookie varieties to share.  All are incredibly soft and chewy (hence the blog name), large (like large enough to share), and contain great flavor combinations.  Here’s what I have for you: Soft & Chewy Carrot Cake Cookies Soft & Chewy Dulce de Leche Cookies Soft & Chewy Cookies & Cream Cookies Soft & Chewy Peanut Butter Cup Cookies   Now let’s walk through how to make them.  Each recipe makes 7-8 cookies (one actually makes 12 but who’s counting), but they are decent sized cookies and can be shared … Continue reading

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The Harry Potter books are something I grew up reading and then fell in love with the movies as they came out in theaters.  To this day, we have a Harry Potter marathon at our house some weekend during the winter months to enjoy the films.  If you have about 20 hours of free time, I suggest you do the same 😊 Kidding!  We don’t watch the movies in one sitting but it is fun to watch them consecutively and within a few weeks of each other to get the full effect.  The one thing I struggle with is snacks and beverages.  I want something themed to go along with our viewing but don’t always plan ahead.  This year, I am planning way ahead.  We’re going to enjoy various versions of Butterbeer (IFYKY) and a few themed snacks.  Here’s what we’ll be enjoying! Copycat Hot Butterbeer Copycat Cold Butterbeer Copycat … Continue reading

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It’s that time of year again where we bake way too many cookies, gorge on sweets, go cocktailing with friends, enjoy meals with family, and celebrate the holidays!  This is my favorite time of year for baked goods and all things dessert.  Anyone that knows me knows what a sweet tooth I have.  I could spend all year creating new dessert recipes, fun reindeer shaped cookies, peppermint bark, anything gingerbread related, and more.  Which is basically what I want to share with you today – delicious dessert recipes for the holidays!  Here’s what I have for you: Gingerbread Whoopie Pies Gingerbread Cupcakes with Cinnamon Frosting Peppermint Lush Bars with Oreo Crust Cherry Fudge with Dark Chocolate   First up are my Gingerbread Whoopie Pies.  These are phenomenal!  Incredibly moist cookies, an excessive amount of filling, and the perfect amount of spice.  If you like gingerbread, you will LOVE these cookies.  … Continue reading

Posted in Christmas, Dessert, Holidays | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Tasty Tidings

Christmas is a time for family, friends, food, and of course, cocktails!  I want to share 4 new martini recipes with you today.  All are fun, festive, and sure to get you in the holiday spirit.  Here’s what I have for you: Ornamentini Sugar Cookie Martini Eggnog Martini Holiday Spice Martini   ORNAMENTINI These are super fun to make and are a great way to serve martinis to your guests.  I think they would make great place settings at a dinner party, or you can make them ahead of time and save them to serve as an after-dinner drink.  It’s a very merry martini with a citrusy flavor! The recipe can be found here. Start by adding one rosemary sprig and a few cranberries to the bottom of 2 martini glasses.  Bonus points if you make sugared cranberries to use because they are both delicious and festive!  I opted for … Continue reading

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Look no further for fun and festive martinis that are packed with seasonal flavors and are delicious to drink!  I have 4 recipes to share with you today.  All are great for holiday parties or family gatherings because they are simple to make and don’t require many ingredients, and you probably have most of the ingredients at home already.  Here are the recipes: Espresso Martini Snickerdoodle Martini Mint Chocolate Martini Salted Caramel Martini   ESPRESSO MARTINI This martini tastes just like boozy espresso and it’s phenomenal…if you like coffee! Start by making the instant espresso, and let it cool completely.  Fill a cocktail shaker with ice.  Add the vodka, Kahlua, espresso, and simple syrup.  Shake vigorously then strain into a martini glass.  Enjoy! This recipe is for ONE cocktail and can be found HERE. SNICKERDOODLE MARTINI This martini tastes just like a snickerdoodle cookie.  It’s perfectly sweet with a hint of spice. Start by combining 2 Tbsp of … Continue reading

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I’m sure you are familiar with the ever-popular Peanut Butter Blossoms in cookie form, but have you ever tried them in bar form?  If not, you are in for a treat!  The cookie versions are incredible, but they are a little time consuming to make because you must roll out the dough into individual cookies before baking.  The bars don’t require any extra work yet taste identical.  I highly recommend giving them a try! The recipe can be found here. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.  Also use the preheating time to unwarp the Hershey Kisses. Add the softened butter, peanut butter (I like to use creamy), sugar, and brown sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until well combined.  Add the egg, milk, and vanilla, and mix until well combined. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix until … Continue reading

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Smoked Brownies with Caramel are the first dessert type recipe I’ve made in a smoker.  It was a long shot, but I’m impressed with the results.  I don’t know how to describe it, but it just works.  The brownies are sweet, savory, and smokey.  They smoke flavor doesn’t bring out much of the caramel but does enhance the chocolate nicely.  It’s a simple recipe that doesn’t require a lot of ingredients or time in the smoker. The recipe can be found here. Start by preheating the smoker to 275 degrees F and add woodchips to the tray.  I used hickory woodchips but any flavor you prefer is fine.  I do want to note that I only added woodchips during the preheating process and about ½ way through cooking.  I didn’t want the woodchips to overwhelm the taste of the brownies but go ahead and add woodchips at your discretion.  It’s all about personal preference when it comes to smokey … Continue reading

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Brown Sugar Baked Peaches are my new favorite dessert.  It’s an easy recipe to follow and a delicious way to prepare peaches.  The peaches are perfectly ripe and juicy, slathered in a combination of brown sugar and other spices, and baked to perfection (aka the peaches become very tender and warmed through).  Top with some vanilla or cinnamon ice cream and you have the perfect pair! The recipe can be found here. Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees F.  Slice the peaches in half and remove the pits.  Place the peaches face-side up in a baking dish. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a small bowl.  Place 1 Tbsp of butter in the center of each peach.  Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture evenly over the top of each peach. Bake (uncovered) for 12-16 minutes or until the peaches are tender.  Transfer to individual plates for serving and top with a scoop of ice … Continue reading

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Fall is here!  AKA pumpkin spice season has begun.  It officially started a few weeks ago and I’m behind but don’t worry, I’ve been participating in the craze and am ready to share my recipes with you 🙂 My first recipe for the Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Blondies.  I call these “blondies”, but they have a more cakelike texture than a traditional blondie and are quite dense.  They are thick, chewy, soft, and moist, and hard to not eat all at once!  It’s the perfect combination of flavors with the pumpkin spice and chocolate chips. The recipe can be found here. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F.  This part is optional, but you can line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper or you can skip this step.  The parchment paper helps lift the blondies out of the baking pan when cool and ready to slice but you can … Continue reading

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