Did you know that January 8 is National English Toffee Day? http://baking.about.com/od/seasonaldesserts/tp/January-National-Dessert-Days.htm
This is a great combo – toffee, chocolate, and walnuts. It’s like a hat trick of desserts.
Sweets
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Cold days require comfort foods. The windchill today is -22. Nothing says comfort food more than warm chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. No, they are not fancy, but not all desserts have to be a culinary masterpiece. Sometimes, just good old traditional cookies do the trick. It’s all about the love in the tummy.
Macaroon (not French Macaroon)
I just baked macaroons. No, they are not the French kind, which are a meringue-based cookie with almond flour (sometimes spelled Macaron).
The above is the typical kind of macaroon and is made of coconut, egg, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla. I usually make them during Easter in multiple pastel colors. For Passover, I will make both vanilla and chocolate. (I believe in equal opportunity celebrating and eating) These are a lot easier to make than French macaroons.
I don’t believe either Macaroons or French macaroons are a substitute for one another. While the name might be confusing, the tastes are distinct. Both are delicious!
White Chocolate Brownies with Red, Green, & Chocolate Chips
These are not brownies for the faint-hearted. These are extremely rich brownies! I usually add macadamia nuts, but I was adding these to holiday trays and I have a no nut policy when I make treat trays. (too many people with nut allergies). Instead, I added green and red chips for a little holiday spirit.
Whoopie Pies Are For All Occasions
It’s Christmas time – so here’s some red, green, and white whoopie pies (although the cookies would be good for Italian holidays as well :). Even if you’re tired of the red and green theme of the holidays, these are still great little cookies.
Have you ever wondered what’s the difference between a whoopie pie, moon pie, and a macaroon?
A whoopie pie is a cake-like cookie sandwich filled with buttercream.
Whereas, a moon pie has a marshmallow filling between two circular chocolate-coated graham crackers.
A French macaroon is a sandwich style cookie made of light meringue-textured cookie (usually made with ground almonds) with a buttercream filling.
Gooey Butter Cake
Never heard of gooey butter cake? Well, it is a St. Louis tradition. The name says it all. It rich, dense, and of course gooey. It is typically served like a coffee cake. Supposedly, Walmart sells a version of gooey butter cake and calls it Paula Deen Baked Goods Original Gooey Butter Cake. Since Paula Deen is the queen of butter, I would hope her cake is good.
In the photo, it is chocolate gooey butter cake on the left and a vanilla version on the right.
Bailey’s Chocolate Cherry Cupcake
It’s a Cherry Bombshell
It’s a cocktail and cupcake. A chocolate cupcake with rum buttercream inside with Bailey’s Chocolate Cherry frosting. Cupcakes aren’t just for kids anymore.
A Sweet Combo of Vanilla and BDSM
Vanilla and BDSM really go together quite well. The above cake is a Frozen merengue cake with Vanilla Cinnamon Bailey’s Whipped Cream. This pairs well with any of the following erotic romance novels: “Hot Ticket” by Olivia Cunning, “In Flight” by R.K. Lilley, “Sweet Surrender” by Maya Banks, “The Siren” by Tiffany Reisz, “Wicked Ties” by Shayla Black, or the “The Submissive” by Tara Sue Me. A slice of cake and a book make for a perfect combination for dinner dessert. Actually, the two go together well any time of the day.
to all the above authors!
Nut Crescent Cookies
If you aren’t allergic to nuts, this is a must eat cookie. I have been making this cookie for 30 years. I used to make it for holiday trays, but because of all the increased food allergies I switched it to a fall baking thing. I don’t like to repeat recipes (something that sometimes annoys my family) but this recipe has made my short list of baked goods worthy of repeating.
The dough is cream cheese and butter based and is worth every single calorie. I use Solo Nut filling for the inside, which pairs well with the dough. I have also filled these with chocolate, blueberry, and apple filling. Once I tried Solo Almond filling when I couldn’t find the Nut filling. Perhaps it is a nostalgic thing, but I prefer the Solo Nut filling to all others.
Nutella Fudge
Love chocolate? Love Nutella? The two blend perfectly into a smooth fudge that is a fabulous guilty pleasure. This is sure to satisfy a chocolate lover’s fix.
Indulge in Life's Guilty Pleasures 