Sweet N’ Salty Cookies

Sweet n’ Salty Cookies

The best thing that has ever happened to civilization: the bed. Every night, once my kids are bathed and in their own beds, I feel a calm sense of satisfaction overtake me that another day has passed and that I can finally be reunited with my true love. Yes, my feelings for my bed are that strong.

And I feel almost the same, but not quite, about salty sweet treats. When salted caramel burst onto the food scene a few years back, I couldn’t get enough. I still can’t, but my brain has adjusted a little more. Back in those days, it was hard to find salted caramel anything. Now you can’t turn around without it smacking you in the face with its coy deliciousness.

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Footballs And Hearts (Brownie Truffles!)

Footballs and Hearts (Brownie Truffles!)

Today’s post is both delicious and adorable. Yes, I’m complimenting myself. I can’t help it. I took brownies and made them into footballs and hearts!

Confession time: I am not happy about this year’s Super Bowl. If you’re wondering why, just know that my hometown is Indianapolis, Indiana, a.k.a. home of the Colts. For those of you who follow football, you are probably realizing right about now that Tom Brady (along with his pretty face and his snooty supermodel wife) ranks pretty low on my list of famous people I’d hang out with.

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Meyer Lemon Pie Bars

Meyer Lemon Pie Bars

This time of year, I need a little pick-me-up on a fairly regular basis. Whether it’s eating a truffle while I stare out at a snowy landscape, reading under a fuzzy blanket, or cuddling with any child of mine who is willing to let me squeeze them for a few minutes, it’s super important to relish the hibernating aspect of winter.

Every now and then, I also like to bake a summery dessert to raise the brightness in the kitchen. Nothing is more summery to me than citrus, especially anything yellow. So these Meyer lemon pie bars are perfect for cheering up the landscape!

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Carrot Ginger Cashew Soup

Carrot Ginger Cashew Soup

Whoa. Hold the phone. I’m not posting dessert today.

No, don’t worry. This is not the start of a new trend. But every now and then, I feel compelled to offer up one of my favorite savory recipes. And this is definitely one of my best ever happy ones!

I invented this soup a few months back, and it is divine. It’s also divinely simple. It’s thick and creamy, but there’s no cream in it, so it’s healthy, too! It’s also very rich. One bowl is pretty much a meal, as long as you’re having it with a piece of excellent bread. Yes, you’ll want a good crusty loaf to have along with this.

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Cinnamon Crumb Babka

Cinnamon Crumb Babka

Whenever I’m in my local grocery store, I always accidentally-on-purpose wind my way toward the bakery section. Because you know, it’s really fun to stare at treats and wonder why you aren’t buying them all.

As someone who bakes regularly, I don’t often buy dessert. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t reallyreally want to. There are very few desserts that I have a physically hard time turning away from at the store, but babka is one of them. I love babka. Deeply. Passionately. How could I not? If you’ve ever had babka, you know what I mean.

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Ganache-Frosted Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

Ganache-Frosted Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

How many days can you go without a brownie? Because I can last two days. Then it all falls apart.

There are two desserts in this world that I can never say no to. The first is a chocolate chip cookie. I know very few people who can ever resist one. I even love the Costco ones. They’re processed. They’re huge. They’re delicious.

And then, taunting me always, is a perfectly fudgy brownie. You’d think that there aren’t a lot of good ones out there, but man, is that wrong. There are incredible brownies everywhere. It’s kind of encouraging, really. What kind of world would we live in if good brownies weren’t available on every street corner along with Coke Slurpees and Starbucks?

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Lighter Crumb Cake

Lighter Crumb Cake

I’m so over winter. Not that I was ever under it, you understand.

The other day, I was reading a student’s poem, which was basically a praise of winter. It was a really nice poem, and I enjoyed it. At the same time, there was a voice inside me saying, “You’ve gotta be kidding me.” I mean, she didn’t mention anything about the pain of winter.

Yes, I said pain. Cold hurts. And I don’t even feel like eating ice cream, which is just wrong. All I want to do is curl up under a blanket and eat lots of crumb cake.

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Chocolate-Dipped PB Cookie Dough Ritzies

Chocolate-Dipped PB Cookie Dough Ritzies

I had no idea what to call these. But they’re awesome.

Let me backtrack. After a week of the flu and another week recovering from the flu, I’m still waiting for my appetite and taste buds to return to normal. The flu is evil in so many ways, but I never expected it to alter my eating this dramatically.

Pretty much, I’ve wanted two things since the fever broke: sushi and truffles. When the fever was raging, all I wanted was Coke Slurpees. So basically, any healthy eating habits have gone right out the window.

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White Chocolate Butterscotch Banana Bread

White Chocolate Butterscotch Banana Bread

It’s been a snow day kind of week.

The other day, my kids and I spent our first snow day of the season together. I’m always the parent on duty for snow days since I’m a teacher, so we do snuggly activities during the day. We watch movies, drink lukewarm chocolate (nothing hot for my babies!), dabble in arts and crafts, and of course, we bake.

This time, I happened to have some overripe bananas on the countertop, which could only mean one thing. In a world with bananas and children, there must be banana bread.

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