In case you’ve never had a brookie before, it’s just the kind of dessert that inspired me to begin food blogging. A cookie/brownie hybrid deserves a food blog, right?

But you see, these are even better. The bottom layer is a chocolate chip-filled fudgy brownie, and the top is pumpkin chocolate chip cookie dough. I’m so glad brookies are a thing, but even gladder that pumpkin brookies can come out of it!

Almost three years ago, I decided to start Just About Baked. It was a love story to the desserts I push to decadent limits, and a way to write and express my creativity in a way that I hadn’t been able to before. I started this not knowing anything about what I was doing, and boy, did it show.

Those early pics? Don’t look. And as for the rest of it, I learned a lot about so many things. The learning curve was steep, and I was excited to get a chance to absorb whatever I could.

But here’s the rub. All this time, I’ve been doing my first passion during the day, which is teaching. I’ve been teaching full-time in public high school for 17 years. It’s a full-time job and then some. I work a minimum of ten hours each day and then come home to make dinner, do homework with kids, have playtime, put them to bed and then work some more. In case nobody’s ever told you this, grading papers and planning lessons takes forever, for English teachers especially. Case in point? Before I wrote this post today, I spent five solid hours grading about 35 essays. And I’ve got many more to go! Not complaining, but it is what it is.

Somewhere in the middle of having three kids and being a teacher, I needed some additional stimulation. Anyone who knows me realizes that my days are packed, and I like them that way. So I created this site, nurtured it, and managed to keep it fairly functional for a while. Until recently.

Over the summer, I got a lot busier at work thanks to a promotion, and working all day and part of the night all week long is tough enough without having to bake, photograph and organize JAB on weekends. See, I like to hang out with my kids, and that’s more important than social networking. I’m also not that good at social networking, to be honest. It’s always felt uncomfortable to me, like I’m existing in a world that’s not quite real. I also like occasional downtime, and working 24/7 takes that away. Oh, and did I mention that my house is falling apart because there’s no time to fix things or clean up after my three kids?

I like to give what I do time and attention, and it’s not happening on this blog the way it should or could be. I wish I could be Superwoman and just do everything, but nope. I’m not going to hold myself to impossible standards, and I’m not going to let the time I have with my family suffer either. My first professional passion was teaching, and there it stays. Prioritizing has to happen sooner or later.

That doesn’t mean that I don’t still consider myself a baker. It also doesn’t mean that I’ll never pick this up in an official capacity again. However, I need a break. I need time to think about things. It goes against the grain of who I am to do anything that resembles giving up, but I have to show myself some compassion. Better to take some time and figure out whether JAB is a chapter that will continue, or if it’s about to become a piece of my past.

I have one more post later this week that will thank all the lovely people who have helped me over this journey, and that I hope will express how much I’ll miss them. I’m emotional enough that I can’t even write about these pumpkin brookies for now, so just enjoy the pics, okay? I’ll see you in a few days, but for now, already feeling the separation anxiety. It’s been a heckuva ride, and I’ll miss it terribly.

I’m on a cake kick, for sure. Something is just very comforting about cake this time of year, and I need all the comfort snack breaks that exist. Pass me a fork and a plate!

This recipe is a one-bowl, throw everything together and mix kind of recipe. Even the glaze takes about two seconds to throw together. When you’re done, there’s a fluffy apple cake with a lovely honey glaze that looks like it took hours to make, but in reality might have taken 10 minutes. Are you game?

I’m so excited for apple season. Once a year, my family goes to an orchard (it’s about 26 miles away, so it’s not super nearby) for their annual pumpkin festival. While I love the corn maze (not) and the hay rides (yay!), the best part is undoubtedly their caramel apples.

Yep, it turns out that not much in life is more delicious than a freshly picked orchard apple smothered in caramel, peanuts, sprinkles and sea salt. I get mine with the works every year, and then I hide from my kids while I eat it on top of a hay bale. That way, Mommy doesn’t have to share.

This time of year also beckons the upcoming Jewish new year, otherwise known as Rosh Hashanah. That’s Hebrew for “head of the year.” To celebrate, it’s traditional to dip apples into honey (so good!) to beckon a sweet new year.

A few days ago, my daughter (the baby, she’s 4 and change) saw me baking this cake. When she found out that it was an apple cake, she immediately figured out that it was for our upcoming new year festivities. She’s smart, that one! And then she said, “Mommy, put honey in it.” Because of course, she knows that’s a winning combo this time of year.

To make her (and myself, honestly) happy, I put a simple honey glaze over the cake. It was really the perfect finish, and I’m so glad my kid figured that out for me.

Like I said, if you’re short on time, this cake is the way to go. My family really enjoyed it, and I plan on baking several more this autumn. It’s that time, after all. Let’s get our apple on!

I’ll get into why in a minute, but I was pretty much hooked from the start. What could be more amazing than dreaming of a dessert and then creating it? Sure, back then I needed recipes (I was very reliant on them),  but it was still a lot of fun to cook in my crappy dorm kitchen.

These brownies are the first ones I ever baked from scratch, and the first baked good I ever added my own spin to. I used to call them “candy bar brownies” because they are very much like that. Rich, fudgy brownies are filled with peanut butter and milk chocolate chips, with a thick layer of the same on top. They’re crazy addictive!

When I was in college, I had a boyfriend who was sort of local to the area. He’d invite me to his mom’s house on weekends, and I always wanted to bring a hostess gift of some kind. The problem? I didn’t have much money, and whatever money I did have I would spend on veggie burgers to make it through the week.

That’s when I started learning how to bake. I went to the college bookstore and bought a Pillsbury baking book (still one of my favorites) in the reduced-price bin. If I couldn’t bring expensive chocolates or bottles of wine (um, wasn’t 21 yet) as a present, I could at least bring baked goods.

At first, it was something of a struggle. I had no mixer, didn’t know what any of the directions meant (creaming? straining? whaaat?), and didn’t own more than one or two pans. Luckily, these brownies fit into the one kind of pan I did have: the ever-useful 9 x 13.

One day, I was in the baking aisle at the only grocery store I could walk to, and I found a box of Baker’s unsweetened chocolate. On the back was a recipe for one-bowl brownies, and there was no mixer needed. I could just melt the butter and chocolate in a microwave, mix stuff together, and be done with it. Instantly, that became my go-to brownie recipe of the 90s.

When Reese’s peanut butter chips burst onto the baking scene, I found them at the grocery store, too. They got a lot of use in my kitchen then, and they still do. I think they always will!

These brownies are full of both milk chocolate chips and peanut butter chips. When the brownies come out of the oven, I sprinkle the same mixture over the top, let it melt, and spread the chocolate over the surface. When it hardens, it’s like a brownie and candy bar in one!

I might not be in college anymore (not by a long shot), but I can still enjoy these brownies to the utmost. I hope you do, too!

These are pretty outside the norm. Their consistency is similar to a fudgy brownie, but the taste is pure autumn. Sure, I threw in some chocolate chips, but who could resist that?

In order to inaugurate the coming cooling temps, here we go with pumpkin chocolate chip bars. Let’s grab some spiced cider and run with it!

Having Monday off was such a great treat. We went to the D.C. arboretum, which is this amazingly beautiful place. There are great views, lots of bonsai trees, and most awe-inspiring, the columns of the original Capitol Building. They’re pretty cool.

We decided to take the kids with their scooters. Scooters are kind of amazing if kids can do them right, which my oldest is getting good at. His control is really improving, which is awesome, because the last time he wiped out on his scooter, he screamed for hours. Hours. And he kept insisting that we take him to a hospital. It was not a happy day.

Now he’s fine, and the girls are learning. My middle kid can do it for a while, but not long. The youngest will literally step onto her scooter for about point five seconds before she steps right off and demands to go “uppy.” How we love carrying both a scooter and a four year-old at the same time. If that’s not a recipe for back trouble, I don’t know what is.

Still, it was a beautiful day, and people kept watching the kids on their scooters and smiling at us. It sure beat a day of endless toil, which makes that whole Labor Day holiday name ironic every year.

When we got home from the arboretum, I was tired, thirsty and hungry from all that scooter and kid carrying. Luckily, these bars were on hand to keep me happy.

If we’re talking easy recipes to get your fall rolling, here we are! These can be made in one bowl. Just be sure to cool your melted butter, or you’ll wind up scrambling your egg and that translates to starting all over. Nobody likes that.

This time of year, I like to have pumpkin pie spice on my shelf at all times. It’s such a versatile spice mix, and it always produces those great fall flavors. It also saves you the trouble of combining the spices on your own. Magic in a little bottle!

If you’re ready for fall, here comes the first of many pumpkin recipes. Start your engines!

Well, unless you’re mashing up two things that are great separately and gross together, like steak and whipped cream. No, thank you. But when the mash-up combines the best of both worlds, mama is happy.

What could be better than a raspberry crumb bar, you wonder? How about a raspberry crumb bar with cheesecake filling? Do I have your attention now?

The school year starts in two weeks and I’m in overdrive, but I have to pause and fulfill my civic duty. Yep, that’s right. Jury duty calls!

This is the fourth time I’ve ever been on jury duty, and the second time in two years. Lest you think I am a star juror, banish that thought from your mind. That’s not it. I must have some kind of force that emits rays to jury selection people. Otherwise, my popularity makes no sense.

Years ago, I was called to a six-week jury trial at the beginning of summer. They took four days to make a selection, and the whole time I was  really worried that I would lose my entire summer vacation to our justice system. Thanks to the powers above, I wasn’t selected and my summer remained intact. But close call!

Kenny was also called to jury duty a few weeks ago, and he was so excited. Unlike me, he’s never served before, so it was a novelty for him. He went very happily and waited to be called, and…nope. They dismissed him around noon. But he can feel good that he’s off the hook for another few years. Maybe.

Whenever I have jury duty, snacks are important. They keep me cheerful during the monotonous hours of waiting for something to happen. The thing is, though, the snacks have to be easily packed. That’s where these bars come into play!

The bottom and top are made of the same crumbly oat mix (gluten-free, of course). I like to double up on the raspberry jam by first spreading some over the bottom layer, pouring in the cheesecake filling, and then dolloping some more on top, swirling it with a knife. And on top? Those miraculous crumbs!

I might have to do my civic duty for the umpteenth time in my relatively young life, but I’ll do it happily as long as I’m kept fortified. These raspberry cheesecake crumb bars should do the trick!

Do you feel as though you have an impact on the world around you?

I’ve always felt very satisfied at my chosen profession. With teaching, I’m fairly sure that I make an impact. I just have to strive my hardest to make it a consistently positive one for my students and the teachers I supervise. That’s one reason I don’t really want to go into anything else; I might be getting paid, but it’s also a way to give back.

Teaching is also about possibilities. Every day, I see new paths for both myself and the people around me, and that inspires creativity. It’s that same creativity that sparks my baking and that makes it so much fun to create new desserts. Thanks to NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® and their new line of baking mixes, I can take their Brownies & More with chocolate morsels mix and turn it into a quick and tasty peanut butter brownie pizza!

As I’m working among the dusty books this summer getting the office ready for teachers, I need to take breaks from time to time. Last week, I spent the morning in a storage room without air conditioning straightening things out. By the time a few hours had gone by, I needed a break and some supplies. Luckily, I work down the street from Target, and when I got there, I stocked up on every single flavor of these baking mixes. After all, I need to bake treats for my teachers, who are coming in this week voluntarily to meet. Talk about inspiring!

Personally, I’ve always been inspired by people who lead by example. I’ve worked for some amazing teachers and instructional leaders who find innovative ways to help kids achieve, and it’s my continuous goal to be the same way. Hard work is important, and so are good intentions. Still, I also enjoy looking at ideas from a new angle and trying to find a different approach. It keeps everything much fresher.

It’s that same skill that makes me a lover of baking mixes. Sure, I could enjoy these NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® mixes just the way they are by following the directions on the box. And believe me, I did whip up a batch of both the Cookies & More with chocolate morsels as well as the Cookies & More with Butterfinger just for fun, and it was great. I also can’t wait to try the Brownies & More with Butterfinger. These new mixes have no artificial flavors or colors, and they come with the cutest little bags of chocolate morsels or Butterfinger bits. I’m always about the cute.

Still, when I buy a baking mix, I turn it into something else about 85% of the time. It’s just more fun that way! In this instance, I took the brownie mix and used a springform pan to make a “pizza” crust. The base gets covered with a peanut butter frosting and more chocolate morsels from the cute bag. It’s a fast, easy and fun dessert that I guarantee will fill the crowds with awe and wonder at what you can do.

How do you like to dress up your baking mixes? Pick some up with this special deal from Ibotta and start baking now. There are so many options, and the creativity is yours to enjoy. Innovation is where it’s at, and using baking mixes provides a solid place to start. See what you can create!

When I was growing up, I got used to the sight of him sitting down at the kitchen with a bowl of shelled nuts and a nutcracker. He’d crack away, and I’d sit next to him and crack an almond here or there, since they were my favorite. Every now and then, he’d crack a walnut and I’d be in awe, since those are really tough to manage.

Well, my dad still snacks on nuts, and he also likes them in his baked goods. When given the choice between chocolate chips or nuts, he’ll go nuts all the way. But I say, why choose? So these brownies are full of both chopped walnuts and chocolate chips. Hello, old school brownies!

I am so incredibly beyond excited that Friday looms. This week, I had to drive about 25 miles each way to a class and then sit all day and learn. I love learning, but I don’t love driving. I also don’t love sitting for long periods of time. Being in motion is key.

Movement is a friend. When we don’t move, we get all sore and achy. I’m sure you’ve had that same experience. Still, a day loafing on the couch is warranted now and then. Do you have any of those in your future?

Some of life’s finest moments revolve around a couch, a blanket, and a classic dessert. Sometimes I opt for truffles, if Kenny’s been a sweetie and kept my supply nice and stocked. But when there are no truffles, a brownie will do just as well!

Confession: as much as I love the velvety texture of a brownie without any mix-ins, there are times when I really crave that extra crunch. A brownie with walnuts and chocolate chips has enough crunch to make anybody happy.

These are fudgy enough for any picky brownie eater too, in case you couldn’t tell. I’ve never made a cakey brownie in my life, and I don’t intend to start now!

Hope your weekend is filled with good snacks and lots of downtime. If you want that extra dose of relaxation, try a nutcracker. It can be very satisfying. Just ask my dad!

For a special day like this, I couldn’t just make any ice cream. No, siree. I had to really stretch my creative boundaries and think of a flavor that I wish someone would just go ahead and invent already. And you know what? Jackpot!

This is probably my favorite ice cream that I’ve made, and I’ve made a lot of winners. The base is creamy cinnamon with the best mix-ins in the world: cinnamon chips, chocolate chunks, and Rolos! Prepare to swoon.

It’s been super-hot in the DC area over the past week, with temps pushing well into the 90s. Tomorrow, we’re supposed to hit 99, and I think there’s even a 100 in the 10-day forecast. Everyone is complaining about it.

Well, everyone but me, that is. I revel in the heat. It’s just so welcoming. Last week, Kenny and I took paddleboards out on the Potomac. He was very busy paddling to and fro, but I had a different idea. I paddled mine toward the edge of the river with a nice view of the Key Bridge, and then I put down my oar and stretched out onto my board, staring up at the sun while the board bobbed gently over the water. When it got too hot, I dipped a foot in the river. It was sublime.

The upshot is that Kenny got back thirsty and tired, and I paddled back to the dock feeling pretty relaxed. Either way, the heat made the whole water trip even better. I felt like a cat in the sun.

You know what else is better in extreme heat? Frozen treats. I’m telling you, nothing feels quite so good as drinking something frosty or scooping up a cold spoonful when the sun is beating down on us all.

There’s no better time to have National Ice Cream Day than the middle of July when we’re all inhaling the frozen desserts right and left, and I really wanted to do it up right this year. You can’t go wrong with this one, and there’s no ice cream maker needed!

Here’s a tip from me to you: don’t cheat with Cool Whip. Not on National Ice Cream Day. Whip up the real stuff. It’ll taste just so much better. The hardest part of this recipe is whipping the cream, and it takes very little time if you have a stand or handheld mixer. The rest is super easy!

I wish you all a very happy time with your ice cream. Make it a day that’s worth its weight in ice cream. This is the time!

Okay, that’s my life. I admit it. I have an ongoing love affair with brown sugar that is never going to end. Last week, we accidentally ran out of brown sugar, and I thought I was going to sit on the kitchen floor and cry. No baker worth her salt (or sugar, in this case) can do without the good stuff.

To apologize to brown sugar everywhere and make amends, I made these blondies. Blondies are the quintessential ode to brown sugar, a bar cookie packed with caramelized goodness. Plus, these are filled with butterscotch chips. That’s the life, baby!

I’m going to keep this post relatively short because my resources are stretched a little thin these days. Too much to do, and absolutely not enough time to do it all in. I’m sure you can relate, especially if you’re a woman. You know, because we can supposedly do everything.

So here’s me reaching out to you parents out there about kids fighting. It’s gotten really bad lately between my two older children, and I’m not sure what to do. No matter what we do, the two of them wind up going at it. It’s unrelenting, and I’m at the end of my rope. They literally fight about everything. If one of them says that it’s time for breakfast, the other one will be contradictory and insist that it’s too early, late, or whatever. It doesn’t matter, as long as they can argue about it. And this just goes on all day long.

Short of resorting to losing my mind, screaming at the top of my lungs, shipping them off to boarding school or a combination of the three, I need help. How do you handle kids who seem to fight all the time? Seasoned moms, I’m asking you for tips. Help me! Please. Consider it your act of kindness for this week.

The thing is, I often feel like a terrible mother. I’m easily distracted, often busy, and have a lot of my own going on. It’s tough to give my kids all the attention they need, and even though I see my brood more than most working moms see theirs, I feel that their fighting is somehow my fault. If I’m not engaging with them constantly and directly, then it all falls apart. Mom guilt sucks.

If there’s one thing I feel less guilty about, it’s how I feed them. They do pretty well in that department. After all, I’m the mom with the goodies!

The big appeal of this recipe is that it’s made in one bowl very quickly. The blondie base is my favorite, and you can adapt it however you like. So if butterscotch chips aren’t your bag, try something else!

Okay, I’m gonna go pay attention to my kids now before my house becomes a war zone. Send help!

Last week, I stopped by CVS for a quick trip to get some cleaning supplies. I’ve just moved into my new office space, and it was pretty dang dirty, so I needed to rush out right away and get cleaning spray, wipes, paper towels, the works. I was only going to pop in for a second.

But you know, CVS has the best stuff. Makeup and hair stuff and gel pens, oh my. And have I mentioned the bags of candy? Yep, I walked out of there with snack-sized Reese’s, Mega M & Ms and yes, fun-sized Snickers. Rather than eat the entire contents of each bag immediately while I cleaned dried-up Jolly Ranchers off a desk in the office, I chose to save them and bake this candy bar brownie cake instead.

This past week, I went to cake decorating class. I originally signed up for this class before my job promotion when summer was supposed to be uneventful and relaxing, and now I just don’t know if I can do it. I was sitting in class at night trying to form a fondant and gum paste flower, and the table was making waves in front of me. I was about two seconds from face-planting onto my sugar daisy.

Fondant is a tricky beast, for those of you who work with it. It’s like play-doh, except it theoretically tastes a little better. I know it looks really nice, and I like making decorations with it. That said, I’ve never been the biggest fondant fan. For one thing, it doesn’t taste as good as frosting. For another, it really gets handled a lot. I know (or hope) that bakers are working with really clean hands, but the image of someone handling something that much before I put it in my mouth is a turnoff.

Also, the stuff cracks really easily, and once that happens, there’s no fix. I know we’re into this whole smooth cake trend, and it’s totally pretty. But I get frustrated sometimes at all the fondant cakes that look alike. Or maybe that’s just me looking for an excuse to drop cake decorating class so I can get more sleep.

For the first time this week, I’ll be making a tiered cake. I’ll let you know how that goes. Send me tips, okay? I’ve chosen to frost it as a mostly-naked cake to keep the work down to a minimum, but boy, I’m scared.

When I’m trying new things in the cake decorating world, it’s nice to make a dessert that it low-maintenance and no-fuss. This brownie cake is exactly that. The base is a fudgy brownie, covered with easy chocolate ganache and topped with my CVS collection of chocolate bars. Could life get any sweeter?

And now I’m off to try and dowel some cake. Wish me luck! I’ll be stopping by here for therapy if things don’t go well. Have a great start to your week, everyone!