Perhaps my British friends don’t do triple chocolate scones often, if ever. But there’s a first time for everything, and these deserve a lot of attention.

The base for these scones is cream, which works with butter to make these light as a feather while still full of rich chocolate flavor. Maybe people are out barbecuing this Labor Day weekend, but we’re having tea and scones instead!

Since I always approach my blog with pure honesty, it’s time to get real here: I’ve been struggling ever since I started my new job back in July.

As I watch my blog numbers and stats drop, I know exactly what’s going on. I just don’t have time anymore for a lot of the social networking and publicity piece that JAB needs to get more readers. It’s been hard enough to keep the posts going in the face of running a department, and I’m just trying to keep my head above water while being pulled in a million different directions every day. During my work day, I can’t work on the blog, and my hours are now a lot longer. So the blog has to be done either early in the morning or late at night.

For now, I’m holding onto JAB because I love it. And while I feel bad that my Facebook and Twitter shares are pretty paltry, and that I’m commenting less on my friends’ blogs, I don’t really see another way. Unless I want to work around the clock and ignore my children, my husband and my sleep, this is where we’re at right now. It’s not ideal, but I’m learning to live with less than perfect. It’s hard, because I’m a perfectionist. But I figure that holding onto JAB any way I can is better than giving it up entirely.

How could I give up the motivating force for baking scones, after all? These are super special.

The base has unsweetened cocoa, and the mini chocolate chips sprinkle more bursts of chocolate flavor throughout. And of course, these have to be topped with chocolate drizzle. The best baked goods have drizzle!

While many baking bloggers are die-hard frozen shaved butter fans when it comes to scones, I really dislike working with frozen butter. Cold butter does the trick just as nicely, and takes all the hard work out of making these. Scones are a one-bowl, mix with your hands kind of dessert. Anyone can do this!

As I navigate a life that is way too hectic and leaves no room for anything but work and family time, I will try to bring you the best I can. I’m sorry if it’s not perfect, or even close to perfect. But for now, it’s all I can do!

Nothing sparks my carb cravings like being snowbound, so being trapped in the house means I had to make scones. And not just any scones, either. This recipe is a version of the great Dorie Greenspan’s cream scones, which come together quickly, easily, and perfectly.

I only made one change: I added mini chocolate chips and drizzled chocolate on top. I mean, how could I not? But if you’re a purist, by all means leave them out.

People all over America (especially those who live in Boston or Buffalo) have been mocking D.C. for our wimpy reaction to snow and our subsequently slow cleanup. And believe me, as a Midwestern import to these here parts, I totally get it. We look really lame to anyone who is accustomed to a two-foot dumping of snow.

Back in Indiana where I grew up, snow days were rare. I have very clear memories of struggling to get to my high school and walking in several hours late to French class after a dicey, two-hour drive on the road that involved being towed by someone who had chains. That’s just how we did it. The expectation was that sooner or later, everyone would show up to work.

But see, I kind of like the wimpy ways of the D.C. area better. It’s so much nicer to be home with hot chocolate and scones than to be struggling out there in crappy weather hoping that nobody rear ends you. Why do we have to be at the rat race all the time? My students will be fine. I’ll just cut out a book or something that we were supposed to read. I kid, I kid.

Thanks to our Puritan roots, Americans are pretty obsessed with working. We equate hard work and productivity with virtue, and I’m sorry, but no. There’s also something to be said for knowing when to kick back and just chill out. I realize that our economy might tank if we all did the whole midday siesta thing, but I love the fact that certain countries take a midday break to go home for lunch and a nap. We might be poorer if we did that , but we’d be a lot happier.

Plus, if we had siesta every day, snow days wouldn’t feel like such a break from the norm. We’d be far more used to chilling with our families in the middle of the day. Anyone up for creating a movement with me?

While you ponder that, have a scone. Or three. These are the best scones ever, and I don’t care about modesty because I didn’t invent this recipe. So there. It’s so easy, too!

A lot of scone makers will hold that to get the best scone, you need to work with frozen butter. Honestly, that’s an extra step I don’t have time to make, and I don’t think it makes much of a difference. I’ve tried it both ways. All you need is cold butter and your fingers (pastry blender not needed) and you’ve got a scone dough that comes together in five minutes and produces the flakiest scones. And they’re not dry at all. Nope. They’re really the epitome of what a scone should be.

While you’re busy running around every day, remember being trapped in the snow, or that time you got a really great midday nap. It might make you wish a blizzard would come and give you an excuse to have more scones for breakfast!

So are the cheesecakes. In a really good way! Because in addition to being li’l bites of heaven, they’re not too heavy on the sugar. And they’re also completely full of Hannah Max chocolate chip cookie chips, i.e., my favorite flavor.

I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t love a chocolate chip cookie. When you put them into crispy cookie chips, they’re that much more addictive. Add cheesecake and I’m not really surprised that people’s eyes lit up at work when they saw me bring these in.

Let’s just accept some of life’s truths: cookie chips are super tasty. Perfect weather days are few and far between. Beaches smell amazing (or they should). And left-handed people are not disabled.

Say what? No, I’m not kidding. I’m a lefty, and I was shocked out of my senses a little while back when someone referred to being left-handed as, no joke, a disability. Verbatim. That is so offensive to so many people on so many levels.

Back in the day, of course, people thought that being left-handed was a disadvantage. I was fairly certain we’d moved past that point of view. My handwriting is neater than most people who write with their right hands. I adjust for righty desks because it’s not really that hard, just mildly annoying. And even the smudge on the side of your hand doesn’t have to be there when you write. Just turn the paper sideways.

They make left-handed baseball mitts. My son is also a lefty, and if he ever gets into playing baseball, he could make enough money to buy us a mansion. That’s not a real dream, don’t worry. But it bears thinking about. If lefties are more unusual, doesn’t that make us valuable? Supply and demand, you guys. I learned about it in economics.

Okay, weird rant over. I just don’t believe in using the word “disability” lightly. I would never show disrespect to people who are struggling with serious challenges by implying that writing with a left hand, of all things, puts me at any kind of disadvantage. It doesn’t.

Now I’ll get back to cheesecake. These muffin-sized cheesecakes are filled with mini chocolate chips and chocolate chip cookie chip bits. The cookie chips also comprise the bottom crust and are crumbled on top. This is my personal favorite, the chocolate chip kind. Here’s what they look like:

The cheesecake batter is on the tarter side to balance out the sweetness of everything else. There are benefits to having a cheesecake base that’s lower in sugar. It’s a lot healthier! Plus, this cheesecake is very simple. Just cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla. No sour cream, no yogurt. It manages to be creamy without a bunch of add-ins.

It takes recipes like this to remind me that simplicity is often best. When the foundation of your recipe is basic, then you can have a lot of fun with mix-ins. I can’t think of a better way to use these cookie chips!

Listen, a lot of what you hear out there in the world is totally whack, like my aforementioned left-leaning rant. No, I’m not talking politics. Go back up and read what I wrote if you skimmed this for the recipe. But in all seriousness, cheesecake rocks, and that is truth. Chocolate chip cookies, ditto. And you’ll love these little cheesecakes!

Note: This post is sponsored by Hannah Max Cookie Chips. All opinions are 100% my own.

This looks like a cheesecake. But it’s not. It’s something very, very special.

Hey, it’s almost summer! This time of year, baking blogs undergo a shift as fruit actually becomes available. Like, good fruit. Not the stuff that looks really pretty and tastes like nothing.

This is a partially no-bake dessert that incorporates fruit notes with strawberry jam, but that hasn’t gone all out yet with fresh fruit. Can you use fresh fruit? Or homemade jam? Sure. But I didn’t. I was more about savoring these last few weeks of spring, when school is still in session and we have a whole summer to look forward to.

Anticipation is, after all, much more fun than whatever you’re looking forward to. Like my birthday. I retain the childish hope every year that my birthday will be the best day ever. Somehow, a normal day will stretch out idyllically, full of amazing meals and fun outings and sunshiny skies. Gotta tell you, that’s not exactly how it goes down. Looking forward to something is usually just better than whatever happens.

Unless we’re talking about food. I anticipate a meal at my favorite restaurant, and almost always, it’s just as amazing as I thought it would be. And I have to say, a trip to Baskin Robbins rarely disappoints. So there are some certainties in this cold, cruel world.

I’d like to say that when school lets out in a few weeks, I will be embarking on a fantastic summer. But I’m afraid to have expectations that are too high. I’ll be working on a book over the next few months, getting in some pool time, walking the DC streets in the peak of the summer heat, and ferrying my children to and from camp. I’m expecting ice cream. I’m expecting some nice days. I hope that’s not out of reach!

This dessert is definitely in reach, which is kind of unfortunate if you’re trying to avoid awesomeness. I’m not, so it’s all good. The base is a graham cracker crust that I’ve tricked out with chocolate chips and cocoa. On top is a magical filling, made up of pudding mix, condensed milk, and Cool Whip. It’s pretty great. The whole thing gets rounded out with strawberry jelly and a generous sprinkling of mini chocolate chips.

If you’re into cool desserts, especially ones that nobody’s ever tried before, this is it. It’s creamy, it’s easy, and most importantly, it tastes delicious. And it’s the perfect transition toward summer, as we all anticipate what comes next.

We all need something to look forward to, but if you can, make the present count as much as the mythical future. It’s all part of your life! A life that includes fantastic pie.

My third (and not final, one more Monday) Cinco de Mayo offering are these easy dessert…quesadillas? Tortillas with a rich cinnamon chocolate filling?

Who cares what they’re called? As Shakespeare said, roses are cool even if they’re not called that. That’s exactly the way he phrased it. And while I wish my name had been different, I’m still me.

How many of you feel like you were given the wrong name? Names, no matter what Shakespeare said, matter. And the thing is, our parents never know how we’re going to respond to a name. I hope they do their best and hope in turn that their kids have names they love. But it doesn’t always turn out that way.

As a high school teacher, I have met my fair share of odd names. I can’t share any with you, of course, but let’s just say that parents should probably think hard before naming a child after an evil dictator, giving them a name that sounds like a cuss word, or giving them a number instead of a name. Yes, that has happened.

This dessert might not have a name that fits any specific category, but it’s delicious and not too unhealthy. I used whole wheat tortillas, for instance. That’s good, right? And the rest is simple.

All you do is brush the tortillas with melted butter laced with cinnamon and cook them in a skillet with a cinnamon chocolate filling. The filling is completely addictive and becomes appealingly gooey. Honestly, a scoop of ice cream on top would be perfection. Unfortunately, I ate all my ice cream before the photo shoot. That’s how I do, y’all.

If messing around in the kitchen a lot isn’t your bag, these dessert quesadillas are the answer. They take minutes to put together, and they are ridiculously good. I ate mine for breakfast, but I’m a weirdo with the wrong name. Hey, if I had a different name, I’d still bake sweet desserts. But I still wouldn’t know what to call these!

Wait. I’m confusing real life with John Hughes movies again.

Yesterday, my husband installed a much better spam filter for my site. You know, so I can stop getting comments like, “There are many women body types and depending on your shape, you will definitely get the best design that fits you perfectly.”

Say what? And that’s one that makes more sense than most. Most are not in English.

So yeah, my husband has filtered my Spam. And in return, I’ve made him another gluten-free treat. A really fun one, if I do say so myself!

These are a riff on one of the best cookies out there, the monster cookie. If you’re not familiar, a monster cookie is a peanut butter oatmeal cookie with M & Ms and chocolate chips. Sometimes people go crazy and put in more mix-ins. Nutty! Anyway, this bar is like monster cookies, but it’s a gluten-free, egg-free cookie dough made from oat flour!

And the top is made of…drum roll, please…PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE. Yep, you read that right. Cookie dough topped with fudge. Can we please have a moment of silence? Wait. I think I just heard chewing. Oh yeah, that’s me.

Oat flour tends to make recipes more moist, so the only catch to these bars is that they have to be kept chilled. Otherwise, they’ll be too sticky to handle. But they taste perfect. And there are little oats poking out of them, so you’ll feel super healthy eating them.

Remember to use gluten-free oats and oat flour. Otherwise, yeah. This recipe ceases to be gluten-free!

My husband deserves a lot more than just these bars, but they’re a start. Maybe I can find some really good seats at the next Orioles game to top it all off and win wife of the year.

Try these out! They’re no-bake and perfect for this hot weather!

Cookie Dough Layer:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups oat flour
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk (I used fat-free)
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup mini M & Ms

Fudge Layer:

• 1 bag peanut butter chips
• 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk (I used fat-free)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla and mix again. Pour in oat flour and condensed milk alternately, beating until thoroughly combined.

Stir in the mini chocolate chips and mini M & Ms. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch greased pan.

Next, make the fudge layer. Using a microwave-safe bowl, heat the condensed milk and peanut butter chips for 2 minutes. Stir until smooth, add the vanilla, and stir again. Pour the fudge layer over the cookie dough layer, being sure to spread the fudge to the edges of the pan.

Refrigerate for 2 hours. When the cookie dough fudge is firm, cut into small squares and serve! Store covered in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Ah, cinnamon and chocolate. It’s one of the best and definitely most underrated combinations out there. Have you ever had cinnamon sugar donuts dipped in Mexican hot chocolate? No? Then you’re missing out, buddy!

Years ago, I went to a super-trendy DC restaurant that is now pretty hard to get reservations for. It’s called Komi, and it’s genius. But I digress. They had a dessert that was fairly simple, but the best food in life is that way. They had cinnamon donuts and the richest, best chocolate sauce to dip them in. I’ve never forgotten, and that experience is the root of my love for cinnamon with chocolate.

This recipe is super easy, and that’s why I love it. You pretty much take a puff pastry sheet, thaw it, roll it out, spread a fabulous filling over its surface, and roll up two ends. Then you bake it, and that’s it! If you’ve seen my post for chocolate crumb babka, then this filling should look familiar to you. It’s ridiculously addictive.

Working with puff pastry dough is much easier than it looks. If you’re nervous, though, just remember to work on a floured surface. Otherwise, the dough will stick to everything from your work surface to your hair. I’ve been there, and it ain’t pretty! But I’ve also been covered in flour a lot, too. At least it’s a mess that yields delicious results!

Once your pastry is prepared, it puffs up in the oven (thus the whole “puff” part of puff pastry) and makes delicious, light layers of dough. With the chocolate cinnamon filling, it’s both a texture and a taste explosion. Just a little party in your mouth, right on time for Cinco de Mayo!

By the way, I should note that I’m enjoying my pastry strips off site. I packed them for a little Sunday day trip minus kids as a snack, and I plan to polish them off with a frozen margarita while my husband gazes adoringly at me. Or at his phone. Really, it doesn’t matter. It’ll be a moment for the books, overlooking the water with some pastry!

Have your own moment of joy today with this super quick and easy recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1 puff pastry sheet, thawed
• 12 oz. mini chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 cup raw sugar

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

On a floured work surface, roll out the pastry sheet to make a larger rectangle.

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Add the chocolate chips, cinnamon, and sugar. Mix thoroughly.

Spread the chocolate mixture evenly over the puff pastry sheet, covering as much area as possible. Working lengthwise, roll one half of the dough twice toward the center. Then, roll the other half in the same way so the two ends meet.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden and puffed up. The dough may unroll a bit during baking, but that’s not a problem. Just cut into strips and enjoy! It’s delicious warm (especially with a cup of tea), but also works well at room temperature. Do not chill. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.