Today has been quite a day. My little guy had to get blood drawn (always a huge ordeal), and the doctor can’t tell me what’s wrong with him (based on his last set of tests).
Great. That always goes over well with concerned parent’s, doesn’t it? I mean, how many years of medical school does a [...]

Oh dear. I think I’ve really lost my noodles this time. Or should I say cookies. Is it better to say I’ve lost my cookies? No matter. It’s all a bit of flour one way or the other, right?
If you read my blog regularly (I’m sure you do. You do… don’t you? Of course you [...]

If you’ve ever wondered what the stars are baking in their own kitchens, here’s a look into 4 of their ovens.
1) Who wouldn’t love some cookies baked by our lovely first lady, Michelle Obama. Her Shortbread Cookies are positively perfect, and I’m sure they get served at the White House on a frequent basis.
2) I [...]

Green Tea has been used in Chinese medicine for 4000 years. Not only does it reduce your chances of getting certain types of cancers, but there is even some evidence to suggest that it lowers bad cholesterol and helps the body regain it’s good/bad cholesterol ratio. Not bad for a few dried plant leaves!
So, of [...]

I have to tell you a secret.
Sometimes, if I’m in the right mood for it, I can have just a tiny little bit of a mean streak in me. Nothing major, mind you, but it’s just enough pepper in my salt to create just a little “fun” from time to time.
You see, when I ran [...]

I love to keep my man happy as much as the next gal. I love it even more when it’s easy to do!
How does that saying go? “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach“?
Well, when it comes to my man, truer words were never spoken. As long as he has time with [...]

I would like to start off by saying that the photo of this book absolutely does NOT do it justice.
I was surprised last week when I received this book in the mail to review here on my blog. I have honestly never seen such a beautiful book in all my life. Even the page edges [...]

I have a rather unusual cookie for you today.
When I say unusual, I don’t mean weird or icky tasting, I just mean different. This is not a Nestle’s Toll House cookies. This is different. Good-different.
This cookie has a very deep flavor. Almost “nutty”, but not quite. I would almost call the flavor “rich”, but that [...]

So you’ll have to forgive me. I’ve been on a toffee binge as of late. I just can’t seem to get enough of it. I’ve been adding it to any cookie recipe I can bake. It just seems to really hit the spot lately, ya know?
It’s just one of those things you start to crave, [...]

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy… do I LOVE caramel! It’s right up there with toffee and chocolate.
In fact, I may have created the perfect cookie here. You see, in addition to what the recipe asks for, I also added 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to the food processor when I ground the pecans, and [...]

There’s just something about a good lemon square that takes me back to my childhood. A time when family surrounded me for special occasions and wonderful celebrations.
My mom was well known for her amazing lemon squares. I remember as clearly as if I were holding one in my hand at this moment; the gooey, lemony [...]

Well, I don’t know about you, but any cookie with a name like “boomchunka” deserves a bake in my oven. Based on the name alone, I had to try these. I just love saying that word. “Boomchunka”. Come on… say it with me.
“B-o-o-m-c-h-u-n-k-a”. Isn’t it a fun word? It sounds like it should be part [...]

For Mother’s Day, I received a really pretty bottle of Maple syrup from a friend back east. To be honest, though I loved the gift, I didn’t know what I was going to do with it.
Problem solved! Maple Walnut White Chocolate Cookies to the rescue.
While I didn’t have the time to make the maple ice [...]

Oh, please tell me I’m not the only sucker for a man on a horse. Something about that combination makes my knees go weak every time. So when I saw that there was a cookie named after these equestrian endowed gentlemen, I just had to try them.
Know what? My knees went weak for these cookies [...]

Oh what a fun cookie! Wouldn’t these Apricot Glazed Stripey Cookies be great for a summer party?
I tried these, and I must say it was a bit cumbersome trying to get those layers together. However, I think my dough was a little more crumbly than it should have been. There’s a good chance I put [...]

I can be a sucker for a delicate cookie. If the flavor works, then there’s just nothing better than a nice, light, delicate cookie to go with my afternoon cup of tea.
(“Cup of tea”…. makes me sound old, but I can’t help myself. I love tea, and I’m not even 35 yet. I swear! Please [...]

I know this is my second post on sugar cookies in a row, but these turned out so cute! I just had to post them.
I substituted the sugar for agave to cut down on the blood sugar effect, and they came out looking just like the photo (phew!)
These were a hoot to make. I let [...]

There’s just nothing like two cookies with some ice cream in between them. I mean just look at that photo! Can you stand it?
While these cookies do call for brownie mix in the recipe, I just had to try them. No sugar substitutions on this one… these are a massive sugar rush all the way.
I [...]

Spitzbuben are typically found in Switzerland and Germany. They are a wonderful, delicate yet crunchy cookie that has the the lightest touch of fruit filling. The flavor is sweet, yet somehow “light”.
You don’t have to get as fancy as the photo above. You can just put two cookies together like a sandwich and call it [...]

Have you ever been to Little Italy in NYC and enjoyed one of those fabulous Cannolis?
Me neither. I was in NYC, and never made it to Little Italy. And I wanted a Cannoli soooo bad! But what can you do??
Here’s what you can do…..
Try these incredible Cannoli Cookie Sandwiches! They are positively fabulous, and while [...]

I really wasn’t sure about this one. I’ve never put cornmeal in my cookies before. But I’m a “fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants” kinda gal, so I gave it a whirl.
I may have over baked my cookies just slightly, but they were still really yummy. They were definitely crisp. Not a cookie you bake when you are looking for something [...]

I guess I’m just not meant to ever taste these cookies. 
I’ve done a post in the past on a similar recipe, but I just couldn’t bring myself to actually bake them. I just posted the recipe because I thought it was so unusual.
So when I came across a this recipe, I just couldn’t avoid it any longer. [...]

If you’ve ever wondered about what sugar does in your cookies, or what kind of substitutes you can use for it, then this is a must read.
What Sugar Does
When it comes to cookies, sugar is not only a sweetener, but also a tenderizer. It caramelizes as it melts, altering the texture of your cookies. The [...]

 Oh boy. Here I go again! A cookie that I could eat for breakfast every single day, and never get tired of it!
These Apricot and White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies are perfect for a sweet morning treat! Filled with wholesome oats and apricots, you can’t help but convince yourself that this is a nutritionally sound breakfast.
BTW:Did you know [...]

I’ve been reading this book my husband bought for me called “Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking“, by Michael Ruhlman. In his book, Michael talks about how cooking and baking boil down to simple ingredient ratios. If you know the ratios, you can make just about any recipe you can dream up.
As [...]

Living in California, you get used to having a few nuts around. How does that saying go? “California is full of fruits and nuts” .
That just about sums it up. And if you really like to make things interesting, there’s just nothing like mixing those nuts with some cracked eggs! Yep, we have plenty of [...]

If you like the Girl Scout Samoas, you’ll most likely enjoy these.
These Samoas Cookie Bars have just a hint of Shortbread in them, but they come very close to the “real thing”.
Sorry girls, but in a tough economy, sometimes you just have to say “no” to the girl scout at your door, painful though it [...]

Okay. So the title of these doesn’t exactly make you want to jump up and bake. I mean, olive oil in a cookie? Hmmm……
It took me a while to get around to these. Other cookie recipes just kept jumping up and screaming “Bake me! Bake me!”
But I must admit, when I did finally work up the [...]

These chocolaty cookies are just a little bit angelic. You see, they are low fat AND tasty!
Yes, yes, there is sugar in them, but let’s face it. We’re talking about cookies here. And sometimes, you just need something sweet. Am I right?
These Italian delicacies are wonderful with a cup of coffee. I made them in [...]

Lime and coconut are such a lovely summer combination, don’t you think?
The paring is light and breezy, and makes you want to sit in the porch swing listening to the crickets with a glass of lemonade in hand.
I should warn you, that I have never been a coconut fan in the least. But lately, it seems to [...]

If you like to sample your cookie dough while you are baking, then these are the Cookie Pops for you. Under all that decadent chocolate is cookie dough!
Don’t worry, there’s no egg in them.
These innovative bakers/bloggers came up with the idea, and now they offer two flavors; Chocolate Chip Cookie Pops, and S’mores Cookie Pops recipes.
What [...]

 These lovely little cookies are from the Netherlands, and are traditionally served at baby showers (Use pink toppings for girls, blue for boys).
The dough is meant to be a bit less sweet than a typical sugar cookie because the topping is so sweet. The blogger who’s recipe this is said it best:
“It’s a buttery, crunchy [...]

I’m sorry… did you want me to say something here? I could come back another time. It looks like you’re drooling… here… let me get you a towel.
Oh… did you want the recipe? Silly me. And here I thought you were just here for the pretty pictures. Isn’t food porn fantastic? The bad news is, [...]