• Gluten Free has never been so fun

    Chocolate is a must have in my house at all times.  I usually have a chocolate bar, a brownie, peanut butter cup or a cookie to satisfy my daily chocolate need.  For brownies and cookies the fudgier and richer the better for me.  My sea salt caramel brownies are super fudgy but finding a cookie to meet that criteria has been difficult, and I never imagined a gluten free option would give me the perfect chocolate cookie…but I am so glad it did. I have been making gift baskets and I wanted to have a gluten free option in each basket and so I went on the hunt for a…

  • a new Holiday treat…yes it’s fudge

    Do you have a favorite treat that you only have at Christmas?  For me family it was always my MeeMaw’s sugar cookies and english toffee, for my mom is is white chocolate peppermint candy, for The Hubby it is a broccoli & cheese casserole that his mom makes and for my dad it is fudge.  Now I am pretty good in the kitchen and can handle most everyones favorites but fudge has always been a little intimidating.  There is just something about candy thermometers that scare me just a little bit…but this year I was determined to find a fudge that he would love and that did not require any…

  • an unexpected sweet bundt treat

    Now I know that when you think of Holiday desserts pumpkin is at the top of the list .  As crazy as this might sound, my family are not big pumpkin lovers so we have always had several additional options besides the traditional pumpkin pie….one always being a bundt cake.  We love the traditional bundts but we also love this chocolate, chocolate chip bundt cake for chocolate lovers. A new favorite is this butter bundt.  It is lighter than a more dense cream cheese bundt cake but still super rich and full of butter love in each bite. When my brother and sis-in-law were down a month or so ago we had a big…

  • dreams are made of this new pumpkin love…

    Obviously pumpkin is on everyone’s brain this week…and my brain is defiantly no exception.  Really to be honest pumpkin is all I can think about…I just love pumpkin everything.  Now the traditional pumpkin desserts are perfect for your Thanksgiving table but this year I wanted to change things up a bit and create a lighter dessert but with all the best it had to offer.  The first layer is a delicious graham cracker crust, it is buttery and a little crunchy.  Next there is a cheesecake layer that is light with the added whipped cream but still very rich.  Next comes the pumpkin layer that is a wonderful pudding like layer loaded…

  • whipped cream for days

    I LOVE HOMEMADE WHIPPED CREAM!!  Ok there I admit it…I LOVE homemade whipped cream.  The first step is admitting it right??  Well there you go…I admit it…I not only love it but I am kinda obsessed with it a little bit.   My mom would always make homemade whipped cream for special occasions and I was always so excited.  The problem was she would always have to leave the gathering and pull out the mixer and whip it up while her guests were enjoying their drinks because it would deflate if she made it before they arrived…so over the years I have been experimenting with several different stabilizing options to…

  • a little punkin butter fun

    OK it is no secret that I LOVE pumpkin anything and everything…I love pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin pasta, but I especially LOVE pumpkin butter.   My obsession with pumpkin butter started several years ago on a quick trip to Williams Sonoma to pick-up some kitchen towels (they are he only towels I use) and I was asked to try their pumpkin butter.  I, of course, agreed immediately and gobbled up (yes it was like a gobble…it was pumpkin people) and I was instantly in love.  It was so pumpkiny (that is is a word in my world) with a perfect hint of spice and then the bite…

  • Dessert made easy (as pecan pie)

    ** Making pie can be so intimidating but with these bars are the best of a favorite pie without all the pie crust and intimation factor…love desserts like this!! Growing up my sweet MeeMaw made the best pecan pie.  The crust was flaky and buttery while the filling was sweet and gooey…the only problem was I could not stand the pecans.  Being the best MeeMaw in the world she started making us kids a pecan pie without the pecans each time she would make a normal pecan pie.  It was so good and so perfect without those pesky pecans messing everything up.  Well as I grew up I started to…

  • a little espresso pick me up

    Brownies are a HUGE downfall for me!  As I am sure you can tell from my many brownie recipes they are definitely a must have in our family…but I think I have found my most favorite brownie…EVER! Another favorite of mine is coffee and really, really strong coffee (really espresso) at that, so the idea of bringing together 2 of my favorites sounded like a match made in Half (baked) Heaven for sure.  Espresso powder has been used with chocolate for years & years to help accentuate the chocolate flavor but to make espresso a predominant flavor sounded like a must make delicious treat.   My favorite espresso powder comes…

  • The perfect Fall cookie

    Fall is in full swing and that means everything pumpkin, spice and yummy is everywhere!  It seems like every store smells of all the best of fall… a little cinnamon, a little spice and a little sweet.   The Hubby loves this season as much as I do and has been handing out little “thank you’s” to his clients.  He has given some these chocolate chip cookies, fall maple crunch and then some peanut butter cookie brownies but these little pumpkin delights are my favorite of the bunch for sure.  They are light but loaded with tons of flavor in each bite.  For this go around I used white chocolate chips and dried…