Lesson #137: Mini Rocky Road Cookies

Why are mini cookies so addicting? Possibility because it's easy to pop a few into your mouth! These cookies have the traditional rocky road flavors: chocolate, marshmallow, and almond. This recipe makes a ton of cookies (about 6 dozen if you use a 1 teaspoon scoop), so I guess it's a good thing that they are so easy to eat! :)

LESSON LEARNED: Use marshmallow bits - not mini marshmallows - in these cookies. The mini marshmallows will melt, but the bits stay in tact while baking.

Recipe for Mini Rocky Road Cookies

Lesson #136: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Even though my life has gotten hectic since we've moved, I decided to take the morning and bake these multiple component cupcakes. Boy, was I glad I did!

The cupcakes are a brown sugar cupcake with chocolate chips baked right into the batter. The filling is an egg-free chocolate chip cookie dough (warning: you will want to eat a few spoonfuls of this by itself!). The frosting is a brown sugar butter cream that really tastes like cookies. AND the cupcakes are topped off with mini chocolate chips. Too cute!

Here's a photo of the finished product, but I took some pictures along to way to give you an idea of how they are assembled.

LESSON LEARNED: Make each part of the cupcake in steps. That way it doesn't seem as overwhelming.

Recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

Lesson #135: Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp

Justin's favorite desserts are anything made with rhubarb. Since it was his birthday a few weeks ago, I made this dessert as part of his birthday dinner.

The filling reminded me of the best strawberry-rhubarb jam that I've had. The filling was tart, yet sweet and it was topped off with crunchy bits of brown sugar and oatmeal. I made a half batch since it was just the two of us, but we could have easily ate the full batch. Usually I don't regret only making a small batch of something (because I like to try new recipes!), but to be honest, I was a little sad when we finished up the pan of this dessert. :)

LESSON LEARNED: Make sure you bake this for the entire hour - I love how the top gets crunchy and crisp. Maybe that's why it's called a crisp!!!

Recipe for Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp

Lesson #134: Blueberry Poppy Seed Muffins

Now that I'm somewhat back baking and cooking after my kitchen being torn apart (we just ordered our new appliances and granite counter tops should be installed in about a month!), I can get back on track with posting recipes.

I made these muffins a while ago and they were FANTASTIC for breakfast. I loved how light the batter baked up and they were not too dense. The blueberries and poppy seeds are complimented with a touch of almond flavor. This is definitely a "keeper" recipe!

LESSON LEARNED: These are best served a day or two after you make them. The recipe makes a lot, so freeze the extra muffins.

Recipe for Blueberry Poppy Seed Muffins

Lesson #133: Mini S'mores Cookies

These cookies are so darn cute and equally as YUMMY! The base of the cookie is part crushed graham cracker and part flour. Mixed in the cookies are mini chocolate chips and marshmallow bits. The bits are a newer product and remind me of the mini marshmallows found in packaged hot chocolate. They hold up really well in these cookies. Normal marshmallows seem to melt away when they are baked, but these bits worked perfectly. These cookies are incredibly DELICIOUS and ADDICTIVE!

LESSON LEARNED: Mini-marshmallow bits don't melt in the oven!

Recipe for Mini S'mores Cookies

Lesson #132: Baby Shower Cupcakes

A few weeks ago I baked cupcakes for a baby shower. Since moving into our new house, I haven't had time to take big baking projects, so taking the time to make 9 dozen cupcakes was a nice change of pace. I adapted one of my cupcake recipes that worked well for large batches. The recipe acted like a blank slate for flavoring the cupcakes since I needed to make 3 dozen of different flavors (vanilla bean, chocolate, and strawberry). Overall, the cupcakes were well received and the display was pretty cute!

LESSON LEARNED: When making a large amount of cupcakes, use one recipe as a base and adapt it as necessary.

Recipe for Versatile Cupcakes

Lesson #131: Vanilla Cloverleaf Sweet Rolls

I'm still on a breakfast treat kick! Next up are these sweet breakfast rolls. I made a brioche-type dough with milk, eggs, and butter and mixed in vanilla bean seeds. After letting the dough rise, I divided it into lots of little balls, grouped them together in muffin tins, and baked until golden brown. I slathered the rolls with some marmalade when I ate them for breakfast last week - so YUMMY!

LESSON LEARNED: Freeze the extra rolls so you can easily defrost the rolls as you need them.

Recipe for Vanilla Cloverleaf Sweet Rolls