Sweet Mummy Cookies

Finally recovering from one of my most stressful and eventful weekends. Surprisingly, after all the cursing and faint whimpers here and there I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. My friends and family who witnessed me at my worst would probably call me crazy. Problem is it just felt too damn good seeing all those desserts all set out. It made me forget all the mayhem I had just been through the past month.

Pumpkin Pie Party Dip

Halloween Party Dip

October! Absolutely love this month! Well pretty much October on thru December. It is my pie, tart, and colorful scarf season and it is never long enough. This season is a busy one for me especially in October. Got 4 family birthdays and all in love with cake but the big one is the Halloween party right around the corner. Been asked to provide the "spooky" and fun sweets to be exact. So, a simple cake with some frosting slapped on isn't going to cut it. So safe to assume this month will be all about fun ideas for Halloween sweets.

First up, Pumpkin Pie Party Dip!

Banana Walnut "Muffin" Cookies

Banana, walnuts, and chocolate chips
all in one cookie!

So ran into a little dilemma with this recipe? Well many actually but the most important was…What the heck did I just bake?! 

It started off as a cookie but after coworkers gave them a try it became a muffin top. It's got the shape and all the normal baking ingredients and steps of a cookie. But it's got a soft and airy texture that you can't help compare  to that first bite of a perfect morning banana nut muffin. Without the crumbly mess. That muffin and coffee was my idea of a perfect breakfast. Well that and Bill-Miller tacos. Just ask my roommate. Better yet any of my past classmates who saw me run in past ten with a Starbucks or Bill Miller cup in my hand all thru college.

Now back to the matter at hand. Could it possibly be a little of both with a hint of "pretty damn delicious"? I blame the ripe bananas for that soft texture and sweet smell.  Haven't figured it out just yet but glad about whatever screw up I did when I bit into these cookies…muffins…uh I let you decide.

Banana Bread

What's soft, sweet and absolutely delicious when thrown in with bread? 

Chocolate Almond Biscotti

Biscotti! One cookie that one can never go wrong with dipping in a nice cup of dark coffee. Well actually it would be a biscuit I believe or maybe a coffee bread. A twice baked one at that. Well whatever they call it, its delicious and I needed one asap.  

I usually stick to simple almond biscotti which I'm sure will come up in future recipes not about chocolate. Future just seemed so far away and so I went ahead and threw some nice dark chocolate in that mix to enjoy that crunchy goodness in the present. 

So start brewing that coffee and enjoy!

Prep: 30 - 35 minutes

Bake: 35 to 45 minutes

Cool: 10 minutes

Yield: 24 cookies

Almond Joy Double Chocolate Cookies

Whoever came up with the idea that Almond Joy and coffee are a perfect match is a genius. It so delicious that next cake I’m throwing an Almond Joy in there. Maybe three.

Following day I packed my ingredients and headed over to mom’s kitchen ready to take my family’s taste buds on a little island vacation. With the recent birthday I had just celebrated, cake and I were on a much needed break. Cookies felt like the way to go for a nice little tropical snack.

Prep: 20 to 25 mins

Bake: 12 to 15 minutes

Yield: 40 cookies

Cool: 10 minutes

Chocolate Swirl Pound Cake

I recently had a birthday and made a deal with a friend for a simple exchange. “I give you cake, you sing me happy birthday”. If memory serves me right the birthday song was usually a given but leave it to me to have one of those rare occasions where I buy my song with cake.

Good thing is he is a simple guy whose palate appreciates a simple pound cake. Figured I was getting a pretty good deal here. I get to do what I enjoy most and out of it I finally get to hear those vocals I’ve heard for months now how amazing they are.

Lately I’ve been all about adding chocolate to my recipes. Which I think it’s safe to say chocolate is great in any dessert combo. Well at least according to my palate it is.

Try out this Chocolate Swirl Pound Cake and let me know if your's agrees!

Yield: 24 servings, 2 loaves

Prep: 1 hour
Bake: 300°F 1 hour 15 mins to 1 hour 30 mins (no preheating)
Cool: 1 hour and 10 mins