The Late Afternoon

These crinkly cookies almost have as much powder sugar as the beignets I had in New Orleans. And, yes, that is a very good thing. The chocolate cookie dough is rolled into balls and then covered in layers of powder sugar before being popped in the oven. Once in the oven, they puff and crinkle until the are super soft and super addicting. I think this recipe (seen here and here) may be one of my new favorites that I will definitely be making over and over and over again.

 There were a few reasons I was excited to make this cake: (1) it was for my friend’s SURPRISE birthday, (2) it gave me a reason to use my new mixer, and (3) carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is always good! I used this recipe that has been used many, many times for birthdays (my mom used to almost always make carrot cake for our birthdays when we were younger) and it was as delicious as I remembered.

When gifted a shiny new Kitchen Aid Mixer and madeleine pan, the next step is obvious – make madeleines!! What I’m loving most about these cookies is their airy texture and light vanilla/lemon flavor. The pan gave them the classic scalloped fan shape, even if they were a bit difficult to wedge out of the pan (use lots of grease!). They’re perfect as a quick snack, paired with a cup of tea, or in my case, breakfast!

It may look like a bunch of five year olds made these, but nope, we’re twenty five. Thanks to Trader Joe’s and their amazing 99 cent sale on these “Really Big Gingerbread” decorating kits, our attempt at making dinner turned into a spontaneous cookie decorating party for two, complete with red wine and pizza bites. I’d have to say mine looks super stylish with her sparkly gold nail polish. Don’t you think?

This year, I decided to make a whole bunch of mini red velvet cupcakes topped with cream cheese frosting (using this recipe) for the holidays. I spent an evening baking and the next afternoon frosting and packaging each of these tiny cupcakes into plastic containers that took forever to find. I decided to package the cupcakes using scraps of gold wrapping paper and bits of red yarn for a simple, crafty look. Baking, frosting, and packaging the cupcakes was the perfect way to get unwind from the last hectic weeks of work and welcome my two weeks of holiday vacation!

So, I turned twenty-five on Saturday. Woohooo. I think one of my favorite birthday moments was this lop-sided chocolate cake that Mike made before we headed to the city to celebrate with friends. Its showered with sprinkles and topped with a little pink candle. All I can say is “AWWW!!” Adorable, right?