Cran Marnier Truffles

Decadence – unrestrained or excessive self-indulgence.  Yeah, that’s this.

One truffle is all you’ll need to send you into bliss, but no one will judge for indulging in several more.

Pomegranate-Raspberry Bars

Seven delectable dishes share the plate, but who are we kidding, you’ve picked your fav – the one you want to be the last bite of the meal.  The closer.

This is such a morsel.

Tart, light, buttery, and palate cleansing, – this bar is like sorbet in cookie/bar form.

Triple-Ginger Ginger Snaps

Ronald Weasley.  Jessica Rabbit.  Carrot Top.  Tori.  Beer.  Conan.

Just a handful of the things that the word “ginger” brings to mind.

A request for ginger snaps sent me on a Google quest for the perfect recipe.  I love molasses and I love ginger, so when I stumbled upon this recipe that took both of these guys seriously, I knew I’d found the ONE.

Rolo Pretzel Delights

We’re going to take this nice and slow.  Nobody gets hurt… not on my watch!

With the shopping, the decorating, the hustle, the bustle, the cooking, the baking, the go, go, go… it’s easy to go nuts, it’s easy to land yourself in the Emergency Room with a bagel cutting knife injury, or overdose on flour ingestion.  Not this year!

And so begins it.  Three ingredients.  Minimal prep.  Minimal cook time.  Ultimate delight.

Heavenly Horchata

Booze and cookies.  No.  Strike that.  Let’s try again.

Cookies and booze.  Ah yes, much better.

Welcome friends, to the two-week, pre-Christmas, cocktail/cookie extravaganza!

Glazed Pumpkin Crescents

Yeast.  It makes all my favorite things.  Beer.  Bread. Any other spontaneously fermented goodies.  And yet, it scares me.

Like tempering chocolate, making caramel, experimenting with bread – I’ve had mixed results.  Those yeast guys are just so darned fussy and precise.  Imagine that.

But I think I’ve got the hang of it, knock on wood.  I think I’ve cultivated enough respect and patience to see the results I desire.

So with that introduction, here is a great roll to serve on your Thanksgiving table.

Nutty Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

Perhaps you’re a lovely lady, or fine fella that enjoy the occasional sweet treat.  Perhaps the thought of a fluffy cake-like bar filled with pumpkin, nutty goodnesss, topped with decadent cream cheese frosting… makes you a little weak in the knees.

Or, perhaps you want nothing to do with a sugary snack, but enjoy the idea of sharing baked goods that make the intended think you slaved away all day, as the flour and sweat flew.

Well, here’s the answer friends.

Touchdown Thursdays: Caramel Apple & Brie Skewers

No room… No room!

Things I fill up on when engaged in game day festivities: beer, and cheese laden delights.

Rarely, if ever, do I have room for dessert.  Until this.

Best Carrot Cake

A serious warning accompanies this cake recipe – once you make it, and the first bite is devoured, you will then be required to make it for every event, for the rest of your life.  There’s a possibility you might not even be invited, but the cake will.

Drunken Sugar Plums

Drunken sugar plums… over the course of my life I’ve performed in 100s of Nutcrackers during the holiday season, and I must say, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a drunken sugar plum fairy.   This may seem like a useless fact, but considering how much those Russians love their vodka, when it dawned on me, it seemed like a big deal.

This is the ultimate homemade treat for the beer and sweets lover in your life.  You know when you bite into a cordial cherry and that goo oozes out and tastes amazing… this beer, plum, and chocolate combo create the same intoxicating affect.