Carrot Cake Cutie Pies with Spiced Rum

I sometimes have a tough time naming my BIWB creations...This one is no exception.  This recipe if based on a carrot cake whoopie pie recipe in Whoopie Pies.  But then, I changed it.  Added the booze and tweaked the dry ingredients a bit. 

My original recipe adaptation goal being to by-pass the base recipe's instructions to refrigerate the batter for an hour.  Truthfully, I didn't have an hour on my furlough day...

The resultant "cutie pie" is more like a carrot cake cookie than a "traditional" whoopie pie.  These are much more "perky"...Chocked full of flavor with all the spices...Is it a cookie sandwich, a sandwich cookie, a whoopie pie or a carrot cake-what?

Which led me to another discovery during the photo shoot and subsequent sharing of my carrot cake creations...  

I'm sure, if you follow enough food blogs, you know that "props" are all the rage.  We've been counseled to add more props in our photos.  We've been told my photos suck.  At this point, I think I do my best and really focus on the recipe and end results.  If my photos are still too yellow, please excuse me.  Do I sound a bit defensive? 

Sorry, I digress...Back to props...I had purchased some baker's twine years and years ago (pre-blog) and who knew it would be used so much as a prop?  It's typically used to tie-up a stack of cookies or a loaf of bread.  I wanted to use it but couldn't wait for the next cookie post.  So, I tied up my cutie pies!

The results were like little Cutie Pies in Bondage.  The hula girl on the rum bottle doesn't hurt the image either...Definitely a conversation starter...And, a new subtitle...However, and much to my disappointment, I just don't think our media partners would have approved...

Maybe next time...And, yes, 2012 was my year of 50 Shades.

In the future, look for more BIWB in Bondage!  ;-)

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Orange Dreamsicle Cupcakes

I think orange is an under-appreciated flavor. It seems like candy dishes always run out of the "popular" flavors, like cherry, chocolate, and lime - leaving a surplus of rejected orange candies languishing at the bottom of the dish. I'm always happy to snatch them up for myself. I like to root for the underdog. And I really, really love orange-flavored everything.

These cupcakes were partially inspired by Icing on the Cupcake's orange cupcakes - which I love - and partially inspired by childhood memories of savoring orange dreamsicles on hot summer days, and swigging orange-flavored Triaminic. Wait, what??! 

Old-Fashioned Snickerdoodles

Big, moist centers, crispy-cinnamony outside. 

Warms the heart and brings back many happy memories...

These cookies are everything you want your snickerdoodle to be, trust me.  This recipe is based on two sources: The Boozy Baker and From Amish and Mennonite Kitchens.  I tweaked both recipes to develop this one as I wanted a really BIG cookie with lots of flavor, a nice rise and a super soft interior.  Give these a try and you won't be disappointed. 

So, what's in a name...

First, the drink...The Old-Fashioned is a cocktail made by muddling dissolved sugar with bitters, then adding whiskey or bourbon and a twist of citrus rind. It is traditionally served in a short, round, tumbler glass.

Second, the cookie...The snickerdoodle is one of the oldest American cookies known.  Snickerdoodles have a cracked surface and can be crisp or soft depending on your preference. Today, the leavening agent is typically baking powder (a combination of cream of tartar and baking soda).  In the old days, the traditional leavening agents were baking soda and cream of tartar.  I use all three. 

Third, the origin...According to The Joy of Cooking (the culinary bible for most...), it states that snickerdoodles probably are German in origin, and that the name is a variant of the German word Schneckennudeln ("snail noodles"), a German pastry.

Can you see the orange zest?  Can you smell the cinnamon? 

Yeah, trust me, these cookies are THAT good!

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Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

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Grocery shopping, or cupcake concocting?

You can guess how it turned out, but that was the dilemma I toiled over last night as I made my way home from work. Sensibility was gaining the lead as I considered all of the preparation I need to do for Christmas Eve dinner, which I'll be hosting at my house. I very sensibly considered all of the things I could accomplish early by getting my grocery shopping done that very night. Frivolity, however, edged out a narrow win - I think the bumper to bumper traffic and kamikaze-esque drivers wore me down. By the time I got home, I was in full denial mode. Christmas Eve, looming only three days away? No big deal. I have LOTS of time, right??

Pomegranate Cosmo Cupcakes



Little pomegranate-bejeweled,
tangy and sweet treats...Smooth.

  If the truth be known, this is my signature cocktail.  No joke, I've made over a hundred of these for friends at Casa de Haertle.  I seriously honed my cocktail shakin' skills on this cocktail combination.  I won't go back to cranberry...Pomegranates are the only way to go, with this cupcake or the cocktail.  And, getting an extra dose of antioxidants in your diet isn't a bad thing either!

Biscotto Dolce Di Ricotta (Sweet Ricotta Cookies)

In the spirit of my quest to become Italian, I made these little babies last weekend.  Aren't they cute?  Please note: use of icing and sprinkles.  I'm beginning to think that all Italian cookies should have this general festiveness about them!

I found this recipe via my favorite Italian cooking blog by Marie, Proud Italian Cook.  This recipe for Biscotto Dolce Di Ricotta is on a website for yet another Italian cook, Laurie, on her blog Dalla Mia Cucina.  If I could run her blog better, I would be able to follow via Blogger, but try as I may, I just haven't broken that code...These ladies have very snazzy blogs which we hope someday to aspire to.