Easy 5-ingredient chocolate graham cracker toffee

Christmas is in two days.  Christmasisintwodays!

Two.days.

I was all set to write a real, borderline-wordy (aka typical) blog about this toffee.  Toffee that I planned to make two weeks ago.  Had I done that and posted it shortly thereafter, you could've made it and included it in your tins of Christmas cookies to family and friends.

However, not surprisingly, I did not make said toffee two weeks ago.  Or even two days ago.  I made it last night.

Gulp.

But it was so easy and so delicious that I couldn't forgive myself if I didn't at least steer you in the right direction to get the (very easy) recipe for yourself so you could wait until the last minute to make toffee, too.

Last minute homemade toffee is better than no toffee at all, right?

Simple, sweet, and sinfully addictive!  Package it in pretty decorative bags, and it also makes a great gift.  Head over to Gimme Some Oven (one of my favorite new-to-me blog discoveries of 2014!) for Ali's recipe.

Chocolate chip, pistachio & sea salt cookies

If there's one thing I've learned over the past year or so, it's this: the food cravings of a pregnant woman should be taken very seriously.

At current count, four (four!) of my closest friends are pregnant with their first child.  Moreover, three more of them have a 1-year old, so pregnancy wasn't that long ago.  A few years ago, it seemed like e'erybody and their brother was getting married (I should've taken a picture of our save-the-date collection on the fridge); now it's babies.  On my calendar, there are four due dates in less than four months.  Whew!

Crispy peanut butter chip blondies

Hey, peanut butter lovers of the world!  I've got a doozy of a recipe for you.  Are you ready?  Can you handle it?

The correct answers are Yes and Yes.

There has been ample time to recover from the candy bender of Halloween; it was a whopping five days ago, for Pete's sake!  And, for peanut butter's sake, you'd be mad to deny yourself a cookie so perfect, so heavenly, and so impossibly easy.

For how much I love peanut butter, it's surprising how infrequently I bake with it.  To be honest, it's usually because I can't bear the thought of using half of a jar of our beloved Jif on a dessert that we'll have, at most, two servings each and share the rest.

Oreo cream cheese frosting & red velvet cupcakes

Goodness gracious, why didn't I do this sooner?

These cupcakes.  With this frosting!  It tastes like Oreo cheesecake.  How would you like a mini Oreo cheesecake atop a cupcake?

Ruminate on that for a moment while I digress.

(I tend to do that from time to time.  One of these days I'll cut to the chase, I swear.  Unfortunately for you, today is not that day.)

Halloween is just a few days away, which means Baking Season has begun... and I couldn't be happier.  Swimsuits have been stashed until next summer, and cozy wardrobe staples have taken center stage in my closet.

Zingerman's black magic brownies

Until last night, these brownies were my favorite kind of homemade brownie.  Chewy, chocolatey, and oh-so-good.

They taste exactly like brownies made from a boxed mix, without all the funky ingredients and with the added bonus of being homemade.  It seems that the familiar taste and texture of semi-homemade brownies are what the masses desire and love.  You've gotta try them!

And then you've gotta make these black magic brownies.  Because they're my new favorite.

Friday Five: Chocolate chip cookies

Hey, look at that -- today is the first Friday of October!  Yet, somehow, I'm wearing a skirt sans tights/leggings and my neck is naked (a.k.a. scarf-less).  How is this possible?  Because Mother Nature seems to have missed the fall memo thus far.

However, the local weathermen and GMA's Ginger Zee (love the new low-lights, girl) have promised me cooler more seasonal temperatures for this weekend, and I plan to hold them to it!  I feel like I said a proper goodbye to summer last weekend and am more than ready for autumn.  Changing leaves, a chill in the air, and scarves for miles.

We're headed to a local orchard for its annual apple festival, which means this girl's going to go off the deep end and buy 20 pounds of apples (half Honeycrisps for her, half McIntoshes for him).  Yes, 20 pounds, really.  Homemade apple pie, here we come!

Thankfully, I've been giving our oven a good workout for the past week baking dozens of cookies.  I made chewy banana chocolate chip cookies (have you made them yet?!) and smells-like-Heaven-and-tastes-even-better orange chocolate chip cookies.  Chocolate chip cookies are the ultimate crowd-pleasing dessert, but sometimes it's fun to shake things up.  For today's Friday Five, here are some of my favorite variations of the classic.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.  Happy baking and happy weekending!

1. Chocolate chip, pretzel & potato chip cookies - Once upon a time, I was all, "What's the deal with putting salt on desserts?"  Now, I can't don't want to remember that time.  These cookies will make even the most ardent skeptic a card-carrying member of the salty-sweet club. 

2. Mint chocolate chip cookies - One awesome things about posts like this is that I get a chance to look through the archives and rediscover recipes I may have forgotten but love so, so dearly.  These cookies!  I  need them in my life ASAP.  Mint and chocolate are one of my favorite flavor combinations.  With ice cream season over in my brain, I can satisfy my mint chocolate chip craving with these.

3. Thin crispy chocolate chip cookies with sea salt - Another treat made for a tailgate as something new and experimental that turned out to be a huge hit.  Enjoy them at home with a tall glass of milk (or hot chocolate!) because these are totally made for dunking.

4. Chocolate chip meringues - Light as air and perfectly sweet!  Cooler fall temperatures (and lower humidity) are ideal for making these little gems.  Oh, and fair warning -- it's impossible to just have one.

5. Chocolate chip cookie cake - This cake is basically one giant delicious cookie.  It's up to you to decide how many it serves, whether 1 or 10; you'll find no judgement here!  I love how the surprise addition of almond extract makes it extra special.

Orange chocolate chip cookies

I love today for so many reasons.

First and foremost, it's my baby sister's birthday!  Jenny turns a not-so-baby 28 (what?!).   It seems like just yesterday that I asked told my parents to bring home a girl from the hospital.  Okay, so maybe I simply created that memory from my parents' frequent retelling of the story.  Regardless of its origins, 28 years later, I'm happy to say I made the right call :)

Today is also my youngest cousin's birthday!  Seventeen years ago, sweet Lauren came into the world and set the bar ridiculously high for Jenny's birthday presents.  I can hardly believe the youngest of my cousins is heading to college next year.  They grow up so fast!

Last, but not least, I've got another chocolate chip cookie recipe to share.  And this one's a doozy - orange chocolate chip cookies!

Banana chocolate chip cookies

I love me some epic desserts, both the baking and the eating.  Mile-high cakes, near 8-pound pies, and ice cream creations the size of Richard Branson's private island sing to me like luxurious leather Frye boots sing to other women. 

Okay, those boots -- specifically, these boots -- happen to sing to me, too.  Such.Beautiful.Boots.  Swoon.

But, as my husband will be the first to point out, sometimes simple is better.  Sometimes, he says, life just calls for chocolate chip cookies.  (Don't you just love that guy?)

Oatmeal raisin cookies may be his new favorite, but he's never met a chocolate chip cookie he didn't love.

Fast Friday: S'mores Rice Krispie treats

Happy Friday, campers!

Congratulations to you for making it through the work week (hopefully) unscathed.  The week after a holiday always seems a little rough, since I spend the better part of it reminiscing about all the fun we had.  I think workplaces across the country should implement a "vacation recap day" -- on the first day back from holidays and trips, it's acceptable and even expected to rehash stories, share pictures, and catch up on any local news/action the traveler missed.  Someone start a petition for this, okay?  Please and thank you!

Just when we got settled and unpacked, it's time to leave again!  This weekend, we're heading to Reading to visit Matt's family.   It's our annual summer visit.  We'll laugh, we'll play, and we'll probably barbeque every single night.

Mini chocolate chip cookie cup sundaes

It's come to my attention that Matt and I have become creatures of habit.

File this under "Least Surprising Things I've Ever Said."

To be fair, I love our routine.  It brings me comfort and happiness and a welcome sense of familiarity that the rest of the day sometimes usually lacks.  From my morning GMA ritual to Matt's 3:15 phone calls signaling that he's on his way from school to practice, we've learned what it takes for us to be a functional and happy "us."

Chocolate chip, pretzel & potato chip cookies

It's become clear that I need to get my priorities in order.  A few recent "discoveries" have caused me question how I made it to the age of 29 living the way I do.

To start, Matt called on his way home from work one night last week and informed me that our car was overdue for inspection.  Three months overdue.

The car is kind of Matt's thing since he's the one driving it 95% of the time.  But it shouldn't have taken that long for one of us to notice.  In fact, I looked at the sticker recently and thought, "Huh, they usually write the date on the inside of the sticker, but this one's blank."  Did I bother to look at the front?  Nope.  Definitely didn't.

Chocolate marbled pound cake

After a major baking fail this weekend, I dug through the archives for a tried and true recipe that was sure to be, well, a sure thing.  What caught my attention was this bold and beautiful pound cake from 2 1/2 years ago.  Equally vanilla as it is chocolate, it's both dense and light and will appeal to all appetites.  Few cakes can get away without the addition of a thick layer of frosting or a scoop of ice cream, yet this one does so while lulling you into a blissful dessert daydream.  Sometimes, what sounded like a call for a new cookie recipe was really a request for an oldie but goodie slice of cake.

Here's the original post and how to make it:

Want to see a gorgeous cake?  Of course you do!  One that's so pretty it needs no icing or other adornments.  Ready?

Though that's just one slice, you can surely imagine what the whole cake looks like.  Need another glimpse?  Of course, I'd be glad to oblige.  I'm a giver, after all!

You'll have to forgive me for not having a picture of the untouched finished cake.  You see, I made it for our wonderful DC hosts this past weekend and didn't want to be toooo obnoxious about food photography.  Even though one of said hosts is, quite possibly, this blog's biggest groupie (thanks!).  If anyone would understand, it'd be her.  So I guess I can't blame my lack of archiving on my friends.

Giant kitchen sink cookies

These cookies... oh, these cookies.  Swoon.  Pitter patter.  Drool.  I have so many people to blame thank for these cookies.

I'd like to thank my coworker.  When we came up with the idea to have a Fat Tuesday party, it was she who requested cookies.  "Giant cookies.  With chocolate," she said.  For her, I baked the biggest cookies I've ever made.

Chocolate-dipped shortbread cookies

Are you a morning "news" show watcher?  For the past two years or so, I've been a loyal Good Morning America fan.  Robin, George, Lara, Josh, the departed Sam, and Ginger have become my breakfast buddies.

This week, Ginger and Josh have begun a countdown to the first day of spring.  That's all well and good, but I feel there are so many more important countdowns to feature.  Countdowns of national interest.  Like the countdown to Girl Scout cookies.

Now that's a countdown everyone can get behind, don't you think?  It's of utmost importance to our mini household, that's for sure.

Chocolate cupcakes with raspberry buttercream

I'd like to talk about equality.

What's that?  Men and women, equal opportunity, yadda yadda?  Not exactly.

I want to talk about savory and sweet snacks getting equal playing time at football parties, y'all.  These are the real issues that keep me up at night, Mr. President.

Whenever it comes time to plan a menu for an event revolving around a sporting event, it's easy to come up with a list of must-have food: chips and dip, pretzels, pizza, the obligatory veggie tray, and anything else that's meaty and cheesy (like these yummy stuffed meatballs!). 

But, as I'm sure you noticed, everything on that list -- while deeeeeelicious -- is savory.  What about dessert?

Fast Friday: 3-ingredient Nutella brownies

Happy Friday!  And, happy January... 24th?!  How exactly did that happen?

It appears as though it's taken me 24 days into the new year to share a new dessert recipe.  (I'm as astounded as you are.)

Actually, if I'm being honest, I'm not totally surprised, given the make-up of our kitchen cabinets after the holidays.  Matt and I have been nursing our stash of cookies, Sarris chocolates, and Christmas treats (Twix Santas and Reese's trees, natch) for weeks.

As long as there was a pre-packaged solution to our dessert desires, there was no need to bake.

3-ingredient Oreo truffles

Eee!  Christmas is tomorrow!  I see the calendar and yet I still can't believe it.

So you may wonder why I'm giving you one more new recipe.  Especially one that I'm going to insist, nay, implore you to make right this minute or, at the very least, sometime over the next week.

Don't you know that Christmas is tomorrow?

Yes, yes, I do.  See the first line of this post.

Chocolate peanut butter pie

I fancy myself a relatively creative person with a very active imagination.  Throw in a major passion for food and you can guess what occupies my thoughts 90% of the time.

So, when a friend says something like, "Katy, I need an idea for something to make to take to a party," my mind goes from 0 to 60 in no time at all.  Pedal to the metal, baby.  With no direction whatsoever, I can quickly come up with no less than 10 ideas ranging from appetizers to entrees and (obviously) desserts.

And if he/she provides a few parameters for said dish?  You might think that'd tap the breaks and narrow my focus, but you'd be mistaken.

Banana whoopie pies with Nutella buttercream

Smack in the middle of my holiday cookie baking, I got a craving and a wild idea.  My husband can vouch from past experience that this means two things: First, a phone call from me begging him to stop at the grocery store.  Second, dessert.

Spontaneity always means sugar in my world.  For some, this might be a sign of a bigger problem.  For me, it's as welcome and reliable as the sunrise :)

The craving was for something sweet and soft.  I love snappy and chewy cookies, but even I needed a break from 'em.  And as much as eating more of the cookie dough would've satisfied me, there was no reason I couldn't take a break from baking... to do a little more baking.

Cashew Crunch Rice Krispie treats

Would you believe me if I said I forgot how great Rice Krispie treats are?

I'm not kidding, I swear!  And no, I don't have amnesia.

I just tend to get caught up in new and fanciful desserts.  Basically, shiny object syndrome with regards to sweets.  There isn't enough time or room in my stomach for all of my sugar-coated ideas!  Food blogger problems, right?

But seriously.  Rice Krispie treats are the best.  I admit they aren't typically the first thing that comes to mind when I'm brainstorming, though I can't for the life of me figure out why.