Of course I’m a huge fan of inventing cookies, covering stuff in chocolate and eating brownie batter from the bowl, but when I started dabbling in desserts in was to quench my creative thirst, and I did that with cake.

I can’t draw for my life, I can’t paint my own toe nails, even stick figures are difficult for me to get on paper, but I’m a really creative person. I’ve always loved artsy things as long as it involves being messy – enter cake flavor combining and designing/decorating. I used to spend hours in class drawing birthday cakes and picking the perfect combinations for my friends and family, and I got to revisit that love this weekend with my surprise visit home to celebrate my mom’s birthday.

I lied and told her I wasn’t coming, but that I was planning to order her a cake from a fancy bakery so she wouldn’t miss any deliciousness. She requested graham cracker cake, which was perfect because it was already what I was planning to bake.

My graham cracker recipe is one of my favorites, it pairs so well with chocolate, whipped cream or fruit filings and really any frosting. I’ve of course made a s’mores cake with it and quadrupled it for my college graduation party cake. Since I’m dessert free til Easter starting tomorrow, I was happy to make my favorite cake for her.

I wanted to mix it up a little so I researched how to make salted caramel filling and soaked my cakes in them. My mom said it was the best flavor addition she’d ever had – and she and my dad dipped marshmallows in the extra filling, which is the best compliment I could get.

You can watch my make the filling here – and it’s only 1 minute 45 seconds! It’s really simple and versatile.

Next I whipped up a frosting recipe I found on Pinterest – I think the first time I actually made something from there. It was amazing, but also amazingly way too much. (and I feel terrible because I didn’t pin or bookmark the recipe – oops!) I had to freeze half the batch because I couldn’t imagine throwing away so much chocolatey buttery goodness. Yes, buttery. There were 5 sticks of butter in the recipe. Which I guess should have clued me in on the amount, oh well, someday someone will come across that container in the freezer and be in chocoholic heaven.

Then came the resourcefulness. I said before I love drawing and planning cakes. Well this time I had some other things to plan, like getting on a flight with only sleeping for 4 hours or more importantly, not telling my mom I was coming home, so the cake sketches didn’t happen. Instead I ran upstairs to room #2, aka The Oz Room, and stole some stuff from my mom’s shelves.

And the cake looked ridiculously awesome. In fact the fluffiness of the frosting worked really well with the decor I chose. And, of course, the cake was really yummy and devoured and I was so so so so so happy to be there for her to make the cake and to surprise her for her birthday – which is actually tomorrow. I also covered some more kiwi in chocolate – I think I’m addicted to the sweet and sour combo.

And we had chocolate mint martini’s in honor of her love for wicked…

Happy Birthday, Mom – Love you!

(P.S. no matter what Dad says, your birthday doesn’t trump Ash Wednesday, have a drink and dessert tonight – there’s frosting in the freezer

forget that, I’m just concerned with the chocolate.

In preparation for the sweet holiday, I decided to make three desserts for my roommates (and me) last weekend.

There was the simple dark chocolate kiwi, the sticky cookie dough truffle bars and the swirly strawberry puree champagne.

They were all delicious.

The kiwis were so simple and so cute, unbelievably cute actually. I peeled and sliced and then tried to stick candy sticks in the fruit. Some of them didn’t hold so well, but they were all able to be doused in melted dark chocolate. I’m not kidding when I say these were amazing. I’m pretty sure I ate them all and I’m also pretty sure I’m dipping some more kiwi in chocolate this Saturday to celebrate my mom’s birthday.

Chocolate covered cookie dough balls were equally as chocolate drenched, but a little more difficult, but only really due to my impatient-ness. Mixing the dough was fairly simple. Basically, you make your favorite cookie dough recipe but sub a can of sweetened condensed milk for the eggs and baking soda and/or powder. This makes the dough salmonella-free. Then the patience part came. You should really keep these balls in the fridge or freezer for an hour. I just didn’t want to wait that long to continue my chocolate dipping, and my Sweet Talk episode, so a few of my cookie dough balls were melty when dipped. I managed to wait a bit longer for the rest but the shape was a little droopy because of my insistence to continue. Still a fun activity and twist on the popular cake ball trend.

Finally, something sweet to drink! Take some frozen strawberries, puree them in a blender or mini blender or any way you can puree them, pour in a glass and then add the bubbly. Champagne over strawberries took a new, delicious twist.

I hope you all enjoyed your holiday! Happy Valentine’s Day!

I love ANY occasion to throw a party, and honestly not just because I can make a dessert… or 2 or 3… but because I like people getting together for fun. Sounds corny, but it’s true and I bet most of you who read this agree.

We didn’t throw a Super Bowl party, but I baked some football party sweets anyway. You can’t pass up the decorating possibilities of sporting events. Plus, we are having a dessert swap with our landlords (and their 7 kids) lately, so they got a set of these guys to cheer on the players.

From my years as the best Secret Charrelle ever, I always think brownies when I think football desserts. There’s just that timeless football field green frosting on a super choco-filled brownies that screams “Go Team!” and that’s exactly what I did last weekend. Green buttercream frosting atop adorable square brownies, decorated with extra white frosting and toothpicked with a paper football. The perfect addition to a party, even if you go to a bar for the game.

That was the touchdown, the fumble came with my greek yogurt inspired dip. You see, I’m trying 2 things here, 1) to break out of my comfort zone (new year’s reso!) and 2) to find some suitable non-dessert snacks for lent (less than 2 weeks away).

I thought maybe the super yummy new Chobani flavor, Apple Cinnamon, could be an ingredient. I later realized that it’s kind of already a dip, and that Greek yogurt is thick, and when you mix it with dry pudding mix, it just gets thicker.

I ended up using three yogurts and still didn’t get anything creamy and actually dippable. I did still eat all of the pita chips and the yogurt throughout the weekend, but I ate the “dip” with a spoon. Therefore, I would try it again with thinner yogurt, or just dip the chips in the yumminess that Chobani already perfected. Oh, well it was a good try. Go Team!

Nicki is one of my best friend’s (Elizabeth) sister, and a very happy, excited, glowing mother-to-be. She lives is Mississippi, but most of her friends and family are still in the Chicago-land area. When she was home for Christmas, Elizabeth and Nicki’s best friend threw her a surprise baby shower.

I, of course, asked if I could do anything to help, but secretly just wanted to bring a dessert. We decided on baby feet sugar cookies. I made these for Marilee’s shower (yikes almost 5 years ago!) before Madeline was born, so I have the perfect little cookie cutters. Plus, my mom and I were already planning sugar cookie day, so we just doubled the recipe (holy moly over 150 cookies) and added the baby feet to the bunch.

Sugar cookies really always work well at a party, they’re great as a decoration, party favor or just a plate of colorful cookies for dessert. Nicki is due in April (when all awesome babies are born), and I wish her best of luck with the little girl’s arrival!

I mean, if I had to put these almond biscotti in a category, they would be “the shapes” or “the cuts,” or they could fall into my oops at least they still tasted good category.

My grandpa is a cookie lover. He loves all things sweet, especially if they involve pecans or almonds. I love that he is honest about the sweets I make though. He won’t eat it if it’s gross, which is rare for sugar-lovers. Because he’s such a cookie trooper, I make sure to shape some biscotti for him every year. This one was my last of the bunch. Recipe #18. I think I save it for last because I know I’ll make them for him even if I’m burnt out. I mix and matched some flavors, which orange zest and anise seed and it was a success. I’d only put it in my oops-cookies because I tend to under bake biscotti the first time around and so when I slice them to bake again, they get a little crumbly and end up in my mouth instead of back in the oven. Taste testing is important.

Next we have Almond Cranberry-Chocolate Bark. I got this one from a recipe card in a fitness magazine, and it called for dried cherries, not cranberries, but dried cherries are sparse and pricey and Craisins were already in my cabinet. The christmas red fruit still cheered up the recipe, which is basically melted chocolate poured over toasted almonds and the Craisins. Equally as delicious as it is easy. Quite possibly foolproof.

Finally, for my mom and her hope for a light dessert, Chocolate Chip Meringues. These are pretty fun to whip up (literally whip). They are pretty easy as long as you whip to the right peaks, but most recipes for meringues are clear as to when you need soft or hard peaks. Also, it’s fun to add in your favorite chunks – mini chocolate chips on these. Cute, different, yum.

I’m definitely on a sugar-rush right now as I spent the last three hours diving head first into the office candy collection, hence the run-on sentences. Well, hence more than usual.

That’s the end of my Christmas collection. Sad face. Guess that means I better get to work on Super Bowl sweets and Valentine’s Treats!

That’s why we have roll-outs. I can’t remember a December without sugar cookie cut-outs. In fact, this year I did them twice. Once in LA with Cynthia and Alex and once with my mom on what is always known as “Sugar Cookie Day.” See, she made these cookies for every birthday and holiday when we were little, so I know she can do them and I know she likes them enough for me to guilt her in to helping me.

Because, I love baking and decorating, but there’s something monumentally intimidating about over 100 cookies waiting to be shaped and drizzled. Enter: mom. Thanks.

We did sugar cookie day (and night) the week of Christmas and ended up with some really fun ones. I realized a few years ago that frosting the cookies and shaking colored sugars on top is both the prettiest and easiest way to go. Success once again.

I ventured into the land of roll-outs more than once this season. I also made Candy Cane Kiss Cookies, Cinnamon Bun Cookies and Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookies. I’m not going to lie. They weren’t very successful, but I blame myself, not the cookies.

The Candy Cane Kisses idea was again from Recipe Girl, though I’ll be honest mine were too flat and not that delicious. I did like the pop of color they added to my display though. I’m pretty sure I messed them up some how. Maybe next year I’ll try a different kind of kiss cookie – since I love those kisses.

The Cinnamon Bun cookies (also RG) were on my list this year for my brother, Tommy. He loves cinnamon-y sugar sweets and I usually whip up some snickerdoodles to satisfy that craving. I decided to swap that out for these. I failed again. I’m guessing it was something to do with my temperature rolling or impatience baking that made these crunchy fails. The filling was really tasty, so it wasn’t a bad recipe by any means. It was just a crackly crust. I mean, when you try to make 18 cookies in a few days, there are bound to be some that end up at the bottom of the bin. I still served them though and they were good dunkers. Whoops. That’s why I stick to quicker things — i.e. fudge and chocolate chippers.

Finally, let’s take a look back at those Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookies. They were fantastic. I make it a point every year to add something red velvet to the mix. First, my mom and a few of my cousins LOVE red velvet. And second, I know that cookies are bland looking sometimes, but you know what’s never bland? A red cookie. These were actually from a cake mix, strange for me, I know, but guess what? Super success. Although they look like drop cookies, they were rolled. I mixed, chilled and rolled the red dough, then I took balls of cheesy-cheesecake filling and mashed them together. Ok, I didn’t really mash. I rolled the red around the white and hoped for the best. Even though most of the cookies cracked, they looked pretty, and since  I nixed the glaze, because sometimes you run out of white chocolate, the pop of white in the middle was the perfect holiday decoration.

Sure the holiday season is filled with places to see friends and family and have a martini and a glass of wine, but the most important bars of the season are filled with chunks and globbed with icing. Yum,

This season I made four different christmas bars. The first was way off my regular schedule – I actually made brownies from scratch. I’m a stickler for making cakes and cookies from scratch. I kind of actually hate when someone suggests a box mix. Ew. But, for brownies, they win me over. How couldn’t they? Two minutes until gooey blissful batter that always bakes perfectly. I have yet to find a substitution for my favorite red Betty Crocker box. But, these guys, took a really close second. I would probably say they were amazing brownies, because the taste was fantastic, but it was more of a cake. Still worth making over and over again though! These chunky path brownies are coming back next year. Or sooner.

On the flip aide I made a very different Cinnamon M&M Oatmeal Bar. You know, I have this thing about M&M’s. I love them. A lot. This christmas I saw something I’d never seen before – cinnamon M&M’s. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about them, but since I once had a love-affair with cinnamon chips, I thought it would go well. It did. I threw them into a recipe for oatmeal cookies and bar-red them. Cinnamon, oatmeal, chocolate – obvious success.

Next, for my peanut butter lovers – Peanut Butter Swag Bars. I don’t know who names these things, but I have to give credit to a recipe that everyone loved. Even though I don’t eat PB, so I didn’t love to eat them, I did love to make them. Think of a grown-up rice krispie treat, but much less cereal and much more density. Now add peanuts and peanut butter and you’ve got the swag.

Finally, best for last, intentionally. My holiday favorite, which has appeared at our dessert buffet since I discovered them a few years ago thanks to Lori the RecipeGirl, Cranberry Bliss Bars! I swear the first time I made these there was ginger in the recipe, because I don’t like ginger and negated it the second time. But the recipe I made this year was ginger-free and as delicious as ever. I always surprise myself with how much I love these each year. I am not a white chocolate person and I hate cream cheese, but I guess when they come together they form this amazing combination of white chocolate cream cheese that fulfills every dessert dream I’ve ever had. Make these. Tonight.

And send me some.

I’m salivating just thinking about my Christmas trio.

I made three drop cookies this holiday season. First, of course, a chocolate chip dream. Yes, I make chocolate chip cookies more than anything else, but I never make the same recipe. And unfortunately I have no idea what recipe I used, but I’m sure you can find one. My favorite thing to do for these chippers is to mix the flavors. Thanks to my mom’s amazing chocolate chip shopping skills this year I had plenty to choose from. I threw in equal parts milk, semi-sweet and dark chips and voila – sweet deliciousness ensued.

The second drop cookie was inspired by my mom and dad’s recent winter trip to Hawaii. They brought all of us back some amazing (and fresh!) macadamia nuts. Since I have a tendency to eat entire packages of things, I refrained from opening my can until it was cookie baking time and made some white chocolate macadamia oatmeal drop cookies. I’m not lying when I say these were one of the best things I’ve ever devoured. I used the entire can (well minus like 6 that I ate myself) of nuts, which led to a chunkier result that the original recipe, but it was the cookie that defied all laws of yummy.

And finally, no cookie smorgasbord of mine is ever complete without a little blue oatberry chilling out in the corner. These michelle originals were even more fun this time because I made them in mini’s. Bite size soft and chewy cookies, perfect for that last bite.

If only there were leftovers.

Because I love it too much to keep to myself, I’ll give you the recipe:

• 1 12 oz pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 12 oz pkg milk chocolate chips
• 2 squares unsweetened chocolate
• 1 cup butter
• 4 cups sugar
• 25 large marshmallows
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup nuts (optional)
•  Mix sugar, milk, vanilla and butter in saucepan. Boil 2 minutes. Turn heat off, add marshmallows, stir. Add chocolate, stir. Add nuts.

See, it’s super simple too! Be aware, it makes a LOT of fudge. I mean I could probably eat half a pan by myself, but I’m a special case.

I’ve never changed the recipe, but I have added things to do – red, white & blue m&ms, crushed Oreos, pecans and caramel (the 4th of July winner), and my favorite, sea salt atop the finished fudge. Such a great add-on.

This Christmas, I felt like one fudge recipe just wouldn’t be enough. I wanted to have a fudge department of my cookie tablescape, so I went to one of my favorite recipe sites, RecipeGirl, and found two great fudges to try: Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge and Mint Truffle Fudge. Though the recipe writer, Lori, is pretty amazing with her choices, my desserts differed a bit. Technically with the PB ones, I screwed up the layering process, but with the Mint ones I used the Nestle bag of dark chocolate and mint chips as the fill in, so I probably used a different ratio.

I don’t eat peanut butter but I was told they were pretty delicious, despite the soft consistency – which was definitely due to my layering flub. The mint guys were a great flavor combo and served as an end of the night sweet – plus my niece enjoyed the simplicity of the recipe, it was easy to make with her!

Thanks to Lori for recipe inspiration, what are your favorite fudges? Or better yet, if you could only make or enjoy ONE holiday sweet, which would you pick?

Here we go with one (and the only video) of my Christmas desserts. I made 18 this year, I know I’m nuts. Especially since I did them all in 2.5 days. I enjoyed almost every minute though, which is great. That’s why I bake, right? Yes!

These Minty Oreo Balls were my spin on a well-known Oreo-Cream Cheese treat. I decided to flavor it up by adding chopped Andes Candies in the “batter” and dipping the chocolate covered balls in crushed holiday Pretzel Crisps. They were yum-tastic and added a great look to my Christmas table-scape.