Bailey’s Irish Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies

Since it’s March and all, what do you say we prep for St. Patrick’s Day a little early? I’m a big fan of Bailey’s Irish Cream and I’m not letting the fact that I don’t have a drop of Irish blood stop me from finding new excuses to enjoy it.  My boyfriend is Irish, so I guess there’s that? The alcohol actually burns off, so you’re left with the delicious flavor and you can leave these in your office kitchen without getting in trouble.

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Almond Flour Brownie Bites

Nothing says, “I love you so much I don’t even mind if you gain a couple of pounds” like a batch of brownies.  Fresh baked brownies are the perfect way to show someone you really care.  It takes a lot of restraint not to polish these off.  I made my boyfriend some of these brownie bites without telling him they had a little secret…almond flour! The best substitutions are those for which you can’t even tell there is a substitution and these brownie bites fit the bill.  Why not make them a teensy bit healthier? I’m not ashamed to admit there are some really good boxed brownie mixes.  These are fudgy (that’s a word…) like the good boxed mixes, but you know every single thing going into them. I don’t ruin my brownies but adding icing or powdered sugar. These don’t need them. Pure chocolate goodness. DSC01938

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Gingerbread Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Gingerbread is a holiday staple around my house.  Aside from gingerbread cookies, my sister and I always make these gingerbread cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting.  The tartness of the lemon mixes perfectly with the sweetness of the cream cheese frosting and adds a little excitement to these gingerbread cupcakes.

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Candy Cane Chocolate Fudge

When thinking up holiday gifts, everyone likes food.  This candy cane chocolate fudge is festive, smooth, and just the right amount of sweet. This is an easier fudge recipe than some you’ll find, but it takes a little bit of effort. Your loved ones are worth it though, aren’t they?  Wrap up this fudge with a colorful ribbon and you have an easy gift.  Or, bring this to a holiday party and make lots of friends.  You can’t go wrong.

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Mini Sweet Potato Bundt Cakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

This cake has a hole in it.  A couple of weeks ago, my sister and I went to our first meeting of the LA Cake Club.  It is just what you think…a group of people get together and share their delicious homemade sweets.  We had a sufficient sugar high by 2 pm, so not a bad Saturday afternoon.  It was hosted at a great organization, the Made by DWC (Downtown Women’s Center).  “MADE by DWC is a social enterprise created by the Downtown Women’s Center to break the cycles of chronic unemployment and homelessness by empowering women to discover talents and develop skills through vocational opportunities, and generates economic and social capital to support programs at DWC.”  I encourage you to visit their website to learn more if you are interested in getting involved.  We met one of the participants and she was so excited to tell us about the organization.  My contribution to the Cake Club were these mini Sweet Potato Bundt cakes.  You know how much I love sweet potatoes and let me tell you, these cakes almost didn’t make it to Cake Club.  They are soooo good. They’re light, moist, and not overly sweet.  Move over pumpkin, these sweet potato cakes can put you out of business.

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Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

I looked at the recipes we’ve posted this fall and noticed a distinct lack of pumpkin dishes.  Maybe that’s because I love sweet potato everything (including a sweet potato cake coming next week), but I thought it was time to have some pumpkin in my life.  People go crazy over pumpkin.  I made these pumpkin cupcakes last year and they were quickly devoured by my sister, roommates, and an accidental serving to my roommate’s dog.  Are dogs supposed to have pumpkin cupcakes? I guess he wasn’t about to miss out on a pumpkin cupcake, and you shouldn’t either.  The cream cheese frosting tastes like a cinnamon roll and is a perfect complement to the pumpkin cupcakes.

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