I is for Inside-out Carrot Cake cookies

Crispy on the outside, moist on the inside; perfection

My grandma would really appreciate these cookies; she loves carrot cake and they really do taste like a carrot cake that has mysteriously shape shifted into a cookie sandwich. My favorite part about this recipe: the cream cheese and honey frosting. So simple a caveman could do it and it perfectly compliments the cookies, by the end my mom and I were seriously just sticking our fingers in the dish and eating the frosting by itself. But we used low fat, whipped cream cheese, which made it really runny and thin, so next time I'll get the really thick Philadelphia stuff to make it super creamy.

I had the same reaction with this recipe as the Beignets; they were very deformed and weird looking, but I didn't care because they were my babies and I loved them for who they were, plus they tasted awesome so who cares.

 Just know that they seriously spread out in the oven and becoming HUGE globs of cookies goodness, so instead of making a sandwich, it might be easier to just take one and dip it in the frosting, then you can get a bigger cookie: frosting ratio! Another short and to the point post without anecdotes so, until next time, show off those sweet teeth and always remember to ask "What's for dessert?"

From http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Inside-Out-Carrot-Cake-Cookies-109346

J is for Jam and Shortbread Cookies

As Rachel Ray would say: Yummo!

I made these light, springy cookies at the same time as I made the Graham Cracker Peanut Butter Bars, and BOY did they balance out that richness with the perfect amount of fruit and shortbread. 

They remind me of this super easy recipe my mom always made with fresh raspberries and buttermilk shortbread. It was so easy, so yummy. 

Except I stupidly put the shortbread dough in a huge casserole dish, then had to transfer it to a WAY smaller one, so definitely don't forget the aluminium foil, it also helps with serving it. I also love how you just pinch of the rest of the dough and it spreads out in the oven to create a yummy crispy crust.

I used a mixture of strawberry jam and some leftover raspberry preserves we had in the fridge 

 It's also one of those recipes where you can make it anytime, because it's so easy with such little ingredients that you always have on hand. LOVE IT! Yeah this is a short post, but until next time, show off those sweet teeth and always remember to ask "What's for dessert?"

From http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Jam-and-Shortbread-Squares-236087

G is for Graham Cracker Peanut Butter Bars

SO. GOOD.

When a recipe starts with "First microwave 2 sticks of butter," you know it's going to taste good. Guys, if you like, no, if you dream about Reese's like I do, please......don't make this recipe. You will not be able to handle yourselves, because after you eat one, the next thing you know, the entire pan is gone. At least that's what happened to me.
Now I'm really not a huge chocoholic like some other members of my family (cough cough, my sister), but I  ADORE anything with peanut butter and chocolate; Tagalongs, Reese's, just dipping a spoon in Nutella and peanut butter. I used to be in a fog about the peanut butter and chocolate combination, naively eating these things and thinking they were delicious. Once I sunk my teeth into this bar of creamy chocolate frosting, then crunchy rich peanut butter, I became enlightened to the nirvana of peanut butter and chocolate.

 There was something totally unexpected, yet comforting and familiar about this recipe. It tasted exactly like a Reese's, even down to the crunchy-ness of the peanut butter that came from the graham cracker crumbs, but the fact that it came in hefty 1-inch thick bars, made it that much more delectable.

Some tips I have when making this recipe, grease or put aluminum foil in the pan, because after they are refrigerated, they become quite stiff, so for easy serving, greasing the pan up with even MORE butter, might help. 

After being refrigerated for a couple hours

Trying to save not only myself, but my entire family, from becoming fat lards and eating this entire pan, I brought a Tupperware full of this stuff and handed them out to my lunch table, The next day, my friend dashed up to our lunch table, frantically searching for something, until she set her eyes on the plastic bag I had filled with the rest of them. She finally could breathe easy and after grabbing three and stuffing one in her mouth, she cautiously said "Kayla, I went home and told my mom about these and had been craving them for the entire day!" Crowd pleaser recipe? Check.

Now I realize these posts have pretty much been about how much I love (or hate, depending on the recipe) a certain thing and how it relates to some fond childhood memory. But that's what food does for me; it kind of describes my past, future and life itself. A simple thing like a raspberry mousse can flash me back to those summer adventures to the farm, or something like a meringue, can scare me into oblivion when it doesn't come together right, but not knowing if the cookies will taste good or look like the picture is half the fun of it; the other half is eating.
P.S. While writing this post, my sister actually asked me to make more of them. My response: Gladly, but do we have enough butter? Until next time, be proud of your sweet teeth and don't forget to ask "What's for dessert?"

From All recipes.com (a very handy website for recipes; it has the prep time and total time as well as a US/metric serving converter)
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/peanut-butter-bars-i/

P is for Popsicles

Don't try to pull entire popsicle out, my brother learned the hard way you'll just end up with a stick-less popsicle. Simply just cut the wax paper cup and peel.

It is the middle of January, the dead of winter. So why am I making Popsicles? For that exact reason, that I just stated. I'm making Popsicles because it's winter, everyone needs a pick-me up to get rid of the winter blues. My pick me up comes in the form of Popsicles, the very dessert associated with every summer memory; lazy days by the pool, no school (hey I rhymed!), just good, plain fun.

My family thoroughly enjoyed this light, healthy treat compared to all the heavy cookies and cake. Obviously it's easy, just pop all the ingredients in a blender and pour into wax cups, then half way through freezing them stick a popsicle stick in them.

Placing them in a deep dish helps stop them from falling over

But I actually learned something very useful from this popsicle recipe, BRAIN BLAST! So as a popsicle amateur, I was uninformed about the secret ingredient to perfect flaky popsicles, as opposed to a huge block of ice; gelatin. It makes sense, if you put orange juice in the fridge it becomes one huge orange brick, so what makes popsicles so easy to bite into? A simple gelatin packet, don't you dare forget it. Until next time, show off those sweet teeth, and don't forget to ask, "What's for dessert?"
From epicurious.com
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Homemade-Popsicles-235649

R for Rasberry Mascarpone Mousse

I live in Atlanta, and sometimes, when my family is feeling slightly Hill-Billy we shimmy on down to a small farm about 1 hour away, where you can roam the area, and pick your own fruits and vegetables. Now as a kid who oddly loved fruit, this was my paradise. Like in that book, Blueberries for Sal, (which was a bedtime classic in my household) I was that little girl that was eating all the ripe blackberries and wild strawberries rather than collecting them in my basket. But the old couple that owned that farm didn't mind, they were some of the nicest people I have ever known and after a couple hours of meandering down the endless aisles of cucumbers and grapes, we would sit on a picnic bench in front of their house, while they brought us delicious, freshly picked watermelon and some of the juiciest raspberries ever. To this day, I'm pretty positive I haven't had a better raspberry.

Now, in this recipe, when combined with cream and whipped crazy, with a lil' splash of blueberry liquor, it was not anywhere close to the taste of those fresh raspberries on those scorching July days, but it was still pretty darn yummy. This was not one of my favorites, just because the cream hogged all the limelight, while the poor raspberry flavor couldn't shine through. I thought it was going to be refreshing and cleansing, while, after a filling meal, it seemed to dense and bland, even if it's texture was airy and light. Though it had good intentions, I expected more from this recipe.

P.S. I never realized I had spelled raspberries wrong until this post, since when is there a "p" in the middle of the word? Who woulda thunk it.

From page 49 in Cuisinart cookbook

The Hazelnut butter cookie recipe can be found here...
 http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Hazelnut-Butter-Cookies-with-Mini-Chocolate-Chips-108976

H for Hazelnut Butter Cookies

The coveted main ingredient

I was a very fortunate child and was introduced to hazelnut very early in my life. But that being said, I have been a hazelnut freak ever since. Especially, when I was a youngster, every time I was in a grocery store and saw the word "Hazelnut" splashed across any surface; ice cream, cookies, spreads, my reflex would just grab it and place it in my cart, without even realizing it. The very rare occasion, my mom would ever let me anywhere near the Godiva shop, I would dash to the window filled with b-e-a-utiful chocolates and smash my face up against it, frantically searching for that hidden treasure. Ah yes, found it, that one row of perfection, otherwise known as Hazelnut and Chocolate truffles!

So obviously when I stumbled across this recipe, I just had to make it. One problem was finding the major ingredient; hazelnut butter. We checked our local Publix and local organic food store, but all they had was almond butter or hazelnut peanut butter. We finally found it in the form of chocolate hazelnut butter sample packets from Fresh Market. Besides that, this recipe was a breeze.

Dough after being refrigerated overnight

 I obviously halved this recipe since it made two dozen cookies and because the hazelnut packets only filled up about half a cup. Just to add kick and more hazelnut flavor, I added a dollop of Nutella in the batter. I also highly recommend making the batter a night before and then just popping them in the oven while you do your daily chores and fill the entire house with that tantalizing aroma. Another quick tip; the recipe says to do one sheet at a time, actually follow there advice, or else you will have to rotate the baking sheets, which is actually more work. Until next time, show off those sweet teeth and always remember to ask "What's for dessert?"