Confession: I lived in New York for 13 years and never tried a Levain Bakery cookie. How sad is that? I've even visited the city multiple times after moving and still never got a chance to experience the ultra thick, rich and chewy deliciousness that is a Levain Bakery cookie. So, when I saw this recipe on Modern Honey , I figured I would bring the bakery to me. Now, I didn't go for the all original cookie recipe because, well, little old me invested in a bulk bag of pecans and I didn't want them to go to waste. I'm actually not even a fan of nuts in desserts at all. Like ever. I won't even put walnuts in banana bread. But something told me this was going to be an outstanding combination of textures and that something was absolutely friggin' right. Of course, in the mad rush I was in to bite into these cookies, I clearly didn't let them rest on the pan long enough to properly cool and firm up. These pictures truly don't do them any ...

It appears I missed the memo about it being cookie season. Sorry, y'all! This recipe is definitely four weeks late. And I know now that we're going into January, it's time for a healthy reset for our bodies but you MUST make these before you commit to any diet plans. They are amazing. I only recently became a peppermint mocha fan, and it was thanks to these cupcakes I made last year. I still won't order a peppermint mocha at Starbucks but the flavor combo in desserts is phenomenal. I won't say no to anything chocolate or coffee flavored so what's a little peppermint to spruce things up. Side note: my death by chocolate cookies were featured in an actual printed MAGAZINE. I know, CRAZY right? You can pick up a copy at your local Barnes and Noble OR purchase the digital version here . Now although I didn't add melted chocolate to this cookie dough, the cookies were still super rich, chewy, and bursting with flavor. A hint of cornstarch is the sec...

I have a confession to make. I am a bit of an ALDI fanatic. If my friends had a penny for every time I said "you should go to ALDI!", they would be millionaries. I can't help it. Their prices can't be beat. And their seasonal items are TO DIE FOR. Cue these mini cast iron skillets. Oh.my.god. The cuteness is unbearable. I secretly sometimes wait for the prices on seasonal items to be reduced (right before they are taken off the shelves)....but I grabbed these as soon as I saw them! They are worth every penny and my recipe wheels started turning right away. Since we are right at the peak of gingerbread season, I knew y'all would appreciate these gingerbread skillet cookies. Especially if they were brown butter gingerbread skillet cookies. And I won't judge what ice cream you choose to top them with, but Talenti caramel cookie crunch is a fiiiine choice. These come together so quickly and are perfect for entertaining. My signature go-to dessert...

Is it really December already? I feel like pumpkin season just started yesterday. Then again, I was basically MIA the whole month of November, so that's probably why I feel that way. I'm totally ready to jump into gingerbread season though. I've got so many gingerbread-y ideas cooking up in my brain, you have no idea. But first, let's kick things off with our classic gingerbread cookie. Soft, chewy, ginger-y and wait...there's no gluten? Oh yeah. I totally made this classic cookie gluten-free and with one simple step. I switched out all-purpose flour with Bob's Red Mill   Gluten-Free 1-to-1 baking flour. With this flour, you don't have to add any other specialty ingredients; the flour is perfectly formulated all on it's own to be substituted for the same amount of flour any of your recipes call for. The blend itself is made out of ground brown rice flour, sweet white rice flour, whole grain sorghum flour, potato starch, and tapioca fl...

So, I guess it's become a tradition to make a red velvet cookie every holiday season. Last year it was these red and white velvet cookies and the year before it was these red velvet cheesecake cookies . This year, it's red velvet kiss cookies...but I broke the habit of using cake mix and made these babies from scratch! I've always been against making red velvet things from scratch because of the copious amounts of red food dye you have to witness go into the recipe. But after getting my hands on Americolor super red gel paste , I feel a lot better about it. A little goes a long way with this gel paste, so I don't have to worry that I might be feeding myself cancer. These cookies are crispy on the outside, delightfully chewy on the inside, and all around addicting. To keep your kisses from melting down like mine did, simply freeze them before placing them onto the cookies-- a step that I clearly didn't have time to do. You'll also have to forgive me ...

It's official. Cake rolls are the easiest, fanciest dessert to make. I mean, just take a look at this red velvet cake roll. Would you believe it took me less than an hour to put together and with very minimal effort? It's true. Cake rolls are literally just a matter of mixing, pouring, cooling and rolling. Sometimes, you may run into trouble with the rolling part, but as long as you don't over bake your roll, you'll be just fine. Over baking causes the cake to be dry, and that's why it will crack when you try to roll it up. This recipe uses buttermilk and vinegar, along with the cake flour, to ensure a tender and moist roll. Of course, you still want to make sure you keep an eye on it in the oven and take it out as soon as it springs back when lightly touched. At that point, you'll immediately invert it and roll it up in a towel. Always roll your cake when it's hot! Once it cools down completely, you'll unroll it to fill it with this delic...

Are you red-velveted out yet? My family is. They'll be just fine not seeing another red velvet dessert for the next year. My mom in particular is grossed out by the bright, bloody color and annoyed by how it stains everything within a five mile radius. I promised her that this would be the last red velvet recipe for a while. Well, I went out with a bang, because my dear mama LOVED these rolls. I had her taste them when I took them out the oven, and before I could ask her if she liked them, she was helping herself to seconds...and then thirds. Her favorite part: the cream cheese frosting. I don't blame her, it is pretty fabulous. I use it on my classic Cinnabon cinnamon rolls too. But let's take a look at what makes up the rest of these rolls. The rolls themselves are made out of...wait for it....cake mix! Yes, not only can you make cookies out of cake mix, but you can also make cinnamon rolls. #MINDBLOWN. I discovered this after seeing Shelly make her caramel...

Now that the Super Bowl has come and gone, all focus will turn to the big 14th of February. Which means prepare yourself for the red and pink overload that will soon take over the interwebs. I admit, I do have one or two desserts planned within that color scheme. But I've decided to take it easy on your eyes today, and give you something a little mellowed out.  Ladies and gents, meet my hazelnut linzer cookies. Similar to my original melt-in-your-mouth linzer cookie , except I've added hazelnuts and cinnamon to the dough. And sandwiched them with Nutella. What better way to show your spouse how much you love them than by adding some Nutella to their menu? I mean, we all know Nutella is EXTREMELY hard to share, so making these would be a true act of romance. But forget Valentine's Day for a second. Today actually happens to be a very special holiday in itself. Today is World Nutella Day ! Yes, there is an entire day dedicated to the nation's love of Nutel...

Red velvet cookies are back and they're better than ever! You guys went crazy over the ones I posted two years ago , so I knew I had to bring them back in a another form! This time, instead of being stuffed with a cheesecake filling, they are being dipped in white chocolate. Ohhh yeahhh (in Kool-Aid man voice). It all starts with a red velvet cake mix, which is my favorite way to make red velvet cookies because I won't have to see how much red food coloring goes into these. What you don't know can't hurt you, right? Though technically, I do know considering this stuff stains everything it touches. Duncan Hines couldn't have possibly used any less than 80 gallons of red food coloring in it's mix. Kidddding. On a serious note, red velvet cake mix is a really great way to make red velvet cookies. It's easy and it's fail-proof, and those are things to look for during this hectic time of the year. So, cake mix it is! You just add in an egg, oil, butter...

If it were up to me, every dessert that I post on here would involve chocolate. Well, it is up to me, but you know what I'm sayin. I'm obsessed with anything and everything chocolate and I would not mind making everything chocolate flavored for the rest of my life. But, I realize that you all might not have the same preferences as I do and even if you do, you still might enjoy some variety. So, I've taken it upon myself to expand my palate for you guys, starting with this season's most popular flavor: gingerbread. I think I may have had a gingerbread cookie once when I was little, but that's as far as my relationship with gingerbread goes and it's not much of a relationship since I don't remember what it tasted like. I do remember it tasted good though so I wasn't worried about not liking the flavor. I just never really made anything gingerbread so I wasn't sure where to start. I figured cookies would be a good place considering that's...

If you've been to a mall before ever in your lifetime, then chances are you've come across a Cinnabon store. And if you've come across a Cinnabon store, then chances are you've eaten one of their famous cinnamon rolls. If not, then you have some serious willpower. It is nearly impossible for me to smell that delicious sweet cinnamony goodness wafting throughout the mall without rushing over there to get me a piece. Those babies are crazy addictive. Problem is, crazy addictive things usually have scary not-so-good for you ingredients in them. So, what is one to do? Why, recreate these crazy addictive things at home of course! Now I'm sure you've seen lots of Cinnabon copycat recipes floating around the Internet, even on my own blog from a few years back! But I can put money on it that there is nothing that comes closer to the glorious Cinnabon cinnamon roll than this recipe. If I'm dissing my own supposed Cinnabon clone, then you know...

Wow, it's December already? When did that happen? It feels like just yesterday I was turning my tassel to the left and having my last name pronounced incorrectly. I can't believe it's been 6 months. I thought time would pass by slowly without having any papers to write or tests to study for, but apparently that's not the case. Time will always fly ( even faster than the supposed faster than the speed of light Verizon FIOS ) Signs of the holiday season are just about everywhere. Neighborhoods are being lit up with colorful, twinkling lights. Malls are packed to the gills. Christmas movies are playing back to back on what seems like every channel. And food bloggers will not stop talking about how excited they are for all the baking that is to come in the next few weeks. I'm excited too. I may not be celebrating Christmas, Kwanzaa, or Hanukkah, but I think we all agree that the second best thing after baking is finding new recipes to bake. Ok...