~janeuary~

peppermint brownie heaven

Get thee to a Wholefoods to get a delicious peppermint brownie!  I casually picked one up on my way out to checkout because I had a sudden chocolate craving.  The peppermint swirled into the ganache melts in your mouth along with the moist brownie.  This thin brownie has a sliver of light cream separating the two layers which is a nice touch.  I don't know if there is a particular baker associated with this brownie, but I think it can be easily found in the ready made desserts section en route to the cashiers...

peppermint yule log

I was hoping to make this peppermint yule log for Christmas Eve, but I didn't have the foresight to start the first steps the night before.  It looks too good to eat.  I hope to make it sometime to see how it tastes.

{from Sew Darn Cute via Craft}

sweet goodness for the holidays

I do not have much of a sweet tooth, but I do appreciate a good dessert, especially baked goods.  Here are some yummy holiday gift ideas to send to your friends:

Feed Your Soul
Headquartered in Jersey City, this cookie company has a certain touch with cookies.  The cookies taste so soft and chewy in your mouth as if they had just cooled off from being taken out of the oven.  I love, love their mint chocolate cookie and am going to make my way there one of these days to try their pumpkin pie and s'more cookies.  Below is their Holiday Chocolate Chip Mint tin where a portion of the proceeds to go one of eight charities that you can choose from.

Mari's New York
I have posted before about my love for these brownies from the talented Mari.  The packaging is also beautiful for these morsels of goodness.  I could eat the caramel sea salt brownies everyday if I could!  Mari contributes a portion from her sales of her seasonal brownies to charity as well.

Dancing Deer Baking Company
I love a good molasses cookie and this company has one that makes my mouth water.  This Holiday Chewie Cookie Sampler includes not only their famous Molasses Clove cookies, but also Chocolate Peppermint, Cherry Almond Ginger, and Snickerdoodle cookies.

creepy cakes

Halloween is right around the corner and I am seeing so many great Halloween themed crafts and food.  These spider cakes from megan of not martha are amazing.  If only I had the time this year to try to make them.  You can find the tutorial here.

 

I especially love the inside:

two little red hens

I am intrigued by the claim that Two Little Red Hens on the UES of Manhattan makes a red velvet cake that rivals the one made by Buttercup Bake Shop which I love:

I will have to taste it to believe it. I am looking forward to finding out!  In the meantime, I find their logo adorable...

knit night cupcakes

I LOVED these images when I saw them, they look almost too good to eat!  By VeganYumYum (you can also find a tutorial on how to make them on her site):

{found via oh joy! and design sponge}

caketopia

This cake is out of this world.  It was at the birthday party of a one year old.

A close up of Pooh and friends.

One half of this cake had a banana filling while the other half was strawberry.  A nice surprise was that the frosting was a very light texture, similar to the whipped cream that one has on cakes from Asian bakeries.  I love having a dessert that tastes just as good as it looks!

the dutch are awesome

Sometimes I feel like there is no place in the US that has food as good and as varied as New York City.  However, I discovered the restaurant The Original Pancake House in Fort Lee, NJ and breakfast has not been the same since.  If you want sweet or savory on a weekend morning, this place delivers on taste.  Below is the Dutch Special, a one up on their Dutch Baby as it has fruit.  They also serve a large list of traditional pancakes that hit the spot on a Sunday morning.  If you are looking for less sweet fare, their omelettes are baked in the oven so they come out fluffy and of a different texture than normal eggs. 

fretzels!

I got this box of fretzels as a gift last year for my birthday.  They are gourmet chocolate and candy covered pretzels that are so very good.  If you like sweet and salty together, you will love these!

fretzels, originally uploaded by jS0.

mari's new york

Mari's New York makes these bite sized brownies that come great flavors such as caramel sea salt and thai coffee.  I got this set as a housewarming gift and discovered a delicious dessert.  I do not have a big sweet tooth but I am partial to brownies and now these are one of my favorites.