Happy Birthday Blog

I can’t believe it has already been a year since I started this blog. To be honest, I couldn’t remember the date (I’ve never been great at remembering dates) and I had to go back and look it up. I knew it was in the beginning of September, but I didn’t know it was so soon. Does time fly by, or what?

I first started this blog after reading several food blogs and just fell in love with the concept. I didn’t know how hard it was going to be to keep it updated and (hopefully) fun to read. Another confession: I wanted all of the recipes to be a success, and I think I would put just about anything up here in order to have something to blog about. Now, I have actually gotten more into baking and I’m trying new things, and I’m always looking for new blogs to read and follow. It’s kind of funny how many blogs I have favorited so I have the opportunity to look at some of the things they bake or create.

So, for my bloggiversary, I have not created anything spectacular. Actually, I have not created anything at all. Instead, I am going to spotlight ten of the top recipes I made from the preceding year, so I hope you enjoy this little stroll down memory lane.

First up on the list is the Grape Jelly Roly-Poly Pastry. This was my first jelly roll type thing (technical term) that I have ever made. It comes from a cookbook geared toward baking with kids. The cookbook is filled will really cute and delicious looking baked goods. It was hard to pick which one I would bake first, and this happened to be the winner. It was sweet and buttery, perfect for an afternoon snack.

What goes great with grape jelly? Peanut butter of course! These are the softest peanut butter cookies I have ever eaten. Even after a few days, the cookie is still soft and the peanut butter flavor gets even more peanut-buttery!

These Honey Muffins are great as a snack or a bread roll during dinner. For the past two years I have made them for Thanksgiving, and there are never any left. They have a lightly sweet flavor, but they are dang addictive.

Next on the list is this lovely little Flourless Chocolate Cake. Don’t worry when the cake starts to cave in; all flourless chocolate cakes do that. Despite it’s little falling flaw, this cake was very tasty and changed my mind about these sorts of cakes. The key is to use good quality chocolate.

*sings* For the fifth recipe, that Becca shared with me, a choco-late chip coo-kie! Haha, I couldn’t resist, sorry (not really). These little gems were very tasty. I found myself eating three at a time. If you are into the softer chocolate chip cookies, these might be just right for you.

You might be more familiar with this recipe. It’s from a a post that I did not too long ago. It’s the Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookie Bark. Let me tell you, this stuff did not last long in my household. However, the little pieces that did get left over, I think were the tastier bits because the flavors commingled with each other, balancing each other out.

These lusciously moist cupcakes were made not only by me, but by many a member of the Cake Slice Bakers. The cake was phenomenal, and I could not get enough of that streusel that topped the cake. Instead of Heath Bars, I used the crispy Twix bar.

In honor of the final installment of the last Harry Potter movie ever, I dedicated the entire month of July to recipes inspired by the wildly popular books. These little bread/cake biscuits are inspired by Hagrid’s rock cakes that are supposed to be as solid as a rock. Thankfully, these Rock Cakes turned out so tender and soft, not to mention addictive.

These Peppermint Biscotti were inspired after a trip to Starbucks one evening. Most people dip these twice baked cookies in tea or coffee, but since I like neither, I dunked mine in some hot chocolate. After a few dips, my hot chocolate started to taste like peppermint hot chocolate, so there is no need to go to Starbucks again after making these babies.

Last, but not least, I give you Maple Muffins. I have made these on several occasions, and they are always gone within several hours. I actually have to hide or label them saying they are mine, and “Do NOT Eat!”