Sour Cream Chocolate Coffee Crisp Bundt Cake-Guest Post with Gotta Get Baked

Yay! Yayyy! *claps* Today we have one of my sweetest, dearest bloggy friends: Nancy from gotta get baked! Nancy is hilarious, candid, kind, and GIRL CAN BAKE! The food on her site...it never fails to amaze and enhunger me (yes. I made that word up. Wanna fight about it?) So I am THRILLED that she was lovely enough to get her cute little Canadian butt on this piece of the internet and share this chocolicious recipe with all of us!

Hi everyone, I’m Nancy of gotta get baked. I don’t know how I met Kayle but I’m so glad I did. We’ve been following each other’s blogs and chatting online for about a year and a half now and I’m so honoured to call this amazing lady a friend. Now, if you’re a regular reader of The Cooking Actress, I don’t really have to sing her praises cause you already know how awesome she is but I’m going to anyways. Kayle is incredible sweet, lovely, funny, warm, thoughtful and talented. I look forward to her Something Saturdays posts every week because of the warm, genuine way that Kayle writes: it feels like I’m just catching up with a good girlfriend over coffee. I laughed while watching Kayle on Rock Star Café, which is an awesome series (I highly recommend you watch it if you haven’t already). And this lady is the queen of cookies. And browned butter. I started using browned butter after reading Kayle’s how-to guide on making it and I haven’t looked back. My life was changed for the better, people!

All of you know by now that Kayle left New York, which has been her home for the past 5 ½ years, and she’s settling into her new life in Ohio. When she reached out to her blogging friends for help during this busy, stressful period, I was more than happy to volunteer.

I’ve been extremely lucky in that I’ve never had to move cities. I was born and raised in Vancouver, B.C. and I’ll likely live here my whole life (unless my dreams of moving to Paris or Hawaii come true!). My zodiac sign is Cancer, which means that I’m a homebody. I have deep attachments to my friends, family and city. And I’m super lazy, so all that packing, moving and unpacking is out of the question. I’ve only done it twice – once when I moved out of my parent’s home at the age of 28 (I know, old right?!) into my apartment with the then-Boyfriend, and second, just this past December, when I moved into the house I’m currently living in with the now-Husband (yes, both the same guy).

I’m definitely not lazy when it comes to baking and I wanted to make something that’s easy and simple but still stunning for Kayle. Enter a chocolate cake stuffed with chocolate and then topped with more chocolate. Because seriously, more is more, amirite?

The cake is super soft and moist from the sour cream (I’m a bit obsessed with sour cream cakes for that very reason) and if you’re a chocoholic, this will be right up your alley. I don’t think I could’ve crammed more chocolatey goodness in there!

I used Coffee Crisp chocolate bars in my recipe and now, in hindsight, I need to apologize to all my American peeps because much to my shock, horror and disbelief, Coffee Crisps aren’t sold in the US! Trust me when I say that they’re absolutely delicious but the recipe won’t suffer for the lack of it (I’m just sad that you won’t get to experience it). Start making some Canadian friends who will hopefully be kind enough to ship a few crates your way! Or substitute another chocolate bar that you love. Either way, it’s all good.

Lemon Pudding Cookies-Guest Post with American Heritage Cooking

Oh my friends, can we talk about my friend Lindsey? She's like-sophisticated and brilliant and fun and funny and generally awesomeness. She got married fairly recently, and when I announced my engagement she was wonderful enough to email me with advice and wisdom. Seriously. Love this girl. I was so excited to meet her in NYC and will hopefully be seeing her in the not too distant future (her husband's family lives in Cleveland so sometimes they visit)! I've been following her blog, American Heritage Cooking, for quite some time and I am always so excited to see what new and delicious thing she'll make next! So let's see what she made for us today!

Hi! I’m Lindsey from American Heritage Cooking and I’m super honored to be guest posting here today! I am a HUGE Kayle fan! I actually started following her blog long before I'd even thought of starting a blog of my own! In fact I am on her site so often, my Husband has taken to jokingly calling me a stalker! But that sounds so…creepy! I prefer “friend”.

So you can imagine how excited I was that I actually got to grab lunch with Kayle only weeks before she left NYC! She introduced me to the chocolate nirvana that is Max Brenners and I left loving her even more! She is even more charming, bubbly and beautiful in person than she is online! Yes, that’s possible.

I could tell you that I didn’t stress over what to post here while Kayle is setting up her new townhouse in Cleveland, but that would be a total lie. I wanted to post something chocolate, but eventually my recent obsession with pudding cookies and lemon overpowered my better judgment and these Lemon Pudding Cookies were born. They are soft and chewy and absolutely bursting with lemon flavor!

I mixed in some sprinkles because my birthday is this Saturday and sprinkles just seemed appropriate! Plus I cannot think of a time when sprinkles aren’t welcome. Can you?

If you like chewy cookies and lemon, then you are going to fall in love with these cookies! Lemon desserts don’t get much better, or more addicting, than these cookies!

Tart Lemon Bars-Guest Post with Confessions of a Baking Queen

Hello my friends! I have ANOTHER fabulous guest poster for you todayyy and you are in for a treat! Her name is Elizabeth and she is a BAKING QUEEN! Seriously...I go to her site and I am GUARANTEED to drool. And get extremely hungry. But I love her so I keep on going back and going gagaaaaaa. She's so pretty and so fun and so adorable and her food is soooooo ahhhmazing...!!!

Oh and-you guys remember Hayley? Hayley and Elizabeth are like buds and Hayley and I are buds and I just feel like the 3 of us would be the bestest of friends if we could all 3 just get together. So...yeah. Needs to happen. We're all fabulous and young and bake yummy things!

Anyway. I'll let Elizabeth take it from here:

Hey y'all its Elizabeth here from Confessions of a Baking Queen! This is my first guest post evvvvvvvah so be gentle with me here. I was so happy to help the beautiful Kayle as she embarks on this huge move, I have lived in the same house my whole life so moving just sounds too cray cray for me!! I have done tons of traveling and that packing is hard enough for me. And then the thought of moving out of state and then moving out of the city, ugh that just sounds dreadful. But I am sure your move will go tots smooth Kayle :)

Speaking of traveling I  got back from Australia a few weeks ago. While I was there I was hit with a craving for lemon bars, yet some how I never came across one. So naturally as soon as I got home Lemon Bars were the first thing I made. I was going to make Raspberry Lemon Bars, which I probably will do one day but I went with a Tart Lemon Bar instead. Be sure to check out my blog for some berry lemon bars soon.

I am happy to say these were a huge hit with my family and co workers. In fact, I thought I lost these photos so my sister was over joyed because that meant I was going to re make the recipe right away, but I found the photos ;) She was bummed, but I am sure it wont be long until these bars are made again...

Thanks for having me Kayle, good luck with the move .. and then the wedding!!! XOXO

Double Chocolate Cashew Cookies-Guest Post with Baker by Nature

AGHHHHH-haaaa! Hi all! I'm in the midst of the insanity that is this move. So-while I'm still unpacking my kitchen boxes and unable to get cookin' I'm having some of my best bloggy buds share some of their tastiest treats with you all! Aren't you lucky!!? I know! The first guest post is courtesy of Ashley from Baker by Nature. I was able to meet Ashley last month in NYC and I am so mad that it took us that long to meet up! We hit it off right away and realized HOW MUCH we have in common (like...to a freaky degree. Did you know our blogs are the same age? And we're both film/television actresses...and nannies....and bloggers. And we both moved to NY around the same time? And her boyfriend is a Philosophy professor and Michael's BA is in Philosophy?  And tons of other random commonalities!) I'm missing her a ton and hoping I can coerce her to visit me and see Cleveland ;)

In the meantime I'll just satisfy myself with our virtual friendship and drooling over her amazing creations! You guys have already been introduced to one of her brain childs (brain children?)-these cookies that I made and then adapted! Yeah. So. You see why I love her! Anyway, enough of my gushing, Ashley: over to you!

Greetings all! I'm Ashley from Baker by Nature, and I am beyond thrilled to be guest posting for Kayle today. I'm lucky enough to have met Kayle in real life, and she is just the sweetest little thing! I will miss her in NYC very much. Wah wah waaah.

...

I think we need something sweet!

Let's talk cookies :) I made these especially for you! They're soft in the center, chewy on the edges, and packed with goodies!!! These goodies include white chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, and salty cashews. I am obsessed with adding salty ingredients to my sweets lately! Have you guys tried it?

I baked these up last week and they FLEW off the pan! I mean, we could hardly wait until they got out of the oven. They smelled soooo amazing baking up! Just have your milk chaser ready ;) xoxo

Pesto Chicken Pizza-Guest Post at Sarcastic Cooking

Bloggy friends are precious. And when they are in need and ask you to guest post for them you say "OF COURSE!" especially when that friend just had her 1st baby AND you participated in her virtual baby shower.

Yepp...I'm talkin' about Stef from Sarcastic Cooking.

That hilarious, fun, witty, genius in the kitchen who has great taste in TV. And less than a month ago gave birth to her little man, Andy. And today I'm taking over Sarcastic Cooking with this pizza!

THIS. PIZZA. A total fave. It uses my new fave crust (the Neapolitan style), pesto, tomatoes, and chicken to create a little variety in my pizza liiiife. So crisp and delicious.

But hey...if you wanna hear more (and GET THE RECIPE) jump on over to Sarcastic Cooking!

Go on, get your tushes over there!

Guest Post at The Messy Baker-Nutella Molten Lava Cake

I know, everything is topsy turvy this week!! I'm currently extremely busy (oh hey dealing with going to Ohio for 2 weddings that were 2 weeks apart, and tons of work, and starting filming a short film tomorrow....*deep breath*), so please stay with me this week with only two posts (today's and Friday's). I know it'll be hard, but I believe we can work through this. :P

Anyway, today I am guest posting over at one of my bestest friends in bloggingdom: Jennie from The Messy Baker! Her and her hubby are having a vacation, so I, of course, leaped at the chance to help out. You guys should know by now how much I adore her. She's funny, and sweet, and fun, and seriously bakes up some AMAZING stuff, you guys! You should def. browse around her blog for awhile, there is so much yumminess to find!

For the guest post I am sharing a recipe for Nutella Molten Lava Cake. Oh yeah, I went there. And even better-I used homemade nutella. Seriously, such a delicious hazelnut/chocolate flavor and so warm and ooey and gooey and perfect (and you should also know how I feel about lava cakes)!!!

Head on over to The Messy Baker for the recipe!

(and I'll see you all again on Friday! smooches!)

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies-Guest Post with Jennie of The Messy Baker

EEE! Ok, so, today is Vince (Michael's cousin)'s rehearsal dinner, so I'm of course busy busy busy. But guys, I have a TREAT for you today: my girl Jennie from The Messy Baker is here to share one of her FABULOUS recipes with you guys! AREN'T YOU EXCITED??! I love Jennie. Like oodles. Bunches and bunches. We need to meet asap. And you wanna see something adorable? 

This is the very first comment she left on here, (in response to a comment I had left on her blog after stumbling upon it), and thusly began our friendship. Cute as crap, right?

Ok, enough from me, on to Jennie and cookies!

Hello, Cooking Actress fans! I’m Jennie. Nice to meet ya. I’m the baker, spatula licker, and taste tester over at The Messy Baker. Today I’m filling in for my gal Kayle. She’s off doing her thang, so I’m here to provide you with mucho deliciousness today.

I’m a frequent flyer here at The Cooking Actress. I just can’t get enough of Kayle’s cookies, pies, cakes, and savory eats. The girl knows how to cook some tasty grub. Her beau Michael is one lucky guy.

Kayle and I met over the interweb almost 2 years ago through our blogs. It was love at first sight. One look at her list of cookies, and I was in it for the long haul. After that first day, there was no keeping me away.

So, in the spirit of good cookies and in honor of Kayle, I decided to keep up with the tradition and make a cookie recipe to add to her ever-growing cookie list.

Enter pumpkin cheesecake cookies. Go ahead, I’ll wait while you read that again.

Yup, pumpkin cheesecake cookies—a soft, spicy cookie that combines the flavors of fall and the rich, creaminess of cheesecake in portable form. Say what!

You’ve heard of that slightly famous roll that makes an appearance during the fall and winter holidays—pumpkin roll. Yeah, these cookies taste just like that…all soft and creamy with hints of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger.

These cookies are so moist that they melt in your mouth as you eat them. They have a delicate, tender crumb that will keep you coming back for more. One, two, three cookies, gone!

A big thank you to Kayle for inviting me to post on her behalf, and a big thank you to you, her readers, for having me. I hope you guys enjoy the cookies as much as my family and I enjoyed them.

Cinnamon Roll Breadsticks-Guest Post at The Spiffy Cookie

Alright! Today is the rehearsal dinner for Kevin (Michael's brother) & Emily's wedding!

Exciiiiiting!

Also exciting is the fact that I'm guest posting at The Spiffy Cookie today! Erin, the super sassy, super brilliant, girl behind The Spiffy Cookie (speaking of which-how cute is that name? I literally started reading her blog for the sole reason that um...I love cookies. Yeahh) is working on finishing up her PHD (see, smart!) so she asked a few of her food blogging buds to help her out with some guest posts. Today that person is moi! Erin and I were lucky enough to meet when she was visiting NY, along with a group of food bloggers who live in the area, and we had so much fun! She is just as adorable in life as she is on her blog. And her blog-if you don't follow it yet, do. Let's just say that sometimes she does weekly chocolate/pb posts. Uh yes. It's because she lived in Ohio for awhile (where, as you may know, I am from) and Ohio State and Buckeyes and pb/choc. Get it? Got it? Good.

I decided to share these SUPER delicious, fluffy on the inside, crisp and sugar on the outside, cinnamon roll breadsticks. You'll never order cinnasticks from a pizza chain again. Click on over to her blog to read my guest post and get the recipe!

Mexican Style Quiche-Guest Post with Stephie of Eat Your Heart Out

Hey! Remember on the first when I did that post on Stephie's blog, Eat Your Heart Out? (Sum up: Stephie is the sweetest girl ever, super fun and cool, and she writes on of my favorite blogs! I especially love her back to basics series and OMG best post over about pie crust!) Well now my girly is returning the favor! Since I'm just coming back from vacation and getting life all normal-y again, she has me covered with a super amazing recipe for you all! Stephie is a genius with food, and I know she can make some kick butt savory dishes, so when she proposed this recipe for you all, I knew it would be a hit (give you all a little variety in your lives ;P). Anyway, I'll leave the rest to her...Stephie, take it away!:

Hello, darlings! I am so excited to be posting over here for Kayle today. I think Kayle is just such a sweetheart, don’t you? 

I know y’all see a lot of chocolate recipes around here, but I have a confession to make: I don’t like chocolate. At all. 

I know. I must be crazy. Sometimes I look at all of Kayle’s lovely-looking chocolate desserts and think the same thing. But, alas, chocolate has just never been on my list of favorite foods. 

Since I clearly can’t compete with Kayle’s dessert-making prowess, I thought I would change things up today with a fun quiche recipe. I personally love a good quiche. I get to combine two of my favorite things – pie crust and cheese – into one dish. And really, who doesn’t feel a little bit fancy when eating quiche? There is just something about it that says “fancy tea room” to me – and you don’t even have to tell your fancy-pants friends how easy it was to make.

For this quiche, I went with some fun Mexican flavors with some chorizo (or, for a vegetarian-friendly version, you could use your favorite soyrizo – I personally like the Trader Joe’s brand), onion, red pepper, and a blend of Mexican cheeses. The chorizo pairs well with the eggs in the quiche base and gives the whole thing a nice hint of spice without being too overpowering. This fun twist on a traditional quiche would be a great addition to a brunch, or perfect for a light lunch with friends. And make sure to save the leftovers for the next day…it’s just as good straight from the fridge while you’re still wearing your pajamas. Not that I’d know or anything.

For the skinny on how to make a perfect pie crust, check out my pie crust tutorial! And for a more traditional quiche, check out my Sweet Onion, Asparagus, and Goat Cheese Quiche.

Creme Brulee Cookies-Guest Post with Hayley of The Domestic Rebel

Right now I'm having a total ball in Pennsylvania at Michael's dad's side of the family's annual get together, and you're about to have just as much fun because today we have the hilarious, incomparable, Hayley guest posting! Yayyayyayyayy! I learned the awesomeness of Hayley the moment I laid eyes on her blog, The Domestic Rebel. But I really fell in love with her bright, cartoon-y, personality when she spent 3 days staying with me. Best foodie days EVER! Anyway, the girl is like a mad scientist when it comes to sweet treats, and today she is sharing some of her masterfullness here!
Hi there! I'm Hayley from The Domestic Rebel, and I am so excited to be on Kayle's blog today! Finally, my dreams of being an actress have come true!! Kayle and I are bloggy besties. In fact, after falling in love with her infectious, bubbly personality and of course, food like this, I knew I had to meet this cooking actress/goddess. So I visited her in New York this past March and LOVED every single second of it. In fact, Kayle showed me how to be a true New Yorker. Like, first thing I did was buy a MetroCard. It's what all the New Yorkers use to take buses and subways. And the first thing I ate in New York was appropriately, New York Cheesecake. Now, I have had cheesecake before -- and mind you, good cheesecake, too. But my unrefined, California palate hadn't ever tasted a true "New York" cheesecake. Ordering it made me feel like I'd passed some kind of 'Refined Food Finish Line' and entered a new dimension where any old cheesecake wouldn't cut it. Also, I was told by my father that if I came home without having a cannoli, I'd be homeless. So in order to survive, I basically had to find me a cannoli. Also a fancy, shmancy refined dessert. Done and done. And theeeen Kayle took me all around New York City and we ate anything we could get our hands on. I had my first gourmet hot chocolate at Max Brenner's, a liege at the seriously-addicting Wafels and Dinges truck, and my first-ever macaron! Well, actually I had about nine macarons in the four days I was there, but that's not really the point. The point is, Kayle taught me the importance of being a true New Yorker by eating true-New-Yorker ritzy-kinda food. Over-the-top, decadent, and elegant desserts that fit so well in the glamour and beauty of New York. I mean, New Yorkers are totally the kinda people who eat creme brulee with their pinkies up, am I right?! Californians aren't nearly as classy. That's why we don't have a truck that sells waffles. Because we're inferior. Anywaaaays, when I got home I was all hell-bent on making some delicious, elegant New Yorker kinda food, but of course with my rebellious twist. So when I spotted some Creme Brulee Truffles on the shelves at Target, I KNEW I had to incorporate them somehow into something ritzy and delicious. Thus, these tasty Creme Brulee Cookies were born! These are your ticket to awesomeness!

Blueberry Lemon Sour Cream Quick Bread-Guest Post with Kristin of Baker Bettie

Hey there world! I'm still hanging out in Ohio, but don't fret, I have left you all in capable hands! Today you get the utmost honor of a guest post by Kristin, AKA "Baker Bettie". I was lucky enough to hang out with the amazing lady last month, and I love her even more now (didn't know that was even possible!) Not only is she all cool and pin-upy, and a fabulous photographer, and a genius about the science of baking (I have learned so much from her blog!), and a girl who makes me laugh out loud with the stories she shares, she's also just a cool chick who is super nice and sweet and fun to hang out with! We declared ourselves best bloggy friends. Hooray!

Hello lovely readers of The Cooking Actress! My name is Kristin and I am the lady behind the blog/food/camera over at Baker Bettie. I know, I know. If my name is Kristin what is up with the Bettie thing, right? I often refer to Baker Bettie as my more confident pinup baking alter ego. But over time, the blog has transformed Kristin and Bettie into one and the same.

I am so excited to be guest posting here on Kayle's fabulous blog. I believe Kayle and I first became blogging friends way back in 2011. We immediately bonded over our love for vintage fashion and, of course, our mutual food obsession. We finally got to meet in person a few weeks ago and spent a fantastic day in the city exploring a bunch of foodie sites.

I have only a handful of very close friends. You know the kind. The ones that you know you will stay close to for the rest of your life. The ones that you are truly deep down excited for when big life events happen to them. I made these friends when I was young and they have stuck around. It is difficult to make those kinds of friends once college ends. It is just hard to make that kind of connection again. But Kayle and I hit it off right from the start. And once I figured out her name is pronounced "Kay-lee" and not "Kale" it has felt like we have known each other for years. She is just about as sweet as they come!

Recently I started a series on my blog called Back to Bake-sics. In each post I broke down the science of various different baked goods to create very simple and adaptable recipes. One of my favorite basic baked goods is quick bread. I make it frequently in all kinds of ways. It is so easy to make it savory or sweet and flavor it with pretty much anything you imagination can come up with. Check out this post for the basic recipe and to understand how it can be easily adapted.

There are few flavor combinations I love more than blueberry and lemon. Especially in the summer. These flavors just feel like summer. I like to think of blueberry and lemon as sort of a lifelong friend of flavors, as silly as that may sound. It just always comes through for me. In muffins, or biscuits, or cookies, or of course bread.
This bread is ready to go into the oven within 10 minutes and comes out incredibly moist and flavorful. I also think this would be awesome with raspberries, blackberries or cherries. Or a combination sounds pretty awesome too! You could even pair it with a different citrus. Orange, lime, or grapefruit?! Oh, the endless possibilities!

Guest Post at Eat Your Heart Out (Friends First Series)

Hey guys!!! So something super cool is happening today!

The beautiful, smart, talented, funny, and insanely sweet Stephie, over at Eat Your Heart Out, is doing this very cool "Friends First" series where, on the first of every month, she features one of her bloggy friends. Well, this month is ME!

Stephie is awesome for a lot of reasons. Only one of which is the fact that we both like to full out laugh in photos while looking off someplace.

Did you know she sent me the CUTEST Christmas card this year? 'cuz she did. AND she designed my business cards for me, just because she's nice and a sweetie pie n stuff! Plus we're like around the same age n junk so we understand the same things (young but not young enough to be sayin' YOLO or swag all the gosh darn times.) And, ya know, obviously, we love food. She needs to get her adorable skinny butt to NYC to see me so I hug her to pieces and we can talk about everything and become best friends forreals forreals forreals.

Anyway, go check out her fab. blog (and maybe follow her on facebook and twitter and pinterest and instagram too?) and see my post over there all about my favorite movies, tv shows, and some of my favorite recipes (so far)!!

Roasted Garlic Macaroni and Cheese-Guest Post at A Zesty Bite

Hello you all! Today I wanna talk a little bit about Meagan, from A Zesty Bite. Meagan is SUCH a sweetheart, and she keeps tempting me with offers of moving to Texas and being best friends and baking and letting me pinch her adorable little baby girl, Olivia's, cute chubby baby cheeks! Not to mention, she makes super delicious food and has a super fun, super gorgeous blog. Today I have the amazing honor of guest posting for her while she spends some very needed, very important family time. My heart goes out to her and I am so happy to help out in this way.

Roasted Garlic Macaroni and Cheese-there's nothing not awesome about this dish. You have an amazing roasted garlic, cheesy sauce mixed with the pasta and topped with a toasty breadcrumb and scallion topping. Super flavorful, super delicious. And you can get the recipe by heading on over to A Zesty Bite!

Chocolate Chip Cookies at Chelsea's Culinary Indulgence

Hi all!!

So, as you know, I'm currently having lots of fun/business in Ohio right about now.

BUT I still really wanted to participate in Chelsea's Culinary Indulgence's 12 Days of Christmas Treats:

For the 12 days leading up to Christmas, Chelsea is having some wonderful bloggers post some of their fave holiday goodies! And today is my day! Head on over to check out my Christmas-y post and my New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe!

Cinnamon Sugar Stuffed Scones-Guest Post at Pies and Plots

Now that we've come out the other side of this hurricane, let's reflect on what matters.

Food 

Friends

In my short time here in bloggy-land, I have made a lot of wonderful, wonderful friends. Some of whom you already know, and some you don't! Today I'm going to introduce (or re-introduce) Laura from Pies and Plots to you! Well...more like she's introducing me to her readers, since I'm guest posting over there today. 

But I digress.

Here's what makes Laura awesome: she's a writer, she's my age(ish), she's super supportive (hello, she favorites like every new post tweet of mine! how nice!), she's sweet, fun, and that girl can BAKE! She shares some of the most creative baked goods I've ever seen, and I love each and everyone post. Laura has a few dietary restrictions...SHE'S ALLERGIC TO CHOCOLATE AND CHEESE!! I know *sob* the poor girl! How does she live??! I'm kidding, I'm kidding...mostly. But she obviously manages just fine without these things. But as I'm sure none of you are surprised by...I had a hard time finding a non-chocolatey recipe to share on her site today.

It was a challenge I met! And I got to include another bloggy friend in the process (I adapted the recipe from Kristina of Whipped Baking...I'm sure you remember her. She's hopped on over here to see you guys a couple times before. :P) Anyway, these scones: they're chewy and delicious. They're glazed. They're stuffed full of CINNAMON SUGAR GOODNESS! It is one of the best ways you could possibly start your day, and if you want to see the recipe, just head on over to Pies and Plots!

You should also follow Laura!

Twitter                           Facebook                  Pinterest

Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies-Guest Post at Chelsea's Culinary Indulgence

Sooo-I have another fun guest post for you guys to check out over at Chelsea's Culinary Indulgence! Chelsea is the super adorable girl behind the blog-she comes from an Italian family background, like me, and she is happily married to her cute-tastic hubby Chris (as I hope to be to my Michael someday). She makes some delicious, and beautiful, food, you guys! Remember that Frozen Strawberry Yogurt Pie? Recipe was courtesy of Chelsea. Not only does she share some spectacular sweets, she also has some Italian entrees that pull at my heartstrings (Eggplant Parmesan, Homemade Cavatelli, Parmesan Chicken...I'd go on...but I'm starting to drool.)

Anyway, I was obviously beyond thrilled when Chelsea asked me to help her out while she adjusts to a longer work commute with a guest post! Yes! I'd love that! I gave her a few options for recipes to share, but she resoundingly chose these cookies. It's hard not to. They're pretty irresistable. Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. There is not one part of that name that I dislike. These cookies are everything warm and delicious and wonderful and happy in this world. Yes. Yes, they are. These are my new favorite oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe, because browned butter makes everything better. Obviously.

Now, head on over to get the recipe! And look around while you're there, enjoy all the great stuff Chelsea's blog has (and how adorable it looks)! Then...go cook something!

Ultra Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hello my darlings! I have a super extra amazing delicious treat for you today: a new chocolate chip cookie recipe! These are the thickest chocolate chip cookies I think I've ever had! You can find some tantalizing photos of their beautiousness and the recipe over at The German Foodie! I'm so excited to guest post for Sofie today, you'll really love her! She's super smart, super sassy, and has gorgeous photos of the delicious (mostly German) dishes she shares. Another fun fact? She lives in a small Ohio town that neighbors the one I'm from-crazy coincidence! Anyway, head on over there now to find the recipe for Ultra Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies and stay awhile once you're there! Enjoy the awesomeness that is Sofie, The German Foodie :).

Unfortunately, Sofie is no longer blogging (I wish her so much luck with her current endeavors and hope she's doing amazing!). Since her website is now gone, I'll repost the recipe for the cookies here:

Ultra Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies

Slightly adapted from Sugar Plum Blog's "Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies 2-All Butter Version"

Makes about 16 cookies.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, to be browned 
• 1/4 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces
• 2 and 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. active dry yeast
• 3/4 tsp. kosher or sea salt
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup toasted, chopped, walnuts

Preparation:

• Brown the 1/2 cup butter: melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly as it foams and bubbles and then when little brown specks form immediately remove from heat and pour into a large, heatproof, mixing bowl
• In a medium bowl sift together flour and baking soda. Stir in the yeast, salt, and 1/4 cup cold, cut up butter.
• In the large bowl, on medium speed, beat together the browned butter with the sugars.
• (Once the browned butter has cooled enough) beat in the egg and vanilla into the sugar mixture.
• On low speed, mix dry ingredients into the wet.
• Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
• Chill dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet and drop 1/4 cup mounds of dough onto the sheet, leaving plenty of space in between. Bake 10-13 minutes, until golden. 
• Allow to cool on the sheet for 2 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Red White and Blue-Berry Shortcake Cupcakes-Guest Post with Kristina of Whipped

OK, so I have one more amazing guest post for you before I'm back! This is just as exciting as the last one. Kristina from Whipped is here to share a great 4th of July themed recipe for you! I have to tell you, Kristina is not only an amazing blogger with gorgeous photos, a fun and friendly voice, and scrumptious (plus healthy?!) recipes, but she has also become my BFF--best foodie friend. She's moving to NYC this September for culinary school and I CANNOT wait! Michael is worried I may leave him to spend all my time with her. But then again, he wants her to be at the apartment all the time so she and I can both feed him goodies. Spoiled boy :P Anyway! These cupcakes/shortcakes look so perfect for summer (you can even wear a bikini after eating one, I say it's ok!) and Michael positively drooled over these when he saw the photos! (They're refreshing and have berries so he's obviously ALL OVER THIS!) Now, read the rest of this post, enjoy the wonderousness that is Kristina, then go check out her blog and read every morsel of awesomeness on there! And while you're at it, you should really keep up to date with her through the twitter, that facebook, and of course pinterest!  And I will be back in full force next week! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Sundried Tomato and Goat Cheese Rigatoni-Guest Post with Jen of Juanita's Cocina

Hey everyone! So, I'm back in the old Ohio-super super busy, I'm sure (I'm totally writing this post before I leave), and I have my first guest post for you today! I chose two of my absolute favorite foodie friends, and first I have the wonderful and hilarious Jen of Juanita's Cocina! Jen is a super amazing, super talented wife/mother/"at-home-cook, wanna-be chef, and aspiring foodie".  She is so nice you guys, it's like, impossible to not immediately become her friend. PLUS-she can legitimately say y'all (she lives in Texas). She always has some of the most entertaining stories you will read (forreals, never fails to amuse me), and delicious food! Go become her friend! Tweet her, FB her, Pin her, you guys know the dealio. And obviously you should start obsessively stalking her blog. That's just manners, people.

Even the post she wrote for me, right here, when you scroll down-cracks me up. I love that girl! Jen is so silly--apparently she's never been to Ohio, so she thinks it's a vacation ;). Little does she know I'll be spending all my time running around just trying to squeeze as much time with as many friends/family members as possible (also, Ohio is so boring, never vacation there. It's a nice place to live...not vacation, unless you have people to visit like me! :D) 

Also...I want to eat some of that rigatoni...I'm legit. planning on making it! Michael agrees :).