"I Wanna Dip My Balls In It!"*

My sister decided to have a small get together to share a photo project she worked on throughout March, so she enlisted me to help with the food. She requested the "Smoky Curls" and "Great Smoky Mountain Cheeze" from Vegan Diner and the rest was up to me. I wanted everything to be easy to grab and go but also wanted it to be cute and impossible to resist. I knew for sure I would make Oreo truffles, which set me on a path of small, ball type snacks. I offered to make chocolate dipped macaroons but she said she'd prefer the truffles. 

I wanted one more poppable dessert so I decided to make the "Cookie Dough Scoops" from VCIYCJ.  I have really underused that book so I was excited to try a new recipe. Plus, it gave me a chance to use the new hand mixer I bought myself for Mother's Day. It's so much better than the one I had been using, plus it's my very own which makes it so much more fun to use. I don't have my own kitchen (yet) but at least I have my own equipment.

I am still working on my chocolate dipping "skills". I've gotten better but still have a way to go. I dipped all the oreo truffles while the cookie dough scoops were in the freezer. I think I had about 4 dozen of each so that was a lot of dipping. I originally planned to cover the cookie dough bites completely but ended up just dipping the bottoms in chocolate like the recipe suggests. They're so yummy. I can't wait to mix them up with some ice cream.

I put them in mini cupcake wrappers so they would look fancier on the table. I wanted to bring s'mores bars too, but I just didn't have time to make them on Sunday. I ended up making them yesterday before work so I shared some with my co-worker and brought the rest to my sister's for our slumber party.  Even though I've made and enjoyed all these sweets the last few days I have actually been eating a lot healthier lately. I am working really hard to get my weight down so I can eventually get off of my blood pressure medication. I am going to kick it's asparagus!

*if you don't know, now you know. 

It's Cookie Time!

Girl Scout cookies are everywhere and I really want to support the troops, but since there are two different bakeries, it can be tough to find the vegan cookies in your area. I haven't been hit up by the girls in green as hard as I have the past few years, so when two adorable little girls came into the library with their order forms I couldn't say no. Fortunately for my waistline, they did not have the cookies I could eat, but I still bought some to pawn off on the rest of my family. For a second I wished I had ordered my own five boxes, but then I remembered what little restraint I have when it comes to sweets.

I wanted to make the Lazy Samoas from VCIYCJ for my niece's award ceremony after party on Tuesday but I wasn't able to finish them on time. I had never used coconut oil before and didn't know to try warming/softening it up in my hands before adding it to the mixture so it did not get mixed in as thoroughly as I would have liked but since I was running low on time and patience, I kept going. I barely got them out of the oven and onto racks before it was time to leave. Don't worry, I was already bringing about 4 dozen chocolate chip cookies, 2 dozen chocolate cupcakes and 2 dozen jelly donut cupcakes, so we were not short on treats.

I did the dipping and "drizzling" the next day before work. I know to use a shallower container next time. I got way more chocolate on my hands than on the cookies. I also overdippped the bottoms so there was not as much chocolate left for the drizzling. But, who cares? They came out awesome and I can't wait to make them again. Maybe with some other GS-type cookies since many bloggers have been posting recipes the past few weeks. I can't talk about girls selling cookies without giving a shout out to Troop Beverly Hills!

Did You Say Cookies?

 I've slacked on holiday baking the past few years so I think I made up for it when I made four different kinds of cookies and they were all delicious. I made my most requested chocolate chip cookies from The The Joy of Vegan Baking and the Mexican Wedding Cakes from a tattered piece of paper in my mom's recipe box. There are recipes for both of these in Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar that I should also try since they are probably equally, if not more, amazing. Since I make those two every year, I wanted to add some variety and try at least one cookie that would challenge me. Done and done!

The Chocolate Fudgy Oatmeal Cookies from VCIYCJ are serious crowd pleasers. Everyone who tried these was in love at first bite, no joke. I tested one while transferring from sheet to rack and immediately texted my sister something like, "these cookies are effin' bomb". I can't do an exact quote because I am smart and deleted all my text messages yesterday. Anyway, these are incredibly rich but without being too much, if that makes sense. You can probably get away with only eating one, but you'll be back in half an hour for another fix. Make these when you want to win someone over or just to hang onto what you've already got. They're that good, promise.

For my "challenging" cookie I wanted to do the Starry Fudge Shortbread, but freaked out that piping cookie dough and making ganache, each for the first time, would be pushing it. So I made the variation with candied cherries instead and they were still good. My piping skills are still under construction so I hope to do much better next time. I really want to try the ganache version soon, but I am almost out of buttery sticks. I think I had five at the beginning of the month and now I only have one, one and half at the most. Maybe I won't feel I have to bake as much in 2012 now!